Extremely unprofessional organization. We told them that we were looking for a dog with medium energy and moderate training needs. They approved us for a shepherd mix with "medium energy" and some "leash pulling" and sent us on our way.
He was extremely leash-reactive and lunged at runners, trucks and small animals. We were prepared for this, but we were not prepared for the violent herding behavior that he exhibited each evening. You may think that humping/mounting and nipping are minor nuisances, but not so with a 70-lb dog with massive claws and teeth. My boyfriend could not be in the same room as him because the dog would constantly bite at his hands, feet, neck, and face. By the end of the 7-day trial we were both covered in scratches and bite marks.
We knew the herding behavior was an outlet for the dog's energy, so we tried to keep him physically and mentally stimulated throughout the day. We took him on frequent walks and did training exercises and puzzle games in order to tire him out. It didn't make a difference--each night the same violent behavior returned.
It was clear to us that we wouldn't be able to give the dog what he needed to expend his energy, so we told Dogstar that we would not be proceeding with the adoption. They told us that they would look for a foster for him immediately (they didn't have one lined up). We were very firm in telling them that they needed to find a foster ASAP as we did not feel comfortable with the dog in our house given his behavior. 24 hours later and they still could not find one so they told us to bring him to Dog Star headquarters.
We drove 50 minutes and arrived at 10:25 for a 10:30 appointment. They told us "You're early" and then proceeded to make us wait for 30 minutes. When I went back into the office and asked what was going on, I waited another 15 minutes while they scrambled to figure out what to do, all the while making passive-aggressive remarks trying to shame me for giving the dog up. For example, a woman who was looking after a foster dog made a joke to the trainer, "Hey James, I'm giving this dog up after my 7-day trial-- JUST KIDDING!" (btw, that's the point of a trial period--to assess whether a dog is the right fit for your family, and there's no shame if you decide not to move forward).
When they finally had time for us at 11:15, they told us that they would have to kennel the dog since they didn't have a foster lined up, but he needed a vaccination first. They then proceeded to administer the vaccination in the parking lot while cars and trucks whizzed by. Before they could administer the shot, the dog started thrashing and growling. A staff member asked my boyfriend to "hold down" the dog, but he respectfully declined as he had already been bit multiple times. The staff member went ahead with the shot and ended up getting the needle stuck in the dog's skin.
Finally, after some more passive-aggressive comments from the other volunteers, we were able to give the dog back and leave. Less than 10 hours later he was posted to their website with a very disingenuous description and was adopted the next day.
Beware that if your adoption experience doesn't work out you can expect some very petty and childish behavior from this organization. read more