They really care about who is adopting their cats. We adopted 2 beauties from a very caring foster…read morefamily!

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!…read more I have been patient in looking to add a kitten/cat to our family and stumbled across Marigold on a fosters Instagram page which prompted me to submit an application. Kat reached out the very next day after reviewing our application and pre approved us. Yelena reached out for all coordination afterwards. Marigold was not even posted on the rescues page but they were so kind and were able to get us in to meet her. The foster mom (and dad) were wonderful and have been doing this for so long (60+ kitties). We instantly fell in love with Marigold and were able to be selected to adopt her (pat on our back for being able to provide a good home). She came from a hoarder home and was lucky to survive from malnutrition. We came back to get her after getting she completed her shots/spayed. Not even 24 hours in, my one year old tabby loves her and she is settling in perfectly. I will say I have had not so great experiences with other rescues in the area and Dirty Little Paws surpassed all expectations! I hope one day I can repay them and foster another baby in need.

Long overdue but here's my review. Last year, when we visited this animal shelter, it looked very…read moreclean and the customer service was great. We had visited other shelters that day but this one was very impressive. The staff was very professional and answered all of our questions. They also let us meet multiple dogs and it looked like they really took care of their animals. We couldn't be happier with our little guy today. It's crazy to think a year ago we picked him up but he's a member of our family now.

I'll die on this hill...adopt, don't shop…read more In May 2022, I said goodbye to my sweet 15.5 year old golden retriever/yellow lab. She had a wonderful life...but it was her time. Fast forward to 2024, I entertained the idea of somehow welcoming a dog back into my life...I wasn't sure how, but I wanted to get back into the doggy world...and that's when I discovered all different opportunities at the SDCAS.... 1. Dog Day Out- this is a fantastic program to take approved dogs out for the day and market them to the world as being available for adoption. These dogs are sweet, friendly, non-reactive, and just love being out of the shelter. SDCAS gives you everything you need for the day. Our first experience was with Sal- a super friendly pitbull. He loved getting out and proudly wore his 'adopt me' vest! Our second Dog Day Out was with Zane- a beautiful, sweet rottie/husky mix. While we were out with Zane, we decided to foster him. Speaking of fostering.... 2. Foster- if you've ever wanted to foster a dog, this is the place to do it. They provide everything you could possible need. This is a great way to learn more about a dog, post pictures and tidbits about the dog on their website so others learn about them and hopefully adopt them. Fostering saves lives! 3. Adopt- We were a foster fail after a week with Zane. We got to know him SO much and he is absolutely perfect for our family. We wouldn't have known this unless we fostered... Highly recommend SDCAS! 5 stars!

She is amazing, so honest, and helpful! Thank you for our munchkin baby! We love him so much!!!read more

We are so happy to have found our adorable rescue baby from 4theloveofdogs! We contacted Yuribia…read moreand had made an appointment to meet two potential doggies. Yuribia explained that the majority of her doggies are rescued from the streets of Tijuana in deplorable conditions. Some of these doggies are in very bad health from neglect or injuries or abuse. Both of the doggies we met were precious but it was clear that this baby girl was meant to come home with us! Yuribia told us that if she needed any veterinary care that she could take her back to the vet in Tijuana that takes cars of all of her rescues. We received a record of her vaccinations to date and took her to our own vet just for a checkup and our little girl was happy and healthy. I tell everyone who is looking for a pet to contact this rescue because she really does care and rescue so many babies that need loving homes. We are so pleased to have found the perfect addition to our family. Thank you

Yuri is amazing. We got our Wolfie from her when he was several months old in April. She stayed in…read moretouch with us since then. Recently our Wolfie needed some medical attention and Yuri came to the rescue once again and offered to help us out saving me thousands of dollars. Yuri is passionate about what she does and very caring. She is like family. I'm glad I decided to go with her to adopt our little bundle of joy.

My husband and I came to adopt 1 kitten last year in December from this exact shelter. We were…read morerecommended to adopt 2 instead of one, due to the possibility of the kitten getting depression, so we did ! It was the best decision. They slept , ate and played together every day. Due to my husbands allergies getting severely worse and moving into a smaller apartment , we had to give them back to this shelter knowing they'd be able to rehome them in a better place. It was the hardest thing to see them in a cage and no longer in our home. A few weeks later, today, I receive a photo of the new owner who, by the grace of God, adopted not one but both of our cats ! The amount of work Micaela put behind doors to be able to find a home for them BOTH must've been a lot . But I am so forever grateful to know my babies didn't get separated and are in such a better home where they now get to grow old together I highly recommend adopting from this shelter. Thank you to Micaela and everyone who made this happen

I had a disappointing experience with this rescue's adoption process. I completely understand…read morewanting the best fit for a dog, and I respect rescues being careful about placements. However, the communication and screening process felt unnecessarily judgmental and inconsistent. I provided detailed answers about my home, schedule, fenced yard, experience with rescue dogs, veterinary care, and active lifestyle. I also explained that I work remotely several days a week, have a flexible schedule, and am only away for short periods on non-remote days. Despite this, I was denied without even being offered an in-person meet-and-greet or home visit. What was especially frustrating was the implication that only someone who is home 24/7 could provide a loving environment. In today's economy, especially in San Diego, that standard feels unrealistic and excludes many responsible, caring adopters. Being physically home every second of the day does not automatically make someone a better dog owner. Love, structure, training, financial stability, veterinary care, and emotional involvement matter too. I also felt uncomfortable with the assumptions made regarding my current female dog not being spayed. I clearly explained that this decision was based on veterinary guidance due to severe medical allergies and skin inflammation, and that we are actively working with a veterinarian to get her healthy enough for surgery. Instead of feeling heard, it felt like the explanation was dismissed.

Extremely happy with this adoption. I was able to go there as a walk in, see any animal that I…read morewould like to, and adopted same day. We were given plenty of food, a collar, and a leash, and now Oakley is a happy party of the family. The staff was great, and they provided me with all the information I needed to take care of our new pups.

We were looking for our fur-ever friend going on months, after scouring every shelter and having…read morethe WORST experience with the Humane Society, we decided to give this place a chance when we got rave reviews from a friend who also adopted her dog here. It was a really clean facility, well kept, organized, and everyone there was super friendly and helpful. You can really see how much they love their animals. We were there going back and forth between a few dogs before we finally came to a consensus as a family, but we honestly wanted all three! Fees were straight forward, current vaccines, microchipped, and fixed was completely worth it. The paperwork was quick and painless as well. The only downfall is that it is on base and kind of hidden, we had a hard time finding it even with the GPS. The other thing was that even though her paperwork said her stitches were removed a couple weeks prior, it actually was not. Only reason I didn't dock any stars is because the vet we took her to did it for free and I'm hoping it was just an issue of miscommunication. All in all, we would recommend this place to anyone looking to rescue!

First time fostering cats and I couldn't have asked for a better organization to shepherd my…read moreexperience. Steph spent dedicated time and care to work with me and monitor the wellbeing of the kittens I was given everything I needed (bed, food, litter, toys, etc) but not only that - a fantastic ample support for asking questions and sharing progress with the larger team of volunteers. What I love about this organization is that they genuinely care about the pets they take in and are willing to go the extra mile and due diligence to save and protect every little soul. Each volunteer working for this organization genuinely cares.

we "fostered-to-adopt" a kitten from Furballs Furever and it was an easy, wonderful experience. We…read moremainly dealt with Haley and she helped make the whole process seamless from start to finish. I would recommend this rescue to anyone. A+.

Lcal is a sinking ship. Current leadership values policy and black and white rules over what is…read morebest for the dogs and the families that love them. Let me tell you my story as an 8 year supporter of lcal. We adopted our first dog (a boxer) through the founder, lisa (who is an absolute angel) in 2016. We loved our dog deeply until she passed away in 2022. When she passed, I started volunteering weekly with the rescue, walking dogs, trying to fill the void that my dog's passing left. I learned more about rescue and started fostering dogs through lcal. We took 4 foster dogs from intake through adoption, one of the fosters staying with us for 6 months! I also attended adoption events with these fosters, donating hundreds of hours promoting the rescue. I attended fund raisers, donated supplies and cash, and supported the lcal thrift store. I was invested in the mission. In December, I told the foster coordinator that we are looking for a dog to permanently add to the family, ideally a boxer between the ages of 2-5. I would send her listings from shelters, and she would explain why each dog was not going to work for lcal to pull for me. I appreciated her advice and was waiting patiently for a right fit. When she texted last week asking me to foster a boxer, Tyson, I was overjoyed! I expressed to her that we would love to and that we would hopefully adopt Tyson. Unfortunately lcal decided to advertise him on social media the next day and quickly got multiple applications from well vetted adopters. We were told on a Sunday (after having tyson for 4 days) that we needed to decide by Monday if we wanted to adopt. Otherwise he would go to a meet and greet on Wednesday and likely be adopted. On Monday evening, I texted the foster coordinator telling her that I had some questions about the adoption. She did not get back to me until Tuesday morning. We discussed my concerns (we have 4 cats and I ideally wanted more time to see how Tyson would interact with them) but I clearly told her we wanted to keep Tyson. She said she would ask the board for more time. Later that afternoon, I was told that because I wasn't sure, they were moving forward with the other adoption and I was no longer eligible to adopt Tyson. I was in shock. I responded that I wanted the dog and that I had put aside any uncertainty and please can we adopt Tyson. I was told no and that they would immediately come pick him up wherever I was. The lcal president contacted me and was so over the top harsh and rude, I felt like I was being treated like a criminal. My family is heartbroken. Just as we were bonding with what was likely the perfect dog for our family, he was forcibly taken away. Shame on you lcal. You've put deadlines and policy above what is best in complex situations. I understand the reasons for your policy, but you refused to have even the slightest flexibility for a long time supporter. You wouldn't even give me a few hours to get my questions answered before moving on to the other adopter who hadn't even met Tyson. You are burning your fosters, the very backbone of your organization.

Thank you LCAL for connecting us to the dog of our dreams! Our family found your matching process…read morestraightforward and supportive. Your staff and volunteers were also incredibly helpful as we transitioned him into our home. We didn't expect you to take care of the details for his neutering appointment, but you did. You went above and beyond and we will be supporting your work and thrift store for years to come.

A wonderful rescue! Although this review is a few months…read morelate, I wanted to say that because the fosters did not care about our ages, but were more concerned about the surroundings for their dogs, we became the proud "parents" of a foster named Ashton. He is a wonderful pup who attracts attention where ever we go because of his sweet demeanor and beautiful coat. Previously, we had filled out 14 applications, but no one contacted us because of our ages. SPOT believed in "never too old to love a rescue, "and here we are with a happy ending for both us and Ashton!

Professional rescue group. The ladies running it are older and seem retired. My husband and I have…read morebeen on the search for a 2nd dog to fill the void in our home when our senior dog passed. We ended up adopting a senior MinPin that was mellow, independent and able to coexist with our younger big dog. They were pretty accurate in Macaroon's personality and she seems to be hitting our expectations. I like their approach in that they rescue their dogs out of shelters into foster homes so that potential adopters know exactly what the pet's personality is like in the home environment. Their fosters are also patient with the dogs and will initiate housetraining so busy adopters like my husband and I are able to get right into the home routine with the new pet. Their adoption fee is definitely more since they don't get county or city funding. Our senior dog was $150 and their younger ones are about $250. A bit high but justified since they got to provide essential vet care until the animal is adopted. I wouldn't hesistate to give them a try if you see an interesting dog from them on PetFinder. Fill out their application and someone from the group will be in contact with you in a few days.

THE OCEANSIDE CAMPUS…read more I came here to just check on the dogs I saw on the news that were rescued from the hoarding situation in Vista. My heart literally broke when I saw that news. Unfortunately, they are in a safe area not accessible for the public and no they were not up for adoption as they are apart of an ongoing investigation. :: CAMPUS :: It's very tucked away off of Hwy 76. Not as big and glamorous looking as the San Diego campus. Sadly there weren't very many guests visiting or adopting dogs, I felt like my car and another car were the only visitors. But I did see some play areas for the dogs as I was driving near the facility which made me happy. I saw quite a handful of staff working or walking around the campus and they genuinely look like they do care about the animals - not just work here to just have a job. Anyone reading this... I truly encourage you to adopt a pet from a rescue. They are loving animals looking for a home.

Terrible Experience! I assumed care of a almost 3 yr old chihuahua that had been neglected,…read moremalnourished and un trained. He bite me- of course he has been abused and here I was another person he didn't know, He was humping my dog (yes he is neutered) and I tried to stop this. The bite has healed. I reached out to them because I have 2 older dogs and this little guy was not right for our home, he is young with lots of energy. SD chihuahua rescue would take him because of the bite. After talking with a counselor their recommendation was "Humane Euthanasia" OMG!!! I was appalled!! they did not even meet this dog, the recommendation came from my phone call with them! what kind of organization is this! I will no longer provide any finical or word of mouth support to SD Humane