Great place! I adopted an adorable 4 month old ginger kitten last week and he's just the biggest purr machine you'll ever meet. It is a little hard getting in, since it is a gate place, but once you're in the owner and volunteers are very helpful in helping you choose your new fur baby. The only reason I removed a star was due to Garfield having a cold and testing positive for Giardia, but a quick visit to the vet fixed that right up. read more

VIDA Rescue - Garfield's first night home - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Like the other reviews have stated, VIDA rescue has sold us sick pups and gives you misinformation about the animal you are adopting. However, despite the lack of communication and information needed to adopt our dog, I understand that these people dedicate their time to rescuing these dogs and delivering them to a good home. The volunteers here were very friendly, and I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the sweet dog we have adopted. In the long run, when we had come to VIDA, it would be much more helpful if they had been more efficient sending her vaccine history and status, her background, and gave us more information about her recent spay and history, and took credit for their inefficiency. Despite these bumps in the road, these people have seen the worst of what humans have done to these poor babies, and I respect them for their efforts in saving these animals. All and all, although I am not completely satisfied with my experience here, I have adopted a sweet, loving baby, and learned for next time what I will need to do to have a more efficient communication process. Thank you VIDA for giving us our sweet dog, but please know for next time that this process has been much more difficult than I had intended it to be, and if you had been more open to us, it would have been a much easier experience. read more

VIDA, though a well intentioned shelter, is not where I would go to adopt a dog in the future. I had been looking through Craigslist back in June just browsing and admiring dogs/puppies when I came across an ad asking about fosters. I had heard of foster programs and had never done it myself, but because of quarantine I was eager to not only have a furry companion, but also to help an animal in need. I quickly reached out to the number given. Kim was able to reach out to me and quickly let me know that her foster program was located in Rowland Heights and that I could start immediately. Vicky was the first dog I fostered from here and she will forever have a very special place in my heart. She was a shy dog who opened up to my apartmentmates and me quickly after we received her. After such a good experience, we were excited to try and foster the next dog. Little Man was the next foster. Unfortunately, there were many things that we were not told before we got him. He turned out not to be potty trained, which we were all okay with, but he was also not good on a leash. Despite knowing that our apartment did not have a gated grassy area where Little Man could run around, VIDA thought that having an untrained leash and non-potty trained dog would be a good fit for us. I was very worried that as I tried to walk him, his collar would come off and he would run away. As well as that, he showed signs of food aggression which was also unexpected. Maybe VIDA never had a chance to see that in action. After a day, we figured the best chance for Little Man to live his best life would be to find a foster parent who has a nice big backyard with another dog that could help him learn that humans aren't mean. Finally, Cinnamon was the next and last foster. I was excited to bring home another dog. The description that they had of Cinnamon was very similar to Vicky's. She was a shy dog who needed someone to help her get used to people. Since I live with my 3 apartment mates, we figured this would be a great chance for her to meet us all and know that new people aren't scary. However, after arriving back in my neighborhood, I opened my car door to get Cinnamon out. She bolted out of my car and onto the streets! I frantically called VIDA as well as Irvine Animal Control. This is when I noticed the difference in the treatment. When I called Laura to let her know that Cinnamon had run away, her first response was "I told you to be careful." This is after I had fostered Vicky who successfully got adopted and Little Man who my apartment was not a good fit for. Both dogs were kept in good conditions and given lots of love. I had not tried to let Cinnamon go; no foster would ever dare to do so. I asked Laura what to do. She simply said "Oh well. Someone's going to be upset." I was already upset at myself for losing their dog, but the reaction from Laura baffled me. I hung up the call. Irvine Animal Control and I ran around the neighborhood for almost 3 hours in 90 degree weather desperately looking for Cinnamon. I came home exhausted and defeated. However, my roommates upon hearing what had happened, told me we should try again. This was for a dog they had never met. As we went out to search for Cinnamon, Laura's attitude towards the situation suddenly shifted in her messages to me. She began being very aggressive of my mistakes and implying I didn't have common sense. I had not been given any prior training for these dogs, many of which are wild cards on behavior because they were rescued as strays. My views of VIDA grew negative after this and my confidence as a foster also drastically dropped. We eventually got a call from Irvine Animal Control telling us that they had found and successfully gotten Cinnamon. We were all overjoyed and immediately went to get her. We fed her treats to help her calm down and see that we were not scary people chasing after her. On 8/27 Josie messaged me to let me know that Cinnamon had an adoption appointment. I was really happy that someone had looked into her, as Cinnamon was a really cute dog. If things didn't work out, I also wanted to provide her a safe space to grow, so I let them know that if she wasn't adopted, our apartment was still available. However, their answers were very curt and they did not give any explanation as to why they thought Cinnamon would do better at their location. They took her back and I don't believe we will be seeing her ever again. I'm very disappointed with how everything went. I'm disappointed in myself for how things turned out, but also disappointed in how VIDA decided to go about it. I was hopeful that they would give me another chance since Vicky had been successful, but I guess not. read more

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I had a bad experience with this rescue. The dog I adopted was featured on Adopt A Pet. Unfortunately, I didn't take a screen shot of the dogs background story. I asked prior to coming to meet him about his background and the lady that texted me said she didn't have it. When I arrived at the rescue they also said they had no background on him. I was under the impression that a rescue charged you more because they knew the animals well and were concerned about placing them with a family that was the right fit. I paid $350, but this place is not a rescue, its a shelter. They don't provide anything that the local humane society provides, except that you will pay at least $225 more at Vida. The dog I adopted wasn't groomed, had fleas and after two days of being with him, discovered that my 2 year old dog wasn't socialized. He also has a severe noise phobia. I am a first time pet owner and this rescue should not have placed him with me. I stressed to them that this was my first pet. His problems are severe and I can spend hundreds of dollars paying for a trainer or I can rehome him. When I contacted Vida, the call is sent straight to voicemail. I texted the lady that contacted me to come meet my dog but she wouldn't speak to me. I texted her the difficulties I was having and she told me that they don't have background on the dogs because they're all strays. Then she called me ignorant and said that no shelter charges just $125. Then, later on, she told me about my dog's background to dispute my claim of him being unsocialized. Then, she called me ignorant again. Please don't go here. I should have gone to the humane society where they are professional and a fraction of the cost. read more

I tried and tried to adopt a cat at Petsmart, Petco, the local county shelters, etc. What a big application process with very little to no responses! I guess everyone wants a pet during the COVID lockdown! Vida Rescue promptly reviewed my app and contacted me. I came to their facility within 2 days and found my new kitty, now named Gypsy. Sure I was concerned about getting a rescue cat. This place is not the Animal Ritz Hotel. But everyone I met was so dedicated to helping out these cats and dogs who need a good home. Folks knew all about each cat, their known history, etc. They were careful to keep the kitties healthy and well maintained as much as possible in this quirky place. They had the adoption process nailed down quick. All of this put me at ease and I felt very good to adopt my nearly 2 year old kitty here. I've had her for 6 days and checked at the vet. Good to go! read more

VIDA Rescue - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Update: Looks like they also have tapeworms now, likely carried by the fleas. Just avoid this place. Seriously. Same issue with fleas, and kitty had FVR which she passed on to another cat. Hundreds of dollars spent in vet bills and money/time investment to treat house. I really, really hate being negative about a rescue center because I support their mission and want these pets to find homes. But many similar experiences to mine based on other reviews, which occurred after my pet's adoption, and despite my notifying the rescue organization directly of our experience. Seems like they just brushed off the feedback. Also, super unhappy about the owner not wearing a mask in close quarters during our visit at the height of a pandemic. read more

We adopted our cat Ollie here. The board member, Kim, was very responsive in helping us connected with the right pet for our family. Monica was very helpful as well in providing us with all the documentation and taking care of the appointments for his shots. Thank you VIDA for taking care of and rescuing these animals! read more

Vida Rescue is amazing, understanding, and caring! We adopted our beautiful black lab mix Cami now (Sami) from here. We lost our lab of 16 years a few months ago and were heart broken. We explained we were interested in Cami and got a response right away, unlike many other shelters and rescues. From the nice ladies on the phone at the shelter to the foster parents of Cami, everyone was so helpful and answered all and any questions. We are in love with our new pup and have seen her make so much progress already. Thank you Vida!!! read more

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This rescue does incredible work. It may look like a small facility, but the people are all extremely sweet and want the best for the animals. I've been a volunteer since January 2018 and have watched this rescue grow. It's a wonderful place to come if you're looking to adopt an animal or for a place to volunteer, as it's almost always open. read more

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This review is for Laura who I believe is the director of Vida Rescue. I have never met her before but have communicated with her via phone and text. My little guy I brought home with me had a few medical conditions that I didn't understand and Laura explained them to me carefully for me to understand. I was very thankful and pleased with her responsive text messages and a lot of helpful information she provided. Very grateful for her services and I highly recommend Vida. read more

ZERO STARS! HORRIBLE PLACE! I adopted a cat from them and this place showed me a clean bill of health saying theres nothing wrong with him and said I wouldn't need to take him to a vet for a year. LIES! He had tape worms and multiple skin leisons hidden in his fur. The free pet Insurance that comes with adoption is NO help. Out of $600 of vet bills they have currently paid me NOTHING. Stay away from this filthy shelter. Go to a cleaner place. Yes my cat is lovely but if I had known I would have spent more on him than I do myself to make sure he is healthy I would have never came. This place also is VERY BAD at communication. No one picks up any calls and the only person who replies to anything is one of the volunteers. read more

I highly recommend VIDA Rescue! Their director, Laura is wonderful and is very concerned about getting the right home for the dogs & cats! I was able to be a foster family to one of their large rescue dogs until he found his "forever home". It was an excellent experience and working with Laura and her staff was great! Go to ViDA and find your new fur-buddy! read more

Honestly, do not adopt from here. We adopted a dog in January. The day we brought her home, she was bleeding - even post spay. I asked the shelter is this was normal and they said it was, especially since she had a litter 2 months prior. I signed up for their pet insurance 30 day plan and then shortly after took her to the vet since her bleeding continued. After thousands of dollars already spent and thousands of dollars about to be spent, we learned that our dog has Canine Venereal Transmittable Disease. Of course, this will not be covered by any pet insurance plan because we brought her home with symptoms (unknown by us). There is ZERO way the shelter did not know she was exhibiting symptoms (we saw her vulva was swollen when we did the visit but were told this was just pre pregnancy related). Anyhow, our dog's cancer treatment will come to approx 7K, maybe more, when we're all through. CVTD is common in Mexico and other 3rd world countries were dogs freely roam unspayed so I'm assuming this is where the rescue gets their animals, but they don't tell you that either. Laura offered to help take our dog to chemo treatments, knew exactly how this is treated so I assume she's seen this a lot before, but said she couldn't offer financial assistance. I never would have imagined a 1.5 year old dog would cost us this much. Just be warned. I would not recommend this rescue to anyone. read more

I adopted my kitten from this shelter about a month ago and he has been the biggest blessing ever. I did not have a bad experience with this shelter, they were very helpful and kind. However, my kitten had a very bad respiratory infection and tested positive for ring worm. He had crusty bumps on his ears when I got him and I just thought they were dry but nope, it's ring worm. I have come to find that the treatment is a pain in the butt. Respiratory infections and ring worm are highly contagious to other animals (especially ring worm to humans), so please be aware that this is probably going through the shelter. read more

Great rescue for dogs and cats. Run by Laura who is so caring to all of the animals and who gives them a home-like environment. I volunteer here with my daughter and we love befriending all of the little dogs and kitties. We did end up fostering to adopt our adorable chihuahua, Cookie. Laura is amazing and if you are considering volunteering, fostering or adopting, this is the place to do it! read more

Refereed to this shelter...our senior dog ran away and we've been frantically looking for her. We came here to check and this male worker snapped at us. Telling us they're not open to the public. We had no idea. We were referred and we didn't notice any signs . For someone who works for a facility were compassion is key this man failed miserably. Didn't even ask for a description so he could check. I hope the animals are treated better than we were. Remember, when a person goes in who is looking for a pet, be kind. Our dog is almost 12-she's NEVER been out of the house without us. We are worried sick about her. Treating us with disdain is not OKAY. We were referred and in our desperation we didn't even think we'd be referred to a shelter not opened to the public. The man who was there today was so disrespectful and quite frankly cruel. You SIR SUCK. VIDA, your mission IS awesome but if your employees/volunteers don't share it then it's time to reevaluate who you have representing you. read more

I love Barkley. He is a wonderful, happy terrier poodle mix that has been in our home for about 6 weeks. But our experience was much the same as the other low raters. Barkley was underweight when we got him, not because he didn't like the food they were feeding him, but because he had giardia. When I contacted Laura to tell her about it, she said they don't test for giardia, which, she said, is a bacteria. Giardia is a single cell protazoa, a parasite that attaches to the walls of the intestines. It is in dirty water; Barkley may have gotten it from drinking gutter water. I actually had a back and forth text message communication with Laura; she was adamant that giardia is a bacteria and their vet doesn't test for bacteria. Just look it up on the internet. It is a parasite. If a vet actually examined our boy, he would have seen immediately that something was wrong. Fortunately, it is a treatable condition, and after two rounds of medicine, he is well, picking up weight and looks 1000% better. They advertised him as "fooling around with the other dogs" at the rescue. He is very skittish around other dogs and needs to spend time being socialized. He is sweet as he can be and a calm, chill dog, but I wouldn't adopt from VIDA. The stars are for the wonderful dog, not the awful rescue facility. read more

Had a terrible experience with this rescue. I'm sure they care about dogs but they dropped the ball on my appt. They were also dishonest and told me he has NO health issues. The didn't groom him at all and he didn't get all his vaccination or flea meds. I took the dog home for a trial run. I think the dog had giardia because he threw up on the way home and had terrible gas and diarrhea for two days. He kept itching and was infested with fleas. His hair was so matted there was no way for me to even brush or bathe him. Apparently they don't care if their sick dogs get my dog sick. Called the rescue and got a full voicemail, even though they told me to call if there are medical issues (clearly this happens a lot, it seems in retrospect). I got his groomed and a flea bath. The groomer showed me this huge untreated blood blister on his face that was oozing. I also found lumps under his skin. When she finally called back, I told her all of this and she was full of excuses. "Oh, Frontline must not be working anymore (they wrote they treat him with Advantage)". "Well he had an appt to get groomed today because we didn't have you down for an appt (again, her staff dropped the ball)". I told her there was no record of a rabies shot and she said "Well, there was no appt on the books so I didn't get to check his paperwork". So, fleas, GI virus, probably had worms as well from the fleas, no rabies shot, matted hair, skin problems and tumors. All this before seeing a vet and finding more issues. But yeah. he has no health problems. And no apologies, no reimbursement offer, just a text message back saying "Bring him back. Other families are calling about him." I had to throw out my dog brushes and buy new ones, wash the dog beds, wash all my bedding and fleabomb my house. I really didn't appreciate her total lack of concern for her sick dog coming into my house and getting my dog sick. It also looks like they are a for profit boarding place for pet as well as a rescue. They mix all the animals together in outdoor cages. I would never board my dog in that filthy place! Ugh. read more

I most definitely would like to give 0 dam stars . This place is simply disgusting . The owner or whoever she is is rude and really doesn't care about the people who come and try to adopt .She treats people like shit , talks to people like they are stupid and has no respect for anyone . also we are in a pandemic and she never has a MASK actually no one there wears a mask at all . It smells when you go inside and they are so unorganized . They don't hand out all the paperwork you need and on top of that it isn't even the correct papers. I would definitely recommend going somewhere where they actually care for animals . They claim to care about the welfare of animals in their possession however they don't send your animal home with the necessary care needed to recover for the procedures they do . If you are thinking about adopting an animal from here STAY FAR AWAY and go ANYWHERE ELSE .Trust when I say this is not a place to be adopting from and I feel so terrible for the animals who have to stay there . read more

Let's see where do I begin.... we thought we adopted a 10 month old husky a couple weeks ago. It was said he was leash trained, good with cats and dogs as well as children. i will say he is pretty good with big dogs and that's where his description accuracy ends. We have a cat and another husky. The first day we kept our cat separated because he was afraid. The second day we thought we would start introducing the cat and new dog. Our cat friendly rescue grabbed our cat by the neck and if I had not been right next to them I'm sure he would have killed our cat. Ok now we aren't sure about this situation so I contact rescue to let them know this might not work out, no response even over a week later. He isn't leashed trained ( I am trying still with training but it hasn't really progressed) so he needs to get his energy out so I take him to the dog park. He has on multiple occasion tried to pick small dogs up by the neck. He isn't playing. i now can't walk him. if I see a small dog approaching the park I try to leave before they enter. Even leashed he lunges and attempts to get at small dogs so now I can't take him at all. I'm not willing to bet on another dogs life I can be quicker than him. I did not sign up for a dog that if given the chance will kill my cat or another dog. I have contacted them multiple times with no response. They knew I had a cat and still let me adopt him. to top it out after receiving his medical record he isn't even 10 months old, the vet that fixed him aged him at over 1. ( which was months ago, so he is now 18ish months) Age isn't a big deal but why lie about it? With lots of training both obedience and house training ( he doesn't seemed interested in treats, toys or cuddles so I'm not sure how to motivate him) he might make a great dog for someone with a huge yard that doesn't have small animals around. But I do have a cat and all my neighbors have small dogs, I wouldn't have even been interested in him let alone adopt him if I would have known beforehand. On my application I stated plain as day I had a cat. If unsure don't approve for a dangerous situation. I cant get ahold of them and I can't keep risking my cats life. once again, I never would have adopted him had I known even a small chance he would not be good with cats or small dogs!!! if you have small children or other pets I wouldn't adopt from this place!!! They don't seem to care you might be unknowingly getting into a dangerous situation. read more

If you are looking for someplace to adopt a pet, I would highly suggest you find another facility. They are not up front or honest with the information they provide regarding their rescues. For starters, their listing for our now dog said he was 2 years old, however, when we showed up and saw the paperwork, it said he was 4. Not the biggest deal in the world, but why lie about that? Secondly, the paperwork said that he had no behavioral issues. The woman told us that he played happily with other dogs, was good with children and showed no behavioral problems. That also turned out to be a lie. In the 2 months we've owned him, he's growled at my son and bitten him 3 times. To be clear, our son is 7 and would reach out to pet him and get snapped at. He's also charged at and bitten the vet, the groomer, family members, a neighbor, the list goes on. He snarls and growls at children so we just keep him away. We can't have guests over and my son can't invite his friends to play. I understand they want to find pets homes, but that shouldn't be the only goal. The proper goal should be to find a good fit. Had we known he was this aggressive, we probably would have kept looking for a dog that bonded better with children so our rescue can find a more well suited home. It will be more traumatizing to the rescue and heartbreaking for the families to have to return a pet due to aggression or health issues they just can't afford. In addition, she had told us that our dog had seen their vet and had a clean bill of health, however, a day or two later when we noticed his leg was bloody and raw from biting and scratching we took him to a vet of closer to home and learned he had a skin infection that went untreated. When we mentioned it to her, she insisted we see their preferred vet, but after what we found, I wouldn't trust it. We will continue to do all we can for our rescue, however, if he still poses a danger to a home with children, we are going to have to face an emotionally tough and financially costly decision. Find a shelter that is up front and honest with their animals so you know exactly what you are getting into and can make an educated decision that best suits you and your new addition to your family. This place, in my experience, just isn't that place. read more

i adopted my dog from laura, the founder of VIDA, about 9 years ago. she was a stray from mexico who had either been abused, or just severely unsocialized. but she came to us house trained, spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, and has become my best friend in the entire world. she is an old senior lady now, but is still going strong. her old name was "sundance" while with laura. laura is extremely compassionate, and her adoption fees at her rescue are very well worth every penny. please schedule a visit to meet a potential best friend- laura and the awesome volunteers are always there to help and help you find your match! i do remember emailing her back and forth about sundance before finally scheduling a meeting with her (which ultimately lead to my family adopting her) and she was super helpful, knowing her personality well, informing me of possible quirks and personality traits, and any other information. highly recommend adopting or donating here :) read more

VIDA Rescue - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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