Last night, my beloved calico sphynx, Thea, escaped from her absolute prison of a loving, very spoiled household to go on a neighborhood adventure. Thankfully, the neighbors found her not long after and she was delivered to Furry Friends. I was hysterical and bawling after posting her missing on Facebook and a close friend told me where she was jailed. I immediately called, sent her documentation, and cried on the phone partly in worry and partly in relief. Furry Friends not only released her to me and we bailed her out, but during after hours. We re-microchipped her for a fraction of the price of the vet and they definitely didnt do any cruel or unusual punishment to my felon of a daughter. She is now home, safe, warm, and on house arrest. Here is her mugshot. She may never show again now that she has a record. She is also getting a GPS tracker (equivalent to an ankle monitor) as well as her sphynx sister. For an exotic breed lover, I am SO THANKFUL to Furry Friends for their clean, tidy facility and loving demeanor with understanding how incredibly upset I was. read more

Furry Friends Refuge - Thea's first (and only) mugshot. - Animal Shelters Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Wow the irony in all the poor reviews isn't surprising. My friend Jamie just adopted 3 cats from there and two started immediately having issues. One got better and one has had on going problems since she got it. She tried taking it to the vet but still nothing helped. when she politely reached out to the manager and asking if she can return the one, the manager was a snot and very demeaning. Making Jamie feel like she was a crappy pet owner and having to defend herself. Thankfully I am not as sweet as her and have no problem speaking my mind. She is the sweetest person and the way they made her feel angers me. The manager then decided to show up at her place sunday afternoon and ask for the cat back? Bizarre and not sure i've ever heard of that happening. Probably because there's no reason to ever do that. Just poor managment and a poorly ran business. Would never ever recommend them. read more

I adopted two bonded older kitties from here and I love them so much. They had no issues and are really really good cats. I will always stop here first if I ever am to adopt again. read more

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Adopted 2 lovely fur babies. Everyone seemed nice and lovely. They are always checking in on the babies. I love the ARL, but I will also suggest FFR!! read more

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Dear Furry Friends, You're so welcome for putting hundreds of my OWN dollars into your lovely cats that I happily fostered, -fed, loved, housed, changed litters, helped write bios for and saw them get successfully adopted out. You're welcome for communicating with those adopters when your team failed to properly communicate with them (emails, calls and texts of my own time trying to direct them). You're welcome for being so kind and thorough with all of my correspondence with you. You're welcome for finding the little dog a great home instead of having him go to the shelter. I sponsored him. Sorry he didn't work at my house. You're welcome for loaning you a huge aquarium and then also later adopting the turtles you claimed where "bonded" but truly would have eaten each-other if continued to keep in same tank. Lastly, I'm sorry that you guys couldn't find an ounce of maturity and actually, in a decent, respectful manner communicate to me why you don't want me fostering your animals anymore. About a year ago was the last time I was looking into possibly fostering "Bebo" and Megan encouraged me to "spend a little more time with him" for him to get to know me. I never fostered him due to my schedule but I returned tonight and spent a lot of time with a cat to see if he'd be a right match for my home to foster. Instead I was turned away with a cold "you're at the legal limit of animals and no you may not talk to the manager, she's not here. Please leave". I willingly left but considering your employee's stiff and rude energy and false info about the Des Moines (where I live) legal limit of animals, I knew it was an excuse. What a nice, cold-hearted way to sever ties with me. You're welcome! Since not one of you have ever told me a Thankyou for fostering or anything. Ever. This is the "holier than thou" attitude Jordan has always carried over with emails and interactions. I always felt that but looked over it. If it weren't for the animals needing homes- I wouldn't recommend this place. But they need homes- so be warned with the kind of characters you're dealing with. read more

October 2023 we had lost both dogs and wanted two new dogs. We visited this refuge in the hopes of getting two dogs that get along together. They took advantage of our vulnerability and sold us two defective dogs who didn't get along at all with each other. We took one dog back within a week because he chewed up all of our fingers. we've had issues with the other dog ever since. We took her to the vet and the dog bit his hand so severely that he damn near, passed out and had to get multiple surgeries on his hand. Save your sanity and go to ARL." read more

For as cheap as it is you will definitely recieve cheap service. They are in such a hurry cause of high demand that they were very rude when dropping off and picking up my cat, also he had been in the bathroom all night and because I have children and concerns and was told id be able to email them the response I got was to keep my kids away from the cat mind you when I dropped him off at him I took the kids to the fair so they havent been around him hes privates were swollen all day and night and today their is less swelling I definitely went to anther vet got a cone and second opinion and I think with how many animals they fix in a day they should reduce it to give animals the proper care they really need and proper incensions with out having further complications and I think they need better communications set as well as manners as we are all struggling in this world and we all want best for our animals but I will never take any animal I have back here no matter how cheap they are. read more

Not sure where to even begin with this place, my partner and I adopted a dog from here in December. We were under the impression that he was potty trained, kennel trained, and house trained as it says he had been in a home before. We adopted our dog and absolutely fell in love with him but he was not potty trained, kennel trained, or house trained. We had patience with him and had him for about 7ish months. It had gotten to a point where he was going to the bathroom in our house so much and tearing things up so it was becoming a problem financially. We then emailed about bringing him back because that's what they tell you when you adopt from them. It was a big problem when we said we wanted to bring him back. Then via email another lady had sent a whole email explaining how he had very bad separation anxiety (which we knew) and all of the other things we experienced such as being wreckless in houses and cannot go in the kennel. When we returned him on June 24th, they put his OLD bio and pictures up saying that he is fully potty trained and housed trained. They also did not update his name that he listened to when he was with us after I explained to the lady he responds better as "Bubba" and still continued to call him by the name they previously had him as. This place does not care about these animals what so ever, and is ran by LIARS. This is absolutely inhumane, I would not recommend adopting from here. This has been such an emotional wreck for my partner and I, and them putting his old information up instead of telling the truth of how he is as a dog is pretty pathetic and disheartening. read more

Where to start, I adopted a one year old Rottweiler from them, they explained that he had no socialization in his life up to that point but had been super sweet with all the staff. Within a week I figur d out that he was extremely aggressive with any corrections and even tried to bite me in the face. I returned the dog only to be judged and talked down to like I was a complete idiot that doesn't know anything about dogs. The staff gave off and extremely judgemental energy and then informed me that intakes were by appointment only, a fact they failed to mention when I got the dog, and may have been aware of if anyone, EVER, answered the phone. I was then told I had to take this aggressive dog home with me for another three days before I could actually return him. They don't know as much about dogs as they think and they clearly don't have owners or animals best interests in mind if they're going to send an aggressive animal back to a house where it has already tried to attack people more than once. The dog is beautiful and he could be a wonderful companion to the right owner with a lot of training experience, unfortunately for him, it's up to these people to find that person. read more

Everyone who is there loves the animals and truly cares about them. read more

Furry Friends Refuge - Animal Shelters Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

This place is a godsend for low income folks who can't otherwise afford to spay or neuter their pets. And the pets also get critical shots and healthcare during their appointment that would have cost $100's at a vet. This place helps so many low income families and for that I am grateful. read more

I just recently got 2 kitties from the furry friends off Mills Civic Pkwy... the night i got home i could tell something was wrong with one of them and it wasn't just the general fear of the acclamation process for her ( my other kitty is adjusting just fine). I tried to contact the shelter and it took 2 days for them to get back to me after continuously calling a volunteer. Then when i told them what was wrong they tried to deny it and said it was just due to stress and that they didn't see what I saw. I kept getting weird and different answers as to why my new fur baby is sick but I got no answers that made sense. My new baby was and still is PEEING BLOOD. I took pictures as proof and they still tried to deny it. It makes me wonder if they even actually tried to help her or just put her in a kennel for the 4 days she was "under their supervision". Don't go to them for their "free 10 days of medical help", its better off going to your primary vet where you know people love them and want to actually help them. i did with mine and they are doing all the tests they can because they know that a kitty peeing blood is bad. When I went there the first night all the kitties looked terrified and were cowering and huddled together for protection too. I felt so bad for them, it made my heart hurt so much. Do the volunteers actually spend time with them? I wish the people that run this location actually showed they cared about the sweet little fur babies they have under their care. Especially since people are there to adopt them into a forever home... read more

I highly recommend Furry Friends Refuge. They took good care of my kitty. You can tell they really care.

I adopted a black cat named Izzy who I renamed Onyx and she has been the love of my life. She was a little over 13 when I adopted her and she makes our entire family laugh and brings so much joy to everyone. She is the most talkative cat I've ever heard and loves the bathtub.. who would of thought cats like water? Let me tell you, I am obsessed with her and love every single day with her. Her sassy attitude and personality make her the spoiled queen of the house! I am so glad to my sister Marsha for recommending me to adopt here. read more

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I am a regular here. I usually come to socialize with the cats. Today I went in and saw one of their FLEV+ cats, Sammie treated terribly. I never have had any problems with how they treat their animals, usually I would say it is a really good place for all animals. But not anymore. Two women and a child walked into the FLEV+ room with a huge net and used it to pull Sammie off of the top of the guinea pig cages. Sammie is a cat who has been through it and would prefer to be left alone. Once they got him down they shot him with what I think was anesthesia, he struggled to get up and get away from them. Me and my friend watched him stumble away. After this they proceeded to pet him with a stick, which he was very much not in the mood for. I entered the room after to find him shaking and his eyes tearing up, I gave him some treats and left him alone. I wish he never had to experience this and I think that it is terrible that they can get away with that kind of treatment. If a animal doesn't want to be touched, don't touch them. Simple as that. Not sure if I will be returning to this location. I am extremely disappointed and don't think they should be allowed to preach treating animals right after this situation. read more

Furry Friends Refuge - Animal Shelters Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

The staff and volunteers are some of the most dedicated group of animal lovers you'll ever find. I adopted one of my two cats from here last year; I first met her at the West Des Moines location in July and felt a special connection with her, but I wasn't ready to adopt. Four months later when I saw her at the Des Moines location I knew she was meant to be mine (they move animals to Des Moines often to make more room in West Des Moines). It turned out she was surrendered for urinary issues and requires a special diet for the rest of her life, so Furry Friends staff helped me get her first bag of food for about half off the regular price. Best of all, they're a no-kill community, so animals truly get a fighting chance to find a forever home. Unlike other no-kill shelters, they don't turn animals in their jurisdiction away due to health or "adoptability." read more

Furry Friends Refuge - My sweet Krissy, a FFR alum! - Animal Shelters Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

We have adopted two cats from Furry Friends. And love what they have done for the animals of Des Moines. What the other reviewers do not seem to understand is that most of the people "working" at furry friends are volunteers. It can take a while to process adoptions. There may be people that are there caring for the animals that seem like employees, but they are most likely volunteers. If you are coming for fast customer service, you will probably be disappointed, but if you are coming to support a no-kill shelter that is working to take in and care for as many animals as possible each year, you should choose Furry Friends. read more

adopted a cat from here. used my bank debit card for payment. the girls at the time seemed nice. but they overcharged the adoption fee. a few days later they did do a refund only to try and charge the bank again multiple time for the adoption fee over and over. From outside the shelter, I had several other attempts to be charged for insurances, pet locator services, veterinary services, and just some other random charges to that bank debit card. thank God I have the sense to keep the debit card locked except for when I am actually making a purchase making all incurring charges declined. Had to have my bank issued a new debit card. Really sucks. As far as the cat goes....yep, sick as heck. Refuses to eat or drink. Lethargic at best. Can't return cat for fear of more attempted robbery. So, I have to take it to a different shelter system. Just really a bad ordeal from the git-go. Thanks, Furry Friends for all that you tried to do. read more

I don't even think it deserves a one star. Saw a cat on their website I was interested in adopting, and I drove the 2.5 hour drive to Des Moines to meet with him to make sure it was a good match. Everything went well and I decided to return that weekend to adopt him. I was severely depressed at the time and wanted a cat to have as a companion. I filled out the adoption application in front of some woman (I believe she was the one in charge) and then she looked over it and questioned why my DOGS weren't fixed. She then proceeded to tell me this cat has a condition where he could get crystals in his urine and I was aware and I was going to take good care of him. She then says his prescription food costs about $70 for a 7.7lb bag and that if he needed to get an emergency hospitalization it would cost like $2000. She straight up said "I don't think you can afford that." Ended up denying my adoption application because of my dogs not being fixed??? I FOUND OUT SHE LIED. I ended up getting a cat from a friend after being so upset after this incident. Guess what, he developed that same condition!! His hospitalization cost $150 and his prescription food costs $43 for 7.7lb!! This place is run by a LIAR who thinks nobody is good enough to adopt an animal from here. read more

I had high hopes for this facility but I was very unimpressed, especially with the staff. We walked in and had no idea where to go or where we could access without staff. It wasn't until we waited 5 minutes in the office doorway that a volunteer told us we could access the dog room unattended. When we came back to the office to ask questions about a couple of dogs that they didn't have any information posted on, we waited a literal 15 minutes before anybody even acknowledged us. And even then, the staff member answered a couple of questions then said she was busy and had to do something else. I respect the fact that if somebody else is in the office going through the adoption process, that they are first priority. But the fact that there were 3 staff members assisting one person with the process seemed very unprofessional. We were visibly waiting and we were ignored. While I do respect the people that do their jobs helping animals find their forever home, the staff needs to do a better job at becoming independent in their tasks and not require everybody in a tiny room to assist one customer. The staff also seemed very inexperienced with handling the dogs outside of their pens, as I had to help a staff member after she was obviously struggling to just put a leash on a dog. We went to this shelter hoping it would be a smooth process, and that we would be helped when it came to finding our new furry friend. But we were disappointed in how seemingly ignorant the staff was. And while I hope they improve, I would suggest visiting the ARL. read more

I have adopted from Furry Friends and worked with them as a volunteer for several years. Everyone there is committed both to the wellbeing of the animals and to treating adopters with respect. Because of their no-kill philosophy, I have seen many animals find loving homes that would have fallen through the cracks elsewhere. read more

We adopted both our cats from Furry Friends. We recently lost one due to the disease they both carry and they were so good to have his ashes taken care of. We miss him so much. We will def adopt from them again. read more