Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Harbor Animal Services Center

    3.5 (140 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Harbor Animal Services Center Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Harbor Animal Services Center

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Geneva (brown tabby kitten)
    Kimberly L.

    Review #909 2025-084 Harbor Animal Services Center is part of The Department of Animal Services in the City of Los Angeles that was established in 1863, saving & caring animal lives that make their way into their shelters. It's 1 of 6, with other locations in Chesterfield Square/South Los Angeles, East Valley in Van Nuys, North Central in Lincoln Heights, West LA, & West Valley in Chatsworth. They're one of the largest municipal shelters in the U.S. with a Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team (SMART), serving 60,000+ animals annually. The shelter has a team of animal care technicians who oversee the animals' care & enrichment with at least 1 veterinarian as well as registered veterinary technician who assists. The team has training & experience in orthopedic surgery, wildlife, high volume spay/neuter, etc. There's community resources like pets.findhelp.com, a free, first-of-its-kind website where people in L.A. can find & access free or low-cost pet services in their community. The shelter is usually clean but sometimes cluttered, either with food & other supplies/equipment. They're often overcapacity by 30% or more for dogs, but they don't keep track of kittens/cats or other animals. They hold a few adoption events throughout the year to encourage adoption so the adoption cost is discount by 50% from their already low fee. Adopted pets can join their new families already spayed/neutered, vaccinated, licensed, & microchipped, & new fur baby parents receive a VCA Healthy Start Certificate, which provides up to $250 of follow-up veterinary care within the first 14 days of adoption. And adopted canines are eligible for free dog training classes at the Paws for Life K9 Rescue People & Pet Innovation Center in Mission Hills, CA. I adopted my 1st fur baby (grey striped tabby) that was headed for this shelter. The owner's kitten was a stray that followed her home, escaped & got pregnant; her landlord allows pets but limited to a max of 2, so she had to give up the kittens. At the time, she claimed that if they were headed to the shelter, they would have 7 days to be adopted or likely euthanized due to overcapacity. Not sure if this claim is true, but that's how Pepper joined my family & lived with us for 18+ years. We've been back to this shelter many times, & the staff & volunteers are friendly, helpful, & knowledgeable. The volunteers are especially kind & caring, advocating for these fur babies to find permanent homes. There's been times I wanted to add another fur baby to our family, but either the temperament wasn't right or relationship concerns (like a dog getting along with my cat). I may come back to join Harbor Animal Services Center's volunteer program because I love animals & want to give back to the community that connected me with my fur baby. Or maybe join their foster team to provide temporary residence until they find their permanent family.

    The people at the front desk have unwelcoming service they don't make eye contact with you or make you feel welcome. I'm surprised they're still working there as others have also said the same about the front end customer service, you would think a good manager or management team should take note of that. They also now ask every customer for a donation making it feel mandatory yet their service is very slow and unfriendly you'd think they treat their customers better after all because it's how they eat. Photo is the people angry because they made them wait so long for simple vaccinations. The two lady workers went to go hide in the back once they seen I pulled my camera out.

    Celery S.

    We got the IBD under control... finally. Not the institution's fault. It must be so sad working here. I can't say that I blame some of the staff for shutting down as a defense mechanism for what they have to deal with every day. My heart truly goes out to the animals still there and I humbly pray in ernest they find a home.. That being said.. the gurls.... They're not up for pictures right now, they just like relaxing this time of day... I'm sorry.. I know this job must be absolutely overwhelming and not all of the animals can be saved. I'm glad that I pulled these gurls (sisters) and I'd like to let you know that after a year we are doing well.

    Iesha H.

    Rescued 2 pups from here. They were bonded pair, named Wander and Winston. They are now known as Missy and Elliot. They are a great addition to my family. originally went into Foster and came home with these two little guys. The first pic is them on adoption day and now after two months with me.

    I adopted both of these amazing cats from this shelter two years ago. Best thing I've ever done. Love them with all my heart.

    Simple process, very nice workers, amazing pets that deserve homes. I was told one of the cats I got was returned multiple times but he just needed someone to be patient with him and that's what I did, he's now in a loving home who will never return him or hurt him.

    He's a rocker.
    Emilio M.

    An excellent place to come and save a life and add a fur baby to your home. If you're looking to adopt an a cat or dog please consider any of the conveniently located LA animal shelters. There are plenty of deserving critters in need of forever homes and the process of getting yours couldn't be easier. In these days of the pandemic, you simply go online...see what you like and call to schedule a pick up (if your selection is still available). That's it! And best of all they come with their shots, microchipped and are fixed. I was really impressed with the coordination of the staff at Harbor ASC. Super friendly, knowledgeable and following social distancing protocols as well as wearing masks etc.. Finally, we are super excited to have rescued a kitten and add him to our family! He's a real charmer and gets along great with our other rescue cat. Please consider using LA shelters for your next pet adoption. Cheers!

    Ashley P.

    We adopted a dog here on Easter Sunday. I cannot say enough about how wonderful everyone here was. We had visited the day before and everyone both days were soo helpful, friendly, and kind. The volunteers there are also fantastic! I had visited multiple shelters the week before and this one was by far the best! The girls at the front desk were great they knew the animals and loved them!

    My dog
    Nicole R.

    Please adopt it has been a year since I adopted buhbuh from Harbor! Big thank you to the volunteers and staff for helping me find my bestfriend

    A shot of their fees from the website (June 2022)
    Frances G.

    This center is one of six under the City of Los Angeles Animal Services Department. The other five locations are: East Valley (Van Nuys), North Central (Los Angeles), Chesterfield Square (South Los Angeles), West Los Angeles, and West Valley (Chatsworth). I came here on a Saturday in June with my sister who was looking to adopt a dog. Their website says that they are open without appointments Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00a-5:00p, and Saturdays and Sundays 11:00a-5:00p. Appointments are necessary Wednesdays and Fridays 8:00a-5:00p. This info may change so best to check laanimalservices.com before visiting. The center is located off of N. Gaffey Street, near the 110fwy. We were coming from OC, so we took the 710fwy through the container terminals and onto Gaffey, so it was on our lefthand side. Almost missed it since it's not that big and noticeable. Their parking lot is pretty small and fills up quickly, but not sure where else you can park. We got there early morning so fortunately we found parking, but by the time we left, a few cars were lined up in the driveway waiting for others to leave. The office to see the animals is actually the building at the end of the parking lot. The building on the left when coming into the parking lot looks like the animal care center (maybe do vaccines, spay/neutering, etc.?), and behind that is the administration office where you pay the fees. At the time of our visit, we were required to wear a mask the whole time (even when outside looking at dogs) and show proof of COVID vaccination. Now, they may have dropped the mask requirement (but again, please check their website prior to visiting). I am aware that there is a staff shortage not just here but pretty much at every animal shelter, yet too many animals, so yes, there were poop in the kennels. I even found poop on the walkway, perhaps left from walking/transferring the dogs. Most big dogs were in their own kennel for obvious reasons, but the smaller dogs were kind of cramped into groups of 3~5 per kennel due to overflow. It's hard not to get emotional knowing that a lot of these dogs came from sad situations such as being abandoned, abused, and hoarded. With that being said, the staff we encountered were very nice and helpful, and seemed to really care for the animals (admin lady was all business though). Added note: Please check the available animals AND lost animals on their website. There are some available animals that are inside the building area not accessible to the public eye due to being new there, or their age, health condition, etc. Animals in the lost section can become available for adoption once the hold is up (unless owners or rescues pick up), so if there is one that catches your eyes, you can inquire about it.

    It looks like my cat was attacked by another animal what a "neuter" appointment it must have been for him.

    See all

    2 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    8 months ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 2
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 2
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 0
    Love this 17
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ashley P.
    46
    61
    16

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 12
    Photo of Jill H.
    24
    40
    2

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 3
    Photo of Nicole R.
    247
    41
    10

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryan R.
    0
    103
    4

    1 year ago

    Very friendly and helpful staff. We got a young dog that is so friendly. Very reasonable.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Arrr B.
    5
    117
    58

    5 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 3
    Love this 2
    Oh no 5

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of H C.
    0
    27
    3

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 5

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 3
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 5

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Geanina M.
    157
    93
    831

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    12 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 1
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    The staff was very helpful and came home with a few goodies for one of our pets. Thank you

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Harbor Animal Services Center

    Dyou pick up dogs that have just died my dog mia has passed away and I need someone to pick her up she's in my home had her for over 20 yrs. Can you help me I'm 74 yrs old and I'm…

    Ee was,+/,

    Are they a no kill shelter?

    Yes, technically they are to be considered a no kill shelter, but because of the influx of dogs being sent to the shelter they have reverted back to euthanizing dogs again. They have in the past euthanized dogs who have been at the shelter too long,… 

    What are the adoption fees?

    For Adult dogs it is $102.00 without licensing fee / $122.00 with licensing fee for the City residents . Adult dogs constitutes as a dog older than 4 months of age. For… 

    Do they take credit cards?

    Yes!!

    View All 8 Questions

    Review Highlights - Harbor Animal Services Center

    Harbor Animal Care Center should be proud that Officers Vang and Smith are on their team.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Animal Shelters 3,580 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Harbor Animal Services Center - animalshelters - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...