If you look at the negative reviews, you'll see most of them are from out of area. Just parroting nonsense they see online, have never actually been to the shelter. The staff is lovely, they do the very best they can with the limited resources they have. They go above and beyond to push dogs to rescues before they have to euthanize. Are they high kill? Yes. Is that the shelter's fault? No. It's yours. Spay and neuter your pets and for the love of god, stop buying from backyard breeders. read more

High euthanization shelter. I feel bad for the un adopted pets. Animals are crammed in one cage and some look very ill.

Good morning everyone yesterday I adopted an old Chihuahua. When I got to this Pound, I was greeted by friendly employees. I was greeted by wonderful phone conversation by a lady named Stephanie before I even got there. This facility smells like flowers. They have music playing for all the animals outside the outside area smells perfectly clean And the service I received inside was unparalleled. They brought my new pet out on a little bed and a sweater for her I think she was the oldest dog there when I saw her picture online I had to have her and they gave a free leash and they had food there for her as well. If you're looking to adopt a pet please come here for the pets and the service that you will receive! This place was 71 miles from where I live, but it was worth the drive! read more

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In 2013, we rescued Lola, a mixed breed Vizsla / Dalmatian from the Devore Animal Shelter. She had been found in Bloomington. Her expiration date had passed and she was scheduled for extermination. She gave us eleven years of companionship and protection. This year (2025), we rescued Brandy, a mixed breed Shepherd / Chihuahua (? not sure yet!). She had been found in Phelan. After a favorable meet and greet, I adopted her on her first day of availability because the clerk told me, "First come, first served." My tip: Go there often and look at the animals. Like a thrift store, the shelter has a different inventory of animals every week. I saw puppies on FB that were no longer available when I went there; the attractive ones advertised online go fast. The adoption fee is $20. The shelter sent Brandy to Dr. Rex in San Bernardino. (See my review of Dr. Rex.) Final note: This shelter has a reputation of being a "kill shelter." That is probably an unfair but accurate description. Too many critics online blame the shelter, but we as a society are more to blame for failing to spay and neuter our animals and for failing to provide for them safe and secure homes from which they cannot escape. My 4-star rating is based on the service provided by the shelter. I downgraded my review for the crowded and unfortunate conditions in Devore. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Brandy in the back yard - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

I've. Never been here, but follow volunteers who post the pets there. Please consider adopting a pet from here. These dogs only get seen by volunteers who post them.On social media ... The stats given in this review are for the hard work the volunteers there do to get these pets seen. Thank you for you free ti E you give these precious animas read more

My girlfriend's family adopted a three month old dog, turns out he had parvo, a fatal virus for dogs and he died not even a week after being adopted. Shelter said nothing about the dog being sick. read more

I volunteer with foster dogs. That place is be one of the worst hell holes for dogs ! I think any dog that was rescued from any of the LA shelters, especially the Devor shelter, would be so blessed to get out of there! Just be wary of scammers. Some of them will want you as a foster mom to pay for the medical care. That's not how it should go! The rescue is to pay for the immediate medical issues, and then someone to drive the dog to your home from LA. Which works out wonderfully! But what I experience was, I had sick dog that apparently had funds raised to to fix it femur hip fracture as it was stuck on a picket fence... impaled .. for at least a few days. So what's the best advice I can give? Do your homework make sure that there is a rescue that is a good one and that you will receive the dog ready for foster. Not sending a bunch of money,. There are people that donate and then there are foster's mom's. People bid and give money to the rescues to help the dogs. Unless you wanted to pay for the bill? Probably better just to receive the dog and follow through with the best treatment plan. The rescue should be OK with that !! People have donated money and it goes to a credit card where the rescuer or housing their possession. So another piece of advice is have the rescue pay for medical care and not out of your pocket .. And make sure you have paperwork. Including any new vaccinations given or spay or neuter , and a recent medical history is what the dog came in with, and what's health status was upon leaving. Make sure you get the dog and know the limits for the dog. As in if it has a big like whole thigh, just a groin surgical area with staples in it? Is that it doesn't get infected and you go to the correct doctor to have the staples removed! Not just having it starts to smell, watch pus and insects invading it. And please remember! If the dog comes like that and the rescue doesn't want to pay for it it's not a good deal and I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say about that one. I get it to anywhere that was an absolute rescue here in Sonoma County because in LA they treat them so much differently. They just don't have the room or the space or the time. don't let them knock you down to not get medical care for these dogs. I realize they raised a lot of money for these dogs! But I don't think these "rescuers" want to spend any of the money that was given to them in good intentions. Anyway, please help save these dogs as they are really in a bad place. And just watch out for anything that doesn't seem right, because it probably isn't right. Have a good evening. And God bless all these precious dogs.... Their lives matter. read more

Came here today to adopt a kitten and give it a forever home. Spent over 200.00 on supplies for a new member of our family all to be told that one can't go home today and there's a list of people to adopt her. Why wouldn't that be displayed on her cage then? The lack of inventory of cats and kittens tells me this place is a KILL shelter and just holds enough "inventory" to get their government funding and my hard earned tax dollars. Thank you for sending my 13yr old home crying. Have a great weekend! Not to mention the rude receptionist that ignored the fact I walked through the door. Learn some people skills or don't work with people. read more

I know the rep is for a high kill shelter. The keep pups that humans abandon for as long as possible. If the disgusting humans would be responsible pet owners then there would not be any killing. This is the second friend I have gotten from this shelter. They encourage meet and greets with existing pets. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - New friend - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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Our rescue has pulled animals from Devore for over 17 years. It's had very low lows and no real lasting improvement and it is all a direct result of the county refusing to keep the budget up to meet the growing demands placed on it and cutting corners in care, vaccination, employee training, community involvement, foster programs, pet adoption fairs, etc. They are old style hold and kill and not investing in adoption, foster, wellness, etc. There are many very adoptable dogs (scared because the atmosphere is quite oppressive) available there but very hard to know about this without a well functioning adoption center and rescue coordinator. Their general rule is a pet is held three days then killed. Three stinking days. The community has grown, the county has grown, but Devore has added only outdoor kennels - not suitable for keeping pets safely during hot days or freezing nights They were build more with the idea of moving dogs temporary for kennel cleaning. There are some shelters that are run like concentration camps and this one is pretty close. This shelter will not accept payments for people that are low income who's dog escaped and cannot afford $200 plus fees -- they appear to prefer to kill a pet over reuniting it with family and working out payments. Sometimes social media hears about a case and many donate but that's an exception. Some have requested a community fund be established for these cased, but there was no interest from the director or county. Many times "there is not enough staff" to post a picture and information so anyone searching for their missing pet can check online. This is still required by state law because it's impossible for many to take a day off to keep driving to a remote shelter to check! The excuse of "not enough employees" is very common. When volunteers offer to photo and video the animals they are holding that's often also not permitted due to low employee availability. The staff is usually ok and civil as far as following rules, but I don't know how they handle it day after day that their shelter is such high kill - maybe a grim acceptance that's the way it is? I really feel for them because they obviously care and are often happy to see dogs adopted or pulled for rescue, especially those dealing with people on the phone. And now amazingly, SBC wants to buy out a successful high desert shelter and run it like they do Devore. And Apple Valley is actually considering selling. I hope SBC decides to invest their 5 million in Devore because it could be so much better and the community and animals truly deserve better. read more

My wife wanted a cat. We went to one place that required a form be filled out, before we could get a cats that she liked that they wanted $250. It was a standard grey house cat. They turned her down? Maybe our mobile home didn't meet their requirement? So I drove by the Devore Shelter when I was using the 215 freeway. They had several cats that looked nice. I got my wife and she wanted one of two. One had already gotten the attention of someone else, so we took the other. It was a lovely calico with a great personality. It had the shots, was spayed, and when I went to pay for it... it was free!! I saved $250, got a better looking cat, and it was in great shape with a great personality!! And all the workers at the shelter were very helpful. They even gave us time with the cat in a playroom before we got it. So, this shelter gets my highest rating. My thanks to the Devore Animal Shelter and staff. read more

This shelter is just absolutely devastating. I see so many posts on Instagram of them receiving dogs and they don't even give them 3 days and they'll euthanize them. Not to mention the kennels are so filthy and these animals are so cold due to the lack of care from the staff. Do better and stop euthanizing and start caring more for these animals that are helpless. Imagine it was your animal..... read more

I rescued a Great Pyrenees and the Devore animal shelter sent him to Dr. Rex DVM to get fixed. When we went to pick him up he was really out of it and couldn't walk so the lady who was working the from grabbed his front legs and DRUG HIM ACTOSS THE DITY FLOOR ON HIS INCISION! He also had pooped himself and it was smashed all on his back side. They tired to say he came like that but it was fresh poop. They gave us 0 post op care. No instructions, no meds, no cone. They also used staples that need to be removed AND SAID NOTHING ABOUT IT! We had made an appointment with our personal vet and found out. If I knew our boy was going here we would have NEVER agreed to it. He also came with kennel cough and worms. He got my other dog sick and it ended up costing $500 for meds for both. He needed to get prescribed antibiotics and anti inflammatory meds due to his incision. I will say I asked for him to be washed before we picked it up because he had poop stuck to him all over, you could tell he had been sitting in it. It appeared they rinsed him and I am grateful for that. I do ask they consider another vet to partner with. read more

I have rescued two dogs form Devore as a foster in the last 6 months. This last one, who i named Freddie, was an eight month old Aussie/Border Collie mix i named Freddie. One of the sweetest little dogs I've ever known. Found a home for him in 6 days. He's now part of a wonderful young, active family who will give him a lifetime of love. That isn't the problem. The probem is Devore earmarked him as violent. As such, rescue only and within only ten days after arriving he was set to be euthanized. We swooped up at the last minute to save this little jewel. It was a complete misread on their part. He was weary of men (this vanished within a couple of days) buy with women he is immediately a love bug. There are plenty of articles and comments out there that paint Devore as it should be - an abusive death camp, so I am not going go into it further - but i will say that in the cases of little Feddie and my previous rescue there, a pregant mom who - along with her eight pups (all of which we placed within 12 weeks) - was only given a empty kidding pool to have her pups in with no medical attentin that would have found she required a C section due to a past broken pelvis a which would have killed her in childbirth - was set to be put down one day before we got her - both labeled as dangerous, they couldn't have been more incorrect. They were both amazingly sweet dogs. I literally hate the Devore Shelter read more

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November 5th i adopted a beautiful dachshund mix from here. I had her for a literal 7 days before she passed because of parvo.. Her and her siblings were found in an open field, if you adopted any of her siblings i hope yours is okay. I called to let the animal shelter know, but they said they were all gone within that week that i had her. My experience here wasn't bad, just sad they don't test for parvo because it really is the worst thing to lose an animal. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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On Facebook, the truth is shared about the conditions of the shelter as well as the upkeep of the animals. Majority of them are sick and held in freezing cold temperatures not to mention feces and urine all in the cages, yet are expected to sleep on that same concrete. There is no empathy for the care and condition. These poor babies are struggling enough. Please find volunteers and staff that want to be there and are dedicated to creating a safe space for these animals. Please remember it is not their fault and they deserve more than a 72 hour hold before they are euthanized. That's not even enough time for an owner to come forward and claim their pet. We have to take into consideration the circumstances and try to make a difference. read more

Went there last Friday. Staff was very friendly and helpful, Very nice. I had gone to San Bernardino first and got nothing but attitude and very poor service. Lady at front counter sat there on a personal call for 45 minutes while she had people waiting. She had an office next to where she was discussing her plans for the night. Cages and dogs were not taken care of. Conditions at San Bernardino were deplorable. I have a friend on Board of Supervisors and am going to sent him an email about San Bernadino and Devore. read more

Not sure of the negative reviews, but ours was very positive. Staff has always been super friendly and nice, they seemed vary caring in the wellfare of the animals. We ended up adopting two cats that were healthy and very lovable. It was $10 adoption fee per cat, and free neuter and spaying at the vet. We did pay $15 per cat at the vet for pain medication, which the staff told us ahead of time. Petsmart charges $200 bucks for their cats, we felt we really scored on some very sweet cats to adopt. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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Hello, I follow a few Instagram accounts that share urgent rescues from this shelter daily. The cats instantly become sick and look like they are in terrible condition which can be treated. Last week, this shelter euthanized AKA murdered six healthy black kittens. Please stop capturing or surrendering cats here. They are murdered daily. Cats are mainly labeled as rescue only for "behavior" being scared, hungry, sad, and confused about why they were taken prisoner. No one can adopt "rescue only" which is what the majority of the cats are labeled as. An actual rescue has to step in and do a heroic act to save their lives. The fact there is no *trap neuter and release* program is disgusting and inhumane. This is genocide of cats and needs to end now!!! read more

TO DEVORE SHELTER:: Read every one of your negative reviews. They are ALL the same . ALL your animals are adopted with upper respitory infections! What are you doing to these precious gifts from God? What you do with these precious animals may come back to bite you! You may suffer in the same manner these animals do. Change your ways before it's too late!! read more

It is bad of the way I have read that the innocent pets are treated. All I can say is please adopt like crazy and pass the word to save these souls. read more

I've adopted 3 dogs from Devore, two I won in a raffle! I love this shelter I drive from Torrance just to adopt . The staff is very welcoming, understanding and helpful. And the process is just so simple compared to OC LA shelters read more

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Great shelter! Very nice and caring with all animals. The best place to find your next furry friend.

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to adopt "Nollie " She won't leave my side!!!!! read more

Devore Animal Shelter - My girl, my pit - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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No good deed goes unpunished. So much for doing the "right" thing! A stray bull dog (we named Bully), wondered in at my fiancés work place. He followed Peter Kleinecke around everwhere at work. I posted ads on all social media I could find to try to locate Bully's parents. Before the end of the day Peters boss made him call City of San Bernardino Animal Services Devore Animal Shelter. We figured they would hold on to him until his parents were found. Then we would go adopt him. We kept tabs on him everyday and even went to visit him. That's when they told us we didn't necessarily get to adopt him. He said that they had an extensive list of people wanting to adopt him. How? I wondered when it had only been a few days that he had been there. Plus they didn't have him advertised any where for adoption, not even on thier own website! Plus we told them at the beginning we wanted to adopt him if his owners didn't claim him. We found out that he was going into a raffle. First name they drew got him! ‍ Now that's messed up! Today was his adoption day "raffle day". We waited patiently but with anticipation for the call that he was ours in other words that "we won the raffle". We didn't get the call. I called them and they said they found him his "potential" new parents. Well actuall their words were "they did the raffle and the first person drawn were "potentially" going to adopt him. I told them if those people don't, could they please call me because we will for sure adopt him. They said no, that they had to then pull the second name and so on....... (Both mine and peters name are on the list). Mean while poor Bully sits at the shelter! I'm so upset! Pray for Bully ‍ read more

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This place is horrible. The call services are all messed up. They say wait 5 min and I've been waiting for 30 min already. This place also has bad staff. Not friendly at all read more

This place shouldn't be on a No Kill list, they euthanize the animals under their care ( I'm using the word "care" lightly, little to no care is given to the unfortunate animals that come into this place). read more

Very kind, great service! Answered all my questions. Lots of freebies. Made my adoption experience great!

Hung up the phone in the middle of my question. Called back next day, they only accept dogs if you live around the area, not if dog was found in the area. Worthless. It's a kill shelter. read more

Another win with Devore Animal Shelter! I had to call them and ask for a copy of one of my dogs' license, which they had and were able to email me. The gal I spoke with was super friendly and helpful! She emailed me the certificate right away - just super pleasant. My experience with Devore has always been positive. They are nice, nice to the dogs, and nice when you want to meet a dog. They really want to see these animals adopted. I think we all need to be aware that these county and city shelters are overrun with dogs that owners don't care about. Our outrage would be better directed at the owners that don't take care of their animals and put tax payer shelters in a bad place. I have adopted two dogs from Devore. They both had issues, but lets set better expectations. These are dogs that were running the streets - of course they will be sick, in need rehabilitation, and lots of Vet care. Devore does the best they can with a bad situation. Thanks Devore for serving our community. Before getting critical I wish people would think of what the county faces with stray animals and resident safety. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Neddy and Brandy - they are the best if friends - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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I went to the shelter on July 21st and saw a kitten I wanted to adopt. I put myself on the list to adopt her since she would be ready in two days. On the 23rd I called the shelter to ask if I had been chosen to adopt her (I was not sure if anyone had added themselves to her adopting list in between the 21st and 22nd). I was told I was chosen and had to come to a meet and greet. I saw the kitten and was allowed into a small room for our meet n greet. She was sneezing a lot but I thought it was the dust in the room we were in and decided to sign the paperwork. I was told she was 3 months old and would be spayed on the 24th and I would have to pick her up from the animal hospital. I wasn't given any paperwork regarding any vaccines she had already gotten, literally nothing. She came home on Monday the 24th and it's now the 29th and her sneezing has gotten a lot worse. She is now puking mucus and has stopped eating and only drinks water. I took her to a vet and was told she was no more than 8 weeks old and that her spay and chip surgery were too much on her body since it's already fighting an upper respiratory infection she had since she was at this shelter. I have started her on medicine her vet prescribed but it makes me wonder why this shelter did not do a last health check before sending her home. Also, the hospital where she was spayed at seemed run down and practicing old ways of surgeries. Now she has to go back to the hospital to get stitches removed and hopefully she gets better in 2 weeks if not her vet will have to do blood work. Luckily I have been watching over her like a hawk and noticed she wasn't doing too well and I come to realize she's also running a fever. Adopt the animals here but please be vigilant when bringing them home. Also, the room I did the meet n greet at had a turtle in a dirty tank and the front desk girl said "hmmm I should probably get someone to come and clean that but yeah I don't really like that kind of animals" and walked away. There was also a hamster or Guinea pig in a small cage next to the turtle that seemed forgotten. read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Turtle in very dirty water. - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

I have visited this shelter a few times with rescue friends. Unfortunately, the shelter is really off the beaten path so not a lot of people are going to notice it and stop in. And it is right next to a busy freight train track--horrible noise and ground rumbling from the trains that frequently pass through. Poor animals are already distressed with their circumstances and then the chaos of the train just makes it worse. Anyway, the good---it's very clean, nice areas to meet/greet your new fur baby, and the staff and volunteers are nice. Lots of beautiful dogs and cats. No need to spend a ton of $ at a breeder/puppy mill. All kinds of great breeds here and the fun loving mutt mixes too! And yes, many of these animals come out of here with kennel cough or some virus. Not uncommon with the overcrowding, but it's easily treated with anti-biotics, something the shelter won't or cant afford to do. Who knows, it gets very political and often little funding. But you can do it! You are the difference between life and death for these precious creatures. Don't let the medical waiver scare you. Saving one of these animals will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams! Just do it! My friend did! read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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I would like to thank this kind shelter for doing such a great job! I have been searching to adopt a pup for a few months. It is not as easy as I thought, but never gave up. I drove quite far to this shelter as we saw a few pups, but one seemed to touch our heart. He was a small boy with soft eyes. He just snuggled up to my husband and rest is history. I want to thank each and everyone at this shelter for doing their best. They work so hard and tirelessly to get these fur babies adopted. It is done with love, care, smiles. These sweet babies did not ask for what unfortunate things human do. They just want to be loved. I hope that those that who read this choose to adopt from this shelter. Thank you for giving our family this wonderful experience. I hope to be back in the future for another beautiful fur baby. read more

Horrible place!!! The description of my dog was all wrong but I knew it was my dog. Had my husband do the drive to go and make sure it was our dog. He got confirmation it was our dog and to that there was a fee of $90 + $10 for a shot she was given (which she didn't need because she's up to date with shots) fine I get it being picked off the street they don't know. But what bugged me the most is that my dog is chipped she is spayed, which the post they did said other wise. This is why after a dog is picked up people loose their dogs for situations like these. Impounds don't want to go that extra mile to really check and scan for a chip. read more

I've rescued/adopted a few dogs from this shelter over the years. It has gotten better. The staff is friendly and tries to accommodate the volume of animals that enter on a daily basis. I recently adopted an adult male, pit bull that was limping. He was found with a red studded collar in Fontana. He was on a 5 day, stray hold. I was lucky enough to adopt him. Nipsey/Goonies has been a great addition to the household. He loves dogs and cats. The staff was helpful in allowing me to adopt him as a medical waiver. He was diagnosed with crytococcus and had his right thoracic limb amputated. It took a few weeks for him to get acclimated to the drugs he has to take daily but he is doing well and I adore him so much. Thanks to the staff at Devore animal shelter for looking after him and thanks to Faces of Devore (Facebook and Instagram for taking such great picture and videos of the animals housed there. My Goonies is the best dog ever. Doing well and loving life. He has been a good distraction for my husband. read more

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The shelter tries their best. I rescued a doberman from them and their always very nice. It's the backyard breeders and irresponsible owners...not the shelter. read more

I want to challenge the people giving bad reviews to actually visit this shelter. I adopted a cat months ago and the staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful. They really cared about the cats and even gave me a goodie bag with lots of food and toys. The adoption fee included spaying/neutering, microchip, and I believe even vaccines. I had a great experience and would gladly come back again. read more

This is one of the highest KILL shelters in the U.S. Only this week someone was completing an adoption form for a beautiful, young, healthy, friendly dog, only to find she had been euthanized the day before adoption. This continues daily. The only reason the kennels are cleaner now than they were two years ago is because of the CBS news broadcast who showed the appalling condition these dogs were left in. The news presenter actually warned viewers that they would be watching upsetting content. When St Bernardino County was asked to comment on the news broadcast, they were denying everything despite the proof from filming. Insufficient veterinary care, limited or zero comfort for any of the dogs day in day out. I cannot square the circle because the posts I'm seeing daily on social media does not match what I'm seeing on this website or on the St Bernardino County website; Devore Animal Shelter is literally run like a Nazi concentration camp for animals. Where are the donations going? You can donate to Devore Animal Shelter directly or you can donate through an animal charity called ARRF but where are the donations going? Other shelters across the U.S. are not run like this despite their struggles with large annual intakes. I have contacted ARRF with my views one week ago. They haven't replied. It is the first time in my life that I haven't felt comfortable donating to a shelter. read more

Recently adopted "Bellatrix" from them. When we met her we knew we had to have her! She's so gentle and loving with my two year old, they bonded instantly! Adoption process was fast and easy. Hope to go back soon to adopt another fur baby! She's also very clean. And great on leash. Thank you so much for my Bella girl :)!! read more

Devore Animal Shelter - Adopted fur baby - Animal Shelters Near Me - San Bernardino, California

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Awful facility. Dirty grounds, rude employees, not cared for animals. Kill shelter. Adopted a couple dogs. They were covered in fleas and ticks. The attendant was told to remove the ticks while we did the paperwork. He brought them out with none removed. These poor pups were covered in the biggest ticks I've ever seen. We got them home and spent the next 4 hours cleaning them. They had such awful wounds on them, it took awhile to heal. The sour attitude and rudeness of the staff was the last straw. I'd like to see a staff that enjoys working with animals and is reflected in the way they treat them and the customers who would like to save a animal. Devore is disgusting and I don't recommend it. If you do go there, be prepared for the above. read more