We got our sweet girl Winnie from them 4 years ago and I have been waiting to share our heartbreaking story. Winnie had issues since the day we got her. She was advertised as a "yellow lab and golden retriever mix", but a DNA test told us later that she was more pitbull than anything else. She was sweet and wanted love, but immediately we noticed she was anxious, rough, and neurotic. Despite keeping her on a strict schedule with regular exercise, training, and routines, she was always "wound up" and could not relax. She would pace back and forth, whine and pant, tremble, refuse food, vomit randomly, and soil her bed constantly (despite being well house trained). She was aggressive to our cats and never let them come out of the bedroom. We got a second dog (from a different rescue) who she loved at first, but some time after getting him she began to attack him randomly with no warning. My husband and I were both injured trying to break her off of him. We paid for in-home behavioral trainers to work with her. We got her on psychiatric medications (including trazodone, Prozac, and others). We eventually had to crate-and-rotate the dogs and muzzle train Winnie. It was a miserable existence for everyone. Our vet did multiple evaluations and always determined she was physically healthy. We reached out to Anna with Save a Life multiple times throughout this experience and she was always dismissive and brushed us off. They posted Winnie as a re-home, but of course we never heard anything. We did everything we could to try to find her a pet-free and kid-free home, which we thought could help her. We contacted countless rescues, organizations, and rehoming websites. No rescue would take her. She had 2 potential adopters that we found on websites, but both backed out. Eventually she tried to attack my brother (who she knew and loved since the day we got her) and given that this was her first attempt at attacking a human, we made the devastating decision to choose behavioral euthanasia. We had a wonderful vet who advised us she likely had severe mental and/or neurological disorders and would likely never be able to be a happy dog regardless of her environment. She told us euthanasia was the compassionate choice to make. The process was heartbreaking. After she was gone, my husband who had always felt a special connection with her, cried for months and still cries if we talk about her. We loved her SO much and tried everything we could to try to help her. It was a torturous 4 years with a devastating end that has scarred us deeply. We spent thousands of dollars on training, meds, vets, and equipment, and SO much of our time, love, and care on her. I know we did the right thing, but it was a terrible experience to live through. Please do not adoption from this "rescue". There are so many red flags. My guess is that they likely go around to local shelters and take all the cute puppies they think they can sell easily. Then they have these mass "adoption events" where they pressure people to choose dogs quickly without being able to spend time with them or meet them ahead of time. This way, any illnesses or behavioral issues are not noticed and they walk away with quick, easy cash. Anyone who knows anything about dogs should have seen Winnie's severe behavioral issues before we adopted her. This organization is negligent at best, and at worst shows a complete disregard for the safety of the families they adopt out to and for the dogs themselves. Rest in peace to our sweet Winnie. We will never forget you. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Dog - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

ANIMAL ABUSE they absolute THROW the dogs into and out of the van to load into the mall where the volunteers have to CARRY the dogs out of the van because they're too traumatized to even walk. Dogs are on display in round kitty pool tubs and are given rabbit wooden chip bedding and rabbit/hamster water bottles on the sides of the small crate. Constantly yelling at the volunteers and the dogs. read more

This so called rescue isn't actually one at all! They get puppies that are getting too old for PUPPY MILL breeders to sell, and take them every Saturday to the pet store to sell! They are in with the same people the real rescues try to close down! How disgusting that they take the babies from their moms who have been dumped at the shelter and leave the moms there to be euthanized most likely since chances are slim they ever get adopted. Shame on you!!! read more

Please don't listen to any bad reviews left here!! I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree with all of them. We got our golden lab, Chance, from this organization during one of their events about a year ago. They were all so helpful and nice and all of the puppies seemed happy and healthy! Chance was a little skinny when we got him, but he also doesn't eat much to this day (but he is a healthy 70 lbs now, so not to worry). If you're thinking about adopting a dog, PLEASE go through save a life. You can go online to petfinder.com, find save a life, and it will show you all the puppies they have available for that week so you can pick the breed you want ahead of time like we did. I promise you won't regret it. I sure don't! read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Chance's very first birthday! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

Several folks falsely claim that these pups come from puppy mills. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of them are pups rescued from shelters in small towns from all over Alabama. Some come from the FL panhandle as well. How do I know this? I personally fly them from Alabama in my plane to Central Florida 3 or 4 times a month for the past 4-plus years at my personal expense. I have literally brought thousands to them. If Save-A-Life Rescue did not take them they mostly would have been put to sleep in Alabama. Here is a story about done by the local PBS affiliate: https://vimeo.com/mfy/PuppyFlights2019 read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Just arrived in Orlando from Alabama - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

Got my puppy last Saturday afternoon. Thursday morning he was at death's door--couldn't hold his head up, coughing, breathing hard. Raced him to my trusted vet: my puppy so far has pneumonia, kennel cough, highly contagious guardia and we're waiting for the distemper results. If he has it, that is a death sentence. At the pickup at PetsSmart no one with the group asked any questions like who's your vet for starters. All they cared about was getting $300 cash. My puppy is surviving so far at my great vet clinic, but the bill is already past $900! $1200 so far counting the $300 for adoption and another $140 from Monday when I took him in for a general checkup. I suspect the rescue is a puppy mill, after all this, masquerading as a non-profit. Contact me if you want to go to the TV stations in this area. I used to work with many of them and they will listen. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Seemingly healthy on Sat. Dying on Thursday - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

We adopted our puppy in March, and after reading reviews about sick puppies I felt inclined to leave a review. Our hound mix Olive was showing symptoms of respiratory distress soon after getting her home, after a vet clinic misdiagnosed her and things began to decline very quickly. We took her to an emergency clinic as recommended by our primary vet and when I contacted the owner about selling us a sick puppy she basically said if I didn't go to their vet that they work with then I couldn't have any form of refund or coverage. 1,300 dollars later no one attempted to make this right. We could not go to their recommend vet either because when we called, they said they did not have the proper equipment for pneumonia. Luckily she pulled through and is a great dog, but I strongly discourage giving them business. read more

I adopted 2 puppies this past weekend. I went the weekend before and was surprised that out of 60 dogs only 4 were left. So I made sure I got there early on Saturday. I thought 8:30am was early to sign the list at 10am. There were people there since 5am! It all moves pretty fast once the puppies get there. I told them I wanted 2 and they said there was no problem with that. We got 2 males with not much history except which town they came from and shot records. I guess it doesn't really matter, I love them regardless. You don't know what you're going to get through a rescue or a shelter. My vet checked them out and they had some parasites. Nothing serious. But even so, you can get a dog that's healthy and 6 months down the road it's not. If you can't handle that you shouldn't adopt. I'm happy to have my new babies. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Delbert (formerly Dino) & Buster (formerly Razz) - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

Got a puppy on a Sunday, took it to MY vet on Tuesday for his first visit. Puppy has highly contagious and very bad pneumonia (and I currently have 4 very expensive sets of X-rays to prove it). Text contact number and am basically told as long as he's eating and drinking it's fine, that puppies sleep a lot. 4 vet visits later, including one to an Emergency Vet for iv antibiotics and oxygen I'm being told he MIGHT have a chance of surviving. Oh and it's cost me almost $2,500 to get this far and we're looking at at least another 2 months of care for this before we can even give him his normal vaccinations, which will have to be started all over again, and that's if he makes it. But he's eating and drinking so according to the lady in charge... he's fine. Would NOT recommend them to anyone, my reason for reaching out to them was because if my puppy was sick, others could be. I've been told by two vets in my practice and the emergency vet that this is HIGHLY contagious. If you've gotten a puppy from them in the past several weeks I'd have them checked because they could be sick too! read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

I adopted a puppy from them. He is the sweetest little thing.

Yesterday we expanded our family and adopted Ellie, Formally known as Pebbles! What a beautiful baby she is! She is our second baby from Save A Life, we adopted Our beautiful Lacey 3 years ago! Unfortunately a few months ago we lost our beautiful Bella aged 17 and we decided that we needed to fill the empty space left in our hearts! Adopt please when you can, I cried when I saw the gorgeous babies available read more

Anna and her team are wonderful ! We adopted 2 puppies that we fell in love with on the website, a few texts with Anna and we had our adorable puppies. I highly recommend Save a pet Rescue. read more

My son adopted these two brothers Nov 2018. They are the sweetest, best boys ever. Healthy and happy! We couldn't be more pleased with Save A Life. First photo is the day they were adopted...next photo is what they look like now. I'm a proud grandma read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

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We adopted our pup from Save A Life Pet Rescue on 12/31/16. It was a long process, but totally worth the wait. I cannot imagine our life without our sweet Lyla Mae. She is such a good dog. read more

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I want to start by first saying that I am extremely thankful that I did not base my adoption on some of these reviews people have posted on here. These reviews DO NOT reflect my experience in the least. On 7/22/17 I made one of the best decisions I have ever made and adopted my puppy from Save A Life at the Oviedo PetsMart. My girlfriend and I had been looking for an addition to the household for about 5 months and as soon as I arrived I noticed all of the volunteers out front just loving and playing with all of the dogs, young and old. I immediately knew I wanted my puppy as soon as I saw him. Being an inexperienced dog owner, this was a HUGE commitment for me and I was nervous. I walked my dog inside and met up with Anna to complete the process. Let me just say there is no hiding the love Anna has for what she does. I must have asked Anna about 60 questions and she sat there and answered all of them, she even made sure she had my phone number in case I had any questions after the adoption process. I had more questions and Anna has always responded to them almost immediately. You can tell the entire staff is passionate about what they do and their goal is to find the best homes for these dogs. If you ask me if I found a perfect dog, without hesitation I will say in every way. read more

I did TONS of research on Save A Life before proceeding with my adoption. If you look at their website they have everything about their adoption process listed. Including the fact that there is a sign in sheet at Petsmart and all adoptions are on a first come first serve basis. (I only say this because a lot of people at the adoption event were complaining about it.) All in all the adoption process went smoothly and I did find the dog that I'd had my eye on, however, they were EXTREMELY late showing up with the dogs. I think the reasons that Save A Life is so disorganized is because they don't have a main facility set up as a shelter for the animals, so no one knows where they're being kept, under what conditions,etc. The other thing is that it's only volunteers that run it, most of which are high school kids who don't really have the information to provide to you what you would need to know about the dog you're choosing to adopt. Also, the lack of communication from them is due to the fact that everyone that works the rescue have full-time jobs outside of it (also listed on the website). I'm not saying it's excusable but I understand as to why some people have had a negative experience. Also, no matter what they tell you, you should ALWAYS take your pet to the vet as soon as possible. The majority of dogs that come from kennels end up having kennel cough because of the conditions they are kept in. I know that some of the dogs at the adoption event were on antibiotics, which they provided to the adopters. My little girl, Nova, arrived home with kennel cough and after two nights of using a humidifier, is almost back to normal. As I said, all in all my experience was ok I just wish the rescue was a little more organized with proper employees. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

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while I'm grateful that this organization is saving pets, what I seen on Sunday Aug.12,2018 was disgusting. I stop by to adopt a dog and I seen 6 or 7 volunteers (young volunteers) just standing around, while dogs sat in cages with poop in the cage. there is no reason for and animal to sit in a cage with poop in it while 6 or 7 volunteers stand around. and I am not just talking about one dog cage there was several. This is unacceptable. All they need to do is move the dogs to other cage and clean out the dirty cages. some dogs where in the sun, which they could of move to the shade. having poop in the cage is unhealthy for the dog and for the people trying to adopt the dogs. This issue needs to be addressed immediately. I did email them but didn't hear back.mmmm read more

Update: I noticed worms in the dogs stool (not uncommon for rescue puppies) took him to Aloma Jancy within the week of adoption, all of the medications/visit/tests were covered by Save A Life. He had tape worms, hook worms, coccidia, and a slight UTI. He is doing so much better, has gained 6 lbs in the 4 weeks we have had him. He is also 100% potty trained now and can make it through the night without going out 2-3 times (thank goodness!). We are so please with how everything turned out. This rescue is run by volunteers that mostly work at a local vet full time, some are high school students that want to help. This is how they spend their weekends, saving lives from high-kill shelters. The dogs are not perfect, they do not imply that, they are rescue dogs and as such, they have little history on them. They do have a process that most are not a fan of, however, it works out well. You NEED to sign up on the sheet that is posted at the location at 10am to get on the list for a dog. This prevents chaos at the adoption. They do not have a location for all these pets (store front or otherwise, they are petitioning to get one though!) again, they rely on volunteers to keep them until the weekend, when they make the time to adopt out the dogs. If you were fostering animals, would you want people coming over to your house all week to look at these dogs? Probably not, so they do not operate that way. They respect the privacy of their fosters.I went to this location several times before actually putting my name on the list (I live nearby) when the time came, I placed my name on the list (I was number 27) and picked out a dog. I ended up with a sibling of the one I was there to look at, which ended up great. We have had him for 2 days and he is already crate trained, and getting better at the leash. We have had a few accidents, but they were all on the first day here. We are thrilled that these people exist to help these dogs find homes that would otherwise not be here at all. Thank you! read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Reddington (formerly Collin) adopted 1/30/16 - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

I wound up getting a great, healthy puppy so overall I am very happy. I would say the adoption event was a little out of my comfort zone because I'm a very organized person and I felt like I had no idea what was going on. There was a huge group of people and nobody explained the unique process. At one point I was about to leave but I decided to stay (since I had already been there for hours). I knew we had numbers but nobody explained what this meant/how we would be called/how we would choose a dog. We went up in groups to view the puppies but I didn't even get to see the puppies because there were so many people and after about 3 minutes my group had to leave and make room for the next group. I did not know how I would choose a puppy without any interaction at all. It turns out that you then get called and can choose one dog to walk. I chose my girl and adopted her. It was the best decision. They offer a lot of help and support, discounted training/free vet visit/ among other things. I recommend going with someone because I was alone and it was hard to manage a new puppy and fill out paperwork. As someone who normally pulls from kill shelters I was skeptical that I was even rescuing. I wasn't sure if the dogs came from puppy mills or anything but they actually tell you the exact kill shelter that your dog was pulled from so that made me feel better. I think if everything above was all explained on petfinder and /or on adoption day it would have made it a 5 star experience. I will be back to adopt again! read more

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These are salt of the earth people. They drive all over the south-eastern USA to save dogs at High Kill Shelters and bring them home to people who are looking to adopt. As for the people who are writing these terrible reviews, it's your own damn faults for not reading the site clearly. You can't fault a company who clearly explains their process if you don't read the damn thing. You only have yourself to blame. A First come First serve basis is nothing new and you can sign up as early as 10 AM. The dogs aren't even there till 1:30-ish. Many of the volunteers are there on their weekends, from local schools to help. I can't believe how short sighted some of these reviewers are. In short you won't find a better adoption outfit in Orlando, period. If you're not an informed consumer, you can't blame the store because you're too stupid to figure it out. As for the sick or unhealthy - they're POUND PUPPIES and often times have been in some of the worst conditions imaginable - again, these dogs are often pulled from HIGH KILL "shelters" so they are not always in the best health out of the gate but the 300 dollar adoption donation covers not only your first vet visit with the local animal hospital but, at least for me, covered the cost of the medications as well - well over the 300 dollars I spent with my donation. My little guy is doing fantastic, and let's face it, if you're not in it to care for a sick little puppy then your heart is not in the right place and you should probably look elsewhere - i hear the puppy mills have really healthy puppies... /s read more

This organization as a whole is sketchy. The teenagers they have volunteering know little to nothing about the puppies and dogs available. I have looked to adopt from here but decided not to upon reading the multitude of negative reviews and physically going to the Oviedo adoption several times. One weekend the puppy I had been looking at was hacking up and coughing...no thank you. My cousin just adopted one of the adult dogs 2 weeks ago and now that dog is at his vet under 24hr observation with pneumonia. The "vet" Save a Life has people going to within the first week/trip following adoption mis-diagnosed the pneumonia as a simple cough gave some meds and said the dog will be fine. A week later now she's on IV fluids and staying at a vet NOT related to Save a Life. I believe the "vet" they recommend are just partners with money and favors being exchanged underhand. On a different trip to look at a pup I over heard a volunteer telling someone looking at a dog that the dog has a "heart issue or defect" but they couldn't say what because they "weren't exactly sure" ....with medical conditions like those medical care down the road can be very costly and here they are telling potential adopters they don't know.... This rescue also will not take puppies or dogs back after a certain length of time has passed....I would lay money on the table that alot of people showing up every weekend to adopt a cute little puppy end up surrendering the puppies when they are grown up and not tiny bundles of fur. So is Save a Life actually helping out with anything by bringing all these puppies and adopting them to whomever....if their puppies end up in County animal shelters down the road read more

We got our sweet boy in July 2018, 2 months after our 6 year old dog suddenly died from cancer in 5 weeks which was awful. We didn't expect to adopt that day but wanted to see how we would feel being around puppies. Don't do that lol. But so glad we did! He had been there for 2 months and no one had adopted him; likely bc he was going to be BIG. He's a Great Dane mix probably with American Bulldog and Pointer perhaps. He was so 'mellow' the 2 hours we were with him that it became his name. I think he was used to being passed over by then. Anna was WONDERFUL. She was so empathetic about how hard it was to open our hearts for a new puppy for our family and we almost left without him. Stayed a bit longer just standing in front of his crate and then decided we couldn't leave without him. It has been such a healing thing for our family and he has brought us so much joy. I've stayed in touch with Anna sending photos and updates and she's always so happy when I do. She was completely proactive in making sure everything was great with him and we are very thankful to have met her. Couldn't be happier. A pet is a financial investment so no matter what, expect things to be imperfect, not as though you are buying from a breeder. It's simply not a business like that; it's a non-profit and they are doing a great job with difficult circumstances and for the number of pups they adopt out, their success rate seems quite high. Mellow ended up having hookworms but we got him treated and he's just fine and now it's a joke that our family talks about, "those other puppies were biting and barking and gave me WORMS and that's why THEY'RE still homeless". LOL It's awful and hilarious but it becomes part of your family story and the jokes you talk about...he's become our family and we couldn't be more grateful! xoxoxo He is our very first rescue and I don't think there is any going back...it feels different. Like you saved each other...we saved him from a sad and possibly short life and he saved us from our grief. Thank you Anna and all of the volunteers and foster families! read more

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They are selling sick puppies. I'm wondering who's making all this money from the adoptions. It's poorly run. They say they are in foster homes but it seems like a puppy mill money making scheme cause they usually only have puppies some of us want to rescue older dogs I had nothing but a horrible attitude from their head person on site Nikki. I don't understand how they keep someone so nasty to customers. She was like that to others as well They seemed very unorganized. I went to adopt one of the two o saw posted on Facebook and Petfinder They weren't even brought there so I went with another dog but why advertise there will be at the adoption ? There needs to be a better way than standing in line to put your name on a sheet with very rude workers when you ask a Wharton on a dog. For this reason I will probably go elsewhere next time i traveled in to adopt one of the dogs advertised as being up for adoption that wasn't even there ? They do no background checks. A hoarder can adopt all they want as long as you have the $320 cash. Most rescues take Zelle Venmo and CC I would like to see their annual report on funds read more

I adopted a dog from save a life pet rescue and they were awesome - Anna was great (sorry Anna I've been rubbish and it's taken me 3 months to write this) the day was well organized and Anna was a pleasure to deal with as we're all the volunteers, we love our dog and he has been nothing but joy for us and was well looked after before we received him, we were given free food, goodie pack and his vaccinations were all up to date. Only rating 5 stars because there is not 6 !!!! Can't say THANK YOU enough. Simon read more

Save A Life is such a commendable rescue! About 7 years ago I got my shephard/cattle dog mix from them and he's been such an amazing dog. The volunteers made the adoption experience fun and memorable! They still get excited to see him every time we go to petsmart. This rescue provides so much info and perks to help make bringing a new puppy into your home that much easier. Love this rescue! read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Thank you for putting Brody in my life! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

We adopted our pup almost one year ago from Save a Life. The experience was a good one. I showed up at 7am, was second on the list and then at 1pm I was the first to choose the dog I wanted. Unfortunately he was ill with kennel cough (as most pups from high volume shelters do) so they didn't actually bring him that day. They allowed me to still have first dibs on him and stayed in contact with me throughout the week to keep me updated on his health. They paid for all of the medical bills and wouldn't let me take him home until he was well. Cane has been the best thing to happen to our family and I am forever grateful for Save a life pet rescue. I stay in contact with the owner and send her pictures of him as he grows. She is so sweet, as were all of the volunteers. I highly recommend Save a Life Pet Rescue if you are looking for a new fur baby. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

I had the best experience with Save A Life Per Rescue! I adopted my dog from them February, 2017. They took such good care of my puppy until he was ready to be adopted. They provided everything we needed to get started with, and the included follow up vet visit was great for the puppy. I would highly recommend adopting from them. read more

This "rescue" organization is just a puppy mill scam. They will only have puppies available each weekend and will not do backgrounds checks or home visits prior to adoptions. Their vet check at initial adoption is done in less than 5 minutes and does not include any blood work or tests, only a visual observation. We adopted a puppy from them in 2015 and were told she was a calm puppy. She was checked out by their "vet" and given a clean bill of health. That night she had severe illness and we took her to their vet as required per the adoption contract. Three days later she had passed away from Parvo, a very contagious illness spread through puppies. This "rescue" refunded our money but the fact of the matter was they knowingly sold a sick puppy who potentially could have been saved had it not been neglected for how long without help (Not to mention all the other puppies who were exposed and became sick as well). The heartbreak my family felt was real even if these people don't acknowledge it. I also know of one other who I met through another rescue and she had a very similar experience, with a puppy being adopted and dying within a week because of illness. Save a Life does not care about animals - they only care about money. Look elsewhere if you really care about having a healthy puppy and want to support a real rescue. read more

I was so excited to be getting a puppy after waiting a year since my last dog died. We have ALWAYS rescued animals, at one point 3 cats and 2 dogs, but this is the first time I've ever had so many problems. The adoption process was ridiculous!!! We showed up around 7am and there were already 5 people in front of us, we signed the sheet and waited 5 hours for them to show up and set up but still we thought it was worth it. I went there looking for a particular animal and I was lucky enough to get her but we didn't know what we were in for. They waited until AFTER we played with her and totally fell in love with her to say "oh by the way she has kennel cough" but it was too late, I wasn't letting her go! I'm disabled and we were adopting to raise a service animal for me because I'd fallen several times while home alone and my family was worried about leaving me. So we did the free vet appointment, got medication, and hoped for the best. After more than a week of our baby 'Maggie' not getting better we found another vets office and they were amazing! They said she was WAY too young to be spayed which I totally agreed with and she wasn't on the right antibiotic for kennel cough, we were furious!!! The vet changed her meds and after 5 visits and more than 2 months with a sick puppy we thought everything was fine...we were wrong. It's been 4 1/2 months since we adopted Maggie and she still isn't well. A few weeks ago she started breathing very heavily which worried me, especially after the rough start we had, so we took her back to the vet AGAIN! They wanted to run several hundred dollars worth of tests and we didn't have it! Unfortunately, as much as we love our vet, they won't do payment arrangements. The vet said it was either this canine influenza going around, an injury to her esophagus, or possibly heart problems but since we were unable to afford the tests we had no choice but to try antibiotics, prednisone, and something for her 'cough' which had never completely gone away, and hope for the best. We're 2 weeks out from that and she doesn't seem to be getting better, I just don't know what to do. This puppy is my entire world and the thought of losing her breaks my heart, our last dog (also a rescue) had passed away almost 2 years earlier. I decided to do a search for "Save a Life Pet Rescue" and what I found was awful! I really wish that I had done a search before adopting with them because I would've run the other way!!! I really thought these were all volunteers, good people trying to do good things, but now I'm not so sure. Someone else mentioned they thought it was actually a puppy mill and I think they might be right! I looked on petfinder this morning and there just happens to be a new litter that look like Maggie's identical twins. I know, a lot of puppies look alike, but I mean identical! I really hope I'm wrong but if I can help just one person not go through the problems we've had then I'm ok with that. Like I mentioned above, I'm disabled and wanted to raise her to be a service animal, now I don't know if she'll be healthy enough. I don't work, my husband is our only income, so we're not made of money...what do we do now? My sweet baby is suffering and it breaks my heart. Bottom line, look elsewhere!!! We adopted 1/28/17 from the Oviedo PetSmart location, I recommend steering clear of them read more

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This place is all sorts of wrong.... all the puppies look a like. These aren't rescue dogs although you would be doing the dogs a favor since there whole operation is OUTSIDE. This is wrong this place should not be in business. read more

I had a very good experience with save a life. These puppies all come from pound situations so you have no clue what they are exposed to, there is no way to see a sickness coming. At the event, I was told to watch my puppy and make sure to get a check up because they could have been exposed to sickness. Luckily, my puppy was perfectly healthy and has had no issues at all. Overall I'm extremely happy!! read more

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First, I just wanted to note that this is the first yelp review I have ever written! I did not see the yelp reviews before adopting our adorable little girl, and am so happy I didn't as she is perfect and the love of our lives. I cannot speak to anyone else's experience, but we went into the process very open minded knowing that adopting a rescue was a risk. You only know as much as the rescue group knows which may not be very much. Further, it is very common to have some medical issues with shelter animals (my cat had a few issues too when we adopted him and he came from one of the most reputable adoptions agencies in the country!). We had been looking to adopt a puppy for some time, and noticed that Save a life had many options with their dogs. We did not realize the adoption process until we got to the location, but were open minded with the whole experience either way. We did not go in with our heart set on one dog, or our heart set on bringing a puppy home that day (although we were hopeful). For those of you who dont know, I will quickly explain the process below: Process: There is a sign up sheet at the Petsmart that I believe begins at 7am the day of adoption. First come, first serve. I do not believe you have to wait around all day once you sign your name, but you must be back at the store before the animals arrive. When we got there (around 12pm), we were #26 on the list. About 5 people had waited since the previous night/early in the morning to sign up. A bunch of us traveled from far distances (we drove about 1.5 hours) to adopt so everyone was very anxious about the process! As it got closer to 1pm (adoption start time) the volunteers showed up and began to unpack their supplies for the puppies. They placed all the puppies/dogs in safe gated areas and asked everyone else to step to the other side to hear about the process. They explained that since we were a very large group that day, they would split the group in half and let all of us walk up and view the puppies before the selection process began. Once the selection process began they would go through the list and call us one at a time to choose a puppy to play with. They allowed us to take the puppy to an area on the lawn to play with an get to know once our number was called. We were not rushed at all or pressured in any way. The only nerve wracking part was feeling that if you didn't select the "right puppy" when your number was called, that there would be none left. This was not the case though as many people were playing with different puppies and finding their right fit. I won't lie, our emotions were very heightened as this is a big and difficult decision, but we were very lucky to find our little girl quickly and knew she was meant to be ours. As a side note, our puppy was VERY drowsy as she was just fixed a day prior. Many people looked over her because she appeared "sick", but was in fact just recovering. She now has normal energy and is very healthy according to our local trusted vet. After you select the puppy you think you want, you can go check their medical records. *Please note that as they are all volunteers, and many do not know the puppies prior to that day, they will not know the medical history while you are playing with the pup. You can always go to get the medical records right away, and then base your decision, but it gets a little tricky I am sure if your heart is set and then you find out that the puppy has a condition. There is one woman who runs the company who was available to ask questions during the "meet your puppy" process, but I am sure she will not know every detail of every dog. After you look at the records, and decide that you want the dog, you fill out a bit of paperwork, pay your $300 in cash (they have had issues with credit cards and checks bouncing in the past) and the puppy/dog is yours! Luckily you are in a petsmart so very easy to get your supplies. Overall thoughts: Although I wish I had known more about the process before going in (maybe they can put a bit more info on their website?), I think it was best we went in open minded with our heart not set on one dog. We had looked online beforehand and knew a couple of the dogs that we liked (luckily we got one of them!!), but were open to that changing as a big part of bringing a dog home is that their personality fits yours. The volunteers at save a life did the best they could to explain the process to us and make us feel comfortable. It was a little nerve wracking as there was a bit of pressure felt to select the right dog, but that had nothing to do with Save a Life. Now that we have had our baby girl for about a month, we couldnt be happier!! We feel so lucky and blessed that she has come into our lives and feel like the luckiest people alive that we found her and that we chose to try out Save a Life pet rescue. She really is a very smart puppy and perfectly healthy. I would definitely do it all over! read more

Ok so after I adopted a pup and after a full week of uncertainty I got a good vet check up and all is well however I am still not happy with the puppy mill style of this rescue group so please read all reviews and be cautious of any so called non profit ..my ass.. Group such as this the fee out ways the risk..buyer beware too sketchy next time I'll look to ADOPT elsewhere. read more

3/17 Just found out our new pup has a heart murmur and maybe kidney failure too. Will be taking to the vet once again. TO BE CONTINUED......... STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3/7/17 Have now spent hundreds upon hundreds on my new puppy. Vet visits, tests, food, vitamins. Please think twice about your choice of pet rescues. They are not all created equal. read more

We adopted our dog almost 3 years ago. He was one of the dogs left at the end of the day sitting by himself in the corner with poop on his nose. He looked the most pathetic and I was drawn to him instantly. Although we ended up at the vet the next day needing antibiotics, within days he was feeling better and is the happy energetic pup he is today. Plus that first vet visit was covered for us. Thank you Save a life! You made our house feel complete! read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Happiest pup ever! Our pup is 2 1/2 years old now. Thank you Save a life pet rescue! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

Adopting a pet is a big decision. When you decide to bring a new family member home, a lot of thought and consideration goes into picking the right pet. So when you do find that special pet, you love them unconditionally before you even get them home. We found a pup at a Save A Life Rescue event and fell in love with her immediately. Within a week of bringing her home, she was very sick. Tonight will be her second night at a 24 hour surveillance hospital with pneumonia. We have had her only 7 days and we were forced to leave her. Now, when we adopted her, we were given tons of paper to sign saying we would not hold the rescue liable for medical issues. But never would I expect the carelessness I got today when I called to discuss the issue. I spoke with 2 ppl listed on the website. The first person stated she was out of state and didn't know anything about the dogs. Why would you have someone listed as the "call this person with any post adoption concerns" that wasn't familiar with the animals being adopted out? So I reached out to someone else, who was supposed to have more answers. When I asked for the pet's background/history, she stated she didn't know as all of their dogs came from the county. I asked if the foster family could provide any insight and she completely ignored the question. I asked for the information regarding obtaining her prior medical records. Her response was, "It's only going to show that she was spayed." I find it hard to believe any vet would spay a 10 week old dog without doing any type of exam. She then stated, "Well, I hope your vet has her on the right antibiotics. That's all I have to say about that." Not once did either person ask the puppy's prognosis, say that they were sorry she was sick, ask if they could do anything to help, or even say that they hoped she got better. I don't believe compassion is too much to ask from an organization the adopts out sick dogs while charging a $300 non-negotiable "donation". I had to ask the second women if she would be contacting the pups litter mates. She responded by saying, "Well, I guess I can. No one else has complained about respiratory issues." Complained? Srsly? This organization is unprofessional, inconsiderate, and does not appear to care about these puppies at all. ------------ ***Update*** I'm devastated to share that Cupcake could not beat the pneumonia. She passed this morning. Our vet confirmed that it was due to an untreated resp infection. I was finally able to get her prior medical records, but to my surprise, the vet states they did not vaccinate her, only spayed her. The health certificate we rcvd specifically stated that she received 2 sets of puppy shots, so how does the vet not show any record of these vaccines? Please contact me if you have had similar issues with pet adopted from this rescue. This is not acceptable behavior by an organization fronting as wanting to help animals. read more

I adopted a puppy on a Saturday and it was dead by the next Friday. I understand per the contract that there is no health guarantee and that the 'donation' paid for the puppy is non-refundable. However what I don't understand is the total lack of remorse. The only phone call we received from them was on Sunday telling us to take the puppy to the emergency vet. When he was dropped off at the vet we were told that Save A Life would be updating us on his status, which they did not. It will be a week tomorrow and still haven't heard anything from them. Next time, i'll go to a breeder. **** EDIT**** After this terrible experience with Save a Life I did more thorough research and found a reputable rescue in the Orlando area. I found a puppy online that I fell in love with and really wanted to give it a home. On the application it asked if I had ever owned this type of pet before and I told the story of Moe. Thank goodness I did because I was told by the reputable rescue who at this point has none of my money that when you've had a puppy in your home that had parvo, you should not introduce another puppy to that environment for a minimum of 6 months because the virus can survive for that length of time and make a healthy puppy ill and could result in death. Thanks Save a Life for contacting me after my puppy died to share this type of information (sarcasm). I could of easily adopted another puppy, brought it home and have it die on me because of your negligence. Do your research and run far away from Save a Life. read more

Save A Life Pet Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oviedo, Florida

Very disappointed with the way they operate. I live 2.5hrs. from the adoption so I called the rescue the day before the event to find out a little more information. No one answered so I left a message. No one called me back. We drove the 2.5 hrs. anyway, 5hrs. total. Was there very early. We waited around in a huge group. The rescue group were a half an hour late to be set up. I finally asked a girl how the process works. She asked if I got on the signup sheet. I told her no. So I went & got on the signup sheet and told what seemed to be the coordinator that it was unclear about the process. She was snippy & told me it is on her website. Well I went back and looked at her website. After digging down in I did find it buried in her site. Stupid me! Before coming I looked at Pet Finders & took a look at her site to see if there was some pre-adoption paperwork. Just a wasted day on my part. Seems very strange that this rescue group is all puppies very close in age too. read more

I have always adopted my pets from rescues and not always in perfect health. However, this rescue left me wondering if it was actually a puppy mill masquerading as a non-profit rescue or a rescue that rescues only unhealthy puppy mill offspring (admirable but essentially guarantees any puppy adopted will have serious health issues). There are better and more reputable rescues out there. read more

About a month ago, I rescued a puppy from Save a Life Pet Rescue during adoption day at the PetSmart in Oviedo, FL. I named her Hazel, and she is the sweetest little puppy in the world! During adoption day, there were about 20 puppies and dogs ready to find their forever homes! The organization had tons of friendly and helpful employees and volunteers working the adoption event. They were all very helpful to the potential new pet rescuers searching for their new fur babies that day! It was obvious that Save a Life workers love the animals they rescue, dedicate time and care to all of their animals, and try their hardest to find living homes for all rescues! They made rescuing Hazel painless and easy. Now, for an honest, loving, well-researched, responsible, and ready new pet owner, the quick painless adoption process was amazing. However, this can be dangerous, because there are people who don't do their research and aren't fit to be pet parents. So, I would suggest to Save a Life that they make the adoption and pet parent vetting process more extensive and thorough. Overall though, Save a Life Pet Rescue seems like a wonderful organization, and I would recommend them to anyone ready to become a new pet parent! read more

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