I've adopted 2 pets from Toronto Animal Services North Region…read more First was Riley, an 8 year old Lhaso Apso who was found wandering the streets. From his condition, it was evident he was homeless for many weeks and unfortunately, showed signs of being abused. It took a few months for Riley to build his trust with humans again, but for the 6 years we had him, he brought untold happiness to our home. Recently, I've adopted another dog...Finnegan, a 1 year old Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian mix. Finn was turned in to animal services as his owners could no longer care for him. Like Riley before him, he has personality with a capital "P"....and has, in a months time, become an old friend. When thinking of adopting a pet, why not look at an animal shelter or humane society? They have numerous animals looking for what they call "forever homes'. Some animals come with little or no background, so they are assessed and information is provided based on professional observations. Some animals are turned in by their owners, for whatever reason, and some background information is available. Some animals are rescues from a life that is unfitting anything. Besides dogs and cats, they have other animals as well, rabbits, guinea pigs...the list goes on and on. The people that I have been fortunate enough to deal with at Toronto Animal Services North have been stellar. They truly love animals and are careful to ensure that pets available for adoption are placed with individuals who can provide proper care for them. Sorry if I can't recall names, but everyone there was pleasant, knowledgable and obviously loved their jobs. They made the adoption process so much more enjoyable and they seem thrilled when one of their animals finds a new home. The cost is minimal and there are companions waiting to be found here. Please, before visiting a pet store or breeder, give a pet in a shelter a chance. You won't be sorry

The only reason I'm not giving them a 1 star rating is that they might be good at the actual…read morespaying and neutering, but I never found out! Calling them for the last 2 weeks, no one ever answers the phone, literally, not once. I'm talking calling 20-30 times per day, 2-3 calls at a time. Then their answering machine....the message is literally 3 minutes long. THREE MINUTES for what should be: "Leave a message after the tone" !!! So leaving an actual message for callback is very frustrating, as the message says so much information it kills your entire train of thought. Among other info, the message stated that they will call you back within 24 hours. It's been a week, no callback again. When we did get through to them months ago, we asked for spaying of 2 of our cats. The receptionist was very rude and we felt like she was just trying to get us off the phone so she could go back to playing Solitaire on her computer. She told us the fax number where to send all of our info and that it set up through that. Ok, so I faxed all of our information about both our cats. We did not receive any call back or anything, so after 2+ weeks passed, I got frustrated and called them again. The same (rude) receptionist picked up and said that they did receive the faxes and booked the cats for spaying. One was due to be spayed the next day, and the other in a week! Needless to say I was very upset, since they first off, booked both my cats on different dates, even though I requested they both be done on the same day. More importantly, I was upset at the fact that no one called us to tell us about the booking dates in the first place! Needless to say I cancelled. So yea, price wise this place maybe cheap, but they have absolutely NO customer service what-so-ever. Worst receptionist I've ever encountered with any business!

I definitely do not want to complain about a volunteer-run, no-kill shelter, but YES, the process…read moreis quite long and extensive. This "review" is mainly for people who are thinking of adopting thru this organization so that you don't get deterred. First, it does take about 2 full weeks from the time you submit your application to when you can pick up your new, furbaby. Also expect at least 2 phone interviews and a bunch of email exchanges with a volunteer. In the day and age of Amazon Prime, these 2 weeks are like a torturous roller coaster full of ups and downs! After the first week, your momentum will probably dip. There'll be times where you feel like giving up, but if you're intent on adopting thru a no-kill shelter - as I was - and have your heart set on a particular pet, STICK WITH IT. Answer the same questions time and time again, provide all the necessary info/documentation they ask you for. In the end, I do feel like this organization truly does care about the animals in their care, but they're not really in a rush to adopt out their cats/dogs, ASAP. They do take their time and the process is about 1-week/1-2 steps too long, imho. Result is solid though as they make sure the animal you're taking to their forever home is healthy and happy!

We adopted our black Lab from The West Seneca SPCA on her 1st birthday. Her name was Serona, we…read morechanged it to Happy which suited her perfectly. She was always playing frisbee or stealing sticks when I was picking them up. She steal them out of the bucket on the tractor. Playing in the pile of leaves in the fall. She loved to go for walks or a ride in the car. She also had a best friend who is a Dashound whose name is Winnie. She still looks for Happy too! Happy also loved to go swimming in our pond. Unfortunately Happy passed away Nov. 2023 from a stroke. She was 13 yrs old. I miss her so much. My cat misses her too, he goes over to the table where I have her container of ashes and her picture sitting. And just looks at her, it's like he is talking to her, why did you leave me? They grew up together. He is 12 now. He ias lonesome. Linda

The Toronto Humane Society is a great place for anyone looking to adopt or support animal welfare…read more The staff and volunteers genuinely care about the animals, and you can tell they put in a lot of effort to make sure each one gets the right home. The shelter is clean, well run, and offers a lot of resources, not just for adoptions but also for pet care and education. Even if you're not looking to adopt, it's worth visiting or donating because they do so much for animals in need. They also have a variety of programs, from fostering to veterinary services, which makes a real difference in the community. You're even able to book "corporation events" for your company a great activity for team bonding and take care of these beautiful fur friends.

I came with my work to volunteer and learn more about the organization and facility. We received a…read moretour of the facility and were informed what each area was for and the type of work that they do. There's a special species section with rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles. When I think of the humane society I think of cats and dogs. Some of the dogs couldn't stop wagging their tails when we got close to their enclosures. They stuck their noses and paws through whatever crevice they could to get closer, I think in the hope that we'd pet them =(. We were told not to pet them. Upstairs there are some 'cat condos.' These are larger spaces for cats to move around in with different levels. There's one where kittens and cats can stay together and someone can play with them or another where an obese cat was supposed to be getting some exercise but he was just laying there. We filled separate ziplock bags with dog food puppies and adult dogs and then got to play with a puppy! The dogs get a minimum of 4 walks a day with some receiving 5 or 6. There's lots of different volunteering positions available. Just check their website for openings.

No one answers the phone.. waste your time listening the robot talking. Who pays these employees?read more

The shelter is completely disorganized and truly makes me question their priority of the animal's…read morewellbeing. On Wednesday, I saw a dog that was available that was perfect for me. I've rescued dogs my whole life and knew this would be the perfect home. They do not accept emails so I set an alarm to be up and ready for their opening at 10:30 to be able to call. I get through, and the 7 million directory voices make me press a bunch of things until I finally get their *full* voicemail where it says try again later and the phone then automatically hangs up. From then on for hours the line was busy and I could not get through to even a ring. I took screenshots of all this. I got a hold of a human by noon and at this point the dog was already taken because "phones were off the hooks." I know.. I was the first caller so he would have been mine. Then that night, I see an add for another sweet dog in the West location's shelter. Perfect. I set an alarm and THE SAME THING HAPPENS. Now I lost two dogs that I would have been perfect for and kudos to the person who got through to a human because I genuinely do not know how they did it. All I can say is if your priority is rehoming the dog into a good family, the dog should not be "claimed" between 1030 to noon, without background checks and inspection. Regardless, now I'm upset because it seems like the shelter's priority is who has the quickest fingers to dial, rather than who will make a stable home for a rescue dog. Also, it's covid- get a call waiting system.

I love the work the people at Redemption Paws do. They're incredibly thoughtful and diligent in…read moretheir approach with animal adoptions. Keep up with the good work.

We tried to communicate upfront and they don't even get back to you. It looks like they just seemed…read moreto rush the dogs out and don't respond to emails even though they charge the $40 admin fee. Where did that money go?

I wanted to warn people about this particular rescue we adopted our rat terrier from…read more There have been multiple issues including the fact that before we started fostering our dog we repeatedly let them know that biting was not something we could handle. The day we pick him up after a 3 hour delay, he is almost microchipped a second time, I'm informed he bites. The other day he snapped at my partner and contacted the rescue about what to do and they showed zero empathy or accountability and said that if I sent photos of him they could put him on petfinder. In their rescue headline it says that coordinators were available for help and guidance however, during my time of fostering I wasn't given any instruction, no one checked in with me and the treasurer of the organization also added pressure for me to sign and pay the fee for his adoption and made a remark that he wasn't my dog until I had signed everything, when I had only started fostering him for 2 weeks. This rescue is full of people who are unfit to work with people and the lack of transparency about his behaviours is concerning for further adopters. It left a bitter taste in my mouth and I feel as someone who has managed a non profit that even if they are operating at capacity they are not meeting the minimum of making sure the homes the dogs go to are prepared. Very irresponsible.

We adopted our Jack Russell/Chihuahua/Australian Cattle Dog mix from the Jack Russell Network of…read moreCanada (JRNC) in November 2020. This dog should never have been adopted to a city dweller. He spent the first 6 years of his life in a country setting, where he was allowed out for the whole day and only came in at night. When we got him, he had been neutered just a few months earlier, and his tail was amputated. In the shelter he was first put into, he chewed his tail to the point that it became infected and had to be removed. Our home is in the middle of the city, with access to a small back yard, and 3 walks per day. Obviously this was not what he was used to and it was difficult for him to adjust. He was reactive to other dogs, lunging, barking and growling. Walks were never very pleasant. As time went by, he became more frustrated and eventually he attacked our adult daughter. He launched at her with his jaws around her nose and wouldn't release until my husband shouted at him. Fortunately our daughter didn't need stitches, just antibiotics. It wasn't his fault, I had brought a bit of food to him and my daughter bent over to pet him at the same time. According to an animal behaviourist I spoke to, the dog did not attack. What he did was to give a warning. We finally surrendered him back to the JRNC after more aggressive behaviour towards both of our adult children. And then we saw his profile on Petfinder, where they were saying he was good with older children and other dogs. Our family was shocked as we had told them in our email and on the surrender document that the dog should be in a rural home and no children. Our fear is that if he were to bite a child, then he would be put down. He doesn't deserve that. I emailed JRNC about our concerns and the only reply was from one of the coordinators who thought she was talking to the director. We were referred to as being a pain, and that we should be told not to contact them anymore. Please think twice about adopting from this rescue. They are rescuing too many dogs without the proper resources to help these dogs adjust. Many of the dogs are coming from Texas and Louisiana.

No amount of praise I write for ACR could be enough. I found my baby Fiona through their rescue…read moreagency and the entire adoption process was seamless. I learnt so much about Fiona's quirks and habits through her foster mom. When we decide to adopt another Cat, it will surely be through ACR.

Was in a position to donate a brand new fluffy bed (thanks to Chewy's excellent customer service)…read moreand several cans of cat food that my cat refused to eat ‍ Annex Cat Rescue is a volunteer business and a volunteer came right to my house to pick up the items. Would definitely contact them if ever I could foster to adopt.

Bad experience with a volunteer, contradicting the adoptable status of a specific cat, sermonizing…read morehow fast ALL cats need to go out the door, but firmly insisting ... TO ME ... I RECONNECT down the road later due to her misunderstanding my wording? Misunderstanding my emails, albeit I was very articulate in explaining my over 30 years of experience in owning cats throughout my life time. **I WANTED A SPECIFIC CAT **NOW** AND I WANTED TO ***PAY FOR IT NOW*** ... BUT THIS PERSON told me ONLY e transfers are accepted as a method of payment??? NO CREDIT CARDS, NO DEBIT CARDS, NO CASH OR CHEQUES.... ONLY E TRANSFERS????? No wonder Toronto Cat Rescue CLAIMS they have hundreds, and they sermonize how essential it is to expedite their cats' forever homes .... I SUGGEST TO LOOSEN UP THE VARIETY OF METHODS TO ACCEPT FEES FROM ADOPTERS TO GET THAT FLOW MOVING FOR CATS TO GET THEIR PERMANENT HOME!!! YA THINK????

It goes to show what kind of people are having a difficult time with this organisation. My fiance…read moreand I walked in to a petsmart one day, saw our beautiful baby Kira, left a call and applied immediately. The next day we picked her up. No issues, hardly any screening and no problems with the answers we provided. Medical issues with cats can present at any time and can often be invisible for weeks if not months. To put that on a rescue who is in a constant financial deficit is not fair at all. If you cannot financially provide for an animal, especially a kitten, DO NOT get one. The lady we spoke to on the phone during our adoption application was on the verge of tears with how happy she was, calling yourself 'ideal adopters' quickly shows exactly why the rescue had issues with you. Our Kira came to us FIV+ and likely needing medical support. We did not complain nor even think about contacting the rescue, we knew what we were signing up for adopting a cat, if you are unwilling to take that risk then buy a cat from a breeder who can provide health documents from the parents.

I was leaving the Starbucks when I spotted this pet store across the way. I haven't heard of Ren's…read morebefore. It was a decent sized store when I walked in. Immediately I noticed that it is dog-friendly with a few small dogs. I was drawn to the huge freezer along the left wall at the entrance of the store. They have a lot of fresh meals prepared for pooches there. There were raw packaged meals, fully-cooked frozen meals, bone broths, frozen eggs, and lightly processed meats. There is a brand called Tom & Sawyer that has really fancy meals made from human-edible ingredients. I picked up a couple packages - one that is kangaroo meat and the other that is a rosemary venison. I also saw flavours that were seafood based and a coconut chicken! They are a little bit pricey though at $10-12 a package. Per the portion size instructions, a 30 pound dog would need 1.25 packages a day! The staff there were pretty nice. The top shelf of the freezer too tall for little ol' me so I had to ask someone for help. They were happy to oblige and then helped me check out as well. I was asked about whether I wanted to sign up for their newsletter and was told I would receive a coupon via email sometime later. I'm hoping I star to see more of these stores around the city.

I had missing free items in my frequent buyers program so I called support, last week it was…read moreshowing 82 purchases, so 6 free. When I went to the store and online, It got deleted and was showing none and had to purchase 10 more to redeem. I called their support and she tried to tell me their policy is that when you accumlate a free, you have to redeem it at the next purchase and you cant decline to accumlate them. And the staff there are trained to tell customers that. This is the first time in 10 years of going to rens that I have heard this. They say its always been their policy and staff are told to do this. I kept telling her you have a problem with your training then as I have been to many Rens in different locations and non have told me this. They always ask if I want to redeem. not that I have to redeem. I told here then you are not training your staff and she said she will get a supervisor to call me and hung up. There are a lot of other other Pet stores that sell the same at the same price. I think its about time I go else where then, if I DO NOT get my free items, back. Their service have gone downhill for a while.