My fiancé and I recently visited Watermelon Ranch after the heartbreaking loss of my dog of 14…read moreyears. We were hoping to meet some dogs and eventually adopt when we found the right fit. When we learned the adoption fee was over $400, we simply said that the adoption fee wasn't really within our budget. We never said we couldn't afford to care for a dog--we were only referring to the one-time adoption fee. At that point, we were told they would not show us any more dogs because they felt we wouldn't be able to afford one. We were completely refused the opportunity to meet any other dogs based solely on that comment. I absolutely understand that rescues have a responsibility to ensure animals go to loving, financially responsible homes, and I support screening adopters. However, making that decision without asking a single question about our finances, our experience with pets, or our ability to provide long-term care felt incredibly judgmental and unfair. I had just lost my best friend of 14 years, and instead of being treated with compassion, I left feeling embarrassed and judged. A one-time adoption fee is not the same thing as being financially capable of providing a loving, stable home for a pet. I hope Watermelon Ranch will reconsider how they approach these conversations in the future. Asking questions and getting to know potential adopters before making assumptions would create a much more compassionate experience for people who are genuinely trying to give an animal a forever home.

We adopted a pitbull mix from WMR named Skittles who had been there over 3 years. She was very…read morecautious and it took 3 weekend visits with treats to get her to trust us. Now she's been with us since March 2024 and she has her forever home. The Staff at WMR are fantastic and they go the extra mile to make sure their rescues go with the best possible families. I keep Maddie and Sam up to date on Skittles' progress. Since she had been there the longest, they wanted to make sure that we would keep her. I've read some of the not so nice reviews and I'm disappointed that people think that this is just a simple process. Animals aren't disposable items that you can just toss away. But too many people think that way. WMR staff thinks hard about letting someone adopt. It has to be the best possible fit. They don't want to see any of their rescues come back, except to visit. :) The staff and volunteers do their very best to care for all these animals. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to do this job. Thank you for letting us adopt Skittles. She's come a long way.

We adopted our Border Collie mix dog Norman aka "Norm" from Westside Animal Shelter and I'm so…read moregrateful we got him. This was my first time adopting a shelter dog on my own, although all the dogs at home I grew up with were all stray dogs that my dad usually got from some golf courses he played. The process was a bit time consuming...given COVID, the shelter could only take very limited number of people in at a time..so you'd have to sign up on a virtual/digital wait-list to be inform when your turn to go into the office was. We arrived around 2pm on a weekend...and our wait was around 1.5hours. They were definitely limited by the number of staff and I wished I knew they needed many volunteers earlier (I talked to one staff when we went in to pick up Norman after his neuter..and the staff mentioned they were 11 people short!!)..so I could stop by to help in any way I could before this adoption. We had Norman for a lil less than a week now and I was so happy with him. At first he seemed shy and timid..but he definitely made huge improvement and progress each day! With more and more days..I found he loved nature...walking..and interested in plants (he was a stray...and from his behaviors..it sermed he didn't really have much interaction with people or other dogs at home before). He's also very gentle...no barking..no aggressiveness at all. Somehow his pot training process was a cakewalk! I didn't really have to teach him much what to do and it seemed he kindda preferred to elimite outside of home anyways! I can't wait to work and spend more time with him. Thank you ABQ Animal Welfare for letting us adopt this precious dog as a new member of our family!

So grateful for the knowledgeable staff that helped my fiancée and I get a sweet kitten…read more We were recovering from a very VERY bad experience with the East Side Animal Welfare. One that left my fiancée cut up from a cat they neglected to tell us was aggressive/skittish even when I asked. They have little cards describing their personalities, and they are filled out beyond correctly. You can tell handlers get to know these animals very well. We greatly appreciate the fast service, knowledge, and eagerness to help us find our little Tiger Lilly.

I adopted Povi from Fat Katz last Christmas and I'm so glad I found her. Povi is a little fuzzy…read moreangel. She is so cute and playful and she's extremely well socialized. She's also super affectionate and loves making biscuits; you could pet her till your arm fell off and she'd still want more. It took about 7 months for her to begin getting along with my other cat, Sammy. Totally his fault - he wasn't socialized at all so now he's a bit nuts and a can be jealous bully. I highly recommend Fat Katz the next time you're looking to adopt.

I had a picture taken of my pup @ boofy. Was charged $10.00 paid 20.00. I never received my…read morephotos. What a scam. I'm also very disappointed with boofy's they continued to say 3 day then 5 day.

I adopted a wonderful dog from Anthony. Much later the dog was ill , of coarse no fault of the…read morerescue Anthony was so helpful. he was very upfront and recommended the right dog for getting along with my cranky older dog. Cheers for the good work.

A man named Anthony runs this Doberman Rescue out of New Mexico, and he is just the kindest person!…read moreWhen we had a young Doberman who needed rehoming, we were referred to Anthony by a trainer in Denver we had contacted for help. Anthony got right back to us and was extremely helpful from the very beginning. Although his facility was full at the time, he was able to give us a lot of helpful guidance, and add our boy to a waiting list for foster or adoption. Some of the Dobermans Anthony has rehabilitated would have been considered lost causes by many, but he has a special way with the dogs and they really seem to love and trust him. We are profoundly grateful to Anthony for his assistance at a very difficult time, and for giving our boy the very best chance possible at a new beginning! Thank you from us all!

Shelby and Gregg are awesome Great customer service and…read morevery empathetic. We needed to get paperwork on two of our dogs and they tried there hardest but could not help. They mentioned that the tags are Albuquerque that we should try Sunset Garden location. I love that they took the time and really tried to help. Thank you so much for having a wonderful staff!!!

We were allowed time to meet our dog in an environment she was used to, with staff she knew…read more Everything was clean and organized. The gentleman helping us gave us tons of time to get to know the dog, was honest about the training she'd need and was very knowledgeable. It was a great experience from start to finish and we left with an amazing pup. We couldn't be happier and our Perdita is the happiest dog you'll ever meet.

My partner and I recently adopted an adorable and sweet Pitbull/German Sheperd Mix from this…read moreshelter. Though the inside was not very nice, I know that the staff do their best to take care of the animals. The place looks pretty standard for an animal shelter, sterile and much like jail. I was glad to take my dog out of there. I'm assuming the aesthetics of the place has much to do with funding. What I really appreciate is the fact that all of the staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating. My partner was the one who picked out the dog and I was running from a play performance to meet her before they closed. I came right before closing time and was graciously accommodated. The shelter paid for the spaying, all vaccines, tags and microchipping of our doggy before they let her go home with us. I'm very thankful for all that. We both feel very lucky to have the dog that we got.

Amazing results with Canine Zen! My three young German Shepherds (all under 2) went from wild and…read moreunruly to calm, well-mannered companions thanks to their expert guidance. The trainer was patient, knowledgeable, and tailored everything to our specific needs. Huge improvement in behavior and training--highly recommend for anyone with energetic shepherds!

Stephanie was helpful in getting us information when our Lucky had to go through an amputation. She…read morewas helpful with tips and training to get her up and running. Happy to say Lucky is doing great and that is due to some great guidance.

We have been looking for a pet for several months. We saw this little girl online…read more I'm glad that we made the efforts to come and check her out. She probably wouldn't have been here tomorrow. Jacqueline, who helped us pre-adopt, told us that she had received calls about her. Emma Took her outside so we can get acquainted with her. All the staff is really helpful. This shelter is much cleaner than the city shelters. Our adoption will include a spay and vaccinations. It also includes a microchip.

The amazing folks at BernCo had been talking up the facility during the Sugar Skull Fun Run a few…read moreweekends ago and I just had to come see. I lost one of my pups a few months back and my other is lonely. I've been looking for another pup and decided to check out the facility. This new center is really nice, there is a ton of parking as it is kinda out there on its own. It is located about five minutes from El Modelo, just head south on 2nd from Bridge and it is super easy to find. They have a check in system and are trying to maintain social distancing by limiting capacity. You check in and then are free to walk through and meet the dogs and/or cats. If you see one you'd like to spend more time with, you just tell them and you can interact with them further. I found that they had some really great dogs and I could see they had a good amount of cats too. I met a really cute pup named Luna and even brought my pup to meet her but had some concerns, mainly how much larger he is than she was. Anyways, definitely recommend checking them out!