I appreciate the work that animal shelters do, which makes it disappointing to share that our…read moreexperience here fell short. Communication throughout the process was virtually nonexistent, and when we did interact with staff, the tone felt unexpectedly curt. Hoping this feedback can help improve the experience for future adopters and, most importantly, the animals who rely on this shelter.

We found our pup on Pet Finder. We submitted an application to RVAR and within a couple of days we…read moreheard back. Dawn, the Kennel Manager, was very responsive, very professional, and very concern about the welfare of all the pups at their facility. She called our vet and checked up on us, I thought that was great. The place was as clean as you can hope an animal shelter can be. We drove an hour to RVAR in hopes that this cute pup would fit into our family. Dawn brought us into a room and then brought our pup into the room. She sat with us for awhile and watched. Then she gave us as much time as we needed alone with our pup. We absolutely fell in love our new baby. He's the perfect fit for our family and we decided to adopt him. RVAR rescued him, his 2 siblings, and their mom from a kill shelter in Kentucky and we will be forever grateful to RVAR! Dawn took our first family photo and she even checked in with us the next day to see how we were all doing. Thank you Dawn and RVAR..... 5 STARS!!!!

I adopted 2 domestic black cats: Leo & Midnight. They came as a pair. Background check, application…read moreprocessed, only $60.00 they both were microchip, vaccinated, spayed and neutered, ventinary check up to deem the health. The past 3 months have been fun. Midnight, is female, sits on the top of the living room chair watching out the window. Friendly, lovable, meows for me to pet her; such a stress reliever. Leo, the male, is shy. He will spend most of his time downstairs. The cats are quiet, clean, low-maintenance for the life I live. The animal control personal were very professional. The animals were shown care. I appreciated the genuine attitude the building and staff showed. If interested in a pet give a sheltered animal a chance because animals adopted from shelters typically cost less than ones purchased or even acquired for free--once you add in the cost of vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, microchip, dewormer, and other "tide bits" included in your adoption fee, you'll probably be surprised what a bargain it is to have chosen an adopted pet. Most shelters and rescue groups conduct thorough behavioral analyses of each pet to get a better ideal that they will be the right piece for your family. Schererville Animal Control did this and told me if anything happens to please bring the pets back. I can not recommend to adopt a shelter animal anymore than buying from a pet store etc. Most pets end up homeless through no fault of their own--"moving" and "landlord issues" are the top reasons people give for relinquishing their pets, please check out your local shelter. It was definitely 100% worth it for my children and I.

We recently adopted Rufus (now Riker) and were so happy to see how well he was taken care of--even…read moreif he was only there a few days. Angela scheduled his vet/surgery appointment and we got him over there right after the weekend. We're still working through the introduction to our dog, but are hopeful that they'll be great siblings. :) I know that there are many animals that come through there, and all I have heard are good things about how Schererville AC takes care of the animals and how professional they are with everyone. Keep up the good work!

I just adopted a cat from Lulu's and had a great experience! All of the volunteers and staff I…read moretalked to and emailed with were so friendly, helpful, and quick to respond. I could really tell that everyone there cares so much about the animals before and even after they are adopted. I would recommend!

Great rescue. Great people. They take great care of their animals. Ourselves, our family, and…read moreour friends have all adopted several animals from Lulu's. Would recommend.

At the request of a friend, I sent this organization a check for a donation. Having heard nothing…read morefrom them to acknowledge the gift, I sent them an email for an update which was ignored. I'd caution anyone to consider donating to Starfish.

After losing a beloved 18 yr old furbaby, I knew I found…read morethe perfect kitty who was outgoing and loved dogs and people. Oreo started out in life with food sensitivities - Starfish gave this cutie top notch vet care and continued with wonderful foster care. I feel blessed to have this spunky silly baby in our household! Thank you Starfish for your wonderful rescue efforts and care to these precious fur babies!

A wonderful rescue! They TRULY care about animals. Many have been rescued from high kill shelters…read more Animals that are set to be eauthanized because they're homeless. Reach Out Rescue's animals are fully vetted and spayed/neautered. They don't have a facility but a number of loving fosters throughout the surrounding communities. They do have adoption events and more information on their website. They also have a Facebook page. It's been a great pleasure dealing with them!!

ROR really cares about the animals they take in. I haven't adopted from them but know Tracy and…read morehow much her and the ROR members care about the animals and about animals that may otherwise been put down. I find Lauren's review so unsavory. My husband and I recently adopted a Golden Retriever puppy from a rescue and 3 had to give 3 PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES in addition to lots of info. Guess what? They called them all to see what kind of home we could give Dylan. Lauren - the rescues want to make sure they have chosen the best home possible. I'd rather give a rescue my info than a pet store my credit card!!! Save a life - adopt!

The staff were very nice and knowledgeable. The place where the animals were kept was clean and…read morefree from odor. When I'm ready for another pet I will consider going here first.

I had 10 kittens I needed help finding homes & I called this place 3 separate times in Aug, the…read more18th, 19th & the 24th & still to this day, NO ONE has returned my calls! I left detailed voicemails. It's so hard to find help trying to rehome kittens & had I left them in a box in an alley somewhere, that would've been considered inhumane. But all the shelters I reached out too, including this one, offered no help or assistance. They don't care for real & the only real option is to just leave them in a box by their front door. If you're looking for help to rehome or surrender any animals, this definitely isn't the place!!

We adopted a dog from Lakeshore Paws and I'm so pleased with how it went. Admittedly I had a…read morenot-so-great experience with them 5 years ago when we were first looking to adopt, but I think they've made a lot of changes and I'm really glad we gave them another chance when searching for a second pup. When we arrived they gave us a tour of their dogs - their facility is very large and all the dogs housed there had decently-sized spaces. We originally just went to take a look, but we saw a dog we liked and ended up playing with him a bit in a separate location while supervised, we filled out an application at a computer they had there, and made plans to bring our other dog in the next day so they could meet. After the dogs met in isolated locations both outside and inside, they let us take the dog home for a foster-to-adopt situation where we could basically do a week-long trial run. We ended up extending that for a second week which was extremely helpful before finalizing the adoption. Everyone we interacted with was very friendly and helpful, down-to-earth and you could tell just trying to do their best for the dogs there. We did have an emergency with the dog (swallowed something he shouldn't have!) where we reached out, and Lakeshore Paws was quick to answer and give us directions (head to the ER!). Overall they made the adoption process easy and also thoughtful (the foster-to-adopt was really such a good idea) and were very helpful throughout. I would definitely recommend starting with them if you are looking to adopt a new family member.

We went to lakeshore paws on Aug 29,2026 and was treated horribly by the front desk girl. she was…read morevery rude and not friendly at all. when asked if we had an application on file we said yes. she proceeded to say that our application was not approved because they couldn't get a hold of our vet and landlord. no one ever called us to let us know they had an issue. when we told them we already spoke to our vet she wouldn't even listen. we asked if we could see some puppies that we seen on their website she very rudely said they already have appointments. we have never treated so rudely. if this place doesn't need people to adopt their dogs then we will find another shelter to adopt from.

"The colors of your first impression paint the canvas others hold."…read more I've been aware of NAWS for years, but I've never had the privilege of visiting the shelter. I recently took in a stray cat and her three kittens. After keeping them for a month, I surrendered the adult cat (Willow, aka Mama) to NAWS. Regrettably, her babies went to Catnap From the Heart in LaGrange. IF I knew then what I know now, I would have taken the kittens to NAWS as well. I had a contact who knew Delonda (NAWS board member), so she arranged for Willow to be taken in by NAWS. Anyway, I dropped Willow (aka Mama) off on Sunday afternoon. There was a moderate wait, but Franny was gracious and friendly with all of us. She took the time to take my information and ask about Willow's preferences and personality. She also asked what type of home I thought might be suitable for Willow. (Catnap didn't do that, nor did they even seem interested in what might be best for the kittens I surrendered.) She also inquired about her medical history and her backstory. Having just come from Catnap, I was surprised (and happy) that the staff at NAWS took the time to note so many details. Franny asked us to wait around while Willow's cage was cleaned, so we took that time to calm her and try to make her more comfortable. Someone standing at the counter also asked why Catnap didn't take Willow since they took her kittens, and we said it was due to her having a history of biting. This person rolled their eyes and kinda smirked, which confirmed all the uneasy feelings I had when I visited there. Finally, it was time for them to take Willow to the back, and we said our goodbyes. My sister and I were in tears... we've never fostered before (this was on our dime, not through any organization), so the entire experience was new to us. We've had cats all our lives, but we had them from kittenhood through adulthood. We were raised that pets are a lifetime commitment, so we keep our pets for their entire lives. Giving up Willow (and the kittens) was heartbreaking. When Franny took Willow to the back, we couldn't hold back our tears. Kim was standing near the counter, and I asked her what would happen to Willow. She said Willow would undergo a medical assessment before being put on the adoption floor. If she was stressed at the shelter, then they would look for a foster for her. Kim was so sweet... She tried to console us by saying she knew how hard surrendering Willow must have been and that she would be okay. She said that we could call to check on Willow or come visit her anytime. Kim and Franny were wonderful. They were both friendly, helpful, and compassionate. The entire experience was positive and reassuring. I could sense that I was leaving Willow in good hands. That's not at all what I felt when I left Willow's litter at Catnap from the Heart. A few days later, I stopped by the shelter to pay Willow's adoption fee for her future owner whenever she's lucky enough to find her forever family. She's really a sweet and loving cat once she warms up to a person, so I'm hopeful that someone will see past her somewhat gruff exterior and give her a loving home. I also donated some paper towels and trash bags. The staff and volunteers were gracious and wonderful once again. They allowed me to visit Willow, and she stopped hissing long enough to allow me to pet her briefly. I believe she recognized my scent because she sniffed me and then laid down so I could touch her. They told me she'd be moved to the "angry bird" section of the shelter, where a group of dedicated volunteers would work with her before she's put on the adoption floor. I honestly can't say enough about the staff and volunteers at NAWS. It truly pains me that Willow's kittens didn't go with their mom because I genuinely feel as though they are suffering because of it. Catnap From the Heart pales in comparison to NAWS, and it's painfully obvious if you visit both shelters. Mokena/Frankfort residents are lucky to have such dedicated people looking after the homeless animals in the area.

I've been interacting with NAWS for about 4 months. What a great organization. The people involved…read moreabsolutely love animals and want the want the best for every one of them. I've seen them find fosters from out of the blue. I have seen them rearrange schedules to get a kitten taken care of. I have seen them making sure that it is a proper fit between animals and adopter. what's even better is that they have their own vets on staff and those vets are open to the public often at reasonable rates. I also know that they are very, very cautious with the donations that are desperately needed from the general public.