At the time I'd recently had to put my cat Spook down. Her seizures were getting out of hand. I've always had a soft spot for the little guys! I missed her terribly. Still,I knew I still had room for more love in my heart. I was able to adopt 2 females. They were housed together.Because Diddle is blind. Liza her "sister" helps to take care of her. They are doing amazing and I wish everyone could have a place like Alaqua near them! read more

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Robin Anchors and team communicated with us constantly and were completely transparent. Our dog had worms, diarrhea, and also needed to get spayed, so once we picked her out of a litter of pups, we had to wait over a month for the process to work itself out. They never lost track of our dog and gave us updates. When we picked her up, the process went fine and we also received some medicine for a week of home care. We also had the medical records which helped immensely when we took her to our vet. It's a fascinating facility, massive and immaculate. Thanks again. read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge - The day we finally picked up "Pepper" - Animal Shelters Near Me - Freeport, Florida

Adopted my sweet new puppy from Alaqua this weekend and couldn't be more happy with the facility and the staff. You can tell these animals are so loved from the moment they arrive to the moment they are sent home to their forever families. Thanks for taking care of our new family member while she was with you. We are forever grateful. read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge - Animal Shelters Near Me - Freeport, Florida

Alaqua is a phenomenal organization to asp from. We went there to look for a new furry family member and found two to adopt. The animals were well cared for. When we saw two dogs to look at, the staff let us spend so much time with them. We quickly decided to adopt two huskies and the process was very thorough but efficient. We left very impressed with the Rescue and Refuge. Their mission is such a great idea. I highly recommend adopting your next pet from Alaqua. My family sure will. read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge - Mystic and Maya our two Alaqua adoptees chilling at their new home. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Freeport, Florida

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After having a horrible experience at another local animal shelter we decided to drive 45 minutes out of our way to explore alaqua. We fell in love with a little mixed dog and applied. The workers were nothing but supportive and kind. There is tons of land for the animals to roam and the grounds are kept clean. read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge near Freeport, FL is amazing. Not only is the actual place so awesome so are the people. You must go there even if it isn't to adopt but just to experience the grounds and the buildings and the people. But of course I can tell you that an adoption will also be a wonderful experience. Thank you personally for your complete understanding of my special needs. Patricia read more

If you are an animal lover you will love this refuge! My first visit I was afraid to go, literally. I thought it would break my heart to see so many homeless animals. While it is sad to see these fur babies waiting for special homes, they are so well taken care of. This is a NO-KILL shelter, the staff loves the animals as if they were their own, volunteers come daily to walk, play etc...The facility is clean and welcoming. If you decide you would love to adopt please come here, you'll be so glad you did. I am, my puppy is now almost 2 and the best dog one could ever ask for. Thanks Alaqua! read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge - AARs pic of my puppy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Freeport, Florida

The entire experience at Alaqua for all the animals and the humans that work and volunteer there is amazing. Little did I know that while tagging along with friends of mine that volunteer to walk the dogs would I find my own little bundle of joy in the form of a Schnauzer/Rat Terrier named Greta. She has melted my heart! The process to adopt was very thorough and ensures that the animals will be cared for properly, which is refreshing. If you haven't been it is also a great place to visit...there are horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, birds, cats, dogs and I'm sure a few others. Please volunteer, donate, visit and maybe....just maybe adopt :-) read more

Alaqua gives animals a second chance. I have adopted two dogs from Alaqua and both have been amazing caring and loving animals. Thank you Alaqua for all you do!!!! read more

We love visiting ALAQUA. The critters are great and well taken care of. Friendly staff. This is very tranquil habitat for animals and for people who volunteer or have animal therapy of their own. read more

Class act! This rescue epitomizes how a rescue should operate. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The animals looked healthy and well fed. Kudos to Laurie Hood for assembling a professional team. read more

I fell in love with this place the moment I drove up. Everyone was super friendly and nice! My husband purchased dog food through the website Chewy.com and ordered adult instead of puppy... so I called them and they refunded us and I got the right food for our little husky. Instead of returning the adult food, they asked us to donate it to a local shelter. I'm SO glad I stopped by and took my time to walk around and see all the animals. They care for all of them so well. read more

Alaqua is wonderful! They are all about the animals. All the volunteers are helpful and if one can't answer your questions, they can recommend someone that does. From horses, ducks, rabbits, pigs, parrots, kittens/cats and puppies/dogs, even emu! My wife and I have driven the hour and a half it takes us to get there and check out what they have - we check their Facebook page everyday, but they have so much going on and new animals coming in all the time, so it's best just to visit and see. The grounds are very well kept; from the animal accommodations to the vets they have on hand, to all the wonderful volunteers who help this well-oiled machine run. Thank you Alaqua for all you do! We can't wait to get our next pet from you guys! read more

Somehow that one star is to much credit where no credit is due. I will try to sum up the details of a very long and painful two weeks of a very important time in my life. We lost our fences, home, office, work equipment, 2 children kidnapped (by their biological mother), 6 puppies, a chicken, and 5 kittens to hurricane Michael and the aftermath. We found a safe place to regroup in Destin, Florida. Like most condos pets were not allowed. 2 hours of driving each way to get home. We have or had 8 dogs then. Because of the 2 parent dogs and (6) 8 month old Labrador retriever puppies, 3 kids, and my husband and I we rode out Michael at home in Overstreet, Fl. All went as good as can be expected. We lived! My husband is the volunteer fire chief here so he was called into duty as soon as it passed. We still argue about what order the events should have taken place. I needed my fences fixed on our 5 acres. The community needed communication, food, water, and fuel to survive. My husbands father is the Mayor in Mexico Beach to top things off. After 6 weeks we were just shells of the people who we once were. Depressed, anxious, stressed, scared, homeless, job less, and overwhelmed. In the last two weeks at home we had a predator stalking my puppies. Large tracks inside my yard and around my fire pit. The daddy dog Boss was slapped one time. Four slices to his ear and face at 10 pm on Friday night. Bleeding was not controlled and I was alone. I locked up the pups in my bathroom. Ran to my truck and then took down the gate on my way out. 1200 later after a visit to the Freeport pet er. Boss would make a full recovery with lots more effort. Anyway my husband surrendered my babies to ALAQUA ANIMAL REFUGE 12 days later. He thought it was in our best interest but he was wrong. I had a melt down that night. Begging through voicemails and emails to please let me adopt my puppies back. No response! I called the office first thing. Only I was not getting a good vibe at all. I was asked to stay off the property until the adoption team reviewed the information. I was willing to pay all fees. Even decided on a fence down the middle of our property if my husband didn't start thinking more clearly. He came around though. My kids are absent from school for almost two months now. My two youngest are coming back from psycho land for Christmas and I had to break the news to them about our puppies. At the time I was pretty sure that I was getting a inflated bill but I had no doubt about getting the pups. The eve of Christmas eve my daughter and I were doing finishing touches on my property in order for the pups to be comfortable. Thats when the games began. Like children on the phone lines ALAQUA acted. We called like 30 times. Transferred, disconnected, placed on hold, or just not even answering. The first smile i had in months sunk deep into my stomach. I told my daughter that I assumed the worst and we hope for the best. That carried over to Christmas Eve. We were up waiting on a call from the founders husband, Taylor Hood. He was the leader in this entire process. He called with this .... I apologize, for they have been adopted out already. The cages were tagged with signs saying not for adoption. He didn't like it when I aired this out on Facebook. Like I hoped. My husband was offered to come adopt the black one back. We have her and I have no idea what happened to the rest. They played games with us in our worst possible time. Added unnecessary pain for their own benefit. They are not stable at all and I would never recommend that you go there. MISSING 4 YELLOW LABS ALL ONE YEAR OLD. read more

I have been visiting Alaqua for about 7 years, since my friend adopted her dog. I always knew that when the time came to adopt a cat, I would Adopt from Alaqua. Last Mar., I adopted 2 little brother kittens. I am So impressed with Alaqua! My kittens were so loved and well taken care of there. Alaqua has the biggest Heart! read more

Amazing place! There is no way possible for me to rave enough about this place, the staff, Laurie and the wonderful work everyone does here for all the animals. read more

Alaqua Animal Refuge is the heartbeat and passion of Laurie Hood, it's founder. Laurie is an angel and deserves sainthood. Laurie's work, her love, and the support of her staff of volunteers, along with your financial assistance, and placed countless animals in happy homes. Her tireless efforts have saved hundreds, if not thousands from starvation and euthanasia. If you can help, in any way, large or small, please do. read more

My daughter and I had a wonderful time wandering among the animals! I was so impressed with how clean and well kept the animal habitats were. read more

We adopted Abby (aka Lithia) two weeks ago. She is a very well-adjusted puppy and everyone comments on how friendly she is. This is a testament to the care and handling she received at Alaqua. We were very impressed with the facilities and their cleanliness. The volunteers and staff were very friendly and helpful. It was easy to see that they were there out of love for the animals. We highly recommend Alaqua! read more

How can I give this place 10 stars... I got two wonderful pekingese dogs from here almost two years ago and the kindness and love they give all the animals here is why I will only rescue and only from them keep up the great work your doing read more

Everyone was so nice and extremely helpful! We fell in love with a dog and are in the process of getting him! They helped us with all of our questions and were completely honest! They inspired me to volunteer, I can't wait!!! read more

They insist on neutering/spaying puppies at 8 weeks old. I asked several veterinarians about this (10 of them) and they all recommended it be done much older. I also researched veterinary journals, which show several serious health effects from fixing too early (things like bone cancer, heart tumors, thyroid problems, prostate cancer, urinary tract cancers and geriatric cognitive impairment, as well as less serious problems like obesity, cruciate ligament rupture, hip dysplasia, incontinence and developmental changes). I asked to speak to their vet about it several times and she refused to talk to me. I also asked about providing a deposit to come back and get them fixed at a healthy age, but they refused. Then they withdrew my applications without ever reviewing them (but they kept my app fee). I would avoid getting puppies from them. Based on the literature, there seems a good chance they will have serious health issues later on. Not to mention, they are extremely difficult to get along with. They just completely stonewalled me when I asked questions. They just don't seem to care that much about the animals' long term health either. It's just "spay/neuter now, regardless of age, and regardless of what problems this will cause in the future". read more