Our sweet Elle Woods is from Stray Rescue and from all of the interaction I have had with SR, I…read morehave only positive things to say. The application process was easy. The coordination with the foster was good. The dog is a sweetheart and when I dropped off some blankets and towels to the SR office, the staff was friendly and interested to see how Elle was settling in. Animal rescue is a heartbreaking business and I am thankful to have them looking out for animals in St. Louis.

I LOVE Stray Rescue!!!! I love all the wonderful things that they do to save the lives of ALL…read moreanimals throughout the city. I follow them on IG and love watching Donna go out and complete her rescue missions, love seeing the fur-babies take their freedom rides in the jeep. I love that they have a plethora of volunteers that the fur-babies are able to be walked twice a day and receive genuine love and affection without the fear of being abused. The volunteers are serious and take their jobs very seriously and ensure that they announce themselves when bringing a fur-baby outside and inside of the premise. They take the time to actually get to know each dog so they can inform potential adopters of the dogs needs, dis-likes and likes. The staff and volunteers are dedicated to the well being and livelihood of each animal in their care. The fosters do an amazing job as well getting the fur-babies acclimated to human interaction, peaceful interactions with other animals and training. I was able to walk around the shelter and I was amazed that the majority of the dogs are housed in their own rooms and blocked from looking at each other, unless you fall into the over-flow room. The rooms that house each of dogs are clean, with cots and blankets. The over-flow room is a spacious room that is open with crates and it's quiet. I love how neat and clean they maintain the shelter. My sister recently adopted a puppy at one of their adoption events, which was held outside on the sidewalk up and down the building as well as across the street to showcase the fur-babies. What a great way to conduct a meet-n-greet for these amazing fur-babies in need of adoption instead of walking throughout the shelter. Since she adopted a puppy, we attend the FREE puppy training classes each Saturday morning. When I t in the ell you that the trainers are phenomenal, that's an understatement. They are incredibly knowledgeable and there to assist you every step of the way in your journey. I highly recommend Stray Recue!!!

I signed up to foster. Great organization. I think poor reviews are from people who where the…read morefoster failed to communicate or they were found not qualified to take care of a pet.

Misleading, disorganized, and unprofessional. We provided every requested document, were repeatedly…read moreassured that all issues were resolved, and completed a home visit during which we were told we were approved to move forward with payment and a pickup date. Then, we were denied at the very last moment. Communication was nonexistent, expectations constantly changed, and the process was a total waste of our time. This felt less like an adoption process and more like being strung along.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Elise this morning when I called to schedule appointments for…read moremy 2 cats. She was beyond helpful and patient, as well as so friendly and informative!:) Thank you for making my experience wonderful!

Finally, a success story! I've been eagerly awaiting the day I found a dog and would take one home…read more I checked the website before I left to make sure the one I wanted to see was still there and he was. It had been several months since I was here last and I couldn't remember what the protocol was for visits. Once I got inside, the man at the desk told me I could look around and then fill out a form about the one(s) I was interested in. When you first walk in, the cat wing is on left near the front desk; there's two hallways with dogs on the left, and the puppies and critters are on the right. I heard straight to the puppies, took one peek at him, and immediately went to the front to fill out the paperwork. After what seemed like a while, I was granted my visit. He took to me right away and I knew I was going to take him home. After the woman came here in to finalize the paperwork, she told me to go to the front to finalize his pet insurance. Things got a little chaotic because as I was in the middle of finishing his insurance, I was called by the other side to finalize his paperwork. We got everything straightened out, but it'd be nice if a better system were in place. Regardless, I finally got the puppy I wanted and was pleased with the service.

I Love Dr. Jasper. He's kind and gentle with my fur children. Tolerates all my questions and…read moretakes it all in to consideration. I feel he really listens to my concerns and then takes action. They also make sure you understand what the costs may be upfront so there is no sticker shock. Only set back is they are so busy, it can be hard to get an "emergency" visit for something simple like an ear infection that you don't really want to wait 2 weeks for but also don't feel it's an "ER" visit.

Sam is amazing. We're on our second TPLO recovery in less than 6 months and could not be happier…read morewith how therapy went last time and is going this time!!

I found the staff compassionate and efficient. My dog that I adopted, Angeline (now Angel), had…read morebeen well cared for in this shelter. Her known history and medical care was well-documented. I was very impressed!

I have been volunteering here for 3-4 years…read more First off, the positives - which there are a lot. The CEO cares more about animals than anyone I've met. She is amazing and works tirelessly to make St. Louis a better place for animals and people. She's also very warm, empathetic and nonjudgmental toward anyone who needs to give up their pet or needs help. Staff is mostly the same way. The facility is awesome and constantly changing. I swear every time I go in, there's something new. It's definitely the cleanest shelter I've been in. There is a cat area and a dog area in a separate building. Sometimes the dogs overflow into the other building when they're crowded. The cat area has as many cats roaming freely as possible (ones that get along with one another and people). They do great with feral cats and socializing them. The dog building can be very overwhelming when all the dogs are riled up, but they do their best with calming music and sound dampening materials. The flexibility of volunteering is awesome. You do a training session for cats, dogs, or both then you can basically come anytime to walk dogs, clean enclosures, play with cats, do laundry or dishes, or really just sit in a room with a pup who needs some company. There are multiple volunteer programs too if you have more time to bond with an animal (fostering, staycation, 1:1 program, and more). Even if you only have 20 mins to run in and walk one dog, staff is so grateful. There is also a Facebook group where volunteers can post pics and talk about the animals! Adoption-wise: I adopted my cat, Bali, from CARE. She is absolutely amazing and I'm so grateful for her. I originally brought her home for a "straycation" (a short break from the shelter) because I wasn't sure if I was ready for a new cat after my previous one passed away. The straycation turned permanent after a week of seeing how perfect she was for my family. The adoption process was incredibly easy and I love how CARE makes sure to vet people before adopting and education people about declawing and letting their animals outside, etc. before allowing them to adopt. A few cons: As I mentioned a little, the dog area can be overwhelming. There are absolutely people who are happy to help you but sometimes everyone looks extremely busy. Policies change often which is difficult to keep up with - though they have been working hard on signage for this. Speaking of policies, it can be difficult to keep up with the protocol for volunteers/fosters at the adoption center. The feeling when you first walk in very much depends on who is working at the time. Sometimes, I arrive to welcoming staff and and can go right through to the cat area or the warehouse. Other times, I am looked at like I have 5 heads when I come to hangout with the cats or told I have to stay in the waiting area to receive foster supplies. It's a little odd to me that the front door is locked and requires you to ring the doorbell. I completely understand concern for safety but I don't know any other business that has a locked front door during regular hours and it feels less welcoming to be asked why I'm there before I'm allowed to come in. Finally, the veterinary care is sub-par. They recently built a vet area which is amazing, but I haven't had much luck with the actual vet and I know other volunteers with similar experience. Of course vet care is expensive and it's difficult to find vets who will volunteer their time or be paid minimally for a non-profit, but there is room for improvement nonetheless. The main vet is supposedly very experienced, but he has sent me home with numerous fosters who had issues after their alters or general medical issues. I have brought in cats for him to check out, told they were fine, but then they were very much not fine and had to be brought back in. He is completely unfazed by most things. I'm sure he has seen a lot of severe injuries in his career, but the cavalier attitude toward concerned foster parents is off-putting. My advice is to be very thorough and assertive with fosters - if you think something is wrong, don't give up just because they took a quick look and didn't notice anything obvious. Do some research in advance on how to recognize fleas, infections, etc. so that you can really examine the animal you're thinking about bringing home so that you don't inadvertently take on more than you can handle. Overall, I absolutely recommend CARE for both adoption and fostering/volunteering, just with those few caveats. Even with those concerns, CARE is the best shelter I've ever volunteered for and am proud to be a volunteer.

Fern is amazing! We adopted a doggy from Saint Louis Humane Society in January for our son. At…read morethe shelter this cute little doggy seemed very well mannered, which she really is but little did we know that she has separation anxiety. She cried and scratched up the door pretty bad when we just went downstairs to do some laundry. Well long story short.....I needed to get back home (Hawaii) but I know my son and his new best friend, Daisy, would need some help. Of course, I look on Yelp. I see only 5 star reviews for Extended Arms. So, I called and spoke to Fern for about 30 mins. I was giving her the situation that we were in and she was giving us advice. I asked her if she could come over and speak to my son and show him some of her "tricks or hints" that could help Daisy with her anxiety. She was more than willing to help us. My son was very impressed on how thorough Fern was and how much time she spent with him and Daisy. Fern is very honest and open lady. She's been helping and taking care of fur babies for many years and she truly loves it....it really shows! Thanks again, Fern.

I am so glad I found Fern, she is amazing! As well, one of her associates, Carolyn, was wonderful…read more They watched my two kitties while I was away for a week and did a great job. Normally when I leave for the weekend I come home to shredded toilet paper, things knocked over, and just general destruction... But with the love and attention from Fern and Carolyn I came home to no destruction and two very happy kitties! Fern sent me pictures and videos of my fur babies while I was away which was awesome. As well, she was very flexible with my schedule and even coordinated a key swap with my sister instead of me due to my schedule. I have never used a pet sitter before and I am so happy that I found Fern because my first experience with pet sitting was fabulous. I will definitely be using her services anytime I go out of town.