Hearts for Paws aka Dani, Brandi are going above and beyond to help us find a dog that is meant for our family. This rescue is known to rescue dogs on the verge of being euthanized, paying exorbitant vet fees to care for the animals and pouring through dozens of applications to find a perfect forever home for each and every dog. As a non profit organization this is no easy task. When the time comes, we look forward to meeting our newest family member. Thank you for all you do. read more

Tried very hard to adopt/foster multiple dogs from the group but was always told they weren't available. Spent an hour on a zoom call ultimately for them to disagree with how my previous dog was trained before I got them over ten years ago. Ultimately became unresponsive to the point where it was discouraging to try and adopt a dog. Unfortunately went to a breeder and got our perfect family dog. Bittersweet as we have always adopted our previous 4 dogs but our experience with this group has turned us away from that. read more

Our foster and adoption process was incredible. The dog I fell in love with was being fostered by a friend and we seemed to have an immediate connection so I offered to take care of him so my friends could foster another pup. Cinco had been previously injured and had some lingering issues with his leg which Hearts for Paws helped us navigate 100% of the way. Sam and everyone at H4P has made us feel like family from the beginning and I could not recommend adopting through them enough. read more

Hearts For Paws - Animal Shelters Near Me

They have a very hard time communicating and led me on for over a week to waste my time. I was very flexible and told them I could pickup the foster dog any time, they led me on for over a week saying they could drop her off. I was told they could drop her off on Saturday, then they flaked and said Sunday 1pm. I prepared and got ready for this dog and at 1.05pm they said they were running late so I asked what time and they said that they were going to keep the dog to foster themselves. They didn't care or attempt to respect my time as I gave her over a week to tell me this but she waited until after she flaked twice to tell me that she was wasting my time. This could have easily been avoided but they chose the worst path and to lead me on until the last minute. They are bad with communication. I would never recommend this foster group. Go with Rocket Dog rescue in Oakland, they actually respect your time. read more

I've known this rescue for over two years and appreciate their professionalism and standards. I have helped foster two great dogs this year--a precious doodle and a skittish Malinois Hearts for Paws provided us with terrific guidance and eventually permanent loving homes for both dogs. It's tough out there right now and HFP is making a difference. Donate or foster! read more

I have been a foster mom with Hearts for Paws for around a year and a half now. I started in October 2023 with a birthday present of my first foster dog. My experiences since have been nothing but rewarding. I've had the opportunity to meet potential adopters, see dogs go to their forever home, meet bottle puppies who were slated to be euthanized for nothing more than existing in a place with no space for them, and donating my time and supplies to help others in the rescue ensure their fosters were happy and healthy. Being able to provide a safe, quiet environment for a scared dog is the best feeling in the world. The team with Hearts for Paws is the most supportive, understanding, and responsive team that I've come across. Where other rescues have ceased communication without notice, this rescue was always ready to answer any questions and offer support as needed. I couldn't recommend Hearts for Paws more, be that to someone looking to foster a dog about to lose their life at a shelter or to adopt their new furbaby. You will never regret helping to save a life, especially one who can't advocate for themselves. read more

One of the best rescues I have ever had the chance of coming in contact with! I have adopted 3 dogs through Heart for Paws, and never have I met people who are so devoted and loving to all the animals in their care! They pick adopters with such intention in orders to ensure the best lives for the dogs they save. Truly this rescue accomplishes miracles with their hard work and dedication to making the world a better place for animals! read more

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Thank you so much for doing what you do . We adopted our boxer from here and it was nothing but love and support from the start . They answered all of questions even checked up months later . You can tell your passion and kindness for these animals read more

Hearts For Paws - The pup we adopted from this place - Animal Shelters Near Me

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We adopted a dog from hearts for paws. The ad said she was house trained. That was not true. We've had her for months and she has not tried to go outside to relieve herself. She seems to prefer going inside. When we reschedule out for documentation of vaccinations they said the supervisor has them and they have been out of the office for a month. That was 2 weeks ago and we still haven't heard anything from them. They were quick to accept our "donation" of $400 but completely non-responsible since then! They are irresponsible! Lying about a dogs capabilities leads to more abandonment!!!! Do better! read more

Unfortunately, after completing an application for a dog and sending some photos of our home, we never heard back from them. After waiting for 4 days (the website states you will hear from them within 1-3 days), we logged back to their site to find that the particular dog we were interested in had been removed, along with a few others. The website was thus very likely not up-to-date at the time of application. While I understand this, the adoption form is very time intensive and it feels slightly invasive to ask for photos of ones home, to then not respond with even a polite "sorry, that dog has been adopted". My kids were crying when we no longer saw the dog we were interested in, and I had no good explanation beyond poor communication. read more

Wendi Obayashi is an amazing trainer! Wendi has helped our rescue rehabilitate many many fearful and fear biting dogs into adoptable dogs in literally a very short period of time! Heart of Paws professionally tips and techniques short cut what could have been a very drawn out process of transforming an unpredictably and reactive dog into a mindset of train ability! We have had great success w just one zoom session and a fine tuning session by phone. As a rescue it's very important to help a dog achieve confidence and balance through Wendi's high rate of success techniques that are fear free and positive! Thank you for saving the day each and every time. This review is for A HEART OF PAWS DOG TRAINING. I posted here by mistake! https://www.aheart4paws.com/ read more

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They weren't upfront about the dog. They seem to just want to move dogs regardless of the best situation for them. They were terrible at communicating. And I never received any medical paperwork so we had to redo all her shots. PS the owner is ridiculously dramatic and condescending. And resorts to name calling. Cat aggressive dogs should not live with cats. read more

HFP is an amazing rescue. I've fostered several dogs over the years for them and volunteered at several events. It is clear that Sam loves animals and cares deeply about finding each animal the right home. I've always felt supported by Sam any time I needed help in a foster situation. And I of course foster-failed and adopted my first foster pup and Sam continues to check in on him and send love. What HFP does is hard work, but they do it well. read more

Hearts for Paws has always been my very favorite rescue. They are organized, kind, thorough, and put the dogs first! All of the rescues I've fostered have gone to wonderful families. You can tell that this organization really works to make sure it's the right fit for everyone involved. I have volunteered and fostered for a few different rescues, but Hearts for Paws will always have my whole heart read more

We have fostered and adopted from HFP. Great experience and a great service they do for these animals. Can't recommend them enough.

I've been a volunteer and foster with Hearts For Paws for over 2 years now. Their devotion to the animals in their care is evident in everything they do. It's been an honor to work with a team of such dedicated individuals. read more

Hearts For Paws goes above and beyond to save dogs and do the right thing. The community is so lucky to have Sam! We've fostered with them when we can and eventually adopted one of our foster puppies. It was a great experience working with Sam and she's very supportive of any questions or help you may need. read more

I wanted to adopt a dog but I was a little worried about adopting from a shelter because I have two cats and shelters can't test dogs with cats. HFP is foster based, so they can evaluate dogs in a home setting and pair you with a dog that matches your lifestyle. The application isn't short, but it's because they really care about the animals and where they're going. I found a dog who was foster with a cat and just three days after completing the application and doing a quick Zoom interview, I was able to meet Lucky and bring him home! He's been the perfect new addition to my fuzzy fam and I'm so thankful to HFP for making the adoption process so easy! read more

Hearts for Paws is an awesome organization. My husband and I have two rescue dogs, and since we feel we are at max capacity for adopting- we decide to turn to fostering. Hearts for Paws has been an amazing organization to foster through. Sam provides us with all the information, supplies, and medical care for our foster pups- and sends over applications of potential adopters for us to review- which is sooo nice to be able to help decide where our fosters go! We know them so well by the end, so we love choosing the home we know would be the perfect fit! I have seen first hand how hard Sam, her family, and the wonderful volunteers work. They do the work they do simple because they LOVE dogs, and want to help. It is a relatively small rescue, but they manage to save SO.MANY.DOGS. It's so impressive to us. We are so grateful for Sam, and know that she works 24/7 on saving dogs. I hope that everyone who has left less than favorable reviews understands that they are always putting the dogs first- and that might be why communication can be slow at times. Sam is constantly dealing with ups and downs and changes on a daily basis- we have seen this just with our own foster dogs and how she handles the situations that inevitably come up in dog/puppy rescue. When you adopt a dog from hearts for paws, you are helping them continue on saving these dogs from high-kill shelters and terrible conditions- and finding them ALL homes. It's incredible! Thank you Sam, Dani, and the rest of the HFP team for all you do! read more

I volunteered with Hearts For Paws for about two years - to be clear I only stopped because I moved to a place that did not allow animals, unfortunately otherwise I would have loved to continue my involvement. Before HFP, I did the whole try to adopt through a different rescue and got frustrated for not being selected to adopt the dog I was interested and ended up with a Craigslist puppy. I felt like the rescue didn't have a right to tell me I wouldn't be a wonderful home or wasn't the right home. It might sound silly, but I really had no idea and was completely naive to how essential the adoption process is - not because of who the potential adopters are so much, but more so because of the journey most of these dogs have gone through and to make sure they end up in a home they are most likely going to thrive in. HFP does a great job on their social media providing surface level information regarding the tradegy that the dog market has created, but you really don't understand how much they do until you've been there first hand... before you get frustrated with the nuance of the adoption process or disappointment for not being selected at the adopter, please please please try to understand this entire process has the macro level (educating the general public of this dog crisis, not sure if that's too dramatic), the adopter is in the middle, then there is the micro level and know that the adopter is the middle ground as there are infinate smaller unseen factors to each and every adoption. I've spent four hours herding/catching dumped puppies that had ropes tied too tight around their necks that it scabbed over partially and indented into their necks. I've fostered 20+ puppies (mostly 8-16 weeks) that have had easily a hundred ticks (PER dog), infected wounds that required 3xs daily medication and daily medicated baths (try doing that with three puppies from that litter all at once), young puppies that scream-cried if you approached them as they were incredibly fearful and little to no human interaction, more worms than a worm farm, parvo survivors, malnurishment that pictures can never truly capture how bad it is (it's always so much worse in person), non-contagious mange (nearly hairless puppies) and so mcuh more. Over the years, I grew close with the founder, Sam, and helped filter through applications, conduct interviews, train new fosters and more. Because HFP is a foster-based rescue, she relies heavily on each foster to provide updates to each dog's behavior, tics, personalities, needs, etc. Most of these dogs have been through more than any ever should and the team works incredibly hard to ensure they each go to a "perfect" home - meaning forever. "Perfect" looks incredibly different for each dog that comes into the rescue. HFP truly wants to make sure each dog ends up in a home that will nurture and set it up for success. When many people returned to working in the office, the amount of "returns" were off the charts and almost all of those dog requests noted the dogs were extremely attached and anxious. We, the owners, are 100% at fault for the learned bahaviors. If it so wrong to then return dogs because of the issues we created for them. While most of the dogs come from less than ideal scenarios, HFP also received/s a TON of surrender requests... anything from I'm moving and I can't take my dog, we had a baby and don't have time for the dog anymore, or a personal favorite, we got a new puppy and our older dog is too aggressive with it. While surrendering is the most feel-good and likely safest option if you must rehome your animal, HFP focuses so much of their effort towards animals in horrid situations. Those that have been overlooked. To get dogs stuck in traumtic, overcrowded shelters that are doing their best but can't keep up with the society of designer dogs dumping their "oopsie puppies" or not-profitable backyard pups. A rescue who works so tirelessly to save all of the animals, cannot always help the anxious animal already in a loving home when there are literally thousands of them shaking uncontrollably in the back of a kennel with one opportunity to go outside every day. The long tangent here is essentially to help say -- I 100% understand where there are some frustrations/contentions with the adoption process, I've been there, but now after I have first hand worked with Sam and HFP, I've devoted years to them and the dogs, I have such a better understanding and appreciation for all that they do. You really can't begin to see them for what they're worth until you go through the fire with them. See the ugly side. Nurse an animal back to health. Watch their personalities come out for likely the first time in their short, neglected lives. Every rescue is different, but I will always support HFP and hope that others continue to do so as well. It's gut wrenching yet the most rewarding experience. It takes a really special person to run this rescue. read more

Hearts for the paws was a great organization to have worked with. They were great at communicating throughout the entire foster/adopt process. Not only that, but they are kind and understanding as well. I highly recommend Hearts For Paws if you're looking to adopt or foster! read more

First and foremost the dogs are the most important thing. Unfortunately, their volunteers/employees have put an extremely poor taste in my mouth. I recently attended one of their fundraising events at an outdoor brewery. I brought my RESUCE dog who is extremely sweet and loves all humans & dogs. When we first arrived he wanted to say hi to some labs next to us but was growled at. So I took him for a walk to meet some other dogs to get out his social butterfly personality. One of the HFP volunteers was "training" what I assume is a current rescue at HFP... this rescue was barking at other dogs (and nipping at another dog later in the day). I was trying to walk my dog past but was stopped in my tracks when this HFP volunteer started to scolded me for my dog "causing a scene" due to him wanting to say hi to other dogs in passing... even when the dog they had on leash I saw first hand actually causing a scene with aggression. She asked me to walk around back to wait for a portrait or basically leave. We put our dog in the car with the AC running as we finished our beer and continued to watch someone with an aggressive dog bark and lunge at passing dogs... but for some reason there was no one from HFP saying anything to them? Words of advice when running a business; professionalism is key. Don't treat people who are supporting your business like children with scolding them in public. Also, don't have a double standard... if you aren't allowing one dog to "cause a scene" at your event, you better be talking to every other dog owner there causing a scene. read more

THE BEST rescue out there!!! We got our wonderful rescue Juneau from HFP and truly can't imagine our life without him. Sam and the whole team work tirelessly to support the dogs they save. Can't recommend higher if you are considering a new furry best friend. read more

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The world needs more people like Sam and Dani. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and will do everything in their power to give each dog a shot at finding a forever home. I just adopted a puppy from them and could not be more grateful for my new family member. read more

I have been really looking forward to adopt a pet dog and submitted an application almost a month back. I sent the pictures of my apartment as mentioned in their submission guidelines but have not heard back from them so far. I reached out to them through email three times but got no response. Tried calling them and left a voicemail and still no response. It has been almost a month. I would at least like to know what the status of my application is and if there is a problem with it I would appreciate them letting me know about it. It is very disappointing to see that there is absolutely no way to contact them. I understand that is is a volunteering based rescue and people are busy but I would highly appreciate some kind of response. read more

I highly recommend adopting from Hearts for Paws! I am very impressed by this organization's work, and I know first hand that they are an ethical rescue. HFP is a volunteer based nonprofit and their founder is a one woman show who works her butt off, genuinely cares about the dogs, and actually does right by them (unlike other well known Bay Area rescues - trust me, I've seen some sh*t as a former volunteer and staff member). When you are choosing to adopt, finding a rescue that is truly reputable can be more challenging than you would think. We started fostering for HFP in October when they requested urgent help to save several dogs from a Central Valley shelter, who only had a few days left to live. We adopted our sweet little foster in December (foster fail!), and we love her so much. HFP is a great organization, they are transparent, ethical, and do incredible work. I just read some of the one star reviews which are so ridiculous and entitled that I had to come back and edit my review. I don't think people understand how insane rescue work is and how many applications an organization receives daily all while they're trying to save dogs located hours away from a ticking death clock, as you frantically try to find a foster and organize transport. Oh and this is happening while you sit in a vet's office for a dog that you just saved the day before who might have Parvo, who barfed all over your house earlier, while you try to sort through adoption applications on your phone as your first time foster calls you to complain that the dog peed inside and will need to go somewhere else within the hour, and you're also trying to post new photos of dogs available for adoption so that they can find their forever homes and set up phone calls with potential adopters. But yeah, sorry you didn't get the dog you wanted because the foster adopted them, and it took two days for HFP to answer your email. Let's give a nonprofit, volunteer run, animal rescue a break! Anyway, thanks Hearts for Paws! We're super happy with our dog and you guys do fabulous work! read more

Hearts For Paws - Animal Shelters Near Me

This is a great organization with caring and devoted volunteers and fosters. For the negative reviewers - this is a volunteer based organization who is doing their best with a high volume of dogs and inquiries. Please go pick on an organization that deserves it - not an animal rescue. We had a wonderful experience with HFP. Thank you all for everything you do. read more

Scam. We committed to being foster parents and they gave our dog to someone else. We were initially trying to adopt but they told us to foster read more

Hearts For Paws - (UPDATE) Do I need to say more. Read my previous review for clarification. This organization is unprofessional - Animal Shelters Near Me

We initially fostered then adopted a dog from HFP. The dog we were fostering was very shy. She bonded with my wife quickly but took 3 months until she would even approach me. Even then only if I was seated. It took a few days for her to even come in the house. We worked with her a lot to feel safe and she had opened up a lot. We chose to adopt her because we did not have the heart to have her start over. We had an incident with our dog and this dog where they got in a pretty good fight while playing. We contacted HFP. After some discussion we decided to keep the dog and chocked it up to a freak occurrence. A couple years went by. While we were out the dogs got in another fight. This time our original dog was hurt pretty bad. He had multiple holes around his neck the size of a quarter. We again contacted HFP. They basically said they had changed their program and we could no longer surrender the dog to them. Yet when we adopted they said if anything happened and we needed to surrender the dog we HAD to bring it back to them and under no circumstance could the dog go to a shelter. Well we kept the dog and decided we would just keep he dogs separated. That program was difficult to manage but worked. HFP did put the dog on their site to look for a foster. A year later we still have heard nothing from them. Not a single follow up. Recently the dog attacked our cat. She did not kill the cat but put a few holes in its back the size of quarters again. We did our best to keep her away from the cats. Then before the cat had healed it happened again. This time the hole was the size of a silver dollar. We contacted HFP again. We were told the same story they could not take the dog back and referred us to another rescue. We contacted that rescue. He was shocked that they would not take one of their dogs back. We have adopted dogs from three other rescues. All have the same policy. If you need to surrender their dog you need to bring it back to them. For those wondering we have never surrendered a dog before. Our three other dogs we adopted passed due to age. Fortunately in the end the other rescue agreed to take the dog. If we could assure the cats would stay away from her we would not have chosen this path. But we could not take the chance. So, if your adopting make sure it's a forever home no matter the special needs or situation you are in. Just know you will be pretty much on your own. read more

We wanted to adopt a puppy pending it getting along with our dog. They said the only way to do this is to Foster the pup first. We signed up to Foster and were cleared. We kept receiving updates via social media stories about the pup. When the time came to receive the dog, communication went dark. We repeatedly reach out and finally they responded saying the dog was adopted and adoptions trump fostering. It was extremely heartbreaking to see that instead of reaching out to us with open communication they decided to do whatever they wanted. Their process is inconsistent and the communication is lacking. read more

H4Ps is an amazing organization that deeply cares for their animals! Their fosters are so caring and welcoming and truly try to make all of their animals comfortable and set them up for success. I would highly recommend working with this rescue! read more

Such an amazing organization helping save so many lives! The staff and management is very organized, friendly and passionate about their cause. The adoption process was quick and simple! I submitted my application(very straightforward) and not even an hour later I received a call offering to schedule a meet and greet, I drove home with my new furry best friend that night! The commitment that each team member has is evident through their endless efforts to save as many sweet souls as possible and find them each a loving forever home. I highly recommend this rescue to anyone looking to find their new best friend or looking to give back to an incredible cause! read more

We adopted our best friend from Hearts for Paws rescue last year. The adoption process was seamless from start to finish and the volunteers were there every step of the way to answer any questions we had. We felt so supported and could see how hard the volunteers work to save as many dogs as possible. When we feel ready to get our next dog, we will adopt from Hearts for Paws once again. Thanks team - and keep doing what you're doing! read more

First off I want to say this review has nothing to do with the animals. This is based on the employees. What they don't share is that the animals up for adoption can still be adopted by the foster family (it's great that they want to keep them but it's disheartening to those who are ready to adopt and have a submitted a (length) application). The team handled that situation with me, very poorly. It should have a note in the dogs description that the foster family is considering adopting. I had 2 of their employees reach out to me and one let me know that I could Proceed with the process while the other (days before) had told me the dog I was interested was adopted. The team does not take the time to look at email threads or to Communicate with one another. They did let me know a few days after I put my application in that the dogs foster family was considering adopting him and told me they would update me. They never did, I was the one who kept reaching out and showing interest in actually finding out what's going on. They seemed less the eager to let me know any updates on the dogs adoption status, this was before the miscommunication with the two Employees. It was extremely unprofessional. read more

Can't say enough great things about this organization. They truly care about the homes their dogs go to and offer so much support during the adoption process. I adopted my dog through them recently and the team was there to help me with training tips/tricks and recommended great professional trainers in my area. Highly recommend HFP because they care about making the best match as possible for both the human and the dog. read more

HFP is a great rescue that fosters and facilitates the adoptions of sweet souls who for one reason or another find themselves without a home through no fault of their own. I wasn't quite ready to adopt a dog when I first reached out to them, but they let me foster several dogs before I brought home my sweet Hugo. Not everyone is ready to adopt, and not every home is right for the dog we think we want, but I think HFP does an amazing job helping the right people and the right dogs find each other - and as volunteers no less!!! Hugo and I are sure grateful for their labor of love. read more

Hearts For Paws - Hugo - Animal Shelters Near Me

We rescued through hearts for paws (HFP) 2 years ago and got a dog from them. He was a cattle dog mix and was fearful of things but other than that a great dog. A year into owning him, and after covid happened we were home all the time. His fearfulness started to get worse since we were unable to take him places like we did before. He was very protective of us and I think it increased since we were around all the time due to stay at home orders. Living in an apartment it became increasingly difficult to take him outside to go on walks and to the bathroom due to his high anxiety. After going through different trainers we consulted hearts for paws and primarily Sam (director of HFP) of what the next form of action we should take. After a lot of deliberation and HFP sending out a behavioral specialist for our dog, ideally it was in our dogs best interest to be re-homed to a family that has a house with a yard and continue training with an HFP trainer to alleviate some of his stress about being around strangers. Since it wasn't a guarantee that I would not be moving to another apartment after this, we made the decision to re-home our dog. I felt like a failure, having to be someone that needed to re-home a dog, especially after the life he's had and us adopting him. Sam was nothing but understanding, kind, and I never once felt judged by making this decision. This rescue is always in the best interest of the dogs and now he is in an amazing home with people who love him just as much as we do. read more

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I submitted an application days ago have not heard anything back. They do not answer phone calls or emails as I've called multiple times a day all at different times and wrote a lot of emails. Very frustrating because you want to do the right thing and get a rescue dog who needs a home. Very disappointed I can't even get a response back letting me know if the dog I'm interested in is even still available. read more

I rescued a small dog from this organization in August of this year. The dog was a hot mess because of her situation (not the organization or volunteer I met). We took her home and immediately started working with her. She'd never been outside, was scared of everything, wouldn't eat anything but people food, etc. Since we'd never rescued before, it was all consuming for the first couple of weeks. Once I got my feet underneath me I realized I lost all her paperwork somehow. I am now trying to get the dog vet care, ensure she has all her shots, etc. and no one from the organization can provide documentation on vaccinations. Because of her very small size, the vet doesn't want to double up on vaccinations and recommends waiting at least a year, meaning I can't prove her vaccinations for doggy day care or boarding should we need it. I realize this is my fault but to adopt out dogs, charge hundreds for adoption and then not respond to someone who rescued one of their animals when they have a question later is inexcusable. I've texted, left a voice mail.... Super discouraged. read more

This review is in NO WAY a reflection of the animals. This review is only about the humans running the rescue. I should have known something was wrong when we tried to make an appointment to see the dog we wanted to adopted. It took over a week and multiple emails to get an answer and even more emails to get an appointment. Once we adopted our dog and took her to the vet they noted that we had not been given documentation for certain vaccines. Again both my husband, myself and the vet sent multiple emails and were never answered. We never received the correct information. We paid to have the dog vaccinated again just because we couldn't prove if she had been vaccinated or not. It's been a year and we still get turned away from basic services like grooming because of the crappy documentation we were given. I will now need to have the dog vaccinated again because I can't provide the correct records. If you work with this rescue expect that you will not receive answers to your questions or the proper documentation for your dog. This is not the animal's fault. But know upfront that you will be on your own as far as getting the dog's medical information. read more