We adopted Chelsea Jane, a beautiful little tortoiseshell cat, last week. The staff here are…read moreterrific. They are careful and caring and do all they can for the animals, ensuring healthy, cared-for pets who get matched with loving, appropriate homes. They made us feel comfy all the way through the process, explained the steps clearly, and did an overall excellent job.

PAWS is run entirely by volunteers. In 2000, they took over what had been a high kill municipal…read moreshelter and turned it into a No Kill shelter. They offer adoptable pets, and provide various community programs, including low cost microchip and spay/neuter services. I was vacationing in Floyd County and started feeding a thin, hungry, sweet stray cat. I was pleasantly surprised to find a No Kill shelter nearby. The PAWS staff were phenomenal about working with me and were ultimately able to take my stray cat for adoption. Everyone I spoke with had a huge heart and was giving tremendously of themselves to help the animals. If you have the opportunity to adopt from or work with PAWS, I can't recommend them highly enough.

We got a kitten last fall and she is absolutely adorable. She has been totally healthy, and well…read moreadjusted because of the excellent care she received from Amanda. Amanda was very helpful when it came time to choose our kitten. We wanted one that would fit in well with our dogs, and we struck the jackpot with our fur baby! Thanks Amanda!! We love our Luna so much! She is smart, unique, and loving. We couldn't ask for a better kitty! We're coming back for another baby --The Hoover Family

From the owner: Iowa's premier Ragdoll breeder. Macushla Ragdolls breeds high-quality, healthy, loving Ragdolls for…read morethe entire Midwest and beyond since 2013. Family raised kittens who are social and adaptable to almost any environment. All age-appropriate veterinary care provided until date of adoption. Full medical records, microchip, vaccine and viral testing records on parents, food sample and 30 day free trial of Trupanion Pet Insurance provided with each kitten.

My friend and I had called to ask about petting and playing with their cats, I completely…read moreunderstand their reasoning as to why we are not allowed. But they could maybe get a waver for people who are wanting to offer their time to play with these animals. Anyways before the call was even finished, I was hung up on! I had more questions about the class they were offering, I found it rude and unprofessional.

I adopted a kitten 2 weeks ago and he came here with an intestinal parasite called GIARDIA. Some…read morehow Lindy the vet there knew exactly what it was when I called. Now my 6 year old kitty has it AND it is transferred to humans THERFORE $400.00 in vet bills and dr appts for us. Sanitizing everything in the house. The. Vet said it may never go away!! THANKS ALOT!!!​​​​​​​​

I love this place! I've used their services for every animal my family has welcomed. I'm waiting…read moreuntil my newest service dog is 18 months old until he has his visit. A Dane Heeler his name is Stormy but I call him Smalls he was found under a bridge downtown. I thank God for him everyday. He came just in time my service dog Wishbone was almost done done. Within 2 weeks Wishbone was gone and Stormy had to step up for duty before training even started. Smalls hit a home run! His hart is bigger than he's ever gunna get. I just hope I can LOVE him back as BIG. Thanks for earning my trust to care for my kids. Shy Storm

I can't express enough how awesome IHA is. We scheduled our 1.5 year old grey tabby to be spayed on…read moreTuesday morning, and had her back the following morning. Safe, sound, and resting peacefully (Pictured below in her favourite spot). Note: We were able to snag someone's cancellation by calling on Monday. Otherwise, it appears appointments are a month + out as of 3/2022. Intake was amazing as staff met everyone coming in that day at the door and assisted with initial paperwork. Our kitty was just past her follow-up shot regimen for rabies and distemper, which the clinic provided at a minimal cost. Overall, our bill was just over 90$ which included nail trimming/capping (10$), shots, spaying, pain medication, overnight stay, as well as a microchipping fee (25$). This is far, far less then the range of prices we were quoted at other local animal veterinarian/hospitals. (Anywhere from 250$ to 1050$, just to *spay* alone.) Although a bit of a drive for those living in Hiawatha/Marion/North CR, the cost and level of care make it worth your time. If you choose to utilize IHA for your pet healthcare needs, please be sure to add a little extra when you pay to help keep this local non-profit going.

I know this place has bad reviews but I had a good experience ahead of meat and greet with a really…read morenice dog wasn't the perfect fit for me, but the shelter does a good job.

I thought that maybe my experience with them was different, or unique in some way. I wanted to give…read morethem the benefit of the doubt. Then I found these Yelp reviews and I want to add my voice to the STAY AWAY faction. I adopted an 8-week-old puppy from them in September of 2017. Two days after I got her home, she was extremely lethargic, not eating, having breathing problems. After a number of tests, we discovered she had multi-drug resistant bacterial pneumonia. She had kennel cough (bordetella), pseudomonas, and a multi-drug resistant strain of e.coli in her lungs. I thought they might want to know, because she had brothers. The owner sounded concerned at first and told me she contacted the owners of the other puppies and none of them were sick. Her concern soon dissipated when I told her I had paid $1,500 in vet bills. Haha, drop in the champagne bucket, she got sick in September and was officially pneumonia-free at the end of February. All told, the vet bills came in at around $7,000. At the time I adopted my puppy, they had taken in a number of dogs stranded from Hurricane Harvey, the owner told me a lot of them had "colds," but nothing more serious. I think, due to legal reasons, the veterinarians would not confirm that she was sick when she left the shelter. I don't know where else she would get her lungs all full of bacteria in the 36 hours she was in my house. She is a wonderful dog, and we do not regret spending the money on her, but it concerns me about other dogs that were there. The e.coli was only susceptible to one very expensive injectable antibiotic. I really hope her brothers were okay, and she wasn't just trying to cover her butt. I would have been able to save them considerable expense with the information I had. Email exchanges after this took place were very rude and unprofessional. My husband is a veteran and I thought it would be nice to support a veteran-owned shelter. The shelter building looks run-down, but I was only allowed at the front desk and directed to the runs in back to meet my puppy, so I have no information about how hygienic things are behind-the-scenes. We found this shelter on Petfinder, I would suggest anywhere but here

I adopted my cat Hayden there in October 2019. He's amazing. I would suggest anybody go there…read morebecause they make sure the animals are chipped and that they have their shots so it's reasonable price to adopt still have Hayden today and I love him so much.

Animals seem well cared for, but I wish they'd let you interact with animals if you're not 100%…read moresure about adopting. That's how I adopted my current cat, and I think it'd encourage more adoptions.

volunteering there since January 2016. the adoption process is easy as I adopted a special needs…read morecat on August 1,2019

The shelter that doesn't have a lot, but gives so much to special needs animals in our community…read more They put the life and health of animals first and their interest in the well-being of all creatures is inspiring.

Out of all of my Yelp reviews, I give my strongest and most passionately positive review here…read more Story County taxpayers and animal lovers should be very proud of this shelter. Their dedication to neglected and abandoned animals is unparalleled in my experiences. We adopted one of our schnauzers from this shelter in 2007. I can say in confidence that I've never received more joy in my life for $25. We have a vibrant, active and healthy family member with an exceptional disposition. They are deeply committed to the health and welfare of their animals, and stand by their adoptions. I can't make a stronger recommendation to anyone looking for a new furry family member than the Story County Animal Shelter. Make this your first stop. They are careful in placing dogs in the right homes and know the personalities of the animals in their care very well. They are caring experts before, during and after the adoption process. They'll even give you a puppy-care kit with your adoption. Our dog had a non-threatening hernia (which is common) from her spaying procedure. The Story County Animal stood by their promise to deliver a healthy, happy puppy and covered the expense of having the hernia repaired.

As a longtime animal shelter volunteer and supporter, I am impressed with the friendliness,…read moreprofessionalism and compassion shown by the staff at Story County Animal Shelter. I adopted my dog there for $25 in May 2008 after they rescued him from the streets, had him neuetered and vetted my pet ownership history. Since that time, I've visited the shelter on two occasions and continue to be pleased with their standards and conditions. They perform an (unfortunately) necessary service to our communities with heart and soul, and I am proud to continue supporting them financially.