The woman that runs this rescue clearly doesn't want her dogs being rescued. She is rude, abrupt, and doesn't answer questions, she just forwards an auto-response. Don't get your hopes up like we did about getting a dog through her. You simply won't hear back. And don't even think about emailing her to ask, she'll immediately shut you down. read more

Rude response discourages adopters. Adoption should be kind and professional, not dismissive read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue - Rude, unhelpful response from founder. Adoption should be positive. Poor professionalism discourages adopters. Needs improvement. - Animal Shelters Near Me

no communication with real people just had a rude message back that said if they hadn't heard from us in 48 adoption wasn't acceptable. Is this even a real place? Dogs on site for a long time and it seems there are few actual adoptions. read more

I was really disappointed with my experience at Shaggy Dog Rescue. My application to adopt was denied based on a 15-second video of my backyard, without any conversation or effort to learn more about me, my home, or how I care for my pets. The foster felt my yard wasn't "well kept" and lacked shade--an assessment that doesn't reflect the full picture. The video was taken in the late afternoon/early evening, when the sun is in the western sky, so there was little shade at that moment. However, in the morning and early afternoon, the yard has plenty of shade thanks to the position of my home and the trees in the adjacent park--because, you know, science and the way the sun moves across the sky. I use a professional lawn service, and while my yard may not have looked its best due to seasonal maintenance, it is safe, clean, and secure. No one reached out to ask about my philosophy on pet care or the life I provide for my current dog, who is truly a member of my family. He is fully insured, regularly attends training and daycare, and we visit the dog park every Sunday after church. I even made recommended fence improvements within 24 hours of being notified. I was ready and able to pay the adoption fee--money is not a barrier. I spend roughly $10,000 a year on my dog's health, training, enrichment, and overall care. Unfortunately, I felt the decision was based more on surface-level assumptions than facts or meaningful engagement. I'm passionate about rescuing and providing a safe, loving home, and it was disheartening to be judged so quickly. read more

Kathy borders on unwell in her questions and responses. My mom who we were starting the process of adopting a dog through Kathy is 79 years old. We filled the application out, and Kathy asked for pictures of her fenced in yard. I emailed and said "of course. It's dark and rainy in Rhode Island right now, she will take the pics in the morning, send them to me, and I will send them along to you" Kathy wrote back and said "doesn't your mother use a computer?" (It's a weird question, right? Is my mother applying for a job?) I wrote back and said "she has an iPhone and a laptop, she knows how to snap pics in our text thread and send them to me. Let's keep it simple for her, right?" She wrote back and said "I don't like your attitude we have other applicants for Smokey we will be working with." I'm attaching screen shots so this exchange is undeniable. Imagine how many dogs have missed out on great homes because of this kind of behavior. And, why would it matter if my 79 year old mom did or didn't have a computer. Maybe I should have asked if Kathy had a dishwasher? read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue - Communication with owner. - Animal Shelters Near Me

See all

I completely agree with the review about Kathy. She is extremely rude & assumes things about people that simply aren't true. You cannot ask a logical question with her verbally attacking you. If you burned out with what you do, please move on to other things, or get the help you obviously need. You have some serious anger issues. read more

Should have listened to the reviews. They've had the same dogs for almost half a year and from the looks of a lot of the pictures, she just hoards the dogs. I wasn't approved due to not having a fenced in yard for a small dog who currently has heartworms and isn't even potty trained. read more

The WORST service ever! We applied for a pup and the automated response was "if you are approved you will hear back". This place has no phone number to ask questions prior to applying or when wanting to confirm things. When you fill out a contact form the response was dry, unprofessional and RUDE! Not to mention the typos. Can only imagine how they treat their dogs if they have no compassion towards people. Kathy you should be ashamed of yourself. It takes 10 seconds to proofread an email and to be polite. Emailed 3 times before she responded "you weren't approved and didn't qualify. Dog has been adopted" no explanation. We've had several dogs from several shelters and not one has been so rude! Every single one has given a call and even tried to suggest other dogs or things that may be needed to adopt next time. I can't emphasize enough how RUDE this shelter is. read more

A fenced in yard is not everything! I have adopted dogs from North shore animal league in NY and Best Friends animal Society in Utah, Where I volunteered. Both are pioneers and great advocates for animal adoption . My current wonderful dog was adopted from PAWS in Norwalk ct. I volunteered in NY city with "Strays from the Heart". Yet, I was given a hard time and a run around by " Shaggy dog rescue" because I didn't have a fenced in yard! I have walked BY dogs for years Trapped in tiny fenced in yards who are never taken on a walk! MY dogs walk 1 to 3 miles daily on varied walks.. plus car rides and vacations and a daily dog walker when I work! Somebody like me who is totally comitted to adoption just moved on to the next positive adoption experience but a new comer to animal adoption would leave their negative experience with you and go buy a pet at a pet store, where we know they come from "terrible puppy mills". Your intentions are good for the animals in your care and I really applaud the wonderful rescue work you do but your decisions are questionable as to adoption criteria. I met some of the most loving and dedicated dog owners in Manhattan when I lived there. Dogs conscientiousy walked 3 plus times daily. Again fenced in yard is not the holy grail! read more

I have fostered and adopted from shaggy dog rescue, they are simply the best. Kathy goes above and beyond for her dogs, that includes exceptional vet care for them (included all vetting even if they need specialists) She filters adopters because she wants her dogs to end up in good homes. I have never seen someone work as hard and diligent for their dogs' health and well being, she is an angel on this earth. Houston is lucky to have her! All the bad reviews must be from denied applications. To those people: -Make sure you are ready for a dog, they are lifetime commitments. -Make sure you can afford vet care. Vet care is expensive. If you complain about an adoption fee then clearly you are not informed on vet costs. -Make sure you can dedicate quality time ( walks , training spoiling) to your dog.Again.. they are lifetime commitments. I get it.. rescues can be tough and strict, they just want the best for the dogs. These dogs have already been through enough, they do not need more let downs. But if you are committed to adopting visit a local shelter! That is were the majority of the dogs in rescues come from. Lastly, the internet is a sad place where bullies can say whatever they want. Instead of bashing a person that clearly does great things for the rescue community in Houston, go do something positive. Volunteer or foster, its rewarding and you will learn rescue is not easy! If you read this review and you are in TX please visit the shelters ( always full of dogs) and volunteer, foster and adopt. read more

Edit: Since posting this review, I have had several others contact me with similar stories. Evidently, the woman who runs this rescue does this often. She has told multiple people, "I won't accept an application from you because I don't adopt dogs out to your state." So, she apparently uses someone's location against them. Just from what I know, she has told people she doesn't allow people from Arkansas, Louisiana, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois to adopt. I find that humorous considering I personally know people in two of those states who she has adopted to. So, this woman just arbitrarily decides she won't let someone adopt based on, literally, nothing and then lies about why. And, as you'll read below, it isn't that she reviews their application and decides they aren't a good fit. (That would be perfectly understandable. We all want these dogs to go to good homes so weeding out a bad home is a great thing. But that isn't what she's doing.) She just simply refuses to even accept applications from certain people. From what I gather, it seems she has a particular hatred for attractive women who are younger than her. Funny enough, though, she has never had any qualms about accepting monetary donations from all of these people, myself included. I have stopped my monthly support to her and now donate to legitimate rescues that aren't run by whackos. You should do the same. I honestly believe some of the dogs she claims to have do not exist and she is defrauding people out of donations. *End edit. An extremely rude and bizarre lady runs this rescue. She has been happy to take my donations for several years, but when I tried to apply to adopt, she literally would not even accept an application. Why? She wouldn't say. She doesn't know me. I have multiple vet references and personal references. I 100% understand the need for rescues to vet potential adopters and to make sure the homes are safe and loving and I WANT them to do that, but that isn't what happened with this woman. She literally just said she didn't want to take an application from me. When I asked why, she said she just didn't want to. So, fast forward about 4 months and a friend of mine tried to apply for a dog. She did the SAME thing again. Once again, she didn't deny the application, she just wouldn't take one at all and wouldn't say why. She couldn't have based it on anything, because she didn't know either of us beyond what we look like physically and our first names. She is an older, not very attractive woman and I honestly feel she did this because we are younger (early 30's) and more attractive. What else could it possibly be when she knew NOTHING about us beyond our first names and physical appearance? Maybe our clothing? Our vehicles? I was wearing business casual clothing and driving an average car that is a couple of years old. There were no red flags. We didn't have a conversation that she could have based the "no" on. She is just super weird and she isn't even nice about it. She was extremely hateful. It was honestly shocking. I genuinely feel bad for these poor pups. I applied and was immediately approved by several other rescues and adopted a wonderful dog that I love dearly, so it all worked out for me. But it's the dogs who suffer here. This woman is the epitome of grumpy, hateful, judgmental, awful, old witch. The dogs deserve better. read more

Owner is incredibly rude and treats people like monsters. We went for another agency and were treated so well. Not surprised at all by these negative comments. read more

Kathy wetmore is a unreliable fraud. She gave me hope on an adoption and then backed out at the last minute. She gave a poor excuse and I do not believe she even had the dog. read more

There should be more true animal lovers like Kathy Wetmore in this world who does a spectacular job of rescuing all these unfortunate dogs that are so poorly treated. She only wants what is best for the dog so I guess because these other nasty reviewers didn't make the grade, they feel the need to trash her. We adopted 3 dogs from her at different times and understand the hard work and dedication she has towards all the dogs she rescues. It's all about the DOGS, which is how it should be!! read more

Kathy is one of the most enduring ladies I have ever encountered and truly loves dogs. I am so glad she is Uber careful selecting the right people to adopt her fur kids. I had a wonderful experience adopting a darling little poodle mix! Kathy is five star at saving and helping animAl's and a dear heart. Thank u for everything u do. U are a very special person. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. I am a high school math teacher who has trained and raised 4 dogs from puppies right over the rainbow bridge. My family of 4 lives in an established home on 4 acres in rural Maine and treat our animals like family members--with only the best of vet care, food, and love! We take our animals camping, hiking, on road trips, etc. We hire a sitter in our home when (rarely) we go away. We have a large 4 acre parcel of land that is not fenced, and 20 ft by 20 ft fenced in area that is accessible straight from the house only. Recently, we applied to adopt a small terrier mix. We received an initial e-mail that said "We see Cali in your future!" Because it seemed like we were approved, I shared this with my children who were ecstatic! They began planning for Cali's arrival and making beds in each of their rooms. After not hearing anything else for 3-4 days, I again inquired about the status of our adoption and received an e-mail that we were denied without proper explanation. Here was the response, "I am sorry. But we did not approve your application We require a fully fenced in and secure yard for our dogs when an adopter has children we do not approve of electric fences Thank you for wanting a rescue" (Great grammar) I was confused because I made it clear that we did have a fenced portion of the yard and the description of the dog said no children under ten. My children are 12 and 13--a budding animal shelter volunteer who wants to be a vet, and an outdoorsman who is a rank away from Eagle Scout--very responsible, and hardly a danger to a dog. They have both been raised with large breed dogs since birth. I e-mailed to explain to Kathy that she was in error...we do in fact have a fenced yard. I even offered a personal letter of reccommendation from my vet and other character references. Her response, "You are not approved." That's it! One sentence. So cold and unprofessional. She is now refusing to respond to my request for a proper explanation. Needless to say, my children are devastated. I didn't want to give them false hope, but that initial e-mail seemed so promising. This woman crushed their hearts. She is so rude and impersonal, I can't even believe she runs a successful shelter. Sadly, I don't think we will ever go the rescue route again. I feel so wronged and insulted by this process that we will more than likely look for a breeder who respects our values and dedication to our four legged family members. The others who reviewed her must be single, work from home, and live in Fort Knox...otherwise they would never have been approved by this woman. read more

I got a rescue dog named boo five years ago from Kathy Whetmore at shaggy dog rescue. Boo was a family dog Who became a happy part of our family. Even though boo came with many problems, he was abused as a puppy and therefore had tremendous anxiety and he was a fear biter. Our family showered him with love and security and dealt with his issues. Boo became extremely attached to our daughter and vice versa. She was the only one who could bathe him and also learned how to groom him because he couldn't go to a groomer due to his biting issue. When it came time for my husband and I to retire and move out of state, In the best interest for Boo I let boo stay with my daughter who is now on her own. It broke my heart but I knew it was best for boo. Fast forward to now wanting to have a pet, I saw a dog on shaggy dogs website I inquired with Kathy about adopting the dog. When she realizes I've moved and boo is with my daughter she sent me the nastiest rudest email I have ever gotten. She compared me to someone who gets a dog and when tires of it tosses it away"there is no way in hell I would ever adopt a dog out to you" she has no idea what type of pet owner I have been too boo, Our family was extremely dedicated to his care and gave him love beyond. On a sidenote I had boo for a month and he tested positive for heart worm which was told to me he didn't have so right off the bat I took responsibility and got boo the necessary treatment for heartworm which if you have ever gone through is quite an ordeal. I don't believe a woman with this kind of attitude belongs adopting out any dogs and I would never adopt from her again and warn anyone to do so. It's so sad that she tosses out very good potential dog owners for no good reason. She must not really care for the well being of the dogs. She is a DISGR read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me

See all

I wouldn't bother even contacting this rescue. I emailed the founder of the rescue back and forth a few times and in all of her emails she was very short and unprofessional. She sent multiple emails in a row as if she was just typing out her thoughts (she didn't even use any sort of punctuation). There are so many great rescues with great employees who are kind, caring, and professional, but unfortunately this rescue is far from that. I have had positive experiences with other rescues (especially North Shore Animal League) who are far more professional. I recommend finding a larger rescue with more professional staff. read more

Trying to adopt a three year old mix from this rescue, I mentioned in my application I worked (as a teacher) but could be home by 3:30 and also planned to hire a mid-day dog walker. Not good enough; rejected. I would have provided a loving and safe home, have a fenced in yard, and used to work for a groomer. I received a crisp brief email from Kathy Wetmore saying they "..don't allow their dogs to be adopted if they are left alone in the day." Even if the max time alone is 4 hours? She seems unfair, controlling, and surely this is to the detriment of the animals who need homes, which she is preventing. So discouraging, but I see I am not the only one burned by this woman, who should not be working in this profession. read more

I was highly disappointed by the lady who runs this rescue. I was possibly interested in adopting and asked what the adoption fee was and she quoted $500. I stated that it seemed steep and she responded by being incredibly rude and defensive. Assuming it was a miscommunication I reiterated that I didn't mean to upset her and that I meant that was steeper than other shelters I had looked at and didn't mean to offend her. Her response was, go look at other shelters then. Needless to say, I definitely will if that is how someone treats a potential adopter. Incredibly rude!!! Go to a rescue with a nicer owner! read more

See all

Shaggy Dog Rescue is an amazing organization! If you are considering adopting a dog look no further. Shaggy Dog Rescue was wonderful from the start to the time of my dog's delivery. Yes delivered... through another organization called Rescue Road Trips that works with Shaggy Dog Rescue delivering dogs to their 4 ever homes! Kathy the founder of the Shaggy Dog was always in communication. Provided all the necessary information and made the adoption process seamless. Go to Shaggy Dog Rescue's Facebook page to find your dog that's waiting just for you! read more

We are loving and experienced dog owners, and after losing our dog of 15 years, we applied for a senior dog who is located at a foster home in New Jersey. We chose this particular dog as it was close to home and would not require transportation. We quickly received a reply stating there was an unusually high $525 adoption fee and that it "included transport from Houston." This immediately set off my fraud detector, and I emailed back stating we were not interested because it seemed odd that the adopter was being charged for the transportation costs, since the dog had already been transported prior to our inquiry. The woman who runs the agency and who has apparently, also treated other potential adopters poorly - Kathy, responded: Wow So glad we didn't approve you. Very unprofessional and weird, since she was so ready to overcharge us, and was happy to deny another dog a good and loving home due to greed. I see others have had similar experience with her. A rescue that truly has the animal's best interest at heart does not attempt to gouge potential adopters with unverifiable transportation costs. There are plenty of other avenues out there for adopting a new fur baby. read more

Yes, Kathy is truly an amazing person. She ensures all the rescues are up to date on vaccines and spayed/neutered. The home where they stay is really like a doggy resort. She takes such good care of all the rescues. I saw a terrier mix named Pickles on her website, and fell in love. He's such a great fit in our home. I know he was sad to leave Kathy though. And she e-mailed me often to check up on him, because he's hard not to get attached to. Thank you so much for what you do for our city. I can't express how happy we are to have Pickles in our family. Keep up the good work. read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue is such a great organization! Kathy has a natural instinct when it comes to matching a dog to an adopter. We have two dogs from Kathy and they fit right into our family. She makes sure the dogs are healthy, spayed/neutered and vaccinated. She let us have a trial run with both dogs to make sure they were a good fit. Of course they were since she learns about personalities and home life to be sure everyone will be happy together. Kathy works tirelessly to make sure all her rescues are happy and takes in dogs even when she is bursting at the seems with rescues. I recommend Shaggy Dog Rescue to everyone that asks about pet adoption or talks about getting a dog. Kathy is very serious about her rescues and is strict about who she lets adopt. I appreciate that she is careful about who her dogs get to live with for the rest of their lives. read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue - Lazy afternoon in the warm sun. - Animal Shelters Near Me

I wouldn't bother with this rescue At ALL !! KATHY WETMORE is the most unprofessional, uncaring individual that I have ever come across. I filled out the application in its entirety. They explained that if you are not contacted within 48 hours, your application was not approved. I was having issues with my cell phone and did not have access to it while it was being updated. I kindly sent a email just in case I missed the phone call to follow up. Kathy replied your application wasn't approved, (even though I own my own home have a fenced in yard and have a flexible work schedule) Just curious I was checking to see why. She rudely replied, Your application doesn't meet our requirements , our dogs will get the homes that are the best for them and You are not the best !!! There are so many great rescues with great employees who are kind, caring, and professional, but unfortunately this rescue is far from that (not even close !!!!) . BIG WASTE OF TIME!!!!! read more

Unprofessional staff. I understand that they use volunteers but I've never worked with a shelter that was as withdrawn as this crew. No way to contact them besides email, and email doesn't even use correct grammar. Are they even legit? Or am I talking to a poser? read more

I'm entering this review because I was bothered by the number of complaints I saw for this rescue organization. I adopted from Kathy nearly 5 years ago - and it was the best thing I ever experienced. As such, I ultimately decided to volunteer my time to photograph some of the dogs when they arrive in the Northeast. With that said, I also want to give an account of my personal adoption experience with this organization and what I have learned about rescue groups, in general, over the past few years: I noted one-star reviews mentioning cost of rescue fees, as well as mannerisms of the owner. As far as cost, I suggest to everyone that they research. Research, research, research. When I looked at local shelters in my area, it was well over $300 to adopt a dog. Most shelters I visited held predominantly large breeds that I was not looking for. That is when I began to search online via PetFinder, which lead me to a group that was based in CT., only to find out the parent rescue was Shaggy Dog Rescue, located in Houston, TX. To say $500 is too much is a clear sign that people have no idea what rescue involves and they NEED to do their research. (PS: that cost via Shaggy Dog Rescue also involves transport costs to the Northeast!) From application to approval, the process did take several weeks. There was a period where I didn't hear anything, but the dog had several other applications under review to try to find the perfect home for him. Not only that, I found out that the owner does have a "day job"...and given there are only so many hours in a day, I knew I had to be patient. (Yes, patience -- something you might need a lot of, especially if you're looking to adopt a new dog into your family!). After that period of silence, Kathy & I spoke by phone to review the application - and I was later advised that we had been selected. I estimate that the time from initial application to Gotcha Day was a little over a month. I never knew how deep the entire culture of rescue organizations could run. When they say it takes an army, it truly does. Between Kathy and her small network of foster families and volunteers, the work they do is beyond amazing. In the south especially, there is a, exceptionally high euthanasia rate. Many dogs are found on the streets, others are voluntarily surrendered by owners (Often times for reasons that we in the Northeast could not fathom)...and once they hit the shelter system, if they didn't already have medical issues -- they can easily contract them, or end up on death row. I have witnessed Shaggy Dog Rescue pull many dogs who were in terrible physical shape, and then go through the time, love and expense involved with nursing them back to health in order to find their forever family. Heartworm, mange and other skin conditions are just the tip of the iceberg. And these ailments aren't exactly cheap to treat or cure. So yes, while $500 is a large investment...it's exactly that. An investment in saving an animal. In doing good in the world. And in not promoting backyard breeders who often overcharge, overbreed and create more problems in an already dire situation. Personally, I planned ahead for the expense involved. I knew what I was getting into, and it was well worth saving the life of my best friend. I have thought of the "what if" - had I been turned down on my application as now, I cannot imagine life without my boy, however, I have also seen the bad-side of rescue. Too much. Too often. Forever families that DON'T work out. People who don't know how or understand what is involve with adopting or handling a pet. There are the horrible, rotten, nasty people who should never be allowed to have a pet, let alone human children. And let me not forget to mention the critics; those who are quick to point fingers, place blame and tell others how they should be doing things, when they truly have no idea what it takes, or else they'd be doing something themselves, rather than judging others. The fact that Kathy sticks to her guns and consistently puts the dogs first is actually something I admire. I can't imagine it's easy to be painted as the bad guy whenever someone gets their feelings hurt, but it's probably easier than sending a dog that you have loved and cared for into a home that might not be the right fit for them, having the dog returned, get lost or worse -- hurt or killed. Some dogs might get dozens of application, but Kathy knows her dogs better than anyone -- and with all the negativity involved in rescue, and the hard work involved, I think she's within her right to be selective or particular about who is approved. Again, I say researchhhh. Find out what is involved in these rescue organizations. Many of these small rescue organizations are run by individuals who give all of their time, money, blood, sweat and tears just to try to do good for some animals in need. They aren't "the shelter" that you are used to walking into with the expectation of getting whatever you want... read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue - Before/After: SDR saved the boy on the left from death row & gave him the chance to live the good life that all dogs deserve. - Animal Shelters Near Me

I sincerely appreciate what the owner is trying to do in terms of being an animal advocate, but my personal experience interacting with them was unpleasant and personally heartbreaking. As a future pet-owner, I ask that you be extremely clear with me on what to expect when meeting the pet and/or taking the pet home for a trial visit. In the owner's email it was very unclear to me if the meeting on Saturday was a meet-and-greet, etc., so I asked for a phone number in order to talk to them and clarify, but only an email response was sent back. It was eventually clear that I would be taking the pup home for a week-long trial visit, and I was caught off guard but obviously extremely excited - I was about to finally get a pound pup after a long and exhaustive search! I immediately asked the owner questions about what I needed to do to prepare my home for the little guy i.e. if he has a collar and leash, if he has food preferences/allergies, etc. I would be picking up the dog in just a few short days, and I wanted to make sure that I had everything ready for him (food, treats, pet bowl, comfortable bed, etc.). I made my list and asked if I could meet the owner and my future little guy on Sunday versus Saturday so that I could prep my home and pick up things for him. We went back and forth once more while I asked what their availability was for Monday if Sunday wasn't an option. What I received back in response completely caught me off guard. It was an extremely flippant email saying that I was obviously not ready for a dog and that I needed to find a new one, because she would worry about me not having time for him and leaving him home for hours at a time (note that my significant other works from home..) because I couldn't make time to pick him up on Saturday. I wrote back quickly again asking for a phone number so that we could talk, which is always the better way to communicate. I let the owner know that there had definitely been a miscommunication, because if Saturday was the only option, I would absolutely make time; I was just hoping they were flexible and that we could work together on the pick-up date. I even apologized for any miscommunication on my behalf, if that was the case, to help ease the tension that had clearly formed and then asked them to reconsider. All I received back was, "I don't think so." I wrote once more out of desperation. At long last I had found a dog that I felt would be a good fit for my family. One that I would be able to give a good home to. And I heard nothing back. Do not punish good people with good homes for deserving dogs when so many pups are homeless, abused and unloved. Sincerely - A good person looking for a medium-sized fluffy dog read more

EDIT: To the reviewer that made a comment about the "horrible, rotten, nasty people who should never be allowed to have a pet let alone human children" how dare you! There was absolutely no way we could have known what the full responsibilities would entail as we have never had a dog before, and guess what, a lot of times dogs don't work out with certain families and there's no way of knowing that before living with the dog. In no way does that make anyone a horrible, rotten person. You, however could be considered those things for making comments like that when you don't know the full story of anyone's rescuing process. You had a great experience, that's nice, we had a horrible one! It is absolutely disgusting that anyone would make a comment about how someone else takes care of their children, especially when those comments are aimed at mothers who work their ass off for their children. And you claim that you shouldn't place blame, tell others how they should be doing things or judge others, but that's exactly what you're doing! No matter the situation, a business should NEVER be handled the way Kathy handles it. I commend her for the work she does but it is completely unprofessional and appalling for her to speak to her clients the way she does. Clearly if there are this many negative reviews, there is a problem. Shame on you. The founder of this organization is incredibly nasty and should not get the amount of business that she does. We adopted a wonderful dog through Shaggy Dog Rescue, not fully knowing how much work it would entail, especially for the type of breed the dog was. We took him out all the time, took him for walks and played with him whenever we could, but we are a busy family including two full time working parents, a full time college student, and an 11 year old who attends school as well as extracurricular activities. My stepfather was barely getting any sleep as he would have to take him out at 4 AM everyday as well as work during the day, all while making sure the pup was comfortable. We noticed that we couldn't really spend as much time with the pup as we had anticipated, and started feeling a bit weary, but we tried to make it work because we truly loved him so much. It came to the point where we decided that we couldn't give all of our time and attention that the dog needed and decided to allow him to find a better home where he could be more active and where it would overall be a better fit! When simply asking if we would receive a refund, Kathy began berating my mother and step father, saying that my mother forced my step father to return the dog (100% false!!!), criticizing our lifestyles, saying that she hopes that we (the children) are paid attention to and cared for insinuating that the dog was not, calling my parents liars and overall condemning us for things not working out with the pup. How unprofessional and rude!!!! Extremely immature handling of the situation - not all things work out; unfortunately this didn't and we were extremely sad about that. We did the best thing for us as well as the dog. We will be steering any potential business away from this organization as it was the most unpleasant experience. Horrible. Learn some basic grammar before you run an organization mainly through email. read more

Yes, Kathy is truly an amazing person. She ensures all the rescues are up to date on vaccines and spayed/neutered. The home where they stay is really like a doggy resort. She takes such good care of all the rescues. I saw a terrier mix named Pickles on her website, and fell in love. He's such a great fit in our home. I know he was sad to leave Kathy though. And she e-mailed me often to check up on him, because he's hard not to get attached to. Thank you so much for what you do for our city. I can't express how happy we are to have Pickles in our family. Keep up the good work. read more

Tried to give zero stars but it would not let me...this is the least professional organization ever! The founder, Kathy Wetmore, has an ego problem and just tries to start drama. She is rude, unprofessional, and charges high fees despite receiving donations to cover the dogs' vetting. Do not adopt from them unless you want to be berated, treated like crap, and gouged. read more

If I could give this 0 stars I ABSOLUTELY would. My family and I adopted a small little mixed pup about 4 years ago. Today he unfortunately got out of our yard and got hit by a car. We rushed him to the vet and unfortunately he was too injured to be okay. The surgeries he would've needed would've just ended up causing him more pain. Of course we wanted the best for him so with heavy hearts we made this decision. We loved him so much and he was spoiled and definitely loved. Anyone that knows my family knows that we have always taken care of our dogs and took great measures to protect them. What happened today was ABSOLUTELY a horrible accident. We emailed the owner of this rescue to notify her of his passing. However to our surprise we got a rather nasty response. She claimed we "failed" him and she "sympathizes for nobody." Her emailed response makes me want to throw up. My family and I cared deeply about our dog and obviously didn't intend for our dog to get hit, but things happen. Our yard is very big and we have two other dogs. But according to the owner of the rescue "Dogs don't try and get out of yards if someone is with them. They get out because they get bored being in their own." I can tell you my dog was NOT bored. He was simply curious and as were many other dogs. . I can also say that my dog was more then happy in my household (I will link picture below.) The response we got from the owner of this rescue ABSOLUTELY disgusts me. Please be carefully who you adopt your pets from!!! read more

See all

The best thing about Shaggy Dog Rescue is that Kathy will give you a few days with the dog to decide if it is a good fit. I didn't realize how necessary this would be until my husband and I brought home a dog and she spent the first two days right next to me because she is so wary of men. After a few days she warmed up to my husband and she stole his heart. I also appreciate that Kathy is so accessible. I don't think I've ever waited more than a few hours for a response to any email, and she gave me many suggestions for adapting to life with a dog. read more

We got our 2nd dog from Shaggy Dog rescue and Kathy and the dog were both fantastic!! Kathy was very informative and helpful since we were adopting a dog we've never met. She worked it out so that I could speak with the foster that our dog stayed with the most. She was patient with us and even allowed us to have her shipped quite a long distance. She knew the best times, days, and companies for safely shipping our new dog. Anyone wanting to adopt- I highly recommend going through Shaggy Dog Rescue. Our dog is healthy, very active and so sweet. She's the perfect fit for our crazy family. read more

No one matches people to pets better than Kathy. We have two of her former shaggy dogs, they are both amazing. The application process is helpful and Kathy is going to place a dog to fit your needs as much as the dog's. She even allows you to have a test run with the dog, if you don't feel like it's a fit, return the dog, she won't want the dog in a home it's not welcome in, but I'm assuming she has a high success rate on first runs. read more

Do not use this Organization!! Kathy the owner is a nasty rude woman. If for whatever reason you cannot keep the dog after the Foster week you will be condemned. We tried our best and for various reasons had to return the dog a week and a half after the trial period. Not only did she refuse to refund us any of the $650 she also criticized and judged our personal life via email, which is unacceptable. She is extremely unprofessional! read more

After a negative episode with a large animal shelter in the area, we had a great experience with Shaggy Dog Rescue. All communications were prompt and professional...and we have a great dog! What's more, we were able to establish a bit of continuity by using the same vet she used. If we choose to add to our menagerie, we'll look to Shaggy Dog Rescue first. read more

My Dad and I have been fans of Shaggy Dog Rescue since 2009. In 2010, I adopted Polly from Kathy and Shaggy Dog, and she is the best, smartest, sweetest girl I could hope for. Polly and her sisters were newborns and tossed in a large dumpster. Fortunately, someone rescued the pups and all were adopted! Polly received the very best vet care. Every single pup receives that same quality vet care and behavioral training if needed. I read an earlier post where someone from out of state was unhappy with SDR's vetting procedures. All rescues operate on tight budgets, small staffs and do the best they can with approvals, etc. No rescue is perfect, but without them many beautiful and deserving animals would fall through the cracks. read more

This rescue takes its dogs seriously. My dog Oggie arrived in great health, groomed and ready for love - despite having been found cowering under a bush with burns on his back. The rescue truly tries to make a good fit for the dog and the family, and we adore our boy. This means serious vetting on both sides but it also means you will end up with a dog that is a good fit for your family, and you will be well aware of any major challenges and personality quirks right the get go. This is a great rescue to support and Kathy is doing heroes work in Houston to get as many shaggies into living forever homes as possible. read more

Shaggy Dog Rescue is the most wonderful, dedicated organization I have ever encountered. Growing up, my family always adopted rescue dogs for our family pets. As an adult, I worked with Shaggy Dog and the founder, Kathy, to adopt a rescue of my own. We were lucky enough to stumble across Shaggy Dog online, one Friday evening, where we saw a picture of a little terrier mix. I immediately reached out to the contact information listed online - it was around 11pm on a Friday night. By 8am on Saturday morning, I had already received a response that the dog was available for adoption. I filled out an application and spoke with Kathy directly by noon on Saturday. I talked at length with Kathy about the dog - she asked about my home, my habits and lifestyle, we even talked about the rescue dogs that I had while growing up. She shared in-depth information about the dog I was interested in adopting. She had saved him from a high-kill shelter where he was going to be euthanized. He was infected with heartworms, and Kathy had chosen to pay for the expensive treatment. Her dogs all received EXTENSIVE vetting - in many cases, this includes pricey surgeries (for things like cataracts, broken bones/ orthopedic issues, internal organ damage or disease, etc). She works with reputable veterinarians and canine surgeons in Texas who provide the highest quality care. Kathy walked me through the dog's heartworm treatment, which involved harsh medication and crate rest. He had also been neutered and microchipped with a lifetime registration. He stayed with Kathy for over a month while he recovered so she could monitor his health and behavior. I saw another review here on Yelp that took issue with the adoption fee and subsequent response. I cannot stress enough that ANY adoption fee for these dogs pales in comparison to the cost of care that every single Shaggy Dog receives. in addition to the extensive vetting and treatment, they eat the highest quality food and treats. Our dog was shy and a bit of a picky eater, and Kathy even shared that she occasionally cooked him fresh chicken to tempt his appetite. I promise that most rescue organizations do not provide this quality, care or love to every single dog the way Kathy does. I hope that real, educated adopters will see the true value of working with an organization like Shaggy Dog in which a person has dedicated their life and resources to providing top quality care to every single helpless animal they save. We got our pup from Kathy through her partner organization, Rescue Road Trips, which helped get our dog from Shaggy Dog in Texas to our home on the East Coast. For three days, our dog rode in a large, air-conditioned trailer with other dogs on their way to fosters/ homes along the East Coast. He arrived in perfect condition. The Rescue Road Trips founder/ driver even sleeps in the trailer with the dogs. This dog is EXACTLY as Kathy claimed he would be - down to his little quirks and love for his bed. It has been an absolutely wonderful experience to see him come out of his shell and realize that he's found his forever home. I check in with Kathy periodically to send pictures, as she cares deeply for every dog she rescues, and she always responds. I follow her page online. I see some of the other dogs she rescues, many come to her in much worse shape than mine did - in some cases, she takes in dogs that have been hit by cars or experienced other cruelty at the hands of horrible humans - and rehabilitates them until they are ready for their forever home. In some cases, this also involves behavioral training and therapy for the dogs - the level of care she takes is unmatched. She understands their physical needs and temperament and places dogs with the best possible match - resulting in a HUGE laundry list of happy adopters and happy dogs. Many of these dogs would never have gotten their second chance otherwise. Kathy/ Shaggy Dog Rescue doesn't have a facility - just one person, and a small network of fosters, which makes the work they do even more incredible. The personal expense to Kathy alone far exceeds the nominal fee to adopt one of her dogs. My new pup is the sweetest, kindest animal and I never could have found him without the help of Shaggy Dog. He has truly changed my life, and because of this I will support this organization and their work for the rest of my life. Thank you again, Shaggy Dog! EDIT: I forgot one thing - as a part of my adoption contract (and simple common sense) it was required that my dog see my vet within a week of adoption. Our vet LOVES the dog, and could not believe how well we understood his medical background and vet treatment since he was found as a stray, brought to a shelter, and subsequently rescued by Shaggy Dog. Shaggy Dog provided us with a comprehensive background - including all vet records from the moment he was found - which made it much easier for our vet to take over. Thank you again! read more