Indian River County is home to the Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County. This Humane Society is a non-profit organization and has been been providing refuge and help to the animals of Indian River County since 1953. The Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County aids over 6,000 animals annually. Animals are not turned away regardless of age or current status. This includes young, old, domestic or wild, homeless, lost, ill or injured animals.

Shelter and Care for every animal that comes to the Shelter; Animal Rescue for the sick, lost or cruelly treated; Adoption Center: health screening, pre-adoption sterilization; Lost and Found helps reunite pets and people and offers free ID tags; Pet Sterilization Assistance: finances for needy families; Behavior Counseling: professional help for matching pets with families and solving pet behavior problems; Humane Education: in-school presentations, shelter visits, and the “Humane Times” newsletter; Care Cadets gives structured animal care training at the Shelter to young volunteers; Foster Care: secure haven for pets of families temporarily in crisis;Pets for Senior lends financial help to make pet ownership feasible; Grief Counseling compassionately helps those experiencing the death of an animal companion; Pet Therapy lights up lives of nursing home residents and shut-ins with visits of shelter pets; Disaster Relief meets the needs of residents with companion animals before and after natural catastrophes.