I understand that no shelter is perfect, but the amount of disorganization and lack of communication among the staff is appalling. My fiancee and I were interested in adopting from the shelter and had looked over the weekend at the dogs at AHS. We were interested in one dog in particular and were told that we would have to wait a few days to put a "hold" on him until a medical examination could be complete. We understood that and called every day for the next 5 days to check and see if he was ready. We were told each time that he was not ready and that we could take no further action but to keep calling to see when he would be available. We were also told that the dog would not be available for adoption until he had a listing on the website. So, my fiancee and I checked the website frequently throughout the day and called the shelter to ensure that we were not mistaken. Finally, this morning I saw that he had a listing on the website (at about 7:45 am, the shelter does not open until noon). I called the shelter and left a message on the voicemail asking if we could put a hold on the dog. They called me back at 1 pm to tell me that there were already 2 holds on the dog (apparently others had been able to put a hold on him 5 and 3 days before). Needless to say, I was furious and felt cheated. Their excuse? Some of their staff must have been misinformed about the adoption process. I don't really buy this, as we talked to multiple people about the dog. This has been a completely frustrating experience and I don't know if I will go back to this shelter. read more

Be careful about or avoid adopting from this place (or any other with similar dysfunctional practices). They discourage fostering to adopt (to make sure it's a good fit before lifetime commitment) and do not disclose sordid details about the pet's history. And they do not take into consideration any emotional needs you and/or your current pet have as important. Furthermore, I have successfully adopted two dogs from this location, but had to return one (who was also returned by its two previous owners for the same or similar reasons - unconsidered by the staff/"policies"). I decided to go back to adopt a kitten since I know that would be beneficial to the household and manageable (compared to any other dog). Everyone who knows me knows that I am the best most accommodating fur-kid parent one can be. But of course, the Humane Society staff do not know me or any of the other adopters or what we experience with the animals we adopt, but they like to think and assume so, and for the worst against the adopter if having to return. So, when I returned to adopt again, they immediately recognized me and said "you are on our 'do not adopt' list". That is very petty and vindictive, a slap in the face; and their malicious projection that if you find yourself with an adopted pet that turns out to be a very difficult unmanageable case, "then you're not ready for ANY pet" - according to their policy. Also, they along with the Austin Animal Shelter - belittle, shame and make it a very difficult (if not a completely denied) process to return a pet. That is what I (and others) got for trying to do the right thing. read more

I had a very similar experience as Stacy S. I went in last week, found an adorable little dog and put a hold on him so my husband could come check him out the next day. I asked if there'd be a way to extend the hold if we couldn't make it down there until the following day--"Sure, no problem, just give us a call." So I did. Yada yada, they apparently didn't get the message and gave the dog to someone else. And didn't even call us to let us know he had been adopted. I understand that with limited operating budget comes limited staff, but it's aggravating having to drive down there because no one is available to answer the phones. Even after that, I can understand the miscommunication. What I can't understand is their totally unorganized filing system. You have a row of computers and are still using paper files? Every. Single. Time I've gone to the front desk, it's been like a treasure hunt to find my application or the dog's file. I've already had to fill out the application twice. I'm a big fan of shelters and want to support them, but the combination of disorganization, non/miscommunication and frankly some strange staff members (yes, please give me the dog's background, but you're weirding me out saying "submissive urination" two dozen times) has left me a little turned off of the humane society. Happy to say, though, that we just adopted a dog with no problems from Town Lake. read more

I adopted Grover from the Humane Society last week. He's a mix, and they weren't sure if he's part poodle or part Bichon Frise, but he's 100% adorable. They weren't sure if he was abandoned or a stray, because he's only 8 months old and was looking pretty rough. He'd never been groomed and had super long super matted crazy "it should be white but it isn't" fur. He was in Town Lake Animal Shelter for a few days, but the Humane Society knew he would get adopted quickly, so they took him, and a few days later, I had him! First, they made sure Grover's personality matched what we wanted in a dog. Then, I scheduled an "introduction," bringing our first dog, Cricket, to come meet Grover to make sure they got along okay. They passed (they are totally playing and snuggling together wonderfully now) and then I had to wait for him to get neutered. They told me that they'd wash him before he got neutered, because once he's neutered, he can't get wet for a week because it'd dissolve his stitches too soon. Well, they didn't wash him. So he was seriously filthy running around my house for a week, getting a beetle and dirt on my couch and in my carpet and in my bed and smelling generally homeless. It was pretty gross and he was ridiculously hot with all that long fur. Also, he did catch kennel cough while he was in the shelter, but the vet says that's pretty common and easily fixable. The Humane Society recommended a clinic to me where they'd check him out for free, so I only had to pay for the kennel cough medicine and not the diagnosis, so that's a wash. Now that the week went by and he smells nice with short (white!) fur, I'm not as upset, but I can't go above 3 stars because of it. He was so smelly and unhappy. read more

Our awesome little terrier mix, Twiggy, came from this shelter, and they were very helpful throughout the adoption process. The Humane Society is a no-kill shelter, which means you can go look at doggies or kitties and don't have to worry about their fate if you don't find the right one. They have around 20-30 dogs at a time (maybe more cats, not sure because we only looked at dogs.) We filled out an application and a personality survey so they could match us up with a dog that fit our needs - size, age, energy level, and "canine-ality." They have a color-coded system on the kennels so you can find the dogs that match your preferences. On our first trip, they didn't have any dogs that fit our needs - and they were honest about it. We asked about a couple dogs and they were frank with us that those dogs probably wouldn't work out, which shows they had the animal's future in mind and weren't just trying to get more dogs out the door. The Humane Society Web site gets updated fairly regularly with pictures of new dogs, so when I spotted a terrier mix that was the right size and age online, we went back. We got to interact with the dog in a visiting room before making our decision, then took her home! When you adopt a dog, it comes microchipped and spayed or neutered, and you get a voucher for a free vet checkup, grooming and bag of food. We took our dog for her checkup and found out that she had a fever and might need extensive treatment - which would cost major bucks. I freaked out and went back to the shelter, concerned they had adopted out a dog that was so sick. The director was very helpful and explained that the vet we went to was known for being "hard -sell" and not working with owners on payment issues. She also said that, if the dog really was ill and we could not afford the vet care, they'd take her back to the shelter and care for her until she was in good health, then re-adopt her back to us. As it turned out, our dog only needed antibiotics and rest and was feeling better within a week. She's been fantastic ever since. The shelter director followed up with us and even recommended a great low-cost vet that we've been very happy with. I'm still a bit surprised that the Humane Society didn't know our dog had a high fever when we got her, but they did say she was a recent transfer from Town Lake, so she could have been exposed to some illness that hadn't shown up yet during her time at the Humane Society. I can't imagine how hard it must be to contain all the doggy germs that fly around in a kennel. Overall, I'd highly recommend looking for your new pet at the Humane Society. The "canine-ality" test is a great way to make sure owners and dogs are compatible - you just have to be patient and wait for the right pup to come along. read more

I didn't know I could write a review for the Humane Society! If I did I would have written this a LONG time ago. February 10, 2012 my life changed. I adopted my corgi mix Union which I immediately changed to Samuel Adams. Yes I named him after one of my favorite beers. Since we're casual I just call him Samuel. I had wanted a dog for a long time but felt that I wasn't ready just yet and didn't have the time for one. I had gone through a break up a few months before and I decided that I needed a companion and I needed to get myself a breakup present. At the time I was living in San Antonio and visited the Humane Society there. No such luck. There wasn't any dogs there that caught my eye or that I felt an instant connection with. I went to Round Rock to visit my parents and I told my mom I wanted to go check out the the Humane Society in Austin. So off we went. I just wanted to go and look and see what kind of dogs they had there. I looked online a few days before and noticed they had quite a few large dogs and pit bull mixes. I had no intentions of adopting that day, or at least I thought I didn't. When my mom and I got there we checked in at the desk and said that we just wanted to browse the dogs. They showed us where they were at and off we were. It was really loud with dogs barking and quite a few other people browsing also. It seemed they were renovating the place because there was plastic tarp hung up on part of the kennel so it was really tight. We split up and walked around a few times. I saw some really cute young dogs but they were all super hyper. My mom noticed a dog in a corner kennel that was just so chill and just laying in his kennel. We knelt by his kennel and were calling to him hoping that he would crawl closer to us. A volunteer was there and we asked her about him. She said he was really calm and chill and that he was actually a favorite of the facility.She also told us that he was transferred from a shelter in Bastrop. He was all snuggled in his kennel so cute and cuddly. I decided we needed to see this dog. My mom stayed back while I went to the desk to let them know I wanted to look at a dog. The guy at the desk assigned us meet and greet room and we waited for them to bring Union to us. He wasn't overly excited, he was just very curious. I sat on the floor and he came to me right away. He smelled me and then sat in my lap for a few minutes. Then he went to my mom and smelled her and sat with her. We just chilled in the room for like 20 minutes. Union was such a sweet boy during the visit. My mom and I sat and observed him and the next thing I knew he was sitting in front of the door staring. He would look back at us and then at the door. I knew that this was the little baby for me. I was super nervous about the process because I didn't know what they were going to ask and I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to take him home right away. I filled all the paper work they asked me a couple of questions about the apartment I lived at. The guy reviewed Union's history with me and let me know of some things to be aware of. He informed me that Union has been identified as small animal aggressive. Apparently he was adopted out earlier but was returned because he ate the family hamster. Oppsy. It didn't bother me, in fact it made me laugh. At least I know that he'll keep the rodents away. The adoption fee was $85. Union was already fixed, up to date with his shots and microchipped. They gave me all kinds of vouchers to get free food at this pet store and a voucher for a VCA vet clinic to take him for an exam. Since I lived in San Antonio it didn't do me any good but it's cool they do that. Everyone was really nice and helpful. I'm a huge fan for animal rescue and challenge people to rescue dogs instead of buying them from breeders. Union now Samuel is the best! He's been a great companion and has been such a trooper through all my journeys and moves. If I ever adopt again Humane society is on the top of my list! read more

Austin Humane Society - This is Samuel Adams (formerly Union) when we were in the meet and greet room. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Austin, Texas

As an adopter: I love that they keep pitbull mixes as long as they don't have behavioral issues. Lexi, my pit mix, was kept here for 6 months prior to me adopting her. I was actually fostering her due to her heart worm issues, but I fell in love with her and ended up adopting her from AHS. Most other shelters would put pitbulls down, whether full bred or mixed, so I'm happy to hear this one doesn't! As a doggie foster mom volunteer: I think their staff was very helpful and friendly. They made volunteering easy and fun, and communicated often when new pups came in. I'd definitely recommend this if you love animals and can handle 2 week old puppies! read more

this place is not easy to visit....but what shelter is?!?? I adopted my AMAZING dog here a few years ago and wouldn't go anywhere else in the future. They had him meet all of the other dogs before I could actually take him home...they allowed me to visit everyday while he was recuperating from being fixed and gave him his first full set of shots and a goodie bag to take home! read more

They do a brilliant job of profiling and helping one to find a good match and do a great service for the community. More importantly they did a great service for us in allowing us to get the best dog possible (staring across the room at me right now). We took a couple visits to find the right pet, each time they were very helpful and patient and never pressured, they truly understand the importance of a proper match of pet and owner. Unfortunately, they are not perfect. When we adopted our dog from here, she started acting a bit down within a couple days, so we took her to the closest vet recommended in their adoption packet. That vet ended up being horrible, panicking us about the life of our new friend and taking her away from us for many hours and charging hundreds of dollars. We did have to get the Humane society involved to get everything resolved, turns out much of the problem was on the bad vet. At the same time, Kennel Cough is serious and should be a bit more controlled; and if you are going to give an adoption packet, make sure you have checked out and trust all the vets you list. I did appreciate all the help and the fact that higher ups did call me to make sure our dog was OK in the end, but it was still an unnecessary panic that cost me several hundred dollars (that, somewhat understandably, the humane society was unable to help with) and hours of panic. Even with my tough experience, when I have the space for another pet, I am still coming right back here, but there are a few loose ends that need tightened. read more

I adopted a beautiful and exceptionally sweet dog a couple of years ago, and the whole adoption experience from start to finish was swift, easy, and well-managed. We visited AHS on a whim in May 2010 and ended up spotting Lucky (nee "Laurel"), applied to adopt her, had a successful meet & greet with our two older dogs (mandatory, as it should be), and brought her home five days after first seeing her. The past two years with her have been wonderful. She is pretty much the perfect house dog. I've seen some negative remarks about AHS from previous years, and I'm surprised to see that anyone had less than a good experience with this no-kill shelter. I've always been treated well by the staff, whether just visiting or when I adopted Lucky. I've been to several AHS events and they are always well-organized and pleasant to attend. I will continue to support AHS in helping homeless pets find good homes. read more

When I hear the words "pet store," I think animal shelter. Austin Humane Society is one of the shelters I frequently visit. Overall a well kept clean animal shelter. The shelter is separated into two sections: cat and dog. The cat section is one of the cleanest rooms I've been in. The air condition is always at a good temperature. The floors are clean and the toys are in good condition. They also have hand sanitizers on the walls for you after playing with the cats. Be sure to check out each cat's description before you touch them in case they are sick and recovering. I have to say the dog section smells pretty bad; since it's a closed room, all the dog smells inevitably collide together to create a strong intense odor. There's not much room to play with the dogs but you can ask a staff member to see if you can walk one. Austin Humane Society will sometimes offer free adoption for animals, so be sure to come and check out the cats and dogs. A word of caution, know what animal care treatments you would be liable for, and what they would be liable for. read more

How can you rate an organization that changes your life for the better as profoundly as this one did? Fourteen years ago today, we adopted our beloved blue heeler Darren. He is the best dog of all time. Every day we have spent with him is a gift. Thank you, AHS. read more

The Austin Humane Society is fantastic! They really care about animals and getting them into forever homes. They have a questionnaire that helps match personalities. And they want your dog to come meet the new dog to see if they get along before you take them home. The downside is they are BUSY, especially on weekends. If you want quiet time to interact, go on a weekday! And they didn't have a good match for me the first time I went, but I could check out the new dogs on their website. It took 3 visits before I found the perfect dog for me and now Wolfgang is a part of my family! read more

I can't believe this has been here since the 50s! This place definitely needs all the financial support it can get. The floors and walls could do with a makeover - the animals deserve better! But the volunteers and staff are so friendly and take initiative to help you. They have rather a large selection of cats and dogs (puppies to older dogs, anything from small chihuahuas to cattle dogs). The number of cats needing adopting probably triple the number of dogs that need adopting. There are also rooms where you can directly pet the cats and dogs and a clinic on site. When we visited, KVUE was also doing a feature on them. If you see a dog shivering in the corner or a cat missing an eye, it needs all the love it can get! Instead of buying a pet, why not just adopt? Don't forget to sanitize your hand after each dog encounter to reduce transmission of disease! read more

I've fostered, adopted from and volunteered for the Austin Humane Society. Their foster care program is supportive and makes a huge difference in the lives of animals that need to be socialized, be given time to mature, or who are struggling in a shelter environment. The adoption events are huge and it's nice to see so many people come out to give animals a good home. The staff and volunteers are great and really care about the welfare of animals. Their feral cat program is amazing and the coordinators have been very helpful in assisting with trapping and providing for the feral cats in my complex. read more

Usually a bit busy in the evening but great place to adopt a pet! Nice staff and great selection of pets!

We have been wanting a kitty for a while, and decided that since Fresh Step is sponsoring free adoptions for kitties 1 year and older in the month of June, we would go, (hopefully) pick one out. We found a charming little kitty who we took a liking to. She needed spaying, so we had to wait a few days for her, and got her on Wednesday. All of the staff that we encountered were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, and the facilities looked clean. The animals, (except one kitty who we think may have been trying to get over a cold) appeared to be well taken care of and happy for the most part. Compared to some animal shelters that I have seen in the past, this is a pretty nice facility with people who seem to care. I read some of the other reviews, complaining about their no-kill policy being skirted by selectively picking certain animals. Here's what I have to say to that: Yah, it's not fair... it's a bummer..but hey! at least they're saving *some* animals, instead of complaining on Yelp about it all! Sorry kids..but life stinks..it's sad, and cruel and sometimes you just gotta do what you can. We saved one kitty and gave her a good home... its what we could do. As for the Austin Humane Society, I'm pretty certain from my experiences there that they're doing all they can too. They're saving the ones they can save, and while referring to the city pro-kill shelter, crossing their fingers for the rest. Great job guys! :) read more

Wow, what these folks do for animals in our community during good times and bad is truly a miracle. Most recently they've taken in hundreds of lost pets from the fires and worked to make reunifications with their owners. On a personal note, I got the best cats in the world here, Larry and Olivia, five years ago. At the time I knew nothing about cats. These folks were so sweet and patient in telling me what I needed to go buy so the little kittens would be safe and happy. Thank you, Austin Humane Society, for everything you do! read more

I adopted two cats, mom and son, two years ago. I love them so much, but there have been many complications from the beginning. Riba was two years and River was one year at the time. I was informed that Riba, the female, had an eye condition that they had tried to fix with surgery. I understood about her special needs, but what they failed to explain to me that if you adopt a cat that is not in isolation, be aware that you are bringing home a cat with feline herpes, ear mites and any other condition that can be transmitted between cats that are sharing litter boxes, bedding, etc. I just found out today that River has stomatitis and needs all of his teeth removed. The stomatitis has been aggravated because of complications with feline herpes. This is so depressing. The AHS needs to do a better job of counseling clients that you might be getting very sick cats, and have the prospect of a lot of time and money spent on their care. I do not recommend adopting cats from the AHS. This has been a heart-breaking experience. read more

Austin Humane Society - River - Animal Shelters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I love this place because they saved my dog from another shelter that was too full and kept him there until I was lucky enough to find and adopt him. Also...it's much calmer and nicer than most other shelters. It's really clean and they have private rooms for meeting the pets. The staff has always been very nice and helpful. I will be forever grateful to the Austin Humane Society for matching me up with Ernie! read more

I got my very very best friend from emancipated last year in February when they were doing a huge sale I was only 175 for the adoptions that day plus they gave me some dog food they gave me a fee a bag of goodies and a lot of things to really be able to help me take care of my new puppy I really love that they were so many puppies they had a puppy bowl that day I knew that I wanted a young puppy they had a lot of different options and I do know that they did not know a lot of the answers I was told that my dog was going to get a lot bigger than he did but then I also was told there that they were not sure I feel like maybe we just shouldn't give people any type of information if you don't now I am because he's like about 15 pounds lighter than what I was told I do love animals I love the idea from getting them from a place that is not breeding them so I would definitely recommend going to local shelters read more

I had always wanted a cat, but when I was younger than 18, my family told me "no". When I went to college, my dorms told me "no". During my gap semester after graduation, I wanted to travel to distant countries like Ukraine, so I told myself "no". Finally, after getting a bit older and settling down here in Austin, I decided the time was right. Austin Humane Society was the closest shelter to my house, so I decided to choose them. I read guides online, I watched videos from cat-owning YouTubers, I watched enough episodes of "My Cat From Hell" to equip myself with as much knowledge as I could. However, what really made the difference is being able to visit the shelter several times and playing with different cats in the various cat rooms. They all had different temperaments - some were feisty and jumpy, others were quintessential lap cats who wanted nothing more than cuddles, still others were utterly disinterested. The employees and volunteers were always friendly to me and answered my questions, and for that I'm grateful. Finally, it was time to adopt. After I catified (and cat-proofed) my apartment and finally felt ready and confident, I went to AHS in mid August with my boyfriend. I handed in my form and they asked me which cat I was interested in. Wait, I was supposed to choose one?! For some reason I thought that there would have been some counseling session, like a fantasy football draft pick where they had charts and bar graphs analyzing each cat and would give me advice. I thought back to that old saying, "Cats choose their owners", and indeed, among the many cats in the shelter that day, there was one kitten who had meowed at me and showed some level of casual comradeship. "Phil," I blurted out, and after the staff member wrote down my choice, I waited in line until it was my turn to get called. Anyway, long story short, I ended up adopting Phil and his sister Angelica, now called Gilgamesh and Enkidu (mythology's first bromance). They were a 2 for 1 offer, which is incredible because that's a savings of $100 and it's a fact that kittens usually prefer to have a playmate their own age (and preferably their own litter) rather than going to a new home alone. The shelter had yet to spay/neuter them, so they sent us home empty-handed, but the kittens underwent surgery quickly and we picked them up 2 days later (not a bad wait at all). They gave me all their health/behavioral records, perfectly organized, along with some vet recommendations and coupons for food and treats. Most importantly, the staff were incredibly friendly, at no point did I feel like I was being pressured to adopt (or interrogated to prove my qualifications) so they were overall quite chill. They were really glad that I was adopting the two kittens, but it was clear they had also read through my application and made sure I was prepared for the endeavor. Gilgamesh and Enkidu adjusted to my apartment incredibly well. Enkidu was a pioneer - the first one to sip from the cat fountain, the first one to explore the cat castle I had constructed from cardboard boxes. That same night, Gilgamesh curled up on my lap while I played Darkest Dungeon. Going to AHS to adopt was one of my best decisions ever. read more

This place is spectacular! I will admit, I have never walked through their doors. My 3 adoptions over the past year were made through PetSmart, which showcase a small handful of AHS cats. PetSmart gets a big fat ZERO for the small portion their responsible for, but that's another story. When I called AHS to discuss the poor quality of care at PetSmart & apparent miscommunication on an issue, the AHS Supervisor was beyond polite & apologetic. Each of my 3 cats came with medical, behavioral and 'owner surrender' charts that went into great detail via AHS. Not one cat had fleas, worms or ear mites. I also love love LOVE that they have "recent adoptions" on their website! I visit that particular page quite often to see all kitties that have found homes. I admire what these guys do for animals. I noticed that the Supervisor I spoke with, remembered one of my cats from over a year ago. I also really appreciate their Spay & release program. I have about 8 strays around my complex whom I feed on a regular. Thanks to AHS, I have no kittens being born on my patio. I highly recommended adopting through them. read more

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I had been thinking about adopting a cat for a while, and I walked in here late on a Friday evening. The staff were busy but helpful and they helped me find the right fit. I ended up leaving with two kittens! They are spayed and neutered, micro-chipped, and vaccinated up to their age group. I had a great experience, no adoption fee, and was able to give a small donation. Highly recommend this place for good service and furry friends! read more

We're frequent customers of their TNR program, which is absolutely fabulous and necessary in Austin. But most importantly: They took in a very sweet cat we thought was feral but turned out to be a lap kitty. We could not keep Simone because of HOA restrictions, and we've adopted out cats to almost everyone we know. Simone was an older black cat. I knew it'd be hard for her. But AHS took great care of her. We visited her, emailed for updates ... and finally she was adopted after several months. Thank you for saving Simone. read more

This place is ridiculous. So I went here yesterday to find a friend for Reina(my pitbull). First I came in with Reina, so she could look at the dogs with me and we could find a new furry friend that we would BOTH like. But some lady that worked there approached me and said that they didn't allow people to bring their dogs there, which I found really weird because it's an animal shelter with DOGS. But whatever, I got someone to watch Reina and came back. I saw a really cute black lab that I wanted to adopt. But guess how much they wanted me to pay for the dog?... $200. And that wasn't the most expensive dog there. I saw dogs that they were selling for $250. And the cheapest dog I saw was going for $85. They charge different prices for different dogs. But why would they charge so much for dogs that people are giving to them for free? That completely baffles me. So after experiencing all this, I came to the conclusion that finding a dog on Craigslist was so much better. Because 1, you can find dogs at way cheaper prices, you can negotiate prices, and sometimes even find an animal friend for free. 2, you don't have to deal with people telling you, you're dog can't see the other dog that you are planning to get. 3, it's a way faster and less stressful process... I just feel really bad for all the dogs and cats here because they all deserve loving homes where they can run and play and not be locked in cages and this place is making it hard for them to do so. read more

A little over a year later, I'm slightly disappointed in AHS's lack of transparency. The older my dog gets, it appears to be mostly pit bull, which is not a good breed if you have children. As I try to go through all of the issues that I've had with this dog, it all goes back to the pressure I feel like I was under to adopt the dog in the first place (besides the pressure from my kids). They evidently don't want you to even play with the puppies unless you're going to adopt it. The pup seemed cute enough, and we had the "guilt" of playing with the puppy, so we went ahead and adopted it. Almost a year and a half later, the dog has an angry disposition (regardless of the copious amount of love it gets) and seems entirely untrainable. A pit bull, they sent me home with a pit bull. All in all, the process to adopt was very easy, and now I see why. read more

Staff is very unfriendly, not really letting people interact with the dogs. How are you supposed to adopt an animal if you can't even get close to bond with them. read more

I have to say, they do great work here with the limited resources they have. If you are looking for a new furry companion, please please please consider heading here first. My last three pets were all from this location and every last one of them is an angel. Well, except Spongebob. He's got problems. But I still love him. read more

I got both of my wonderful super-cats here, and I highly value the service they provide, but I have a couple of issues with the Humane Society. When I brought home my first cat, everything was a-ok. I had no problems at all with his adoption. But when I brought home cat 2 about a year later, cat 2 also brought home kennel cough which spread to cat 1 and developed over the course of a couple of sneezy days into pneumonia. The people at the Humane Society didn't tell us that cat 2 could be sick or that a cat with kennel cough could show no signs and still be communicable - I had no idea what kennel cough was until cat 1 was in emergency treatment hooked up to a nebulizer. The whole experience cost a couple of thousand dollars including emergency care, a little longer than a week at the vet's office in isolation and the treatments to relieve the fluid in his lungs. I just think it would have been nice if they had told me about kennel cough, signs to look for and ways to prevent it from spreading to the other cat since I love my pets and this caused a lot of worry and stress financially and emotionally. Another issue with cat 2 is that he doesn't trust anyone. He was playful and active when we visited with him at the Humane Society, but once we got him home, he started showing signs of kitty mental illness. Not really. But he is really mean, will haul off scratching and biting and clamping on your appendages if you look at him funny. Nobody at the Humane Society ever told us he was aggressive or didn't trust people and didn't want to be around other cats. Maybe they didn't know that about him. I don't know. But by the end of the first week with him I could tell that he had issues with humans. I'm just glad I could adopt him and wait for him to come around. I hate to think of how miserable he'd be in a home with a child or someone elderly that isn't physically strong enough to fend off his attacks. So, while I think the Humane Society provides a wonderful service and a much needed service, I think they could do more to get to know the animals they care for better and to educate new pet owners about the risks of taking a new animal into their home. UPDATE: a friend of mine adopted a male dog from the Austin Humane Society that WAS NOT NEUTERED even though they claim to neuter every pet, even though they had paperwork from a vet that said he'd been neutered, the dog still had both his balls. He's a shaggy dog and a groomer found them, but still! Check the pets you adopt from here or they could still have their reproductive organs. read more

First off I did end up adopting from Austin Humane Society but I so wish I could have found our girl at Austin Pets Alive (see other review). There were several things I did like about AHS. Although it was enclosed the day(s) I was there everything was very clean and minimal smells etc. They had a great variety of pets, which I was very surprised about, I was starting to feel like shelters only had pits or pit mixes and while I have nothing against them I was looking for at least part of a breed that I had experience with. The staff was very nice and easy to work with. After that, everything else was a little disappointing. We saw our girl and asked to visit with her. We were put in a small room which really didn't give us a good idea of the dog's personality or behavior. Would have like to at least take her outside or something but wasn't given any other option. Our pup hadn't been deemed "adoptable" yet so we had to wait for a call to let us know she was ready. Once she was ready I was told I had 4 hours (they opened late due to the weather) to come up and fill out the paperwork to adopt her. I don't know who has a schedule that flexible but we really liked her so we made it happen. She needed to be spayed and told us it would be a few days before they could get to her. I called a couple of times to see when it might be and finally someone told me they only get the list the morning of the surgery. Again, I felt like we needed to be on-call just to get this dog. For a week we didn't know when/if we were going to get her. Sure enough, they called me at 2pm on Friday and told me I had until 7pm to pick her up after the surgery. I was out of town and had to drive back in to get her, of course it's been worth it but overall I just wish they had been a little more organized and easier to work with. read more

I just had the worst experience at this place. They wouldn't take my mom's cat because it wasn't a stray. If your desperate be sure and say u found the animal on the side of the road. The two girls behind the counter were rude and condescending. They gave two shits about my situation. read more

A cat started hanging around my work , I thought it may belong to someone as she was very friendly. Everyday I would find her sleeping in the back lot of the shop so I started to feed her and let her sleep inside the shop. A lady came in and asked about the cat and said her daughter volunteers at AHS and would take the cat to get fixed and the necessary shots she needed. It turned out she was already fixed, but they gave her the shots she needed. The ladies daughter contacted me picked up the cat and said she would bring her back in two days. She contacted me and said the shelter wanted to put the cat up for adoption, I told her I wanted to keep the cat and would ask my wife if I could take her home. A few hours later the shelter called me and asked if I wanted the cat and after not hearing back from my wife yet I told her I would call her back. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that I wanted the cat and would deal with my wife later, so I called the shelter back and told them I wanted the cat and would take her home. They said they would release her the following day. I recieved a call from the shelter saying there was a lack of communication and the cat was put into the adoption system and there was nothing they could do, I would have to wait until she showed up on the adoption page. Well she showed up on the adoption page today and I am waiting for them to open so hopefully I'll be able to bring her home. I am just very disappointed that I had to go through this because of their mistake. I should have just taken the cat to the vet and had them do everything she needed instead of dealing with the shelter. read more

No shelter is perfect. Shelters are run on shoe-string budgets with very little staff and a lot of heartache. This one ISN'T run by the city, or a national organization, and exists on private donations. When was the last time you donated to your local animal shelter? I volunteered at the AHS for three years. We did extensive hours of training and really tried our best to match homeless animals' personalities and breed characteristics with adopters. The folks at this shelter really give it their all when it comes to rehabilitating animals and finding them a safe place to live while waiting for a forever home. If I didn't already have 4 animals in the house I'd adopt from here in a heartbeat. read more

I assisted a blind woman adopt a cat from this Humane Society. She picked the cat out on a previous visit in which I was not present. When we got to her house, I told her that the cat looked sick (I've worked as a vet tech with sick cats in another no kill shelter). The cat was squinting and his eyes looked painful. They sent her home with no medicine for the cat's eyes, and even if they had, she wouldn't be able to apply it. This cat was not ready for adoption. I give them 3 stars for trying to save the lives of animals. read more

This place is so depressing especially for the few dog they do have. They are caged in a Cramped indoor living space. Here u will find many litters of pups and mainly cats at this shelter. The smell is god awful with that big dirty fan blowing the smell of dog feces throughout the dimly lit room. read more

We went here today during the "Clear the Shelters" event, as well as at AAC. Location was easy to get to. There was enough parking around the building. It's smaller than the other Austin shelters, but they did have a lot of animals. There were so many people because of the event and it was nice to see so many of the animals were already adopted or spoken for. Friendly volunteers and staff were around. Lots of kittens and some puppies (all the babies we saw were adopted!). There weren't that many dogs and their kennel area seemed smaller than at other shelters but the space was adequate, clean and seemed appropriate for each dog's size. Overall would recommend this shelter for anyone in the area looking for a pet. Please adopt and support non profit organizations instead of backyard breeders. There are always new animals coming in as strays or being surrendered so if you're looking for the perfect fit / pet for your family you can always come back and check the shelter again. read more

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No one at this place has people or customer service skills. Everyone was really rude. It completely ruined our experience.

Austin Humane Society has helped me too many times to count when I have had an injured feral cat needing help or I have needed assistance trapping. The Director even saved the life on my favorite feral. Dolly a beautiful long haired Rag Doll with beautiful blue eyes had been trapped and taken to Town Lake with instructions ny tthe trapper to euthanize her. Leticia recognized the cat, called me and even personlly delivered her back to me. Dolly is alive and healthy today because she took the time to save her life. AHS took in a feral kitten someone brought to me saying it was injured. It wasn't injured but it would not have survived without the A\HS volunteers who socialized this precious ktten until she could be adopted. read more

The professor, a cat with infinite knowledge of all things fluffy, cute and items made of paper bags, was a rare find at the SPCA about a year and a half ago. I seriously considered naming him Puff Daddy. Anyways, I highly recommend going here and adopting your pet. You will definitely be getting what you're paying for. And just what are you paying for? First of all, the animals are all owner-surrender. So we're talking about critters that used to have a home and now don't. I'm pretty sure the people there are also quite discerning in their decision-making, so you know you aren't getting a child-eating dog or whatever. Then they make sure that the animals are all up to date on their shots, etc so you're seriously getting the best package EVAR. Seriously, look at this man-cat: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/3025964280_09a8808269.jpg read more