So grateful for this place! We adopted our two kittens…read more(formerly Trout and O'Hoppe, now Binx and Jagr) and had such a great experience. Everyone at the shelter was so friendly, helpful, and clearly cared about the animals. You can tell they really take the time to get to know each pet and make sure they're going to a good home. The adoption process was easy and organized, and we felt super supported the whole way through. Our boys are thriving, and we're so thankful we found them here. Highly recommend this shelter to anyone looking to adopt!

My dog passed away, I contacted the animal control/shelter number from here. I was told I was good…read more 6 months later I get a citation for no license, $100...it's bad enough my dog passed away and now you want me to license a dead dog. Also if I want to go to a hearing, I need to pay the $100 and mail a letter. I was healing from our loss, this is all too much.

We had a great experience with this rescue. They had so many kitties to choose from and they were…read moreso knowledgeable about them all. We just lost our cat of 13 years and were devastated. I ventured over to PetSmart during an adoption event and immediately fell in love with a black and white 5 month old. Took my hubby and son back a few days later and there was my little kitty but this time she had a roommate! He was just as cute and sweet and we all fell in love. What sealed the deal was the foster mom answering all our questions and taking all the time we needed with her. We adopted them both and couldn't be happier. They are healthy, well socialized and fun! Thank you Ark for our new family members. We love them so much!

I'm reviewing the cat yoga event that I participated in!…read more I'm a huge fan of cats! I'm also a huge supporter of the ark of San Juan. They usually have monthly cat yoga events to raise money for to take care and run their chattery. Cat yoga is yoga but you have cats running around while you stretch and relax. This yoga is beginner friendly. You would need to bring your own mat and be dressed and ready. I love our instructor. She's very calm and I like her cat metaphors when we go to into different stretches. It's very simple yoga that any beginner can follow. The cats present at these events are also up for adoption; it helps them adapt more to humans for socialization. Overall, I recommend it if you have the time. It's well worth it if you're a cat person...but you may want to come home with a new addition to your fur family

The best rescue in Orange County with true animal lovers that know what they are doing, they know…read morehow to take care of the animals with a smooth adoption process

I have extensive experience with cats and cat rescue. This rescue is absolutely best in class. I…read moresee people complaining about home checks... understand, these kittens are raised with love and every foster parent wants to ensure their kittens/cats are going to a safe and loving home. The animals are vetted and loved and I could not be happier with my adoption from Dream. - Matilda's mom.

Doggie Bonez Rescue is the most amazing organization that works so hard to find dogs amazing…read moreforever homes. The process of adoption is so smooth and Jackie and her volunteers are really loving people who make sure these dogs go to good people. I have two doggies from them that are now 5 and 9 1/2 and I can thank Doggie Bonez for gifting me the best dogs ever!!

After our beloved senior dog crossed the rainbow bridge earlier this year and when we were finally…read moreready to adopt another dog we scoured several area rescues looking for a dog that fit what we were looking for. We thought we found the one at Doggie Bonez. We initially reached out via the website asking for more info on a specific dog. After a day with no response, we filled out an application because we were serious about adopting and called to follow up. Our calls went unanswered and unreturned. A few days later we reached out via social media and finally got a response from a volunteer. However, everything is managed and run through Jackie so the volunteer offered to reach out to her. Several days later Jackie finally texted. We were so excited! She confirmed the dog was still available, offered to get us updated photos and coordinate with the foster family about setting up a time to meet the dog. Days went by with no reply from her. We reached out again with no reply. At this point we decided to cut our losses and move on. We had been trying to get even the most minimal information for nearly two weeks and ultimately we were ghosted. I understand being the point person for an entire rescue organization can be daunting but a simple acknowledgement that she was working on it or it was on her to do list would have gone a long way. Opening our hearts and home to another dog was a big deal for us and part of our journey to heal after loosing our best boy. Our experience with Jackie and Doggie Bonez was an emotional rollercoaster of being hopeful and excited then being let down with silence. The whole experience was traumatic for me and I would caution anyone choosing to engage with this particular rescue. These dogs deserve loving homes so I wouldn't discourage anyone from adopting but it would be remiss if I didn't share our experience. I hope we were the exception and not the rule to how this rescue is run.

About three months ago I adopted Ziva formerly known as Cassidy. The staff was very kind and…read morewelcoming. You can tell they truly care about the animals there. They were very transparent about everything. Anytime a friend mentions wanting to adopt a dog I mention this rescue! 10/10 experience.

We adopted our first family dog named Nicki from Laguna Beach Animal Shelter. We loved her so…read moremuch. She was a great family pet and she came to us at a time when we needed a positive uplift, right after our daughter Kelly (age 4.5) had open-heart surgery. Nicki added so much joy to all our lives. We stop by the shelter quite often, and we like the way it is run. The animals seem to be cared for in a very nurturing way! Pam & Doug Carrie

I'm confused by all the reviewers saying they had trouble with the staff when trying to turn in a…read morestray animal that was found. I worked in Irvine and frequently ate lunch at the food court on Main Street/Jamboree. One day, leaving the food court, I found a dog outside in the pouring down rain vomiting by the trash cans. The dog gladly jumped into my car to get out of the down pour and I drove it to this animal shelter (yes, it vomited all over the back seat of my car). Not only did they take the dog in immediately with no questions asked, they helped me clean up my car. This place is amazing

I had a very disappointing experience at the Irvine Animal Care Center. I came in looking to adopt…read moretwo kittens and found two that I was genuinely interested in. When we went to the front desk, we were asked to complete a survey, which was understandable. However, after reviewing the survey, a staff member named Casey decided that the kittens were "not a good fit" for me without ever allowing me to interact with them.What was frustrating was that the decision seemed to be made solely based on the survey, with no opportunity for me to meet the kittens or discuss my experience with pets. Casey repeatedly stated that the kittens were "mouthy," as if I wasn't aware that kittens can bite, scratch, and be playful while they're still young. Rather than allowing us to interact with them and make an informed decision, we were simply told it wasn't worth it because they weren't a good fit. I understand the importance of finding suitable homes for animals, but making assumptions about potential adopters without even allowing an interaction felt unfair and discouraging. I left feeling judged and dismissed instead of supported through the adoption process.

The people at New Beginnings For Animals are wonderful to work with. We found the perfect dog for…read moreour family through this rescue group. Their rates are very reasonable especially since they care for the animals, give them any necessary shots/chips and nurse them to health if needed until they find their forever home. I worked mostly with Diane and she was always punctual with replying to emails/texts regarding any dogs of interest. She always gave me timely info and answered any and all of my constant questions and concerns. Meeting times were always flexible and there wasn't a pressure to choose a dog with every meeting. They do their homework on finding the right fit for their animals which I appreciate. They have the animals best interest at heart. That means not every family will get what they want if the fit isn't right. It'd be awful to adopt a dog only to rehome/return the dog a few months later due to bad fit. Keep up the good work!

Walked into Petsmart and immediately felt harassed and unwelcome. The staff at New Beginnings was…read moreunkempt and unprofessional in how they addressed me as customer in the store not to mention the dogs they were attempting to foster or adopt out smelled like urine and feces. We will donate and go elsewhere for adoption. Beware

Extremely unprofessional and unfair place, don't even try adopting from them. I applied to adopt a…read morepuppy (a month prior to the day it was available for adoption) and left a few voice mails expressing my strong interest in adopting this particular puppy, and got absolutely no responses back. I even visited the location and was told they would call me back to schedule a meeting with the puppy (but got no call of course). I just found out from their instagram that the dog was given to someone else today. I didn't even have a chance to meet the puppy or be considered as a candidate despite following all the necessary steps to adopt and having a great application (and maintaining a positive/hopeful attitude during the entire time I waited). You would think they would at least have the courtesy to notify me that they decided to give the puppy to someone else but apparently not.

We rescued Pepe from this place and from start to finish everything was amazing! He now goes to…read moretheir doggy day care and everybody loves him!