I write this review as I watch her fall asleep close to me. She is absolutely beautiful in every single way and it has been such a long journey for the lady and I in finding the right fit. I've been so swamped with so many things in life recently that I've just fallen behind in just about everything - especially reviews - BUT now that I cannot really move without causing more delay to her adjustment here in her new home...time to write an inspired review. First of all, thank you so much to Patty and Barbara for having been there for us through the endless visits we have had here. They have been such a wealth of knowledge for us to tap into and been so patient with us. In fact, they made it their goal to help us find the right fit - recommending particular kennels after getting to know us. Sure enough, we found her. You see, we aren't picky. BUT we are first timers who figured that the most important part of this search was to BOTH feel a connection. We had to love him/her as much as he/she loves us back. Well, that's the thing: she displayed her choice without the slightest hesitation despite being so SHY. Unlike all the others we took out for walks, she kept indicating her love for us - in just about every dog way of doing so - and ignored the "gauntlet" and all the possible scents there were. So now as she sleeps right here beside me...I just write this review and thank this organization for what they do and for guiding us to this decision in the most patient and amazing way possible. read more

Monterey County Animal Services - Adopted and totally loving her! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Salinas, California

Absolutely HORRIBLE experience with the ladies at the front. No compassion at all. I hope you're happy that you have ruined my entire 4th of July weekend. If I find out that poor dog was euthanized so help me. And I NEVER gave you permission to take a copy of my drivers license. Who puts a dog in quarantine for playing!!!! Survived Miranda's Rescue just to be put in another type of hell. Shame on all 3 of you. read more

I'm so thankful for the doctors and nurses for taking care of my Shih Tzu Milo, he got neutered today. Great service, everyone was super friendly. Would highly recommend to any body. read more

Not sure what purpose they serve at this point. They have a voicemail message that runs forever and when you get to the end of it and push 1 to speak to someone, no someone ever comes. There was a German shepherd running loose near my house. I eventually just gave up. Are we suppose to just shoot them now? I mean, I guess animal services serve a purpose, I just can't imagine what that purpose is. I'm sure they're real nice people and all, but I'm not calling them because I want to talk to a nice person. I'm calling them because I thought that was what we are suppose to do when we see an obvious pet roaming around without a collar. If they aren't for that purpose, is there someone who is? If there isn't should there be? I'm all for handling situations ourselves, but exactly what would they like us to do? Drive them to the shelter? To the SPCA? If it's aggressive, do I just grab my shotgun? Kinda thought that was illegal inside city limits. read more

Control office arrived to remove a stray pit from my property. Professional and courteous.

I just want to let everyone know, this place is amazing! They whole heartedly care about the animals. There is a grassy play area for the dogs. The staff are SO helpful, patient, kind.... Specifically Rayne (Rain)- not sure of the spelling and Jose! These two went above and beyond helping us find our newest addition to our family! They are amazing staff and we are just SO incredibly grateful to be blessed with our new (to us) dog! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and thank you for answering my dozens of calls and continued patience! read more

Monterey County Animal Services - Animal Shelters Near Me - Salinas, California

Great staff and help We got our recent small dog from them. Reece a pet in need, you will never regret it

The most kind hearted, animal loving people work right here in this wonderful facility. If you're looking for unconditional love and a faithful companion animal, please stop here and let your heart be your guide. The staff will be happy to point you in the right direction. read more

I dropped off a feral kitten who I couldn't care for as I had found him in the midst of my workday. He was a beautiful, bright, curious and friendly kitty, but was starving and had bald, scaly patches behind his ears. I asked the woman when checking him in if they are a "no kill" shelter, to which she replied they would assess him and do their best to adopt him out. I requested to be notified before they kill him, if it's determined the rash and other potential health issues are found. Not 24 hours later, I learn that they have killed him. I would happily have paid for his care and found a suitable family to adopt him, but I suppose this would have been more work on their end to have to pick up the phone and give me a call before they decided to end a precious life. read more

I took in 4 kittens this morning. I wondered whether or not it was the right thing to do, as they were such good kittens and gave me so much happiness watching them run and play and snuggle with their mommy, but what kind of life would they have living in the streets where cars sped by already killing 3 kittens that were from previous litters? The guy from the back walks towards me and asks me where the kittens were from, how long have they been there....he asks for my id and brings out a piece of paper that says euthanasia consent form. I was floored and asked him if he was going to kill them. He said it was so they could treat them right away and without signing them he said something about 5 days. My mind was racing and I was hesitant, but after signing he said don't worry they won't be put down. Relieved? Probably not. I had mentioned to him and the woman that came in after the kittens were taken to the back, that I tested the mom for feline leukemia and another virus and she was negative. So i know they aren't sick. I am praying these kittens find a forever home. I will update my stars when I see them on the adoption page of their website. Jill from AFRP, if you are reading this. I hope whatever they can't do. You guys will take in these precious little beings. UPDATE. It has been about 2 weeks. No sign of kittens on their adoption page. I deeply regret if they put them down. I would have kept them. I should have. Regret taking them read more

Horrible customer service, the supervisor with short hair and one of the workers that has purple in her hair are so rude! I was simply asking what I can do with a stray dog and it seems like they didn't want to be there doing their job. So rude!!! read more

We got our 1 yr old dog here for our daughter and the costumer service and the vet are wonderful. The adoption fee is $145 and that includes spaying/neutering. Our new dog had kennel cough and they gave us her meds at no charge. The shelter is clean and all the animals are well cared. read more

Monterey County Animal Services - Our new family member at home. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Salinas, California

Nice animal shelter. Very clean and respectable. Definitely check here if you're looking to adopt an animal. They typically have cats, dogs, and rabbits, and sometimes other small critters. Check their website to see what's animals are currently looking for a home. I haven't adopted any animals from them, but I've definitely included them as a place to search when I was looking for a new pet. I've also enjoyed going in there and just playing with the kittens! read more

The adorable pup featured in my photo was adopted at this shelter. Iggy, you are one cool dog. Sure, you have your quirks, but at least you have personality. That is what I desire in my canine animal companions. I was depressed and bored after getting stuck in San Jose with zero job prospects. I decided I was ready to adopt another dog (my buddy Buster had died in '01) and started perusing the adoptable pets online. I found a very pathetic-looking Chihuahua (perfect for the apartment-dweller) on the Monterey County Animal Services website, called the shelter to place a hold, notified my man that it was a go (and he better get over it!), and hopped in the car to head down to Salinas. The adoption process took longer than expected, but before long I was responsible for an underweight and very scared little dog. Unfortunately, within 48 hours he was diagnosed with pneumonia and had to spend 3 days in isolation at a very expensive vet. On one hand, I was pissed that they adopted out a sick dog. On the other hand, I was grateful that I got him before they decided to euthanize a sick dog. If I have any real comments, it's that I was alarmed at some of the instructions I was given at the shelter. The person was trying to give me some tips as to how to handle a dog, but it would have been better if they had looked at my application. I've had dogs my entire life, so I know how to train them. But if this was my first dog, saying something more specific than "Don't yell at him when he chews your shoes because he won't understand!" would be much more constructive. It would also help keep more animals out of the shelter. As a bonus, my dog was miraculously house-trained when I brought him home. :) read more

I had a horrible experience with this shelter. When I went to pick up the cat I had found, the vet told me she had given the whole litter a dog vaccine by mistake. Big red flag that I ignored. But she assured me that a small bald spot was the worst thing that could happen. OK then. I got 2 kittens. A week later, one of the cats developed a bloody sore on the back of her neck. The local vet told me it was a bad reaction to a vaccine. Yeah, that made sense. We tried t-shirts, antibiotics, hormones - but every time the wound healed, the cat would scratch it open. After 6 months and $700 worth of treatment, the local vet recommended surgery to cut out the infected skin - at $1,100. I emailed the shelter vet, explained the situation and asked her to do the surgery herself. She agreed. A few days after the surgery, I noticed spotting on the cat's protective t-shirt. I emailed a picture to the shelter vet - no response.. So I took the cat to the local vet. Oh my God. The surgery had been botched. The infection was much worse than it was before. The local vet explained that the sutures were too tight, the incision was too large, etc etc etc.The local vet did his best to treat it, but said that if it didn't heal this time, he'd have to perform another more complicated surgery. I contacted the shelter vet, who of course refused to take responsibility. She did offer to perform the 2nd surgery. Uh, yeah... no thanks. Stay away from this place. read more

Their resources are limited and staff well-meaning but not well trained. This is a fairly high kill shelter and they don't try very hard for what they call "hard to place" animals...A beautiful dog was brought in recently and there were 3 potential adopters, all with pit bull experience, but ignorance ruled out and they had decided the dog should be put down. What a waste of a beautiful animal. I'm sure some of the people mean well but I really wonder about their true intentions. Check out AFRP or the SPCA or any of the rescue organizations instead. Those people are in it for love and the animals are a priority. It's a double-edged sword, but I will always vote for adopting out of a shelter or rescue group vs a pet store or breeder. read more

The staff there are great! They are friendly and supportive to the locals. They treat their animals just as they would treat their own pets. It's one of the cleanest facilities in Monterey County. They made adopting my dog and my cat a pleasure! read more

aweseome friendly people. Very helpful staff and volunteers. easy to pick out a pet and simple adoption procedures. worth the drive wherever you live (Monterey Bay/San Benito County/Santa Cruz county) read more

When I adopt a dog.It was easy as a snap.They are also nice too.The people their are friendly. I reccommd this animal shelter to all the people in the world read more

Would be negative rating if possible. So it appears that getting animals adopted is not their first priority. Maybe having lots of pets is job security for the staff? They never answer the phone, and I mean never. I tried calling on several occasions, and it went to voicemail every time. They close on a holiday weekend without putting any kind of notice out there for the public. Their hours are certainly not easy on a working man, and they don't want to make any exceptions even when it comes to one of the strays being taken to a good home. I finally was able to squeeze in a visit because their website says they are open at 0800. I drive all the way out there, and I am told that the office opens at 0800, but the adoption area(where the pets are) doesn't open until 12. I told them what their website says, and they just kind of stare at me. I then inquired about a certain dog, who has been there for quite some time. I have to pull answers to my questions out of this lady at the desk. I asked her to tell me about the pup. She would say one thing, then stare at me. I would have to ask again. This went on for several minutes. Now it's about 1000. I asked her if there is anyway that I would be able to just see this puppy, even if only for a second. I was extremely interested in rescuing this little guy. I only saw one picture of him, so all I wanted was to meet him for a split second. I explained this to this lady at the desk. She would not budge at all. She never even lifted a finger from her seat at the desk. I asked one more time, and she said, "sorry, it's not ready back there, they're cleaning, and feeding". I said, "can't you just make a small exception this time, I won't get in the way, it will take just a minute". She said "NO". I left, without rescuing a pup, and taking him to a great home. I think the county needs to give this place an overhaul immediately, starting with the front desk staff. read more

I adopted two kittens here a year ago. It couldn't have worked out better and I can't recommend Monterey County Animal Services more highly. read more

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It was nice to have a play yard so our other dog could get to know the puppy of our choice. The staff answered all our questions. We adopted 'Daisy' who is now known as 'Twiggy" aka Twigs. She is a lab/pit terrier mix & is doing well. MO.Co. gave us a list of Veterinarians who give a complimentary 1st office which helped us out. This was our 1st adoption, we have rescued 7 of our pets from the street's and found this route to be just as rewarding and successful. read more

Horrible! Just awful! Do not ever donate your money to this organization! They are heartless! These are not animal lovers but animal killers! I along with my entire neighborhood had lovingly fed a stray cat recently and when it became obvious that this stray needed healthcare and a loving home i called this shelter. They refused to take the hurting cat saying it was my responsibility. So i called the spca and the spca told me that this organization is heartless and does this often. Well the spca had to send this poor cat back to the salinas shelter today...i just got a very rude call telling me they are going to kill this cat without even giving the sweetheart a chance to find a loving home! This cat is an amazingly sweet cat and could make a wonderful pet for someone but no this heartless organization will kill him all because one loving neighborhood tried to help by feeding the cat. Do not give this heartless place your money. Im disgusted. read more

I called for them to go pick up a dog that was left in my house and they where very rude they said it was my responsability to take it but I'm afraid of dogs cant even go to my back yard does any body know what i should do? read more

I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to bring in a "stray" dog (I'm pretty sure had been dumped) I had found in the Monterey Animal Services jurisdiction. The staff at the Shelter was amazingly competent and sympathetic, while being realistic about the dog's chances for adoption. After the designated "hold" time the dog appeared on their "adopt" site just as they had explained; and luckily he was soon adopted. When I'm ready for another dog I'll definitely look there first. read more