Texoma Shelters Waive Adoption Fees

By GvilleTX Newsroom

Animal shelters in Sherman and Durant waived adoption fees under separate 2026 campaigns, reducing the upfront cost for Texoma families looking to adopt a dog or cat. Sherman Animal Services said its Clear the Shelter offer continued through Monday, Aug. 31, while Durant Animal Services said Durant Animal Shelter would offer free adoptions from August through October through the ASPCA’s Rescue Effect campaign.

The Sherman offer applied at Sherman Animal Services in Grayson County. Durant’s promotion applied at Durant Animal Shelter in Bryan County, Oklahoma. The shelters announced the fee waivers separately, but both offers were tied to adoption campaigns meant to help shelter animals leave for permanent homes.

For Cooke County readers, Gainesville’s local comparison is Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter. The city of Gainesville says Noah’s Ark handles the care and custody of impounded animals at the Gainesville shelter, and Noah’s Ark lists regular adoption fees of $100 for dogs and $50 for cats.

Sherman’s city Animal Services page lists its regular adoption fees at $50 for dogs and $40 for cats. The city says those adoptions include spay or neuter, initial vaccinations, a dog heartworm test and a microchip.

Durant’s current Animal Control FAQ lists a regular $50 adoption fee. A 2023 Durant fee resolution listed Animal Control pet adoptions as no charge with a sterilization deposit, while the city’s current FAQ and Durant Animal Services’ 2026 announcements described the current offer as free adoptions.

Sherman’s waiver was part of Clear The Shelters. NBCUniversal Local said the 2026 campaign ran Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, with fundraising running from mid-July to mid-September.

Durant Animal Services said its free adoptions were connected to the ASPCA’s Rescue Effect campaign. The ASPCA said the 2026 campaign continues through Adopt a Shelter Dog Month in October and provides grants to 200 shelters to help cover fee waivers and operating costs.

Sherman has used adoption promotions before, according to city records and official posts. City records show Sherman had an annual shelter adopt-a-thon by April 2009, when the city said the prior year’s event produced 38 adoptions and a recent Earth Day event produced 12. In June 2013, Sherman city staff told the City Council that animal-control fees were lower than those in peer cities, but staff did not propose adoption-fee changes because the adoption program had been successful over the prior six months.

Sherman Animal Services also used a Clear the Shelters promotion in 2024 and offered a February 2026 discount for animals six months and older, according to official posts from Sherman police.

National shelter data shows the larger pressure behind adoption drives. Shelter Animals Count reported that shelters and rescues adopted out about 4.2 million dogs and cats in 2025, up slightly from 2024, while 597,000 shelter animals were euthanized that year.

Maddie’s Fund, summarizing a study of the 2011 Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon, said surveyed adopters reported that most fee-waived dogs and cats were still in the home six to 12 months after adoption.