I'm extremely disappointed with this rescue's polices and overall approach. I was denied the opportunity to adopt simply because I live in the Central Valley... which makes absolutely no sense considering the dog I applied for literally came from the Central Valley. They wrote in an email to me, "You can't throw a rock without hitting an abandoned dog there." Turing away a qualified, loving home-based, purely on zip code, feels more like discrimination in the responsible rescue work. If the goal is truly to help dogs find a safe, committed home, blanket location restrictions like this are counterproductive. It's disheartening to see dogs kept from good homes over policies that seem inconsistent and poorly thought out. I expect better from an organization that claims to prioritize animal well-being. read more

Compassion As someone who has rescued before and is actively fostering a purebred Australian Shepherd we saved from a high-kill shelter, I reached out to this rescue hoping for guidance and collaboration to help place him in the right long-term home. He had been on the euthanasia list due to illness, and my family and I spent over $3,000 out of pocket to nurse him back to health. We've provided love, care, and structure, and we're continuing to support him while recognizing that--due to his reactivity and my being pregnant--our home isn't the safest long-term fit, especially with a newborn on the way. Instead of being met with support or even understanding, I received a shaming, condescending response that made broad assumptions about our commitment and motivations. Despite stating clearly that I am willing to act as a foster and contribute financially to his continued care, their reply completely disregarded that and suggested I was contributing to the problem. It lacked empathy, nuance, and basic kindness. What's worse is that the tone of their message is exactly the kind that pushes capable, compassionate people away from stepping up to rescue or foster in the first place. It's hard enough navigating complex behavioral needs while doing everything possible to give a dog a second chance--being met with judgment instead of help is unacceptable. I would not recommend working with this organization unless you want to be talked down to for trying to do the right thing. There are plenty of rescues out there that operate with both heart and professionalism. Sadly, this was not one of them. --Sandra K. read more

Was looking for a puppy to train in sports (disc, bikejoring, dock diving, agility) and got denied solely because I'm a college student -- and because I "didn't have my parents' permission." I'm 19. A legal adult fully capable of making my own decisions. I explained my experience owning a high-energy Cattle Dog mix, but apparently that didn't matter. This place seems more interested in hoarding dogs and nitpicking homes than actually placing them into a home. If you work or go to school, you're suddenly "unfit" to adopt. Like... are you only adopting to people with no jobs and unlimited free time? Because that's pretty unrealistic -- and honestly, kind of lame. read more

I reached out to this rescue, simply looking for resources so you know it's got to be bad for me to be driven to write a review on our experience I had been crowdfunding trying to find transportation at a discounted rate for a dog. We were trying to rescue from Apple Valley shelter, which is a high kill shelter. It was a mama and three puppies that were about to be put to sleep, and they had already put to sleep like three other dogs that we were trying to save prior to that, like ((they were intentionally putting them to sleep after we expressed interest and contacted the shelter, it happened three times in one day. )) but anyway, I reached out and simply said I'm looking for resources on if you know any people that do discounted or free transportation and then I let her know that I'm currently severely injured and have two broken feet and can barely walk let alone create any income, and that I was trying to pull this dog and adopt her. this woman thought it was an appropriate response to belittle me and berate me, even knowing that I was literally disabled. Like the very moment that she discovered, I had no money and she couldn't make a dollar off me, she treated me like shit. Pay no mind to the fact that I donated to her every month prior to that for quite a few months. Won't be doing that again, and I encourage many people to not donate to this rescue. I don't tell them what decision to make. I simply tell them the story of what she did and how she responded, and they make the decision on their own. she was super stuck up in her response and very very callous. Told me that she just had someone pay $1400 to transport a dog across the US, which is not my situation, my dog was only one state away, so I'm not even sure why she compared the situation when they're not the same situations. her situation was also different because the person wasn't rescuing a dog, they were adopting one of hers. Totally different situation. but this woman is extremely cruel, I made sure to message her and let her know that we found transportation for only $50 from California to Washington, just like I knew we would. Found someone coming up that was going that exact route, JUST LIKE I JNEW WE WOULD And if I had let this woman's cruel treatment get me down and had stopped trying to get this dog transportation, her and her three puppies would've lost their lives that day. So this rescue is actually working against the dogs, not for them. She almost cost a mother and her three puppies, a home, just by simply taking the wind out of my sales. It was pretty gross. And that was her treatment of a human that she knew was disabled. So I can only imagine how she treats able-bodied people. She probably treats them a lot better actually because she thinks she can shake money out of them. be a better person. You're running a rescue for fs sake. read more

It's a very unprofessional outfit. Filling out their paperwork is a waste of time. I think the woman who runs it is possibly a borderline dog hoarder. I filled out the paperwork, I was told I qualify. I was told the dog I was interested in WASN'T a high-energy dog who needed constant exercise, but she was a special dog that the woman who ran the place had a particular love for, that she really wanted to keep if she had room in her own household for the dog. Then the next day I was told the dog isn't a fit for me, and oh, no, the dog suddenly IS high-energy and needs to be exercised daily by a person. Oh, no the dog guards her food and your current dog might consider that a problem. Did she ask me if my dog resource guarded? No. Does he? No, actually if the old Chihuahua is eating in his dish he'll leave him alone and let him. We had to put his dish on stilts so the Chihuahua couldn't get into it, he was getting fat. And yet suddenly this somehow became an issue or an excuse for rejecting me. Then I had referred to the dog situation at my home that the Rottie is the alpha and she felt it necessary to tell me that the human must always be the alpha. You think? (sarc) Not when you are referring to the canine structure in your household. I don't know about you but I don't consider myself a dog. Humans are always the top alpha, but the dogs have their own pecking structure. Sometimes it's loose when you have dogs that are easygoing, sometimes it's obvious and rigid when one dog feels he or she must tell the other ones what to do, but after owning dogs for over 40 years, most of them headstrong Rotties I think I know a little about dog interaction dynamics and the importance of not being intimidated by your own dogs. I have not only had many dogs, but also horses I've trained for years. I'm not just some wet behind the ears animal owner. I'm as qualified as they get. (Besides which I've never given a dog up no matter if they have behavioral issues or not, none of my animals ever had a litter, I feed them healthy good food, keep them by me nearly 24/7 and have cherished every one of them I've ever owned. I probably have thousands of photos of them. I've replaced hips, financed surgeries galore through the years and gone the extra mile when they have cancer and stand a chance of recovery. I'm a very conscientious owner. They are my kids.) I was looking for an easy going female dog who could be kind to my Chihuahuas and be able to deal with an overbearing at times Rottie/Mastiff cross who considers himself the family guardian and alpha dog. (And if the Rottie/Mastiff is fine with the Chihuahuas why couldn't he learn to be fine with this Australian herding dog?) I'm self employed. I wanted a dog to take to work with me who could be smart enough to be kind to our employees and smart enough to protect me in my office (where homeless come and try to get into the office after hours as I work a lot of hours there alone in the evenings. The last Rottie girl I owned who died was a hellraiser who was not nice to the employees or her big brother the Rottie/Mastiff. She never bit people, but she scared the heck out of them when they came into my office and she would herd them out with growls. She got into fights with the Rottie/Mastiff often, she hated when he was too close to her. She was great protection for me in the office, I never worried about anyone getting into the office after hours if the last employee to leave accidentally left the front door unlocked. She died (of cancer) and this time I wanted to adopt a more easygoing smart dog to protect me if necessary. I've seen a lot of this breed at the ranch I board at and they seem really smart and versatile. -- The Rottie/Mastiff is more of my husband's dog and he keeps him upstairs with him. Being told I don't qualify for inane reasons that her assistant had originally told me were nonissues the day before was a slap in the face and a heavy disappointment for me. Perhaps I'm more emotionally attached to my animals, but I was so excited about getting this dog, I was looking at her picture constantly and very happy, looking forward to picking her up. My last girl died about 8-9 months ago and I've been wanting another girl since, I really miss Fiona. So this rejection hit pretty hard. I do not recommend this rescue facility at all. If Wendy wants to keep this dog, she should and not put it up for adoption. If you want to adopt, I suggest another facility. read more

Working with CCHD was a delight. They were all professional and knowledgeable. I spoke with two or three different people there and it was a great experience. They returned my calls promptly and contacted me when they said they would. I love that the dogs are their top priority and that they make sure the dog and human(s) are a good match. read more

Central Coast Herding Dog Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

Amazing dogs. AND struggled to get information regarding these dogs from the rescue. contact was bothered by inquiry and unwilling to collaborate. if you can sift through this, dogs are amazing. read more

We adopted a Border Collie in 2015. The dog was well socialized, had all the prerequisite health care and experience with outings that made her a great pet. They even helped us with some problematic behaviors that cropped up later. CCHR knows what these dogs need! read more

The employee we had been contacted by after filling out the adoption form was quite rude, I can't recommend getting a pet from a place with rude employees read more