Worst experience with a rescue organization I've ever had. If I could give it less than half a star or NO stars, I would. Rude and unprofessional. When a member of our family had a serious medical issue and the puppy had to be returned, they were nice until they got the dog back. Then they refused to return calls and emails and after the third call to them, they finally said they would not refund the $425 and that they have decided to keep my $$ and not adopt to me because they heard a child crying when I called. Seriously?! So people with kids can't have a dog? Absolutely absurd. They ripped me off, kept my money and then insulted my child. PLEASE don't ever give these rude arrogant and dishonest people your business. read more

I filled out their hour long application and waited 4 days and for a response and was simply told none of their dogs at this point would be a good fit. I own my own house, have half an acre and currently have a 1.5 year old Shar-pei mix. The dogs we expressed interest in all had it indicated in their bios that they should go to a home with another dog. I find it bizarre that out of the 136 dogs they are trying to find a home for not one of them could even have been a potential fit. I tried to follow up and ask what caused my application to be rejected and still have not had a response...I can only assume their goal is to have hundreds of dogs looking for homes so they can make a live action Disney reboot of Oliver and Company. read more

Take the time to review animal rescue orgs before you go through a lengthy application and follow-up process. Joyful Rescue turned down our application without reason, without an interview, without a home visit, without checking references. We are major dog people! We are experienced and ready to provide the best home a dog could have - walks/jogs everyday, trips to the park, hiking, people, other dogs etc. I have serious concerns about the soundness of this organization. I won't use the word 'crazy' but I just did... read more

Got denied with no explanation. Didn't call any of our 3 references. We have owned dogs all our life. Just said they "don't have a good fit at this time" ...... Denying good people who want to give these dogs a loving home, sad. read more

This rescue group has no real interest in providing good homes for rescue dogs. We had a rescue dog for 10 yrs. We have excellent references, 2 acres of land. We are retired, home much of the time or out hiking and doing outdoor activities where we want the dog to be with us. We made enough money to take good care of the dog very well. What else do they want!!!! read more

Steer clear of this "rescue." They only have their best interest in mind, (not the pet) which at this point has to be denying anyone and everyone! My husband and I met the most adorable puppy at Petsmart during one of their visits, and after filling out the extensive application, waited in anticipation to hear back. They stated in an automatic email response it would be 3-5 business days before we heard back. Only after I sent a follow-up email did I receive a generic denial email, stating no reason as to why I was denied. After checking with my vet and references - none were called! We own our home, have a fenced in yard, fully available to care for and love a puppy and yet no reason as to why we got denied. After reading the horrible reviews on here, and speaking with several people on this issue I realize the terrible reputation Joyful Rescues has. They give a bad name to rescues and should be ashamed of themselves! I have already been spreading the word - save yourselves the trouble and look else where! read more

This is a wonderful organization! We adopted our first baby-a husky/border collie mix from Joyful Rescues in 2011. This group of volunteers works very hard to ensure their cats and dogs find appropriate forever homes. It should not be easy to adopt a pet. As someone who has relatives who have fostered and worked with rescues for YEARS I have heard first hand what can happen if there is not a careful vetting process. They make every effort possible so that the fit is good so that these pets have the very best shot at a good life in a forever home. read more

Do not waste your time. So many animal professionals told me to stay away and I didn't listen. Our life revolved around our previous dog who recently passed away and we wanted to share that love with another. They are unprofessional,non-communicative and not out for the best of the animals. read more

I wish I would have looked up the reviews first and learned my lesson the hard way. I NEVER would have thought that an organization that is supposed to rescue dogs would hoard on to them for selfish reasons. I absolutely fell in love with a dog whom I knew would be a perfect fit in our household. Having adopted a dog who was raised in a crate and didn't know what the outside world was, I knew the hard work that comes with assimilating a dog who doesn't know the meaning of grass, the outside world, and people as loving creatures. This beautiful dog in particular was raised in a puppy mill and I was simply rejected because I live in Brooklyn, where apparently they think the New York City blackout of 1977 rioting is still going on. "Too noisy and she would never relax". That's how I was denied. At least I got a reason whereas most people here never did. My vet, who was excited to speak to the rescue was NEVER called. She has known us for years and only makes house calls so she knows the way our dogs have lived. I was NEVER vetted but denied because of their bigoted perception of Brooklyn. I live in a very quiet and lovely area and the dog would slowly be introduced to the outside world to live a beautiful and pampered life with people who would adore her. This dog in particular has been taken to Petco adoption events numerous times and noted how great she was. How absurd to think that a store would be less noisy than my lovely home!!!!!!! DO NOT APPLY FOR A DOG HERE UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR HEART BROKEN OVER BIGOTRY. read more

joyful rescue has a specific type of person they are looking for and if your not it they are very rude and sarcastic. It's too bad because their animals and volunteers are wonderful. It would be a much better rescue if it was run by a committee instead of a single individual who seems to have issues. read more

My husband and I are animal lovers and been trying to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter for years. We decided to play it smart by not getting one til we are financially stable with a house. I spent over an hour on my application and received a phone call a couples of days later. I was told that my application looked good and I answered the questions well. The lady said that she will contact me again after looking at one more reference. A day later, I received an email stating: "Having considered your application as a whole, we regret that we cannot adopt a pet to you. We know we have no magical way to insure we always make the right decision, but request that you respect our right to approve or disapprove applications, accept our decision, and continue your search for a pet with another organization. " None of our references have been contacted after we asked them. I don't know as to why we were blatantly denied. I was heartbroken but will move on. Just feel bad for the animals that were blocked from loving homes. read more

I should have done more research before trying to adopt a dog from Joyful rescues. Shame on me for not doing my research as i have yet to read ONE review of JR that was positive. To give you background, i had just euthanized my 14 year old yellow lab in January and our family was distraught. After the past few months, we decided we were now ready to share our love with a new puppy. My wife and i have been dog owners and around dogs in our homes since we could walk. We filled out the application and submitted it. Unlike most of the complaints i have read, they actually called my references. A few short days later they called and told us congratulations, we were approved to adopt Gavin, an adorable Shepherd Doberman mix. They called friday evening and asked if we could pick him up saturday at a local Petsmart. Unfortunately, we were on our way out of town until sunday. I asked if we could make arrangements to pick him up Monday and the owner said that would be fine and she looked forward to hearing from us. So we told our children and showed them the video of Gavin and told them we would be picking him up that week. My 8 year old watched that video probably 50 times. He was in love. I called first thing monday morning to arrange for the pickup, and they informed me that Gavin was taken home by another family on Saturday. I was audibly upset, but i was professional about my disappointment. I now had to tell my kids they were not getting the dog they fell in love with. They told me that they had to do what was best for the dog and if that meant getting out of their shelter two days sooner, that is what they do. I do not have an issue with that policy. It would have been appropriate for them to disclose that there was a possibility the dog could go home with another family that weekend. Then i would not have mentioned anything to the kids and they would not have been so let down. So we inquired about another dog. I received the email below: "Due to the tone of the phone call we received today we are not prepared to adopt to your family yet. We would like to speak with more references first. Please provide two additional references and we will go from there" Seriously? We were already deemed to be acceptable, and because of their lack of communication we are suddenly unfit to adopt? These people use emotions as weapons and as reasons to unjustly deny adoptions. I would caution anyone to do some research before choosing this shelter. I found 31 reviews with an average rating of 1.5 out of 5. They have also had 6 complaints to the better business bureau. That many bad reviews can't be a coincidence or just a few bitter people. I would have given them 0 stars here if i could have. Please beware... read more

Very disorganized rescue, they have no interest in calling your references or returning your phone calls. Heartbroken about my application and was not given a single reason why they turned me down. read more

what do they want ? This place is impossible to adopt from. We have 10 acres of Property. 100 yard long driveway. We are financially secure to care for a pet. We lost our Last pet due to cancer. Someone is always home and can give much needed attention to An adopted pet. We have college aged children with a teenager in high school. Our application was denied. They never checked references. What. No fenced yard ? I don't need one. How about a meet and greet ? Nope. Nothing but a heartache. We found a dog that we really wanted. It was to good to be true. We were notified of the denial today. Shame on them. They have no idea what good foster parents really are. Read their Facebook page. They mention how long they have animals that are not adopted. I wonder why. read more

Very unprofessional, lack common courtesy and maturity. They do not put their dogs needs first & instead personal opinions of person if that person questions why they are not receiving responses from them to application & status requests emails. Instead of putting themselves in the shoes of that person who is being ignored for weeks by them, when they do finally respond, they simply say they do not want to adopt to them due to mistrust or other lies to justify their decision. When really it's just b/c you called them out on their unprofessionalism. Another dog rescue agency that displays a "god complex" when it comes to who they will adopt to & acts on personal feelings instead of the dogs needs first and foremost. When a person comes with references (neighbors, vet, family, friends), loves & helps many abused, neglected & lost dogs & willing to pay a high adoption fee for a dog, and you don't adopt to them, you really have no business having a rescue shelter. read more

I'm sad to see so many poor reviews on this page. My parents adopted a Yorkie-Poodle mix named Pete, a former breeding dog, from Joyful Rescues in 2012. He has become a great dog, even with all his quirks. Most reputable animal shelters have an application process - some are just more rigorous than others. Also, please remember that most of these people are volunteers spending a lot of their own time and resources to care for these animals and find them good homes - it is not a business that needs to return your calls immediately. read more

I have had 4 Bullmastiffs and 2 rescue dogs. My last one past a few weeks ago. I have some arthritis and was looking for a 25 to 35 lb. Beagle and/or mix. I put in an application and with my preferred dog and heard back very quickly. They said I was approved and to call them. This was followed by an email stating the exact same thing. When I called the Katie said I was approved and we talked for a bit. At the end of the conversation when I asked to confirm the time to see and pick up the dog at the Webster Petsmart. I was told there was an other application for that dog and I could not have that one. Within 10 minutes It went come get the dog to no you can't have her with no reason. I was still mourning over my just passed dog and that did hurt. Bottom line, after sever communications and miscommunications got straightened out. I was still approved and actually picked up 2 Beagle mixes on 3/12/16 at the Petsmart in Webster. I will say that I was impressed with the number of volunteers they had helping on adoption day at Petsmart. However it was a bit of a zoo with all the rescues, volunteers and shoppers:) Joyful Rescues have a lot of animals and they place a lot of them. So thumbs up for finding them homes. Tips: If you are interested in a rescue, fill in the application. Get approved 1st. You can not go home with an animal on adoption day without one. Do not expect your dog to act the same way as it does in the store crowded with people and other dogs. These are rescues. Most have gone through a lot of trauma. They need a loving home and it may take them 6 months or more to be comfortable and know they have a home for life. Consider that you may have to take them for some kind of training. Give them love and they will return it with a lifetime of unconditional love. Overall: Joyful needs to improve their communication skills. That being said, they do a very hard job and they have many animals in need. So do consider them. read more

My kids fell in love with a Beagle up for adoption at Pet Smart in Orchard Park 5 years ago. We already had a 1 year old Beagle we adored so we thought we could open our home and hearts to this little guy. After applyng to adopt we were approved. I can say the application process is lengthy and rightfully so. Most of these animals have had a rough start to life and need to be placed in forever homes with the right families that can love and care for them emotionally and financially. I praise Joyful rescue for their tough application process. I'm happy to report, our Danny Paul has been a wonderful addition to our family and we absolutely love him to pieces! read more

I adopted from Joyful Rescues and had a seamless adoption. I am very grateful they are cautious about who adopts these homeless animals!

I read up on your reputation and heard from several sources but decided to give you a chance anyway. You have proven why your reputation is what it is. By not asking questions you are not doing these animals justice. I was told by someone in the business that they know of 6 placements you made where 5 of the dogs had to be returned because they weren't properly placed. That is not a good track record. Your communication skills are horrendous!!! I will make sure I spread the word as to the experience I had with your organization. Thank you for your time. read more

Submitted an application around midnight on a Wednesday as I wanted to attend a Saturday meet and greet to get the ball rolling for a potential adoptable dog. That following morning I was sent and email at 6:51 AM saying that " Thank you, please call your vet and give them permission to speak with us" [as if my vet office would be open that early] then at 9:08 AM I received a generic rejection email stating that ... "We are very strict in our adoption process and applicants are never turned down without lots of thought and deliberation. Denial of an applicant comes from our best interpretation of the information on your application and should not be viewed as a personal affront...." [Vet said no one even called] Immediately I thought it was a mistake as I was surprised a rejection. I have a townhouse and live in the city, maybe that was it? I have a steady income with my fiance whose an engineer. I emailed and called JR and even visited the meet and greet! The volunteers stated "this is bizarre" after looking at my printed out email correspondences and "there is no board, Joye makes the selections and she's in Cuba [NY] at the moment." I called the following week. No response. Nothing. After reading reviews on YellowPages and ZooToo.com I am very surprised to see that this same thing has happened to so many other people. I thought Animal Rescue Organizations' purpose is to help located forever homes. I am saddened to say that the dog I already saw as an addition to my family will not be able to be adopted to an experience dog owner who was committed and ready to give her a forever home. =( . read more

Strict adoption process and around $400 to adopt?!?! How is this helping the animals? I just wish that animals weren't just a money maker for companies they should be the priority and put into homes as soon as possible. Just like kids in foster care they don't feel loved in the wrong environment.. read more

Joyful Rescue turned down my friend. They did so I suppose in a way as part of our ' zero tolerance society, ' which basically says, "We don't want to know the truth, we'll take whatever evidence we see and twist it however it suits our agenda." Basically zero tolerance is another way of saying, "guilty and not allowed to prove innocent." I used to think about zero tolerance as a good thing, sort of like a response to all of the crazy in the world, a full out reaction to it and a hammer falling. But after thinking about it and knowing people who have been hit by the hammer, I see that zero tolerance is just another way of saying, we don't care what happened, we're just mad that it did and we want retribution. I've learned that how one thing looks is not necessarily how it is. As humans, spiritual, intelligent, physical beings, our job is to feel and assess with all of our being, not just one corner of it because it's easier. There's so much more to having a dog than the story of how your dog died. It's hard to believe that Joyful Rescue wouldn't at least try to find out what happened during the 13 + years a dog graced your life. You never 'own' a dog; they share their magic with you and you shelter and protect them. And sometimes you fall and get hurt. Sometimes your child falls and is caught by something dangerous. And sometimes even 'your' dog falls and gets hurt, or worse. Most accidents are preventable, true, but do we punish everyone whose been in an accident or caused and accident or not prevented an accident? At Joyful Rescue apparently loving dog 'parents' must be punished for an accident which caused their dog to die. Shame on them for judging you by what happened on that awful day and not EVER looking at even one of the 4,645 plus incredible days your dog was with you. So the dog you want stays in a cage or a foster home because basically life is dangerous. And we should all get to live forever? I believe they act out of fear. But I've learned that decisions propelled by fear are ones that will not stand for long. I hope Joyful Rescue tries a little faith, investigates the stories people are telling them. Calls their references. Visits their homes. Opens their minds. For the sake of the animals waiting.... read more

This is the most unprofessional organization I have worked with. I tried to call and email about the status of the adoption application I submitted, and when the results came just a generic denial reason with no explanation for the decision. read more

Joye Turock implied I killed my cat without having any details. Backstory: About a month ago, my boyfriend and I rescued an emaciated pregnant stray in our neighborhood. We didn't want her babies to grow up feral and add to the overpopulation problem, so we stepped in and gave her a safe home to raise her kittens. We even found them homes before they were even born. She became a part of the family quickly and we did our best to get her in tip-top shape before her babies arrived. Unfortunately, there were severe complications with her labor and, after a week of doing everything we could, she passed away anyway. Now we have one week old kittens without a momma. I called Joyful Rescues to inquire about if they had a momma cat who lost her litter or had a small litter. We were thinking that perhaps we could foster the mother and unite her with our kittens. When I called, I was asked how the mom died and I explained, "She had a very difficult labor and it caused an infection that took her very quickly. Her organs started shutting down even though we threw everything at her that we could." Her response: "Well, except for getting her spayed ahead of time..." What a HORRIBLE thing to say to someone who just lost their pet. First of all, she should have never judged us so quickly or made any assumptions. Second, she implied that it was our fault our cat died. We may not have had Meabh very long, but we took her into our family. She was here and she mattered and she left behind three beautiful babies that we're going to take care of now. I will never adopt from here, that conversation alone was too much. What horrible treatment of someone who cares enough to seek a surrogate mother for these orphaned kittens. How dare someone assume and imply that I killed my cat. We were (and still are) doing the right thing as best as we can. read more

First time adopting from a rescue. I was warned that they decline more applications than they accept. We rescued our 8 year old Malachi last weekend. They explained his minor medical issues to me and when my vet examined him, his findings were the same. It has been less than a week but we couldn't be happier with how everything went. read more

My husband and I were attempting to adopt a special needs dog. We have both the time, experience and financial means to support these types of animals. We had the same experience at Trang D. describes below however we were not even granted the courtesy of a follow up to let us know we were rejected. We simply never heard back after the initial phone call where we were told "Everything looks great. We have one more reference to call and then I will call you right back." Never heard from them again. I even followed up and left a message days later. I recently happened to run into this rescue at a local PetSmart and was approached by one of the staff and encouraged to fill out an application. I politely but firmly told her my story and let her know that our time and money is being spent at other rescues. Update: After researching this organization on the BBB website I discovered that they were denied Charity status in January of 2016. read more

we recently adopted a young shepherd Joyful rescue was careful and thorough in reviewing our application; requiring references from friends and vet. Summer has been a perfect fit for our family and can understand why Joyful wanted the best for her. Summer had been rescued.. With a damaged back leg. She came to us with a great personality and a love of being with people. If you look at the videos on utube you can see why the dogs and cats have such a great time there.... With lots of play, fellow pack friends .... Thank you Joyful Rescues...! read more

If I could give this place a -10 I would. If only I had read the reviews first. We've had at least one dog and up to 3 dogs in our house for the last 28 years (all of them rescues except one). We rescued 2 cows when their mom's died giving birth - that was 10 years ago and we still have both of them as family pets. We also have a rescue guinea hen which we've had for 4 years. We dog sit for everyone at n/c - the only requirement is that their dogs get along with our dogs. My cow just won a spot on the Jefferson Co SPCA calendar. We have donated money so that rescue dogs can get the proper vet care before they are adopted out. We don't have children and truly love animals more than people and anyone that knows us would trust us with their fur babies. We lost our last rescue to his 3 year battle with lyme disease 8 days before Christmas (he had lyme disease when we got him). We were crushed. After looking at literally hundreds and hundreds of dogs we found the one - his eyes spoke to us and we fell in love instantly. We filled out their ridiculous application that asked everything but what color underwear you were wearing, but the whole time I was thinking that little "Boris Goodman" was well worth the time. We were even going to drive 5 hours to pick him up. The next day I received an e:mail telling me to call my vet to give them permission to talk to them, which I did instantly. A while later I received an e:mail from Joyful Rescue which started like this "Joyful Application" we were beyond happy, but only for a very short time. The e:mail ended "We are going to choose not to adopt into your home". I cried for over a week and still get teary when I see his picture still on their site. I sent an e:mail asking for an explanation - only to be ignored. I sent 3 more e:mails - again no response (pretty f 'in rude if you ask me). I have had other rescue people read the reviews on here and they are in disbelief. Believe me - don't waste your time and heartbreak on this organization, who get volunteers to do their dirty work, charge you $500 for an animal while they sit back and get rich. I even found the family that sponsored the dog that I wanted and left her a message on facebook - only to be ignored again. There is a reason this organization got 2 out of 5 stars and it would be less if we could vote in the negative numbers and last time I looked they still had 103 animals. Just waiting for the karma train! I know several people in rescue here and will get my next baby locally. read more

I have never met such judgmental, rude people in all of my life. They were being perfectly cordial until they did not agree with a medical decision I made for a pet I already have. They they just became rude, aggressive and down right demeaning. No offense, but I'm going to go with the advise of people who are MEDICALLY trained PROFESSIONALS who have MET my dog, DIAGNOSED my dog, CONSULTED other veterinaries and came up with a treatment plan rather than some crack pot lady who lets a 20 lb dog eat a pile of nectarines. I tried to ignore their nasty demeanor and just move forward, asking if our application could be reconsidered if more information was provided about our dogs treatment plan since I really felt this senior dog would have a great home with us. The only reply I received was "we cannot put an animal in your home", like I'm some kind of animal abuser. Good luck if you hope to adopt a pet from them. They're horrible read more

I spent hours on an application to SAVE one of your dogs and in a matter of 2 hours received a generic rejection asking me to "respect" your decision and to not inquire further. You didn't give me the courtesy to discuss my application, and you didn't even bother to talk to the 3 references from people I've dog sat for. The fact that you would deprive a dog of a loving family that has a big house, on a big yard, in a quiet neighborhood, based solely on words on an application, is ABSOLUTELY absurd. I'll have you know that a different shelter has as strenuous an application as you did, called my references, and now we are the proud owners of a wonderful and happy dog. I feel sorry for the animals at your shelter that are being robbed of their chance at a happy life...because you "don't have the resources to review the reasons for an applicants declination". Here's a tip: If you really care about the dogs that are under your care, instead of quickly judging your applicants...find the resources to talk to the people that spend time filling out your application, because your dogs are seriously missing out on some amazing families. read more

Not at all pleased with this group. They do not do their job. Without any explanation they denied me even after having gone to meet the dog and spent an hour with foster mom. Foster mom gave impression I would be approved. They did not call my vet, my references, or do a house visit. They make judgements based on random information and do not do their research. If they had, I have zero doubts they would have denied a dog a good home with me. Was highly disappointed with them and their lack of ability to their research. I would discourage anyone from using this group. There are plenty of rescues out there who are truly invested in finding dogs caring and loving homes. Joyful rescues is not one of those places. read more

We put in our application for our Earl bob and we're called the next day saying we were accepted. We picked him up a few days later and haven't looked back since. We love all the wonderful voulenteers who work for joyful rescues. They still check up on our old man and love when we bring him back for a visit. I recommend them to anyone I hear is looking for a new baby to love. read more

Joyful Rescues - Animal Shelters Near Me - Cuba, New York

I rarely write reviews, however i would like to save your family some heartache. We carefully decided as a family to fill out the application. We lost our dog to cancer 10 months ago. The dog was 14 and very well loved. Its been a long search to find a dog for our family. The kids have done lots of research and found this shelter. We have a beautiful home on over 2 acres. We keep it clean, and have 3 children ages 7-11. Someone is always in the home, the dog would be well loved, snuggled and walked multiple times a day. We listed several resources and even dug up information on our previous vets. We selected a few options for dogs, puppies, not older dogs, but puppies born in the shelter. I am not sure what they didnt like about our application, but it was rejected without even calling our references. The kids were devastated. We thought we were doing the right thing by adopting a pet. Our children even researched the pros of adoption. Nothing but heartache when the email came through less than 24 hours later. I had read the reviews from this shelter, and i was doubtful anyone would reject a family with a clean house, time and money to pay the vet and grooming bills. Clearly they are looking for specific people with no children, a fenced in yard, no allergies, and a pristine vet record. My advice- save your time and look at your local shelters, those dogs need homes too. Clearly one person in this company makes all of the decisions, and thats just not fair to the animals there. read more

Not sure if one star is even enough. I come from a family of avid pet lovers. There was never a time in my almost 25 years we did not have many loved pets. We have fell in love with a wonderful dog at Joyful Rescue after losing our elderly dog of 15 years. We were ready for a new pet in our lives. We had went through the application process to adopt him. We picked out a name for this dog, thought and prayed for days, cancelled plans due to planning on picking him up, etc. Needless to say the owner denied our application. Due to meaningless and minuscule vet record "issues". I would not recommend these rude and hateful people to adopt from. Coming from a long time pet lover and owner- take your time, money, and prayers else where. These people are horrible. read more

Just adopted a rescued pup from this group. Their caring level is off the charts! What a great group of volunteers. Complete records came with him...and a "coupon" for an initial visit to our vet for a physical. Chipped, they retain his records for a lifetime. The only thing they could to better would be to respond to internet queries quicker. They just need more volunteers. I would recommend them based on the care they take with their rescues alone! read more

Extremely unprofessional and unwilling to communicate. We adopted a dog from them with the understanding that there was no known health issues. The dog had two fairly serious health problems that our own vet discovered within 10 minutes of examination. It took multiple phone calls on our end to the rescue before speaking with "Joy" herself. She told us that no one in their organization had ever noticed health issues with the dog. Come to find out the foster mother had noticed the issues with the dogs legs/hips and never said anything to us. She also did not disclose additional info about the dog to us. That was well over a week ago. We still have not had anyone in the rescue return our calls. I believe first and foremost they failed the poor dog. I also believe they lie and they think they will get away with it. Find a more reputable rescue to adopt from. read more

I am probably the biggest dog lover you can meet and my current dog is spoiled rotten! My boyfriend and I are in our 40's and don't have kids so our dog is our child. After careful consideration and several trips to Pet Smart in Orchard Park we figured it was time to apply. I was outright denied with no explanation. And I wasn't just denied for the pet I applied for but from adopting from them at all! I think they are dog hoarders and excepting donations from people while those poor dogs sit there waiting for good homes. read more

Ok, here's my story- Was APPROVED, was told to pick out the puppy I was interested in by looks only (no description of personality given, had to ask), was told when my Petsmart! 'meet and greet' would be and then TOLD that I would need to decide and take him that day of the 'meet and greet'! I was like 'Ok, you got this, a gut feeling is all you need and that usually comes right away, Right?' Well, two days passed and I was feeling a little anxietal, so I decided to call to see if I could come out there prior, AT THEIR CONVENIENCE, to see the puppy before I adopt. I was met with such resistance and attitude, you would've thought I was questioning their business practices!! I asked for even just 15 minutes of their time, and was told that the foster mom is very busy-works a lot! (Isn't that what people get denied for). By the end of the conversation I was told by the woman on the phone that now I made THEM uneasy about the adoption and that I am no longer able to adopt from them-I would have to look elsewhere! Why? Because I was trying to be a responsible adopter by wanting to see if his personality was going to a good fit for me and my 10 year old ADOPTED dog!? Of my own, I have adopted 2 cats as kittens-1 just passed away last Nov at 15, and the other is still with me at 16, and my dog, Bella, who is going to be 11 that I rescued through Pet Connection, Inc. I have also been involved (either with a parent or a significant other) with other pet adoption processes and NEVER have they gone as poorly as this! If you are approved here, better not deviate from THEIR plan of how they want the adoption to take place! Even if it's for ALL THE RIGHT REASONS and not just to be a thorn in their side! Edit | Delete read more

I applied to for adoption with them, was told I had one of the best applications they have ever seen and was approved. I inquired in several dogs over the last 6 months, but only every time that I couldn't have "that" dog. I even reached out to them via email and phone to update my info that I have a dog walker that would be able to let a younger dog out during the day. I've never gotten a response. Only to be told by a volunteer that they didn't believe me when I said I had a dog walker, even though I had emailed them to give them a name and phone number for them to contact the dog walker. To never respond to an email or phone call, that's not good for us people that are trying to do good in adopting dogs that need a good home. I have since adopted through another agency. I wish them luck. Not sure what they are trying to accomplish, but I hope the dogs find good homes. read more