***If you're looking to rescue from here BEWARE***…read more I adopted a puppy from this organization in 2019. Unfortunately after years of trying to correct behavioral and paying hundreds of dollars trying to correct this nothing worked. I reached out to Marsha Perry in 2020 to inform her of the problems and she simply told me to look into training (which we already had spend hundred on). In March of 2024 I reached out to her again to tell her I had tried everything and couldn't keep the dog anymore. Marsha said "ROAR has not been doing dogs for many years and has transitioned to mostly cats". She also said "can't he be kept in a cage or in a separate area of the house?" She became extremely vile, unresponsive at times and simply refused to help. At the time do adoption we were told they would take the dog back NO QUESTIONS ASKED, should "life happen" and we could keep him anymore. Clearly not the case. I continued to reach out to other rescues in the area and unfortunately a few months later my husband lost his job, we had to move in with family and their senior dog gets severe anxiety around other dogs. So keeping our behavioral complex dog was not an option. I reached out to a shelter in desperation and explained to them everything that Marsha had said to me. I even showed them emails and they were APPALLED! They were happy to take him in and take care of him. A few days later Marsha emails me with a very nasty tone "I can't believe you thought this was a better option for him." Ummm...you left me no choice! Please stay away from this organization. Not only will they NOT honor signed contracts, the owner Marsha will harass you, belittle you and be flat out be nasty to you. I have reported this organization. These people shouldn't be allowed to continue to foster animals. I can only imagine how they treat those poor animals.

Well they let me adopt my best friend so I'd say I loved it ! Please adopt don't shop!!!!!read more

Edit: A quick, cursory search on the IRS website using the MAR business EIN 46-0841798 (which is…read morepublic record) shows that taxes have not been filed for at least the past 10 years (see photos previously uploaded). This business is not registered with the IRS and subsequently shows that no tax documents have been filed for at least the past 10 years. Do your own research before using this business. A complaint has been filed with the BBB (which also has not accredited this business, and the BBB shows multiple previous complaints). Initial review: Beware- this rescue claims to be a nonprofit and claims that donations are tax deductible, however it is not registered with the IRS. There are plenty of other shelters that are reputable and law abiding. I've uploaded screenshots (see most recent photo uploads).

Beverly picks and chooses which emails to respond to. And when she inevitably chooses to email she…read moreis rude and unkind. I would truly look elsewhere to adopt and that's heartbreaking to have to say but you won't know if your application was received, whether you're being considered, if you are incompatible nothing. These beautiful dogs deserve a home but her personality and the way she runs this business is going to continue to deter others from adopting from here. If you look at the other reviews you'll see this is incredibly common unfortunately. I hope others have a better experience from here on out!

Evanston Animal Shelter is a top-notch animal shelter that truly cares about rescues. They're…read moreprofessional and conscientious. If something were to happen to me, and with no other options, I have confidence that my beloved dog would be taken care of conscientiously by Evanston Animal Shelter.

I would like to give them one star for ghosting people on phone calls and emails, as I and others…read morehave had happen, but since they do take care of some animals, and I do like animals, I will show them some mercy . Considering that they got over 6 million dollars from the City of Evanston, I am very unhappy with their poor communications and the fact that they are only open to the public for about 2 hours a day. One of the two cats I adopted turned out to have obstructive airway disease and since they were in charge of my two cats for months, one would have thought that would have been disclosed. The medication cost over $2,000 that first year because what was prescribed was not off patent and the cat was too obese to take prednisolone safely. Why was my cat obese? Ask them. Further when I asked if I could donate the huge cat carriers back to them and some food bowls they gave me (since I already had those items) they refused them as if they have all the money in the world to buy new supplies, other shelters would have jumped at the opportunity, a donation in kind of about $100. I applied to volunteer and heard nothing from them for over 2 months after emailing and messaging them following up on my status, to no avail, until I had to actually go in there to find out what was happening. I could go on but in my opinion this is an organization that is not managed well and they could do much more with the funds that they have been given. I'm pretty sure, imho, that they will ask some pals or cronies to add some high star reviews to try to balance out the negative ones, of which there are quite a few, but all I can do is try to get them to get their act together there by posting this. Finally, as to others here saying that some people there are rude, I completely agree. It is not a pleasant experience. If they try to get more taxpayer funding without improvement of their management, I intend to go down to City Hall to cite my many reservations about this organization. Update on 2/18/25: I stand by my review in spite of the response from EAS: To EAS I respond as follows: Unfortunately the cats were obese from a medical standpoint so you may want to consult with a veterinarian on animal obesity. I note that you did not post the photo of one of them I emailed to you after he had some cat nip the first night I got them, but chose the "skinny" video :) so I posted my photo of one of the big boys I adopted. Further, it is my understanding that my cats were elsewhere in foster care under your auspices until they were put into my care as fosters. If you take no responsibility for their care when at foster locations, that could be problematic, especially for them, since you foster out many animals. As to communications issues: I sent an email Sept 8, 2021 asking about a vet. No response to that. I found a vet myself and did not contact you again until early Dec this year when I put in a volunteer application. No response to that. On Jan 7, I sent a followup email asking the status. No response to that. After that I wrote a msg to your Facebook page. A day or two later someone answered and said she would follow up with the dog volunteer area. I waited approximately a week and still had no answer. I wrote again to see if anyone heard from the dog volunteer group, but received no reply. Growing quite annoyed with the runaround, a few days ago I decided to walk over to EAS and find out what was going on, which I did. I told The person there, also the person who did not answer my email of Sept 8, 2021 that I had emailed and messaged and gotten no reply so decided to walk in. He told me I must be mistaken as EAS has no email address posted on its website and was rather brusque (rude, in my perception in addition to being uninformed) gave me no apology and then insisted I must have emailed a vet with a similar practice name to EAS. He subsequently agreed to follow up, nevertheless. Moreover, with regard to my claim of poor communication, there was a post on your facebook page not long ago telling the public that people have been rude to EAS staff/volunteers when they don't get back to them and how they shouldn't be because everyone is so busy( too busy to hire volunteers who might answer phones, I guess.) If EAS cannot acknowledge the problem, it certainly will not be fixed. Re: funding: So it didn't go into your pocket, you say, but why spend 6 million dollars so you can be open approximately 2 hours a day to the public? I certainly hope the number of adoptions skyrocket going forward , you train people not to be rude (as mentioned here and elsewhere in reviews) and you answer communications because certainly the Evanston taxpayers should see something for their generous funding of your large facility.

Wonderful Rescue!!!!!! I highly recommend Chicago…read morePetRescue. They're top notch. Adopt, don't shop and PLEASE support them in any way you can.

The volunteers who foster the animals really care and love their jobs. The problem is their…read moreDirector. They ask for Zelle payment and then claim the information that I used was not correct, even though I followed their printed instructions. I had the feeling something fraudulent was occurring when they wanted me to send another payment before my original payment was verified. I really wanted to give donation, but don't trust it will go to the care of the animals.

I absolutely love my dog from Fido but I have to warn people about what goes on there. I adopted a…read morePomeranian and when I visited her twice she was calm and sweet to all people and dogs. 24 hours after adopting her demeanor totally changed and she was aggressive to others and dogs. She is amazing to me but I know now she was definitely drugged before we met because she has severe social anxiety. So just beware! They will drug aggressive dogs so you will be fooled. I love my dog so much and we have been training and her vet gave her trazadone to calm her which works wonders but ethically, this is not a good establishment.

I love BFF. I was looking to foster for a local rescue and my vet recommended Be Fido's Friend. I…read moream SO glad he did! I filled out a foster application and 'Liked' them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BeFidosFriend) One day I saw a photo they posted of this adorable little grey dog in a cage saying they needed someone to volunteer to foster her so they could bail her out of the pound. I eagerly volunteered. I was so excited to pick her up---BFF arranged to have her looked at by a vet, spayed, chipped and vaccinated before I got her. I immediately fell in love with her. It wasn't long before I knew I was never going to be able to give her back. I adopted Poppy back in November from BFF. I am so grateful that they were able to introduce me to this little pup who I've grown to love as if she is my own child. I then fostered another dog through them who I also fell in love with, but this time I was happy to know that she went to a really loving home. BFF is great. They aren't pushy at all like a lot of rescues are. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. They offer you some bonuses when you adopt from them, like lifetime help and support for your dog among other things. They are completely, 100% run by volunteers which is extremely impressive. They recently threw a really fun fundraiser at Bucktown Pub which was a great way to give back to the rescue and all of the lives that they save. I've volunteered with various rescues over the past few years, and I must say Be Fido's Friend is one of the best ones I've had the opportunity to work with. I highly, highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to adopt or give back and help some pups.

I volunteered here briefly, and having seen the behind-the-scenes side of things, I can attest that…read morethey are extremely conscientious about the health and safety of all the cats and the cleanliness of the shelter. It is just as unfailingly neat and tidy in back as in the public-facing parts. And their leaders are very careful never to put any of the cats in harm's way. At this shelter, like other good shelters in the area, they make a concerted effort to match the cats with caring humans who are the best fit for each particular cat. But it's just inevitable that a small number of adopters will not work out. That's not a reflection on the shelter. I never heard shelter management badmouth adopters who returned cats, even if some of them may have deserved it. When you adopt a shelter pet, you're making a commitment. It's supposed to be about doing right by the animal.

I have been volunteering for more than a year now, and it is the warmest, most loving and involved…read morecommunity of people, and one of the greatest volunteer experiences of my life! First of all, the staff is absolutely amazing. Completely dedicated to the health and well being of every cats that comes through the door, cheering on milestones, assessing and discussing how best to treat each cat. There are lots of ways to get involved- there is an AM and PM cleaning crew, which might not sound like fun- but I love getting the room clean, the cats fed, and creating a beautiful space for them with toys and blankets. And of course the reward- you clean, but then you get to play with cats! There's lots of other ways to help, too- from stuffing envelopes to writing profiles to taking cat photos to fostering- if you love cats, love a caring staff and meeting/working with wonderful volunteers- this is your place. I fostered one cat *successful adoption soon after!* and just went through my first adoption, which was easy and thorough and just a pleasure. The protocol was outstanding, and my new cat has successfully integrated with my old girl. It is a place filled with goodness, and a glorious addition to Evanston!

We just adopted the sweetest female furry family member from Cathy…read more Cathy is such a sweetheart and so reliable when it comes to her love and time in helping rescues find a foster or forever home . such a dedicated loving person. Thanks Cathy for doing what you do. May you be blessed!!!

Our experience with Foster 2 Home was awesome. Cathy was so easy to work eith and truly made the…read moretransition so smooth and easy. Knox is living his best life with his new family and we couldn't be mote happy. Thank you Cathy for making this so smooth!

I'm trying to get in the process of adopting a sweet female cat at my local PetSmart in order for…read moreher to be a companion for my other baby Dolores. I understand the process of finding the perfect home is crucial for adoption but what's not right is how "SARAH" went about it while contacting me via text message. She clearly has no people skills and was very passive aggressive with me. I do not like how it was handled. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could have a word with her regarding speaking to applicants. I've posted the screenshots so further prove my point. This is unacceptable I should not be talked down on like this. I've been a cat owner since I was 15. I'm 28 now. Why am I being talked to like I own a rabid cat? A4LC you guys really need to train your volunteers to be a little more considerate when speaking to the public.

5 of our cats have come from this rescue, they are all amazing. I commend Sarah for essentially…read morerunning the rescue by herself and a few volunteers for cleaning and socialization time for the cat habitats through multiple store locations. She truly cares for the cats wellbeing and future, and will not allow them to be improperly placed into a home that does not suit them. She does not do cats as gifts to someone that is not applying for themselves. She does not do kittens as only pets. She tries not to split up bonded pairs. She does not do impulse adoptions on the same day. The process typically takes a couple days to ensure everyone in the household is ready to take on a potentially 20+ year commitment, to ensure the house is prepared for cats, and ensure the cat's paperwork for adoption is all in place. I also see others complain about the adoption fees, yet they go straight to the vet costs associated with each cat, which nowadays are always more expensive than the adoption fee itself. Sarah *does not* do this for the money, *she actually loses money* She is only in this to rescue great cats from this area that are typically on euthanasia row, or have come from awful situations. The last thing she wants to see is these cats to end up back in a bad situation like they originally came from by adopting to irresponsible people. That is why there is a application/interview process. I do recommend this rescue if you want to work with a true cat person that only cares about a cats best interests.