Five Acres Animal Shelter

Whether you want to adopt, need help keeping a pet you can no longer afford to feed, want to volunteer, or are facing a situation where you might have to surrender your animal — these are the answers before you make that drive to Pralle Lane.

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  How do I adopt a dog or cat from Five Acres? Step 1: Submit an online adoption application at fiveacresanimalshelter.org · Step 2: Application reviewed and approved · Step 3: Visit the facility to meet your match · All animals come microchipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and heartworm or FeLV/FIV tested · Must be 18+ to apply

  Five Acres uses an application-first process rather than walk-in-and-pick-a-pet. Filling out the application online before your visit serves two purposes: it lets staff match you with animals whose temperament and needs actually fit your household, and it saves time during the visit itself. The application asks about your living situation, experience with pets, what you’re looking for, and any other animals in the home. Once approved, you visit and meet the animals that seem like a good fit. Every animal adopted from Five Acres leaves with microchip, current vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery already completed, and a disease screening relevant to their species — dogs are tested for heartworm, cats for feline leukemia and FIV. The cost of all of that is built into the adoption fee, which makes it genuinely less expensive than buying from a breeder and then paying for the same services separately.
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  What are Five Acres’ hours and where exactly is it? Address: 1099 Pralle Lane, St. Charles, MO 63303 · Phone: (636) 949-9918 · Monday: Closed · Tuesday–Friday: 1:00 PM–6:00 PM · Saturday–Sunday: 11:00 AM–5:00 PM · AniMeals pantry: Saturdays 8:00 AM–11:00 AM (separate from adoption hours)

  One detail that trips up first-time visitors: the adoption floor and the AniMeals food pantry operate on different schedules. If you’re coming to look at animals for adoption, you need to arrive during the Tuesday–Sunday adoption hours listed above. The pantry runs on Saturday mornings starting at 8am — before the adoption lobby even opens. These are two separate entries. The shelter is also closed on Mondays, which surprises people who try to call or visit early in the week. If you’re driving from the St. Louis side, the Pralle Lane address is on the western edge of St. Charles, easily reachable from I-70 or Highway 94. Call ahead on your first visit to confirm current animal availability if there’s a specific breed or type you’re hoping to see.
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  What is the AniMeals Pet Food Pantry and who qualifies? Free pet food for households on limited income — job loss, fixed income, illness, or financial hardship · Supports up to 4 animals per household · Provides up to 6 months of food at a time · Open Saturdays 8:00 AM–11:00 AM · Also partnering with “Whiskers on Wheels” to deliver to homebound residents who can’t come in person · Supporting letter from vet, church, food pantry, or social services agency may be requested

  AniMeals is one of the most quietly important services Five Acres runs — and one most people only hear about when they’re already in a crisis. The pantry distributes over 3,000 pounds of pet food and supplies every month and handed out 39,000 pounds across all of 2024. The program exists on a clear understanding: when families can’t afford to feed their pets, they surrender them. The pantry removes that trigger and keeps pets in their homes with the people who love them. There is no income verification requirement described on the public-facing information, but a supporting letter from a recognized community organization may be requested. Households facing housing crises, medical situations, or fixed-income pressures are all served. The newer “Whiskers on Wheels” delivery partnership reaches homebound pet owners who can’t make it to the Saturday pantry — call Five Acres directly to ask about delivery access if mobility is a barrier.
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  What is Shadow’s Fund and how does it work? Shadow’s Fund is Five Acres’ special needs medical program · Pays for animals who arrive needing expensive veterinary care — surgeries, prescriptions, extended treatment · Named for an animal the shelter helped when traditional funding wouldn’t cover the care · Funded entirely by donations · Allows Five Acres to accept animals other shelters would turn away due to medical costs

  Without Shadow’s Fund, Five Acres would face a hard choice many shelters make daily: accept only healthy animals or strain the budget on costly medical cases. The fund removes that limitation. Animals that arrive injured, sick, or in need of surgery that could cost thousands of dollars are accepted because donor contributions to Shadow’s Fund cover those expenses. This is part of what allows Five Acres to function as both a safety net for the community and a genuinely no-kill operation. If you donate to Five Acres specifically hoping your contribution goes toward medical care for animals in the greatest need, you can designate your gift to Shadow’s Fund. The shelter website has direct donation options for this program.
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  How do I volunteer at Five Acres? Volunteer opportunities include: animal care, socialization, dog walking, foster program, off-site mobile adoptions, special events, and the Buddy Program (taking animals off-site for day socialization) · Apply through fiveacresanimalshelter.org · No specific experience required for many roles · Volunteers are part of what makes a 99% placement rate possible

  Five Acres is unusually transparent about what volunteers actually do — it’s not just cleaning kennels. The Buddy Program lets volunteers take animals out for the day to help with socialization and enrichment, which is particularly valuable for dogs who’ve been in the shelter a long time. Organized play groups for behaviorally challenged dogs are also volunteer-led. The mobile adoption program — where shelter animals are brought to events and public locations across the St. Louis metro — runs almost entirely on community volunteers. If you can’t commit to a regular schedule, event volunteering is a flexible entry point. The shelter also runs “Books with Bingo,” a children’s reading program where kids read to dogs in the shelter, which requires adult supervision and is coordinated through volunteer leadership.
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  Can I surrender my pet to Five Acres if I can no longer care for them? Yes — Five Acres accepts owner surrenders and is one of few shelters in the Greater St. Louis area still actively doing so · Intake by appointment from a waiting list · They also accept transfers from overcrowded shelters and animals facing euthanasia elsewhere · Before surrendering, Five Acres may connect you with resources to help you keep your pet

  Five Acres describes itself explicitly as one of the few shelters in the St. Louis region still accepting pets from owners facing genuine hardship — housing crises, financial emergencies, severe health problems. Animals are received by appointment from a waiting list, not same-day walk-in, so if you’re approaching a surrender situation, contact the shelter as early as possible to get on the list. Before surrender happens, staff may offer connections to community resources that could make keeping the pet possible — the AniMeals pantry, local low-cost vet clinics, or temporary foster situations while an owner stabilizes their circumstances. Nationally, housing and finances drive three of the top four reasons pets are surrendered. If either of those is your situation, call Five Acres and describe it — they may have a path that doesn’t end in surrender.
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  Can I foster an animal from Five Acres instead of adopting? Yes — the foster program is a core part of how Five Acres operates · Fosters provide temporary care at home for animals needing extra time, medical recovery, or socialization before adoption · Supplies typically provided by the shelter · No long-term commitment required · Often leads to permanent adoption (“foster fails” are celebrated)

  Fostering serves animals who aren’t yet ready for the adoption floor — young kittens, animals recovering from surgery through Shadow’s Fund, anxious dogs who need a home environment to decompress before they can show their true personality to potential adopters. Foster families provide the home; Five Acres typically provides food, supplies, and vet care. The time commitment varies from a few weeks to a few months depending on the animal’s situation. Fostering is how Five Acres manages intake capacity without turning animals away or cutting their stay short — it extends the safety net beyond the shelter’s physical walls. If you’ve thought about adopting but aren’t ready for a permanent commitment, or if you want to help a specific type of animal (newborn kittens, for example, who need bottle feeding around the clock), fostering is a meaningful on-ramp.
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  Does Five Acres receive any government funding? No government funding — Five Acres is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entirely supported by private donations, corporate support, events, and grants · In 2020 it partnered with the City of St. Charles to provide animal care within city limits — that partnership is separate from general operations funding · No tax dollars fund day-to-day operations

  This matters for donors: every dollar given to Five Acres goes directly into the operation, not into a government funding stream. The 2020 city partnership means Five Acres handles animals picked up within the city of St. Charles — a contractual relationship — but the nonprofit still relies on its community for operating revenue. Program expenses for animal adoption services alone ran $1.1 million as of recent 990 filings. Five Acres runs fundraising events throughout the year, accepts planned giving and bequests for long-term impact, and takes in-kind donations of pet food and supplies year-round. Donations of pet food benefit the AniMeals pantry directly; monetary gifts can be directed to specific programs including Shadow’s Fund, general operations, or facility improvements.

Use the buttons below to find Five Acres directly, view available animals, or locate pet resources in your area.