I was so disappointed after a previous positive experience with Fuzzy Friends. The place came recommended from a coworker who has family member that sits on their board of directors. Since we adopted pretty easily in 2020, we were excited to work with them a second time. We completed the application, were approved and drove over 2 hours from Austin to meet 2 sweet pups. I had even called ahead of time to explain that since it was such a long drive, we hoped to meet and adopt on the same day and was told that "would be fine." Imagine how disappointed I was after making the drive, meeting one of the sweet dogs, just to be told that neither of our selected dogs was fixed and they would both have to be "foster to adopt". They however further explained that only in county residents could be considered because they were still legally responsible and their vet would have to do the surgery. They flippantly stated that they were "sorry", that this had not been explained, but there was no way around it! They then tried to guilt me into adopting a more medically complex dog. After two weeks one of the dogs is still listed on the website as available. No mention of foster to adopt or that the dog still needs to be neutered. The whole experience felt discriminatory. Happily, we have found another rescue and adopted a sweet sweet dog who is now a part of our family. Would not recommend at all. read more

I wish I could leave 0 stars. I fell in love with a sweet little baby named Gidget here and we did the adoption application, got our current dog up to date on his vaccines, and they literally just kept ghosting us. They stalled on the phone and asked "well did he get his rabies vaccine today?" and then after that they said "well, since he didn't get heartworm treatment we'll take this application before the board." their board of idiots hasn't reached out AT ALL and i'm just of the mindset that we won't get Gidget at all. i don't want another dog, i've never fallen in love with a dog before except her. y'all are awful. do you even WANT to rehome these dogs??? read more

So I filled out an application on Saturday for this precious puppy I bonded with instantly. They told me that two applications fell through, one family changed their mind, and the other family just could not get him. I go to check the website today Tuesday, and his picture is taken down. I called and they said " oh yeah he went to a home yesterday" would have been nice if I had gotten a call back! I should have believed all the awful reviews about this place. Won't come back here again. read more

It's really disappointing to see an institution have multiple dogs under their care but couldn't care less about finding homeless pets a home. This place needs to be shut down because they prefer to keep their animals caged instead of finding them a happy home. The staff at the front desk is useless and misinformed. Their sole Mission is to continuously make up rules that prevents anyone from adopting a pet. I've adopted my cat and my dog before from 2 different rescues and I've never encountered what I encountered here. They have you fill out an application and ask you to provide full medical records for your pet. They claim the application will take weeks to process, because Teri can't process more than one app a day. After the application is completed they claim that they need to have their "board of directors" review and approve all adoptions. They much rather have animals stuck at their shelter for months! They told me that I could not adopt their dog because it was not fixed. I offered to adopt him pay out my own pocket with my own vet to fix the dog and they refused. I also offered to foster the pet and again they made up another rule as to why I couldn't have this dog. If you are a person of color don't bother coming here as you will get all the imaginary rules thrown at you by this all white staff. read more

Fuzzy friends is one of the most unethically run businesses I have ever encountered. They are clearly not interested in rehoming dogs, but rather are interested in taking a non-existent moral high-ground. Apparently they also like to lie to and gaslight their customers. After submitting an application to adopt a dog, I was told that I was not a good "fit" despite the dog obviously getting along with me. When I asked for further explanation, I was told that that the reason my application was rejected was because I did not have vet records, and thus could not be trusted to care for a dog. This is all despite the fact that I have been asked to care for multiple dogs for extended periods of time, and would have easily been able to provide references. Additionally, I am a teacher, and am apparently trusted to care for HUMAN CHILDREN more than I am a dog. Most importantly I was also told, that it is official Fuzzy Friends policy to refuse to allow anyone who does not have vet records to adopt ANY dog from their shelter. I know multiple people who have adopted dogs from their shelter without previously having owned a pet. In essence I was lied to, so that Fuzzy Friends could refuse to let me adopt a dog. All of this is patently absurd, given the fact that Fuzzy Friends essentially steals all the well behaved dogs from shelters that will actually let you adopt them, and makes it so that first time dog owners are forced to either gamble with their own incredibly unprofessional operation, or adopt a dog with serious behavioral problems that they will probably return, and ultimately consign to death. Fuzzy Friends cares for dogs? No they, actually just hate people who want to adopt dogs. read more

Very friendly. Easy process, pets were very well taken care of and it was an easy tradition from their facility to our home. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a pet. read more

Chloe was "11 months and 15 days" at the time of our "attempt" to adopt. My husband is newly retired and is home all day!!!! We hadn't had a pet for more than 10 years because of 12 hour work days. Now because we had "no proof of pet responsibility" and she is under a year old we were denied...We are 53 and 63 years old! Good grief!!! Such a huge heart break. I hope we find out sweet love soon. read more

Every experience is as if they DONT want to rehome the dogs. The way they conduct the entire adoption process is like an auctioned off item, only going to the highest bidder. And I don't mean money. You go and you meet a dog, fall in love, then apply. You then are told, "it's not first come first serve. It's best 'fit'. " Come to find out, the people who are most interacting with the animals and the applicants DONT EVEN HAVE A SAY in who's "best fit." Turns out a board of people who have never met you and who do not work in the rescue, have this knowledge. And when you are told it will take 1-2 days to process the application for potential approval- they mean, "the board does what they want and it may take as long as it takes." It took 2 weeks of my kids asking every day about "Benny." And whether or not we'd be able to take him home (even though we met him and applied when no one else had. Doesn't matter. It's not first come first serve.) There is no reason to have denied us. We bonded well. Their criteria for best fit was that we'd care for him in preventive care, such as heart worm and fleas and such. Anyone paying $300 for a rescue dog is not going to neglect it. We waited 2 weeks. 2 weeks of calling every day to hear they still hadn't decided. 2 weeks to get a lousy email saying that "many applications" came in. And they went with someone else. When all they had to do was check us out, maybe come to our home. I would have contacted a vet then and there had they needed it. But they just held onto the application and waited for more. Thanks Fuzzy Friends for being such a counterproductive rescue. I'm sure the animals appreciate it. Benny spent 3 extra weeks without a home. read more

Fuzzy Friends Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waco, Texas

I've adopted a few dogs here over the past 20 years. After a lengthy time of not adopting any, I contacted them about a little cutie I saw online. It was adopted soon after, but they emailed me about another one that had arrived. They sent me pictures, as it wasn't online yet, and I drove up to see him a few days later. He has been ours now for almost a year, and we couldn't be happier. read more

Fuzzy Friends Rescue - Rufus - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waco, Texas

Have adopted 2 dogs from fuzzy friends. They were both wonderful dogs. The experience was great

It's like they aren't interested in having the dogs adopted, there was no help as soon as you walked in and you kinda had to figure out on your own where the dogs were. Once you did find the dogs they were outside in the cold, shivering. I do not recommend this place to anyone. read more

this place is great, they seem to treat all of the animals very well and are so nice to work with. i highly recommend visiting if you're looking for a new pet or making a donation if you love animals. read more

Fuzzy Friends Rescue - Meeting a dog in the yard at Fuzzy Friends - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waco, Texas

I've worked with half a dozen rescues over the past decade and never had such a terrible experience as with Fuzzy Friends. The staff was uninformed, disrespectful, and clearly had no interest in helping the animals. We called on a Saturday inquiring about a dog we were interested in, and they told us despite being from Austin, TX, we could submit an app for the dog and come on Monday to get the app processed and adopt. We take a day trip to the rescue and immediately they were rude and couldn't answer our questions. They brought the pup out and let him meet our dog, and from the start we told them we wanted to adopt him. It wasn't until after we said we were ready to finish the adoption process that suddenly they don't process apps same day. Then it was that they could process but a board needed to approve. Then it was that he couldn't be adopted he had to be fostered first because he wasn't neutered. When we said we would foster, suddenly he can't be fostered outside of Waco. We offered to sign something promising to get him neutered and even offered to use their vet at our cost. Then it was that he couldn't be neutered until August. So we asked if we could adopt now and pay and pick him up in August. That wasn't allowed either. We tried to find any way we could adopt the pup, and it was clear they had no interest in getting him in a good home. Frankly their refusal to work with us despite our offer to do whatever they wanted leads me to believe the all-white, elderly staff was doing whatever they could not to adopt the dog to a person of color. It was a terrible experience. Please do not support this rescue! read more

My experience at Fuzzy Friends was positive. I contacted them about a sweet little chihuahua mix that I found online and submitted my completed application which included information about my house, yard, and other information including my vet's contact information. After going through my application and checking with my vet (which took about a week) they contacted me to tell me she was ready to be adopted and that I could go meet her. The folks on the phone were helpful, providing me information about visiting hours, etc. When I got to the rescue I was greeted right away, introduced to "Daisy" and given a private room where I could spend some time with her alone. The room was set up with a couch and toys and I was comfortable there while getting to know my new friend. The staff checked on me regularly. I asked if I could take her out for a walk, was helped to find a harness that fit her, and was accompanied outside to their beautiful grounds where I was able to walk with her and talk with one of the caretakers to learn a little more about how this particular dog had behaved while at the rescue. I decided to adopt her right then and there and the paperwork was completed in about 15 minutes. I was quite surprised to see the negative reviews for this rescue group and feel compelled to respond to those complaining that they were not waited on in a timely manner. Although I wouldn't say the rescue was super organized, I was also looking at several other rescues at the time and they aren't very organized either. I think people forget that in many cases rescues depend on volunteer help which includes teens and others who might only be at the rescue once a week or even less frequently. The "customer service" you get at a group run by a large group of volunteers might not be what you've come to expect from your local for-profit stores. Also, in my opinion, the purpose of a rescue is to take care of animals and to find them the best home, not to be taking care of the person looking for a new pet. I for one found the people I dealt with at Fuzzy Friends to be friendly, informative and felt they truly cared about the animals and, in my case, they DID help me find a forever friend, and I am forever grateful to them for that and for the work they do. Thank you Fuzzy Friends for taking in my little "Daisy" (even though she was pregnant), fostering her until her pups were born (and until they were weaned), and then allowing us to take her home!! We are in LOVE!I read more

Fuzzy Friends Rescue - The little dreamboat I was lucky enough to find at Fuzzy Friends. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Waco, Texas

If there was a negative 10 they would get that as a score. We went on Saturday and adopted Tom Brady, it was not a good fit, after being told on Saturday we had 60 days we returned on Tuesday and they said no refunds it took acting like an ass and blocking the credit card to get my money back! 350.00 that they wanted to just keep! I looked at other dogs and they didn't have a good fit I believe in rescue it's my heart just not with Fuzzy Friends. read more

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After submitting a form to get a dog placed with them who had neglected. My neighbor and I rescued her, took her for medical care, shots, the works. She's ok, and is a sweet dog. Submitted the application and got no response! I heard NOTHING from them, called, was told tmanager was going to return my call to ask what needs to be done for her to be adopted. The young lady who answered the phone was delightful. She told me that they had gotten my form. Said he would call. In 2 weeks later. Noting. I called back, same young lady, still no response from the manager. A week later I I complained that he'd not retuned any of my calls. A "higher up" called, I should have gotten an acknowledgment, etc. I said I'd gotten nothing. She told me to check my spam... I should have gotten a notice that my application had been received. I told her I'd gotten nothing. After taking to the "higher up" she said try manager would call that day or the next. Nothing!!! Then I asked to a couple of vets and others in the animal car fields to find that FUZZY Friends had a terrible reputation about this and swapping animals who had been promised to one person only to have it change. Arrogant, dishonest. I would NEVER recommend this business to anyone even though I had gotten an animal from them in the recent past. read more

We adopted our dog here. He is so beautiful and well-behaved. A real joy :) They have many good dogs and cats here. They are a little more expensive than the local Humane Society, but I think that since they have a smaller volume of animals they are better able to learn the personalities and health of the pets. Pets come microchipped, spayed/neutered, and vaccinated. When we were there we saw many friendly animals. They have lots of small dogs and plenty of big dogs. All breeds and mixes. Big cat room with gorgeous kitties. We had no problem getting our application passed. They are open something like 6 days a week. When we are in Waco we always bring our little dog by to visit and everyone is happy to see that he is doing well. Highly recommended. read more

Absolutely unprofessional and impossible to adopt a dog. They won't call you, they will email you instead of calling. Then they will tell you that an active/energizing dog needs to be a 100% inside dog and that if they find out that it's not, they will revoke custody from you. read more

very disrespectful employees that make it seem as if they don't WANT the animals to be adopted. No wonder they are at max capacity and can't accept more animals. read more

Absolutely impossible to adopt a dog. We had adopted a dog from them 6 years ago and it went so smooth. Attempted to adopt two different dogs within a month and got denied both times. When they make the effort to contact your vet and you get a good reference from them what should it matter? Because we would leave the dog unattended for a few minutes outside we were denied. Were visiting friends in the Austin area afterwards and happened upon a Humane Society truck and they did a 10 minute interview asking questions pertaining to the dog and her basic needs and off we went! THAT is the way to rehome a dog. Fuzzy friends does not want to rehome. They want to seem elite and only give to certain people. Guessing they only give to those that attend their expensive gala. They did not call back when you left a message for the "people in charge of adoption." The volunteers answering the phones were amazing and very nice. It was once you went beyond them where the issues were. read more

Me and my husband went to this adoption and we filled up an online application. After 5 days I called them for an update.The lady that I talked to said that everything is good except that my husband is military that's why it was not processed. I told them that we will take our pet whenever we move. It is so absurd that they won't adopt if you are military family!!! It doesn't mean that if ur in military you automatically abandon your pets!!! I felt that they are very disrespectful to our fellow soldiers that want to adopt they they won't let it the facility is nice and clean but I feel sorry for the dogs their crates are dirty and stinks. read more

First, I want to thank Fuzzy Friends, because if you had not declined our application, we wouldn't have Flint, our most precious love. We are a middle-aged couple who believe if our children wanted to care for animals then the vet would have them as owners, not us. This evidently was a problem with your service as we didn't have "enough vet experience" for the two dogs we wanted. On top of this, you lied and said the two babies we wanted were already set for adoption. This was at the end of July. The three boys we looked at are still up for adoption. Do you feel you made a mistake denying our application? I sure hope so. Sadly, there were two young college students who adopted dogs with "instant application approval". We were told ours had to go before a board, because of lack of vet visits and no fence. What college student do you know has vet records for "at least three years" and a "fenced yard"? One student was a freshman as we overheard - 18 years of age! We are in our 50s. I cried for a week and then agreed to visit the Humane Society of Central Texas. Flint found us. A heeler-mix which is the type of dog we were interested in adopting from Fuzzy Friends. For $75, not $200, Flint was neutered and micro-chipped. He came home with us and has not only our yard, but 40 acres of running room. The mistake to adopt was Fuzzy Friends. I am saddened that the beautiful boys, John Wayne, Yosemite Sam, and Pistol Pete, still haven't found homes. Consider rethinking your selective adoption process as you missed a really good deal. We are looking at getting another dog from the Humane Society, because at least they know what love look likes. read more

We adopted 2 dogs here.. Sophia the basset hound and Skeeter the blue heeler. I LOVE Fuzzy Friends Rescue! But, the thing I like most about it is the friendly staff and how clean and healthy all the animals and atmosphere looks! I would TOTALLY recommend adopting (and donating) to FFR! read more

The customer service that my family has experienced has been terrible. First of all, my mom became aware of a pup that had been surrendered to Fuzzy Friends. She was VERY interested in adopting this sweet pup as he was found as a stray. She called inquiring about him only to get someone rude on the phone. She offered to foster and do whatever it would take to ensure she could be the one to give him his forever home. She is THE biggest dog lover out there - all she wanted to do was to give this pup something he's never had. Since they were rude on the phone, she left work early to actually drive out there and meet the pup. She encountered two more rude employees that told her it's just not possible. Since the pup is a new intake, he has to be quarantined for a certain amount of time. My mom understood, but she asked if she could just SEE him - if even from a distance. One lady agreed while another did not. She wasn't even able to LOOK at him from a distance. Here you have a shelter that says they are in the business of helping pups find homes. You have a family that will pre-adopt, foster and do whatever it takes to give a pup a home - yet they turned her away...not even asking for her information to call when his IS available! They said it's NOT a first come first serve basis, and she couldn't even see him. What the heck kind of shelter is this???? I've NEVER heard of such an unprofessional shelter in the business of trying to help animals NOT ACTUALLY help an animal. I have many friends that volunteer at shelters and this is by far this most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. At the end of the day, isn't it about ensuring these animals are healthy, safe and loved??? Something Fuzzy Friends seem to have missed the memo on... read more

This place is so great. I'm so happy that places like this exist because it makes me happy knowing these animals feel like their at home and not just at a shelter. The cat room is my favorite because you can actually walk in and play with all ages of cats from kittens to adult cats. When you're there you can hold them and play with the toys that are near by and just hang out. Nobody bothers you and occasionally a worker will come by and see the cats but other than that it's just you hanging out with some furry pals for a little bit. I like this place because when I moved to Waco a year ago I had to leave my pets behind at my parents house because my apartment complex doesn't take animals and so my now husband would take me here to fuzzy friends because he knew how much I missed my cat Elvis and dogs. I hope to one day get a cat from here because they are all so great and have neat personalities. The dog room is a little more depressing tho I do admit only because they're locked up in cages but I know the workers work with them all the time unlike the humane society. Keep up the good work fuzzy friends :D read more

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Applied online for "Tiffany" on April 9, 2020. On April 10, 2020 I received a call from Callie at Fuzzy Friends in Waco TX. Very professional and so sweet. Said i could come out with mask and social distancing to see the dog I wanted. I spent about 30 minutes with Tiffany and when I first saw her I thought this is a "Tessa." I was assisted with paperwork, provided a dog tag, color of my choice, with Tessa's name and contact information, a harness, collar, leash, bag of food, and a crate. Tessa had 4 puppies, an injured paw, wellness visit, vaccinations, spay, and heartworm medication, all taken care of by Fuzzy Friends. I have Tessa's medical records and she was very well cared for while there. Employee "Carol" took excellent care of her when she delivered her puppies. I do not recall the young man's name who brought Tessa out to me, but he was very friendly and informative, dark hair and glasses. I have seen comments regarding the cost of dogs for adoption here, but consider what they do for every cat and dog that comes into their care. The price is minimal and worth every penny. Eight months since I adopted Tessa and she is loving and sweet, whip smart, great personality and temperment, sometimes goofy, and such a cuddle bug! I take her everywhere with me and cannot imagine life without her. Thank you Fuzzy Friends! Merry Christmas to everyone at Fuzzy Friends! Cheri Lambert read more

I recently adopted my best friend from Fuzzy Friends Rescue, and I couldn't possibly be happier! The staff is so friendly and helpful when you are interested in adopting! I do appreciate it that some of the kittens and cats get to roam free and are always entertained by the many toys and scratching posts! The fact that Fuzzy Friends gives the dogs lots of space to roam is a good plus, too! This No-Kill rescue has given so many animals great homes, and I love it! read more

What can i say. Got a purebread puppy with papers, spayed, chipped, up to date on all shots that is a pure joy to our family. Fuzzy friends is clean, staff is friendly and helpful. I would never buy from a breeder, just check their website and you will probably find what you are looking for. read more

My daughter and I love fuzzy friends. You can go by and play with all the cats and dogs and adopt or just play with the animals. In the past sometimes we donate items on the wish list for the animals, but not every time we visit. We love that fuzzy friends is so friendly. They just let us go in the cat room and spend hours playing with all the animals-tons of fun and no pressure to adopt. In the past we have adopted 2 cats at 2 separate times from another shelters, one in Waco and one in Dallas and loved our cats until they passed away. My daughter and I just love animals, and love to go by and play with all the cats. read more

I was really disappointed with Fuzzy Friends. Went out there Saturday, found a wonderful dog, filled out the "application", the lady went on about she didnt see a problem with us getting her. Then, today, I finally called to check, and they friggin denied me. Says that we didnt have enough Vet records on our previous dog. Well lets see, if theyre not sick, and they are up to date on shots, why would I take her to the Vet if there was nothing wrong with her? Stupid, just plain stupid. I see this as a scam....totally. read more

We visited Fuzzy Friends in September and came away with a wonderful little dog. We were really impressed on how they handled the process of making sure Chelsea was right for us and our dog, Luni. We made several trips out to visit with Chelsea and they welcomed Luni as well. This was very helpful in making sure the dogs would get along and that Chelsea would go to a good home. read more

Fuzzy Friends has been an animal welfare mainstay in Waco for a very long time. Along with ABC Low Cost Spay/Neuter clinic they have been leaders in making Waco a no kill community. In response to Maryann M (9/12/16) you can thank the high number of military pet owners who had no problem dumping their dogs at local kill shelters when their transfers came thru for any problems you have adopting a pet. I speak from experience running adoptions out of PetSmart in Waco, Killeen and Temple for Huts for Mutts from 2005-2012. We received an overwhelming number of calls from kill pounds in those cities asking if we would like to retrieve "our" dog (all were microchipped and we were alternative contacts). The stress level of running a rescue is high enough without having to deal with irresponsible pet parents who have no problem turning their back on an adoption. Kudos to Fuzzy Friends for doing their best to ensure a life long adoption. read more