Wow is that racism post way out of bounds. I have taken a pet with Lydia, I have personally met Lydia. I had another application from another Adoption site for another dog she took that application and did not use Poochmatch application. Does anyone understand what goes into running an adoption site such as this. Lydia is just finding homes for these pets. The day I met with Lydia she had about 7 dogs in her car taking them in to be fixed or there shots. She is a very caring woman. The dog I was going to adopt did not work out for me but I told Lydia I will foster her until the right home for her is available. The dog I was going to adopt unfortunately does not get along with most other dogs. When the dog was given to Lydia by it's former owners she was told that she does get along with other dogs. She can only go by what she was told. Go to any government or most business websites they will ask you your race and preferred language. Dogs do not care about your race, just some dogs are more suited to women, some men,some hate women, some hate men, some are not good with children some are - it's about the right match. read more

This foundation was the worst experience I have ever gone through! The extensive application with ridiculous questions is a bit much and over the top! And when you finally find a dog and have your mind set on a family dog they reject your application because the answers are not answered to their liking! In their eyes a full size 140lb dog is to only be a indoor dog only! To me that's abuse! Who are they to tell me whether or not my dog should be an indoor dog! Donna was unpleasant and unprofessional to deal with! I would never recommend this foundation to anyone as they are shady and a rip off! If you see them at your local Pet Smart turn around and run! if I could rate it negative stars it would be a negative 5! I will go straight to the pound for our next rescue from here on out! read more

Love this place. I will never call another rescue. Lydia is amazing. Quick response. Even after the puppy was picked up, I would text her to see how the puppy was doing. She answered me right away and sent a few pics too. This place is hands down 5 stars. read more

This shelter goes above and beyond what most people would do. To the woman that gave it one star for the dog not being inside. Are you kidding me. Thank goodness they are thorough enough to know that you you were going to keep the poor dog outside. They are supposed to be like your family. Would you make one of your kids sleep outside. I feel sorry for the shelter dog you get. I would recommend this group if you want the paperwork and everything to be top notch. If you want to be able to call the rescue group if you have any questions. If you want to have a back up if something unforeseen happens and you need to bring him back. read more

Lydia was BEYOND amazing. She was kind, flexible, and incredibly timely while finding us the perfect match, our little Beatrice! After a bad experience with another pet adoption agency, I CANNOT give enough support and well wishes to Pooch Match! She has a heart of gold and was incredibly pleasant to work with. We are so thankful people like Lydia exist to help out these animals in need. read more

I give Lydia Savala and Poochmatch the highest rating, because they deserve it. This business is a place that is really making a difference. Dogs are microchipped, and giver shots and fixed. Also, special needs dogs are handled accordingly. Including cared for by Lydia herself. I was very lucky to have them come to the rescue for 3 dogs that had to be put up for adoption. Thank you again for all you are doing for my community and the precious animals. read more

We can not say enough wonderful things about Donna and Poochmatch!!! Auntie Donna, as we affectionately call her, has been a blessing to our family. She has brought two very sweet pups into our lives and was very caring to ensure we had a good fit for our family. Her compassion for these animals is unbelievable! I even love running into her at the vet because I love seeing who she is helping. :). PoochMatch uses a wonderful vet too and does all they can to help these dogs go healthy into their new home. I even brought my Girl Scouts to help at an adoption event and we had a great time!!!! I highly endorse PoochMatch and Donna! read more

Lydia and Pooch Match are amazing! Anyone who would say otherwise clearly didn't reach out to them with any questions or concerns once you took your pooch home. I was not planning on jumping in to the the pet world let alone rescue world until I observed PoochMatch volunteers and pups at the PetSmart in Yorba Linda last weekend. I was so impressed by Lydia and her team and ended up falling hard for one very special pup. Mochi, as we named her, ended up coming down with something the day after we got her and I contacted Lydia right away. Lydia went above and beyond to make sure Mochi was alright. She responded quickly to all my alarmed text, even offered to come pick her up and keep an eye on her until she was nursed back to health. It is very apparent that she is running a wonderful pet rescue/adoption and that she really knows her stuff. Another thing to keep in mind if you are considering adopting, Pooch Match micro chipped, vaccinated and even sterilized for that adoption fee. Mochi is back home with us now and is such a happy and healthy pup. My kids and I could not be more smitten or pleased. Thank you again Lydia! Aloha, Juli read more

We were looking for a dog and I found Poochmatch on Yelp. I was very impressed by the high ratings and we decided to drive down to Petsmart in Yorba Linda on a Saturday to check out the dogs. There was no particular dog that was THE ONE and we drove home empty handed. But I kept going back to their website and they keep adding new dogs all the time. When I saw Mollie's picture and read her detailed description, I instantly fell in love. I filled out the very thorough adoption application, went back to Petsmart the following Saturday and it was mutual love first sight! Mollie's foster mom was fantastic. She gave us all sorts of useful information about Mollie's care and her character and Mollie is truly a perfect fit for our family! She had just been spayed and microchipped and got her final vaccination just before we took her home. I highly recommend Poochmatch- So much better than adopting from a pound where you really don't know what you are going to get. Poochmatch really makes an effort to match the right dog with the right owner and it's a group of very compassionate people. Thank you! read more

PoochMatch - Mollie (now Pepper instantly decided that our daughter's bed was the place to be... - Pet Adoption Near Me

We had just lost our 11 year old Golden Retriever (Miles) to a brain tumor on June 19th. A day later my wife found the "Poochmatch" website and we began searching for a new family member. It was shocking to find Daisy (now Daphne) a 1.5 year old Golden Retriever available for adoption. We adopted Daphne on June 22nd. She is the perfect playmate for our 2 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. I have owned Golden Retrievers for the last 40 years (usually 2 at a time) and was heartbroken to lose Miles. I'm semi-retired and work out of the house so I can give Daphne the time and attention she needs. She enjoys her daily runs at the beach and just loves to play ball several times a day! Daphne has had no problem fitting in with the family and sleeps on our bed with us. I am so impressed with the entire PoochMatch operation! Lydia and Ariel run a super compassionate and efficient operation. I really appreciate the fact that they go to such lengths to screen potential applicants. All of their efforts in placing each animal must certainly minimize the return of any pet that is not the correct addition to a new family. Thank you PoochMatch for all of your efforts! read more

I adopted one of the "bear" puppies a few months ago and have to tell you how wonderful the foster moms were to deal with. Smokey has been the most adorable puppy and Donna and Jackie have been incredible throughout the whole process. these women give so much time and love to these animals. I had never heard of this foster program before finding them online. I did the required application, phone interview, and the in person visit and continue to have contact with them with all of my endless questions on care. We feel lucky to have found our newest member to our family through this foundation. read more

Lydia is amazing, and runs a great organization! My wife and I had the simplest time working with Poochmatch. From start to finish it was nothing but smooth sailing. We saw the pup we liked on petfinder, contacted the foster parent through email and filled out the efficient adoption form. The efficiency was so important because it made sure both the foster-parent and the contender see eye-to-eye. We then drove to a local pet-smart for their weekly adoption event to meet the foster-parent. We chatted for a bit and instantly feel in love with the pup. The rest was easy, buying new toys, food, bowls etc. We were home within the hour to play with our new addition. The best part was was the call to Lydia the next day, for she was nothing but precise and comforting about the next steps. With so much experience she made the overwhelming feeling go right away, and gave great advice (not necessarily for training) but for just generally loving the dog correctly, and doing the right things for the animal. The bonus was I didn't even know the adoption fee we paid went to finish off her vaccinations, spay, rabies, and microchip. Great experience! read more

I actually live in a San Diego community, and called regarding a couple dogs, in search of the perfect family pet here with my husband, and two small children. I had spoken to Lydia the day before and she had mentioned we needed to speak on a different day because Sunday was her day off, which is understandable. I called today to ask about 3 pets and was told that she was "hesitant" to work with someone in a different county, which again I accept. However, it quickly moved from "hesitant" to "no" with absolutely no communication, questioning, etc. with me. I sat there and listened to her talk herself out of it on the phone. She was telling me that if the dog doesn't work out, they have to come down and get it and some people expect them to drop everything to come get them at the moment it is decided the dog isn't the right fit. I felt like we were being "doomed" without even given a chance! While I absolutely understand the concern, I feel like i was swept into a giant generalization and not given a chance to actually talk about our situation specifically. I have spent months researching getting a rescue pet: from refreshing my knowledge on "what to expect" to the dogs themselves. I lived in a home growing up with 4 different rescue animals, and our current dog was a rescue. While I know reading about the experience is much different than actually getting a rescue and dealing with the day-to-day challenges, you can't say I haven't had experience. Additionally, I hadn't set my sights on a particular age, breed, etc. I was open to many dogs as long as they fit the needs of my family: smaller in stature and known to be good with kids. I feel this made me a better candidate than some...those who focus on looks often times are the ones who don't know what they are getting themselves into and need to return the pet. Additionally, I've read about the extensive adoption process, including home visits, etc. I feel that most concerns would be addressed after visiting the home, meeting my family, etc. I would have appreciated being offered a chance at least and then would have I would have respected their decision if they chose to not approve us. I have read fabulous things about this rescue, but my experience was not great. If the policy is to not adopt outside of the county, I respect that...but the rescue needs that listed on the website and Petfinder listings if that is the case. Right now it just feels like my situation would have put the volunteer out too much when in fact, I believe we could have offered an amazing forever home to the right pet. read more

Great adoption organization! Poochmatch is very responsive and know their dogs well. They make excellent recommendations and are super helpful. It is well worth checking them out if you want to adopt a dog. They are MUCH better than most of the adoption groups I have had contact with. Our last two dogs have been from Poochmatch and we are looking forward to a third! read more

I've had my Mia for a while now. She is the best thing that has ever happened to our family. She made a perfect companion for our dog Sam. They're best friends and we couldn't have been happier with our experience. read more

I am writing this review about Pooch match, that has been such a wonderful experience for us from start to finish. I was thinking of adopting a different pet from another location, and we came over to the adoption event at Petsmart in Yorba Linda, and there was Pippin! We fell in love with him immediately, and the people that helped us with the paperwork, seeing how our dogs got along with Pippin, and giving us guidance and allowing me to text them morning noon and night, has made this experience so wonderful. It's wonderful to have them there when you need them. And Lydia has been such an amazing help for me. Thank you for giving us our sweet little boy!! My other two pets love him, and that's more than I could ask for!! Lynne in Tustin read more

Without pooch match we would not have the most wonderful dog in the whole world. Donna has been very kind and helpful through the entire process. Courteous, professional and a true care for animals unlike I've ever seen. Thank you poochmatch, you matched us up great. read more

I found a wounded, scared stray roaming around a grocery store late on a Sunday night. The grocery store guard couldn't find anyone to help him, and had given up. I picked up the dog, and he immediately fell asleep in my car while i googled and called down the list of animal services, vet clinics, and shelters. In desperation I even called the police. It was the founder of Poochmatch and her volunteer who came through. They expertly coordinated details and observations of the dog. It was clear they wanted to help but also valued the health of the animals already in their care. Within minutes of calling, I had an address for a foster mom with the no-kill foster style shelter system. I was so relieved and happy to know this injured pup would get the help and love he deserved. The volunteer met me with a leash and was so careful and gentle with the pup. She immediately bathed, fed and watered him. He was exhausted! She applied medicine for his wound and sent updated photos - he went from an exhausted and panicked dog passed out on my car passenger seat to a groomed, calm, peaceful pup in less than 12 hours. I've never experienced this type of situation and I'm still in shock that people with such open hearts. Truly - if you're going to adopt, how the animal was treated while in the foster system makes a big impact on their health and socialization - consider Poochmatch - they are sweet, loving, smart, and dedicated. read more

We got our "Mitsy" two months ago and the entire experience has been great. After a few phone conversations with Donna we picked her up and brought her home. The whole arrangement with the vet and everything is just as they said it would be and in fact we wanted to go camping after she got all her puppy shots and Donna gave us permission to hold off a few weeks on getting her fixed so she would be comfortable. These puppies are socially trained and very healthy. Because they try so hard to match the right person with the right dog, the dogs have a much better chance of finding their "forever home"....I can not say enough good things about this whole experience and "we love our Mitsy" read more

We adopted our dog from PoochMatch after hearing how happy friends of ours were with their experience. Being first-time dog owners, we had lots of questions, and they had many questions for us, as well, to ensure that the animals they rescued would go to good homes. After filling out an application, Ariel kept in contact with us to help us find a dog that would best suit our family. We absolutely LOVE our Koopa Troopa and she is the best addition to our family! I would definitely recommend PoochMatch to anyone looking to adopt! read more

PoochMatch is THE best dog rescue in our area. The way these animals are treated and cared for is nothing short of incredible. The volunteers who take the time to train and love these dogs are amazing. We are so in love with our two pups, and we have PoochMatch to thank for them! And if price is an issue, rest assured that every cent goes towards caring for these dogs. read more

This is my first rescue, but I have had several dogs before. This puppy has some serious insecurities and separation anxiety. She was three months old, and would not let anyone approach her at first. She has trust issues. She is also afraid of confines spaces, such as bathrooms. She will not go into a bathroom because she knows she is trapped there. At five months, she still will not go into a bathroom. She stayed in her crate for quite a while before she would come out and relax with us. She also slept curled up in a ball until about four months old, then she began to stretch out in a more vulnerable position. I don't know the training of the people who take care of these dogs, but we were told to take her outside within a half hour as she would eliminate soon after eating or drinking, and if we were not successful, to repeat it every ten minutes. We spent a LOT of time in the backyard. She only eliminated three times in the entire first week. She has always waited at least an hour or two after eating to eliminate, sometimes up to four hours. I have doubts about the quality of care she received before I adopted her. I have called Pootchmatch three times this week with a question and they have yet to return my phone call. I would not recommend this group. Each Petsmart uses a different organization on their Saturday adoption days, and this one was in Yorba Linda. I just research kennel cough, and I'm pretty sure she has it. The sound matches all of the sound recordings I was able to find. read more

We adopted Haley, a Labrador Pointer mix from Lydia about 2 weeks ago. She very loving and gentle dog of 3 years. She is finished with puppyhood and is now a lovely lady. Lydia called us that she had this dog available and brought her to our house. We immediately bonded with her. She is so loving and intelligent. She has one real bad problem and that is she is an escape artist but she is going to get dog training in about 2 weeks. Lydia is a great person and wants to get dogs a good home. THANK YOU LYDIA.. read more

Sadly I am very disappointed in my experience with PoochMatch. I took my young daughter to the Yorba Linda Petsmart with the intent to adopt a dog from PoochMatch. We loved a dog for 14 years that passed away a few months ago, so thought this would be the perfect time to bring another pet into our family. We both immediately fell in love with an adorable little dog and we were ready to adopt. I asked the staff several questions about the dog, as well as questions about the adoption process and price of the dog. I was first quoted a price of $450 but by the time I filled out the paper work the price of the dog had gone up by $50. The gal that informed me (her name is Ariel) was extremely rude and said I should have known since it is posted on their website. I would have been willing to pay the extra $50, as we fell in love with the dog, but her attitude and rude behavior caused me to walk away. I really hope this 'non profit' is truly in it for the right reasons. Its too bad a sweet dog didn't get a to go to a good home tonight. She would have been loved so much. read more

I adopted my dog Moki from Pootchmatch back in December 2012. Donna was his foster mom along with his siblings. This adoption agency was so easy to work with and I had no problem with the adoption process or home check. Donna was so nice and checked in on Moki after he was adopted. You could tell she really cares for her foster pups. Anytime I have a question about Moki she always helps me or points me in the right direction. Based on her experience with dogs i trust her advice. I would highly recommend this rescue to anyone and personally feel and know Donna has all of their dogs best interest in mind. It's important for rescues to make sure a dog is going to a good home where they will be loved and if they feel that won't be the case then they have every right to take the dog back. It's about what's best for the dog! Because of Donna and Pootchmatch I have an adorable dog who I love very much. read more

People walking dogs, buying dogs, petting dogs, asking questions. It's controlled chaos. Lydia and her helpers handled it very well. We found Rollo(original name Brownie) on the Poochmatch website. Made a call, filled out the papers, and showed up to the location that Sunday. Rollo was everything we could have asked for a more. 6 months later, I lost his immunization records and they were very prompt(same day) at getting back to me offering to send copies of everything I had lost. That's great service! Highly recommend Poochmatch.com read more

Poochmatch is a wonderful organization to help foster and rescue animals.The staff is absolutely amazing and so kind=).The application is long but not silly by no means.Lydia strives to make sure these animals go to the right homes.I adopted my Butch is in February of this year and he is such a good fit with my family.My 3 kiddos love him to pieces and so does my husband and myself.He is the world to us!!! Thank you again Poochmatch for Butch,we are eternally grateful =) read more

My two children, aged 7 and 9, were waiting and looking and finally bonded with a cute pup named Theo. Theo's foster mom was great, and thought we were an excellent match. I was told to fill out a form, but before I even could, was very rudely and unprofessionally told that my children were TOO YOUNG to have a pup. WHAT?! I was utterly disgusted with Lydia's assumptions about my children, who are the most caring and responsible kids. They were absolutely crushed, crying all the way home because we were denied to give Theo a loving and safe home. SO if you have children, run the other way because you WILL BE DENIED if you want a puppy. I know of LOTS of families with children smaller than mine, who have adopted puppies, in some cases 2. I am still stunned by the way we were treated - my poor son was talked to in such a demeaning way, I had to bite my tongue. I will not EVER go to this place again, and then people wonder why there are so many animals out there who can't find a good home.... Wish I had an option of 0 stars. read more

It's been almost a year since we adopted our beautiful Bella from PoochMatch and we couldn't be any happier. We went to the Petsmart in Yorba Linda for the adoption event and met Lydia, who runs this rescue. She is an amazing lady who truly cares about the dogs she places. We were looking for a very specific type of dog in both personality and physical traits (I seriously had a list). Lydia said Bella would be a great match for us and she was absolutely right. Bella was already spayed, micro chipped and had her shots all up to date. The modest adoption fee was more than fair for the care and attention to the adoption process we received. We liked adopting from a rescue since they have fostered the dogs for awhile in a home and can give you really specific info on the dog, resulting in a more successful adoption match. This was a must for us since we have a child in the home and we're not experts on how to pick the right dog. We went to other adoption events sponsored by other rescues who are all doing great work to save dogs, but PoochMatch really stood out from the rest. I would highly recommend you let Lydia match you with a pooch of your own. read more

I adopted one of the "bear" puppies a few months ago and have to tell you how wonderful the foster moms both were to deal with. Smokey has to be the most adorable puppy and Donna and Jackie have been incredible throughout the entire process. I am disturbed to read the other comments about Donna as I distinctly remember when I picked up Smokey at her home that she received a threatening phone call from a declined applicant. This person mentioned that they would give her poor reviews so I was not surprised to read it here on yelp. These women give so much time and love to these animals. I had never heard of this foster program prior to finding them online. I did the required application, phone interview, and in person visit and I believe they are truly trying to find the best home possible for these puppies. I was treated fairly and they have been supportive and responsive to my endless questions. Remember that many folks are applying for the same pet, so you shouldn't be offended that you may have been declined. I prepared myself for the same thing, but was grateful for my selection. I keep Smokey indoors and work from my home. My 2 children keep him company too and I realize not everyone has this setup, but I think that gave me a better shot. Please know that PoochMatch has the best intentions...we consider them part of the family now. read more