We adopted our first dog from Austin Dog Rescue in 2011. She was the best dog we could have ever asked for. She passed in 2023. In 2024, we started looking at the ADR site again for our next dog. We have since adopted another pup from this group. Everyone we have met is lovely; they genuinely want the best for the dogs. If we ever have an issue, they have been a great resource. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a paw family member. They are tiny but are doing great work. read more

Austin Dog Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

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Doing a great service to so many who can not speak for themselves. Saving dogs every day. Volunteer to help if you can. Or if you can, take a loving, desperate abandoned soul home. Dogs and cats are angels who walk among us. Please call ahead and make an appointment to visit. See for yourself and share your life with a special friend or two. You will never get a more committed and loving four-legged friend than one you give a 2nd chance at life to. read more

These People really care about the animals that are not typically okay and I really recommend saving and protecting these animals and all animals in general.#SAVE ALL ANIMALS!! read more

Austin Dog Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

I took my friend to visit a puppy the other day and the foster family treated her so rudely. They judged her because of her neighborhood and never checked her references. If they had, they'd know that she adopted an adolescent dog that lived for 16 years, and loved him as a family member. I realize ADR has strict adoption criteria, but you would think that would mean they'd eliminate foster families personal biases in the adoption process. Or at the very least not treat potential families with suspicion and disrespect. She feels so dejected, not so much because she did not get the dog, but because of their judgmental treatment of her. I went with my friend to see if ADR would be a good organization to go through, but clearly it's a bunch of holier-than-thou people who think they know how to raise a dog better than you despite 16 years of evidence to the contrary. I would not get involved with this organization as I firmly believe this to be a case of class discrimination. In my experience adopting in the past, the best foster families are the ones that not only have a good set of criteria for the safety and well being of the animal, but are also eager to find homes for the dogs. When reading reviews on this site, be careful to note whether the review is for the dog that these families love so much, or for the organization that actually brought them together. There's a difference between a good dog, and a good adoption experience. read more

My boyfriend, Travis, and I have a Bassett hound, Bentley. After moving in together Travis and I decided that Bentley needed a friend/sibling. We searched high and low for the right dog sister for Bentley. After about a month of searching and putting in various applications in around town, Austin Dog Rescue had a meet up and invited us to come and meet all the fosters. We went to a Austin Dog Rescue meet up, which was held on the roof of a bar (cool!), and found several cute foster dogs. I really enjoyed talking to the foster parents and learning about all the dog's personalities. But after meeting one special girl, Rabbit/Heather, we knew we had found the right dog. Rabbit (formerly named Heather) is a border collie mix with a lot of energy and great dog manners. She was young (about a year old) and had been pulled off the euthanasia list at Williamson County. Rabbit's foster dad brought Rabbit to our house several days after the meet up event to see how Bentley and Rabbit got along. Rabbit let Bentley believe that he was in charge and they have been best friends ever since. It's been a year and I can't imagine our lives without Rabbit. Bentley and we say thank you to Austin Dog Rescue for saving such an awesome dog. read more

Austin Dog Rescue - Our adopted puppy Rabbit. - Animal Shelters Near Me

I fell in love with my dog Parker when I first saw his baby pic on the ADR website in 2007. He was 8 weeks old at the time, and my boyfriend was out of town. Still, I visited Parker (then Newt) at his foster home and filled out adoption paperwork. Joyce, his foster mom and former ADR Executive Director, agreed to allow me to pay the adoption fee and do paperwork, then bring my boyfriend to visit for final approval. Of course, my bf fell in love with Parker as well, and he's now been a member of our home for 2+ years. During the adoption process, we found out that Parker and the rest of the pups from his litter had been on the kill list at the Town Lake shelter just before Joyce rescued them. Thanks, Joyce and ADR, for rescuing Parker and the other puppies in his litter. Now we can't imagine life without him! read more

Just a quick update-I enjoyed my experience so much that I became a foster for them. Joyce does an amazing job selecting dogs from the shelters. All 15 of my foster dogs thus far have been wonderful dogs who have found their perfect homes. My ADR dog Hudson just loves meeting each new foster. read more

ADR is the best. We looked all over when we decided to get a dog and couldn't be happier with our ADR experience. They do amazing work finding dogs who might otherwise be put down. The volunteers are dedicated and helpful. They met with us and then brought dogs to our place to test out. The foster has stayed in touch and helped us with questions. Also, they spend a small fortune rescuing these dogs. Its incredible. The adoption fee is almost a token payment compared to the money and effort they put into saving these dogs. Thanks for saving our guy, and for all the others you are working to place. Get a dog from them yall. read more

Pros: This group does good work. I really like that all their dogs are in a foster situation before being adopted instead of being in rows of cages. The volunteers are amazing caring people. Cons: I've been going back and forth about this review for a couple of weeks. I finally just decided to write it, so I could stop thinking about it. Between my husband and I, we have over forty years of experience with dogs. We have a crate, we work from home, we have a fenced backyard, we have pet insurance, we take our animals in for regular check-ups. We have fostered and rescued many dogs. Our current dog, Ruby, a pitty mix, adopted from Austin Pets Alive, is a parvo survivor. We have had her for six years and have worked very hard to train her and socialize her. We've fostered dogs in our home, she has gone to doggy daycare since she was 3 months old. She goes to off-leash parks at least once a week. Never once in six years has she ever attacked or gone after a smaller dog with anything other than playful intentions. Anytime she's gotten too rambunctious with another dog, she accepted "doggy corrections" with aplomb. We were interested in a dog from ADR. We met the dog, we brought the dog to our house to play with Ruby. We took several walks with Ruby and the dog. We got nothing but positive feedback from the fosterer. On the third visit, the fosterer took a 60-second video of Ruby and the potential adoptee. That afternoon we received a phone call with bad news: "The Director" had determined from that 60-second interaction that Ruby's "prey drive" was obviously too much for this wary little mutt that had been found wandering the streets. They wasted my time and I think they did a disservice to the little guy - he would have had a great home. They get two stars instead of one because overall I think they do good work, I appreciate the due diligence, however, I think that the decision "The Director" made was wrong and I interpret it as breed prejudice. I don't want this review to deter potential all adopters. However, If you are looking for a 2nd dog and already have a dog that people categorize as a pit bull, I would recommend starting somewhere else. read more

The Austin Dog Rescue has absolutely changed my life. I moved here a little over a year ago, I knew no one other than my boyfriend (my roommate) so we adopted a new best friend, Tucker (the most handsome, lovable, silly, wonderful puppy in the world). He's a total mutt. For the first few months, Tucker became very sick and the women from ADR kept in touch with me, found me a better vet and gave my situation plenty of attention even when they have so much going on already. Carol and Joyce are amazing. Carol, Tucker's foster mom before we adopted him, still watches him when we go out of town. He loves her and her dogs - and so do we!!! I love the Austin Dog Rescue, their employees, volunteers, and of course their dogs with all my heart and would do anything for this shelter!! Please save a dog today! read more

Their adoption criteria is very strict and while I understand the reasons for this I feel in my case my application was rejected for superficial reasons and without even talking to me about the points of concern. I feel like finding good homes for animals doesn't have to involve rejecting every application that isn't perfect or doesn't match up for the dog you want. You have to pick a certain dog as part of the process and aren't allowed to even meet them until your application is accepted. How are you even supposed to know the best plan for caring for a particular dog until you know the dog? I have had this issue with other shelters, because I work and am away from home quite a bit there is an immediate concern that I am going to neglect a dog, which is a bit unfair. But at least at the local pound someone talked to me about this and gave me some information. Austin Dog Rescue didn't even talk to me, I just got an email saying my application was rejected and to try another shelter. I guess they have plenty of people to adopt and can afford to be very selective. I am not sure that I agree with that approach, particularly since I have a dog now that I feel I am providing a good home for. read more

I adopted my pup from Austin Dog Rescue. His foster mom was wonderful, she let me meet him, then take him for a trial adoption before I commited to adopting. She was very honest about his background and behaviors, and even helped me look for him when he slipped his leash and disappeared for three hours! I love rescue dogs, but it's hard to take the plunge when you don't know what they've been through. Having a foster parent who has spent time with the animal really helps both you and the pup with the transition. I highly recommend Austin Dog Rescue. read more

Austin Dog Rescue is built from the foundation of people who genuinely put their blood, sweat, and tears into saving dogs in order to allow them a deserving second chance in life. A smaller home based organization which does not have a shelter but instead is composed of fosters who raise the dogs in good homes and safe clean and loving environments. The staff at Austin Dog Rescue are experienced in all aspects ranging from vets, to trainers, to just individuals who have dedicated their lives to these dogs. It's true that you cannot just state which dog you want, pay the fee, and leave with him/her the same day - this is only because ADR values finding the perfect match for the dog as well as the family or individual so a successful and long future can occur. Some of these dogs have been through a lot and it breaks their hearts and characters to fall in love with a new family and then be returned only to wait at the door for this family to never return. Some people can perceive ADR's fosters as arrogant because they didn't get the dog they applied for but maybe another applicant was a better fit, that's something people such as 1 below should realize without taking it personally. This organization is looking to provide the most suitable and happiest life for this rescued dog not to fulfill someone's demand about getting a dog for her sweet 16. Coming to Austin from Sweden having dogs back home , my girlfriend and I started fostering with ADR not knowing what to expect and we were welcomed into this warm family of dog lovers who do more for these dogs than you can imagine. The reason ADR is so successful is cause sometimes sticking to criteria and being safer than sorry can lead to saving a dog from another tragedy or broken heart let alone life. Before criticizing te organization because your friend did not get the dog, put yourself into the shoes of some of these people and understand what they do. There's a M&G every single weekend so before throwing out judgements (which is contradicting the point of your review) about negatively portraying an entire non profit rescue organization and its volunteers, you should take the time in stopping by and having a conversation with one or two individuals. There will be puppies ;) read more

Austin Dog Rescue - Aspen fka Winter adopted by a fantastic young couple. - Animal Shelters Near Me

This is such a great organization! I know that Austin Pets Alive! (also a great organization!) gets a lot of attention around this town, and rightly so, but Austin Dog Rescue is LEGIT! I got my dog Jeffrey from one of their great foster parents. He had been abused (someone shot his leg off with a shotgun), but the foster mother nursed him back to health. He's happy go lucky now, enjoying his life on easy street with me. Thanks ADR! read more

I love Austin Dog Rescue. There are a lot of rescues in this town who do great work, and ADR is an excellent organization to be a part of. The volunteers genuinely care about the foster dogs and do their best to prepare often scared/sick/injured dogs for their forever homes. Rather than try to get the dogs adopted at all costs, the foster families are very careful about who they will adopt to. It's really a beautiful thing. read more

These guys are awesome. Earth-bound angels. Adopted from them four yrs ago and I love my mutt like a kid. read more

As our wonderful dog Katy grew to age 12, we began looking for another companion. After I met Joyce Martin, I knew she and Austin Dog Rescue would be the way to find the perfect pooch. Sure enough, we found our sweet Buddy, a mature fellow (who knows how old), who had been abused, but who was still looking for love and forgiving of humans. He still had buckshot in his body and his eye is permanently damaged and even has a dent in his skull from probable abuse, but he is friendy in spite of that treatment. He is probably a black mouth cur / Louisiana Catahoula leopard cur mix, and though he didn't have manners, learned well. He even earned his AKC Good Citizen Award through the ADR Paws in Prison Program! Buddy is loveable and the perfect dog for us. I can't thank Joyce & all of the ADR foster homes enough for their commitment in searching for these worthy dogs who need a loving home and who can give so much to those who adopt them. read more