My beautiful new boy is doing so well. He's already learned to do three stairs and we started easy walking this morning on soft ground. Our local graveyard is mostly empty. Fenced and has a lawn of thyme. It's so fragrant and soft He's obviously been in a crate most of his life. His new name is Cooper as in Gary cooper he's so handsome He's learning to respect his elder 14 yr old standard poodle Murray but I think he loves dodging underneath Murray most. Murray is teaching him the ropes I'm so lucky!! Thanks spca. Thanks read more

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I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews for this shelter. I adopted my puppy Echo (then Abigail) in December 2021 and had a smooth process. I submitted the initial application online and then called to schedule an appointment to meet her since they didn't take drop ins due to COVID. I got to see her that night, submit the final application, and pay the adoption fee. One week later and we picked her up and took her home with us. I believe that sometimes they allow you to take the pet right away, but we had to wait a week because she had just been spayed. She had a clean bill of health from our vet after taking her home. The SPCA even allowed us to come back to finish the distemper series that they had started, for no additional charge. Here are some pictures of her at the shelter when we met her, and they say we picked her up! read more

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I recommend most all SPCA's I've been to but I haven't been to this one in a long time! Anything that can be done to help place dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, guinea pigs or other animals is greatly appreciated! read more

Adopted our dog Bailey (then Ryan) from Petsmart in Wilton, NY in 2008. Bailey was a rescue from Tennessee. We had a positive experience. He has been a very loving dog for 16 years. Today, unfortunately, his journey is ending due to failing health. Thank you for the best 16 years. Al and Deb S. read more

Extremely rude. The adoption process is based on if you have had a dog within the last ten years, regardless of if you have had dogs for the first thirty years of your life, are a veterinary assistant, spent thousands on various surgeries and veterinary care for those dogs and other pets, have the perfect amount of time to spend with them (with my fiance and I working seperate shifts, someone would always be home with the dog) have multiple personal and work references from at least three veterinarians, are a very active family, and love a five minute walk from a dog park. The lady was extremely rude and should hear out the whole plan for the dog and lifestyle you have. If their entire system is based on whether you have had a dog in the last ten years, SO many unqualified and inappropriate people can adopt a dog while they send a perfect home away. read more

Saw SPCA volunteers(?!? - we were told the SPCA didn't "allow" volunteers) at a recent event - rumor is they are being shut down. Might be for the best. Never could figure why they needed to rescue dogs from the South but were never open to aid cats and dogs in this area. The volunteers were very nice but we also heard about animals who'd been there for years. A friend just recently saw a dog on their site who she's 99% sure she was told she couldn't adopt because she had a 4 year old - that kid's now 13! Other friends who've adopted from them swear their dogs act like they've been abused. Based on the human interaction with their rude and foul mouthed staff it's not hard to believe they'd treat the animals the same way. Of course they're never open and people are hardly ever there so how much care do the animals get? The place looks pretty grimy too. Let's hope any animals still there get adopted and they close it down. read more

Our meeting with Upstate SPCA started out a little shaky and that should've been our hint to try another rescue shelter. They were short with us and not really friendly when they saw that we had a 3yr old child. After they learned that we raised two Rottweilers and checked with our vet for a positive review, they became more friendly. We adopted a 14week "Boxer Mix". I put that in quotes because that is what we were lead to believe. She was great for the two nights that she spent with us. After a lot of research we came to believe that she was indeed a Feist and a much smaller breed. Now I might be a horrible person but I wanted a larger breed dog so we spoke to them and they said bring her in and "we will work with you" We brought her in, they took her back and pretty much told my wife that we were horrible people and don't deserve another dog from them. They refused our money back and the amount of rude things that were directed towards my family and I were uncalled for. We are out $400 and we were made to feel like horrible people. We were only doing what we thought was the right thing and to try to find a great fit between dog and family. Maybe you will have a better interaction with them, but please beware that when you leave with your new pet make sure that your family is a perfect fit. Maybe ask if they will let you foster the animal for a week first then decide. read more

Very rude. The few people I dealt with were obnoxious. By the time one of the rude ladies working there decides your 'worthy' of adopting a puppy, the puppy you want will either be gone or an adult. The process they make you go through turns away so many people. I imagine they are doing more harm then good. A lot of good pet owners just go adopt from someone on Craigslist or the Amish, which not only gets a puppy out of a potentially bad spot, but also gets them to a good owner much quicker. I started the adoption process through SCPA NY, and before I even got all the way through, the rudeness I received turned me off. read more

I adopted a dog from them 15 years ago. She had kennel cough and the worst case of worms. She was in a separate cage from her two sisters (why would anyone do that? Anyway-- she turned out great. A few years later, tried to adopt a cat from them later and they were super rude. I fell in love with one particular kitten, but when they learned that I owned a cat that I had not yet spayed, they refused to let me adopt. I told them I'd spay the cat I had immediately and did so. Went back to adopt the cat and they wouldn't even let me see her. They told me all cats are the same. Really? And they call themselves animal lovers? The conditions the animals are kept in are terrible, lots of dog cages in one big room all barking their heads off. When you compare the animal selection they have to the ones at the Saratoga Animal Shelters, I find it odd that they always have so many puppies-- usually misidentified. Makes me wonder if they are sort of helping puppy mills rather than rescuing dogs. Like the other reviewers say, the impose these kind of crazy rules and then decide you're not a fit pet owner. Really insulting and sort of makes you wonder what they are really up to. read more

My wife and I went to look at the cats up for adoption a few years ago. We were placed in a room and the employee/volunteer started showing us the cats. She was quickly recommending certain ones and was very pushy. We ended up leaving after a few rounds of back and forth with the employee. I'm glad we did, as it seems other customers have had similar experiences. read more

They might be saving animals but I think their overall goal is to make money at this point. I purchased a dog from one of there adoption clinics at pet smart. Told them I wanted a big dog. I picked one out and they told me it was 3 months old and was up to date with shots and had been looked at by their vet. Completely false!! When I brought it to my vet it was 7 months old, had most of its adult teeth in and had a severe ear infection with ear mites. Very disappointed, tried calling them with no results. I will never purchase a "rescue" dog from them again read more

My boyfriend adopted our dog from the Upstate SPCA last February and he had a great experience. He adopted a "Portuguese Water Dog Mix" puppy and the adoption process was quick and simple. He actually got the first call in before a few dozen more so he was able to have the first look at his puppy-to-be before anyone else. It's important to know that the dog breeds given by the SPCA are not 100%. A vet hops on the truck to look at the puppies coming up from Tennessee and gives them a guesstimated breed based on appearance. Our Portuguese Water Dog? He looks and acts like a solid border collie. However, the size estimate given was relatively accurate and he came vaccinated, fixed, loving, and ready to play. If we had cared about the specific breed, we would not have gone to the SPCA but in this case, we were prepared and the result was the perfect dog for us. We like to visit the SPCA at the Wilton Petsmart and the last time we stopped in, they wanted to see photos of our puppy because they remembered when he came in. We have had nothing but positive interactions with this SPCA and we could not be happier with the puppy that we adopted. The staff is extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and well-intentioned and I believe that they set us up for a successful adoption and relationship with our dog. read more

I adopted my puppy mutt from the SPCA after looking at several other rescues, and I'm glad she came from here. My pup came from Tennessee, so there's no real way to know what breed she is, and I was told she was an Aussie-Border Collie mix. Whatever she is, there's a lot more than that in her, but it's okay because she's healthy and happy. It took some work though. The day I brought her home she started coughing. I took her to the vet and they said it was most likely kennel cough, and they gave me some meds. I called the SPCA to let them know, and they were helpful and said they would provide the meds, but it is a long drive for me to get up there. I appreciate the gesture anyway. As far as the adoption process, I did not have much of a problem, and if anything I did not get the usual barrage of "do you have a fenced in yard?" etc. My only annoyance other than my pup having kennel cough (which isn't that unheard of in shelter dogs) was that I was questioned as far as my puppy not sleeping in my bedroom with me and not crating her until she was a few months older. She was 2 months old and I felt it was better to wait until she had a little more bladder control, which I'm glad I did for a few reasons. The adoption fee was very reasonable considering she was spayed and had many of her shots included. She is a very friendly, affectionate little dog and I'm glad I found her before someone else did. Aside from some rudeness from the staff, they seemed to mean well and were very accommodating from start to finish. read more

They fight to do right by every animal that comes to them. Everyone should adopt from here!!! I adopted two cats that the shelter called Peyton & Posh - Posh had some health concerns which they made me aware of before I brought him home. They were honest and upfront. Clean conditions for the animals and absolutely fantastic staff/volunteers. The Queensbury SPCA has excellent health care for the animals and make sure all the standards are covered before you leave. One of my cats was adopted as a kitten and we received a voucher to have him neutered for free, amazing! A lot of shelters act like they are washing their hands of the animal when it leaves them, but not this place! My sister was hesitant to not buy a purebred, but went to visit after I raved about this place. She ended up adopting a dog from them and that pup is great with kids and was quick to train! Something to remember - this is a shelter, not a store. They do not want to rush people out the door with an animal they can't, or won't, care for. Having a high threshold of care means some people will be turned away (& then leave bad reviews). Personally I love this because I would rather go to a place that cares more about finding the RIGHT home for a defenseless animal than finding just any home. Thank you for helping us bring home the two best boys ever! Keep up the great work! read more

My sister and I brought my mother to adopt a cat for her. We were told to go look at the cats in a room. Nobody bothered to come in to talk with us. I ended up having to back out to the office to find some assistance. We were told they were "trying to find someone". Eventually some girl walked in and the first thing that was nastily said was "don't put your fingers in the cage!"We felt very unwelcomed !!! It continued on with our selection of a cat. She informed us "if she is available, she will not be till next week!" We were given a questionnaire to fill out. This girl walked out..never to return. Due to the unwelcoming and inattentive people we decided to leave.We were loudly informed to leave the form as we were "not allowed to take it outside the building ". How disappointing for me and my family!!! read more

We previously adopted a dog from the spca on Black Friday 2013. This group of individuals works hard every day to save dogs from kill shelters in the south. Our guy came from Tennessee with a horrible story at 2 months old. I'm so thankful of all the work they do, all the sadness I'm sure they see, all of the networking they do to get these babies adopted. I recently went to adopt a sister for this guy, so obviously came here. We have a baby, and they don't adopt to people with children under five. I understand that, although I was heart broken as I had fallen in love with one girl already. They can't make concessions, even for responsible owners that have used trainers on both rescues. It's not fair to make exceptions to their rules. Adopt from this group. They save so many lives! read more

They are extremely difficult to adopt from. I went a few months ago because I was looking to adopt. The women are extremely rude. They stick you in a room with 50 cats so you can " get to know the dog" they give you maybe 10 min before they want a definitive answer. After filling out the paper work they should just bring you into a room and shine a huge light in your face. They asked me thousands of questions about my home life work ect..I understand and like the fact they want the pet to go to a good home, but they do it In the wrong way. If you are looking to adopt go to save a stray in Corinth. Great people!! Super nice! Not pushy! I just adopted a beautiful 7 week old beagle/ daschund mix and I couldn't be happier with him! read more

We went into the Wilton Petsmart to adopt a kitten so our 10 year old cat wouldn't be lonely. We had a nice conversation with the associate about our cat owning history. One lived till 18, one 16 and our current adopted cat who is 10. All was going well until the question about going outside. Our current cat will sometimes come out on the porch and sit with us, but never strays off. So we answered honestly about that. She said, well you will never be able to adopt a cat here. Not really knowing "the rules", we were a little taken back. We insured her that if that is what needs to happen, then this kitten would not be an outdoor cat. No dice. I sort of get why they don't want their cats to be subject to the perils of outdoors, however, I can ASSURE you, that we would give the kitten a better home that the cage where it currently lives loaded with love... Anyway...Not a fan of the rule. read more

This place deserves less than one star. A very close friend of mine tried to adopt a puppy for her family. She was denied since she is only 20 years old. Later that day her parents tried to adopt the puppy for the family and they were denied because they "knew the puppy was for my friend" who is under 21. This family would be a perfect family for a puppy, yet they were denied for having an under 21 year old daughter who tried to adopt first?! This place does not want to find good homes for their animals, they base their adoptions on all the wrong reasons. It is sick that they would rather the animal stay in a cage than adopt it to a very loving family. read more

We adopted our lab mix,Nala over 10 years ago.We wouldn't ever go anywhere else,they were wonderful people to work with and answered questions we had for weeks after.Thankful for them and giving us a best friend!Angela D. read more

Can't reach anyone at their telephone # 798-3500 for help with possible neglect case. Website not up. They are not accessible to the general public. No more donations from me, that's for sure! read more

Very rude and not professional. I see that I am not the only person that has a very bad opinion. I wish the powers that be up there would do something to change the atmosphere for those looking to adopt and be treated fairly and with respect. Can you imagine how they must treat the poor animals? read more

As someone who has previously worked in a shelter, I have really had to think through how to write this review. I had done research prior to choosing the SPCA of Upstate NY, but always try to keep an open mind so that I can make my own opinion. So here is our story: We picked out, were approved, and paid the adoption fee for our new baby on Friday, 11/16/18. We were told at that time she couldn't come home until she was spayed, which would be in about 7-10 days. After a lot of miscommunication on their part, we were told that due to her size she couldn't be spayed right away and it would be longer. We also found out during this time that she had two hyrnia's that would need to be surgically repaired. She finally had surgery on Tuesday, 11/27/18, at which point we were told she would need to remain at the shelter for another seven days to help keep her calm while all three of her incisions healed. While we understood the concerns, all we wanted was to bring our new pup home where we could care for her outside of a tiny cage. We were finally allowed to bring her home with us on Tuesday, 12/4/18. For a less than a 12 week old puppy, she is super smart. She did amazing with potty training, got along amazing with our other dog, and we were so happy to finally have a new addition to our family. Friday evening, 12/7/18, she started acting lethargic. By the next morning she refused to eat (completely out character), had no desire to play with her toys, our other dog, appeared listless, and just shook from head to toe. We immediately called our veterinarian and took her right in. The vet ran bloodwork to compare it to previous levels, checked her over, and reported that there was nothing concerning at that point other than a slightly elevated temperature which could have been due to a few different things. He let us take her home but advised us if she started vomiting or having diarrhea to bring her back. Less than 10 minutes after leaving, she threw up several times. We went right back to the vet who took x-rays and didn't find anything concerning there. They kept her overnight to put her on IV fluids and to keep an eye on her. When they called the next morning they reported she had diarrhea, was still very low energy, and additional tests came back positive for Parvo. After explaining the virus, care, and potential that if she didn't respond to the treatment we may not get to bring her back home, we were heartbroken. The vet advised us to let the SPCA know ASAP as the virus is highly contagious. Due to the SPCA's hours of operation we sent them an email, but received no response. We called them first thing Tuesday morning to let them know what was happening with our puppy. At this point they told us our veterinarian was wrong, that our puppy previously had been treated for Coccidia and it was probably just that, and she was recently given the second shot of the Parvo vaccine which was causing the false positive. Even after explaining all the tests our vet had been doing and her ongoing stay with them, they advised us that we had no proof it was Parvo and couldn't be sure it came from the shelter. As of today, Wednesday, 12/12/18, our pup is still at the vet. She appears to be responding to treatment, they are optimistic she will make a full recovery, and we are hoping to bring her back home later this afternoon. Despite the financial strain this will cause, that is the least of our concerns, as we love our new pup and will figure that out. I am grateful for the work that the SPCA does to rescue animals from kill shelters, but am disheartened by their lack of response or empathy with the families that walk into their building. Throughout the process to bring our pup home we found some of the shelter staff to be very unapproachable and difficult to work with due to their lack of communication skills. While I understand the budgetary constraints of operating an animal shelter, there should still be a high expectation for how a shelter presents and maintains itself for the best interest of the animals in their care. Yes- we adopted our dog and understood there were no guarantees about anything, but a shelter should stand behind the animals they are adopting into our community, especially when they are made aware of a highly contagious virus that an animal came out of their shelter infected with. I am not saying you shouldn't adopt from the SPCA of Upstate NY, because all of those animals deserve amazing furever homes. I am saying that if you choose to adopt from them, be aware that should anything come up with your new pet, know that there will be no support or accountability on their end, and they will most likely deny any potential knowledge or care that the other animals should have received in light of information provided directly to them. read more

Horrible experience. Dirty, smelly, poor dogs in too small cages and staff who tried to be helpful but hands were tied by "board" with ridiculous expectations. Will NEVER go there again read more

I've never actually done a Yelp review, but I was so bothered by my experience with the SPCA of Upstate NY, that I had to write something. Found a pet we were interested in I and called to see it was still available. Looked at their website for adoption requirements, but there were none. We arrived, had to hunt some down to get paperwork to fill out. When we did, they said we would never be able to adopt because our two existing pets hadn't see a vet for awhile. That's true, for one it had been more than a year and the other had been closer to three. My fault but I had actually called our vet to make appts a week ago. Basically, if I have ANY history of missing more than a year of vet appts, I am OUT forever. I can certainly understand the need for a new pet to enter a home with pets that have been immunized. I was in the wrong, but to be ruled out completely? ON TOP of that, to not have their policy posted online with an application is crazy. read more

I fell in love with a puppy on line. Went to see the puppy and fell in love with her more. Filled out the paper work and there were questions about our previous animals. First the vet we used the clerk said we had a dog in 2014 I told them that was my son she got very short with me. First of all I know I didn't have animals then. Then we went to the vet to straighten things out yes it was my son's , the last dog and cat I had was in 2001 and it showed that year the cat had a rabies shot. They told me when I had the animals everything was hand written before 2001 and records were discarded. Anyway they received a written statement from the vets regarding this and after the director reviewed it I was told I couldn't adopt because it's been to long. I was very disappointed and could not believe this is happening. We had that cat and dog for 18 years and never neglected or abused them. All I can say they made me feel uncomfortable the more they talked I guess it wasn't meant to be and after reading some of these reviews I am not alone. Would never support this organization or recommend them. read more

Do not adopt from these people. Extremely rude and very disrespectful. Adopted a dog that was supposedly 14 weeks old. After consulting my vet I was told the dog was older. After owning the dog a couple of months I called them to talk to them about the dog. After talking to their "supervisor" Who was the one being extremely rude the whole time during the conversation, and then proceeded to hang up on me. Save your money and do not adopt from these people. I Spent twice as much money on a dog that cannot be trained. Spent $100 on a dog that is absolutely perfect purebred from Craigslist read more

Really wish there was a less than one star option available. I called to inquire about a dog and was told she was available. I said great, my kids and I have been looking for some time and when we saw this dog we just fell in love! I was told That's great, come on in on Tuesday. (My husband also called on Saturday to make sure the dog we were looking to adopt wasn't at petsmart to be adopted out because we didn't want to 'miss' this dog. He said we didn't want to get the kids excited if the dog wasn't going to still be available when the shelter reopens on Tuesday) So we go on Tuesday, during a school vacation so with all three kids in tow and we stopped at the filthy reception window. When asked how old the child my husband was holding is, we responded with '4' and the woman at the reception desk changed her entire attitude and said 'Ugh, you cannot adopt a puppy because 'he' (pointing at my 4yo) isn't old enough. I said excuse me? Her response was we could possibly adopt an older dog but no way we're we going to get anything less than a year old because my child isn't 5. Okay- my thing is I would rather have a puppy with no habits than an older dogs with possible bad habits. Especially with children! I asked why this wasn't mentioned on either phone call, after we both stated we had kids and why it wasn't posted on their website. I was told it was a miscommunication and they can choose what they put on their website. After a few minutes of listening to her attitude we left. I got back in my vehicle and my 4yo looked to his older brother and sister and said 'sorry guys, I know this is my fault cause I'm only 4'. FIRST OF ALL- we were unable to SAVE a dog that would have been a great fit for our family because we had a child in 2014. Ridiculous! THEN- instead of pulling me or my husband (or both) aside, she said in front of my children that it was because of my 4yo. If you have a rule about children's ages, post it somewhere or at the very least simply ask during any of the phone calls we had!! Second, if you are going to make ANY child of any age feel responsible for the family not being able to save an animal from your disgusting shelter, you are the lowest form of human being and should not work in any type of customer service position. Truly a horrible experience and I feel bad for every single animal in their care. I know for sure we as a family (including my 4yo) could have given that dog a life of love and spoils, in conditions 1000 times better than they provide. Will never go back or refer anyone there. Hope this saves other children from the embarrassment mine faced. read more

My husband and I adopted a cat from here. Sort of. We found her in the Wilton Petsmart (actually, he picked her out!) and filled out all of the paperwork and the deposit. Because of his work schedule, he asked if he could come and get the cat in a few days, so that he would be able to spend the necessary time with her, initiating her to her surroundings. They said, "no problem." When we went to go get the cat a few days later, the woman taking care of the cats acted very strangely, and said she didn't have the authorization to release the cat - (well...what the heck are you there for) and didn't know when the person who WAS authorized would be there. Ok. We called a few times. more run around, person is sick, etc. Went back another time, same story. Finally, my husband went back once more, and they admitted that they had ADOPTED THE CAT TO SOMEONE ELSE (!?) even after he had signed all the paperwork and put a deposit down. Apparently they found someone they liked better or something - if they did not trust us with the cat, or found us unsuitable they never should have taken our money, and then waited around for someone better to come around. We aren't kids, but guess what, we were heartbroken. Each time we came to see the cat, we spent about a half hour playing with her and becoming attached. I would hate to think what would happen if a small child got their heartbroken with a similar bait and switch situation. read more

I so wish I had read these reviews before going here. We adopted a puppy that they said was going to be about 60-70 lbs. We asked for a larger dog that will be able to hike with us going in. She was just a puppy so it was hard for us to be able to tell. When we got her home many ppl said she looked like a much smaller dog breed mix. Which after we researched online- saw that she was going to be about 35lbs when grown. We called and explained we hike and really wanted a bigger dog. We asked if we could exchange for a bigger dog. They basically told us that it is a guess as to what you get and to return her. So we took her back asking about a bigger dog. They treated us like garbage. We were denied a larger dog and they refused to refund our adoption fee of $390. We returned her within 48 hours! They were all about saying that the dog needs to be the right fit for the family but then when it isn't, they want nothing to do with you. We just wanted to rescue a large dog and are now out a dog and the money. read more

Unnecessarily rude, and made what should have been a pleasant experience for us and the puppy into a stressful unnecessarily prolonged ordeal, holding our puppy for a full 5 days after being spayed before deciding that we could take him. (despite the fact he did poop the day after surgery) In reading LOTS of other reviews we are not alone. I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere if at all possible. read more

incredibly disappointed with an organization that I thought was supposed to put homeless pets in homes. Our former dog was 16 and he was our life. However, we were looked down upon because he wasn't neutered-yet still deeply cared for and never around other dogs. We also have a cat, but she goes outside a couple times a week...Ugh oh! We are not good enough apparently! After 5 days of hell, we were denied. They are NOT the organization that I thought they were. As someone else posted, they would rather keep dogs in cages in an animal shelter than with a family who was willing to go through their bs to get a dog to add to their family. read more

Have nothing but good things to say about the SPCA. We adopted 2 pets from here, both wonderful and loving and had good experiences. Of course they are going to want to be sure their cats are kept indoors and are spayed or neutered. They get most of their pets from people who thought they were being careful and can't "figure out how she went and got herself pregnant". I am probably a little biased because I worked at a pet rescue center on Long Island. I've seen first hand how animals can be abused and neglected. Give these people a break. They are trying to do the best they can for these animals and get them forever homes. Save your anger for the people who deserve it...the folks who brought their pets there in the first place after they were no longer cute little kittens and puppies, or dumped them on the street. Keep up the good work, SPCA! read more

We just adopted our 2nd puppy from the SPCA and had another wonderful experience,,we had to do a meet and greet which we were concerned about since our other dog is a little anti-social but they worked with us and the patience from staff was amazing considering how busy they were..we got a feist mix and we realize the rescues can't be completely sure of her mix considering they may never see the parents but by the size of her paws she should be a medium size dog like they said...we are just so Thankful and happy with our forever fur babies!! read more

I was really interested in this puppy i saw for adoption. I talked to my sister about this organization and she said they are EXTREMELY hard to adopt with. They wouldnt let her adopt a cat, because her DOG (chihuahua) wasnt fixed. her dog has very bad anxiety, and when it goes to the vet it has seizures, and thats why they couldnt get him fixed. They looked at it as an irresponsible situation. When my sister was just doing the right thing for her pet. Its sad , she is the most responsible mother of three ive ever met. and her two ragdoll cats (that she didnt get here) are happy and fat! this discourages me from coming here because i dont want to fall in love with the puppy i saw online then be turned down. sad. read more

Unscrupulous people. We were pressured into putting money down (not a deposit - the full $395) for a puppy when the staff made my two daughters feel that we would not have the option to adopt her if we didn't make a payment that day saying someone "just called to come see her" (we had intended only to look around that day). Issue number one - unethical behavior putting pressure on children that they won't get a dog they are interested in. We were then told we would need to have our dog meet the puppy before things would be finalized to make sure they would get along. We decided that night that the puppy wasn't the right fit for our family and called to cancel the adoption plans the very next day. They would not provide us with a refund. They said that it was now considered a donation. I asked them if their main focus was to ensure dogs go to a good home that is the right fit for them or just to make money. Their Board refused to give us a refund. The manager tried to make it sound like they had spayed the dog and given her shots etc. because we were adopting her - yet she was ALREADY spayed and had received her shots - they did nothing extra or special for her as a result of our interest in her. This is unethical behavior for any organization. You can back out of buying a house within 3 days but I can't back out of an adoption agreement when I hadn't even completed the adoption process per their protocol???? I would not support this organization. Unethical is the most appropriate word I can post here. I have several others but not appropriate for posting. Go elsewhere to adopt a pet. read more

My boyfriend and I adopted a puppy with the Upstate SPCA in May. After only having our dog for three days she became extremely ill. We bought her to the Emergency vet on a Sunday night, after 3 hours we were told our dog had Parvo and worms. We were in shock because the shelter warned us about Parvo and we did everything they told us to prevent it. The doctor told us that she was already infected when we bought her. After three nights in the hospital and an extreme bill we finally got our puppy back. When we called the SPCA in concern for other dogs in the shelter they immediately said that they would not pay for our vet bills and that she did not get Parvo from them. We never once asked for money, we were just trying to make sure the disease was not being spread. I would never recommend this shelter to anyone, they sold us a dying puppy which we were told had a clean bill of health. We now have a healthy and extremely happy puppy which we love and wouldn't trade for anything, but no one should have to go through what we did. If the shelter properly tested and treated the dogs like they claim they do this would never have happen. read more

Four days after our adoption of the puppy,I called the SPCA.I talked to a behavior specialist. The puppy we had adopted was very aggressive. Several cuts on my wife and me raised questions. We were told that the dog needed alot of work and was to be adopted with an adult dog to keep it in its place. I wish we were told this information. It would of saved alot of humiliation my wife felt on that day. That day the women only focused on my wife in a wheelchair and wanted her to parade around in a walker with the puppy. No aggression issues were mentioned. They took the puppy back and returned our money with no problems. Last and finally update 3/5/16 . I was told by the behavior specialist that we could get our $380 back or leave it there and (GET ANOTHER PUPPY ) when my wife felt better so she could pick the dog out.I told her I would take the money,which I did, and we would come back. We went back on this day and noticed that every time we asked to see a puppy the people were to busy to help. I started to notice a pattern. We were then taken aside, not by the person that gave us all the trouble, but by a volunteer, and told we were Banned ! from the SPCA. read more

I wish I read these reviews before adopting here. Its funny the reviews stat that its so hard to adopt here, funny I literally walked in filled out an app (it was never reviewed) and walked out with a very sick dog. (didn't know yet) I thought it very odd they didn't ID me, check references, ask for proof of employment or my living situation. I shrugged it off. I also thought it strange that when asking about the dogs health nobody had any answers. But they where so concerned that I didn't have a crate for the car even though they didn't even know for sure that I was who I said I was because they didn't even ask for a drivers license. Long story short, after a seizure, many vet visits, tests (still waiting for results) and tears and money the dog has a potential liver condition that will require ALOT of money to fix with no real answer to the dogs recovering. The vet asked me to call the SPCA and see if they where aware of any conditions etc to see if it could help. I called and the manager of the SPCA she was rude and not in ANY way sympolthetic to the dogs health or our emotions. She told me there was no way her staff didn't not know anything about the dog and no way I could have walked out that easily with the dog, people complain the adoption process was to difficult she said. She raised her voice, had no interest in listening to the whole story that I wanted to tell her, constant talking, interrupting and VERY eager to hang up the phone with me. So after being called a lier and yelled at ;I finally raised my voice back and said I just needed help so to please help stop talking and listen to what I had to say. Still didn't get to really TALK about the situation because I was so taken back and frazzled by the response I was getting. She said I could return the dog. That was her solution. This place is unbelievable!! They are in no way humane. After reading several bad reviews online (should have read first) I realized this place is no way humane. This is my personal experience and opinion. I never thought adopting a pet would be so heartbreaking. This organization should seriously be under review. Send good vibes Marcus's way and hold your pets tight. Im glad to hear other have had good experiences but my was heartbreaking. read more

I recently had a couple kittens dropped off at our farm. This is not an uncommon situation for farms, but my husband and I already have 3 cats of our own and really don't need any more. I called the SPCA a few times to help out and got no where. In fact the last time I spoke to the director personally she was extremely rude and ended up hanging up the phone on me. It is very frustrating to know they go to Tennessee to get animals to bring back here, but will not take ones from their own county. I understand they may have been booked up, but after reading other reviews maybe if they treated people better and the animals they may be able to get more animals forever homes. I will NOT be donating to them again as I have every year in the past. My donations will go to Adirondack-Save-A-Stray where our amazing pup came from and to Free to be Me Rescue in Troy, NY who took the kittens in. Not only did they take the kittens, but they also met me in Clifton Park to pick them up. These are two shelters who deserve donations, certainly not my local SPCA (I am ashamed to say that). It sounds like they may need a new director before things change. read more