Thank you for our little fur baby........ We couldn't be happier ! She is so sweet,spunky and playful. read more

I have nothing but positive things to say about Animal Rescue Volunteers. I was treated with kindness and patience. Their vetting process was reasonable as was their adoption fee. At all times it was clear they were looking for the right home for Dougal. I am so happy it was us. Even after the adoption we continue to hear from Staci at ARV with follow up calls. read more

Animal Rescue Volunteers - ARV alumni Dougal - Animal Shelters Near Me - Simi Valley, California

THis Rescue agreed to Give me back my Dog named Dutch in the month of October after she finished weaning her puppies. Refuses to give her back , I have no idea how's shes doing I had her since she was a pup. Seems to be they are only interested in the newborn puppies.. I can only imagine the fees for adoption. read more

We adopted two amazing dogs from ARV. It was the first time my kids had ever had a dog. The staff at ARV is amazing! After adopting our precious little girl, Molly, it had gone so well we went back and adopted our little prince Fudge. If you are in need of service that is exemplary, and people who truly love animals, you wouldn't go anywhere but to ARV. They are kind, helpful and truly want what is best for the animals in their care. We couldnt be happier with the completion of our "furry family" Many thanks to Staci and Sue who helped us all along the way! read more

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It's truly amazing the 3 reviews noted below are so spot on! My wife and I have RESCUED dogs for almost 40 years. We've rescued dogs that were left to die. We have given them the medical help that was necessary to save their lives. We were so excited with a puppy we saw at this rescue. We really wanted to give the puppy a great home filled with love and affection. I was there at 11am. I was approached by the leader of this rescue. She was rude and condescending right after I gave her a friendly "Good Morning!" I knew right then this wasn't good. Our dogs sleep with us in their beds at our bedside. They have a doggie door and a grass back yard and dog blankets to sun on. We only feed our dogs Blue Buffalo, moist and kibble. They get regular Vet visits and their yearly vaccinations. And most of all, they receive boatloads of love and affection every single day. I felt discrimination the moment she first spoke to me. I'm not sure why their current supply of puppies have been bounced back and forth from their foster home to the pet store rescue for 10 months now. Why subject these beautiful dogs to this inhumane punishment? I heard one of the women yell at a dog in his cage..."Spray Bottle!" I asked what she meant by that. She said the dogs know what that means. After 2 warnings for barking, they spray and squirt water in their face. Now the tables have turned. I wanted to rescue this dog from them. I did everything humanly possible to rescue this dog from this rescue. We were denied the next day via a very generic email and was TOLD to visit our local animal shelter. How condisending. Now I see a bigger picture here. Everyone is denied. These dogs return weekly to the adoption center because they never allow anyone to adopt them. Discrimination at its best. I genuinely wish each pup well. I pray they finally find a good home to be loved. These dogs are no better than circus animals. They are always on the move, subjected to so many strangers wanting to hold and pet them. The dogs stress level must be through the roof when they are caged up every Saturday morning to be on display. For some dogs, this has been going on now for almost a year. And then the punishment for barking....a squirt in the face. Unacceptable behavior in my eyes. The power trip this coordinator is on is discriminatory and abusive. Don't waste a minute speaking with this so called rescue. You don't have a chance to really be considered. They make their judgements on you before you even fill out the app. I am a business executive and my wife does not work and is home all day long. What more can they ask for with someone home all day long with a dog? Most leave their dogs home alone for 9 hours or more while they work. All of the prior reviews say the same thing. They are not allowing these beautiful creatures a chance to go to a good loving home. They feel it's best to keep uprooting them every Saturday morning and stressing them out. What a sad thing to do to an animal. And then when their stress shows, they are punished. Dear God, please help these innocent puppies. In closing, my leaving a one star review is one star too many. read more

We just adopted our little princess Raven with ARV. Every step of the way Kayla was amazing. I feel so blessed to have found her. They are so passionate about their cause to help rescue and find quality homes for so many animals. If you are looking to adopt a pet please consider this wonderful organization. read more

I had a similar negative experience this weekend as written by The Last Honest Reviewer, Marilyn S. and Alex S. Expect to be ignored and discriminated against if you are a more mature individual. The volunteers decidedly cater to young people/families. A young couple was looking at the puppies for a few minutes when a volunteer approached them and practically begged them to complete a questionnaire (they weren't interested). I was there over an hour holding puppies, conversing with the volunteers, asking questions, and not one volunteer asked or offered me a questionnaire. I then met Stacie for the interview. She conducts the interview in the middle of an aisle where she is seated but you stand (setting that whole dominant/subserviant, intimidation symbiotic relationship). There was no privacy. And, it was a rather unprofessional manner to make a life-changing family evaluation. As another commented, I, too, got very negative judgmental vibes from the first moment I met Stacie. It was evident from her whole body language that I was not going to be a "good fit". It was definitely an age discrimination thing. I own a home with a large fenced yard. I am responsible and can adequately care for and provide. I have adopted, raised, played and loved 4 rescue dogs from puppies through to very old ages (~17). I showed pictures of my large fenced yard and home but she was not the least bit interested. And, they claim to have "adoptive rules" but then selectively break these rules to suit whomever they favor. I wanted to see the pup I was interested in as soon as possible (Friday) as I was excited. I was told I had to wait for the Saturday adoption event. So, how is it that one of the pups of this litter was not there on Saturday because she had already been adopted out? So, I had to wait until Saturday but someone else was able to not only see but also adopt before Saturday? Don't waste your time and energy if you fall into the more mature category; you won't be their "good fit". read more

Absolute ridiculous way of adopting pets. DO NOT GO THROUGH THESE PEOPLE. They do not care about the people that are looking to take genuine care of their animals. Avoid them at all costs. read more

Animal Rescue Volunteers was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The adoption process was thorough and professional, and the volunteers were caring, compassionate, and generous with their time and experience. We ended up with a great dog and it was clear that they had been taking great care of him. I highly recommend ARV Simi Valley! read more

We just adopted our first rescue dog from ARV Simi Valley and it couldn't have gone better! We have a wonderful, adult dog who was rescued from a box next to a dumpster. Luckily, ARV found the most wonderful foster mother for this little one. Her love and care was so evident. This organization is well organized, purposeful, caring, and compassionate. Staci was so efficient in everything involved with the adoption, including the follow-up days after. You never realize there are so many details involved in the adoption process, but they were handled well and we had a great experience. We're so happy that this little one found us, and that we found ARV. read more

I adopted my dog Denny about 6 months ago and Staci has just been so amazingly helpful and in touch through out the whole process. Very professional volunteers just looking to find a safe home for these animals. Couldn't have asked for any more out of a shelter! Thank you again! :) read more

Many years ago, I experienced the negative effects and experiences associated with a mall purchased puppy. I loved that dog, but also took in a stray that was set to be euthanized. I was overwhelmed to learn of the number of beautiful animals that were just waiting for a (last) chance to be loved. Almost two years ago, I decided I was ready to add a little more love and joy to my life. I visited shelters, adoption events, and scoured online sites, to find my new partner. Many rescue organizations had me questioning their purpose, processes, and objectives. By the time I looked online and saw the many wonderful animals at Animal Rescue Volunteers, I didn't really process or envision actually having one of their rescues; that was, until I went to their weekly showing. The professionalism, care, knowledge, and genuine interest in placing their rescues in the "right" home was evident. There was a big selection of dogs (sad, but reality). The representatives REALLY knew their "homed" dogs. When I mentioned the characteristics that I was looking for, they were able to able to lead me to the right dog (and over a year later, she is exactly what I was looking for). The application, interview, home inspection, and periodic follow-ups are designed to only place an animal into a caring, responsible, and fitting environment. I could tell that she had been homed in a caring and responsible environment. She is truly a wonderful dog. My next adoption will be from Animal Rescue Volunteers. They are truly an incredibly first-rate organization, that truly adheres to its purpose and objectives. Please, no comments re: grammar or punctuation, my dog is a little sensitive about her typing skills. read more

Animal Rescue Volunteers - Animal Shelters Near Me - Simi Valley, California

Do not waste your time. Read Alex S. Review they said everything thing I would have. The only other thing I can add is if you are over sixty five you will know they aren't considering you by the way you're treated and suggested you only look at dogs with very little time left. Hopefully I can give them zero stars. Marilyn S. Had to give them one star to post this. read more

My beloved fuzzy son , Rudy passed away almost two years ago and I was so devastated. I swore I would never get another dog because I was heartbroken and felt I would never find another dog as wonderful as Rudy. After some time had passed, I started looking in the shelters and some of the local adoption groups. The shelters rarely had little dogs and the local adoption groups wanted upwards of $500 to adopt. I saw "PeeWee" (now Ziggy) on Perfinders and contacted ARV. They arranged for me to meet him and it was love at first sight! His adoption fee was reasonable and they came to our house to make sure it was suitable for Ziggy (which shows they care about whom they place their animals with.) His foster mom was the nicest person and called several times to check in and make sure he was still a fit for our family. I recommend this adoption group wholeheartedly. They really care about their animals and finding the right family!! Ziggy is a perfect fit for our family! read more

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Ughhh. I really didnt want to write this, but after looking to adopt for almost a month now, searching every day, going to events, filling out apps, etc. with no results, i have decided that the issues i had at this rescue are not isolated but are endemic to the rescue industry. Ive been involved with dogs and rescues for 10+years. I have experience working at shelters, volunteering, adopting (all of my dogs have been adopted), a little training and i am absolutely GAGA over dogs. Im kind, patient and attentive. I dont pinch pennies on anything my dog needs. Ive treated a boxer for lymphoma, ive had special need pets (blind boxer with psychological problems). I have references from established, respected rescues as well as personal references. I work from home, i well off financially and have a nice home with 2 huge, green lawns. OK, my experience with animal rescue volunteers from simi valley. The hold their adoption drives in simi valley at Rand R pet shop. I found their site through a search. I was IMMEDIATELY in love with many of their dogs. They had 3 puppies-- absolute darlings. They were terrier mixes of sorts. There was faline (who you can STILL see on their site), prince, thumper and 4th one that wasnt related like the first 3 who were siblings. The 4th was razzle, a poodle pup. Anywho... Last saturday was the evnt. I got there at the start at 11am but already there were people there. Out of everyone there, as far as i could tell, i was the only one to bring donations for the rescue--i brought them a bag of high quality dog food, a new bed and some towel/blankets. For faline, i filled out the application and was told i was 3rd in line for her. I also went ahead and put Prince as my second choice and Razzle as my 3rd. The 3 siblings-- after filling out the app and meeting the pups i went to the back of the store and met the ladies running the shelter. I learned all of their names-- S, Sa, G and the young girl K. . I spent over an hour speaking with them, telling them abt myself. Razzle, the poodle pup, was being kept in the back because they said he has fear anxiety (something i personally didnt notice at all but watever) Now keep in mind, the fact he was in the back meant that MOST adopters didnt even see him. This comes into play later. To wind down the story... I was told they would review the applications and call everyone back that evening or latest sunday. Evening came and went. Sunday evening i emailed them. No response. Monday i get a reply-- a generic message basically saying, "we didnt select you to adopt any of the dogs, go look elsewhere"... I replied back basically pleading with them to tell me why i wasnt selected? I asked if i did anything wrong or if there was something abt my situation that made me a bad choice? They didnt respond at all... Needless to say i was heart broken but i figured there were lots of people before me and they were given the chance to adopt. Well, on wed i had this weird feeling and i decided to email them from a friends email and inquire about who is still available. To my astonishment and immediate anger, i found out that ALL 3 dogs were not adopted! Not even Razzle--the poodle in the back who spent 20min in my arms with no problems. The supposed fear anxiety pup who had NO problem coming to me and then a lady behind me. Turns out the dogs will now be at another adoption event on october 7th. Now i dont abt you. But in my extensive experience, a dog is ALWAYS better off in their new forever home with a loving parent, as opposed to still at a rescue being shown at adoption drives. Furthermore, those are 3spots that could have been filled with new dogs in need. I decided to write this because after all of this time, i have noticed a serious issue developing in the rescue industry. It seems the human ego, desire for control/authority and possible financial benefits have all crept into the world of animal rescues. This is insane! I shouldnt be looking for a month, every day! I have filled out at least a dozen applications and keep getting the run around. Most rescues dont respond to inquiries. This rescue is horrible at replying to emails or answering calls. Many rescues have pets posted that are no longer available. Ive seen many with pets listed that have been adopted out 2 years ago! Also, what is up with these donation fees???!!! 300, 400, 500, 600! for an adoption? Do these people understand that its hard enough convincing the general public to adopt with out telling them their adoption costs as much as MOST new pups from a breeder?? What is your purpose???? Who are you doing this for?? I pose this question to SALLY, SUE, GLORIA AND KALA--- What possibly acceptable reason could you have had to deny the adoption fo the 3 dogs? Im not even asking why they werent adopted out to myself. Im asking why they werent given to anyone?? Why are they still with you in a temporary home?? read more

Just adopted my new dog and could not be happier. Thank you Staci for doing such a wonderful job!!