I've adopted 2 pets from Toronto Animal Services North Region…read more First was Riley, an 8 year old Lhaso Apso who was found wandering the streets. From his condition, it was evident he was homeless for many weeks and unfortunately, showed signs of being abused. It took a few months for Riley to build his trust with humans again, but for the 6 years we had him, he brought untold happiness to our home. Recently, I've adopted another dog...Finnegan, a 1 year old Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian mix. Finn was turned in to animal services as his owners could no longer care for him. Like Riley before him, he has personality with a capital "P"....and has, in a months time, become an old friend. When thinking of adopting a pet, why not look at an animal shelter or humane society? They have numerous animals looking for what they call "forever homes'. Some animals come with little or no background, so they are assessed and information is provided based on professional observations. Some animals are turned in by their owners, for whatever reason, and some background information is available. Some animals are rescues from a life that is unfitting anything. Besides dogs and cats, they have other animals as well, rabbits, guinea pigs...the list goes on and on. The people that I have been fortunate enough to deal with at Toronto Animal Services North have been stellar. They truly love animals and are careful to ensure that pets available for adoption are placed with individuals who can provide proper care for them. Sorry if I can't recall names, but everyone there was pleasant, knowledgable and obviously loved their jobs. They made the adoption process so much more enjoyable and they seem thrilled when one of their animals finds a new home. The cost is minimal and there are companions waiting to be found here. Please, before visiting a pet store or breeder, give a pet in a shelter a chance. You won't be sorry

The only reason I'm not giving them a 1 star rating is that they might be good at the actual…read morespaying and neutering, but I never found out! Calling them for the last 2 weeks, no one ever answers the phone, literally, not once. I'm talking calling 20-30 times per day, 2-3 calls at a time. Then their answering machine....the message is literally 3 minutes long. THREE MINUTES for what should be: "Leave a message after the tone" !!! So leaving an actual message for callback is very frustrating, as the message says so much information it kills your entire train of thought. Among other info, the message stated that they will call you back within 24 hours. It's been a week, no callback again. When we did get through to them months ago, we asked for spaying of 2 of our cats. The receptionist was very rude and we felt like she was just trying to get us off the phone so she could go back to playing Solitaire on her computer. She told us the fax number where to send all of our info and that it set up through that. Ok, so I faxed all of our information about both our cats. We did not receive any call back or anything, so after 2+ weeks passed, I got frustrated and called them again. The same (rude) receptionist picked up and said that they did receive the faxes and booked the cats for spaying. One was due to be spayed the next day, and the other in a week! Needless to say I was very upset, since they first off, booked both my cats on different dates, even though I requested they both be done on the same day. More importantly, I was upset at the fact that no one called us to tell us about the booking dates in the first place! Needless to say I cancelled. So yea, price wise this place maybe cheap, but they have absolutely NO customer service what-so-ever. Worst receptionist I've ever encountered with any business!

...they always ask you to GO BACK to the same spot you saw the animal recently to see if it is…read morestill there...everytime, so annoying - the reason I called is because it was there! If I can't go back then they will not help, they don't care at all about the animal...what is the point of letting them know about an injured animal if you get this response every time....and they always ask you always to bring whatever injured animal you saw in yourself, it is too hard sometimes to do that...being they are so far away from Durham region...and I don't drive so is impossible for me....Also the little injured chipmunk I found that someone drove in for me disappeared once they got it, I never heard about it again...no update. no nothing...it was heartbreaking wondering what happened to it

My neighbors, know how much I love all animals..... and that's the reason why I'm living a vegan…read morelifestyle. One Sunday morning, my neighbor called me. She asked if I have any bird food, because I have bird feeders in my backyard. I quickly jumped out of bed to give her some. When I saw her, an injured pigeon, in her backyard! I quickly catches it and brought it inside. Called TWL. I didn't hesitate to drive the poor, scared, thing there! The staff at TWL are the BEST!! One of the staff is vegan and I was even happier!! All animals are beautiful and have the right to be loved and live....All. They're all special! I loveeeee birds!!! I hope "Jessie" is ok. I'm waiting to hear.

No one answers the phone.. waste your time listening the robot talking. Who pays these employees?read more

The shelter is completely disorganized and truly makes me question their priority of the animal's…read morewellbeing. On Wednesday, I saw a dog that was available that was perfect for me. I've rescued dogs my whole life and knew this would be the perfect home. They do not accept emails so I set an alarm to be up and ready for their opening at 10:30 to be able to call. I get through, and the 7 million directory voices make me press a bunch of things until I finally get their *full* voicemail where it says try again later and the phone then automatically hangs up. From then on for hours the line was busy and I could not get through to even a ring. I took screenshots of all this. I got a hold of a human by noon and at this point the dog was already taken because "phones were off the hooks." I know.. I was the first caller so he would have been mine. Then that night, I see an add for another sweet dog in the West location's shelter. Perfect. I set an alarm and THE SAME THING HAPPENS. Now I lost two dogs that I would have been perfect for and kudos to the person who got through to a human because I genuinely do not know how they did it. All I can say is if your priority is rehoming the dog into a good family, the dog should not be "claimed" between 1030 to noon, without background checks and inspection. Regardless, now I'm upset because it seems like the shelter's priority is who has the quickest fingers to dial, rather than who will make a stable home for a rescue dog. Also, it's covid- get a call waiting system.

I definitely do not want to complain about a volunteer-run, no-kill shelter, but YES, the process…read moreis quite long and extensive. This "review" is mainly for people who are thinking of adopting thru this organization so that you don't get deterred. First, it does take about 2 full weeks from the time you submit your application to when you can pick up your new, furbaby. Also expect at least 2 phone interviews and a bunch of email exchanges with a volunteer. In the day and age of Amazon Prime, these 2 weeks are like a torturous roller coaster full of ups and downs! After the first week, your momentum will probably dip. There'll be times where you feel like giving up, but if you're intent on adopting thru a no-kill shelter - as I was - and have your heart set on a particular pet, STICK WITH IT. Answer the same questions time and time again, provide all the necessary info/documentation they ask you for. In the end, I do feel like this organization truly does care about the animals in their care, but they're not really in a rush to adopt out their cats/dogs, ASAP. They do take their time and the process is about 1-week/1-2 steps too long, imho. Result is solid though as they make sure the animal you're taking to their forever home is healthy and happy!

We adopted our black Lab from The West Seneca SPCA on her 1st birthday. Her name was Serona, we…read morechanged it to Happy which suited her perfectly. She was always playing frisbee or stealing sticks when I was picking them up. She steal them out of the bucket on the tractor. Playing in the pile of leaves in the fall. She loved to go for walks or a ride in the car. She also had a best friend who is a Dashound whose name is Winnie. She still looks for Happy too! Happy also loved to go swimming in our pond. Unfortunately Happy passed away Nov. 2023 from a stroke. She was 13 yrs old. I miss her so much. My cat misses her too, he goes over to the table where I have her container of ashes and her picture sitting. And just looks at her, it's like he is talking to her, why did you leave me? They grew up together. He is 12 now. He ias lonesome. Linda

We tried to communicate upfront and they don't even get back to you. It looks like they just seemed…read moreto rush the dogs out and don't respond to emails even though they charge the $40 admin fee. Where did that money go?

Bad communication and policies that don't prioritize the dogs wellbeing and transparency with…read morefosters and adopters.

Bad experience with a volunteer, contradicting the adoptable status of a specific cat, sermonizing…read morehow fast ALL cats need to go out the door, but firmly insisting ... TO ME ... I RECONNECT down the road later due to her misunderstanding my wording? Misunderstanding my emails, albeit I was very articulate in explaining my over 30 years of experience in owning cats throughout my life time. **I WANTED A SPECIFIC CAT **NOW** AND I WANTED TO ***PAY FOR IT NOW*** ... BUT THIS PERSON told me ONLY e transfers are accepted as a method of payment??? NO CREDIT CARDS, NO DEBIT CARDS, NO CASH OR CHEQUES.... ONLY E TRANSFERS????? No wonder Toronto Cat Rescue CLAIMS they have hundreds, and they sermonize how essential it is to expedite their cats' forever homes .... I SUGGEST TO LOOSEN UP THE VARIETY OF METHODS TO ACCEPT FEES FROM ADOPTERS TO GET THAT FLOW MOVING FOR CATS TO GET THEIR PERMANENT HOME!!! YA THINK????

It goes to show what kind of people are having a difficult time with this organisation. My fiance…read moreand I walked in to a petsmart one day, saw our beautiful baby Kira, left a call and applied immediately. The next day we picked her up. No issues, hardly any screening and no problems with the answers we provided. Medical issues with cats can present at any time and can often be invisible for weeks if not months. To put that on a rescue who is in a constant financial deficit is not fair at all. If you cannot financially provide for an animal, especially a kitten, DO NOT get one. The lady we spoke to on the phone during our adoption application was on the verge of tears with how happy she was, calling yourself 'ideal adopters' quickly shows exactly why the rescue had issues with you. Our Kira came to us FIV+ and likely needing medical support. We did not complain nor even think about contacting the rescue, we knew what we were signing up for adopting a cat, if you are unwilling to take that risk then buy a cat from a breeder who can provide health documents from the parents.

I wanted to warn people about this particular rescue we adopted our rat terrier from…read more There have been multiple issues including the fact that before we started fostering our dog we repeatedly let them know that biting was not something we could handle. The day we pick him up after a 3 hour delay, he is almost microchipped a second time, I'm informed he bites. The other day he snapped at my partner and contacted the rescue about what to do and they showed zero empathy or accountability and said that if I sent photos of him they could put him on petfinder. In their rescue headline it says that coordinators were available for help and guidance however, during my time of fostering I wasn't given any instruction, no one checked in with me and the treasurer of the organization also added pressure for me to sign and pay the fee for his adoption and made a remark that he wasn't my dog until I had signed everything, when I had only started fostering him for 2 weeks. This rescue is full of people who are unfit to work with people and the lack of transparency about his behaviours is concerning for further adopters. It left a bitter taste in my mouth and I feel as someone who has managed a non profit that even if they are operating at capacity they are not meeting the minimum of making sure the homes the dogs go to are prepared. Very irresponsible.

We adopted our Jack Russell/Chihuahua/Australian Cattle Dog mix from the Jack Russell Network of…read moreCanada (JRNC) in November 2020. This dog should never have been adopted to a city dweller. He spent the first 6 years of his life in a country setting, where he was allowed out for the whole day and only came in at night. When we got him, he had been neutered just a few months earlier, and his tail was amputated. In the shelter he was first put into, he chewed his tail to the point that it became infected and had to be removed. Our home is in the middle of the city, with access to a small back yard, and 3 walks per day. Obviously this was not what he was used to and it was difficult for him to adjust. He was reactive to other dogs, lunging, barking and growling. Walks were never very pleasant. As time went by, he became more frustrated and eventually he attacked our adult daughter. He launched at her with his jaws around her nose and wouldn't release until my husband shouted at him. Fortunately our daughter didn't need stitches, just antibiotics. It wasn't his fault, I had brought a bit of food to him and my daughter bent over to pet him at the same time. According to an animal behaviourist I spoke to, the dog did not attack. What he did was to give a warning. We finally surrendered him back to the JRNC after more aggressive behaviour towards both of our adult children. And then we saw his profile on Petfinder, where they were saying he was good with older children and other dogs. Our family was shocked as we had told them in our email and on the surrender document that the dog should be in a rural home and no children. Our fear is that if he were to bite a child, then he would be put down. He doesn't deserve that. I emailed JRNC about our concerns and the only reply was from one of the coordinators who thought she was talking to the director. We were referred to as being a pain, and that we should be told not to contact them anymore. Please think twice about adopting from this rescue. They are rescuing too many dogs without the proper resources to help these dogs adjust. Many of the dogs are coming from Texas and Louisiana.

I just had a zoom call with these people. They suck. When I asked to see the kitten, the foster…read moregrabbed it by the neck and held it in the air. Idk if that harms them, but sure its a nasty way to treat them. Also she was feeding these kittens adult cat food. They wanted me to do a house tour before anything. I wanted to know what is involved in the house tour, when this foster Shauna interrupted rudely saying shes not comfortable and left the chat. I dont know who the hell you are and you want to snoop around my house?? Im very glad I did not let them. Not only that, in their contract they state they will come to your house after the cats are adopted to see how they are doing. Seriously?? I understand they want to make sure their cats go to a good home, but they are being way too intrusive. There are smart ways to accomplish that. I see the foster runs the show. As far as I know, no other rescue group acts like this. Shady people.

This agency is very intrusive beyond what is acceptable. What is your job, what is your income, are…read moreyou a Canadian resident, what is your home like, suggestion of a conference Zoom meeting with 16 people from their side for approval or disapproval. After approval, money upfront, direct payment to the company account, no credit cards. Showing your home bit by bit during the zoom meeting. Go to Peterborough to meet the fosters and the cats if approved, the company is located in Mississauga listed for the Greater Toronto Area. It was unbelievable and reading a couple of your reviews I also realize that they do not address the health of the animal or their ailments. At the Toronto Humane Society, the cats are neutered or spayed, they have their vaccinations and you get a complete health history, with proper health restored if the cats are surrendered with health problems, even very serious health problems.

Place is filthy, full of feces and tens of animals are packed into single cages stacked one on top…read moreof the other. Feces is literally crusting on the inside of the glass of the store front. They also have a "no photo or video" policy to keep people from revealing the conditions they keep these poor animals in. Don't let these 6+ year old reviews fool you.

I can't say enough about this wonderfully friendly, family run business . The knowledgeable staff…read moreat this pet shop is eager to share their expertise so that you come away confident that your new pet/fish etc has exactly what they will need for a strong start to their life in their new home with you. Highly recommend this pet store for all your pet needs.