NVHS provides a wonderful caring service to animals who need homes. My 2 littermate kittens are now…read more3 years old and such a joy! The volunteers foster the animals in their homes so they get lots of attention and less time in cages in a shelter.

I was lucky enough to find the 4-legged love of my life here after spotting his photo on Petfinder…read moreand coming in for a visit. The staff who was very friendly and helpful, asked many questions and had me fill out paperwork and were very conscientious about making sure I was a good match for a dog they clearly adored. They have a great fenced in pen for the doggies to run around in and having volunteered at the Quincy Animal Shelter for a while, I knew this was a great feature for any shelter. After checking references I was overjoyed to be given the thumbs up. Several staff members, who heard the cutie pie was going to his forever home, came to the shelter to say goodbye to him and to tell me how good a dog he was, they clearly care about these animals and wants nothing but the best for them!

I have been considering volunteering my time at a local animal shelter to give back to the…read morecommunity. I love animals and have adopted several older animals from the Animal Rescue League in Boston. Milton Animal League is one of the shelters that is closer to my home, so I headed down there today. I walked in the door, and asked if they were looking for volunteers, and the woman working there just looked at me and rudely asked "How old are you?" Now mind you, I don't look like anything like a teenager. I replied that i was 28 years old and only then the woman pulled out an application and told me to call before I come back and acted as though she were doing me a huge favor. I was with my husband and we are currently looking to adopt a rescue dog, so after the whole application fiasco, I asked if we could take a look at the available dogs. The woman pointed at a bulletin board with pictures of the available dogs. I asked her if I could go into the dog room to meet them. She replied, "I'd rather you not, they're all excited now." I left the Milton Animal League feeling patronized and brushed off. I feel badly for the animals there because I'm sure that they would have a better chance of being adopted if the staff at the shelter were more helpful and kind to people looking to adopt. If staff working in animal shelters like these were more attentive to people who came in to adopt and educated their patrons instead of instantly treating them all as though they are ignorant, less people would be buying from places supplied by puppy mills like pet stores and online breeders. If you want to adopt, I recommend adopting from a place where the staff sincerely care about finding their animals good home and treat potential adopters like they matter, such as the Animal Rescue League or Quincy Animal Shelter.

We cannot recommend Willette Ragdol in Massachusetts enough!…read more We brought home our first Ragdoll, Jetty, from Bette and immediately fell in love. He is the sweetest, most loyal and affectionate boy -- confident, gentle, and clearly raised with incredible care and love. His temperament alone speaks volumes about Bette's breeding program. We loved him so much that a year later we welcomed our sweet girl, Jovie, into our family. She is just as well-adjusted, loving, and beautiful. It's evident that Bette not only understands breeding, but truly understands family and the importance of raising kittens in a nurturing, intentional environment. What truly sets Willette Ragdol apart is Bette's continued support. She is always available for advice, encouragement, enrichment ideas, and keeps her families informed about health updates, product recalls, and important veterinary information. Her commitment to her "kids" lasts a lifetime. If you are looking for a Ragdoll breeder in New England who leads with knowledge, integrity, and heart, Willette Ragdol is exceptional. We are so grateful for Jetty and Jovie -- they have brought endless love into our home.

Get ready for a novel! If I could give WilletteRagdol infinity stars I absolutely would! My husband…read moreand I contacted Bette after our late ragdoll, Frank, passed away of cancer. Immediately, she was so empathetic and cared enough to listen to our grief, asked questions, and was genuinely sorry for our loss. After talking for a bit about the breed and her process, we knew we wanted to wait for two WilletteRagdol ragdolls. I had been doing research and was in contact with other breeders, but going with Bette and WilletteRagol felt like the right choice immediately. While we waited Bette was very communicative about the timeline and kept us informed of any updates. She also listened to my ramblings about my late boy often! I texted her so often since first contact that I should have paid her a counseling fee. She cares for her parents deeply, as they will be caring for her kids for their entire life. The day we got to pick our two babies was one of the happiest of my life! We ended up picking a blue bi-color boy, and a blue mitted girl from different litters so they lived in different rooms. I was worried about them not bonding since they weren't from the same litter, but Bette knows what she is doing. In between picking the kittens and pick up day we received weekly photos or videos, which was greatly appreciated and kept us sane while waiting for pick up day. By the time pickup day arrived, the wait had turned out to be just right for us--we needed time to grieve the loss of Frank, and by then, we felt ready for our babies. We picked them up on Sunday, and the experience was so pleasant! Bette and her husband Rick were so kind and informative, at this point it was like meeting family since I've been contacting so much. The folders they give are also filled with information so left very few questions. You can tell how much they care for each of their kids from first contact, but especially by the way they said goodbye. Such love and care is put into each kitten! We're on day 3 now and they are adjusting beautifully. It did not take them long at all to start warming up to us and they were rubbing up against us within an hour of being home. Bringing home two was the best decision because they are such buddies! It's lovely seeing their relationship between playing and cuddling up together. And they have such different personalities, it's funny to interact with them and watch them interact. I still communicate with Bette with questions and pictures and it is so nice to have the support to know I can text her and she will happily answer. We are so honored to have been chosen and to be able to be these perfect babies' parents. My heart feels so full for the first time since losing our late boy and we are so in love already. The wait is absolutely worth it! For those considering a WilletteRagdol ragdoll or are waitlist parents, I recommend reading the website in its entirety (https://www.willetteragdol.com/) and follow closely on social media. There are so many helpful tips and cute pictures, I swear it kept me sane! Overall, we had such a great experience with WilletteRagdol and we could not be happier with our two babies.

The cats look cared for. The volunteer I dealt with was discouraging and condescending. Apparently…read morethe "coordinator " is too busy to contact us after making her aware of our visit. Contacted Humane Society for a proffessional, informative and motivated adoption.

Not very welcoming. Found the manager to be very unhelpful when trying to adopt a cat. The other…read morevolunteers were nice, however.

I so appreciate the care and attention the staff and volunteers invested in the dog I adopted from…read morethe Boston Animal Control and Shelter. Bella the pittie mix was in their care for over a month, during which time they treated the multiple serious conditions this abandoned dog came in with, including surgical treatment for a painful eye infection. When I met Bella at the facility, I got to see her interact with several of the caring staff and volunteers: Bella was obviously very comfortable and attached to them all. It was touching to see each person take a private moment to sit on the floor, pet her and say their personal goodbyes. From the copy of the extensive veterinarian medical records I was given, I can see that Bella's vet care was proactive, thorough, expert, and regular. Perhaps most importantly there was evidence that Dr. Walz sought and valued the insights of the staff and volunteers who provided daily and hourly care to Bella. For example, medication was issued for a finite period based on the observations of the attentive staff (hives with which Bella came into the shelter reappeared after she ate a peanut butter treat, then a few minutes later ate a bee in the play yard). Bella and I have now been together for weeks and I am learning more about her behavioral and trust issues from being abandoned that will take us time to heal with patience and training. Realizing this makes me all the more impressed with how comfortable, safe and happy she demonstrated herself to feel when I observed her in the care of the shelter staff and volunteers.

I got my Maltese from this shelter 13 years ago. Sidney had been found as a stray. The shelter did…read morea great job neutering him, giving him vaccines, estimating his age, and telling me about some of his unique behaviors. Yesterday I had to make the painful decision to euthanize him because at 15 years of age, he was in pain. When I am ready to adopt again, I will return here.

I was introduced to the Mansfield Animal Shelter back in 2012 when I discovered that they produce a…read moreprogram on the local community cable channel, where they show all the animals available for adoption. A fantastic idea that I wish more shelters took advantage of. After a few weeks of insufferably cute faces and accompanying sad stories, I ventured over. Be sure to check the hours on their website, because they're only open a couple of hours some days, and longer hours others, due to it being staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It turns out that they are affiliated with the town animal control department and many of their rescues have been picked up as strays, or left behind after a move. They also accept dropped off pets, though preferably not the 'basket left on the doorstep' kind, which sadly was part of some of the cats' histories. I found a clean, organized place with cats at one end of the building and dogs at the other. Lots of helpful staff cleaning cages, socializing animals and carrying out the administrative side of the shelter. I was able to walk through the cat room, interacting with the cats in cages (roomy, scratching posts and individual litter-boxes), and with some that are allowed to roam freely while volunteers are there. They also have a couple of communal cat rooms with several cats living happily together. The volunteers answered questions, and I was able to use a visiting room to see a couple of cats 1 on 1. On my second visit I met Jack-O. He was a fixed, 6 year old male tuxedo cat. He was terrified of having gone from owner, to shelter, to quarantine, to the vet and finally to a room full of cats in cages. I could see in his eyes that he had just disconnected and gone to a happy place in his head. He didn't respond to verbal or food-based cues, just stayed curled up with that 'thousand yard stare'. I knew he was the one for me. The adoption process was pretty simple; Application, references checked (previous pets and the vets that cared for them) and a reasonable fee for the process (includes fixing, if necessary). I found everyone that I dealt with pleasant, professional and above all devoted to placing all those animals in good homes. Four years later Merlin (formerly Jack-O) is a happy, healthy, furry, non-rent paying roommate with a passion for chirping at birds and knocking over priceless knick-knacks. He contributes only to my sanity, refusing to deal with ground level threats like ants and spiders. I'm still a sucker for the cable show highlighting their adoptables, and often watch with Merlin directly in front of the television occasionally reaching out to see who these intruders in our living room are.

I highly recommend Pacheco kennels. We found them after loosing 2 of our 3 dogs last year (I lost…read moremy American bulldog in January when he had a heart attack at 9 years old and we lost our German Shepherd in September when she was just 8 years old from a bacterial infection). Our home was so lonely and too quiet, we were in need of a sweet puppy to love (our 5 year old Alaskan Malamute included). Our daughter, who's a Veterinary Technician, was contacted by them. They found the perfect match for us. We fell in love immediately with her and she's brought our home back to life again . The people at Pacheco kennels are so helpful and kind, they keep in touch with us to make sure everything is going well. Their kennels are immaculate! You can tell that the animals are all well loved and taken care of. We are in love with the English Labrador breed and are now loyal clients of Pacheco kennels !

If you really care about the humane treatment of animals and care about where dogs are coming from…read morethen don't go here. We adopted one the females Pacheco used for breeding and she has never been inside a house. She can't walk, bark, and she doesn't know her name. She smelled so bad I'm certain she she was never bathed. She has zero muscle tone and her stomach drags o. The ground. She was used as a machine and then tossed when she wasn't useful I personally would never go to a breeder for an animal, but there are breeders out there. They do not treat their dogs like rubbish. This girl is a mess and she'll never understand what it is to be loved.

This is an excellent cause. I can't recommend it enough. Make a donation. Help a family keep their…read moredog health and happy at home. Help a awesome dog find a new home if they need it.