black shelter dog posing at OHS portland campus after a second chance rescue

Second Chance Program

The Second Chance Program at Oregon Humane was established in 1997 in an effort to help shelters in Oregon and Southern Washington – which may have less space, fewer resources, and fewer visitors to their shelter – place highly adoptable animals into homes.

Become a Second Chance Partner (For Shelters Only)

Second Chance FAQs

Each animal that comes in through our Second Chance Program will have their original shelter listed on their animal profile. You can look at the Transfer Agency map below to see where that shelter is located.

Thank you for your interest in helping Hawaii dogs! If you have a vacation planned to Hawaii and would like bring a dog back with you, please contact the shelter in Hawaii directly.

The dogs and cats coming in through our Second Chance Program are from shelters with a high volume of animals and limited space to house them. These shelters take in stray animals and owner relinquished pets. Very few of these animals come in with a history of being in a home, so things such as house/litterbox training and interactions with children and other animals is unknown. A lot of these animals come from more rural environments, whereas Portland and Salem are animal loving cities! It can be a very different environment for them. To continue the success of Second Chance animal adoptions, we will continue to provide adopters with the education and tools needed to get your new best friend settled in their new life!

Resources for Other Shelters

Contact Us

(503) 416-5029