We were searching for a kitten and a dog that would be an ideal match for our family of five and 1 year old cat. We needed to be careful to find the right pets who would acclimate into our busy household and be gentle with our existing cat. After a month of searching through our local animal shelters and rescues, we still had not found the right matches. Finally through an internet search looking for a long hair orange/white kitten, I finally found what I was looking for out at Have A Heart Humane Society in Tehachapi.
Excitedly I sent both an email and online inquiry through their website and then called the next day about the little cat. Gina quickly answered and confirmed the little kitten was available. She was patient enough to explain the adoption process, the background of the kitten, and listen to me blabber about our family and household since I wanted to make sure that she knew that I was committed to giving the kitten a good home. After I emailed her the application, we made arrangements to go meet the little guy.
The 2+ hours drive on a Saturday was a long and boring drive far past Lancaster but totally worth it. When we arrived to the little antique store in Tehachapi where they set up Saturday pet adoptions, we saw their professional trailer outside and a large set-up of enclosures inside the store. We got to meet the foster parents and ask lots of questions. They had gorgeous kittens in a variety of colors and breeds and a litter of mixed breed puppies with the mother plus another enclosure of a few small dog breeds. Some of the pets were ready to go home if adopted that day while the younger ones were only to be reserved but would need to stay with the rescue until old enough to be fixed.
We ended up falling in love with a 8 week old German shepherd/ lab mix puppy and two 7-week old kittens. The adoption process was super easy and thorough but not excessively judgmental. Between the written application that I previously sent in and meeting our whole family in person, they were able to assess our worthiness to adopt and allowed us to take a puppy home that day. We also reserved two little kittens with a deposit and they are staying in foster care until they will be fixed and ready to go home an estimated 5 weeks later.
Things I love about this animal rescue and why they are worth a drive to check out:
- They have a good variety of pets. Gorgeous kittens, cats, and dogs in good health.
- They rescue some of their pets from the high kill Kern Shelter.
- Their rescues live in foster homes and are well socialized and very loved.
- They know animal care and have lots of experience.
- While they didn't respond to my emails, they answered the phones quickly during their business hours each time I called and were patient to listen and help me with all my pet questions.
- We were pleased that they didn't pressure us to take multiple pets if in sibling pairs but would adopt a single cat or dog if we only wanted one.
Overall after being home with our new puppy for 10 days and having him assessed by our vet, we know that this rescue did a great job with this puppy. He is happy, sweet, in good health, partially potty trained and well adjusted. A huge plus is that he was socialized with cats and kittens so he has gained the trust of our existing cat and they already have a playful, loving bond forming. read more