I've worked with New Leash on Life - Chicago for a while - as both a volunteer and foster. I cannot…read moresay enough positive things about the organization. For starters, as an animal (specifically, dog) lover, I've always been drawn to spending my time volunteering for similar organization. However, as many animal lovers who have spent their time volunteering know, the majority of animal rescue groups seem to adopt an "exclusive" attitude and make it difficult for people to get involved. This couldn't be further from the philosophy at New Leash on Life (NLOL). If you want to volunteer, foster or help out in any way, the people are kind, welcoming and appreciative as the organization is completely volunteer run. They allow volunteers to be as active as they'd like to be and, if you want to become part of the "club," you can - it's as simple as that. Fostering with NLOL is easier than any other organization I'm familiar with. I love having a dog live with me (and, of course, the saving the lives of shelter dogs) but wasn't sure I was ready to have my own dog due to my work schedule and expenses. NLOL takes care of all foster dog expenses - from medical and food to transportation to the vet and events. Plus, they provide a dog walker daily, so I don't have to worry about the foster dog while I'm at work. NLOL is all foster-based, meaning that all dogs rescued are placed into foster homes, not a shelter environment. Fostering is so beneficial because it allows the organization to see a dog's true personality, as many are too frightened in shelter environments to shine. As a foster, I am able to report on the dog's demeanor, which helps NLOL match them with the best potential home. This helps with successful adoptions, since NLOL is able to recognize, through fostering, the type of environment best-suited to each dog and look for that environment in a potential adoption. While it is hard saying goodbye to my foster dogs, I know they're all going to a happy, loving home. I try to remember that, for every dog that lives with me and successfully gets adopted, another dog will be rescued from the kill shelter - in turn opening up space in the shelter for another dog. Plus, if the time comes that I cannot say goodbye to one, NLOL has a policy that allows fosters the first option to adopt. Honestly, I cannot imagine a more positive, rewarding experience. It's one of the best things I've ever done. People often say to me, "Wow - you foster dogs? That's so kind and you're giving them so much!" While that's appreciated, I often feel that the dogs give ME so much more than I ever imagined. Seeing the resilience and transformation of a scared dog learning to trust people again makes it so worthwhile and fulfilling - I will never get over how wonderful it makes me feel. With NLOL, I feel like I'm truly making a difference in the lives of dogs, which is exactly what a great dog rescue organization accomplishes.

I want to give more than 5 stars for NLOL. Our adoption counselor Jackie is just amazing in terms…read moreof support she provides! She checks in with me about the dog almost everyday provide appropriate support and guidance every time when I was faced with difficulties because the dog was not fully house trained. NLOL offers two week foster period before adoption, which is a wonderful mechanism to get to know the dog before the big commitment. I am still in the middle of the foster period but I am just beyond impressed by the support I was given. It has been an wonderful experience so far. I would recommend NLOL to everyone who is considering adopting a dog!

I LOVE "Friends" and have them to thank for pulling my sweet little Stella from CACC. She was…read moredropped by her previous family with no info, was scared and sick with kennel cough. I met Stella (formerly known as Camilla) through a friend of mine that has fostered many dogs for Friends. Their volunteers really love animals and give these dogs loving homes while they wait for their "forever home". They also do an excellent job taking care of medical issues prior to adoption. I strongly believe rescuing a dog is best - and I think a foster organization like this can be the best way to find your perfect rescue dog. The foster parents can give you the scoop on the dog's personality and training level. I say thanks everyday for Stella being in my life thanks to Friends!

Went through the application process and on that application I stated I had declawed my previous…read morecats in the past. This is something I had no idea could effect the cat negatively. When asked why I had declawed and if I would in the future I responded with "The reason I have for declawing just the front claws is because that is something my family cats always had done and it never seemed to effect them. I'm open to changing my mind about this. I have never seen it cause issues in a cat I've cared for (if done young), but if there is research it does negatively effect them, then I would rethink my decision." That response was meet with a declining of my application and no further communication. I responded twice saying I would respect the policy and not declaw. Still no response. I also called and left a message. No call back, no response. Very unprofessional and disappointing.

Sheri was fantastic with us; took the time to assess our situation and needs from a pet so we…read moredidn't get in over our head and (more importantly) the dog found the best home possible. The application was thorough, she communicated quickly and efficiently, and when we went to meet the dog we took a long walk with him and Sheri to further assess. Once we got our bundle of joy home, it was clear he had been shown lots of love and received the benefit of lots of training and attention while he was at Friends of Petraits. He's a 5 month old Golden Retriever who is housebroken and full of love and life. Similarly to the other review, we contacted about a female Golden pup Sheri had, but a couple came the next day to adopt her. Sheri let us know she ALSO had her brother who hadn't been posted yet; so we jumped on the opportunity and I'm so glad we did.

I love what they do, and by no means want to tarnish their reputation but the way they lied and…read moreomitted crucial things like for example, they said my 6 year old pomsky was potty trained, he's not. He didn't have flea and tick medication, so I ended up adopting a dog that I got expecting him not to be perfect but at least potty train a dog especially if he's in a foster family.... my point is; this couldve ended badly for everyone

I had been having a lot of issues with my 1 yr cane corso, Leah, when my boyfriend recommended…read moreTruhart K9. His friend brought their pup to Charlie and her awesome team and had outstanding results. Leah had bad manners with close family members and was extremely timid and afraid of strangers, loud noises and would be spooked easily. She is also my baby so I was super skeptical about not having her for two weeks. I had so many questions for Truhart and Charlie answered them all, and believe me there was a lot and she still answers my follow up questions! Charlie recommend Leah to stay longer for a fear-aggression rehabilitation training. I wasn't prepared mentally or financially but Charlie was so flexible and really helped me by sending me videos and pics of Leah. She made amazing progress! After I got Leah back, she made a lot of progress and she answered all the post-training questions I had. Charlie even checked in a few weeks later and is going to come out and help polish some areas the Leah still needs work on! Truhart K9 has been a pleasure to work with and it's obvious that Charlie and her trainers truly care about all the animals they work with. They are true professionals and made me feel very comfortable leaving my "baby" in their care!

I wish there were a lower rating!…read more ****PET OWNERS BEWARE- IF YOU HAVE AN EXOTIC LOOKING DOG OR IF IT'S A DOG THAT THEY LIKE, YOU MAY END UP IN OUR SITUATION*** http://www.journalstandard.com/article/20151002/NEWS/151009830 We found TruhartK9 through a local Facebook page. They were advertising their puppy boarding/training classes. We had just gotten a puppy imported from Mexico, a Xoloitzcuintle , and wanted him to be trained right away to avoid any behavioral issues and to get help with his potty training-so we contacted them. The owner came out to meet with us to explain what she would be working on and she promised daily updates. We agreed, paid for the services, signed the contract and she took our puppy to her "facility" (which is really her house). As promised, the first 2 days we got updates, pictures and video of his progress. He seemed happy and full of energy. On the 4th day of training I ask about his progress and the owner tells me our dog was ill with gastrointestinal issues since the day he arrived at the facility,she thought he may have parvovirus. We made the decision to let the owner take our dog to their vet as the training facility was about 2 hours from us. She messaged me an hour after they got to the vet to inform me that he did indeed have parvovirus and we had to get him treated immediately otherwise he'd die a very painful death. We told her we'd pick him up to take him to our vet but she was very hesitant to let us come and take him with us- reiterating that he had to be treated immediately. We spoke with someone from the vet clinic- or so we thought- and we made the decision to start the treatment. The next day, I called the vet's office to arrange for us to see the pup, we were told he was in surgery because he was extremely ill so we should wait to the day after to see him. I was furious, but didn't want to make the situation worse. Later that day, we get a call from the "vet" and she tells us that our pup died. Of course, we are devastated. I called our breeder to inform him of the events. He insisted he wanted the records of our puppy's vet visit and surgery. I called the vet, had to leave a message but never receive a call back. I contacted TruHartK9 to ask the name and address of the office so I could go personally to retrieve the records. The owner tells me she has to get back to me because she doesn't remember the name or address. Days go by, and at this point she'd stopped answering my calls. Finally, after my husband calls to demand the information, she emails me the name and address of the clinic, turns out it was a FAKE! I contact the police department to see if they could point me in the right direction as to what my next steps should be. They open up an investigation and end up searching the owner's home to see if they would find the puppy. Of course, he isn't found. The owner contacts me and threatens to sue me if we have to go to court over this matter because according to her, she doesn't have my dog. A couple of days later I get a message from the owner saying her associate will call me to explain to me what happened to our dog. Instead, I get a text message from an "ex-employee" telling me that our dog didn't have parvo and he didn't die at the vet's office. Her story was that he was being trained and somehow ran off and got hit by a car, she knew he was dead, therefore didn't call the vet's office AND she had the BRIGHT idea to get a throwaway phone and pretend she was a vet because she wanted to spare our feelings knowing he had died a horrible death. Of course, I still don't buy this story, so we continue with the investigation. A few days later, I get a call from the police department to let me know that our dog was found ALIVE IN THE POSSESION OF THE OWNER AND HER ASSOCIATE. Please do your due diligence and research, research, research. If we had done this, we wouldn't have wasted so much effort, time and money. Thankfully, the police department did a fantastic job in their investigation and we have our dog back. Needless to say, our Zuma wasn't trained and he actually came back with even more bad habits than he left our home with.

I have known Howard, Marilyn and John for over 30 years! John is training my dachsund puppy "Otto"…read moreright now. This is the third dachsund he has trained for us. I mention dachshund because they are notoriously stubborn and can be very difficult to train. From the first day, all my dogs were magically somehow clued in and listening to John. He truly has an other worldly connection with dogs. I couldn't get my dog to do anything and John had them able to do "sit", "Stay", "come" and "heel" on the first day. He then taught me how to handle my dog and get them to pay attention. The best part is the dogs are so much happier. It's as if they feel someone is communicating with them, and they are not alone. It's incredible to watch and my dogs remembered everything they learned their whole lives. John is the nicest person. He deeply loves and respects dogs and has made his life in the service of training them. It's a worthwhile investment. I actually tried a less expensive option as I am retired now but it was nothing like "Good Dog" and my dog was fearful and cowering. I immediately realized that I was so lucky to know this team and how worthy the investment in my dog is.

Filled out the application for the breeder that was supplied to me, only to find the breeder has…read moreno pups or dogs available and does not plan to have any in the near future. Wasted a lot of time with Good Dog, very poor company!!!

Wonderful Rescue!!!!!! I highly recommend Chicago…read morePetRescue. They're top notch. Adopt, don't shop and PLEASE support them in any way you can.

The volunteers who foster the animals really care and love their jobs. The problem is their…read moreDirector. They ask for Zelle payment and then claim the information that I used was not correct, even though I followed their printed instructions. I had the feeling something fraudulent was occurring when they wanted me to send another payment before my original payment was verified. I really wanted to give donation, but don't trust it will go to the care of the animals.

I adopted my best friend, Wally, from Hyde Park Cats way back in 2011. They're a small operation…read morewho adopt out stray but friendly kitties and also run TNR programs. They've been my charity for Amazon Smile donations for many years as well because I love their cause. If you would like to adopt a great kitty HPC is a good group of caring people to work with.

If u looking for a cat don't adopt from Hyde Park Cats....... If you got young children and you…read moreblack. This organization is going to racially profile you. I have been going back and forth with this company about a particular cat for over a week now. And now all of a sudden the cat got behavior issues that were never mentioned before nor listed on there website. The representative, Ainat is not approving my application for me to adopt the cat because l have a 7 year old in my home. I'm more than equipped to deal with challenging behaviors with humans and animals alike. I taught early education for 10 years so I'm pretty sure my children and l can handle a cat. Farther-more, they ask for references. This is a cat, not a child! They had the nerve to ask one of my references,"Does she really own the building she stays in?!?!?!"Thats extremely unprofessional and none of your damn business. So black people don't own property or run businesses. I contribute to all affairs that pertain to my building. The building I live in is family owned so whenever my parents leave this earth; who in the hell you think the building is going to????? Hyde Park is racist as hell and out here giving half-ass information on their animals. If the cat is that much of a problem why even post pictures of it.

They're super sweet! They helped me get situated with my 3 kittens, they gave me great advice and…read morepointed me in the right direction. I would definitely recommend them to any new pet owner!

Found Harmony House on Instagram as my toddler loves cats and unfortunately we are not able to get…read moreone at the moment. So I wanted to take her to a place where she can visit and play with cats and Harmony House was perfect for that. They had a Holiday Bazaar event which was a free event and they had raffles, a bake sale, etc. All proceeds went to helping the cats. What we loved about Harmony house was that it's a cage free shelter for cats. They had several rooms filled with different cats that you can go into and play with them for however long you wanted. It's a great way to get acquainted especially if you're thinking about adopting! There were several cats available, different breeds and all different temperaments. Such an awesome cast shelter to visit! All of the people that worked there were so friendly and informative too! They all knew the names of each kitty and some names were very clever. If you're looking to adopt a cat or thinking about it, I highly suggest checking out Harmony House For Cats!