I have been following Cal Paws Rescue on social media for quite sometime and I finally had the…read moreprivilege of adopting from this amazing organization. From the adoption event to pickup, the process and communication from this rescue was top tier. What I really appreciate is that Cal Paws does it's due diligence to make sure these dogs are placed in the best fit homes and that they are set up for success in the near future. It is evident that this rescue and their volunteers really care about making an impact in our local communities and educating the public on the importance and the role of animal rescues.

I really appreciated the organizations follow-up and the efficiency. Every interaction was…read moreprofessional and friendly. The puppy was healthy and happy. It was a wonderful experience.

Underdog was incredible. The whole process, from start to finish, felt incredibly considerate and…read morecaring. In our case, we have two kids, and really wanted to make sure the dog was a good match before we introduced them. That model isn't a great fit for shelters where they (understandably) want the whole family to meet the dog, and won't place a hold to let grownups prescreen first. Not so with Underdog! We completed our initial form, had an email exchange, and then a video call, just grownups. There was no rush, and absolutely no pressure - such a wonderful difference from what we'd experienced elsewhere. Once we felt like this was a good fit, we included the kids. Our foster was incredible. She was responsive, caring, kind, and compassionate, and it totally opened our eyes to how this process can go when it is handled so skillfully. Moreover, she gave us a fabulous download of information, all super actionable and helpful. We came home with healthy, realistic expectations, and tons of tools and resources to get us started. All this is to say, thanks to Underdog, we got connected with our pup - and our family is completely in love.

Underdog needs to improve with communication,follow through,they gave me a timeline on when they…read more would contact me about a pet I applied for and gave me no response on pet availability.I felt disappointed about not being able to adopt the pet I wanted.I applied fifteen days ago and heard nothing.This rescue is only about how much they can profit on their so called rescues,don't waste your time contacting them.

Did it again. Got another rescue from Love and Second Chances and couldn't be happier. They…read morereally care about finding the right home for their doggos. Love them!

We had an amazing experience working with Love & Second Chances to adopt our Mei! Melody answered…read moreall our questions and our flight volunteer was so kind. We are so happy with Mei in our lives and I highly recommend this rescue.

Amazing went out and beyond. We thought our pup was sick and bull chicks drove to our home and took…read moreboth pups to the vet at her cost. Turned out to be lactose intolerant of one pup. Lol. Relief

Amazing Breeder! Works 24/7 always putting the fur baby's as priority. New owners are very…read moreimportant to this breeder because of her love for the animals. If there's an issue she's there to answer questions or point you in the right direction. Over 16 years experience and has amazing references as well as being loved by 100s of people. I'm on my 3rd Frenchie AND just got a Thailand chihuahua from her! The first Frenchie was stolen by my mom! Lol... and lived 14 years!! No health issues! The other one is with my sister... 10 years old !!! No health issues!!! And I have a 3 year old pistol looking at me lol... and a chihuahua that thinks he's a Frenchie... very cute personality... that I got from her as well. She does special breeding of them too. Very selective and unique! I didn't want a chihuahua until I saw this guy... I named him Tyroneie... Now I'm looking forward to adding a maincoon... only because she's breeding them too. Welcome to my jungle... lol My Happy place. I trust this breeder and feel like I'm a family member rather then just a customer.

I emailed this business to find out about a certain dog. I never received a response back. I'm…read moresorry it didn't work out. I'm sure they stay busy but it was disappointing to not be able to have any questions answered. In the end we decided to look elsewhere. Also of interest- I think the dog I wanted to meet was still over seas and maybe that's why they didn't respond? So just be aware if you see a dog on their web site it may not yet be imported. So maybe one star isn't fair? Either way a quick email or note would have been appreciated. That said I'm grateful anyone takes the time the rescue a dog. We've have had a successful overseas adoption in the past & was considering it again (the group we used before doesn't seem to be rescuing currently).

Took a chance on adopting Raili from Taiwan. We had submitted a request for her on pet finder. Mary…read moreand the association reached out to us. Let us know of some medical work she had & provided plenty of video, photos and a live whatsapp meeting to show us raili and guarantee her health and disposition. We were smitten, said yes, and picked her up a month later at SFO. These dogs are not easy, but a year later it has been the best decision we've ever made. Raili has gone from shy and reserved to a goofy confident dog. the formosan breed is very fight or flight so it is important to give them time to adjust, but also make them face challenges and overcome their fear. Adopt a doggie gave us referals to Brent Cooper (cooperhaus training). and we worked with him for a short while to help with training and confidence building. These dogs are work, but if you have the time it will absolutely work out.

Lisa goes above and beyond to make you feel safe leaving your dog. I left my puppy (Riley) with her…read morefor over a week and have had Riley stay with her multiple times for day care. Every time I bring Riley over she runs straight for Lisa so excited to see her. The dedication and love that Lisa gives her clients dogs is absolutely amazing. If you are someone who treats your dog like they are your kids; Lisa is where you want to bring them. Every dog she has is given love and comfort like they are her own. I couldn't be happier Thank you Lisa !!!

Our dog Phoebe went on hikes with Lisa for six years before we moved out of the area. Phoebe stayed…read morewith Lisa every time we went on vacation. I can't say enough good things about All Paws. The hikes were definitely the highlight of Phoebe's days and we always felt completely comfortable leaving her at Lisa's house. Lisa was always very easy to communicate with and 100% reliable. As testament to Lisa's talents, she was regularly able to get all hiking group dogs to pose for a photo. I'll never know how she managed that. We miss her very much!

We adopted a 2 year old kitty from Hopalong at Woodland Pet in Bon Air Center. We had just recently…read moresaid goodbye to our beloved cat who was 20 years old and had been the best companion for us. We weren't looking to get a new kitty so soon, but Dharma was in the back of the store and she was very sweet. They let us play with her and our dog was with us, so we took turns being near Dharma and allowing our dog (who loves our cats) to see her from a distance. All went well. We learned that she had been in the store for a while and had a rough life before she was taken to the shelter. Fast forward to today--she cuddles with my husband who has been very ill and she is his best friend. She learned how to win over the resident cat (with lots of time and some help), and she and our Husky and best friends. She's earned the nickname Drama because she's very good at getting into mischief. The support information from Hopalong was useful. We've had cats our entire lives and still each cat is unique. Having resources at hand is great! The people at Woodland Pet were very helpful in vetting us to make certain that we would be a good, safe home for Dharma and that she would be happy with us. They sent us home with supplies and toys. Because of their continued interest, our dog and I go back to show them photos of Drama earning her nickname.

What a great experience with Marin Humane + Hopalong. My partner and I lost our pug earlier this…read moreyear in January. We adopted her from the shelter when she was two and she lived all the way to fifteen. She was everything to us. After she passed, we waited a while before feeling ready to adopt again. In the meantime, I followed a ton of Bay Area rescue groups on Instagram and checked the Petfinder app regularly. We knew we were drawn to flat-faced breeds, but the most important thing was finding a dog that could get along with our two cats. We actually found a Frenchie through another rescue and even went to meet him at an adoption event. Unfortunately, his foster parent said he didn't do well with other dogs and probably not with cats either. That was a dealbreaker for us. About a month later, during the week of July 4, I came across Sally Sitwell (now renamed Winnie) on Petfinder. Her profile mentioned that she was good with cats, and she sounded perfect for us. I applied right away but didn't hear back for a few days, so I was worried she might have already been adopted. But I totally understood since it was a holiday week and I'm sure they received a ton of applications. Eventually, I got an email from Ruthie, a volunteer, to schedule a 1:1 phone interview. She was really warm and easy to talk to. She explained that she usually handles phone interviews for people interested in brachycephalic breeds since she has experience with them. I shared our story about our late pug and everything we went through with her including surgeries, seizures, and IVDD, and Ruthie could tell we were familiar with the breed's needs. She planned to coordinate a meeting with us, the dog, and the foster parent, but she was going to be out of town. So she looped in Alex from Hopalong and Francesca, the foster mom, so we could set something up directly. We coordinated a visit to meet Winnie at Hopalong in Oakland. I really appreciated how flexible and communicative everyone was. It felt like everyone genuinely wanted the best for this dog. When I first met Francesca and Winnie, I lit up. Winnie was even more adorable in person and so much smaller than I expected. Francesca was such a kind person. She already had a Frenchie and cats, so you could tell she really loves animals. She walked us through all of Winnie's little quirks and her daily routine. A few minutes later my partner arrived and I ran out to get him. I told him right away, "You're going to love her, she's so adorable." The moment he walked in and saw her, he was smiling ear to ear. We ended up spending about 30 minutes with Francesca, chatting and also sharing more about ourselves so she'd feel reassured that Winnie would be going to a loving home. Toward the end of our visit, Alex, the program manager, came out to meet us. She was super bubbly and also a Frenchie owner. We let her know we were all in and wanted to move forward with the adoption. We asked if we could pick Winnie up the next day since we had a bunch of supplies being delivered like her crate, food, and bowls. Francesca was so accommodating and let us come to her house the next day to get her. The whole experience was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. There were no awkward moments and we felt supported from start to finish. I would recommend this rescue to anyone. Now Winnie is completely spoiled. We originally planned to have her sleep in her crate but that lasted exactly one night. She's now in the bed with us. She's been to the dog park, joined us on restaurant patios, come to work with me, and even had a few spa days. After hearing about her rough start to life, being used for breeding and then dropped off at the Hayward animal shelter, we knew we wanted to give her the best life possible. She is truly the sweetest, most loving dog we could have asked for. We're so grateful to everyone at Marin Humane + Hopalong for bringing her into our lives.

We worked with our dog trainer, Fiona for about three months, and the experience genuinely…read moretransformed our relationship with our puppy Chulo. When we first started we didn't fully understand his behaviors, his needs, or how to communicate with him in a positive and effective way. Fiona patiently guided us through everything from basic training to deeper behavior work. We learned so much more than we expected. She taught us important safety skills for our children and our puppy and helped us understand Chulo's Cane Corso Shepherd temperament. Fiona showed us how to actually read his cues instead of guessing. We learned how to teach him to relax on a mat, muzzle train, and practice "look at that," checking in with us, and socialization picnics. One of the biggest things was teaching him to spit things out instead of swallowing everything, which used to send us to the ER. It honestly felt like gentle parenting but for our puppy. Fiona also helped us teach Chulo not to jump, not to pull on the leash, how to stay off the couch, and how to use positive reinforcement to shape the behaviors we wanted. Now we can sit at coffee shops while Chulo relaxes calmly on his mat. This is something we never imagined our puppy could do. We even learned two types of recall, a casual one and an urgent one. Before training, we didn't even want Chulo inside the house because we felt overwhelmed. After learning how to manage him and understanding his communication, he's now inside with us every day and doing amazing. He no longer bolts out the gate when we open it, listens well, and overall is a completely different dog because Fiona taught us how to support him. We're so grateful for Fiona's patience, knowledge, and all the practical tips and tools she gave us. She helped us better understand our dog and gave us the confidence to guide him. Truly an incredible trainer. We can't wait for after the holidays to book more lesson as Chulito approaches his teen era.

Working with Fiona and It's Not Magic Dog Training has been a worthwhile investment for our entire…read morefamily. Fiona is experienced and well-educated in dog behavior and psychology, and she ensures that both you and your dog are on the same page with positive reinforcement. She works with you as much as your doggie, and the entire process becomes a group effort. She is patient and compassionate and energetic, and I cannot recommend her enough!  Our puppy Stripe responded so well to her, and he loved it when she came over to work with all of us. Fiona was professional and punctual too, and she kept communication open. Her practice sheets after each session were personalized to what we worked on each week with Stripe, and I used those sheets frequently to refer back to our training. Please invest in Fiona and your dog and yourself!