My fiancé and I recently visited Watermelon Ranch after the heartbreaking loss of my dog of 14 years. We were hoping to meet some dogs and eventually adopt when we found the right fit. When we learned the adoption fee was over $400, we simply said that the adoption fee wasn't really within our budget. We never said we couldn't afford to care for a dog--we were only referring to the one-time adoption fee. At that point, we were told they would not show us any more dogs because they felt we wouldn't be able to afford one. We were completely refused the opportunity to meet any other dogs based solely on that comment. I absolutely understand that rescues have a responsibility to ensure animals go to loving, financially responsible homes, and I support screening adopters. However, making that decision without asking a single question about our finances, our experience with pets, or our ability to provide long-term care felt incredibly judgmental and unfair. I had just lost my best friend of 14 years, and instead of being treated with compassion, I left feeling embarrassed and judged. A one-time adoption fee is not the same thing as being financially capable of providing a loving, stable home for a pet. I hope Watermelon Ranch will reconsider how they approach these conversations in the future. Asking questions and getting to know potential adopters before making assumptions would create a much more compassionate experience for people who are genuinely trying to give an animal a forever home. read more

We adopted a pitbull mix from WMR named Skittles who had been there over 3 years. She was very cautious and it took 3 weekend visits with treats to get her to trust us. Now she's been with us since March 2024 and she has her forever home. The Staff at WMR are fantastic and they go the extra mile to make sure their rescues go with the best possible families. I keep Maddie and Sam up to date on Skittles' progress. Since she had been there the longest, they wanted to make sure that we would keep her. I've read some of the not so nice reviews and I'm disappointed that people think that this is just a simple process. Animals aren't disposable items that you can just toss away. But too many people think that way. WMR staff thinks hard about letting someone adopt. It has to be the best possible fit. They don't want to see any of their rescues come back, except to visit. :) The staff and volunteers do their very best to care for all these animals. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to do this job. Thank you for letting us adopt Skittles. She's come a long way. read more

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I went into the mall store pet adoption location last week on Tuesday, September 17. The lady at the desk was friendly, answered my questions and gave me some literature. I think her name was Kaylee. I left to come back this week. I came in today and spoke with two ladies standing in the back. One was Samantha and I don't remember the other lady's name. I asked a question about volunteering for my 18 year old grand-daughter. They said they would have to ask. Then, I asked about the adoptions. The one with long hair said we cannot do adoptions because we don't know how. I asked who does and she told me I would have to come back another time. She was rude and did not even offer a phone number for me to call back. Very poorly trained staff and she looked like a deer in headlights when I was talking to her. I had planned on giving a $1000 donation along with adopting a dog, maybe even two but will go to another rescue with kinder, better trained personnel. read more

WMR is a wonderful place where all who enter receive love. The staff and volunteers are dedicated to saving as many lives as they can, and finding them permanent, loving homes. They work so hard 365 days a year, in harsh, desert conditions. I am so thankful for the work they do. read more

Watermelon Mountain Ranch - Daisy and Miss Maci Mae - Animal Shelters Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Friendly staff. Remote location. Adopted a boxer mix. Process was easy and comfortable with first meeting the dog at the ranch, taking it for a walk, bringing it home for a trial adoption, then return to finalize the adoption. Social distancing, masks required, meet dogs to adopt by appointment. read more

I have worked with Watermelon Mountain Ranch for many years and say they really do care about the dogs and cats they rescue and the homes they allow to adopt them. While many pets cannot be aged accurately without knowing past history, they do try their best to ensure adopters know what the vets' diagnosis is and what they are getting into with the animal (i.e. shy, anxious, etc.). Some issues may not always be caught by the vet because the most important issue is taken care of for the animal's health before other diagnosis can be made. Think of going to the doctor yourself....you don't always get the whole truth on the first visit do you? That is why fosters are so important as they work on training the animals and getting to know their personalities and socialize them into their families so the hand off is smoother for the adopted families. People don't realize that they do need to continue their pets' training. While I noticed some bad reviews here, take into consideration, this is a non-profit and volunteers are not on premises 24/7. Some days you cannot reach anyone as they are out in town holding adoption events, cleaning kennels, feeding animals or procuring donations of bedding, food, cleaning supplies. Don't give up; so many dogs and cats are dropped off and abandoned and need a home. WMMR does not euthanize any animals brought in or rescued. They even go out of state to help over-crowded shelters so animals don't get put down. read more

If I could leave a Zero I would. Paid Tony and he has failed to product based on discrimination because I am a woman. Will not return phone calls, will not return emails. Made promises he has not kept. I want my money back. BEWARE. read more

I've spent two weeks trying to call watermelon ranch, I've never been here but I can already tell they are very unorganized, yet no one answers the phone on top of that, can't leave a voice mail because they don't receive any voicemails? Very frustrated and disappointed. I was just trying to call to ask if they accept low income for my dog to get neutered/spayed I'm desperately looking for a place that provides this:( If y'all have Info please comment below god bless! read more

Watermelon Mountain Ranch is a non-profit, no-kill shelter for dogs and cats. The staff there are friendly and welcoming, and they work extremely hard to care for the animals there. Having never visited a no-kill shelter, I was apprehensive about my first visit there. I was pleasantly surprised, because the animals are healthy, happy and well taken care of. I've been volunteering there for several months now and truly enjoy it. They are desperate for more volunteers, however. If you enjoy walking and socializing dogs or cats, I urge you to fill out a form to volunteer. The staff is so appreciative; it really makes you feel good. Whenever you're ready for a new dog or cat, I hope you'll consider WMR. read more

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My children love animals, and so they wanted to help out after hearing on the JTD show [ http://www.1003thepeak.com/pages/jackietonyanddonnie.html ] that the ranch needed money, time, or resource donations. My girls are working on giving the latter two. Any child that is passionate about helping out the community has to be supported, right? Plus, I appreciate the idea of a "no kill" animal shelter [ http://www.nokillnetwork.org/d/New-Mexico/Watermelon-Mountain-Ranch~298/ ]. Since they insisted on helping, as the adult I qualified to be a volunteer [basically anyone 18 and over] once I completed the Saturday training. That training is about an hour long, and it costs nothing out of your pocket besides the gas to drive there. If you attend the training, it is outdoors so dress appropriately. In the summer at least there is some shade, but still wear a hat, put on sunscreen, and bring plenty of water. Word of seasonal warning: snakes are on campus, so watch where you step during the reptile months; notify an employee if you do not want to handle the snakes. After that required training, we were free to help out as much or as little as we wanted to. My children could only help out as long as I was always with them. We volunteered with the kinder animals because the staff is interested in the safety of its workers and volunteers. Some of the volunteer duties performed included playing with cats and canines, walking dogs, grooming animals, and simply showing some love. We avoided all mean dogs, the snakes, and the goats. We didn't bother the birds nor the rabbits just because the dogs and cats took up all of our time. All in all we have an enjoyable time at the Watermelon Mountain Ranch [ http://www.wmranch.org ]. The fellow volunteers and employees are outstanding. We make a positive difference in the lives of these important animals. I encourage you and your people to donate any time, money, and/or any resources to the ranch. read more

An absolutely awesome organization! As a no-kill animal shelter they have their hands full and could always use the help. Thank goodness for places like these that provide a home for pets who have nowhere else to go. read more

went out at 830 in morning and staff said out of paper work. people turned away at mall. hot and muggy. nothing on paper said to fill out online. heard of running out of vaccine not paper work. a mall is next door with a printer are copy machine. next time plan a head. read more

Watermelon Mountain Ranch - TO MUCH OF A TURN OUT. NEXT TIME PLAN. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

I would be extremely cautious about adopting an animal from WMR. In July, I adopted a small dog that they said was two years old (turns out more like. 5). As soon as I got him home I knew he was much older. I brought him in for the free vet visit at VCA and he had a mass on his rear end and advanced periodontal disease. I immediately contacted WMR, and talked to the person responsible for small animal adoptions. I was upset that given the dog had been looked at by a vet a week before when he was neutered, how the vet could have missed either of these pretty serious issues. The WMR contact called me a week later to tell me that she had talked to the vet and the vet had agreed to remove the mass (which VCA recommended) and to clean teeth and perform any extractions (which VCA thought would be needed). I brought the dog back so they could start him on antibiotics before his surgery about 10 days later. That surgery never happened for one reason or another. They found another vet to look at mass and as far as I can tell given the poor communication, they were to give dog another round of antibiotics and then take him back to this particular vet to ascertain whether it should be removed. The original vet was to do the oral work the following week (so at this point they have had dog for almost a month and done almost nothing). The teeth cleaning happened (not totally confirmed) but turns out no X-rays were taken to see if extractions were needed. I then get a call from new contact who told me dog was adoptable and that if I wanted the dog I should pick up, so I did. I take dog to my normal vet who said this dog absolutely needs to have mass removed (same as VCA vet said) and that extractions were probably going to be needed. So they had dog for 5 weeks, didn't do much of anything that they had committed too and I am back to where I was in July with an estimate from VCA for 4 to 5k to do the work this dog needs. I will never get another animal from them. read more

The women at the cottonwood adoption center (Sarah and Stacy) strung us along for 2 weeks trying to adopt a pair of dogs. with us visiting 8-9 times to let the dogs get to know us and our whole family getting emotionally attached. We jumped through every hoop they gave us and did everything they asked. At some point they decided they did not want us to have them.. it took us visiting and calling constantly to even get responses from them. This is completely speculation based on gut feeling and sense but I believe they discriminated against my husbands mastiff mobility support dog. (He's a veteran who falls and needs him to help him get around. At the visitation they all got along perfectly.) When they finally decided to come do the home visit after we showed up in person again because our calls were constantly ignored they came out yesterday. We have a huge, fully fenced in yard.. Stacy even bragged about having 7 dogs and fostering for WMR too wishing she had this much yard. Here is where things went even worse. There's a commercial business on the same property as ours, different addresses but all owned together. The business part is separate from the residential side where we live. There are 3 dogs owned by a worker who OCCASIONALLY brings his dogs to work with him. When he can't have them by his side he has a large kennel he built to keep them in. They are fully secured and good dogs, also no where near our backyard. We have never had an issue with them. The dogs go home with them when they leave. They have never once stayed over night or even come consistently during the day time. When they denied us over this we found out after we called three times to try and get any response from them. They then told my husband that it was because of city of Rio rancho's ordinance of a 5 dog limit. So I called back and of course.. Sarah wasn't there. When she called me back she told me that since they are on our property at all (even though these are separated addresses and zoned properties and they are hardly ever there) that they are considered our animals. So I called RRAC to ask them what they thought. A very nice, respectful employee (which was a refreshing change) answered on the first try and first ring (which was nice given the headache of returned calls from WMR) he explained to me that what they were claiming was absolutely not true. A dog has to stay on the property night and day for 7 consecutive days to be considered a part of our household. He said this sounds like they are just making an excuse to not adopt to us which in his opinion is pretty common of WMR. Back to speaking to Sarah, nothing I said was even listened to or taken into consideration.. when I pushed and pushed she said (I quote) "we are a non profit, we can do whatever we want" Which to me was the jackpot.. that is exactly it.. they do whatever they want with no regards to the animals getting a good home. They would rather keep them in a small kennel in a mall than to place them in a home where they would have been loved and cared for forever. With a family who has fought for them and shown they truly care about them consistently for two weeks since meeting them. A non profit operates on the Generosity of people donating with the expectation that they will be put into a good home as quickly as possible. So to say they can do whatever they want and treat people the way they do is disgusting. Researching the reviews it's astounding to me they are still operating. I hope Karma comes quickly to them and someone who genuinely cares about animals and people's emotions can take over. I will continue to use my resources and voice to try and make sure they stop doing this to people and conduct themselves appropriately in a fair non discriminating manner. read more

Surrendering an animal is one of the hardest thing a person will have to ever do. Under no circumstances should an individual be judged or treated awfully or shamed for doing so, but expect this from WMR if you adopt and return or surrender an animal here. We were entirely mis-lead about behavioral issues when we adopted a puppy from WMR. After vicious attacks on other dogs and our household cats, we found it deemed necessary, for safety purposes, to contact the original foster parent and work on returning the animal. Not only was the foster parent rude and disrespectful, so was the GM at WMR. They also asked me if I was going to pay (on top of what I paid for the dog, mind you- you return, you do not get your $$ back, I want expecting this) an additional fee to return the animal. NO WHERE on my paperwork was this listed. (This shocked me) First you SHAME ME for returning the animal then you have the nerve to ask me for more $$, SHAME ON YOU! When we adopted, the representative stated that if there were ever any issues you can return the dog with no questions asked. Apparently they have some major communication issues in their offices. The GM expressed to me, "I do not know what you were told"! ...... hrmph. Customer service is awful, it doesn't exist here. Makes me wonder if they way they treat their customers is also the same way they treat their animals. Either way, I do NOT trust them or the services they provide, neither should you. Support your local shelter and stay away from WMR. read more

Sadly, This facility does not take proper care of their animals. We adopted an older cat from them that was seriously underweight. Since she had been at the shelter for 3 months, we thought maybe it was caused by stress. We had her for 3 weeks, and battled to get her to eat anything. She finally stopped eating all together and could barely stand. It was obvious she was veey sick and would not come back from it. We brought her to our vet, and mercifully put her down. Their opinion was that she probably had stomach cancer. It breaks my heart to think the poor cat had been deteriorating in this place and nothing was done. Either the staff at WR are totally incompetent to not realize she was sick, or they knew and chose to do nothing. Both scenarios are unacceptable.when we got her, even her nails were growing into her paw pads, so she wasn't even getting basic care. Shame on these people for not caring for the animals entrusted to them. And on top of it, their $85 adoption fee for a senior cat is absurd. read more

I adopted my dog from Watermelon Ranch almost 11 years ago, when he was just 7 months old. When I finalized the adoption, he had been neutered and all of his vaccines were up to date. Unfortunately, he showed signs of kennel cough about five days after I brought him home. I took him to the vet and Sophia met me there. She took him back to the shelter, took wonderful care of him, and I was soon able to bring him home again with no problems. Even then, Sophia followed up to ensure we were all doing okay. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I felt Sophia did a very thorough interview to ensure this pup was getting a good and safe home. He recently passed away and I can honestly say I've never had a better dog. If I still lived in New Mexico, Watermelon Ranch would be my choice for my next rescue. read more

Warning. The majority of the animals they list are not actually up for adoption but are posted as click bait. I spent a week trying to arrange to meet a dog, and I tried several different dogs, none of them were actually available. They had extensive waiting lists, even though they had already been adopted. There is ZERO customer service, they seem to have a surplus of adopters, and more than they can handle. The local animal shelter is a much better bet. They only list animals who are available for adoption. And they are eager to match a dog with a good home. read more

If you need to surrender, don't come here. You won't get any respect. They do not even have the courtesy to respond with a quick email or call to say "hey, i'm sorry but we just don't have the capacity at the moment." Nice way to show they care. read more

OREO is a very good dog inside and outside !! she loves to run and walk any time I am ready to go ! she is a great watch dog as well !! thank you guys very much for our new friend ! and yes she is loved ( very ) much !! jerry m. read more

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We just adopted our dog from Watermelon Ranch! They were SO helpful, answering all of our questions and showing us all of the dogs. Thanks to Anya and Kevin, our fur baby has a fur-ever home! They were thorough with their questions and making sure we could provide the home that our pupper deserves! We love our Jett! I would HIGHLY recommend adopting from this wonderful shelter! read more

I have fostered & volunteered for WMR for about a year and a half. I have seen first hand the amazing work they do. I have worked with other rescues/shelters in different states as well as here in NM and I can tell you that the staff at WMR genuinely cares and gives everything for the animals in their care. It's very common for dogs & cats to contract different parasites and viruses while in a shelter, dogs also catch these same viruses/parasites out in general public from those who don't vaccinate their pets. Also those that say the Ranch is not clean or whatever please attend volunteer orientation and maybe give back by helping clean or walk dogs. But I guess it's easier to sit behind your computer and complain & judge. read more

We had a wonderful experience adopting our dog from here. My husband and I have three small children so finding a family friendly dog was essential. We were introduced to our dog Olivia and we were able to take her home the same day on "trial" to see if she would work well with our kids and other pets. She fit right in thankfully and we are happy with how smoothly the whole adoption process went. We would definitely return here in the future should we decide to add to our family. read more

Adopted an adorable puppy 5 days ago now. He was 300$ since he is part Great Pyrenees but he was perfect for our family. Unfortunately he was given to us with giardia which quickly infected our other dog. The puppies was covered by their first free vet visit but our other pups was very expensive. Just wish they would make sure their pups were healthy before the adopted them out! Also, found out later he had coccidia. Its been over a month and he is still fighting these off. Vet also said he was way too skinny. BE AWARE! read more

I absolutely love and appreciate this foundation. The staff is amazing at taking care of the animals and they are so helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to any questions about the animal you're adopting. Watermelon Ranch is definitely the #1 go to shelter in Rio Rancho/Albuquerque area! read more

There are so many animals out there. Just being an animal shelter does not automatically make Watermelon Mountain Ranch a good one. They have no adoption process that educates on the behavioral issues of the animal being adopted. They ask no questions which should be asked, such as, "have you done any research on how to raise a puppy? If you work 14 hours a day, how will you potty train this puppy? Are you aware that this puppy is scared to death of humans, and will take off at the first opportunity?" These are real experiences I, as a dog trainer, have had with people who have adopted pups from this shelter. These questions are not about control or refusal to adopt, but about education of the adoptee to ensure a smooth, educated adoptive experience. Watermelon Mountain Ranch also charges large fees, but does not provide services that should be included in the amount of the fee charged, such as neuter, shots, or city licensing. They also do not educate on other resources for obtaining less expensive services, such as vaccines. Do your homework before patronizing this shelter. There are millions of animals and shelters needing your help with donations and adoptions. You cannot save them all. Stand up and hold animal shelters responsible for good animal management! read more

Very disappointed in Watermelon Mountain Ranch. Found a dog that I was beyond interested it. Attempted to call the ranch multiple times and was never able to reach anyone, not even a voicemail. Since the dog was in "foster care" I knew I would not be able to view the dog at the actual facility. After no luck reaching them I drove there. Spoke with the ranch manager, Maggie, who explained to me that since the dog was in foster care I would need to attend an event to meet the dog, but the dog was not scheduled at that point to be at any events. I explained my EXTREME interest in the dog and she ASSURED me that the dog would not be adopted out ("there is no way" exact quote) and I had nothing to worry about. She took down all of my info and promised to call me ASAP regarding the dog. Four days with no call, I contacted Maggie who then told me that the dog had been adopted out! Quite honestly, I was very upset and disappointed in the ranch manager Maggie for her dishonesty. The least she could have done was contacted me to say that she found another home for the dog. I will never deal with Watermelon Ranch again. If they cannot stand by what they say then this is no business that I want to deal with. I feel bad for the dogs and any other potential customer who likes a specific dog because with the way the ranch is managed they will likely be just as disappointed as I was. Maggie needs training... and if she is so busy that she can not remember what she says to potential customers (or assurances she makes) then she should either not ever do it again or get a notebook and keep track of the things she says! VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED with Watermelon Mountain Ranch. Beware unless you want to be completely let down by management. read more

Not interested in best placement of animals. Very rigid and expect every dog to be in an air conditioned environment at all times. I went over the care the dog would receive and access in the house in bad weather but majority of time would be spent outside in a wide open fenced yard with another dog but they said that since the dog would not be inside the majority of the time they wouldn't allow my family to adopt the dog. My house has a large covered patio so protection from the sun and rain would always be available but they wouldn't listen. A child's heart was broken and a dog's well being wasn't looked after. read more

I was instantly attracted to a Shih Tzu mix at WMR's Cottonwood Mall location and promptly filled out an application, then waited to hear. The following day, I went back just to let it be known that I am serious and love on her some more, since I hadn't heard from anyone yet. She was still there and I asked the woman at the front desk how long it generally takes to hear from someone. She replied that you'll usually hear from someone within 24 hours. Then she found my application and proceeded to ask me all the questions that an interviewer would ask and asked me if I'd like to take her in a room and get acquainted which I did. She was only received from a shelter in Alamogordo the day before and was not "In Processed" yet. We stayed in the room for a long time and I just sat and watched mostly, wondering to myself if I'm jumping into this too early as I had two dogs die recently and my heart still hurts. After about an hour someone came in with a clipboard and sat down. Immediately, the Shih Tzu mix jumped up into my lap as if to say, "I'm yours! Let's go!" She has pretty much been in my lap ever since and has clearly attached herself to me. I can see that WMR is probably overwhelmed and could use more help. If I had waited for someone to call, I probably would not have received it within 24 hours, but my experience was good and I would definitely recommend. read more

I came here looking wanting to add another dog to the family. They showed me around and talked about the dogs. They took the time to answer all my questions and were friendly. read more