Heartbreaking Lack of Transparency:…read more My wife and I found a gentle, adoptable young German Shepherd during a storm in the Berkeley Hills. We brought him to the shelter to be scanned for a chip, told them multiple times we cared about him, and even emailed to say we would foster him so he wouldn't be euthanized. For several days, he appeared only on the "lost dog" page, then suddenly disappeared. He was never listed for adoption. When we called, we were told he was "being evaluated." Only after pushing did it become clear euthanasia was on the table. The next day, with a confirmed foster ready to pick him up immediately, we called again -- and learned he was already being euthanized at that very moment. We begged them to stop, but it was too late. This was a healthy, loving, adoptable dog with people ready to help. What was missing was clear communication, transparency, and a chance to intervene. The staff I spoke to were polite, but the system urgently needs: - Clear timelines and notice before euthanasia - Public listing of adoptable and at-risk dogs - A functioning foster program I hope no one else goes through this. Berkeley can and should do better. PS: Attaching the picture of Max. We loved him dearly.

I'm pretty sure this local spot is doing Great work for animals, however each time I come in here,…read moreit's disorganized and chaotic. Today, I learned that the donation set up is just that, people can walk in and just grab whatever they need, and you can drop off things too, without screening. however if you need to interact with staff or have a question, be sure to bring your patience because there's no quick solution. you just have to get in line!

Clean facility with spacious amenities, but major holiday staffing concerns forced us to leave…read more We truly wanted to love this facility. Over time, we appreciated how clean the environment was, the spacious accommodations for extended travel, and receiving regular photo updates of our cat while we were away. However, an experience this past holiday season revealed a fundamental issue with holiday staffing and animal care that we simply cannot overlook. After returning home early from vacation, we contacted the owner in the early afternoon to ask about picking up our cat. Following some back-and-forth, she begrudgingly agreed--only to reveal that no one was actually working. She had to call an off-duty employee to see if they could drive over and meet us at the building. This interaction made it alarmingly clear that no staff was scheduled for the second half of the day, and it left us with serious doubts as to whether anyone had been onsite at all that morning. While we understand it was a holiday, clients pay a full daily rate with the expectation of continuous monitoring, timely medication, and basic care. Knowing the building was left unstaffed on a holiday is deeply concerning from a safety and welfare standpoint. As much as we enjoyed the facility's space and cleanliness, we cannot justify paying boarding fees for an unstaffed facility. Because of this, we can no longer recommend them and will not be returning. We strongly advise other pet parents to ask explicit questions about holiday staffing before booking, especially if your cat has any special needs or is in need of daily visits and TLC and as our cat most certainly is while he's being boarded.

I have a super shy one-year-old British Shorthair. I hired a Rover sitter the first time I left her…read moreand had a terrible experience. After doing a ton of research on cat boarding in the Bay Area, I found Mau, and I'm so grateful I did. After just two stays, they've managed to bring my shy girl out of her shell. The patience and care everyone has shown in letting her get comfortable at her own pace has meant the world to me. I'll be recommending them to anyone looking for cat boarding. Just don't make them too popular that I can't get in because I'm never letting my cat stay anywhere else!

Employees here falsely accused me of stealing. I had grabbed an item I was going to purchase but I…read morechanged my mind and put the item back on the shelf. As I walked out of the store an employee followed me and proceeded to take pictures of my license plate without confirming that I had even shoplifted. I felt extremely violated and disrespected. If only the employees had been paying attention instead of being on their phones, they would have seen me put the item back on the shelf.

Small spot not a huge selection but they do have a a good selection of chicken feed and great…read moreprices. A co worker told me about this spot so I drove all the way from Oakland. I'll definitely be back for more feed soon.

Stopped by on a Sunday afternoon for rabbit food. Other reviews say their products are cheaper in…read morecost, but it didn't look like that when I came by this past weekend. Maybe if you buy in bulk. The standard products, such as oxbow rabbit pellets, proved to be one and a half times the cost found on amazon (so I'd only get it here if it's convenient for me and I need it right away). Besides the giant bags of feed for various animals laid out on the floor, I didn't see a huge variety of offerings in the store (small pet merchandise was especially limited). But I did enjoy checking out the adorable chicks and kitten on site. Service at the front counter was quick and easy when making my purchase, and there was plenty of parking available outside.

I love these guys. I buy my chicken feed from them and they're always super helpful with care and…read moreinfo on taking care of the animals.

I've been going to this place for years and when my cat died I decided to enrol for adoption. No…read moreone got back to me. I sent numerous emails. If you want to provide this service, at least have the decency to respond!

I did not have a positive experience w/ HAL. I did not receive answers to direct questions I asked,…read morewhich felt like a strange power/control dynamic. I completed the home assessment and did not hear back. When I reached out for an update, excited to adopt, I was talked down to and ultimately denied a kitten because I have plants and an outdoor (enclosed) patio. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a discussion and presented as a final decision that I wouldn't be able to keep a kitten from munching on my plants or escaping out the door. I'm a responsible pet owner of many years, and I even have a spare room to keep my plants and and would have kept the kitty inside. Very disappointing. I wouldn't work with them again.

Dr. Kim literally saved our bulldog. She was so skinny,…read morecouldn't walk and had allergies that no one could figure out. We thought we'd have to put her down. But we took her to Dr. Kim as recommended by a friend and after a few months, she was like a puppy again. Running around and acting goofy again. The only thing we still can't figure out is her allergies but he has it managed to the point where she's comfortable. She still stinks though but that's just how she is lol Dr. Kim really cares so much about his patients. I was going to post this years ago... but I guess I didn't complete the post. It's a good thing I didn't. A few years have passed and now we bring our other dog too. Dr. Kim and his wife, Young are wonderful and we love going to them. You will too!

We had a horrible experience here. My dog who has never been scared with vets is now phobic. Dr…read more Kim did not take care to reassure my dog and had great difficulty with a blood draw. (He also told me to pick up my 65 pound dog and put him on the exam table. I've never had a vet not get down on pup's level.)

I rescued a house sparrow when she was approximately seven days old. I claimed her as a pet and had…read moreher examined by a veterinarian, who provided a written report. The examination confirmed that she was healthy, although she had a broken left leg. The veterinarian stated that this injury would not affect her normal quality of life in captivity. I was also informed that house sparrows are legal to own as pets in California. From the time I rescued her, I hand-fed her every day from approximately 6:00 a.m. until nighttime and personally cared for her until she was one month old. During that time, I raised her as my pet and developed a strong bond with her. I later sought a second opinion from WildCare in San Rafael, which offered free veterinary care for my sparrow, Ducky. They assured me that Ducky would be returned to me after the examination. When I brought Ducky in, they asked what I planned to do with her. I clearly and repeatedly confirmed that I intended to take her back because she was my pet. Cate Mason informed me that the examination would be completed by that evening or the following morning. After receiving no update, I sent an email that evening requesting information about Ducky's condition. WildCare then called me and stated that Ducky was malnourished and unhealthy and therefore had to be euthanized. I told them that this was not true, as my own veterinarian had already examined her and confirmed that she was healthy. I asked them to return my pet to me. They replied that they would first contact my veterinarian. After I contacted my veterinarian and participated in a three-way call with WildCare, they informed us that they had already euthanized my pet, Ducky.

This review is the day after surrendering a blind fledgeling songbird, the third wild animal I've…read moreinvolved Wildcare with. My intention is to inform others of what I did not understand prior to surrender, that, in my opinion, is the difference between life yesterday and death today. Anytime a wild animal is found in distress, or in a distressing situation, there are many factors to consider, and in this case my only focus was on getting the bird to Wildcare as fast as possible. Had I known then what I know now, I would have considered Wildcare policy and decided to care for the bird on my own - understanding that this is of course no guarantee of saving the birds life. Yesterday the fledgeling finch clumsily landed by me as I was walking on a fire road used by mountain bikers. It's of course unusual for any wild animal to come close to a human; I observed and protected it as bikers went past and eventually picked it up. She did not have eyes, and there were no signs of injury - perhaps born without eyes. I looked up and saw lots of bird activity, so had a good idea where her nest was. Obviously her blindness is not feasible for surviving in the wild, so I took her home and called Wildcare after-hours explaining her condition. I made clear that I assume Wildcare will evaluate her, and if she is otherwise healthy, return her to me as I am willing to care for her needs longterm. The Wildcare volunteer, nor anyone else that I communicated with since then, corrected my assumptions that she could be returned to me if otherwise healthy. Marin Humane came and picked her up for the night, saying that Wildcare "loves" unusual cases such as her missing eyes - I felt optimistic and grateful. I made sure to repeat my willingness to care for her longterm this morning on Wildcare's voicemail - I understand messages can get lost from one person to another. Before calling me back Wildcare euthenized her, saying during our call that their intention was to give her the best life. This type of limited hangout languaging meant to purposely avoid the truth is the greatest wrong to me. If their highest priority is for a bird that is not in pain or suffering to be alive, they'd have let me take care of her. They took her life because her need for human care to survive longterm falls through the cracks of legality, and this is what I want them to be honest about...but they won't, so here I am. Given all of the times I stated my desire to care for her post evaluation, the least someone could have done is say that wild animals are never released back to a human for longterm care. The first animal I surrendered to Wildcare was a baby chipmunk with an infection. They told me he was a vole and euthenized him, saying that they did not have the staff needed to supervise him overnight. A few months ago I surrendered an adult bird with a neck injury who asphyxiated itself after eating in their care. Both of these cases were out of my realm of ability to care for, and I was also empathetic towards Wildcare's limitations. But yesterdays fledgeling was well cared for by it's mother, and had an excellent chance of survival longterm with care that I could have provided.

It is hard to find the words to express the gratitude I have for Dr. Leah Isaacson and the SACC…read moreteam. Just this week she may have saved our fur baby Estrella's life with an emergency surgery to remove a sock that she unfortunately ate and was looking really unwell from. In our moment of fear Dr. Isaacson was kind, reassuring, and capable. I look at our dog recovering next to me now, and am touched by the fragility of life, and how precious it is that we have such a skilled healer like Dr. Isaacson in our neighborhood. Years earlier, before SACC, she touched our hearts as she helped guide our old girl, Nova, over the rainbow bridge in the comfort of our home in a similarly loving and dignified way. We followed her around the bay area until she eventually was able to open SACC. When I walk inside I can see the level of care that went into every detail of how it is designed, truly an extension of the person and team that bring a wholeness to their service that is awe inspiring. We are fur-ever grateful .

The staff at SACC are the best! My wife and I found Dr. Isaacson over a year ago when we had to…read moretake our cat in to PETS for emergency care. We'd had mixed experiences with that facility previously, but Dr. Isaacson was such a calm and caring presence (during what was an incredibly stressful time) that we ended up taking our cat back to see her as opposed to the vet we'd been using. We were dismayed to find out Dr. Isaacson was leaving PETS, but then overjoyed when we found out she was starting her own practice! She and Dr. Minturn are two of the nicest people you're likely to meet, plus the techs and front desk staff are great as well. You can tell everyone there is passionate about what they do, and that they take pride in providing the best care possible. Most vets I've used over the last 10-12 years have ranged from serviceable on the high end to "won't go back there" on the low. SACC is a place where people understand what animals mean to their people, because they're animal lovers as well, and it shows in their practice. I'm happy that our long search for a vet that we love has finally come to an end, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend SACC to anyone looking for a clinic.