We recently adopted our new furbaby from Cedar Bend. I greatly appreciated the adoption application (which forces pet owners to think about the commitment they are making), the kind service, and the staff really going the extra mile to make sure it's a good fit. I also thought the welcome packet was great, and I think they do a wonderful job with their website - the pics of the animals are great! If you're looking for a pet PLEASE ADOPT!! It's not every day you get the chance to save a life (and let them save yours!) read more

Surrendered my healthy 3 year old cat because I had no other option. She was extremely friendly to everyone and never had issues with people, but for some reason they claimed she failed her behavioral exam and euthanized her. How can you euthanize completely healthy and friendly cats, but then accept all of the aggressive dogs that are surrendered and not euthanize them? If you want your animals to go to a good home and not be euthanized for no reason, do NOT surrender them to this humane society. read more

I have a friend who was forced, by her landlord, to surrender her cat she'd had for 18 years. This was very distressing and depressing for her. When she called to see if he'd been adopted or euthanized, the person she talked was very rude, telling her she wasn't entitled to that information because when she chose to surrender him she lost all rights to information. It wasn't her choice which the person she talked to may not have known, but in my opinion they could and should be taught to show more compassion and understanding. In this computer age it wouldn't take much to look that information up and put a person's mind at ease. This makes me sad because I have dealt with this place many times in the past and never been treated that way. In fact when I had to get rid of a family pet years ago, they were happy to let me know he was adopted that same afternoon. Sad how times have changed! read more

I was in contact with them to adopt a herding breed that I am familiar with. I needed one "extra" day to rearrange my work schedule to take the day off to drive and get her and not have to leave her ... and they wouldn't hold her for one day past the day I contacted them. They told me first come, first serve. I couldn't take off work, make all the preps to bring in a new family member, drive to get her...and then not have her there when I arrive. What are they thinking?? Huge miss on a great home for this working breed. Instead, I drove to Illinois and adopted one of their herding breed rescue dogs. They held him till I got there. We are BFFs and I'm glad I drove 8 hours round trip to get him. I am looking to adopt a second pup but will not adopt from this facility. No way is first come, first serve a good policy for the welfare of the animals. read more

Adopted two pups from CBHS over the years and great experiences. Caring staff. Happy to support the organization. read more

Cedar Bend Humane Society - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

If I could I would leave a zero star rating! We were looking for an adult dog to adopt as we wanted a dog that was less likely to be adopted. We found a beautiful dog on their web site and filled out the ridiculous application form and it said we were a match for the dog. We waited to hear something and when we didn't I called and had to leave a message. No response. The next morning I called again and had to leave a message. Both phone calls were made during their operating hours. Still no response. We drove in to see if we could meet the dog and were told she was in special training elsewhere. I asked if we could go there to meet her and we were told that it was up to the adoption supervisor and she was too busy to speak to us. She then recommended that I "CALL"! I showed her I had called several times and they don't return calls. She claimed she never received any messages. Yeah, ok. We were told they have our adoption and they will review it and get back with us. It was over a week later when they called and said we could see her as others had turned the dog down. At that point I had enough with their process. I asked how does someone who has never even talked to us know if we are a good fit or not? How do we know the dog and us would make a good match when we were never able to meet her? I could go on and on with the issues regarding the Cedar Bend Humane Society but I think you get the point. What I can tell you is we went to the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines and adopted a beautiful adult dog from them and let me tell you the experience was entirely different. No stupid 5 page application to fill out. They listened to what we were looking for and gave us suggestions that they felt were a good match. We then got to spend time with the dogs and when we made our decision the paper work was painless as all we had to do was verify who we were and where we lived. The facility is immaculate and the staff are very caring and helpful. You also receive the dog fully vaccinated, spayed or neutered, with a micro chip and they send you home with a bag of food. Three days later when we realized our new pet had a medical issue, we took her to their medical facility and they treated her with the necessary meds and gave her several cans of dog food to help her upset stomach all at no cost to us. I should also mention that the 6 year old adult dog at CBHS was going to cost $400 to adopt. The 6 year old adult dog at ARL's adoption fee was $60. We adopted a 3 year old dog for $120.00. I would highly recommend the ARL. They are far superior to CBHS. read more

Sold my girlfriend and I a 4 week old sick kitten that ended up starving himself since he wasn't old enough to eat dry food. This business sucks. read more

This was the worst humane society I have been to. The animal areas were over crowded and the facilities were not well maintained. My boyfriend and I arrived close to opening hours on a Sunday with hopes of adoption two adult cats. Although there were dozens to chose from, it was difficult to bond with any due to the overcrowding issue. In each small room there were at least one to two dozen adult cats roaming around. Bonding was nearly impossible, as there was a constant display of dominance, hissing, stressed animals, etc. It was a truly painful experience. As much as I wanted to rescue the animals from there, I didn't want to bring a pet home out of pure sympathy for their situation. The facilities were poorly maintained. There was at least one cat stuck in a cage in the lobby area with numerous piles of vomit. The poor thing was constantly meowing as it was forced to sit in its own filth. Even when I made this known to staff, they did nothing. One would at least expect staff to maintain the cages of animals displayed at the very entrance. The dog cages indoors and outdoors looked much the same. One good thing about this shelter is they discouraged me from every purchasing from a breeder, as I would hate to surrender an animal to a shelter with such conditions. read more

One of the nicest animal shelters I've been to! Staff was caring and upbeat and facility was clean (good living conditions.) Adoption process took about 15 to 20 minutes. Overall a really good experience I definitely recommend checking them out! Shade and I are two peas in a pod! read more

Cedar Bend Humane Society - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

First come first serve no background check on potential owners. Horrible way to treat these poor animals. Why even fill out an applications. Just collect adoption fees and send these poor helpless animals out the door. I will never give money to this organization again. Absolutely appalling! read more

They've gotten better in the past few years about working with local rescues to place pets and also take some in. In a place like Waterloo, they are severely needed and that can be a good and bad thing. Since they're the only one with an actual building so it makes it easier for people to dump their pets or where people will take strays. They are bound to get overfilled at times with pets because of this. I haven't been there in a couple years since I moved away but they are doing what they can for the animals. read more

When I went in to look at a dog I was interested in I couldn't even meet her without the people asking if I had an approved adoption form. If I'm just looking to see if my dog is a good fit for my home why am I gonna have an approved adoption form yet, before I get to see the dog. The staff was very unhelpful and when I would ask for help they seems not whiling to help me. You are in the business of helping dogs find homes. You should be ecstatic that I'm wanting to adopt a dog not turn me away. read more

Horrible facility! If I could give a ZERO...I would. Staff is unprofessional and inconsiderate to the humanity of the animals. Their internal communication is even worse! It's so unfortunate that they continue to be in business because the animals are the ones who suffer! read more