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!

Have you ever been stressed out leaving your fur child behind when going on vacation? Stress no…read moremore, when you call Cara Care. Cara returns her calls promptly, professional at what she does, and she provides plenty of pictures of our dogs. If you're looking for the best pet care professional, Cara Care is it!

I cannot explain in enough words how fantastic Cara and her company is. We left several dog walking…read morecompanies for numerous reasons and Cara has come to the rescue, opened her loving arms to our pup and treats him as if he was her own. She is such a kind, hardworking and dedicated individual. It's clear that she can connect with animals in a way that many cannot. My dog Merlin is so in love with their cuddles, their silly games and in general just loves time with her. She's saved us in so many ways - on short notice, flexible scheduling, medical needs etc. SHE IS THE BEST. I don't usually write reviews but I would shout from the rooftops for her. You and your pet are in the best of care with her.

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".

I want to give more than 5 stars for NLOL. Our adoption counselor Jackie is just amazing in terms…read moreof support she provides! She checks in with me about the dog almost everyday provide appropriate support and guidance every time when I was faced with difficulties because the dog was not fully house trained. NLOL offers two week foster period before adoption, which is a wonderful mechanism to get to know the dog before the big commitment. I am still in the middle of the foster period but I am just beyond impressed by the support I was given. It has been an wonderful experience so far. I would recommend NLOL to everyone who is considering adopting a dog!

If you read nothing else - fostering with New Leash on Life is the best, no-regrets decision I ever…read moremade. If you want more details about how and why I reached this conclusion, read on. I wanted to volunteer with animals, and I was frustrated by the larger organizations extremely limited opportunities and complicated process to volunteer. No, I didn't want to read a 50 page manual and take a test just to clean cages. I wanted to make a big difference in the lives of dogs and help Chicago become a no-kill city. Surely, it couldn't be that hard to find an organization with no red tape and an easy process to volunteer. Enter: New Leash on Life. I found them about 2.5 years ago on this Yelp page with their address listed downtown. I later realized this downtown address was only a PO Box which means NLOL does not have a physical location/adoption center. The implication of this is that all dogs go straight from rescue into foster homes until they find their forever families. This process can take weeks or sometimes months - depending on the dog. Don't let the uncertainty of a timeline deter you - fostering for New Leash is an absolute dream and here are my top three reasons why: 1. Unparalleled people - the nicest and most sincere adoption counselors. They constantly check up on the pups, their progress, and making sure you as a foster have everything you need. Not just via email- typically by text messages which means a quick response time. 2. Super flexible - a. Vacation or trip? No problem! New Leash will work with you and your schedule b. Work long hours? No problem! New Leash can schedule a walker to come during the day 3. And last but not least, THE DOGS. They really know how to pick them. Every dog that I've fostered has been kind hearted, adorable, and an A++ cuddler. Every dog deserves the right to a loving, safe home. Yes fostering is a short term arrangement, but it's a critical piece to helping these pups find their long term forever. Nothing makes me happier than seeing every dog I've fostered thriving in their forever homes. If you're on the fence about fostering, just try it. Anyone who loves dogs can do it and do it successfully. It is an extremely rewarding process and this organization makes it SO easy.

We just lost our boy Buddy. We got him from Bow Wow Revolution about 10 years ago…read more He was a collie/Sheltie mix. Our hearts are broken. I will always be grateful that the process went so well, and he was an amazing dog.

I really can't say enough about Bow Wow Revolution! Jen , Melissa and all of her crew has done an…read moreincredible job with the whole adoption process of Kimber. Our family is complete due to selfless efforts of the whole Bow Wow crew that take the time to volunteer their efforts. Look no further, to find your family pet!!

We refuse to send our two girls Melody and Treble anywhere else! Is it expensive? It's not the…read morecheapest option, but honestly it's not much more than the concrete jails that most boarding places are around Chicago. If you love your dogs like family and want the best for them, you can't do better than Canine State of Mind! When my wife and I moved to Chicago last Spring, we were really concerned about where we could safely and comfortably leave our dogs. We love to travel and we can't enjoy ourselves fully if we aren't 100% sure our fur babies are being treated as well as we do, and we certainly can't enjoy ourselves knowing that they are stuck in a concrete kennel for most of a day or only able to go outside for short periods. We had a trip to Norway planned right after moving here and at the last minute our dog sitter fell through. Enter Sasha and Canine State of Mind! She went out of her way to make sure she had space for our girls, she told us about her farm and the grounds the dogs are on, how they get to spend their time, and it sounded like Doggie summer camp. That's exactly what it is! Our girls get to run around the grounds, have plenty of time outside and with the other dogs, and truly enjoy themselves! Just look at the photo of them running and smiling with bandanas on at CSoM! I can't speak to the training but knowing Sasha and having used them many times now, I would bet $s to dog food that it is life changing and you won't find better if you want to help your dog behaviorally, and you also need help to make sure they can be their best selves. Even without doing the training, we've noticed all around improvements in their confidence, happiness, and sociability. After living outside by the beach and seeing few dogs for 2 years prior to moving here, they were pretty reactive and unruly. I could tell that they were stressed out, but I couldn't help them, and it's impossible to avoid other dogs and people on the 606. Literally, the first time they came back from the farm that was gone and I attribute that to the environment Sasha and her team create. She helped them remember that they were safe and confident and comfortable around strange dogs and strange people. TLDR: Just use them. If you love your dogs like we do, you could never find a better place for them to stay and enjoy their own vacation while you enjoy your own! To the negative reviews about "not getting your dog back" or "not getting any pictures", I'm sorry you had bad experiences but I can't relate. They are always responsive but not immediately so, and that's fine. Enjoy your own vacation and trust the process. They never miss pick ups and drop offs. I will admit that I find the lack of photos frustrating but I also understand that the dogs are being allowed to be dogs rather than being photographed and isn't that what's most important? Plus, shouldn't I be in the moment myself and enjoying where I am instead of stressing out about what my dogs are up to at every given moment?

I rarely leave reviews, but this experience raised enough concerns that I felt it was important to…read moreshare. Please look for the Facebook post that shows the pictures of this place - it's very different than how it's marketed. I never actually boarded my dog here because the interactions leading up to it gave me too many red flags. I initially scheduled a discovery call with the owner, but she never called. After multiple follow-ups on my end, communication was either very delayed or minimal. When we finally connected, she apologized and explained she had been out of town. We discussed my dog's needs, and she confirmed she could accommodate the dates I needed. One thing that immediately stood out to me was being told owners are not allowed on-site to visit. After our call, I then received texts requesting full payment upfront, with a "one-time exception" of only requiring 50% down. Given that the booking was still more than four months away, I wasn't comfortable with that arrangement. I was also pressured to make a decision quickly because there were supposedly others waiting for the same dates. Overall, something about the situation didn't feel right to me. After doing additional research online on Facebook including reading comments from a former employee, I became even more uncomfortable with some of the practices that were described and photos that were shared. It's unfortunate because the concept and branding had a lot of potential. I just personally didn't feel confident moving forward with my dog's care there and it's quite concerning to see so many positive reviews mask the negative ones which speak of great concern.

We adopted a dog from LEAD late 2018 and couldn't be happier. LEAD truly cares about the health and…read morewellbeing of the dogs in their care and seek out safe homes and good owners. Our dog came with a complete health history, vaccinated and received some housebreaking/training while in foster care. The communication pre-adoption was very good and we also appreciated the follow up from Daisy @ LEAD. Overall I'd recommend LEAD to anyone looking to adopt.

The care provided at West Loop Streeterville is fantastic. They are prepared when you arrive,…read morecalling your pet out by name and are aware of their sensitivities. My dog has anxiety issues and they make every effort to keep her comfortable during her visits. The doctors and staff communicate their observations and recommendations clearly, and follow up promptly. I have received follow up emails after every visit. Highly recommended.​

We can't thank West Loop Veterinarians enough for the care and compassion they showed to our dog…read moreand to our family, especially during the most difficult time. From the moment we first visited with our dog, Ella, we always felt that we were in good hands. The veterinarians, technicians, and staff are kind, attentive, and always made sure our dog received excellent care. Dr. Esser, Dr. Campos, and Dr. Mombello provided detailed explanations and an exceptional course of treatment after Ella was diagnosed with cancer. The last year of Ella's life was tough, but this team found ways to help Ella bounce back after each visit, and we were lucky to have extra time with our dog. The team at West Loop Veterinarians really came through for us in the last few days leading up to the moment we had to say goodbye to Ella. When Ella started to decline, Dr. Esser was kind enough to talk to us on the phone and help us with the decision-making process for end-of-life care. We appreciated her honesty and her clarity in things to think about when making these tough decisions. When it came time to say goodbye to Ella, Dr. Mombello showed a level of empathy, understanding, and gentleness that meant the world to us. Kristen and Janet were so helpful in explaining the process and providing support. They walked us through every step with patience and respect, giving us the space to grieve while also making sure our dog passed peacefully and without pain. It was one of the hardest days of our lives, but the support and kindness we received made it just a little more bearable. We're forever grateful for the love and care West Loop Veterinarians gave to our beloved companion throughout her life--and especially at the end. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a vet who truly cares about dogs and their family members.