Well, I am giving VAO 5-stars. These 1-star reviews are brutal. The staff goes above & beyond for…read moretheir animals. Just because someone is denied on an application does not mean the shelter alone is not doing their job correctly. There are so many factors that need to be considered before handing over an animal to a complete stranger. Just because someone has past experience with animals or was first to hand in an application does not make them "fit" to a specific animal. I have adopted twice from VAO, I have a dog and most recently a cat. In the past I have been denied pets before based off of my application, whether it be this rescue or somewhere else, but that doesn't warrant a negative YELP review. Animal Orphanage has probably one of the highest adoptions turn-overs. You don't see many dogs or cats sitting here for very long. The Orphanage is clean and well maintained. You can tell the staff & volunteers take pride in their work. With that being said, I highly recommend VAO when looking to adopt a shelter animal and if you can't adopt, volunteer! And if you can't volunteer, donate!

I had seen at 1 time there was a 10 year old cat who was diabetic she was a beautiful cat if I was…read moreable to care for her I would have in a heartbeat.I was keeping tabs on her then all of a sudden her photo was gone I called & inquired about her but was told she got adopted no mention or photo of her on vao site there's been plenty of photos with people& pets that were adopted if the person who was adopting Snuggles didn't want their photo taken that's fine but not to show snuggles was rude in my opinion.Who's to say I was even told the truth I don't know if they would tell you if a pet has passed.I had put 1 post before & it was taken down. I just hope that if Snuggles is still with us that she is doing well.

I have tried to adopt from there. They were unable to contact my landlord. They just sent me a not…read moreso nice email telling me to find another shelter to adopt. They did not like that commented about the odor. I understand that with multiple animals it is hard to control. But I was not sending an insult. Forget about it now.

They work so hard to provide for the many dogs that have. It's a small place- always in need of…read morevolunteers, items and mostly adoptions!

Found my next doggie after my 2 passed away. Or I should say Apple picked me. Staff was very…read morehelpful. They were fussy with my application but I appreciated that. Just don't give a dog to anybody. I worked at a shelter many years ago and it was heartbreaking. I give a lot of credit to the employees. They see it all. I am going to get a second dog and I will go back to AWA. People don't realize how hard it is to work at a shelter. Then they would't be soooo negative. Thanks for all you do!!

I remember when the AWA was established. Had to put our baby, Molly to sleep this week and went to…read moreAWA to adopt. There was interaction with most of the employees. Julie and the young lady with her were so professional. You have to realize that not every dog is a match for yours. The way in which it was handled clearly was designed for the health and happiness of the pet. You have to realize that they put the pet first. Julie didn't think a certain dog was for us and she was right We left there without a dog this time but we will be back. They make sure the pet is up to date with their shots which she did. The dog we wanted was not fully vaccinated and would require more work. They have quite a few employees but also a lot of work I know we will always get the right pet for our family because they did everything possible for all of us.

My experience was not very good. I found the perfect dog based on the picture and description. I…read morewas responded to pretty quickly. The next steps were for a virtual visit from a volunteer. The volunteer text me and wanted to come in person. When she arrived she started talking about the process and what to expect. Then she said we weren't acting like we wanted a dog because we weren't jumping up and down like most people do. She wasn't able to "read" us. I felt like we were being judged. It was me and my two older teenagers, 17 & 19. I told her we do want a dog, asked when we would meet the dog and she said if I wanted to meet the dog I would have to send in a new application. She said there were 10 other applicants waiting for this dog. Also said if we wanted to meet the dog first I should go to a shelter. The dog was also not in Maine but would be soon, I said I still needed to talk to one other person once they got home and she said she would need to know right away. She gave us a business card, said we had her number, and told us she would wait for our call. Once I spoke to the other person (2 hours later) my son called her to let her know we were all set, he had to leave a voicemail. So I text her and she said she told the organization we weren't ready to adopt, so she didn't wait like she said she would, they reposted the dog as available and despite my efforts to pay for the dog or speak to the coordinators to dispel the misinformation were met with "Your son isn't old enough to adopt a dog, he can come back when he's 21". Misinformation from the volunteer based on her judgement of our family. I would not recommend this rescue based on my interaction with their judgmental volunteer.There is no phone number to call only email or snail mail. I offered to do a virtual visit with the coordinators or phone call and no response. Very disappointed in this group of volunteers. The dog is still on the website as pending, they even posted a video of the dog. It's no wonder dogs stay in foster homes. This dog could have been placed in a forever home this past weekend with people who would have cared for him. So disappointing.

It is so disheartening to see all these negative reviews. I had been looking for a cat for my mom,…read morecame across then 'Angel' on petfinder. Well, long story short I didn't have a terrible experience at all? Like is it just me? I called, the lady was helpful and nice, and I arranged to come visit to see if this cat and I bonded. He was 3 and the time, they affectionately called him 'fluffy tail', and he was big even at that age. (I think he is Norwegian forest cat) I arrived after a 40 ish min drive and I got to sit in a room with him. Now it was a small shelter and it felt cramped, but I fell in love with this cat. I filled out an application and like a week or two later I was called to come pick him up. I was so happy. He was microchipped and vaccinated and neutered and I paid an 80$ adoption fee. That's it. The ladies all said sweet farewells to my noisy boy and soon I named him Nico. The rest is history. I have the most loving son and he is so good. Definitely in tune to my emotions and right there to cuddle to me when I'm sad. Overall the whole experience was so positive. This was back in 2012-ish. Still so grateful they had Nico because I wouldn't trade him for the world.

From the first call to this wonderful organization to my most recent, Lisa and Nicole have been…read moreabsolutely amazing!!! I am trying to rescue Walter, who is a very special baby boy!!! They are working so hard with us as we live out of state to make this happen! This is the best rescue in PA!!! Thank you Lisa. Thank you Nicole. You ladies are angels!!!

How could I not give the rescue that our sweet little chihuahua came from five stars? All kidding…read moreaside, our experience with Street Tails was a great one. From seeing "Scampi" on their Instagram, to communicating about her and coming in to meet her, we had a great experience. No pressure was put on us to take her home, they let us spend time with her downstairs and let us get to know her, which made us more confident in our ability to make the right decision for her and for us. Clearly we elected to take the chance and make her a part of our family - and nearly five months later, she has become an integral member of our little pack. Despite her early story being unknown and having had babies before she was taken in by Street Tails (by way of ACCT), she's seemingly a happy and healthy little one who just didn't get to live her best life soon enough. We are happy to give her just that - but we have Street Tails to thank for allowing us to be her paw-rents. I would definitely adopt from them again when we are ready to add to our fur family.

This place is amazing! It was purchased however long ago by forward thinking people who needed a…read morelot of land. Since then, an ultra-wealthy community with separate entrances for deliveries has been developed around them. Cedar Run, once you get past the mansions, is down a dirt road with multiple holes. There is parking located by their main building, and a playground with a Little Free Library opposite. The main building has a gift shop and several learning areas. There is a lot of taxidermy. There is also a reptile room with lifelong residents, a bird handing out with a taxidermy grizzly bear, and the cutest back room with stuff for kids to play with. There's mushroom seats to sit around a fake fire! Entrance is $10, and that allows you to take the trail. If you go out the back door and down the stairs, not only will you scare the squirrels away from the bird feeders, you'll have easy access to the bridge of plaques which goes across the pond. The plaques are for contributors or memorials and along the railing. Once across, you find this village of animals (mostly birds) who are unable to be released safely in the wild and have a life long, safe home. I think the crow is trying to break out, but most seem happy with their habitats. There is also a deer and a skunk, and each habitat has the animals name(s) and how they came to Cedar Run. When you reach the deer, you can continue to walk in the woods back to the main hall. The appeal of this seems to depend on how you feel about the pine barrens and lots of trees. Bottom line though, this seems like a great organization and they're allowing these animals to live their best lives with the injuries and impairments they have. It's a noble calling.

My family spent at least a week every year when the children were little, back in the 60's! The…read moreWoodford's still lived there and we actually rented the cabin for a week at the cost of $50.00. We still have some photos! Betty Woodford would take the children on walks and give them amazing information about the area! We enjoyed the indoor water pump in the sink, the fireplace, the upstairs bunks, the screened in porch! We have been back there recently and it is as beautiful as it was then! Miss those wonderful times! But, it's great to be able to go back there and reminisce! I hope to get back there this summer with some of the family! Thank you from the Water's family!

I recently adopted a senior dog Named Cianni she is so loyal and lovable she follows me everywhere…read moreI go I am so thankful for homeward bound Ped Adoption Center, Cianni's story was not any fault of her own Her owner had to surrender her due to landlord issues... She is so sweet an I love her so much Angie M

They are dishonest about the origin of where their animals came from their cold, rude, and…read moreindifferent I would not recommend a place for anything The poor cats are locked in Glass cages not as metal crates. I've seen other places totally unacceptable and cruel to these animals. Why put them in class where they can't be touched or there's no interaction with them. Front desk, staff, nasty attitude, rude, dismissive unfriendly I wonder how many animals don't get adopted because of their attitude.