I highly recommend avoiding Furry Friends Animal Rescue, as many others have mentioned in their reviews. Their cats are showcased at the Petsmart locations in McKinney, specifically at 121/Custer and 380/75. Our experience with them was extremely frustrating from the start. The person we initially sent our adoption application to completely ignored us. After some time, we managed to reach another staff member over the phone, who informed us that the person handling applications tends to just not respond if they don't like something in the application. After a lengthy conversation, we agreed to meet the next day (Friday) to adopt two baby kittens. I took time off from work, using 48 hours of vacation, so we could spend the weekend helping the kittens adjust to their new home while we were off work. However, on Friday morning, we received emails and texts saying that while we could meet the kittens, we couldn't take them home. This was because it was Petsmart's adoption weekend, and they were concerned that they would lose the Petsmart location if they didn't have cats to show. To clarify, they wanted to present two kittens that had already been adopted, purely for appearance's sake. Despite this, we still decided to meet with the representative that afternoon at Petsmart to see the kittens. We immediately fell in love with them, but when we started asking about the adoption process, things got complicated. I asked if their priority was to ensure the animals had a home or if it was more about appearances--since the goal should be finding a home for these animals. The response was just, "I know." When I asked if they were okay with keeping the kittens caged up for three more days, in a dark, empty store, just to maintain appearances, and if they realized they were misleading potential adopters by showing kittens that had already been adopted, the only answer was again, "I know." We were then told to email the foster mom directly, explaining my occupation and mentioning that I had taken off 48 hours of work. The associate we were with told us she was trying to contact the foster mom while we were there but that there was no reply. We spent about 45 minutes in the facility, during which we were crammed into a tiny space smaller than a closet with three cats. My daughter absolutely loved them. But when we asked about the next steps, we were told we weren't a good match because they thought my 4-year-old daughter was moving the cat wand too quickly. To clarify, our daughter has grown up with animals and has had cats before. Yes, she was excited, but that's because the cats were finally getting to move around after being cooped up in a cage. Our home is much larger than the small space we were shown in, and we always supervise her with pets. In fact, she's not allowed downstairs without an adult because we have a safety gate. At the end of the day, it became clear that optics were the priority for them. It felt like the foster parent wanted to keep the kittens all along, which is why they ignored our application and why the kittens were only at Petsmart for the adoption weekend's appearance. Don't waste your time with a rescue that claims to be advocates for animals when their actions clearly show otherwise. read more

Furry Friends Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

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The Director, Lisa Fris, is more interested in keeping cats to herself than finding them forever homes. We are a loving famiy with adequate financial resources and our application was denied because "we don't own another pet" The whole point of adopting is to own a first pet!!!! I had the ability to raise a sizable amount of charitable contributions for this nonprofit if we had gotten our kitty from here. Lisa blew the opportunity. read more

I just want to see this place get shut down. They're racist and prejudiced! They only adopt out to wealthy/well-off white families. It's been over a year since I applied for one of their cats and got rejected. I ended up adopting from Austin pets alive and I've had my cat for over a year now. I've spent about 1k in medical bills for this sweet boy and im NOWHERE near to ever taking him back to a shelter. Furry rescue, your dumb butt missed out on a dang good adopter. In your face, Lisa! read more

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my elderly neighbor took in a stray cat that happened to be pregnant, and i was trying to help her find a rescue to place the kittens in. i reached out to this rescue, and ended up getting nasty responses from them trying to pressure me into taking the kittens to the shelter where they could assess whether they needed to be "humanely euthanized" and to report my neighbor to the authorities for being a hoarder. the woman is 80 years old and has dementia. when i told them i would never do that they sent me multiple e-mails trying to pressure me into what they wanted me to do. mind you, they wouldn't help with the kittens, only wanted to lecture me about taking the kittens to the shelter and having the state come show up at my elderly neighbors door. never in my 15 years of working in animal rescue have i had a "rescue" tell me to take an animal to the shelter to possibly have them euthanized. STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE AT ALL COSTS. read more

If I could give them a lower rating I would. I found one of their kittens at PetSmart and suggested the kitten to my mother, who has no cats because she lost her 17 year old tabby earlier this year, and they wouldn't let her adopt a kitten because her 2 corgis are not fixed? They were very judgmental and condescending to her for them not being fixed and rejected her application immediately. However, I felt that gave me a window to try to adopt the same cat for myself because originally when I met the cat at PetSmart, him and my (fixed) dog had an immediate connection and I wanted him for myself, but didn't want to be selfish like this rescue is. They ignored my application for a week with no response until the cat was adopted by someone else. I emailed them again, and was called deceptive and told to find a cat elsewhere by Brooke Kelly because she assumed I was getting the cat for my mother who had already been rudely rejected. I live in my own house in a different city, as was listed on the application, and I was ignored and then rudely disrespected for trying to adopt a kitten to play with my dog. Even if that had been the case, that I was trying to get a cat for my mother.... Why was I treated so unprofessionally and rudely for trying to give a cat to a loving home?? Because two dogs aren't fixed?? They aren't even the same species?? And how entitled do you have to be to tell other people what to do with pets that are already in their family and home?? I have been trying to file a complaint with this rescue and I'm still being ignored. Please look for your new fur baby elsewhere, as Brooke so rudely suggested. This rescue doesn't care about placing their animals in good homes, they're greedy and entitled and will speak down to you if any of your pets are not fixed. They're very judgmental and if you check their Instagram, they steal animals that are already microchipped and registered to someone else and try to make them pay to get their pets back and if they can't pay? They adopt them out to someone else!! Disgusting!! read more

Furry Friends Animal Rescue - Huckleberry was the kitten I was trying to adopt that had an instant connection with my FIXED dog and they ignored me - Animal Shelters Near Me

My boyfriend and I absolutely fell in love with one of their cats Lizzie, and were really hoping to bring her home. We immediately put in an application and were denied due to accidentally selecting that Lizzie would go outside, which she would not, and we tried to explain the mess up and ask to be reconsidered but LISA said no, we did that in the past and the animals would end up back in the shelter. Which I get, however, we just really loved her and were hoping she'd be ours. Lisa said, try the local animal shelter, which after her lack of professionalism and empathy, we definitely will, wouldn't recommend this rescue to anyone, but I really hope all those cats are getting the love they deserve! We noticed Lizzie had something going on with her eye. They also don't put on the right information because her ear is notched because they checked to see if she was spayed, so they don't even know the right info they are putting out. Check your local shelters instead of going here! They probably won't let you adopt anyway. read more

Wanted to provide a newer review of this rescue. My husband and I saw one of their cats while at petsmart and immediately fell in love. We submitted an application and waited 3 days. I did not receive a response so on that 3rd day I sent a follow email. 2 days later Cynthia responded to me and explained her concerns with our dog. I was able to explain to her our situation and how our pup has been around cats and our dedication and commitment to providing a safe and happy home for the cat. After explaining to her a little more about our pup and home life she was more confident in the situation and the rest is history! Dana was the one who facilitated the physical adoption at petsmart and it was very easy! We received all medical records (spay, vaccinations, and microchip) lots of coupons which included a free bag of kitten food plus great info on how to properly introduce our new cat to our pup. Waiting for a response was the hardest part, everything else was a breeze! Dana was super nice and gave us everything we needed to make the right choice. She allowed us to interact with other kittens in case we connected with another babe but we ultimately chose the one we applied for. So yes, their response time is a bit slow but it is all run by volunteers. They are on sight every weekend and have an email and voicemail you can use to get in touch. They care about the homes their animals go to but will hear you out if they have concerns. The experience was definitely not like the previous reviews which is why I wanted to give this rescue a more recent review and encourage anyone interested in the rescue to go for it! read more

Denied my application over a misunderstanding of one of my answers. They didn't communicate that they even denied it. they just never responded read more

My dear 11 year old daughter fell in love with a kitten we had seen at Petsmart. I filled out an application to adopt it. On the application it asked if I had ever surrendered an animal. I answered truthfully that I had 5 years prior. We had a cat who physically attacked my daughter so we returned it to the shelter where we got it.(per their instructions when we adopted there.) Based on that surrender, they would not let us adopt from them. It wasn't like we surrendered it because of some lame reason. The cat bit and scratched my daughter on several occasions. He was a danger to her. Apparently according to this shelter we are not fit to adopt from them. read more

Furry Friends Animal Rescue - Here's the kitten that we adopted elsewhere after Furry Friends DECLINED OUR APPLICATION! - Animal Shelters Near Me

I searched literally thousands of dogs on petfinder.com before settling in a rat terrier at Furry Friends. Having never adopted before, I was a little intimidated by the process, but they made it quite painless. The most important part for me is that my dog's foster home was so loving and considerate of her well being. It was clear that these were true animal lovers who wanted the best for each dog, mine included. We received a thorough rundown of all information they had on her, as well as instructions for her care. We even got a bag of the food they were giving her so we could have a smooth transition. We knew this was going to be the right dog, but it was still nice to have a mandatory trial period just in case it didn't work out. Oh, and if anything doesn't work out in the future, I have to give them the option to re-home her. That's real care! The fee was very reasonable considering the requisite medical care. Everyone I dealt with in the process was just wonderful. And in the end I got the most precious dog ever. Good job, Furry Friends! read more

Turned down my application bc I misunderstood question, I explained to the volunteer back and forth and it was just doesn't work.

We adopted one of their cats from PetSmart and i 100% recommend! Lisa was beyond caring and you could tell she wanted the kitty to go to a good home! Our new fur baby is so healthy and you can really tell she was taken GREAT care of! I love that you have to fill out an application, because not everyone nor every home, is fit for an animal. We are so happy with our choice of adopting through them and will continue to do so in the future! read more

We adopted a sweet Shih Tzu from Furry Friends and we were so glad that we did. His foster mom, Lisa, was great throughout the process and you can tell she truly loves animals. They charge a very reasonable adoption fee ( if someone can not afford their adoption fee they really cannot afford a pet in my opinion) and I can appreciate the week "trial" they had us do to make sure it was a good fit. Fantastic rescue group read more

Completed the adoption application and was denied. We're about 67 miles from the center. Their response was "It is up to the discretion of the foster to determine the requirements for their foster pets. Most of our fosters will only adopt out within a 25-30 mile area." I thought the idea was find a good home for pets so that they are not euthanized. If they only "adopt out within a 25-30 mile radius" why do they list their adoptable animals on a national website? read more

I believe any of the positive reviews this rescue agency has is not due to their organization but simply to the wonderful animals that they have in their possession. As an orginization they are unresponsive to the point of negligence, animals cant get adopted if they ignore inquiries from potential adopters. Very disappointing and I hope they improve their responsiveness for the sake of the animals they are trying to help. read more

My husband & I were trying to adopt 1 kitten. We lost our cat 2 years ago, who we had for 17 years and raised from a kitten. Was told by the volunteer that we are unable to adopt 1 kitten we must take 2. We didn't want 2 & we certainly didn't want to pay almost $300 just because the volunteer refused to allow us to only adopt 1 kitten. read more

Be warned - this group only adopts to individuals/families who are within a certain distance from Plano (as noted by other reviwer). Other policies to be aware of - individual Foster parents have complete control over who are 'acceptable' potential adopters. There is no overseeing body or secondary review of an individual. So if you irritate the foster person, you will probably never adopt a pet from them. Frankly - this organization has destroyed my personal faith in 'animal rescue' organizations. After a 40 question application - they promise to contact you within 48 hours on the website. This was not the case for me, it was 4 days. Once contact was made, we were put in contact with the foster parent and set an appointment. After a 5 email exchange on available times, we had set a time and location. After 45 minutes post-time, the individual was a no-show. We called the provided cell phone 2x - at 15 mins and 45 min, then left. We returned 1.5 hours later, called again - still no response. Foster called back a couple hours later -saying she understood we were not meeting and had forgotten her cell phone. Regardless, we drove to Frisco to meet some of the dogs ourselves (but since its 45 minutes and we were looking at another dog in McKinney, we didn't take our dogs). Got to meet the dog and some of his litter-mates and noted our interest in adopting any of 3 of them. Scheduled our in-home visit. Via email, we were notified that one of the dogs was 'not good' with young children - where the online advertisement specifically mentioned - 'all kids'. Regardless, we mentioned that we wouldn't mind having 2 of the puppies visit to see if either of them would be a good fit. During in-home visit, they mentioned the fence was fine, house was fine, kids and dogs were well-behaved - and agreed to bring over 2 remaining dogs the following weekend for introduction. Day before visit, short email states that neither god will be a good fit - good luck. No explanation or reasoning. Went to website - both dogs have been removed. Emailed both Foster and organization for more information - and no recourse available - Foster mom's word is final with no explanation. We were never rude - even after being stood up. And since the 'in home visit' had no issues (and no discussion - it literally lasted 5 minutes). Communication is intermittant, volunteers are terse and rude. If I have to have my home violated by a complete stranger - I should at least get an explanation of what needs to change. read more

We absolutely LOVED 2 of their kittens. They REFUSED to allow us to take one home. Basically they said, "we don't know why, but you aren't a good fit." We have TWO other kittens, yet I'm not a good fit? The volunteers made me feel uneasy & like I was constantly being judged. (Rachel was her name.) Then she told me, "You would have better luck at the animal shelter." What a horrible person! read more

I had to write a review after seeing the other review on here. Every rescue organization in the country has rules around the distance they are willing to travel to perform home visits, and Furry Friends is no different. Many organizations do not go outside of their operating zip code so the fact that these people are willing to travel beyond their area (within reason) is already more than most groups. There are rescue groups that operate in almost every city in the country and there should be plenty of rescues, or shelters, in or near the city you live in. They have always posted on their website the rules around adopting from them and they should not be penalized just because someone didn't read those rules. Although I have not adopted from them personally (yet), I know MANY people who have. Not one of those people have anything but extremely positive comments about them. When my existing animals pass away, I will be going to them when I'm ready to find new family members. I know they take excellent care of all their animals and they care about the animals' future. The decisions they make, even though it might make some people angry, are the best for the animal AND the potential adopter. The whole point is not just to get the animal out the door - but to make sure it's a good and permanent fit. read more

Contact with the owner was friendly in trying to submit an application for a potential dog after having technical difficulty trying to access their form on their website. The reason for only giving them 2 stars is due to their unwillingness to travel too far from Plano to examine potential adopters. While I understand time for an individual is limited due to work and families, they should clearly state on an animal's profile that they are unwilling to travel outside of said area. Because, I would assume for most when they find an animal they are interested in the have thought seriously about it and discussed with their children if they think a certain dog would be a fit for their family. Then to be immediately shot down and your adoption application to be rejected solely on location is quite irritating. Not to mention not only have you wasted your time but those involved in the process at the rescue group. Most rescues I know of in the D/FW area are willing to travel within the metroplex. I also appreciate the willingness to place a animal with the right home but I would think trying to place the animal as fast as possible to a willing and suitable family would be the priority. I was later told the animal we were inquiring about had several applications submitted, none had been approved and I find it hard to believe none of those would have been good families. read more

I think they should rethink about who gets the cats. My family really wanted a kitten but we were moving in a few weeks. Because of that reason, they would not give us the cat. I understand that it is stressful for the kitten to hear moving boxes and stuff so we even requested that we will pay for the adoption fee immediately and to just let the kitten stay with them for a few more weeks until we are all settled. I am very picky on cats and this kitten was perfect for us. He had the perfect face and was really cute. They refused to give us the cat just because we were moving in a few weeks. They are way too picky to getting you approved and that is a bad thing, that means more cats and dogs won't be adopted just because you guys need to find the "perfect" place for them. I understand that you shouldn't just approve all the applications but just because we were moving is not a good reason to not allow us to have the kitten. My sister CRIED because we got rejected by a stupid reason. read more

They do a lot to help animals in need! Happy to help them by donating good, toys and treats through my business.

We had the same experience . My husband and I were trying to adopt a dog. Contacting the owner was simple and they were quite nice, but had difficulty accessing the adoption application. The fosters parents for the dog seemed ok at the beginning. On the website it said the dog was chill and easy going and when we spoke to the husband and he said the puppy was a great animal and that all he needed was a chew toy and he's fine. Which I lead me to believe he would be ok being by himself without other dogs around. We filled out the application and We asked if we could see the dog she said yes the dog would be at Pet smart. We drove to Petsmart and saw the husband and asked where our potential new addition to our family was and the husband said "oh he's not with me today" I told him I just got off the phone with your wife less than an hour ago and she said he would be here and he said "I'm sorry but she knew I was not bringing him today" so we left Petsmart disappointed. Later that day I received an email from the wife apologizing for the mix-up at Petsmart and then denied our application saying she doesn't believe the dog will do well without other dogs in the house and that she thinks the dog would not be able to be by himself for 3 hours during the day. She also confused me with another applicant but even after she figured it out she still denied us. This lead me to believe that there were several applicants which apparently they were all denied as well. The husband told us the puppy has been with them since he was 3 months, the puppy at that time was a little over a year old. All of this happened in May 2014. I just checked the website today and the dog is still available. I honestly believe they do not want to find a home for the dogs. read more

Our family is very disappointed with the process and the treatment by Cynthia Jacobson and Furry Friends Animal Rescue. First, it took multiple tries and outreach attempts before they followed up with us. Second, after filling out the application and my wife talking with her, there was no follow up regarding the decision on our application. So we went to PetSmart to try to adopt a kitten and after another outreach attempt were callously informed our application was rejected because we had to rehome one cat more than 12 years ago. That situation was due to an inability to find temporary housing that permitted any pets when relocating to a new state. Since then, we have rescued and provided loving homes to 5 cats for more than 25 years. Furry friends made no effort to call references like vets and friends who actually know us and our home. Furry Friends' showed callous disregard for our sorrow of recently losing a cat that led us to try to adopt a new one. They've turned one heartache for our family into two. read more

I'd rate this lower if I could. We tried adopting through them, but they are very uncooperative. No one ever answered the phone or returned our calls. When we submitted our application they immediately rejected for one reason that we had already explained on the app itself. The answer was very blunt and short. When we tried to respond and clarify since it didn't seem like they actually read it, we never received a response. We have rescued two animals before and were hoping to bring a third into our loving home. The reason they passed was not even a legitimate reason or concern. I showed the application to a friend of mine who has been with a rescue group for ten years, and she said that the application was ridiculous and their reason for denying was even more so. As a rescuer she is embarrassed. This was the first time we went through a rescue group, and it was an awful experience. At least have the kindness and willingness to speak with the people who only want to care for and love an animal in need of adopting. It feels like they don't even want to help get these animals adopted. We will never go through this group again read more