We had a mental health emergency in our home on 3/6 and our lives were forever changed in an instant. My husband attempted to take his own life. A few days later, my 21-year-old son suggested some Puppy Therapy. We headed to the Chandler Mall and found this beautiful little girl staring at us through the window. AAWL allows snuggle time with the animals if they aren't too busy, for a $10 donation. I gladly paid the money! I explained that we had a very tough week and could use some pure joy. We were hooked up with a precious 3-month-old Chihuahua named Tinkerbell. She had been staring at us through the window and the look in her eyes matched mine. I can say without a doubt, pure bliss with a puppy, puppy kisses, and puppy breath, are the best thing in the whole world when your heart is hurting. My son and I belly laughed, we giggled, we smiled. We had 30 minutes of uninterrupted bliss; we were able to leave the events of the previous few days behind us in those moments. I appreciate all of the staff so much for their understanding and compassion that day. I was so grateful that I was near tears when we left. Thank you for having this snuggle option, it really, truly does make a difference. It helped my son and I tremendously as we start to move forward with our new normal. read more

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While I would love to brag about this place, here is the truth. I have been a foster for AAWL for more than five years and have watched them go down hill so badly that I can't work with them anymore. They are turning away health cats and dogs (after scheduling their intake) for reasons that don't exist but for financial reasons, when they are in the business of helping homeless animals. I have sat in the lobby and watched how rude the girls have become with volunteers and the people dropping off pets. I used to marvel at their compassion for pets in their care, now I shudder. Stop donating to AAWL. They are paying their staff, and turning away healthy animals (I have seen it) so they can avoid paying for them. Two thumbs down. Please, no more donations to AAWL. They need to drain this SWAMP and get some ethical, decent leaders on staff. read more

Very helpful in guiding us to adopting our 2 rescues. Now, I have 2 beautiful dogs. They also held events for alumni that are quite fun. read more

Amazing place. My husband and I adopted our baby girl from here. They helped her with her behaviors and her mental health, they took care of her teeth and her body. She had been through a lot on the street and thanks to Bob and his team, Sailor (Bao) is like a brand new pup! Every animal deserves a place like this :). read more

AAWL Adoption Center - Pet Adoption Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

I just adopted a new puppy from AAWL in Chandler and it was a really nice experience. The people working there were very helpful and kind. They were patient/ never rushed. They didn't pressure you nor did they try to scare you out of it. The dogs seem to be very much loved and taken care of well. I will highly recommend this place in the future to people who want to rescue a new pet. It was an overall really good experience and we love our new little girl read more

AAWL Adoption Center - New rescue pup - Pet Adoption Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

this should be called a dog adoption center. Came in to look and saw only dogs and puppies. No cats or kittens! What a disappointment. I will not be returning to this adoption center that only has dogs. They also had overpriced pet supplies. read more

AAWL Adoption Center - Pet Adoption Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

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Thank you so much for all of your help in my search for a therapy dog. We came in 30 minutes before close with me in tears, trying to find a dog that would work for me as I had just had to surrender a very sick dog we got from Maricopa Animal Control. All of the volunteers were lovely from start to finish and had dogs in mind that would be perfect for my energy level as well as needs from the dog. They found me my perfect girl Nala (Originally Elvira) and she has settled into our little family perfectly. I couldn't be more grateful for this rescue in helping me in my desperate time of need. read more

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If i could give a 0 star i would, we walked in looking at the puppies one was peeing on his blanket and the one next to it had 2 piles of crap. we had told the lady up front because who wants to lay in that let alone how tiny the spaces already are! she got up with attitude and says welp that's what puppies do and talked under her breath the whole time doing it, i love and want to support these places but people who work like she did that's absolutely heart breaking read more

We visited AAWL a few week ago and had a way better experience with the people there this time. It's only fair to update my review. Although the our last experience wasn't great ( 4 years ago) I never would hesitate adopt from then or any rescue . The gentleman there was very nice and more open to real conversation on adopting this time . He ask about our situation very professionally; were we just intending to play with the pup or actually adopting ( not assuming anything or judging) . I like the communication that was happening. I told him we wanted to add a 3rd dog to the family. We were able to meet & played with a pup we actually really like and they gave us a detailed history of what they knew about the pup. We did not leave with the dog as we had to discuss it wit the rest of the family that night before making a decision. The team members there were very understanding and agreed without any judgement as it should be. We return the next day with my husband and he meet another pup he thought was a better fit for our family. Process was painless and AAWL was very thorough with the pup's history, paperwork, and offering support after going home. They did not rush through this process either . The lady took the time to explain everything and anything. We were pretty pleased with the experience this time so it deserves an updated review! read more

Came in with the hope of adopting a dog, but the staff here are extremely rude and not helpful.

The girls working her were NASTY. So rude and not willing to let my family visit a dog. I feel bad for the dogs in there and think the environment is cruel and unsafe. Very disgusted by the way we were treated! read more

Scheduled an appointment to look at a couple of male kittens. After traveling 4 hours to pick up our grandsons we made our way to the AAWL Chandler location. Horrible customer service, but made it worse after handling the kitten they just received 2 days ago with our boys "these two employees a young man and young lady" decided they didn't want us to have a kitten that would be allowed inside and out, so they turned us away. Couldn't answer our questions and never on the website letting customers know "only indoor cats will be adopted out"! Sent us to the wrong location and wasted our times and heart. There are thousands of kittens/cats needing adoption and these two employees turned away a beautiful home. We did go to the AZ Humane Societyhttps://www.azhumane.org and had outstanding customer service and adopted two adorable kittens to live out their lives in a loving home. Don't waste your time at AAWL! By the way, you might want to update your horrible website that "YOUR" young man said was often turning customers to the wrong location! read more

I know for a fact that this center has at least some very sincere animal lovers who generously volunteer their time even though they also have a full time job. It's sad to see so many negative reviews which could easily deter those interested in adopting a rescue dog (or cat), from going there and that's not fair to the animals who seriously need to find a good permanent home. It would make more sense to speak with management and let them deal with any employee/volunteer who is rude, uncooperative or too pre-occupied with personal conversations, etc. to assist you. Whether someone is a paid employee or donating their time why be there unless you act professional, friendly and helpful? It's all about the animals so give them a fair chance. read more

FULL DISCLOSURE: I sometimes volunteer at this location. I've seen the faces of people who visit animal shelters to adopt. They're upset by the loud barking, saddened by the stressed animals and turned off by the prison-like setting. And that's why Petmatch is so important. It looks like a pet store. Each animal has a comfortable space. The dogs are walked regularly. The staff is friendly. The facilities are clean, and they entire storefront is welcoming. I hope more shelters and rescue groups follow the revolutionary example set by Petmatch. read more

I wanted a fur baby and my boyfriend didn't so we compromised and I got two. This place is everything you could ever hope for in an adoption center! We walked in and were immediately greeted by staff with an animal loving vibe easy to detect. It didn't take but 2 seconds for me to know which kitties I was taking home but one staff member in particular walked me through EVERYTHING, let me and my family hold and pet all the babies, and gave me loads of advice and goodies. She was awesome I think her name was Kayla.... Anyways a clean environment that really cares about these animals is all you could ask for but this place was so much more! So glad I get to give some kitties a forever home/family. read more

AAWL Adoption Center - Pet Adoption Near Me - Chandler, Arizona

Wonderful pet rescue. Staff and volunteers genuinely love animals.

We adopted both of our dogs from this location. It was a smooth process with friendly staff who helped us know exactly what we were supposed to expect, both the first time as new pet owners and the second as a "here's what to do if they don't get along at first" primer. The place is clean, the animals are treated in a great fashion, and if I were to get a third dog, it'd definitely be from the Chandler AAWL Petmatch! read more

This place is SKETCHY!!! I was at the mall and saw a 2y/o Chihuahua mix for adoption and asked an employee to see him. He was very rude and said fill out a form and it's $5 donation. I was kinda shocked that I had to pay to see a dog. He then asked 'Are you even serious about adopting?' I told him I was and that I'd been looking for a companion for my dog for quite some tine. I then asked why the form required SO much personal info. He told me it's protection for the store and that some of their dogs aren't healthy....ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?? He then explained that if you go home and it transmits to other pets it's not their fault! I get that, but actually stating that some of the pets you're adopting out aren't healthy!!!! That's not ok!!!! I told him this didn't seem right to me, he grabbed the form and said whatever. WOW!!! I will NEVER support this so called 'shelter' read more

This is by far the worse experience my husband and I have had trying to purchase a puppy.. The first young lady was very polite and professional answered all our questions with no hesitation.. She was in fact the reason we wanted to adopt.. The second young lady from the start didn't want us to have the young pup.. I don't want to believe that she was racist just that she had her own interpersonal issues.. Which in ever I will never return to this store and if your a minority I just hope your outcome is way better than ours.. Its the Holidays shouldn't you treat people with the same common courtesy that they give to you.. The lies you gave to us were uncalled for and showed your lack of ethics.. read more

An edited review after being contacted by the Director of Shelter Operations for AAWL concerning our experience at this location: "Dogs, for a reason that can only be described as divine, have the ability to forgive, let go of the past, and live each day joyously. It's something the rest of us strive for." ― Jennifer Skiff, The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend ...and so shall I. My wife and I were extended an apology for our experience of which the details have been removed as I do not want it to affect the chance of a pet finding its furever home. AAWL does care greatly about the animals and it shows here. This particular location actually used to be a mall pet store so the environment is similar with the kennels with the glass so you can fully see the pups and kitties and very clean facilities. The location consists of playpens and "meet and greet" rooms, small rooms that you can quietly get to know your potential new best friend. They sell pet toys (Ripple's personal favorite being a slingshot for tennis balls), normal treats, gourmet treats, and various other pet paraphernalia that I think is tax free. This adoption center normally carries more of the smaller breed dogs and young puppies as well as cats, if you are looking for a larger breed dog I would recommend the main AAWL adoption center. "A dog is not a thing. A thing is replaceable. A dog is not. A thing is disposable. A dog is not. A thing doesn't have a heart. A dog's heart is bigger than any "thing" you can ever own." ― Elizabeth Parker, Paw Prints in the Sand read more

We had an ok experience with this place in the mall. I do like how they appear to be a pet store, it's clean and the dogs appear very well taken care of and happy. We found a great puppy to take home and the process was smooth and easy. Our German loves him and they are getting along great. The one thing that was frustrating was the young girl worker who would not let go of this puppy and would not stop telling us how to take care of a puppy after we had just explained how we had raised multiple. We didn't really get to spend good time with the pup in the store because she was so paranoid and didn't want to leave the room or let the pup walk around. I kind of understand because of all the different folks they probably see that want a puppy but it almost turned us away and we had no "red flags." All in all - this little guy has a great home now and a new best friend. read more

I've been meaning to review Petmatch because they have been super helpful with two adoptions - one for my brother last September and one for me a few weeks ago on Mother's Day. Their care and compassion is excellent. Fees are reasonable and the animals come fully vaccinated, spayed/neutered and well adjusted. You can tell these animals have been fostered. One thing that stood out about this place, is that they do not allow adoptions for others. The potential owner must be present. This is helpful, because often pets as gifts don't end positively. read more

I am livid after going to see specific dog online ignored by two standing behind counter, only to be told "No, its $5 & only thhose seriously adopting." Bam! She returned to her conversation. When i asked if they were here to help, reply was "we work here. What do you need?" I asked for info to be told he was rescue and what else was needed. I walked out furious after commenting on rudeness and lack of service. My son was in tears and then i was with first dog that we could see as our family after loaing our 13yo not too long ago. I feel worse for the poor animals in their care and tryjng to find homes!!!! TERRIBLE ORGANIZATION! read more

Hello everyone, My daughter and I had just spent the last couple hours at the AAWL in phx. We decided to stop by the Chandler location before we headed home to decide which dog to adopt. We walked in and browsed through the glass at the pups. My 12 year old daughter wanted to see one of the pups closer so I looked around for an employee. There wasn't anyone on the floor so I peeked in the back and found a young lady. I asked if we could spend a few minutes with one of the pups. She asked if we planned on taking home a dog today. I said probably not and that we were going to make a decision over the next day or so. She stated that if we weren't intent on adopting today that we would have to pay $5 per dog to spend individual time with them. I stated we just left the other AAWL location and we didn't have to pay there. She just kind of looked away and walked off. We obviously just left. Since then we have been to 4 other dog adoption locations without having to pay at any of them. Definitely won't be going back and I caution everyone to be cautious at this location. Mark read more

I love this place! They are awesome! I saw a lot of reviews about people not getting to "play" with puppies though. When I went there yesterday interested in adopting, I was told I couldn't just "play" with a puppy and the nice lady told me that if I'm around other dogs or people with dogs who have been sick in the past year I could pass it to the puppy because they aren't fully vaccinated. She also told me if I was considering adopting today she'd have no issue introducing me to the puppy. I told her I was very interested in adopting just wanted to meet first. She had me fill out a small form, and pay $5 for a donation that went back to the animals (the $5 gets taken off of the adoption fee). She put us in a room, went over her file and gave us some alone time to hang out. After about 15 minutes she came back and asked how everything was going. I wasn't sure if I wanted to adopt that puppy though. She was more hyper than I thought she was going to be. The lady told me it's okay if I don't want to adopt, not everyone is going to find the right fit right away. She was super understanding that I didn't want to and gave me information about their website to check any dogs on there I might be interested in. So long story short, they don't just let you "play" with puppies, but if you are interested in adopting that day. They can't put dogs on hold, that's why it's same day adoptions. They have no issue showing you a puppy and they are just huge animal lovers! read more

I came in to adopt a puppy as my husband and I have been deciding to adopt a new furry friend for quite sometime now. We were there for about 30 minutes looking at a sweet puppy we wanted to adopt. No one greeted us or cane to help. Instead they spent their time at the register area talking. If they were at all interested in doing part of their volunteer work they would have paid attention and actually talked to us about the shelter and tried to get the puppy adopted. When I asked if we could pet the puppy/ to spend sometime with it (since no one was assisting us) the rude old woman volunteer stated, "you can't just pet them" I explained that we wanted to spend sometime with the puppy as we were interested in adopting her considering we spent 30 minutes looking at her. She explained what we needed to do, however overall her demeanor was very off putting. I'd understand her talking to someone as rudely as she did if it were some teenagers just walking in and asking to pet the animal, but as my husband were standing there for a good 25-30 minutes I wasn't expecting such attitude. We decided against adopting the sweet puppy as the rude volunteer really ruined the experience for us. I do not recommend for anyone if they're looking for a happy experience. read more

My wife had picked out the he pup she wanted, we had money and we're going to adopt. Asked if we costed the pup and a girl snapped at us, "It's past 8 PM. Nope!" The guy that was about to help us said we couldn't see the dog because they cut off adoptions at 8. I looked at the clock and it was 8:01. Apparently, they don't really want to get these dogs home at all. I do NOT recommend this place. It's a pet store disguised as adoptions. Prices are $285-450! Really??? read more

Really sketchy place, was looking to adopt and they said $5 donation is needed to see the animal and needed a personal interview and interview on how I react with the dog. Last two I understand but last time I checked, donations are optional not mandatory. As I was filling out the paperwork I asked questions about the dog, how old, what breed, vaccinations. All answered with one question " I don't know for sure they are 'rescue from breeders and what not' so we are not 100% sure with everything". What threw me off was I asked about vaccinations I asked if they already had shots and they said yeah but need a series of shots soon. So no they don't have all their shots. After the paperwork they asked what we do for a living. I said work and nothing else my roommate said work and night school occasionally. No he claims that's too hectic a schedule to raise a dog , regardless that we have two dogs in the house that we had for 5 years. Best part is one girl was super defensive, the guy was scared for his life for no reason and the other girl wouldn't look or talk with us and walked away at the end. 10/10 would come again... to another store. read more