In early 2014, my husband and I were looking to adopt a cat after we had to put one of our two cats down when she became sick with cancer. Upon recommendation from a friend, we decided to look into Francisvale and found a cat we were interested in right away. We submitted a thorough application (free from any outstanding issues) and inquired with the staff of Francisvale quickly regarding the cat. Once I was able to actually reach a staff member by phone (who was not very nice might I add), I was surprised to find that we had not even been considered for an "interview" with the cat, on the grounds that our living cat was declawed (and was declawed when we adopted him) and the one we were applying for had claws. They would not consider adopting their clawed cat out to a household with a declawed cat, no questions asked. We were frustrated and tried to explain that the cat we had to put down had claws and was in no way an issue for our very sociable declawed cat. We got nowhere with Francisvale, and went on to adopt a clawed cat shortly thereafter from Morris Animal Refuge in Philadelphia (who are beyond excellent, by the way). Our two cats have gotten along swimmingly and are now the best of buds. I would like to add, that 1.5 years later, that cat that we showed interest in is still in the shelter waiting for a home. We are two experienced and capable pet owners who offered to adopt a cat from you to a loving home, which is your purpose. And we were turned down. We are disappointed that a cat that we offered to adopt is still in search of a home 18 months later. I hope she gets it someday. read more

Though we didn't end up adopting from Francisvale, I can say from our experience with them that they are an awesome rescue. The application can be filled out online, which is super convenient. A volunteer got in touch with our references right away, and then contacted us pretty quickly after we submitted the application. Everyone we met during our visit to Francisvale (by appointment only, after your application is reviewed) was very friendly, and completely honest about the animals we were interested in. We were able to meet a few that we asked about, and they recommended others to us based on what we were looking for in a pet. Ultimately, I think their judgment was very sound. The dog that they recommended to us was not one we would have noticed or asked to meet, but I think it was definitely the right one and the one we would have ended up going home with, if we hadn't ultimately decided to adopt a dog from a different rescue. That's the only reason we didn't move forward with the process, but it sounds somewhat extensive, involving at least one more visit at Francisvale with any current dogs, and possibly a home visit after that. So, if that sounds like too much for you, you may want to focus on other shelters, but this was a very positive experience for us and I'd highly recommend this rescue to anyone who isn't daunted by the long adoption process. read more

Francisvale goes above and beyond to make sure their animals are as comfortable as possible! The cats are not kept in crates like so many other shelters - they are free to roam around the room, interact with their roommates, and sleep in window sills. The dog get tucked in every night with a blanket and a kong filled with peanut butter. I could go on but the bottom line is that everyone working/volunteering at Francisvale love animals and it shows. read more

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Francisvale might be an OK place to adopt a pet, but I advise you to NOT volunteer there. The director is abusive to volunteers and neurotic. My wife and I volunteered there for 8 years and got hassled constantly by that jerk over imagined rule violations. The last straw was her screaming at my wife, and we were never able to clearly determine why. We asked and never got an answer. Of course, the director didn't apologize either. So my wife quit. I complained to the board, who did nothing. Other volunteers and employees have quit because of the director too. And don't donate there either. They've got millions, and that doesn't count the value of the property. I've seen their financial statements. They don't need money. I suggest volunteering with and donating to Kitty Cottage in Norristown or Forgotten Cats in Willow Grove, two great organizations that are run by nice people. read more

I would like to share my horrible experience with Francisvale. On April 10, 2009 we submitted an on-line adoption application for Abby, a collie mix, providing personal and veterinarian references. On April 13 additional information was requested and provided; our application was approved. At our shelter visit Saturday, April 18 we spent 40 minutes taking Abbey for a walk on the grounds. No one took interest in our visit, we did not meet with staff, nor were we asked any questions. We were informed that another family was meeting Abby the next day, despite our approved application, which caused us great anxiety. We were told the policy was not "first come first served," but we were already approved. (Turns out we were just wasting our time.) Our in-home visit was Wednesday April 22, with Heather, who called herself the "shelter manager." She said that Abby shows a strong preference for men and exhibits aggressive tendencies towards food and toys. She said we would need to change Abby's diet, since her primary function at the shelter was to "save money" which means buying cheap dog food "which is mostly filler." Her exact words. Disturbing. At this time, we were told that there were now TWO families competing for Abbey, as if it were a competition. When asked why applications were still being taken, she laughed it off, saying Abby had become "quite popular" over the weekend. (Even though we were actively adopting her? What games are they playing with us?) When Heather met our cat she sternly lectured us about him being declawed, which was really none of her business. When she left, we made plans for her to call Friday, April 24 so that we could come out that afternoon to finalize the adoption and pick Abbey up. On Friday Heather did not call; after waiting 4 HOURS, I called the shelter and was told she was "not available." I left a message; 20 minutes later she called, very flippant and without apology about not calling. She then happily announced that she had placed Abby with another family! I was stunned by her rude behavior and the news. I reminded her that we were expecting to pick Abbey up that day, but she had nothing to say except that Abby had formed a "special connection" with a little girl from another family. That was her only reason; and it was such a joke - she had no plausible explanation for her actions. I asked whether these people had applied before or after we did; she said she didn't know and it didn't matter. When pressed, she said that they had visited Abby on Sunday (the day AFTER we decided to adopt her). She said she would be getting "more dogs," despite having been previously told that we had no interest in other dogs. I informed her that we would not adopt from Francisvale, because the process had been emotionally stressful and grossly unfair. She just laughed. I hung up. Because Heather gave no logical explanation and clearly did not use any reasonable criteria or selection process in her decision, it felt very discriminatory. The "special connection" reference was pure fabrication. This woman led us to believe that we were well qualified to adopt this dog and that we were picking her up Friday. To pull this stunt was unbelievable, and worse, there was absolutely no accountability. My questions are simple: 1. Why were other families allowed to file for adoption after our application was approved, with the adoption pending? Our application, shelter and home visits preceded all others, yet we were forced to compete with - and lose out to - families who entered the process AFTER our approval. 2. How could this so-called "manager" make a well informed decision about Abby's placement when she was not even present during our shelter visit, and no one on staff showed us any interest? She was clearly not in a position to judge, since she did not participate in the complete adoption process from start to finish, yet was obviously involved with the other family. Where was criteria, standards, guidelines or an evaluation process even used? How is this person qualified to make decisions? Further, she openly mislead us, resulting in a high level of emotional distress. There is simply NO accountability. Does this organization have ANY principles or code of ethics? 3. Why was a dog who, according to staff, has a predilection for males, and agressive tendencies with toys and food, placed with a female child? How dumb is that? I brought ALL of these issues, and more, to the attention of the Shelter director, Ms. Kelly, as well as to the board members in a very detailed letter. I never recieved ANY response from anyone (no surprise there). Francisvale Shelter is clearly fraught with poor management, lack of standards, out of control staff and discriminatory practices which negatively reflect on their cause. Saving money by buying bad dog food is just the tip of the iceberg. I won't recommend this shelter to anyone. read more

Without a doubt, the most caring no kill shelter for small animals in the Philadelphia area! The paid employees and volunteers are extremely caring, and love the animals and their work there. The adoption process is thorough, so the animals are placed appropriately. All shelters should be this concerned about the animals! read more

I did adopt 2 husky brothers for my sons. My sons adored those dogs until the huskies passed away at age 15. When we arrived to get the dogs years ago they were all bathed and beautiful. The people there were very professional and kind . I also had to bring a stray cat into them once. I recommend them highly. read more

I started as a volunteer at Francisvale and then ended up working part time over the summer. The animals (dogs and cats) were great. However, the head employees...not so much. The ages of the animals posted on the website arefalse. I worked there about 5 years ago. There are some dogs still there that are listed as 5 and 6 years old, which is the same age they were when I worked there. Same goes for the cats. The dogs ard cats are actually somewhere around 10-12 years old. While I worked there I got my dad to adopt a male cat. They said he was in great health and was about 6 years old. When my dad and I took him to the vet he was actually 10 years old and had kidney disease. My dad and I did everything we could to treat his illness. Though he was doing much better, he passed away a few years later. I called Francisvale to tell them the bad news. No one really seemed to care (not that I was looking for sympathy, just thought they would like to know). I still suggest going to Francisvale or any other shelther of SPCA ...just make sure you know the age and the health of the animals. read more

Finally! I had a great experience with FrancisVale. Apparently their former director left (about 5 years ago) to open her own shelter!?!. In my opinion good riddance! she was very disorganized and never returned calls. I had adopted a cat and it was a miserable and difficult experience dealing with her lack of communication and complete disorganization. this time around it was professional, and a caring wonderful experience. this is a wonderful facility, glad to see that they have gotten some good staffing!. read more

I applied to adopt a lovely dog from Francisvale. I waited to hear back and provided all of my information to them. It took a week to hear back which I understand but when I called to just check in to see if they needed more information, the RUDEST person named Heather. All I asked was if they needed more information from me and she snapped back "we have everything. The dog you want is being adopted." That is fine, but she could have been nicer about it or contacted me before OI had to call. Then, I asked if there were other dogs that I could meet. She got very quiet and said that they would be in touch. I asked if there was a problem and she said no, they were very busy. Being that I am a very good pet owner who takes my animal to the vet two times per year for check-ups, gets regular grooming for my dog, has a fully fenced yard and feeds a premium diet as well as regular exercise and proper training, I was perplexed and frankly, getting annoyed. If I was a bad pet owner, I might understand the hesitation and defensiveness but the blatant rudeness was irritating. I asked to speak to the manager and she explained that she was and there was no one else for me to talk to. I just wanted to adopt one of their dogs and give him a great home! She explained that they had an upcoming fundraiser and had no time to speak to me. I am still confused as to why she was so angry and rude and short with me. I never heard back from them. They then had the nerve to add me to their list requesting donations. I will never send them one penny and will never try to adopt from them again. My advice to Francisvale, get a new manager to be the face and voice of your organization for the benefit of your animals. read more