It saddens me to write a review like this for an organization that is supposed to be doing such good. First let me said, 3/4 of my dogs have been rescues. I have worked with two other rescues aside from BBCR and know that volunteer led groups can still function well and care about their dogs. In fact, we rescued from another local group just 5 months ago and they were wonderful. Great communication from the beginning, clear processes in place, and showed they put the dogs best interest first. We recently reached an "8 week" old puppy from BBCR. I say "8 weeks" because we were told one thing and then her medical records (given AFTER adoption) showed something different. From the beginning we had such sad and disappointing feelings about BBCR. We learned the puppy had already been spayed. Anyone who knows even one thing about large breed dogs knows spaying a dog so early can have life altering implications. Sickening and saddening they would inflict this on a puppy. I have spoken to other rescues who allow the adopters to sign contracts agreeing to spay or neuter later.... Because this is the healthiest option for the DOG. On the first call with the foster mom, she admitted communication with BBCR had been awful and non existent. It was clear she had 0 knowledge about large breed dogs too (puppy was never given large breed puppy formula, which again, is basic knowledge). Despite this all, we knew this puppy was meant to be ours. Night 1- diarrhea EVERYWHERE all night. When i texted the foster mom, she said it had started about a week prior (no one told us this). This continues for days. I reach out to BBCR via social media.. no reply. I reach out to other volunteers.... No reply. It's been almost two weeks of non stop diarrhea. We took her to the vet and not only were they sickened by her early spay but also by the age we were told she was vs the age on the papers and her vaccine schedule. They have asked we find out immediately if the birthday on her papers is accurate. Have i heard back? No. I know it's hard to have a volunteer run organization.... But plenty of other rescues are doing it beautifully. O hope BBCR is reported to the appropriate people and they finally begin acting in the best interest of their dogs. read more

My review was in name only and literally took 30 seconds. And then they raised the price 30% once they knew I was definitely interested, even though the dog was likely to have long term health issues due to malnutrition. Sketchy, and their motives definitely come into question just for starters. Not a good experience and I would not recommend, but you make your own decision. read more

It boggles my mind how anyone can give a volunteer run dog saving organization a negative review and bash them online. This rescue works on a volunteer network- communication when i needed them most were crystal clear. I appreciate everything they do here. The foster moms, the home checker, and the owner are all wonderful and compassionate people and I had no issues. My adoption didn't work out and I had to return the boy due to complaints in my annoying apartment building and the owner was sympathetic to our situation; I simply couldn't have him in an apartment setting due to some separation anxiety issues and then barking that goes with it. Thus the trial period to determine such measures. I miss him dearly and know that he will have a good family because this rescue and network works hard to place the dogs with the correct home. Please don't bash them for petty reasons. Sometimes a better fit is determined. At the end of the day it comes down to what is best for the dog. Everything happens the way it is supposed to. read more

We have adopted several dogs through rescues, most recently Big Bones Canine Rescue. This dog was misrepresented by the rescue in both breed and temperament. Once this became apparent to us, we reached back out to Big Bones and were given very little in the way of help or support. A little over a year later, we contacted Big Bones again and were told to euthanize the dog. I would not recommend Big Bones Canine Rescue. read more

I wish I had read reviews before looking at this rescue for a puppy. Our application got approved. We did the at home call. I invested my time for this because the meeting was during work hours and I had to use personal time. We drove an hour each way to visit the puppies. Within 5 min of leaving the meeting, we texted to say the puppy that we wanted because the one we had gone to see was already spoken for. We were ghosted for 4 days. When I finally heard back, the foster thought it would be appropriate to say that we needed an older dog, possibly the mom dog. I have a 9 year old (this puppy is his choice although going to be a family dog) and a 5 year old. And although I will get an older rescue some day, I am not doing that right now with small children. A puppy is best for our family at this time because we need to be able to watch the dog grow and know its quirks because of the small children. Also, the mom dog had my daughter pinned down and she was too small to get back up. The dog was just really excited, but still it was not a good feeling for her. After spending our time, to have this be the response is totally unprofessional. I dont recommend them at all. This is not the first time they have pulled stunts like this. They dont take deposits. First warning. So they can do whatever they want because there is no money involved. Beware. read more

Do not work with this rescue. The process isn't transparent and the nexus of employees/volunteers work collaboratively in an underground fashion. What they say and what is the actual outcome are distinctly different. It's a heart-stopping travesty. When you're told that you are approved, then you're strung along for 2 weeks, you will understand that this rescue isn't about saving the lives of the dogs. They're simply self-serving. They're clearly operating a nonprofit for the financial gain. read more

Shady rescue. I surrendered my dog to them and they never adopted him out and ignored my attempts to find out what happened. There coordinator in Tulsa Alicia lied and said that the dog was in Colorado when he wasn't. I surrendered my dog after his dad who was fiancé was killed but Alicia went out of her way to make me feel like crap about it. Surrendered him in December 2020 and still have no idea what happened to my dog. Don't donate to these money hungry people. They are liars and I have the texts, emails, IG messages as well as FB messages to prove what I'm saying. STAY AWAY!! read more

Having worked with both Dr. Stephen Withrow, founding Director of the Flint Animal Cancer Center at CSU, and Dr. Nicole Earhart, founding Fellow of the Surgical Oncology Center at CSU, I will say that I'm disappointed by the extreme lack of professionalism I witnessed from the directors of Big Bones towards friends of mine who have fostered rescue dogs for over a decade. I have been blessed to watch every aspect of dog rescue, fostering rescue animals, and dog placement for many years (I'm currently raising a rescue dog myself). I'm also not someone that likes to leave reviews or spend time on the internet. However, my personal experience witnessing first hand the behavior of the directors of Big Bones compelled me to write this negative review. Big Bones directors were completely disrespectful, unable to receive feedback from intelligent fosters, displayed poor judgement, and hid behind text messaging and emails rather than have an adult conversation about a difficult animal. At what point does using expletives and profanities directed at people who have taken-in one of your pregnant rescue dogs become a part of your business model? Especially when foster families do this out of the kindness of their hearts and at no cost to you, Big Bones. Shame on you. You have profited from my good foster friends taking in your rescue dog and repaid them with extreme disrespect. I hope you take this to heart and others read these words as well. Don't walk away from this rescue. Run, as fast as you can. read more

I am a cat person. I've had cats since I was 5 and have loved them even longer. I've never really taken to dogs. That all changed when I found a lost chihuahua who immediately fell in love with me. While at the vet to read lost dog's microchip I met Gretel with Big Bones who graciously gave me her contact information and said to let her know if I didn't find dog's people and the rescue could help. Thankfully that wasn't needed since dog was reunited with people later that day. Unexpectedly, I really missed that adorable chihuahua and started to think about getting a dog. I reached out to a couple of other rescues first that specialized more in small dogs. One I never heard back from; another replied days later that the pup I was interested in was no longer available; another was completely disorganized at an adoption event. Then I thought I might as well look at Big Bones. While they specialize in Great Danes and Mastiffs, they have a variety of dogs, including small dogs. Big Bones was fantastic to work with! I saw a couple pups on their website I was interested in meeting. I submitted my application on Friday, had my home visit and approval (by the lovely Gretel) Saturday, and visited 2 pups on Sunday. Both small dogs were lovely, but my heart called more to little Ariel. She is a 12 lb Min Pin/Chihuahua mix who was found as a stray and recently had 5 puppies. She was very shy but eventually warmed to me at her foster home. I wasn't sure how she'd do with my 3 cats, so asked to do an overnight trial. I picked her up the following Friday. I almost thought it wasn't to be when it took over an hour to get a harness on her. I again thought it wasn't to be when she chased/attacked the cats Saturday morning. Thankfully I stuck it out and she's working out great. She's such a sweet pup who deserves a good home and now she has one. 2 weeks in, we still have some minor issues but we've made great progress. Cats & pup (now named Violet "Leti") are cautious around each other but warming. Separation anxiety is intense, but we're working on it. She loves her walks, toys, and snuggling (especially under the covers). A huge thank you to everyone working to keep this rescue going! Jenni for doing all the administrative stuff, replying to emails so quickly, updating website, etc. Gretel for reaching out and being a great ambassador; her kindness got the ball rolling. And last but not least, Janet and Rachelle, the foster moms of the 2 pups I was fortunate to meet. Their willingness to open their homes and hearts makes it all work. If you are looking for a pup, please adopt. And please consider Big Bones. Their home base is in Windsor but they have foster families from Fort Collins down to Colorado Springs, with many in the Denver Metro area. I'm still a cat person. Now I just also love a dog. read more

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At the most basic level, people typically spend money on two things: First, they readily spend money to combat pain. Second, they spend money to pursue pleasure. BOTH of which are true when it comes to the business of canine rescue. Unfortunately, Big Bones Rescue in Windsor, CO, just doesn't seem to understand either concept and makes it more than difficult to simply INQUIRE about the adoptable dogs they showcase on their website. After attempting to phone the rescue directly via the number they publically display, (970) 310-3616, to solicit potential clients and requests for information, we immediately received a text message stating "Can't talk, text me." Fair enough, right? So, we in fact DID text back merely stating that we had a few questions regarding two dogs they'd posted for adoption on their Facebook page and wanted to chat with them at their convenience when they could call us back. This resulted in yet another text back from the shelter "WHAT DOGS?!" Oh the audacity on our part for even THINKING about bothering this place with our business on a Saturday morning at 11 AM, right? Highly recommend NOT wasting your time on Big Bones Rescue. They obviously don't care to take the time to possibly seize any opportunity to transform a potential customer into a positive part of their so-called mission. read more

We submitted an application and we're told we were the only ones to do so for a particular puppy. We set up an appointment for a home inspection and before we could even visit the puppy, he was given away to another family that submitted later. My family is crushed. Be aware this organization does not follow any sort of procedure and you may end up heartbroken too. read more

Avoid the heartache and find another rescue. I filled out the application and had my home visit. My big problem came when every dog I was interested in, was either adopted or not a good fit. In my opinion, they tried to place dogs with me that were harder to adopt. I was looking for a shorter-haired dog, so I didn't have to groom like I do with my yorkie. On one occasion, there was a litter of lab/shepherd pups available. Some had shorter hair than others. I was told by their foster that they were too shy and not being shown until Saturday. There were 2 people interested in females and the other adopter, she wasn't sure what he wanted. My first choice was a male, but a female would've been fine. I was the 3rd appt. set up for Saturday. A couple days later, she sent me a text stating several puppies had been chosen. She sent me a picture of one male pup and said, he was the shyest of the bunch (long hair, too.) Not what I was looking for, since I already have a timid yorkie. I asked how the pups had already been chosen, since she wasn't showing them until Saturday. After quite a long pause, she texted me and said that people were picking out pups by their pictures. I, too, had picked the one I wanted by his picture. I didn't receive special treatment and get the option to choose by a picture alone. Then, she came up with another story and told me that people were changing their minds about male or female. Only 2 people were ahead of me to see the puppies on Saturday. Suddenly, 5, 6, 7 pups were gone? It seemed that she couldn't keep her lies straight. On another occasion, I saw another dog that I was very interested in but he had already been adopted. Later I was told that I would get to meet him because the adopter was allergic to him and was bringing him back. Then I was told that he was too playful for my dog. My yorkie has been with several large, playful dogs. They sense how small she is and never get rough with her. A meet and greet would've been appropriate, but I wasn't given that opportunity. This rescue was a huge let down. Dragging the adoption process out for weeks. Sending me pictures of dogs that didn't fit what I wanted. I told them, I wouldn't use them if they were the last rescue around. My story did have a happy ending. I went through another rescue and I found the perfect large, playful dog and for 1/3 the cost. Their process took me only 3 days. read more

I went back to Yelp, to review what others said about Big Bone, and I saw that my review and several other one star reviews had been placed in the "Not recommended " category. Why? The negative reviews do not count against their 3 star rating. It is artificially inflated by not having the negative reviews included. We have also fallen in love with our little mutt. He still has major social anxiety and fear aggression , but we are not giving up on him. He practically failed at his dog obedience class and needed to be separated from the other dogs , behind a French door, so we need to pay for some private lessons. He was in the foster home for 2 weeks and wore a jelly band (diaper) , when we picked him up in the yard of his foster home. We never got to see the inside of his foster house. I have a feeling he stayed outside almost all the time. Needless to say, he was not potty trained at all. He was very skinny and malnourished. We have never given up on any of our 7 dogs we have had, so we are not giving up on our little mutt either. I wish we had stuck it out with the open door shelters ( all our previous dogs came from public shelters, but our little pound puppy we had at home, missed his companion dog when she died. I thought I would give closed door/ selective pick shelters a chance, but they do not do a good job at all. I will be supporting tax supported shelters in the future, as they have to take every dog that comes through their doors, unlike private shelters. 550 dollars for an adult dog that has 8 different breeds with major problems, is ridiculous. Big bones doesn't have a store front, receives donations , and has volunteers do all the work. The vets volunteer. The Fosters volunteer. The pilots also volunteer. Someone please investigate Kristie Fisher, the owner ,the Principal and the Customer Contact person. There are 0 employees. read more

Big Bones isn't a dog store. You can't just pay your money and take a dog home. It's not a large corporation with paid employees. This is a non profit organization run by volunteers who donate their time and resources to help dogs that have been cast aside by other humans. Decisions are made with the best interest of each dog foremost. Finding a home that is a good fit involves applications, home visits, meet and greets and sometimes gut instincts. Sometimes (though very rarely), a decision is made for the benefit of a dog that upsets or disappoints someone who is applying. But finding the right home isn't a public relations matter, it's a critical new start in life for a rescued dog. I've volunteered at Big Bones for 3 years, fostering, transporting, home checking, event hosting -- I haven't disagreed with a single decision made on behalf of a dog. Thousands of Big Bones adopters (our Alumni) have a new family member because of the experience, knowledge, heart and soul of this team. If you're looking to add to your family, please fill out an application online (www.bigbonescaninerescue.com). We'll be in touch to schedule a home visit and show you how the process works. We'll answer your questions and ask a few, too, to ensure the dog you adopt is right for your home, family and lifestyle. read more

Big Bones brought our sweet English Bullie, Bella, into our lives. Before we could pick her up, I came down with that awful flu, and was unable to pick her up for a month. The foster family generously saved her for us; keeping her during that time. Thank you for being such a terrific rescue and all the work you do to save our fur-babies!! read more

Our crazy girl Cleo was adopted from Big Bones and had a smooth experience from inquiry, to home inspection, to picking up our girl. The volunteers are committed to the well being of these dogs and helping find a good match. read more

Adopted a German Shepard from them and was told dog was fully Potty trained and did not have a prey drive at all. We asked because we have (had) a pet bunny. After two weeks of having her she used the bathroom in the house quite frequently which is whatever. But then came in and found her tearing our pet bunny's head off. My 8 year old found this and is quite scarred for a long time to come. When I contacted big bones I got a response from someone that would not disclose their name but I had a sense of urgency to comfort my child and get the dog out of here. When asking timelines of a resolution I was told "I'm sorry I don't have a crystal ball" and told that I better just hang tight or I'm breaching their contract. I wish no harm on this dog, but my first concern is my kid feeling safe. Seeing a large dog with blood on their face and tearing apart his pet is the opposite of that. This dog was skin and bones when we got her and clearly out of a bad situation. I would avoid this rescue by all means. read more

I spent about a month researching dogs to add to our family. I contacted the rescue, filled out the application, was told that our home visit might have to be through pictures because they are volunteer based and may not be able to make it out (not a huge deal), was told we were approved and to set up a date and time that worked best to go to the facility in Windsor to meet the dogs of our choice, set up a time and date, and then when we got there they had not a single clue why we were there or who we came to meet. The facility in Windsor has no area to meet dogs off leash, and my children were not allowed to pet the dog or even really interact with it. After we decided that we didn't want the single dog we were allowed to "meet" we were told that we could either contact foster families OR the woman would pick a dog out for us and have a foster close to us drop it off to us. The whole situation gave red flags in every direction, and we wound up going elsewhere to add another dog to the family. The icing on the cake was when I went to let someone who was interested in adopting from there know on a facebook post that they do not have areas at the facility in Windsor to meet a dog off leash, or that was what i had been told, I got a nasty email over facebook telling me i was bashing them all over facebook. which I had not. only reason I am giving them 1 star instead of 0 is because the WONDERFUL 15 year old volunteer was absolutely amazing, friendly, and super helpful!! She is WAY too good to be volunteering at this rescue and I hope they know how lucky they are to have her. And a giant thank you to her because we followed her advice and wound up getting our new family member at one of the humane societies she recommended. read more

I had a horrible experience with Big Bones. I implore you not to use them. They spay/neuter giant breed puppies at too young an age. This causes a myriad of problems in their adult life. They need to do their research on the facts and figure out a way to let the adoptive family take on the responsibility of spay/neutering at the appropriate growth time. What kind of "rescue" allows a practice that causes incontinence, cancer, joint problems, growth plate problems, arthritis, etc, to 6 week old puppies? I wish I had never put a deposit down, but the home inspector led me to believe there were circumstances where they might let the new owner take on that responsibility. I put my deposit down once I heard that After they swooped down and collected the nine puppies for sterilization (unannounced and unexpected from the foster parents), there was no doubt in my mind that they did not have the dogs best interest at heart. I don't know their motivation, but I was heartbroken thinking of all the additional problems and medical care these puppies would have. STAY CLEAR OF THEM I wish I didn't have to leave a single star, but it won't post blank read more

Our dog has ended up being a wonderful addition to our family. The home visits and the adoption process went really well. However, after we adopted our dog, three months later she couldn't walk and was diagnosed with transmissible venerial tumors. This is a common cancer in Mexico and for street dogs in California (where our dog came from). I contacted Big Bones to let them know (you are not able to leave voice messages, only text - or at least that's how it was two years ago). When I texted this information in a very professional manner, the response I received was 'OMG!!' The rescue is very unprofessional and does feel shady to me. It has been 3 years since our adoption and I feel strongly enough against this organization to write this review now. I saw their name pop up and had some time and wanted to warn others. Find a more reputable place. Surface level - great....but has underlying issues. read more

BBCR is an excellent community resource. The volunteers care deeply about finding the right match between a rescue dog and a new owner. A volunteer toured my home to make sure it would be good for a pet. The foster mom, Lisa, was kind and understanding. BBCR is thorough and makes sure that the dog comes back to them if it is not a fit or something else happens. I ended up not adopting because of personal health reasons, but if at a later point, I am able to adopt, I will certainly consider BBCR. Donate or foster if you can. Great organization. read more

Last year, my husband and I decided that we would like to adopt/rescue a 3rd dog into our family. As older and/or special needs dogs are often the hardest to find homes, we decided that we would reach out to various shelters and see if anyone had a dog that would fit into our family. We found Pops, a Shar Pei stray, that was partially blind at BBCR. Like all adopters, we submitted an application, completed a home visit, and met with Pops and his foster mom in Fort Collins. We loved the idea that we were able to have a 7-day trial period to welcome Pops into our home and return him back to the shelter, if we felt it wasn't going to work out. We never felt there was any lag time between inquiry and follow-up as we understood that BBCR is solely run and operated by volunteers. Fortunately, Pops has been a great addition to our family and we will continue to work with BBCR in adopting dogs in the future. One recommendation that I would make to potential adopters is to understand that shelters often look to find a compatible match between the animals and the prospective adopters. You may find a cute puppy that's available, but may not work with the family dynamic or working/living situation. My husband and I originally had our eyes set on another dog at another rescue and unfortunately, we were denied adoption due to the fact that we already had 2 rescue dogs at home. We were disappointed at first, but realized that the shelter wanted to set both sides up for success, so it was hard to argue the adoption denial. As crazy as it may sound, we are thankful that we weren't selected to adopt the other dog. Pops has really been a blessing to our home and we wouldn't have found him otherwise. Thank you BBCR for the work that you do! We understand that your work is not easy and can sometimes be disappointing, but we love that you are committed to finding dogs of all varieties happy, loving homes. read more

I love this rescue! EVERY single person that works there is a volunteer meaning they don't get paid at all! They all have families, jobs, etc. yet they take time out to help these dogs. While looking over the people that complained, I see a few common complaints...1. They gave the dog to someone else...In this rescue the dog is what matters not which adopter applied first. If they feel that a dog is a better match with someone whose application came in 3rd or 4th, they go by the household that is best for the DOG. You would think people would be happy but it's all about THEIR feelings. 2. They charge too much: Do you know how much it takes to get a dog here from high kill shelters in Texas, Oklahoma, California? Then they usually don't have their shots, they're not spayed/neutered, they usually have health issues that need immediate attention, they microchip each dog and keep them until they find their forever home. Any idea how much it costs for emergency medical care on a mastiff with a prolapsed uterus? How much it costs for emergency dental work on a dog whose teeth are so bad they can't eat? 3. The owner made me feel bad... how old are you? You don't have to use this rescue. There are many others out there that you can go to. 4. Awww someone didn't hold your hand when you returned a dog 4 days after you got it? Dogs take at least 3 months to completely get acclimated to a new home. And it will take awhile for the dogs to get used to each other. Until then, keep them separated. I've heard over and over again volunteers giving someone some training tips on a new dog that's having issues. You obviously didn't try them if you only had the dog for a few days. So I don't blame them for being pissed. 5. You didn't adopt out to my friend because they work...I guarantee that's not true. If you work 9 hours a day and want a puppy, you will probably be denied. Do you think it's fair that a puppy should be locked in a kennel for 9 hours every day? If so, then it's a good thing they didn't adopt out to you. All of these complaints are BS. They tell you their side. I guarantee it didn't work out entirely the way they said it did. This rescue has saved so many dogs. Dogs that have been starved by their owner ON PURPOSE! I'm pretty sure whoever said something about animal control coming and giving them fines (or however they said it) is total BS. I've been there many times and I'm never seen a dog that wasn't being taken care of. And, if the owner were to come on here and make a comment, she has every right to. She spends whatever time she's got not at her job working at the rescue. When was the last time any of you volunteered that much. Big Bones is one of the few rescues that will adopt out to people who live in apartments. So instead of coming here and crying about how mean and unfair Big Bones was to you, maybe move on with your life and take some responsibility. read more

Both as an foster mom and an adopter, I am a strong supporter of this network and organization.

We had an amazing experience adopting through Big Bones! They were very careful to make sure we were a good match with our new dog. And Lora was a wonderful foster mom, sharing a lot of information and supporting us. Thank you!!! read more

Sold us a puppy with Parvo! Within 14 hours...Vet visit. We had to take her 30 miles away, on 2 different occasions (cause their approved "vet" is in Mead )for treatment. 24 hours later...They say she's good. She wasn't. Took her back. THEY SAID SHE WAS OKAY FOR A 2ndTIME (36 hours later) and tried to make us take her back, and give her pills for 2 weeks. The "owner/director" told us "take her back" and for us to pay for treatment OR refund. We chose to refund. Then she gets angry and starts guilt tripping us into wanting her back. Horrible customer service from owner/director. This experience was a terrible one, to put it nicely. Selling sick puppies and not accepting responsibility for it, is unacceptable. Terrible place. Terrible owner/director. Blamed us for not wanting an unhealthy puppy. Think twice people. read more

Such a bad experience with this rescue. The application process is intensive, which is fine. I am happy they make an effort to ensure the pups are going to a good home via home checks and applications. We were approved and excited to start meeting dogs. I probably emailed to try to meet 12 dogs, and was told that many were not good fits. Ok, fine, we have 2 young kids and another dog. I understand that many dogs will not be a good fit for us. Others that I told were good fits, we never heard from any owners to meet them, except for 2. We were never suggested any dogs, never offered to meet any dogs. So far, we have actively tried to meet dogs with no help from the rescue. I'm thinking, ok this is a rescue ran by volunteers maybe it just runs slow. Then we finally meet a dog, are told that there are a few other families interested and that the rescue will pick the best fit family. (We are a family where I am home almost all day, have a yard with a dog door, take our boy on daily walks, we even pay for a chiropractor to adjust him since being a giant breed he has lower back issues!) The next day I get an email out of nowhere that the rescue has decided to deny our application. I sent a few emails asking for an explanation and the next day was told that it was because at our visit the foster had issues with the way my son was with the dog. (We board new dogs in our home constantly and integrate him with new dogs and I am hyper aware of the introduction.) There was no issue!!! My son went up and said hi to the dog, she was wagging her tail the whole time and was excited to see him and then he tried to hug her. My husband and I both asked him to give her some space and he immediately did. She didn't growl or run away or anything. She kept going up to my son wagging her tail and sniffing him I tried to explain this to the rescue and also requested that they have a trainer assess his behavior with dogs instead of a uneducated foster parent (who was the husband of the actual volunteer of the rescue and admitted multiple times that he doesn't ever facilitate the meet and greets), as this is what we did with our first pup we adopted who was twice her size. All they said was best of luck and that they are hyper sensitive to a child's behavior towards dogs and they will not apologize for it. These people are the worst. The way they handled the situation was unprofessional and rude. I still am not even sure what my son did that made them so uncomfortable. The fosters seem like they are some elite class of people where if you don't do things exactly like they do you must not be a good dog owner. Like many others have said on here they don't seem that interested in finding dogs good homes but more interested in feeling more noble and better than any dog owners and get off by denying a dog a good home. read more

Skip all of the positive reviews, they probably wrote them themselves. The two Evil "B's" that run this scam are 2 of the most heartless, cruel humans that I have come across in quite some time. Their business motto is "move em' in, move 'em out ASAP, by any means. I was going to rescue a dog from these thieves. They told me that he was house trained, leash trained, and got along well with other dogs. I went to meet him first with his so-called foster mom. She seemed likable and trustworthy. She told me some b.s. story about him and he sounded perfect. He was a little aloof, but I thought that was due to the location and the traffic. When they brought him to our home, the first thing that he did was to mark our love seat. Nothing had been said about this behavior. Upon introducing him to our other 2 dogs, he wanted nothing to do with them. He proceeded to mark every tree in our heavily wooded backyard. He didn't answer to his name, and seemed as if he had been abused or neglected or both. This poor guy was the most traumatized dog I have ever met in my life. He just roamed around aimlessly, and marked anything with bark on it. We decided that he would definitely not work out, and that's when my trusted foster mom started the hard sell. "Well, maybe you could keep him for the weekend and see how things go?" Why would problems this severe change in 2 days? When we again responded soundly with another no, she looked so sad, as if she really cared. She didn't. She's just another ruthless person tied to this sham of a business. It was the sympathy game she would now play. It was difficult to get them to leave, but when they finally did, I could only think about that poor dog. There are myriad rescues in this state. Save yourself the heartache and rudeness of these two horrible wenches and go somewhere else. read more

I would recommend another rescue. If this rescue really cared about giving dogs in need a home they would not be quick to deny someone the right to adopt from them. My husband and I felt we were going to be great adoptive parents given our previous dog experience and dog friendly home. But I was shocked that not only were we denied but also the lack of professionalism in this organization while dealing with them. read more

My experience was short, but enough to give a bad rating. I'm local in Colorado and found a dog I was very interested in. I contacted them to set up a time to meet to make sure there would be a connection. I got quick responses, but only repeatedly being asked for more personal information. I was first asked to fill out an application, which I found odd since I only wanted to initially meet the dog, but I did it. The application asks for some somewhat personal info, address names, do you own or rent, where do you work ect. Fine. I filled out the app anyway. I then get an email back asking for 2 personal references and phone numbers for them and if I own or rent my home. I politely responded and said I didn't feel as though I should have to provide anything further than what I already have just to meet the dog and see if we even liked him. Well I appreciate the detail they ask for in order to make a good transition and adoption, I don't think that, that much information needs to be provided from someone local to make sure they even have interest after meeting them. I was then told that I would have to have a complete application which also requires a home visit apparently. Not okay. There's no reason I should have to have some stranger come into my home just to meet a dog that I MAY want to adopt. Very intrusive and bad business, not to mention they have some of the highest adoption fees I've come across. I get it goes to care and help for the animals, but there's no way asking that much there isn't some profit involved since every other shelter seems to only charge in upward of 200 for puppies. read more

I would avoid adopting here. Long Story After many communications, including phone conversations and a in home house check from 2 stangers, I was cleared for a dog. I live 4.5 hours from Denver where the dog was. There seemed to be a sense of urgency to get the dog, so I canceled a family event and rented a non refundable hotel and packed up my car. At the last minute someone called to tell me that the dog had been extremely ill with heart worm but was better. I had asked them on the first phone call if the dog was healthy and they said yes...very healthy. On the final call, they said the dog was better now, but still needed meds for several months. I contacted my vet at home. He said run...don't walk away from that place. The dog would need a full evaluation to know what residual heart damage it had sustained. It was a sad experience...I mostly feel bad for the dogs that end up there. Careful they don't pass a sick dog on to you. read more

I looked at a lot of different rescues before I decided to foster and volunteer for Big Bones. What people complaining about BBCR don't understand is that 1. we are all VOLUNTEERS! No one gets paid. We all have jobs (we are not "bored housewives" as one reviewer said) and we all have families and we do the best we can to return calls and we try as hard as we can to find the right homes for all of our dogs. 2. We don't pick the first application as the one who gets to adopt the dog they want. We look at many different things and we decide who would be the BEST home for dogs depending on those things. 3. Anyone who wasn't approved, must have some reason for not getting approved. There are dogs that would do fine in a home where someone is gone all day. A puppy would NOT do well in that situation. Neither would a dog that's very social. Social dogs and puppies need a lot of attention and they don't like to be left alone for long periods of time. So if you tell us that you work all day and you want a puppy, we are probably not going to approve that 4. We can't GUARANTEE that a dog will not act like a dog sometimes. We try to get all of the dogs in foster homes so we can find out exactly what sets them off and if they are prey driven or good with other dogs. Sometimes, a dog may act one way in a foster home and then when their situation is different, they might act different. It's sad that a little boy saw his bunny get eaten but the fosters work as hard as we can to find the best home for every dog. And, we never "push dogs" on people. We work hard to make sure a dog is in the right place. 5. We have a long application and we have a home check because we want to make sure these dogs are going to a good home. If you don't want to do the application and the home check, find a rescue that doesn't require them. This is by far the best rescue I've ever seen. Everyone here cares about the dogs. If that means sometimes people don't get what they want, then unfortunately that's the way it is. The dogs ALWAYS come first here! So, while it's unfortunate that some people don't like the way the rescue is run.... in the end, we care about the dogs. If the dogs are happy, we are happy! read more

We had a very disappointing experience with BBCR. We were looking to expand our family and found a puppy on their Facebook page. We have 15 years' experience with the particular breed of this puppy and thought she would be a good fit. We filled out the online application and were contacted by a volunteer to visit us at our home. We passed the home visit and were told we were approved for a puppy. The puppy we wanted wasn't available but we were told the puppy had two littermates available. We met the puppies, told the foster parent we were very interested and asked what the next step was. She said another person was interested and that she'd get back to us. A few days passed and no response. I texted the foster parent twice and received no response. I called and left a voicemail message for the foster parent and received no response. Frustrated, I e-mailed BBCR directly and no response. In my e-mail to BBCR, I informed them that if they didn't think my family was the right fit for the puppy, please let us know. We wanted to know either way so we could move on. Instead, they chose to ignore me. I guess we were not worthy of a response. A couple days later, I saw the puppy we were interested in show up on their Facebook page as being available for adoption. It's very disappointing and disheartening to open your home and heart to this rescue and to be treated like a piece of garbage. They may care about dogs but they do not care about human beings. Side note, they were going to charge $600 for a rescue puppy. It makes me question if they are really in it for the "good" of the dog. read more

My wife and I found a dog we like on pet finder. She was with a foster home in this rescue. They responded to our inquiry in a timely manner. After filling out an application we got a call from the foster home a couple days later. They answered questions about the dog and set up a home check. They sent us pictures and videos of the dog. Two days before the home check they texted us and said they have decided to give the dog to someone who applied after us because they have other dogs and they have adopted from them before. We were heart broken. This rescue could work for you if you are not particular about the dog you want. If you have a specific dog of there's you want, you need to be emotionally prepared for the likely event that they will give it to someone else and they won't be up front about this possibility at the onset. read more

Wonderful non-profit all volunteer organization that gives abandoned dogs the chance for a happy, healthy life!

i love big bones. I have adopted 3 dogs from them and could not be more in love. They are all volunteers and dedicate so much time, effort and love into saving dogs. I am in awe. read more

Could someone please explain to me how an organization that claims to have an interest in finding homes for dogs be so poor at communication and so rude? My wife and I found a dog that we dearly wanted to meet and if all worked out, adopt him. We filled out the adoption application and got a 15 word e-mail asking us how we planned to get him back to Florida. The next e-mail asked for photos of our yard. The next e-mail asked some other inane question. Then silence for several hours forcing me to inform them that while it was a priority to see the dog, we did have things to do and needed to plan our day but do so around a visitation with the dog. The reply after about 2 hours was that there was not enough time to complete the application. I replied that I understood but in order to complete the adoption, my wife would also need to see the dog. I then went on to explain that my wife had to return to Florida but I could stay for a few days or return in a week or two to complete the adoption. YOU GUESSED IT!!!!! COMPLETE SILENCE......my reply was sent just before 2:00 P?M.. Why didn't "Jenni" just call me rather than spend 6 hours sending e-mails back and forth? A 5 minute phone interview would have answered all her questions. If there was something on my application or that they did not like or concerns they had, why not just tell me that they could not approve the adoption? I've worked with other rescue organizations including one that required a home inspection and 4 bonding visitations before adoption. Never have I seen a "rescue" organization like this one!!! It sounds to me like it is a group of bored housewives who are trying to feel good about themselves so they pretend to run a rescue group.. There was a happy ending......we adopted a wonderful dog from Animal house in Fort Collins. I support sincere rescue organizations!!! Bigbones is one of ones that makes it difficult for legit rescue organizations to raise funds. read more

This is a nonprofit totally dedicated to the best outcome for traumatized dogs, not for people expecting concierge treatment. All volunteers with other lives, so please be patient and understand glitches in communications. The dogs are priority and this shows with their commitment to making a good fit for dogs and adopters. read more

I called to ask about surrendering my dog; explained that he won't stay in the yard. Instead of being helpful, Kristy, was very condescending and very quick to pass judgement. She started saying things like if you really care this much about you dog you would do such and such. This is already a very hard thing to do and she just made it harder. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Worst experience I have ever had. Would just like to prevent someone else from feeling the was she made me feel. read more

My experience with this rescue was one that I will never recommend to anyone..ever. We arrived to see a dog with an appointment and decided we would love to take her, the only problems that we had were that not one person that worked there could tell us anything about the dog we were interested in. They didn't know if she was spayed, hadn't had the dog examined to see if she was spayed or not.. they told us we had three days to decide if we would keep her or not and didn't even have her surgery scheduled for that first 3 days. The vet that the rescue uses to handle all their surgeries was an absolute joke, they didn't provide us with anything for pain or anything to keep the dog from licking at her incision... and overall it just seemed like a shady operation. We have had the dog a couple of weeks and absolutely love her, but we came to find out she was never tested for heart worm, she actually had tape worms, AND the dog also had giardia. We had to spend a ton of extra money on things that should have been dealt with before we had a chance to take the dog home at all. When we contacted the rescue to tell them about the other issues that came up we were shocked to receive feedback from them that was basically tough ****, this "rescue" is an absolute joke and I feel sorry for any dog that steps foot in that place. I would never recommend anyone go there unless you are ready to be conned and cheated and lied to so they can shove as many dogs around Colorado as possible collecting hundreds of dollars and virtually knowing NOTHING about the animals they are adopting. Sounds bad, but it is. I'll go to every rescue in the country before I go back. read more