Their lead volunteer coordinator has next to no business or experience running a program for volunteers- I looked up her profile - I saw no experience with her handling a shelter in the past. A couple of us met her once at a public event - I nor the other person ever saw her a 2nd time after that. She is never around - enjoys barking orders via electronic means at the volunteers. You have to cancel 24 hrs before coming in, and if you have a last-minute family emergency, there is no guarantee that the people you notify will relay the message. There is a clique-ish environment developing there, too. They gossip and talk about people behind their backs. Please adopt from a private shelter that actually values their volunteers and wants to you to get a cat or dog that matches your life situation. I adore the dogs there, just not the humans who are running the show. read more

Sent this email to Michelle**** I called her the day we had to put our newly adopted pet down and she said regarding not being given information our cat had FIV and told after we signed "Sorry, we were probably busy". ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am emailing this to share my experience in adopting from the humane society. Seven weeks ago, my family came into the humane society looking for a pet . We had our eyes set on Blaze. Online it listed some information about him and I was immediately drawn to him. No health information was listed at all. He was with a volunteer and her child, who were looking to adopt but he was hiding from them. We walked in and he immediately ran to my children to play with them. They spent the next HOUR bonding with Blaze. The other party was interested in him- but I begged the volunteer to share with them why we really wanted Blaze. Last year we had three deaths, a murder , an eviction for my sister as well as three family members diagnosed with life threatening disease. This cat was going to heal our hearts and we were going to give him all the love we had left. Ultimately the volunteer chose to look at another cat. It was not busy that day. It was a Friday at noon. As we signed his papers the volunteer said "oh. Did I tell you? Blaze has FIV" She did not tell us. Nobody did. I realize that is not a death sentence but this should be shared online as well as BEFORE children especially are introduced to the pet. After bonding - what was I supposed to do??? Blaze was given every ounce of love we had for 7 weeks. Unfortunately, suddenly (as I have been told 1000 times with FIV cats), he started vomiting while I was at work and having massive diarrhea. Bouts of ten times in 20 mins. He had an underlying stomach infection that had been there for months according to my Vet...(a well known and respected vet in Naperville) I left work and rushed him to our vet . After several tests, She told me he was really sick and prognosis was not in his favor. Blaze was euthanized that day. He was only 2..... I can't believe it happened. I can't even begin to tell you the extreme amount of additional pain this caused my family. This has me thinking twice about ever adopting a pet for our family again. And I would never return HERE I am really upset by the heartache this caused our family and even moreso by the lack of communication of important details on behalf of the volunteer/ staff that day. I am thankful we had him- bc I question the fact that we weren't told for a reason and he would have died alone in a cage. Wish this story had a better ending- especially for Blaze... read more

Naperville Area Humane Society - Animal Shelters Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I adopted Tinsel almost a year ago and she is wonderful. She expresses herself. If she doesn't want to be patted she lets me know. She is part of my family now read more

I saw some reviews on the staff here but me and my boyfriend worked with Marissa around 6 months ago and she was absolutely amazing. We took a really long time with the dogs and she didn't mind at all, we called her back in so many times to see a new dog and basically met every dog in the shelter and took up her entire day and she was informative about every dog we met and didn't rush us at all. She let us play with them as long as we wanted and take a couple on walks. We found the dog we love and put him on hold for a day and went the next day to pick him up and you can just tell she takes very good care of the animals there because all of the dogs listened to her very well ALTHOUGH that next day I did talk to and meet another staff member who was helping out with the paperwork and she was not friendly at all and i forgot to bring a leash for him and she looked at me disgusted and told me i had to buy one and i was confused why she was being so mean LOL. Fast forward 6 months and our pitty mix is the best! Im really happy with the experience Marissa gave us to ensure we ended up with the perfect dog for us. She was outstanding and extremely accommodating. read more

What a great place, and for a good cause. Any establishment that's cause is to help protect and save animals is good by me. We stopped in to drop off some dog items we no longer needed. It is very clean inside. We heard some animals making noise but didn't see them. Outside they have a couple play areas for dogs. I wanted to bring my dogs there to play. read more

Naperville Area Humane Society - Doggie play area - Animal Shelters Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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came to see the dog, the lady at the reception tried to dissuade us, did not let us see anyone in the end. In the meantime, she just left during the conversation read more

Staff was very accommodating to our needs and very pleasant to work during our adoption process. Special shout out to Jennifer who helped us post purchase as well! read more

This review is based off my experience volunteering. While many of the volunteers were nice, some of the volunteers were angry, buffoonish middle aged Karens. I even came across a rude twenty something that obviously hated her life too. Evidently you need to know ALL THE RULES of the shelter, on only a 60 minute training session, where they throw so much info at you it's IMPOSSIBLE to retain. Then when you're new and have a question or do something wrong, you're either yelled or jeered at by some angry white woman. But before they jeer at you, they ask if you if you've gone thru the training to mock you, as if you're supposed to be a seasoned pro that knows all the rules on one training session. In the end, I'm not interested in being around a bunch of angry women. I did this because I love dogs. It doesn't pay anything. Maybe some of the angry women that work there should show a little more understanding and empathy towards new volunteers. Josie and Judy were nice tho. read more

We just adopted two kittens who we absolutely love. They are sweet and playful and felt like they were always a part of our family the second we got them. The people who work there on the other hand are absolutely horrible. They are rude and condescending and absolutely miserable human beings. I am grateful we found our precious kittens but it is hard to get past how awful the staff is. They even called a few days after to see how the kittens were doing and left a very nice message which I thought was very nice. When I called back, the woman acted like she has no idea why I would be calling and when I told her I was returning their call, she simply asked...are they eating are they ok? I had her on speaker phone and everyone in the room was astonished at how rude she was. I'm grateful to have our sweet kittens SoI can't give a one star review but boy the women there are angry miserable humans. read more

Aloof, almost frightened cats await you at this humane society. While the cages seemed very clean and well-cared for the cats seemed unsocialized, sad, and nervous around people. Even in the "roaming cat" room, the cats backed away from human contact or touch. I have never seen cats act like this at any humane society ever. This Humane Society may have a wonderful mission to protect and save animals and great programming for children, but are lackluster in the socialization of their animals. If you are looking for the purr-fect cat, I would look elsewhere. read more

Most people searching to adopt a pet or searching for a safe haven for their pet when dealing with a crisis situation always search for the best facility or organization. They also want to know that that the organization they are dealing with has the best interest of the pets at heart and is the least stressful for the pet. The Naperville Area Humane Society certainly fills that need. The professional knowledge and kindness shown by this facility will certainly be a benchmark for others to follow. This compassion and understanding is also evident when dealing with Michelle Lenz and Jenifer Cotner the Lead Animal Care Technician. If you are looking for a dog, puppies, cat or kittens you will be glad you stopped here rather than a pet shop. They also specialize in Pet Therapy, A Safe Pets Program, Wildlife Resources and a Behavior Helpline to name some of their programs. I was pleased with the assistance they rendered and their efforts to solve a difficult problem I was facing. Donations helps keep this great organization providing great service. read more

I recently adopted a cat named Kitty, I couldn't be any more pleased with the Naperville Area Humane Society, The People working their could of been any nicer, Kitty is the joy of my life, If any one is looking to adopt this is the place to adopt from, Very pleased with everything! read more

This humane society is the worst WORST place I've ever seen. My cat was out wandering the streets like all the other neighborhood cats do and was out there and I get it. But when they wouldn't give him back to me because I couldn't afford to get him chipped and have him neutered. They refused to give him to me when I had proof of him being mine and my heart broke. I later found out that about 2 days later they have euthanized the sweetest and nicest cat. They were rude and abuse the euthanizing of animals a little to much. read more

At the time of our visit, they didn't really have any dogs similar to what we were looking for, but you can't knock a shelter for their inventory since it's beyond their control. I appreciated the friendliness of the volunteer, since we told her we were looking for a basset hound, beagle, a medium-sized dog, and she allowed us to look at the dogs anyway. At the moment, it was mostly rottweilers, coonhounds, and pitbulls occupying the shelter. There isn't much room for many dogs here though. I'll check back on the website or drop in sometime again. Also, Neuqua Valley High School has coordinated their special education work program here, and students come during the day for an hour of "work" where they help out. Extra star for community involvement. read more

Staff was unfriendly and not welcoming at all. Approached the front desk to five staff members just staring without speaking a word. I was so uncomfortable. I will never understand how you can work at a shelter and be so rude. Some people are new to this experience and are not familiar or educated about the process. There are plenty of other shelters that are more welcoming that I will be visiting. read more

The work that they do there is great. Saving animals all the time. Rehabilitating. But they abuse the euthanasia thing. They put a pitbull down who was sweet as pie because she was "too stressed." No, she needed a good home. She could have gone to foster care to live happier. Heck, I would be stressed too if I were in a cage there all day. That poor dog is dead because of them for NO reason. It's not good. The staff are old women who are rude and grouchy and apparently none of the volunteers can do anything right. They think the volunteers are stupid. They hang signs up showing how to correctly fold towels and put them away. Seriously? The staff are dedicated to their job but they could be nicer and be more grateful for their volunteers, who take time out of their days to be there with the animals and help keep the place going. I stopped volunteering there because I was treated like crap and everything that I did seemed to be not good enough or straight up wrong. Don't have volunteers then. Staff, run the show yourselves! See how fun it will be. Ugh. read more

Horrible staff! As soon as you enter the building, the way they greats you in an unfriendly loud voice " may I help you" I wanted to make a U-turn right there and then, but my daughter articulated " Dad we drove 40 miles let us look at a kitten since we are here". I asked the old lady at front desk with loud voice who greeted us, do you have kittens to adopt? The lady answers with unfriendly voice, this humane society allow 2 kittens at same time not one. If you need one kitten, must get it from some other shelter not here. I said to my daughter, this is a bad place to adopt a pet. So, we left disappointed thinking, I went inside to adopt and came out feeling unwelcomed due to unfriendly environment. I feel sorry for the animals who are under their care. I hope the management get some friendly and happy to see you staff as soon as possible for the sake of the animals. I will never get a pet from this unfriendly Naperville Area Humane Society. Good Luck!!!!!! read more

We've been visiting the Humane Society for a few years, but a lot more frequently in recent times as we are considering adopting a dog. I was afraid that we'd be a pain in the backside as we have been coming in couple of times a week and asking to spend some time with the animals. But the staff have been very accommodating, never making us feel like we're in the way. We've also called a number of times for help with our current dog and they've provided advice and numbers for services that they work with. The facility is very clean and there is a new play area for pets out back. It's really come a long way in the last few years. read more

Felt unwelcome & unwanted if they are treating the cats & dogs like this I feel sorry for them. We were being followed as if we were going to steal an animal and all the cats & dogs were in cages. I would really like to speak to the manager of the facility read more

There's a sign that says open at 5pm, I waited outside with my three kids in the cold for 8 min waiting for someone to open the door, there was a man that walked in and land out of the place to walk a dog, he didn't even bother to let us know any info, even if he was a volunteer he should have said something ! Very rude! Horrible service, I also called and no answer! I'll never go back! read more

They really do take good care of the pets. However, when I went in to see a dog I was interested in adopting they flat out told me no because the dog was so shy & nervous & I need to "do more research" on how to deal with those type of pets. They also went on to tell me how the dog I had for 10 years wasn't really my dog. My mistake on that part was telling them that it was our family dog. At this point I was pissed I grew up with my old dog, house training him, teaching him tricks, walking, feeding, bathing, etc. how are you gonna tell me I need more experience with dogs? Bottom line is they have great pets but the staff is arrogant & they should be more helpful to a family looking forward to rescuing their dogs. read more

This is a review for the Naperville Humane Society summer camps. My daughter had always wanted to do these camps so we did two this year. Her complaint towards the end of the second was that it had turned into a big advertisment for volunteering. She just wanted to do the camps and have fun and gradually got irritated with their sales pitch. The field trip day camp wasn't really as fun as advertised and the dog training camp was lacking in the dog training. I would have normally let all of this go and just not returned next year, but in an unusual transportation week, I was late twice, highly unusual. These were due to some serious circumstances. Upon arrival yesterday, in front of my child, I was verbally asulted by one of their workers. I asked her to stop several times but she even persisted as she walked away, threatening me. I was very shocked and my daughter was fearful of her to return for the last day. I left a message for the Executive Director and received a message back in favor of the worker behavior. I accept that I was late, but this experience was harmful to daughter on several levels. Not returning was not a problem since my daughter was now fearful of how she was going to be treated. I don't recommend any child to be left in the care of this facility is this behavior is acceptable in their employees and supported by their supervisors. There is a way to have professional, private conversations so that our children are not involved, especially if their workers are going to be emotionally confrontational before I can even get out of my car to talk with them. Highly unprofessional and not to be trusted with children AT ALL!! An unfortunate experience and one we've never encountered before. Truly disappointing as we were trying to support an excellent cause as we work for many rescues in the area. read more

It's hard to only give this place 3 stars because we adopted our dog here and she is by far the best dog I've ever had. Absolutely awesome. Literally the pick of the litter. That having been said, the process for adoption was slightly above nothing. My wife and I asked to see the puppy we wanted and we went to a room for the 3 of us to interact. The staff member was very friendly in allowing us time to spend with both the male and the female puppy we were looking at. When we decided which we wanted it was close to closing time so the staff member told us we could come back tomorrow to fill out the paperwork and pick her up. Having volunteered at a shelter back in Boston for over a year before moving to Naperville, I thought that sounded pretty standard. When we came in the next day to pick up our pup we were told that we couldn't take her home until she was spayed. At this point she was 8 weeks old. There was no option of signing to get her spayed by a certain age (4-6 months is both preferable and arguably necessary). I give it 3 stars because we were able to adopt what has turned into an incredible dog, the fee was reasonable ($250) and the staff member was friendly when we were choosing. I don't give it more than that because there should have been more of a background check into our household, I think there should be some follow up within a month of the puppy being adopted and I strongly disagree with the mandatory spaying of our dog at 8 weeks old. read more

My parents just adopted an older kitty here through the seniors for seniors program. Older cats are only $10 to humans over 60. I was surprised they didn't do the same personality matching as the Humane Society in DeKalb, but when we told the volunteer the type of kitty we were looking for, and the situation, she was very helpful. read more

What a great place. I adopted 2 kittens there last year and I've been back to donate items. They are wonderful people and take good care of the animals read more

The thing about adopting a shelter dog is that there is only so much history about the dog that a shelter may have about him / her. In my case I came prepared. I came looking for a smaller dog and I found Lucky. He's a 3 yr old terrier mix; I'm used to hounds. So far so good - he is very loving. I'm so looking forward to sharing our lives together. The adult volunteers for the most part were very nice; there was one woman who was very bossy when I was asking questions about the shelter. I am perfectly aware of why dogs who are just taken in are not ready for adoption. Patience is required for that kind of work. Regardless I adopted a wonderful little companion who came to me already vaccinated, microchipped, examined, and picked up at the hospital after neutering - all for a whopping $200. Not bad for a lifelong little friend. read more

My husband and I adopted our sweet 4 year old Doberman, Joey, from the Naperville Area Humane Society last October. We couldn't be more pleased with the service from staff members. One staff member in particular listened to our wants and lifestyle, and showed Joey to us. Joey is our perfect match! We certainly recommend the Naperville Area Humane Society. read more

We had the worst terrible experience here. We would like to adopt a kitten, and we found one. I understand that they have certain adoption protocol to ensure that the kittens, and other animals, can get a good responsible family. That is totally a right thing to do. But, this lady, grandma-age with a smiless face, completely ruined everything. She is rude and bossy. She says something and expects you to obey her will unconditionally. The best part is no quetions get asked. Even you do, she does not answer or does not know the answer anyway. One demand was that the cats have to be held indoors their whole life time. That does not make any sense to me, so I asked why, one of the ladies answered nicely that it was against IL law to put a cat outside without leash. OK, that is a good answer, so we listen and would follow. But the smiless lady still insist that cats cannot go outside, and she asked us to think about it. Two minutes later, she came back and stopped the adoption, very rudely. Very rudely. did not even give us any chance to communicate. Terrible Terrible experience. One bad employee ruins the entire organization. I feel bad for other friendly hardworking employees and volunteers. read more