From the moment I walked into Central Texas SPCA, EMILY made the entire experience feel personal…read moreand meaningful. She was warm, approachable, and genuinely pleasant to interact with and that's exactly the energy you want when making such an important decision. What really set EMILY apart was her depth of knowledge and her ability to truly listen. She didn't just hear what I was saying, she understood what I needed and matched me accordingly. She introduced me to Specs (now lovingly known as Staxx Benjamin) and honestly? He chose me! That perfect connection happened because EMILY was intuitive enough to make it possible. Since bringing Staxx home, EMILY has continued to show up for us. Her support and helpfulness didn't stop at adoption. She's been a resource and a reassurance every step of the way. Staxx and I are truly lucky to have her as a part of our Family! More adoption agencies need people like EMILY. She doesn't just place animals, she creates families. She is an absolute gem, and any shelter would be lucky to have her representing their mission. 10/10, without hesitation.

Wouldn't want to spend Kindness Day any other way than volunteering at Central Texas SPCA! Such a…read morepleasure to spend the day helping out the staff with a few chores and in return getting to play with the fur babies. Please always adopt a pet of you can. This establishment is a no kill shelter and they actually rescue these babies from being put down at different shelters. That to me is absolutely incredible! Keep up the great work. I loved the 2 acre land tour and explaining everything you do for these babies who need a forever home. The love, care and time is beautiful. I got to witness one of the cats being adopted today and got to congratulate the gentleman on his new pet. It was the sweetest thing! This shelter is very clean and they take the time to make sure it stays that way since some of the pets coming in could have health issues.

When it comes to compassion, there is not a more caring group of animal rescuers out there! GAO…read morepulls animals from our county shelter and puts them into foster homes until they find their forever families. Several friends foster for GAO and just love being part of the organization. Not only do they offer everything to make the foster experience pleasant, but they have great communication and work hard to get the pets out of foster and into a home. The amazing life-saving program GAO offers to our animal welfare community is priceless!

I have been volunteering with GAO for three years now and absolutely love all the work that this…read moregroup puts into these animals. They genuinely want them to go to the perfect forever homes and that is amazing! I also adopted two dogs from them and the process was easy but thorough. They made sure I had a vet and a great home and sturdy fence for my loves!

They are most caring to help the shelters and families that adopt are right for each other! They…read moreare amazing and do the best to match a forever home for those looking! I appreciate all that they do! Keep blessing them with your love and kindness in getting those babies adopted!

I am extremely disappointed in the lack of communication from this shelter. I reached out multiple…read moretimes via phone and email, and after ignoring me for two weeks, they finally responded with a generic, unedited template signed "Mae, Animal Services Specialist." Their lack of professional courtesy and failure to provide any actual support is unacceptable. Other shelters in the area were far more helpful and professional, and I was thankfully able to find a home for the animal elsewhere.

We found our rescue boy after patiently searching for just the right guy! I had managed to convert…read moremy BF (and owner of the house) that life would be so much better adding a four legged fur friend! Looking online for bulldog types in the general central Texas area, I was directed to Texas Humane Hero's that had recently taken in three cuties. So late on a Saturday we stopped in. Your heart has to be strong to not leave with a carload of wet noses, and I found two of three I was looking for. The site only posts a single picture so it was hard to know all the unique characteristics of each beforehand, and I almost gave up when I didn't see my #3 contender up front. Glad I went all the way to the back where dogs that are getting medical care were. I found my forever guy, sitting on his bed, looking so confused and needing a friendly pat or 24000...I stood by his kennel and he came over, smooshing himself into the fencing to give me a 2" square of white fur to touch. I obliged, and asked to take him out. Unfortunately he wasn't able to that day, but a staff person was swapping him to a new kennel and while he was out we bonded instantly. He Leander into my leg and melted under my head scritches and ear rubs. I snapped a couple pics before he was lead away. The next two weekends were similar,with several visits that felt too short and time spent walking with him around the very large, (an acre?) open area scattered with a couple picnic tables and plenty of good smells. He was getting all checked out and fixed up to be listed as ready to adopt, and I knew this sweet face wouldn't last long, so on a Sunday we went back, filled out the easy paperwork, paid the fees and brought home our loving happy boy! He was underweight, due to a food allergy and had a bad neck abrasion from the cone of shame he wore after being neutered, but he was so happy to have a comfy place to call his own he was extra good and eager to settle in The staff advised us that it can take three months or longer to dogs to fully adjust in their new home and offered services like obiedence training to help the process if needed. It's been just over 4 months since bringing him home and the staff was right. It takes time, consistency and patience learning to trust each other but we feel like a family and our boy is doing terrific acclimating to so much change. Given the correct food and proportions his attitude has 100% improved at meal time and he's gained 15lbs! THH gave us lots of coupons for food and vet services which we've used, and he's up to date in the micro chip directory, too! Adopting our sweet boy was a silky smooth process. I'd recommend checking there first for your next dog...or cat companion! I almost forgot to mention that they have a really nice, indoor cat house too! Stop by, visit with these sweet souls or look into volunteer opportunities. Any help is appreciated.

My husband left cash for Tx Humane Hero's. It has been rebuilt and the facility is amazing.read more

It has been six months since we adopted a soon-to-be senior kitty who is 10 years old. We were very…read morehappy with our experience at this small shelter that was attentive to us as soon as we walked into the space. After a long day of waiting on kittens in Austin proper and watching them all get adopted before we got a chance to see them (I say this in the most loving & happy way too), I told my partner we should try coming to Pflugerville and see what the cats there. We were VERY happy we did. From walking in to signing the paperwork for adoption our experience was positive and loving. The volunteer that cared for our cat then was super sweet to us and to our cat as she said her goodbyes to her when she found out we wanted to adopt her. The volunteer took great care of packing our cat in the carrier and even gave us the blanket, a few cat toys, and her cat brush in a nice bag with other goodies, food, and even supplements from Tomilson's Pet Store (a great Austin pet store). We loved the sweet care and transparency around our adoption. Because we adopted a senior cat our adoption fees were waived and the health report the shelter provided to us was informative for us on determining what kind of care we would expect when we adopted her. I really appreciated the transparency from the staff about our adoption. They were professional and were very kind and patient with us on all our questions around our new loving cat. What a great success story it has been for us in adopting Dusty. She was a surrender from her previous owner but now is in our loving home and receives all the treats and wet food she wants in her senior days. Thank you to the staff and kindness of those we met and will not forget at this shelter. We appreciate your care and giving us an opportunity to love her forever.

I reported a vicious dog at a residence nearby that attacked my miniature poodle to both my HOA and…read moreAnimal Control. The HOA would require an owner to get rid of a dog, who is a disturbance, but does nothing about a vicious dog. I would not want to see a person lose their beloved dog, but if someone would address the issue and perhaps, give them a warning, the owner would ensure that the dog behaves better. After speaking with 311, I was informed that they could send the owner brochures on leash laws, since my dog was not bitten. That just doesn't seem to suffice and I implied that. Then, it was mentioned that an officer could go out to speak with the owner. I don't feel confident that this will be addressed. I Pray that this dog doesn't viciously attack another dog or person to the point where it is more detrimental. It seems the dog and his owner are being given a pass because my dog was viciously attacked without being bitten and the owner tried to remove her dog, after the attack. The owner should have removed her dog immediately, when I first asked her to get her dog. I believe that she felt like the course was clear because her dog started off just sniffing my dogs, before viciously attacking my dogs. Just sending leash laws without someone addressing this issue will result in a repeated attack. The dog clearly needs to be trained. Otherwise, this goes across as being acceptable.

I first saw and met owner Ayesha and her employees walking dogs in Bass Pro and I noticed how well…read moretrained the dogs were, and how professional her employees were. We decided to have our Great Dane, Murphy trained by Ayesha and her brother Armaan shortly thereafter. Armaan and Ayesha and her team are professional, patient as well as kind and considerate. They are all about developing and nurturing long term client/trainer relationships. I am so happy we met them and they did WONDERS with our dog, Murphy. Thank you again and we appreciate ALL YOUR HARD WORK! *****FIVE STARS*****

enrolled my dog in a 4-week board-and-train program and dropped her off at 1 PM. By 10 AM the next…read moremorning (less than 24 hours later), I received a call saying she was having "behavioral issues" after being immediately crated without time to acclimate or build rapport. I was then told I would need to pay an additional $1,000 for them to continue working with her, or pick her up. This felt like a bait-and-switch. Adjustment periods and stress behaviors are normal when a dog enters a new environment, and I expected decompression time to be part of the program rather than an added charge. When I picked her up, I was also told I had misrepresented her temperament, which was upsetting and did not reflect my experience with her. Because of the quick reassessment, added cost, and communication style, I chose to remove my dog. I encourage others to ask detailed questions about acclimation procedures, behavior assessment timelines, and potential additional fees before enrolling.

Timber played with a pack of other dogs this weekend (after two years of attacking everything that…read moremoves-canine wise). They interacted for two full days without any reactivity around toys, foods, or each other, it was so amazing! They aren't best friends but it was unbelievable how much progress we've made. We credit everything to Cathy and her amazing team! When we first started working with Cathy and her team Timber would attack his own reflection. You wouldn't believe he's the same dog now. This is not a hyperbole. We had to tape up doors, windows, mirrors. Don't give up on your dog! Call Buddy's Chance and listen to her and her team. I'm ashamed to say we almost gave up but their thoughtful prompts kept ringing in my daft head. Thank you so much, Cathy!

After getting proper training from another local service with acres of land, trained staff, and the…read moreright approach, I'm convinced that cramming treats down my dog's throat in a small room just doesn't work. The ladies were nice enough, but some of the commands were contradictory and rep numbers/times seemed rather arbitrary. I think all these 0/1 5-star no pic reviewers must have just gotten lucky...

I went to another trainer this weekend because the facility was closer and they offer a…read moresocialization class for adult dogs (Ruck has no issue with people, but he is a little intense about other dogs) and it was not the same. The trainer was knowledgeable, but she made me feel dumb through passive-agressive comments and treated me like I was a terrible owner. It made me really miss K9HQ. I took Ruck there earlier in the year for agility and he was always so excited to see Dave, Karen, and Kevin -- and they allowed him to have his "moment" of joy. I just really appreciate how much they genuinely love my dog and how great they are with me. Dave's never made me feel like I was an idiot or a shitty owner and when I started doing agility with Kevin, he was super patient with Ruck and I. I know that I'm kind of crazy about my dog, which K9HQ understood. They get that I could just let Ruck act like a toolbag, but that I want him to be better than that, so I sought out training and they've always been very supportive of my decisions. So, since he hasn't imploded yet (fingers crossed, especially since now I have a male roommate -- who Ruck is in love with), here's your 5th star, Canine Headquarters.

I have been researching and visiting dog training facilities for one month. To say the least, I…read morehave been to A LOT of places. What took to me Canine Heaquarters was the trainer, Kara. She has an outstanding reputation with not only other trainers, but with local veternarians. So we went to Canine Headquarters to visit with her and see the facilities. Our visit to Canine Headquarters was WEIRD! The trainer, KARA, was knowledgeable, friendly and more than willing to answer ALL of our questions. The owner, KAREN, was actually rude to us and wouldn't allow us to see the kennels where the dogs stay when not being trained. The dogs, from what I could see, stay in kennels in a backyard with not a lot of weather protection. We were only allowed to stand at the fence and try to look in though. KAREN also talked down to her employee, KARA, in front of us which made both my wife and I very uncomfortable. The facility itself is acceptable, at best and we give it 2 stars. The treatment from the owner was flat out, unacceptable and we give it 1 star. The trainer, KARA, was awesome and we give her 5 stars. Problem is, at the end of the day, Kara goes home and what you are left with is an unacceptable facitlity. For that reason alone, we sadly chose NOT to use Canine Headquarters.