I unfortunately had the displeasure of adopting from the Animal Care League in Oak Park. I adopted…read morea dog who had several ongoing health conditions that were evident in his medical history which was not disclosed at the time of adoption. They were informed that I did not have the financial capacity in order to accommodate a dog that would need significant financial commitment beyond standard vet appointments and care. When I took him to the vet, they pointed out several lifelong health issues that were extremely severe and would need hundreds of dollars' worth of treatment monthly. When I looked his past medical history, it seems to have been the shelter was pursuing ongoing treatment of these issues but decided not to inform me although I was very up front with my limitations. Additionally, I only had him for 5 days at the vet clinic they had discovered that he had a severe double ear infection to the point he was bleeding, clearly not something that developed in just a few days. When I adopted him, they told me and my family he was a healthy dog that would need little medical assistance and that he was vet checked which was clearly a lie considering the state we brought him home in. Over the past 5 days we have bonded and he has gotten along with all our family members and even our other dog. I unfortunately, had to surrender him due to the lack of disclosure of information, when I talked to the operations manager the solution she gave me was that she was sorry and that it can be hard to diagnose things. But looking in his medical chart there has been a long-standing issue with this very same problem and was once on the same very expensive medicine that we were expected to put him on. I am hurt that there was little to no resolution other than taking a dog away from a loving family that just didn't have enough money to accommodate to his needs, but also little accountability of their actions. The general manager was largely dismissive, never offered any solutions to me and my visibly extremely upset family. Instead, we left the office in tears with an "I'm sorry that happened". And just to highlight to any prospective adopters from this shelter in their contract it says they are not liable for any misinformation they may give as it may be from third party sources, in other words it is okay for them to misinform and lie to your face. But to leave this review on a more positive note I fortunately was able to treat his double ear infection before surrendering him, he is so deserving of a loving home unfortunately I just cannot afford a dog with such severe medical issues.

The staff was awesome! They were very friendly and answered every question…read more They were genuinely happy for one of their animals to be adopted.

This is a tough place to review since it's not a "typical" service, but I really admire the work…read moreCACC does despite being overcrowded and stretched thin. They're doing their best for the animals, and I hope sharing my experience helps anyone considering adopting. We ended up with the sweetest little cat that we absolutely love! We first visited on a Thursday around 4 pm. After waiting about 10 minutes, we filled out a form about what kind of pet we were looking for. About 25 minutes later, a volunteer walked us through the facility. It's clear they're over capacity, there were animals even in the hallways and in the cat rooms the cats are kept in wall cages. You don't get much time to interact, so it's tricky to gauge temperament. We chose a cat we thought seemed sweet. She still needed to be spayed and microchipped, so we couldn't take her home that day. They couldn't give a clear timeline, but by Monday we got the call that her surgery was done. We picked her up Tuesday, which took about an hour of waiting. Adoption fees were completely waived (normally $65, which is already very reasonable), and the cost of her surgery and microchip were covered. Once home, she did come down with a URI, so we had to visit the vet and get her some meds, but she's doing well now. Overall, CACC is a great place to adopt from if you're patient and want to give an animal a second chance. The process isn't super streamlined, but the staff and volunteers clearly care, and you'll be helping an animal in need

Extremely RUDE front desk attendants. Drove over an hour from the northside. Inquired about…read moreadopting a small dog. There are at 15 "available small dogs" on the website. Without even looking at me explained you cannot adopt any small dog from CCAC. Shelters are called and those dogs are held for them. Well of course, shelters charge $300-$500. So even tho these dogs were still there, they have to move to a shelter and find someone else? All a money game. City of Chgo, I should have known. The WORST part was as I was looking at other dogs, the same girl from front desk came looking for me and said "I heard you been talking about me!" Omg it felt like I was in HS. No, I haven't been talking about you to anyone! Asked her to send someone to show me another dog. Waited 15 min. No one came. She obviously didn't ask anyone to come help me. That was not allowing another dog to find a home. Shame on them!!! Dogs don't look very healthy, and half of them are trying to tear into you thru the cage. They need a much better staff! Sad environment all around and wouldn't recommend. (Unfortunately)

Found Harmony House on Instagram as my toddler loves cats and unfortunately we are not able to get…read moreone at the moment. So I wanted to take her to a place where she can visit and play with cats and Harmony House was perfect for that. They had a Holiday Bazaar event which was a free event and they had raffles, a bake sale, etc. All proceeds went to helping the cats. What we loved about Harmony house was that it's a cage free shelter for cats. They had several rooms filled with different cats that you can go into and play with them for however long you wanted. It's a great way to get acquainted especially if you're thinking about adopting! There were several cats available, different breeds and all different temperaments. Such an awesome cast shelter to visit! All of the people that worked there were so friendly and informative too! They all knew the names of each kitty and some names were very clever. If you're looking to adopt a cat or thinking about it, I highly suggest checking out Harmony House For Cats!

What brought me to Harmony House were the humane traps they "rent" out (as long as you bring the…read moretrap back, they never charge you a dime). So I can't comment on the adoption process, but I can speak to the friendliness of the staff/volunteers and the cleanliness of the facility. I was trying to help out a stray cat who'd been coming by and meowing loudly at the door. I was not in a position to adopt another cat, and never once did anyone pressure me to take one of their very cute residents home. Fast-forward to two weeks after picking the trap up, and I'd caught all manner of local wildlife but not the cat. I called to see if I could get a weeklong extension and they cheerfully gave me two more weeks. The building is very clean and modern. Everyone there was very nice when I was picking up and dropping off the trap, if a little harried. I got the impression that they work hard to care for the cats they have and that they sometimes get unscheduled drop-offs (when I showed up to get the trap, the woman who met me at the door looked relieved and said that when the doorbell rang, she was afraid it was "another dump") -- which is sort of heartbreaking. I hope people who have the room and the resources to adopt will check out Harmony House, because their residents certainly deserve a second chance.

I have adopted two cats from CARS and they have both been wonderful, healthy, well-adjusted pets…read more The volunteers are so nice and obviously care very much about the animals and where they are placed. Even though the cats spend their days in small cages, there is a revolving cast of volunteers who come into the store daily and make sure the cats get exercised. They also "foster out' cats so that they become socialized and used to living in a home.

We have adopted three cats from this facility. I was also one of the volunteers for a while before…read moregoing back to school, so I have had first-hand experience of how the operation is run. Although it is a small shelter, they're very meticulous and take really good care of the cats. Each feline is "vetted", receives their shots, and is spayed or neutered before being adopted, so all of the medical necessities are included in the adoption "fee" (which makes it quite the bargain). All cats are screened for parasites and other ailments such as FIV and FIP (which is something that many pet stores do not do... a very sad lesson that a friend of mine learned the hard way) and are monitored for a period of time before being made available for adoption. There is a small army of dedicated foster parents and volunteers that care for the cats, making sure they are healthy and their personalities are suitable for being adopted, before they are moved into the "cattery" for viewing and, hopefully, adoption. The cages and litter boxes are cleaned and disinfected several times a week, and the cats are offered lots of time out to play and interact. There is such a sense of security when looking to adopt an animal from C.A.R. because you never have to worry about illness beyond a little winter cold (yep, cats get colds, too!) This is also a no-kill shelter. And unlike some places, you will never find the "it's just a cat" attitude here. The adoption process might seem a bit off-putting for those who are used to pet stores who will sell any animal to literally anyone without question, but C.A.R.'s goal is to make sure that everyone involved... both your family and the cat... will be happy. After all, adopting an animal is a commitment, and fates willing, you will have your pet for many, many years! They're very good about making sure that the cat's personality (shy, dominant, skittish, friendly, etc.) is right for your family and your home (single- or multi-cat home, families with or without children, families with or without dogs, etc.) The comfort, health, and safety of the cat is paramount. As I mentioned, we've adopted three cats from C.A.R. All three have been amazing... 100% litter-trained, healthy as horses, and absolute angels, with completely different personalities! Our lives are so much more complete with our little furbabies, and we really can't thank C.A.R. enough for taking such good care of them while they waited to come home.

I volunteer with ARFhouse walking dogs and holding them at adoption events. This is a great…read moreorganization where the focus really is on rescuing pets and finding them permanent homes. The shelter rescues dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes from local kill shelters and also picks up strays. Many of the dogs ARFhouse takes are senior, have health problems or "their time is up" at their previous shelter. I love the fact that so many of the dogs are in foster homes or at doggie daycare. This makes them super social with both people and other dogs, and they learn good doggie manners. The adoption process is very thorough (no same-day adoptions) to make sure the dogs are going to good homes. At ARFhouse adoption events, the dogs are right out there on a leash, not in a cage or separate room. This makes it easy to meet a number of different dogs and instantly see what they're like around people and other dogs. I have to address some of the negative reviews of ARFhouse by pointing something out: Everyone who has bad things to say about the organization was trying to get rid of a dog or a cat. They already have a pet and are either sick of dealing with it or just don't want it any more. The shelter doesn't accept pets from people who are trying to dump them, and it says so on the website. ARFhouse fights for dogs who are totally alone with no family at all.

Like many of the other reviewers, I wish I could rate zero stars. I don't really need to explain,…read morejust read this chain of emails with this delightful organization: Dec 23, 2010: Hello, Who would I contact regarding a dog that we need to find a home for? Thank you, Jason Response: Is it a personal dog of yours or somebody you know or is it a stray somebody found? Dec 24, 2010: ME: The dog belongs to my Grandfather but he is unable to continue to care for her. I am trying to find a home for her otherwise my Aunt is going to have to put her down. Response: That's a shame a family member won't take a dog so she has to be put down. Dec 26, 2010 Me: Is it your policy to try to make people feel guilty when they come to you for help? This isn't an easy decision, its our only option. Thanks for nothing. Response: Yes, that is exactly our policy. Actually, it is our policy not to help animals who already have homes and take the guilt off people who shouldn't have it taken off them. We don't appreciate the "if you won't take it, it will get put down" speech. How many times a day do you think we hear that? It's not our responsibilty to help your family members. Me: To Whom it May Concern, I apologize. Perhaps, to avoid your judgmental statements, I should have provided some background. On December 11, 2010, my grandmother passed away at 83. While she was still alive, she cared for my grandfather of 87 who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Because he has lost his caregiver and wife, my relatives have had to make the difficult decision of putting Grandpa in a nursing home to get the care that he needs. Also, because many of my relatives live in California, he is being moved to a home in that state. At this same time, a decision has to be made about what to do with his and my grandmother's beloved dog, Molly. An extremely difficult decision that has been made by my grandfather's children and that I do not chose to judge. We must find Molly a new loving home or put her to rest. I do not want to divulge further heartbreaking details as to spare the dignity of a sweet 87 (almost 88) year old man who has lost his wife of 65 years and now has to part with his dearest friend as well. If you, or your organization have policies that must be followed I understand. It's unacceptable for you to simply judge people who are reaching out to you and berate them, when you have no idea what their circumstances are. I do not expect any sort of resolution here as there really is no dispute. My purpose of this is to make people aware of the level of professionalism - or lack thereof- that exists at Arfhouse. It seems that you clearly do not care about helping a needy dog find a home. If you are curious as to how I am going to let people know...please visit Yelp.com and view the comments about your organization. This entire email thread will be posted for all to see, and I plan on making contact with your superiors. Thank you and Merry Christmas. End of thread. If anyone on Yelp has suggestions about how to find a home for Molly please contact me. I will be updating this review if I receive more responses from Arfhouse. UPDATE 12/27/2010 Here is the e-mail I received in response to the last one: This e-mail in no way changes our opinion of you or what you are doing to the memory of a "beloved" relative. To explain in such detail is just you trying to make yourself feel better for..what is it you said..."putting a dog to rest", which is killing the dog. Spreading the word on Yelp about what a horrible thing you are doing is only a reflection on you. We don't care. UPDATE 12/28/2010 This may or may not be related. Strange occurrence: at 4 am my relative received a text message from "Joe" stating "continue electronic harassment". We think they meant "discontinue".

Volunteering at St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines has truly changed our lives…read more We originally started looking for a rescue where my 6‑year‑old could volunteer alongside me. I wanted a place that was safe, welcoming, and patient with little hands that move with big enthusiasm. St. Sophia's was exactly that. From day one, they made us feel included and valued, and they treated my daughter like a real part of the team. What started as simply wanting to help quickly turned into something much bigger. Before we knew it, we took home our first foster kittens... and then our second... and then our third. Fostering became such a meaningful part of our family routine, and we loved watching these tiny lives grow and eventually go to wonderful homes. We ended up adopting one of our foster kitties. After that, we became even more involved, helping with events, supporting the shelter however we could, and becoming part of the heart of the organization. St. Sophia's truly cares about their cats, their volunteers, and their community. They're compassionate, knowledgeable, and they make it easy for families to get involved in rescue work. If you're looking for a place to volunteer, foster, or adopt, this is the place. I'm so grateful we walked through their doors.

Soooo....still no comment on the flag by Google? I mean, you can pretend the more responses you…read moregive will change the actual facts if that helps you sleep at night. And yes I am aware Petco cannot adopt your cats out. All I said is she was confirmmed as still being there.

I have adopted from GCFA in the past, and am currently fostering an older ferret with medical…read moreissues as well as volunteering at the shelter on a weekly basis. I've scooped thousands of litter pans, scrubbed cages, conducted phone screenings for potential adopters, washed poopy laundry, and I am writing this review to clear up some of the complaints others have had, because those comments need to be taken into context and with a grain of salt (read: angry people shout the loudest). Yes, the shelter is selective and does not just hand out ferrets like candy. People who have no experience or knowledge of ferret-care are not going to walk out of the shelter with a ferret. That said, it only takes an hour or two of (online) research to learn pretty much everything you need to know as a new ferret owner. You don't need to buy a book or become an expert, but you do need to know what the warning signs of a sick ferret are, because they tend to mask illness and if you aren't somewhat knowledgeable, you might notice something is amiss too late. That said, if you walk into the shelter and are not knowledgeable, you can expect the staff to take some time educating you. That's for your benefit, as well as for the benefit of the woozles. Having gone through the adoption process (and the fostering process) myself, here's some info for anyone who wants to adopt a ferret from GCFA: First, you will go through a basic phone screening, then an in-person interview. To be eligible for adoption, you need to have basic ferret-care knowledge, as well as ferret-appropriate supplies (cage, food, toys, etc), and we will ask you what veterinarian you plan on going to (ferrets are considered exotic animals, and not all veterinarians treat exotics). Shelter staff can give vet recommendations, and often has extra cages and other ferret supplies on hand available in exchange for donations, but having that stuff in stock isn't guaranteed. Finally, ferret ownership can be expensive - they are wonderful pets, but they are also prone to various ailments as they get older, so it's important that new ferret owners are aware of the financial costs of ownership before adopting. GCFA is a volunteer-run, no-kill, non-profit, and serves as the source shelter for lost / abandoned ferrets in the Chicago area (meaning, nearly all ferrets that are brought into any shelter in the Chicago area will be transferred to GCFA). All donations go towards paying rent, buying ferret food and supplies, and paying for utilities. Some years, the shelter has barely scraped by. But because GCFA exists, thousands of ferrets that would otherwise be euthanized at other shelters have been placed in good homes with good people. It's true that many people who volunteer here are simply better with animals than with people. No one and no shelter is perfect. I hope this post will be helpful to anyone looking to adopt from GCFA.

I'd love to write a review about my favorite little shelter but first to respond to the first…read moreposter John. Firstly John, the shelter is run on donations and volunteers. The money that would be spent on a fancy expensive sign is instead spent on housing, caring and feeding the hundreds of homeless ferrets that pass thru their door. Secondly, the volunteer you encountered most likely has taken time out of her day to scrub and disinfect 50+ cages with sometimes 100 or so ferrets ( that is an overwhelming amount of poop ) and clean several play pens dozens and dozens of times between each ferret's free time. It's exhausting work but it's done out of selflessness and love. Please understand what really matters here not how big the sign is or a torn shirt on a volunteer. It is that the shelter is a safe haven for the sick and abandoned and that it does its best day in and day out for each and every one of it's residents. That being said here is my review. I have adopted several ferrets over the years all thru GCFA. I have been happy with each and every one. Their facility is super clean and volunteers are very knowledgeable. They offer tons of advice and support and are extremely good about making sure they are going to a great home. Adoptions are thorough and fairly quick. The best thing about adopting vs buying from a pet store ( next to giving a little one a second chance at a forever home ) is that you are usually able to get some back ground on the ferret's personality. The volunteers get to know them and will tell you general characteristics. Pet store ferrets are usually not very handled and very rarely does an employee know anything about their pet shop ferrets other than the price. Shelter ferrets are handled by ferret lovers and GCFA goes above and beyond in many, many ways.

Went through the application process and on that application I stated I had declawed my previous…read morecats in the past. This is something I had no idea could effect the cat negatively. When asked why I had declawed and if I would in the future I responded with "The reason I have for declawing just the front claws is because that is something my family cats always had done and it never seemed to effect them. I'm open to changing my mind about this. I have never seen it cause issues in a cat I've cared for (if done young), but if there is research it does negatively effect them, then I would rethink my decision." That response was meet with a declining of my application and no further communication. I responded twice saying I would respect the policy and not declaw. Still no response. I also called and left a message. No call back, no response. Very unprofessional and disappointing.

I LOVE "Friends" and have them to thank for pulling my sweet little Stella from CACC. She was…read moredropped by her previous family with no info, was scared and sick with kennel cough. I met Stella (formerly known as Camilla) through a friend of mine that has fostered many dogs for Friends. Their volunteers really love animals and give these dogs loving homes while they wait for their "forever home". They also do an excellent job taking care of medical issues prior to adoption. I strongly believe rescuing a dog is best - and I think a foster organization like this can be the best way to find your perfect rescue dog. The foster parents can give you the scoop on the dog's personality and training level. I say thanks everyday for Stella being in my life thanks to Friends!