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    Bakersfield Spca

    2.6 (59 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 months ago

    Services - Bakersfield Spca

    Animal shelters

    Community Service/Non-Profit

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    The day Carlos was adopted.
    Lulu H.

    I adopted the love of my life from the SPCA. Correction, my bf did. I went here about four years ago with my bf at the time, we were walking by the small dog section and as I passed by one cage, a little black chihuahua ran to the bars, and rolled on his back to have his tummy scratched. AWWWW! I said, and my bf dragged me away. "You don't have time for a dog" he told me and made us go home. He told me he was going to his cousins, but actually went back to the SPCA and asked to play with Carlos in the play yard... and saw what indeed a sweetheart he was; he paid the $20, and did the paperwork for Carlos to get neutered, get a chip, etc. When my bf came home, he threw the receipt at me. "You got your dog." When I got to go pick him up a week later and he was brought out to me, he was all wiggly and happy. It's been a love story ever since.... I'm grateful for the post adoption help with my new baby. I appreciate that following the adoption, I was given a referral for a free visit to the vet for well doggy care. There is never been a more spoiled pooch than Carlos. He goes everywhere with me. Even if it's weird - he likes to be in the bathroom and lay on the rug while I shower lol. He gets to travel with us, unlike our rescue kitties. Carlos brings so much joy to my life, something that I very recently came to really appreciate when he got out and was gone for more than 24 hours. (I came back to the SPCA to see whether someone had found him and took him here.) I appreciate the care they have at the SPCA. It felt more warm, like more like a zoo than a jail .... weird analogy but I think you get what I mean by seeing all these animals behind bars / in cages..... I also went to another shelter and saw all the other found dogs and cats there and thought to myself I wish there was as much care there as there was at the SPCA. I don't want to harsh on the other place because thank goodness they exist and maybe the sheer volume of abandonments make managing so many animals humanely is difficult. I had a wonderful experience with the Bakersfield SPCA. While I know there are glitches with any volunteer organization, I am very grateful for their existence.

    On 5/3 & 5/6 of this year (2024) I called Bakersfield SPCA in a desperate effort to place a Husky pup under a year old I found, with a $1000 pledge. Not only did they refuse him due to his breed size, the ladies I spoke with each day did not offer any other resource or good will advice. In fact, they said to take him to the local shelter or leave him where I found him. I did speak to a leadership level personnel of my experience. Today, I opted to leave a review when I got an email from a car dealership that has partnered up with Bakersfield SPCA. I will neither purchase from this car manufacturer or donate to this org. I noticed on the SPCA website they primarily house only small breed pups, with only one large size breed (intake 9/18), oddly enough, I never received a call there was an opening for the exact scenario I had. Trust factor gone with this organization and I hope there is a positive change in their operation. THE POSITIVE of this is: I donated that $$$ to another rescue org and kept that handsome furbaby!

    Kimberly C.

    We had a wonderful experience last weekend when we rescued from the Bakersfield, SPCA. They do a thorough check to ensure their pets go to good homes. We brought our dog to a meet and greet with the puppy we were interested in adopting, and it went smoothly. We had no issues and everyone there was so kind. I'm confused by some of the reviews because we had a great experience! We are so lucky and thankful we were able to rescue Northern after losing our cavalier King Charles last year. We are so excited for our new adventure as a family of four again.

    Picking up the kitty!!! :)
    Tina M.

    I must first start by saying this 3 star review in no way should deter you from adopting from this SPCA.   In fact i beg you to if you are considering getting a pet please look here first these animals need loving care and nourishment!!  And the condition my older son and I received our kittens/cats in tells a lot as to the care they receive here unfortunately... My oldest has adopted 2 cats from here in the past several months. Why idk they have wayyy too many demons to have pets in my opinion and that's not an exaggeration LOL badly behaved demons!!  Anyhoo both cats were very skinny bony in fact and both had been there for at least several months as was mine.  Theirs somehow acclimated easily i assume they were happy to be out of hell haha sorry had to.. Everything is done online. You find the animal you'd like to adopt, then fill out an application, someone will call you usually within 3-4 days.  My son had been watching the website for a few months. That's how we knew these cats had been there at least that long as does the website tell you how long they've had an animal as well.   He finally made a decision with this lil guy we now have :)...We got there to pick TomFüüzy up. They pulled us into a room, we signed the paperwork and they brought him in a carrier with a bag of Hills science diet kitten food. They said that is what they feed them.   When we got home and got him out we immediately noticed how insanely skinny he was!  I'm talking his skin was hanging and his fur was brittle, coarse and dry, not soft like kitten fur. All of his bones were poking out as if that's all he consisted of, no fat no muscle It felt as though he'd break that's how frail he was :(...idk how in the hell he can be this malnourished after a minimum of 2 months there??  When he finally started trying to eat and drink he had no idea how he couldn't chew the food properly and acted like he'd never eaten before.  And the water he didn't know how to drink I assume he was fed water from a drip spout there but as dehydrated as he was makes me wonder if they ever made sure he was actually drinking it or consuming the food!!!  This is a 5 month old kitten according to them.  So my god please come and adopt from them now!!!   Now a little less than 2 weeks later he is eating like a pig, drinking like a fish and being sweet and also a rambunctious little shit haha!!  He's also looking like the adorable lil chub chub kitten he should be.  His fur is super soft and his general health is 100% improved :)... I most certainly think there is laziness and lack of care when it comes to feeding them for damn sure here i've no clue why as this is all they do on a daily basis.  All I can attest to is my experience and my oldest son's experience which was very close to mine.  That's not a coincidence!!  Will i come back in the future oh you bet your sweet ass i will these animals deserve a loving home...

    Corby O.

    I had a good experience at the SPCA when I was looking to adopt a small dog. The staff at the front counter were a little short but mostly friendly and the staff out in the yard that took us around to look at the dog were great, they were super friendly and asked us about our home environment, yard size, etc and showed us some dogs they thought would fit our needs. As fate would have it there was a dog out in the play yard with the other small dogs that wasn't on our list but caught my eye. She seemed very mellow and wasn't running around and barking at us like the others. I asked if we could see her and they let us in the play area with the small dogs. The others were running around barking and this one walks over, jumps into my wife's lap and starts licking her hand. We were sold and applied for adoption. The paperwork was quick and painless and I was able to pick her up 2 days later, she's the sweetest little dog and is just so happy to have a family, I would definitely return to the SPCA if I get another dog in the future, thanks to all the staff there for their kindness and assistance.

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    3 years ago

    Ignored my application. Never had a chance. Need a better, more personal process.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Bakersfield Spca

    Review Highlights - Bakersfield Spca

    Juan you gave me so much info........I knew my foreverdoggy was there!!!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Kern County Animal Services - These cuties

    Kern County Animal Services

    (84 reviews)

    Go get a dog from this shelter! Yes, it is overcrowded, but there are so many dogs to choose from!…read moreThe volunteers there have very big hearts and want to get these dogs out! Really great dogs! Even young healthy dogs are put down just because they don't have space. It is heartbreaking. Amazing dogs at Kern County. It's far, but so worth the drive. And you will be making all the difference for your new family member. I found THE BEST dog there. She was young, 10 months, healthy, friendly, and about to be euthanized in the next two days. She is an amazing dog and family member. If you're curious, go!

    This shelter is pretty well run to be honest. I don't get the best vibe from staff all the time but…read morethat's kind of standard I think at any municipal shelters. They run into too many erratic people. But they actually seem fully staffed here so much that they can perform all duties necessary to a shelter. They have a four person behavior team, an enrichment program, and all dogs get walked three times a day. According to a staff member. I don't have reason to believe she makes that up since I'm no one important. People are discouraged from networking dogs here by posting videos unless they're volunteer made and supervisor approved, so that seems like unnecessary red tape. I don't like the attitude that advertising dogs outside the shelter, without control by management, is a bad thing. Or meeting with a dog that you personally may not adopt. It is a management control issue to me. I understand it but if there is time in the day, and staff, to do that stuff, why not. This is a high intake shelter so they euthanize quite a bit. Priority should be getting them out and keeping them out at any cost (especially the cost of "free"), and moreso because they receive tons of full puppy litters here. They have a doggie day out program it says, I'm not sure how often but they do post the notes publicly for that. Main gripe about here is lack of exposure because no one comes to Bakersfield. There is literally no point making that scenario worse by blocking dog access. Not like shelters care what happens to animals after they're out of the facility anyway. Not in my experience unless someone blows up the animal control hotline to complain.

    City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center

    City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center

    (50 reviews)

    This is a wonderful resource for those who find stray animals and want to foster/adopt them. I…read morefound my Theodore on my porch two weeks ago, and today I finally adopted him. They have provided everything I needed for him and more, from shots to microchip to neutering! Andy works the foster side and she is literally a lifesaver. Every interaction I've had with her she has been professional, compassionate, and friendly. There was a situation that I was pretty upset with and Andy perfectly de-escalated it and made me extremely happy. I'm a little embarrassed at how angry I was (and I never get angry), but she really did a great job of bringing me back down. I would highly recommend this place!

    Really rude and impatient. I live in Payson, Az and my dog was stolen. Posted on the petco love…read morelost site which, apparently covers a wide area. Looked at the pictures and found a Chihuahua that looked just like my Toadie. Only, it was just a head and chest shot. I just wanted to confirm if it was him or not. He is white and tan and has 3 white spots on his spine. They said I have to come in! They wouldn't even confirm! It's a long drive from Payson, Az! The a****** that stole him travels, so it is possible that it's my little buddy. I can't believe how unhelpful these people are. I have dealt with the Humane Society and pounds here in Az and these are the most uncaring people I've had the misfortune to talk to. These people don't deserve to take care of pets. THEY S***!

    Bakersfield Spca - animalshelters - Updated May 2026

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