TAPS is a private, no-kill shelter. As such, they have implemented strict rules regarding adoption. It starts with completing an application for adoption! A person will be informed if s/he is acceptable as an adoption candidate. Further, that adoption approval is not permanent, there is an end date about four months out or so. Although I understand their desire to screen people, I wish they could develop a less "encountering" method. Further, it believe it would be helpful were some customer service training be initiated. Given the one star ratings, I can only assume the majority of the people's interaction with TAPS is an off-putting experience. That said, they do take good care of the animals. The dog I adopted from TAPS was at their shelter for years and was with a foster family before I adopted her. She's a Staffy at 51.8#'s of well-behaved love. It's obvious TAPS took good physical and mental care of her. And in defense of TAPS' uber-caution, my dog is attractive and could well get adopted by someone who isn't able to manage her. read more

You will find here at TAPS, amazing affordable fees for adoptable pets, as well as many potential pets to choose from. What you will not find, is transparency or understanding. Upon application approval, I was told my choice dog was not allowed for adoption under ASSUMPTION, no DNA knowledge, no testing, but assumption the breed was that of an aggressive breed (pitbull). My landlord, had approved this dog after questioning as neither of us saw Pitbull Terrier in the mix. Upon asking for DNA testing, I was told this is a post adoption process. When asked if there is no definitive way to tell her breed, when I may visit the dog in question? (Nacho Fries). It is only now, I find out there is a line ahead of me for an animal to come home. Rather than operating in home readiness and preparedness post approval, it is a First Come First Serve basis. Which, for a No Kill Shelter? Seems to be a relatively poor processing style. I would have loved to walk away with this sweet girl, but upon a return call to potentially look at another available dog? The same circumstances. No understanding of when the visit is scheduled if I can leave with my new companion that same day, nothing. I completely find a accumulative 2.5 star rating to this facility to be unremarkably kind. read more

I have adopted multiple animals from TAPs in the past & I have always had a pleasant experience. They do have stricter rules & regulations than other shelters but I can tell they are there for the benefit of the animals and finding their forever homes. read more

I grew up hearing about Taps and always dreamed of working there. I eventually decided to apply. I felt it was the right time. I loved it! I loved it so much I would cry when I wasn't at work because I missed the dogs. I loved the work though. I almost immediately had problems with some staff. Every time I would come in a manager (I can't remember her name.) would congratulate me on another day and say she was surprised I came back. The guy that works there even said something to her bc it was rude. Most of the staff is very two faced and arrogant. They take very good care of the dogs but they almost take TOO much pride in what they do. They treat there new staff like TRASH. I've heard of people getting fired for mishandling bc they pushed a dog off that was humping them.. Ive heard of them firing someone for putting a dog in the cage backwards... I fractured my ankle on the 4th of July. I missed THREE days. I had a doctors note for two of them. I explained I was homeless at the time and would be fine after the one extra day I missed... they still fired me... they use there point system against you. THESE PEOPLE DONT CARE HOW HARD YOU WORK OR HOW MUCH YOU LOVE YOUR JOB. I was never late. I never left on my lunches... They need new management. All of the managers were horrible. The main vet tech is a sweetheart tho. One of the sweetest people I've ever met. If your interested in working with animals I recommend volunteering or finding another shelter or vet hospital. Another thing I would like to mention.. I asked for corporate or anyone higher up to talk to once I was fired and she just told me it's a "not for profit" organization. They definitely have some sort of power trip going on. After nagging I eventually got a number. The main manager ignored me for days. Mind you my foot was black and blue.. I missed three days and she went on vacation and then ignored my messages for days. I was threatened with my points for being a minute late clocking back in after lunches by the girl I had problems with from the beginning... these managers are beyond immature. They do not need any part of this organization. They need to hand over there positions to people more understanding and mature. MOST of the employees are this way too. It's mainly the front desk people. One girl gave me a death stare as I walked by and smiled at her.. I had cleaned and put bedding in a cage that didn't need it and didn't realize it but just kept it just in case. I found this girl scrubbing it so I apologized and said I meant well.. she was so snobby... never tried to talk to me but would come in the room and be like "HEY BITCHES. I need the ____" like girl... u do not know me well enough,.. I can see this taps going downhill at some point if management isn't changed. DO NOT WORK HERE. read more

I found the staff very helpful and pleasant. They went out of their way to help me solve issues my dog had from being in different shelters for an extended length. Even after the adoption they checked in with us. They have a great facility and the main priority are the animals . read more

I've been to TAPS on a number of occasions to find a dog that would be a good fit. I was at the top of the list for a gorgeous and sweet husky. I've had a husky/malamute in the past and understand the amount of exercise and stimulation they need. Every time I visit, the staff is incredibly rude, but I ignore it because I'm there to find the right dog. I was told that I would be denied because I don't have a fenced in yard. First, I was told that the fenced in yard would not be a problem but more of an FYI. I was then told that it was up to the foster parents to decide. My last phone call was from the director who told me I was denied (or, "taken off the list" effective immediately) and was so rude, I SOBBED when I got off the phone with her. She didn't care that I work from home, that I have a large living space, she would get plenty of exercise (3-4x a day), there are two parks within walking distance to me, and I live on the first floor. I told her I would provide whatever was needed to make her feel comfortable, but she couldn't have cared in the slightest and just seemed hell bent to let me know she was making her final decision to deny me right then. As a young, single woman with no kids, I consider my dog to be my baby in a sense. To be denied in such a flippant and inconsiderate way, was to me, almost unforgivable. She seemed more concerned with sticking to her ill-conceived decision than seeing reason. What's unsettling to me is that this sweet husky could go to a family who is potentially awful or do not understand the requirements of this breed, but because they have a fenced in yard, she will go to them. THEY NEED TO RETHINK THIS PROCESS. read more

I got my dog Piper here two days ago. The staff here are very friendly and the place is clean-ish. I don't expect it to be spotless and it seems more like a lack of funding then a lack of cleanliness. Piper is an amazing dog, the whole family loves her. That being said, I paid the adoption fee plus a fee to keep her collar .... and then sn additional fee. .... For the vet to treat the kennel cough that they didn't tell us she had. I understand that dogs get sick and in no way would it have stopped me from adopting her but it wasn't ok to withhold her helth information. I shouldn't been informed of her illness upfront. I am especially grateful that she's our only dog to prevent the illness from spreading. read more

Taps Animal Shelter - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pekin, Illinois

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I adopted a kitten from here 10 years ago who is the most loving cat and very healthy as well. I have been here multiple times since to see cats and dogs. They seem to truly care about their animals and they are all very friendly. I would definitely come back here if I decided to adopt more pets, which I plan to do in the near future. read more

Taps Animal Shelter - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pekin, Illinois

This shelter is clean. I believe most have the animals welfare at heart. That being said, the staff are not friendly to people. The I know everything about dogs and you are ignorant is very strong. Be prepared to be treated like a child. I think a little power play is going on. The people posting that the staff are nice are not real reviews. The behavior I saw and heard tells a very different story. I have always adopted. I thought breeders were horrible but the staff at TAPs changed my attitude. I would much rather buy a dog than deal with taps. I pray that the staff are kinder to the dogs than they are to the poor souls who find their way to this shelter. read more

The policies and people at TAPS are rigid and unfriendly. I was told that because of the cat's age it was first come first serve and I'd have to come in. However this specific cat was with vet until a certain date and would not be available to be adopted until released. I called several times and went to the office in the interim to confirm the date the cat would be available and was told the same date each time. On that date I called and was told the cat had been released and adopted the day before. This feels suspiciously like nepotism to me. I will never work with TAPS again and will encourage my friends not to either. read more

This is the hardest place to walk into. If you're an animal lover, be warned. You'll want to adopt a houseful. I detest puppy mills like Petsmart with every bone in my body, and Taps seems to be the exact opposite. I'm pretty sure it's not great for the animals forced to live at Taps. They would probably prefer to be "home", but the people at Taps really seems to care. We don't have pets since ours died, but I do my best to support Taps financially when the opportunity arises. read more

I contacted TAPS yesterday for information on adoption fees. They e-mailed me back today with the information. For as busy as they are I thought this was given with great speed. I truly appreciated it. The fees are very reasonable and I look forward to adopting from them when a good fit becomes available. I lost my furbaby last week and while still greiving and at a loss I am looking forward to finding another to love and care for. read more

Very very disappointing visit. Would not recommend this location due to the incompetence of the staff. I'm from out of town and when I first arrived, I spoke with the front desk about adopting a dog. I was very upfront about being out of town and wanting to adopt this weekend. I was directed to complete an application, which I did. Then upon submitting the application and asking when I could see the dogs, I was told that it takes 24-72 hrs to review the application because they were too busy to do it today and that I would have to wait until the appl was approved to see the dogs, probably Monday. It was a complete waste of time since they could have told me all of this up front. I hope for the animals' sake they find good homes quick. Based on my experience, I doubt they will. Very sad. read more

I had submitted an application for a dog that fit my criteria of being a good candidate for becoming my service dog, a companion. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was denied adopting a dog,just to be a family dog for the kids. Why....they restrict any plans to better the life of a dog they have caged on concrete. They said they don't support my training and plans for AFTER ADOPTION. Hmmmmm...... seems like a show to give off the reputation of being hard,tough,strict. Well,they may be all of that but those skinny dogs would want a home and a purpose instead of staying locked up in your shelter. My kids were with me when she got a very stern voice to try to pose as a 'superiority' judge,denying me because the owner claimed to call my vet. I went straight to my vet to ask. NO THERE WAS NO CALL. The woman then began to say there was no record of Izzy's life and medical care. THAT WAS A LIE. I CALLED THE EMERGENCY VET AND MY VET. No such call was received by either of these references. So what is the deal. I explained they didn't have any qualifying dogs with potential to be a service dog. We were there for a family dog. She got very snappy with me. Telling me I threatened her with an attorney. I did NOT...I don't remember the word lawyer coming out of my mouth. I remember quoting the 14the amendment from the constituation to her and SHE BLEW..... infront of my 14 year old displaying well mannered,well intended manager was what I expected. Professsional. NOT AT ALL WHAT I WITNESSED OR MY DAUGHTER. Therefore its been months we've been looking and I've been scammed out of hundreds of dollars to get a decent genetic lined dog.... Or a dog that displays the correct temperment,personality exc.... But why should my kids sacrifice their lives to be born into a family who was Active Duty Navy. My kids and I sacrificed our lives,disrupting and uprooting a whole family. JUST FOR OUR FREEDOM TO TREAT OTHERS AS IF YOU ARE ABOVE THEM. Sad. read more

Taps is a very well run shelter and a great place to volenteer at, the animals are well taken care of. They try to make sure they can take care of and manage all of the animals they can take in, they are a great because they are no kill but the one downfall of that is that they can only take in a certain amount of animals and have too turn some down, they try very hard though to take in as many as they can reasonably take care of, they all get proper exersise and socialization. There one of my favorite shelter and much better than any of the kill shelters around. My only complaint is that some staff are a bit rude, but report them to the higher up people and you will be fine! Oh and also my one other issue and the only reason i gave it three stars instead of 4 is because they told us the dog we adoptef was wormed and he had not been, the excuse they came up with was lame, but i havent run into any similiar issues again read more

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Seems like a very poorly run, slapdash operation here. I don't think that being a no-kill shelter or having volunteers on site means it's okay to be rude and impatient. It just means you need better volunteers! I don't know about the background check being all that extensive because I got a call pretty quick after I submitted my application that said the cat I was interested in was available and to call back if I still wanted to adopt. I called a couple times without anyone answering so I left a message and said I was interested and asked what was their adoption process. Then the next day I get another voicemail that says I have to get the cat that night or the next applicant would be called. Of course, when I tried to call for clarification, no answer all day so I just left ANOTHER message that I would come in and to please not give the cat away in the meantime. When I get there, the staff person/volunteer at the front desk is soooo unfriendly and rude and lectured me about how they almost gave the cat to the next person! I am not sure how that could possibly be my fault when it's completely impossible to talk to a human there and nothing about a time limit was left on my voicemail! I spent some time with the cat and noticed some physical issues that I wanted to ask about. When I did, that same person was so suspicious and defensive until she got the chart out and saw that the cat DID in fact have some issues (like I had been beating on the cat in the room or something!) There was zero information other than diagnosis in the chart so I just looked it up on my own phone. In addition this cat was skeletal despite her chart listing her weight at 8.5 lbs. I decided to adopt her just to get her out of that shelter where it seemed like no one was caring for her! This crabby staff person made me wait to finalize my adoption so she could coo over and play with a dog another person was adopting so she just obviously doesn't like cats. When I was signing the papers and paying, I realized no one ever asked for my ID. I could be some animal serial killer for all they knew or cared. Plus she was talking badly about the prior owners and I could see their names on some of the forms. Just incredibly unprofessional. (Totally looked them up on facebook though) When I got the kitty to my vet the next day she only weighed 7 lbs so either she lost 1.5 lbs in that shelter or they have a broken scale. She also had an undiagnosed hernia, an auto-immune disorder, and scabs covering her body. My vet commented with concern on how much information was missing from the chart Taps gave me or it was bad information like her her spaying date was written as the week prior and yet her stomach fur was all grown back and the scar completely healed. I understand why shelters exist but they have to be serving the animals with BETTER care than that they came from, not worse. They need to be turning animals away if it is taking away from their ability to adequately care for the animals that are already there. I would certainly NEVER adopt from Taps again due to both the staff as well as the condition of the animals they are approving for adoption. read more

I am not one to post reviews but this one I feel pretty passionate about. I applied to adopt a dog through TAPS and it took them a really long time to get back to me. I understand why, they even acknowledge it could take them a while to get in touch. However, after my conversation with someone there about a specific policy they have, I have decided not to support their shelter. Through a series of unfortunate events, my husband and I had to rehome our dog. We LOVED that dog so much and was very much part of our family. We sought out many organizations for help, including TAPS. My Lovable Angels and Belly Rubs Grooming, Inc were extremely helpful in helping us with next steps. TAPS never once got back to us with help or even information on surrendering our dog. Because we loved our dog so much we were more interested in working with places that foster dogs or help our dog get straight into a home. Through Belly Rubs, we also used social media as a way to rehome our dog. Again, we wanted more than anything for our dog to get more than what we could provide for him and be in a home that is well suitable for him. After more than their 72 hour time frame, they finally got back to us just to tell us our application was rejected because we used social media as a way to rehome our dog. Basically, telling us it was irresponsible of us to go that route. It is so hurtful to me to have an organization tell me that I would be unfit to adopt a dog from them because of this. We made the decision to go this way of rehoming our dog so we could filter out good owners and situations verses the bad ones for our dog because we loved him so much. I understand the need to have a policy like this with the type of world we live in today but I wish they would have taken the steps to get to know me as a person and an animal lover before they made the decision for me. They will turn down good homes and great families without even asking the WHY to things. I never broke a contract with them or anyone else. But they will never know that because I wasn't given the opportunity to share that. That's the part that makes me so disappointed in TAPS. We will definitely be going to other organizations and shelters with our money, resources, and positive word of mouth. read more

I have adopted two dogs over the last 18 months from this shelter. Everyone is so polite, professional, and caring. Finding the correct forever homes for their pets is their number one priority. We have been showered with nothing but love from the two dogs we have adopted. I would highly recommend this no-kill shelter when you are looking for either a cat or a dog. These animals need our love and the staff does a great job of loving them until they do make their way into others hearts and homes. Thank you for all you do! read more

Very disappointed. They refused to allow me to adopt a puppy from their organization. According to them, I never gave my dogs a rabies shot. Even after contacting my family vet which I have been going to for 39 years - yes my whole life. Tried to explain to them that we do not give our animals rabies shot because there is no rabies in Hawaii. (We have quarantine). I have adopted animals from the Hawaiian Humane Society before with no issue. Relocate to Illinois and I pretty much was told I was not a responsible pet owner. Yes my family was upset - esp since they found a rat terrier puppy very similar to the animal we have in Hawaii. In the end, I apologized to the head lady for wasting her time and said aloha. In the back of my mind I was calling her an idiot for not believing there is no rabies in the state of Hawaii. read more

Taps animal shelter and the people who volunteer there have very low class, and treat people with disrespect. Subjects: Bunny and Rabbit bonded mixed dogs who they desperately wished could be adopted together and it's a 2 for 1 price special. My 9 month pregnant wife and I showed up on a Tuesday hoping to help a pair of Great Pyrenees/Lab mix girls named Bunny and Rabbit find a home with us and our family. Pekin was smeared with their happy faces advertising TAPS animal shelter. We met the girls and decided they were For Us. Not so fast!!! There's that application process. ...supposedly there were "several applications in for them." Well no problem we adopted a kitten almost a year before from Taps who was able to run our application while we stood in the lobby. Not this time!! Even though all of our information was the same, our Vet was the same, they still wanted to run our application and do a Vet check. After respectfully asking different staff if they knew of a way to expedite the process since they seemed completely happy to do so last time when we were there for the cat, one of the very rude staff members said something to the affect of "stop harassing us the process is the process".... apparently asking questions is harassment according to that tyrant. At any rate we were then informed seemingly out of spite that if we were magically considered then we would need to bring all 3 of my children and my 100lb malamute an hour from home to have an introduction with the family. So we succumbed to "the process". 3 days later my wife called (multiple times cause no one ever answers) and they said, " we left you a voicemail, you passed our background check you can bring the family Saturday at 12:30 for a meet".... there was no voicemail.....so we keep the entire thing under wraps from our 2 toddlers and teenager, as we drive two separate vehicles and the whole family an hour away from home to meet with Bunny and Rabbit. "The process" now was take all kids and animals into a room to let everyone feel each other out. They bring the girls in and my toddlers are in awe. Everyone's happy and interacting. Then they signal me to bring in my Male Malamute from the back room. These people gave the animals 5 min together before she quickly determined that she was not letting them go with us because of one closed mouth growl from bunny and rabbit. Then suddenly when I'm begging for us to try a couple of methods and give them time to acclimate to which the male worker suggested we take them outside to more neutral less restrictive ground the female "Boss" immediately respond with a sharp "No"her objections suddenly mutated into my malamute not being fixed (which was on our application) and that Rabbit had hip dysplasia. A diagnosis that had never been uttered before nor was demonstrated in person. We weren't given any more time with them, staff appeared to immediately ignore us. It would have been one thing to call and say oh I noticed your 100lb dog isn't fixed we can't let these large breed females deal with that, but they made me drag my entire family out, made half a day of it, bought all the accessories and necessities to bring the girls home, only for that Unknowledgeable decision maker to turn down an excellent home. These people do not know dogs. They have an emotional attachment to them that interferes with the best interest of the animal, and they've never taken the time to fully understand the Pack mentality. Plus I'm pretty sure Bunny and Rabbit were really good advertisement pieces and the organization didn't want to give up that meal ticket so close to the Christmas puppy gifting season. Just as bad as the puppy mills they claim to dislike read more

I adopted a puppy from this facility on January 15, 2016 which was a Friday. The following Monday which was a holiday she became be very sick. We took her to the vet only to learn she had PARVO. When I contacted TAPS I was told sorry to hear this and that they would tell their vet tech. Well 9 days at the vet and $4200 dollars later she was better. TAPS director admitted that two of the four puppies in this liter tested positive for PARVO. They should have never adopted these puppies. The have not excepted any responsibility. read more

I volunteered here from the time I was 15-18. It was okay back then. But now not so much. Their adoption process is ridiculous. They continue to take apps even if they have 16 other apps. They don't even tell you if they already have an adoption pending. It seems to be much more about making a profit then actually caring about the animals. The kennels are always dirty when I go in. Which I understand is hard to keep cleaning 24/7. But most of the dogs there are sick from things like kennel cough. They don't seem to treat the animals and just let it spread. The sick ones are usually not even separated and some of the kennels just have chained linked fence in between them. I feel bad for the animals! read more

This is by far the worst"non profit organization " that I have ran across The lady who I guess runs it was rude and the Russian lady you can barely understand is rude as hell ! They told me they lost mine and my husbands application, then magically called us back and told us some bullshit reason why they couldn't adopt to us I would never recommend ever going here ! read more

My family & I have adopted from TAPS many times over the last 18 years. We have all volunteered there as well at one time or another. When I was there adopting and volunteering I never saw a problem with the way they handle business. This shelter is run almost entirely on volunteers which means sometimes things do not run as smoothly & sometimes things get missed. These people are choosing to donate their time to help the animals. They are almost always short staffed & way to busy but they handle everything the best they can. They choose to be very picky about who they adopt to & will take time to gather all of the correct information. I would rather a shelter put the time & energy into an adoption rather then adopting out to just anyone! read more

My heart aches for the animals waiting for their forever homes through TAPS. The staff shows no urgency, care or consideration for would be adopters and are extremely rude and disorganized. Luckily, I was able to adopt my FURever baby from Peoria County with complete ease, compassion and professionalism from the Peoria County staff. read more

I was approved to adopt a cat and received a phone call to ask me when I could pick up the cat. Before I could return the call, I received another call to say that they were so sorry, but they had someone ahead of me and that that person was now adopting the cat. I understand working with volunteers, but it is very disappointing to be told that you're going to get the chance to adopt the animal, only to be told that you can't. It makes me wonder how they handle the adoption process and how adopters are placed in the order of adoption. I will try now to find another agency to work with until and unless this group can get its act together. read more

We adopted a healthy, happy kitty. He was so happy when we got him home. He started purring and didn't stop for almost 3 hours. Welcome home....Teddy Bear! Thank you all at Taps for all your help. read more

I would like to review TAPS in Pekin, IL, from a volunteers perspective.  I do not wish to defend TAPS, as that is not necessary. 1 To those who have given a bad review because TAPS has animals that are sick:  Yes, they accept both healthy and very sick animals who are in need.  The animals are given the best veterinary care possible.  They are a 'NO KILL' shelter.  2 To those who are frustrated because they cannot simply walk in and play with a puppy or kitten:  This is for the animals safety and not to upset you.  Many are very young and fragile, just like a newborn baby.  Once an adoption application has been approved and the puppy/kitten have had their required vaccinations, and are healthy the approved applicant is welcome to visit with the animal.    3 To those that are frustrated by their adoption process:  The rules are there to help place the animals in stable, loving and safe environments.  Many of the animals are there because of neglect or have started life as unwanted puppies or kittens.  Yes, they do call your vet for a reference.  They call your personal references and landlords simply in an effort to ensure the animals future well being.  And yes, this process takes time. 4 To those who have stated the shelter was dirty:  This is simply not true.  I volunteer, am in and out of the shelter different days of the week and at different times.  Keep in mind that both puppies and kittens are very messy, but they are cleaned up after repeatedly.   5 Busy overworked staff? . . . yes, they have them.  TAPS is a 'Not For Profit' group that relies on donations and volunteers and our paid staff is stretched very thinly. They do the very best they can with the employees, technology and room that they have.  I don't know of too many businesses that have employees who care enough about what they do to 'clock out for the day' and then spend another hour or two at work volunteering (walking dogs in this case). 6 I wish to extend an invitation to everyone to help TAPS improve by volunteering. Thanks, TAPS, as you are greatly appreciated by many! read more

Filled out a foster app and was denied because the volunteer coordinator does not like me for some reason. They put personal feelings over helping animals. I have a place to foster a dog and vet and landlord reference. Its a big clique at TAPS. read more

I have had many problems with TAPS they have lied about many things such as when I adopted my dog they said she was 9 weeks only the day to take her to the vet and have her actually be only 6 weeks old. On top of that they also all ready sprayed her at 6 weeks, put her on medicines she didn't need, that made her feel worse, and she was never sewn up correctly on the inside when they sprayed her. They are not all that bad though they let me meet her the first time I was there. read more

Put an application in on a sunday, email tuesday nothing, call tues left message, call again fb contact said wed, wed told them looking at another dog tomorrow, she pulled app and said it would be processed asap after she said it was already processed. References were called, no phone call next day as promised by noon. Calls the following day today, tues , saying i need reference and landlord information in my app? Fyi they take like 40 applications per puppy and their dear sweet time getting thru them when you cant even interact with the dog until your app is processed. Rock island shelter tou can adopt the same day, consider some where else, adopt from fb, something. They wonder why they are at full compacity and cant take more animals in. Got my forever baby from a private home. read more

I have had animals all my life and most from shelters since I wish to give a happy healthful life to an animal that just wants to be safe, loved, and care for. Having said that my visit to TAPS was the most disappointing and frustrating experiences of my life. I would have to say from what I experienced and have witnessed and heard directly from those who have visited this establishment that the reviews are not distorted and very much true. The process and background check almost borders a criminal or employment background check. What a lack in the faith of humanity. People come there first of all in respect that it is a "NO Kill" shelter, that they desire that no animal should have to face that. They fill out the application form and agree to the conditions on it. Then get their life microscope to see if they are worthy. I have seen on hear and heard from people "in person" they were denied because they live on a farm, or where they live, or they lived in Hawaii (which so have I) that they did not get approved because they did not get their dog a rabies shot. HELLO! they have no rabies there! That why! When you take a dog to Hawaii they are quarantined for 120 days before they even let you take them because of that! Do your research people! But my all time favorite! Just yesterday 2/15/2017 an older couple at a local animal control stated they were denied adoption because they are too old! Really!! Wow. I think maybe you need to find compassion for humans as well as the animals you seek to care for. I am a former city councilman who helped over see our animal shelter, I have been a volunteer for animal shelters. Those of you at TAPS do not think for one moment you are the only suitable animal lovers out there. You are effectively ostracizing the very community united in your goal. I would never tell anyone not to go there. All animals need a good loving home to go to. However, go with caution and an iron heart. If you successfully endure the process "bravo" and you have given a new addition to your home a happy life. Hopefully we all can learn from these reviews and make TAPS a better experience for those trying to bring love. read more

As someone who fostered for years and has volunteered at shelters, let me tell you that the people who complain the most do the least. It is 100% unrealistic to expect a response lightning fast, if you knew the behind the scenes work that goes on 7 days a week, you might have a better idea of why it sometimes takes 24-48 hours, maybe even 72 hours. If you want the animal badly enough, you will wait. The shelter is responsible for every animal in their care and they also commit for life, it is very important that all other animals in the home get along, the kids are comfortable with the potential kids in the house/other family members, etc. I believe strongly that the negative reviews are often based on reasons that are not being honestly stated by the reviewer, people like to leave things out. Bottom line is that the staff and volunteers here are dedicated to the animals and are also responsible for the best homes possible for that animal, so any decision made is made for a good reason. read more

We were not able to adopt a dog because we wrote "inside/outside dog" on the application. Taps is the only place that will ban a person from adopting for doing that. I will never support them nor recommend them to anyone. We went twice to see a certain dog and both times had giardia. Never going back. read more

The shelter is great but it has its flaws. First of all my friend and I did not have a problem with impolite staff. The staff was great and friendly and answered all the questions we asked. However, when My friend and I went up to the shelter to meet our cat and found out he had ringworm. This was disheartening but we met with another cat and she was a doll. We loved her once she opened up a bit to us. She was very calm, very sweet, and loved to be pet absolutely what we wanted. The adoption form, however, came back the next day unapproved. This was because my friend did not meet the work requirement. She had been working full time for 4 months for $11/hour and they wanted people who work for at least 6 months. This was not specified anywhere in the adoption form it simply says "have a source of steady income" which she does have. We aren't upset that there is a requirement we are simply upset that if there's a 6 month limit why don't you simply state that. Why is there a phrase up for interpretation when you have a concrete requirement. The director said that she could adopt her in two months but the way the shelter is run is first come first serve so there is absolutely no guarantee that that cat will still be there in 2 months. It would of saved us our time, money, and heartbreak. read more

My mother had to put her cat down for medical reasons so in the week before she filled out an application for a kitten. She did not put her original cat down as she knew it would be put down in the next week. Not only did taps NOT inform her they denied her app, they also did NOT email her back when she emailed to ask for info on her application. When she called and ask what was going on they told her because when they did the vet check they said she had a cat she didn't put down. My mother explained to them the situation and asked could they just call the vet back and check her story. They told her and basically called her a liar. It would have taken them ten minutes to call and check. They were rude to her and gave HORRIBLE customer service I will never consider taps to get an animal from and would never recommend it to any on principle. They treated my mother rudley ( an older wonderfully nice woman) and like a liar and I am appalled. read more

My boyfriend and I adopted from this shelter and had a great experience. I saw some puppies became available on Sunday so I submitted the online application. They said someone would contact me within 24-48 hours. They were closed on Monday so I called Tuesday and they said they were still going through the applications. I got a call Tuesday night that I had been approved for a puppy. I love how they have late hours since people tend to work until 5. Up side to the application, not just anyone can walk in to adopt a puppy which I like. Down side is that you can't put in an application for a specific puppy. So there were 9 puppies available 6 of a breed we wanted to adopt and 3 labs. That means if you want a specific puppy you need to come in asap once you are approved since it's a first come first pick of the approved people. I was able to get to TAPS and puppy I wanted was still available. They were extremely busy but the adoption paperwork was completed in a timely manner. I would recommend this place to adopt. read more