I adopted two cats from The Buddy Foundation on Friday and could not be happier. Not only was my experience at The Buddy Foundation wonderful but my two babies have been an absolute joy! I would highly recommend adopting from this facility. They are amazing! read more

Great place! We were happily greeted when we walked in. We told them what kind of dog we were looking for. They showed us a binder and answered questions on several dogs we asked about. They helped us find the dog we imagined! We adopted Shasta (now Josie) that day! Very nice people. Nice clean place. Seemed like they genuinely cared for the animals. We'd recommend Buddy Foundation for anyone looking for a dog or cat! read more

Awesome people at this shelter. I went at an off time but was still given personal care and shown around one on one. All questions answered, cats and kittens were explained by temperament It shows how well they know their cats when u can tell me personality as well as history. The owner and all volunteers deserve praise, they do a great job and take the hardest cases, rather than those animals who are given up for convenience, care for ferals as well as special needs. Awesome place! read more

I volunteered for a short time at this shelter. A short time is all I could take. The people who run the place (especially the cats) are really HORRIBLE. They treat the volunteers like crap, without even an occasional thank you. The volunteers are supposed to be grateful to be allowed to work there. They don't treat the cats well - some have been in 30" square cages for a year! They treat potential adopters like they should feel privileged to adopt a Buddy animal in stead of being happy the animal is getting a good home. They have turned people down for adopting just because they live in a trailer home! The dogs are NOT even remotely evaluated when they come in and no one knows their temperament. Many, many dogs have been returned because they bite. The dogs don't get enough exercise or outside time and the longer they are there, the more aggressive they get. I could go on with the massive problems this place has, but I think this should be sufficient to let people know they should pick a different shelter to adopt from or to volunteer. read more

Excellent facility, helpful staff. Best to go in & not email or call as adoptions go quickly!

I had a great experience here. We adopted our little kitten, Lizzie, in November 2013 and everything went wonderfully. The facility is clean and comfortable and the pets seem happy and well kept. The staff was friendly, giving us time to choose our kitty once they showed us where the kittens were, kinda and helpful while checking out and taking her home. My kitten is such a social little lovey, they said the foster mom who raised her litter was the best and it is evident that she really is. Thanks Buddy! read more

This place is wonderful to adopt a new friend from.... Me and my wife adopted our 1st cat, Moxie from here. They really care that u get a good relationship with your new friend 1st. There was absolutetly no pressure ......Good bunch of people.....Animals are well cared for...I even got a phone call from my cat's former foster mom...Very sweet !!!!!!! read more

5 stars is not enough for these people. They are phenomenal... Today I took a much neglected dog who had been hit by a car a week ago. They went to work on him immediately. Fleas were jumping off of him. Bad eye infection. He got a much needed flea bath, treated his eyes with a cleanser and a steroid. Fed him. Four people were working on him. I had envisioned him being whisked away and shoved in a cage and dealt with "later." He got immediate loving, caring attention. I have such good feelings about these people and this place. I'm sure that the little neglected dog feels that he is in heaven right now... Terrific people. I cannot thank them enough for being there for this little guy. God bless them and the work that they do. read more

I am giving 1 star because that is the lowest rating possible, but it should be a zero. I stopped in this past Sunday, and met some of the rudest people in my life. There were three women that were incredibly rude and basically told me I should not own a dog. One of the women whom I pretty sure was a robot, asked me with her fake plastic smile if my condo had a fenced in yard. Everyone knows, except her, that condos do not have fenced in yards. I felt by her tone that she was trying to point out in a rude, demeaning way that I was not a good candidate because I live in a condo. I was even more surprised that not only was she rude, but two other volunteers that worked there were just as equally rude. The worst part came when they were trying to push cats on me when I made it clear that I was not interested in owning a cat. Not once did they ask if I wanted to see any of the dogs, nor was I going to ask because I knew they wouldn't let me. I raised and took care of my last dog at my condo from when she was a puppy until I had to put her down last Summer. If you want to turn someone away from your shelter, at least do it with some dignity and less hate. If you live in an apartment or a condo, do not think of going to The Buddy Foundation, unless you like to be treated like dirt by the volunteers. Whoever does the hiring of the volunteers, really needs to do a better job. I never expected to walk out of there feeling the way I did. read more

I have found the buddy professionals to be helpful, honest , and would not guide you to the wrong pet for your situation we have adopted two pets from them and are very happy with the pets and the buddy foundation read more

While looking for a kitten online I happened to click on the reviews for Buddy foundation & saw quite a few bad ones which surprised me. We got our last cat thru them & it was a pleasant experience.The lady that helped us was at pet-smart & was fostering the kittens that we choose ours from. This was before they had their new location. So today we stopped in to take a look, I guess I should have checked their hours but didn' t think they would only be open 10 -2 on a Sunday. It was 1:58 when we walked in & we're immediately yelled at by the dark haired lady behind the desk that they were CLOSED!!! I said oh I didn't know & she again replied in a very rude manner that they were closed. Someone else handed me one their brochures. I saw a photo album on the desk labeled Our Cats & asked if I could look thru it to which she replied NO! We're CLOSED! Wow I've never been treated so rudely, how hurtful can you be. All they had to do was say sorry we're closing but please come back on the next business day & these are our hours. Makes me feel bad for the animals that their trying so desperately to help. We just lost our kitty & emotions are high...not sure if I will go back.The people from the friendly & feral cat rescue were so nice & welcoming. I think we'll be dealing with them instead. read more

somehow my previous review was removed. hmm... anyway this place gets ZERO stars. I have been looking to adopt a dog for a while and after looking through the photos and descriptions online, I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon with my girlfriend. I was very excited and in a great mood pulling up to the place. Unfortunately when I walked in the older lady at the front desk was anything but. I told her we looked at photos beforehand and were excited to see the dogs in person. She immediately said "no you can't do that. You can look at the photo book or look through the windows" with a bit of an attitude while petting the dog in her lap. I said ok. While we looked through the photos which are the same as online, she asked what size dog we were looking for. I said probably a medium sized dog, and pointed out a couple examples. She immediately said "no, I don't think so. Nuh uh they won't let you" in an extremely snotty tone. Apparently one of the dogs MUST be taken together with another and she ASSUMED I lived in a small apartment. No I've owned my own house for almost 5 years, but thanks for assuming. We walked around a bit looking through the windows, but I was so upset by the blatant rudeness that we walked out shortly after. I would strongly suggest putting someone friendlier with some manners at the front desk. You never want to walk into a place only to be greeted by rudeness / borderline hostility. Seems like they really don't want anyone to adopt their animals. That's fine, I'll find a dog somewhere else that actually cares. read more

I agree with others who have commented on the lack of gratitude and cold responses from this place. I emailed them to see if I could donate some crates, collars, dog seat belt and other items. In a day or so I got a curt reply that I could bring things over if I wanted. The way this was communicated gave the impression that they were doing me a favor. BTW, there was no name on the email. When I responded mentioning a location would help I again got only the most cursory reply. No thanks was offered for my willingness to donate. My plan was to take things over and if I liked what I saw I was going to make a cash donation as well. Forget it. I want to help the animals but those people seem to need some social skills training. I have contacted another shelter who are grateful for my donations. read more

The actual address of the new shelter facility is 65 West Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, Il, right of Arlington Heights Road between Golf and Algonquin. With that said, Buddy is a wonderful no-kill shelter run by an all volunteer staff. It's roomy, and spacious and has seperate rooms for dogs, and cats of all breeds and temperaments. There are cageless rooms, and rooms for animals who don't socialize well with others. Out back is the area for dogs to roam and play outdoors with volunteers and hopefully new family members. They even have a clinic on site and a vet who checks in twice weekly. The staff is a delight, and will work well with you to find your perfect new companion. People think that they can just go in and adopt, and thankfully they can't because the screening process is intensive. That can put a lot of people of but I say thank goodness for that, because that's how the shelter's know their animals are not going to be taken by monster idiot animal abusers. The facility is open every day for browsing, checking buddyfoundation.org for hours and directions. Also check out their amazing gift shop which has the best gifts for the animal lover in all of us. This is a new facility, I adopted my two boys from the organization when they only had foster homes, and I can assure anyone whose looking for pets that these animals are the best. They were trained from the start, and are so lovable. They also neuter and spay their pets, as any good shelter should, so give them a shot. Any questions, let me know. read more

I adopted my dog Moose here after our beloved chihuahua Chico had passed away. We adopted Moose close around the holidays. The staff was compassionate and caring towards all the animals and very helpful and friendly throughout the entire adoption process the kind volunteer was brought to tears of joy when we adopted Moose because he was going to have a new family for the holidays. This organization is a god sent to animals my dog moose was dumped in the street hit by a car the buddy foundation got him the surgery and recovered he needed. He was the skinniest scared snarly littlest chihuahua in the shelter but now he's the sweetest loving spoiled most loved dog in the entire world. Please give an animal a second chance just because it's a shelter animal doesn't mean they are less capable of being apart of your family and your best friend for life. To the other reviews that get upset that they don't take animals in my thought is that you wouldn't give up your rights to your children your pet should be no different it's a lifelong commitment be really fully committed before adopting. read more

This is a very mixed review. I don't know how many stars to give this shelter. First let me say that it is a nice shelter for the cats. They do good work. The cats are in cat rooms and they take in some cats that might otherwise be euthanized at other kill shelters. I appreciate all the good they do for the animals they take in. But my family has experienced a major problem with a cat we thought was socialized who turned out to be mostly feral. We adopted a cat from the Buddy Foundation about six weeks ago. I had read the bios online for the cats and had fallen for this one cat and decided to go visit her in person. The bio said that she had been rescued as a kitten with her mom & siblings. She had been at the Buddy Foundation for quite awhile and was now an adult cat. (this should have been a clue). Her bio said that she was a little bit shy but would take treats out of your hand. When I visited her in the shelter she did seem shy but accepted pets from my entire family without any problems. We decided to adopt her. I have high regard for people who take in feral cats but right now we were looking for a family pet to join us and our other two cats. Once we got our new cat home, it became very obvious to us that she is mostly feral. She hisses at us every time we approach her (I wish she had done this in the shelter). She really doesn't want any interaction with humans and will bite and scratch if you try to pick her up. She isn't aggressive if you don't pick her up but we are having so many problems trying to contain this cat. We haven't been able to take her to the vet because we can't catch her and get her into the carrier. She did not get chipped at the Buddy Foundation because she was already in her carrier and the lady said we could bring her back anytime (if only). She mostly lives in our basement and avoids all contact with us. I know it takes time for a cat to adjust but this is more than we bargained for. I don't know what we are going to do. I don't want to take her back - we really want to make this work. This has been so stressful and no end in sight. Please do consider the Buddy Foundation if you are thinking about adopting but please don't believe those stories they post online about the cats. They are total BS in my opinion. Make sure the cat is very social with you from the beginning unless you are willing to take on a feral cat. Maybe visit a cat several times before actually adopting. read more

I stopped volunteering here bc they assume I'm community service (bc I have piercings and tattoos most likely.) Every time I'm there and tell them I'm a volunteer they say "but you're community service, right?" no matter how many times I tell them. The one short lady with brown hair is extremely snobby. They treat me like I have to be there and I'm not volunteering my free time and do not act appreciative at all. I tried to call them to take my neighbor's cat bc she can't find anyone to take him and wants to get him euthanized, and the lady was extremely rude and accused me of trying to pawn my cat off on them. They are good at helping you find the right pet, and the pricing is fair, and many of the volunteers are very nice. Unfortunately, a few very rude staff members ruin the Buddy Foundation for me, and apparently for a few other people based on these reviews. read more

There are no words for the level of disgust I have for this shelter at this point. My parents who have just recently retired and lost the family cat after 15 years had decided to adopt another cat. So they went in today to look at some cats and they were told they are TOO OLD to adopt a cat. You have got to be kidding me! They talk about 4 to 6 million pets are euthanized each year, equivalent of 575 every hour. And about their mission to saving those that cannot fend for themselves!!!! How dare you deliberately discriminate someone because of their "appearance" to be to old! This foundation should be ashamed of themselves and they should be shut down. If this is how they treat people what are they doing to the animals. Let me tell you the Buddy Foundation is not fulfilling their purpose and certainly has no intention of helping animals if this is their screening process. read more

I had been looking to volunteer at an animal shelter for awhile, and I knew when I stepped into this place that it was very respectable. My review will focus on the dogs (since that is the volunteer-work I looked into and became a part of). Before I continue, there are a few things you should understand before looking into adopting an animal from Buddy. This is a shelter that does NOT take in any and all animals. The animals here have been abused, abandoned or were strays. Every animal here has a story, typically a sad one. You simply cannot come here and pick out a random dog. The dogs here basically have PTSD and some of them will just NOT fit into your life. For example, if you have kids and dog #1 should not and cannot be placed in a room with a child, you will not be adopting that dog. That's just asking for the dog to be placed in a situation it really can't handle, and who would get in trouble if that dog did lash out? Obviously, the dog. In general, humans like to put the blame on the "less-intelligent" creatures, but really, you have to find out more about the animal before you adopt it. Do your research before you adopt any animal from ANY shelter. Like I said, the dogs here have been abused and abandoned. They need a patient, careful and loving home. Buddy Foundation needs to be as close to certain as possible that YOU will give them that home; that you will get to know that dog and recognize the things that bother that dog, and that you will get along with and be dedicated to the dog you want to adopt. This shelter is very clean. Volunteers know each dog and how that dog behaves (with the exception of new volunteers). Every dog gets walked 4+ times a day. Every dog is given whatever medications they need. This shelter is no-kill- no matter how long the dog is there it will never be put down to conserve resources or anything. This shelter is non-profit, nobody takes home a paycheck. All fundraisers go directly back into The Buddy Foundation and goes straight to the dogs and cats. The volunteers work together quite a bit and some are a little more introverted than others. It holds a good mix of people for helping all the animals. All the dogs and cats available for adoption are listed on the website, which is kept up-to-date more-so than other shelters I've been to. All in all, I've been volunteering here for awhile, and these are my observations. I'd like to apologize to anyone who didn't feel comfortable here or had a negative experience. I honestly have not seen or heard anything negative yet, though I'm sure it happens here now and then just as it happens everywhere else. Volunteering here has been a wonderful and gratifying experience. I love all of these dogs and hope to see them adopted into families that fit them. read more

Beware of fake reviews....when a glowing review suddenly pops up and targets every negative issue posted by someone else, obviously the staff is trying to offset the negative posting! Convenience....ha ha what a joke....just like "some" of the rude volunteers here. read more

I volunteered there as well as my family. There are some real fruit cakes at this facility I volunteer at many places. I find the woman at the front desk rude and irritating. I find the way they run this organization strange and ungrateful to the numerous volunteers. I go back for the animals but as for the weirdos running the place. Good riddance. read more

I think this foundation is for a great cause. i had an awful experience there looking to adopt a cat. We had our 3 year old twin girls with us and the volunteer kept telling us our girls were kicking the cats, which they weren't the cats were swatting the back of the girls legs. The lady had no personality and told us to keep looking because our gilrs needed coaching. I swear if my girls were doing anything wrong I would've been all over them. I felt like we were being interrogated, which was very uncomfortable. If you have kids and are looking to adopt go somewhere else becasue it seems like this place doesn't like children. We did end up adopting 2 cats from another shelter and they were wonderful there!!!!! read more

I visited many shelters before adopting my two dogs. Some had no screening process at all, and some simply did not tell all they knew about the dogs. I never visited a nicer place that the Buddy Foundation. It is very clean, the kennels are large, and the whole process was very low pressure. It was more about the right fit for my family and the dog. It is a no kill shelter too, which is important to me. I was so impressed that I now volunteer there. Please realize that everyone there is a volunteer, as is the case at many other shelters. read more

Top-notch shelter. This is the way a shelter should be. Good staff, good service, and careful review of potential adopters to ensure the animals go to a good home, which is critical. read more

Our experience with buddy foundation has been great. We found it very clean and homely compared to some of the other shelters we visited in this area. Volunteers we met there were very helpful and dedicated. read more

We got our new fur baby here a few weeks ago and the experience was amazing. The shelter was clean and had such a loving vibe in it. It wasn't cold and confining, just comfy. The Buddy Foundation shouldn't even be called a shelter but a safe haven for animals. My furbaby, Hank is a Rottweiler who was found roaming the streets. Noone had any information on him but it turns out he is pretty much just a baby at about 14 months old. The directors came over to our house to check it out and brought Hank to us. They were all attached to him at the shelter and you could tell they wanted the best possible home for him. We are Rottie people and this boy definitely needed a family he could relate to. They saw that I had 7 yr. and 3 yr. old kids who loved him. This dog is such a loving creature who was treated amazing at this all volunteer shelter. He was also super healthy. Their adoption process for cats and dogs is rigorous and they want you to surrender the animal back to them if it doesn't work out. They are all about finding the right fit for families and forever homes. I would never use another shelter again after adopting from here. They are the best. I even want to volunteer for them now. :) Check them out if you need a new pet, they also would love donations of anything for dogs and cats and volunteers if you can fit it in your schedule. They usually have way more animals in the shelter than they do on their website so you never know, you just might find your forever friend in person. Their website is thebuddyfoundation.org. read more

Totally agree with previous posts. I don't understand how a shelter that supposedly loves animals can have such a dislike for the people who want to adopt these animals. Whoever runs this place needs to be FIRED, even if they are volunteers, as well as some of the others. They tell you one thing and then deny it later. My elderly mother was ready to adopt a cat named Eva. She was 8 yrs old at the time we went to see her. My mom then went back a week later to pick her up, but to her major disappointment, they would not allow the adoption to go thru. Reason being, they told her there is a ban on seniors adopting pets. I believe that is considered age discrimination! If anything happened to my mom, I would be able to give her a home. That was all worked out, but they still refused her the adoption. Since this has occurred, my mother has become extremely depressed, as her previous cat has just passed, and she was hoping to give another cat a very loving home. HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY DOING THIS TO A LOVING, ELDERLY PERSON, who wants to help give a home to cat that needs just that, a loving, caring home! This place doesn't even deserve one star! read more

I had recently started to volunteer. The people that we had met so far are nice, pleasant, but the most important part of volunteering or adopting is to provide the best,comfortable and healthy place for the pets. We all need to be patients with each other and understand that people are taking time out of their day to help the cats and dogs. That is the priority at the animal shelter to help those cute homeless pets feel cozy and love. If there is something that you might not like in the shelter than you can perhaps volunteer too in order to improve the service so more dogs and cats would find their home soon, or just take what you got, but I don't really see what people are complaining about because it is a very nice shelter, where is clean and dogs are well taken care for. If you want to volunteer or even adopt a dog or a cat than just do it. You would not regret but they will bring lot of joy to you and your family. Come, check out the dogs and cats, and ADOPT : ) read more

15 years ago we adopted two kitties from the Buddy Foundation. Norman and Angel brought so much joy and affection to us and we have loved and cherished them all these years. Recently, my husband developed a chronic and acute lung condition and after spending 3 months in serious condition in the hospital, miraculously he started to improve, but the doctor advised that if he were to come home and continue to be able to live and breathe, many many changes would have to be made in our home, including giving up our beloved cats. It absolutely broke our hearts and I tried without success to find a new home for them. Amazingly after ALL THESE YEARS, the Buddy Foundation agreed to take them in and care for them. Sue worked with me and caringly and compassionately helped me through the grieving process and assured me that they will be well taken care of and further assured me that I am not the monster I surely felt like to be abandoning my cats after 15 years. I will be eternally grateful for her kindness to me as well as my cats. Moreover, the facility is pristine clean, the volunteers are wonderful, the rooms for the animals are amazingly well thought out for their comfort and security, there were clean kitty litter boxes, fresh water, fresh food and loving, tender attendants. As awful as I feel having to have turned over my babies today, Sue made it so much more bearable than it ever could have been and I know in my heart that my babies are in a good place. God Bless Sue and all the volunteers who put in so much love and effort to care for all the beautiful animals who, through no fault of their own, have no home. I am down on my knees grateful and will always remain a staunch supporter and spokesperson for the incredible work these folks do. read more