I had a wonderful experience adopting from Santa Clara Animal Shelter. The staff were incredibly…read morefriendly, knowledgeable, and helpful throughout the entire process. The adoption process was quick, smooth, and easy to navigate, which made bringing home my new pup stress-free. I also appreciated that the adoption included spay services and vaccinations, showing how much the shelter cares about the health and well-being of their animals. Most importantly, I absolutely love my adopted pup! She has already brought so much joy into my life. Thank you to everyone at Santa Clara Animal Shelter for helping us find each other. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to adopt a pet.

We adopted Mona from this shelter mid June and she had been a joy to have in our house, the girl is…read moreenergetic and friendly, and puppy classes are discounted as we got her from the pound at HSSV. A few things to note: - The dogs do play rough / have really bathroom manners after adoption, thus you have to do a bit of training to coax it out. It took us two months but it has been otherwise good. Australian Shepards / Border Collies (we are getting an embark test but she looks like both), are suppose to be neutered 2 years in because they'll develop weak joints, but she was neutered at what they say is 4months, we believe she is a lot older than 4months when we got her tho.

We adopted our Bowie via POMDR years ago. It was love at first sight. They worked with us every…read morestep of the way. They call or email me regularly to see how she's doing, 11 years after adoption. The mission is to rescue and to provide homes for dogs when their owners are no longer able to provide for them due to age.

POMDR has been incredibly helpful to me and my dog MAX. We have received food to help while I'm on…read moredisability after a work injury. We can't thank you enough.

When will there be another dog food give away? Even more…read morethan needing food... I would like to say what a wonderful thing ya'll have been doing. I would like to give yall a million dollars to keep helping Monterey county, but I guess you have already figured out i dont have a million $'s to give. I will feel the same even if your unable to help us at all anymore. Thank you for your love & compassion. Lorie K.

Thank you for helping me with my dog Hanky. I could have never done it without your help. you guys…read moresincerely love animals and for that, I love you.

We got our little guy from JW back in 2020. Some personal issues fell upon us in mid-2023 and we…read morefound ourselves working and traveling for work more. With nobody willing to stay with him while we were away, and not enough money to board him for extended periods of time, we did what we thought was the responsible thing to do and reached out to JW to help us rehome him. After all, the paperwork we got (and the nice lady we got him from) said to bring him back if ANYTHING happens, no questions asked. Didn't matter if it was 10 months or 10 years. We were made to feel like complete trash for being in this situation. Chastised, called liars, the whole bit. After a lengthy back and forth at the beginning of August, we were told to send pictures so they can find a place for him. In the meantime, he was home alone many days with various relatives who were able to drop by and feed him and take him out. Fast forward to November...not a peep from JW. One night the dog decided he'd try to bite my daughter while she was laying on the couch, then he went after the cat. At that point, we reached back out and JW stated they could no longer help us, because the dog is now aggressive. We have tried to stick it out and worked with him through many bad days and he was showing some promise. Then I took him to the vet and he tried to bite the vet tech, and proceeded to go after me (before anybody so much as touched him). I have a feeling our time away has something to do with this, and this is exactly what we were trying to prevent to begin with. So if you think there is even a sliver of a chance that you may need to re-home a dog from JW, don't even bother. It has been a nightmare. We can't surrender him, we can't rehome him, and now we have a house full of people who may or may not be attacked by this dog at any given moment.

We adopted these two senior cuties several years ago from Jake's Wish and could not be happier. No…read morerescue can make a guarantee as to the personality of an abandoned animal. Honestly they are likely abandoned because the owners didn't have the bandwidth to deal with personality quirks. If you don't understand this, you aren't an experienced dog owner. We have had many rescues with various "quirks" and accept this as who they are. As long as they love us, we work with it. Most veterinarians are very understanding as long as you are honest about your dog's limitations. Our two little ones came into our lives after we lost our last larger pup. We wanted smaller dogs for handing ease. We weren't looking for two, but when we heard they were found together we were happy they might be a bonded pair. As it turns out, one is a super easy dog-people lover and the other is a terror! Nevertheless, we love them both equally and they love us back. Don't expect to get a perfect dog. They don't exist. They are like children who can surprise you no matter how perfectly you think you reared them. As for Jake's Wish, the contact I worked with was prompt, kind, efficient and understanding. We are over the moon with our two little beings.

I applied as a foster (never fostered a dog before) with AFRP in 2024. My experience was very…read moregood. I submitted an online application asking for a smaller dog and my preference for a poodle mix. They responded within a couple of days, as I recall, and asked a few more questions. After a few days, they contacted me with a possible match, explaining he was a senior poodle mix with a few medical issues. They work closely with Hitchcock Animal Services (county shelter) and had several dogs that had issues and needed a rescue with a strong foster program. They brought "Bernie" over, and I became a foster mom with full support from AFRP. They provided guidance and everything from beds/blankets to toys and even food! They provided the vet services to help Bernie be the best dog he could be. They invited me to various events (and even a TV spot!) to show off Bernie but unfortunately dogs with medical issues can be a little harder to get adopted. So after six months, I fell in love and became a "foster win" and adopted him. To this day, AFRP considers me part of their alumni family and invites me to activities such as local parades or fun events. They have a variety of dogs and cats, young to old, healthy to some having medical challenges, and work hand-in-hand with several shelters to help find fosters and ultimately final homes! I found their offices to be clean and functional, although if they were bigger, they could help more animals. I use Yelp frequently and know I make decisions based on reviews. I wanted to provide a positive and more recent outcome than some older comments which I feel are no longer applicable. The last note I will make is that as of 2024, they have new executive and support staff who are fantastic. So please consider discovering this great local rescue organization. AFRP have been around for a while but today, I find they are an excellent organization always improving on their processes and staff. So please GO FOSTER! It's fun, rewarding, and inexpensive. You get lots of love in return.

Friendly and helpful staff who really love fostering the animals they rescue. The cats I looked at…read morewere healthy, had their shots and were already neutered/spayed. I strongly recommend supporting this organization.

We're just beginning the adoption process, but every communication has been so warm and friendly!…read more One of the adoption specialists really listened to what we're looking for, knew which of the fosters will be a perfect match, and put us in touch with the foster-mom. Those communications have also been warm and feel "right". Looking forward to meeting the prospective critter to see if she likes us. There are some truly psychotic people running rescue groups out there, and then there are others that restore your faith in humanity. So far, AARF is the latter.

Disclaimer: I only stopped by on a whim while in the area to look at the adoptable dogs. We did not…read moreend up adopting any so I cannot speak to the adoption process. The location is a bit isolated at the end of a street where it looks like there's some illegal dumping. But the building itself and facilities were very clean. It's honestly either the best shelter I've seen or the one closest SPCA to my home is extra rundown or both... You can stop by without an appointment just to look at the animals. This place does not smell. Really! I'm used to walking in and the shelter reeks of dog or waste. I don't think I saw a single accident. These kennels are all inside. They're glass. The dogs don't immediately cry and bark for attention! They're actually calm and happy for being in a shelter. The shelter has a little bucket of treats. You can help train the dogs to be calm by giving them a treat. What a wonderful idea! The bios are pretty detailed for each animal. They also have a couple in foster care but those bios are in the hallway wall. While we were there we saw they do a schedule and put different shelter dogs together in an outdoor area to play together. Play dates! Great idea for enrichment and to help learn more about an animal. From what I saw, I wish every animal shelter was this nice and all shelter dogs could be this comfortable!

My wife and I were excited to meet Molly, a 10-month-old MinPin, and were prepared to adopt a shy,…read morenervous dog. We have a well socialized Shepard mix, own our home, no kids, etc., etc. Filled out adoption paperwork, and over the course of a few days, we took time off work multiple times to fit the shelter's hour overlap w/ a 9-to-5. First, we were asked to return to introduce our resident dog. Then we were told Molly had been spayed and to come back later. After that, we were told she hadn't recovered well from the procedure and needed time. All delays were COMPLETELY understandable... but we expected that, once we finally met her, the staff would invest the time needed for a proper introduction. When we finally met Molly, she was understandably nervous around unfamiliar people. During her introduction to our well-socialized 50-pound Shepherd mix, Molly raised her lips and growled - completely expected behavior from a shy, unsocialized 10mo old living in a shelter. An SPCA volunteer who works w/ Molly was present and confirmed Molly has had little interaction with people outside of this particular volunteer. Given the background, and our willingness, I expected we would spend 20 to 30 minutes allowing Molly to become more comfortable and see if she would adjust/if the situation would be possible. Instead, a staff member overseeing us, Nicole, remained very apprehensive throughout the interaction. After only a few minutes, she told us, "There's no way this is going to work in a home with such a shy and nervous dog." She also expressed concern that if Molly were adopted and later bit someone, the adopter could sue. I responded that we were specifically looking to provide a patient, stable home for a nervous puppy and help her build confidence through training and socialization... and in fact, that we had done this with our current rescue (who had been returned to the Humane Society twice for "nipping" prior to us adopting). I also questioned whether adoption paperwork/California truly places liability with the individual working for the SPCA... thinking this was a bizarre tactic rather than just saying "no" two days earlier.. Nicole reiterated that California is "a very litigious state"and that this was a concern. I literally could not believe what I was hearing.. don't know if she panicked and needed to say something random.. but this was very lame. Disappointing me the most, and my primary complaint... this interaction ended after only about 5-10 minutes. No way this exceeded 10mins, not even close. There were 0 signs of major red flags, just a very shy puppy who had been living in a concrete/metal cage her whole life.. It never felt like Molly was given an honest opportunity to become comfortable with us or our dog. And to add.. the volunteer who regularly works with Molly seemed to agree with our concerns about how the introduction had been handled. Hell, we would have been willing to come back a few more times if that's what Molly needed for adjustment. I fully support shelters being cautious and making thoughtful adoption decisions. But when you make an appointment, grow a little attachment, prove that you're wanting and willing to get a thorough meet... and then the staff don't do their job (in my eyes at least)... big time bummer. Not every adoption is the right fit, and safety should always come first. In this case, the decision had already been made before Molly was given a real chance to interact with us. Multiple trips, rearranging our work schedules, and coming prepared to adopt a shy dog, we left feeling that the process was rushed and that very little effort was made to facilitate a proper introduction. Truly a bummer for Molly. I hope Molly finds a good home, she def. needs patience, incremental socialization, her own calm area.. and lots of love. To the SC SPCA, don't hesitate to call us back if you can't find a home for Molly.

Update: Barkley gave us 12.5 wonderful years and losing him was tough. Sonny just turned 12, but…read morethis resilient senior pup is still as energetic as ever despite losing his brother. We are so incredibly thankful for this organization for giving us such wonderful pups. They have made our house a home for over 10+ years and we never had any issues with health or behavior until their older age (11+)

I saw my little Rosie (Yorkshire Terrier) listed on Petfinder a couple weeks ago and I sent an…read moreemail, then called to follow up. They asked some questions, I came in to meet her and talk with them... and just a few days later I was able to pick her up! She is beautiful, healthy and full of energy. I am also happy to say that the process to adopt her was so quick, easy and smooth!!! (I've tried working with some other organizations that did not seem organized to say the least) Loree and Lanae were the ones I worked with and I just want to say thank you so much!!!

We have adopted two kittens from the HSSV located at the Petco in Saratoga. Both experiences were…read moreexcellent. This time a woman working there named Cat helped us pick out our kitten and answer all our questions. She was very sweet and knowledgeable. Wouldn't have got my baby if she had not been there to help. Thank you! Also a volunteer named Florence was great help too!

I've tried to visit twice now, both times during posted business hours (once mid-day, once evening,…read morea couple months apart) they have been closed both times. The staff at Petco knows nothing about their hours either "it says they should be open...so they should be back there" both times

Very nice when I called about animal services Gave me greatinformation onwhere to take for spadread more

Customer service is horrible in office they are rude and not helpful ... trying to reach the office…read morephone is impossible as well.