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.

They turned me way when I found a big dog in the streets and I brought him there to be sheltered…read more They claimed it was my dog, because I brought him in. Secondly they claimed no room for him, and would not help any further. Staff was blunt and bordered on nasty and disinterested.

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.

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.

We had to make the hard decision to put our 16 year old orange tabby down today. My husband took…read morehim to The Humane Society at 9:20am this morning. They took him back to scan his chip and brought him back up to the front. My husband was upset, said his goodbyes and left. At 6pm I get a text asking my permission to put him down because my name was on his chip! Why would it take this long for them to contact me????????? Totally inexcusable! We are beyond upset of how this was handled! Terrible!

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.