I helped rescue Toby, cared for him for five months, and tried to bring him home again--only to be…read moreleft in the dark while he was adopted out. I hate to give any Rescue a 1-star review, but in the case of Darbster, it feels like they prioritize speed of placement over the well-being of a pet. I was directly involved in rescuing Toby after he was found abandoned and chained to a tree in Miami. For five months, I ensured he received medical treatment, and spent months caring for him day-to-day, getting to know his personality, behavior, and needs--and loving him. When Toby was initially placed with a family, I believed it would be his forever home. Although I was somewhat reluctant, I supported the placement due to work travel I could not cancel. There was an understanding that if it didn't work out, I would be contacted and given the opportunity to adopt him. Unfortunately, that did not happen. When I learned he had been transferred to Darbster, I reached out within about an hour of him being listed and spoke with a member of the team same day. During that conversation, I offered to cover nightly boarding costs so I could travel and pick him up, and was told they would follow up with next steps. After not hearing back, I followed up within 24 hours confirming I was prepared to make a 24-hour round-trip drive to bring him home. Within three hours of that follow-up, I received an automated email that Toby had been adopted. I did not receive any direct communication or update beforehand and it was not until that evening that I received a brief email confirming the adoption, without explanation. At no point did I receive a follow-up regarding boarding, next steps, or any indication that they'd be showing him to other potential adopters. I had always believed rescues prioritize placing dogs in the most appropriate long-term homes, especially when there is an existing, known relationship. In this case, it felt like speed of placement was prioritized over familiarity and previously formed bonds. The lack of communication and failure to follow through--especially after I had expressed immediate commitment and prior involvement in Toby's care--was incredibly difficult, and the adoption notification with no prior update was heartbreaking. To whoever has adopted Toby: I truly hope you are giving him the loving, stable home he deserves. He is an incredibly special dog. If this message reaches Toby's new owner, I truly hope he is a perfect fit. However, if for any reason it doesn't work out, please reach out to me--I miss him so much.

We made the heartbreaking decision to return a puppy to this shelter after extensive effort,…read moretraining, and veterinary care. Unfortunately, the situation became unstable and unsafe for our existing pets. This decision was not made lightly or impulsively, but with significant grief, honesty, and concern for Medley's long-term wellbeing. ** It is also important to note that even at the time of adoption, Medley's behavior in our home was the complete opposite of how she was described and what we experienced. The calm, easygoing demeanor we were led to expect did not reflect the dog we brought home. The only time her behavior aligned with that initial description was while she was medicated following surgery; once the medication wore off, her true temperament emerged. Labeling her as "full of puppy energy", is an over simplification of her personality. My family has had many puppies and fostered several as well, she has far more energy than a normal puppy. She needs 24/7 surveillance at least in this stage of her life, and nowhere in her description does it even nod to anything like that. ** While the volunteers we interacted with were compassionate and kind, the office staff we dealt with during surrender were dismissive and lacking empathy during an already painful process. When we asked whether we could be notified once she was adopted--purely for peace of mind, as we love her deeply and want her placed safely--we were bluntly told to "check the website," which added unnecessary coldness to an emotional moment. What prompted this review was seeing Medley's adoption profile reposted using her original description, despite detailed, first-hand information being provided at surrender. I emailed them a 2 page document including all of the training styles used, her favorite stuff, her behaviors and needs, and it clearly was just ignored. We even called addressing the inaccuracy of her profile, and was told they'd talk to a manager and fix it... days later the profile says its current with no changes. We spent well over a thousand dollars between adoption fees, products, and veterinary care while essentially fostering her for only 2 months. (In which we spent hours every day training her, trying to tire her out, and keeping her engaged. In the beginning she was fine with our dog, then in the end we had to keep them separated at all times after she hurt my dog and cat) Then had to pay $150 to return her, which I know they'll say was in the contract, fine... but charging people and treating them like that, and then treating the dog they care about like a product is confusing. We made it VERY clear that she cannot be safely housed with cats or timid dogs, yet she is currently listed as "wonderful with dogs, cats, and children." This is not accurate. She has never been exposed to young children, has injured our timid older dog, and has a strong prey drive. Presenting her as universally suitable creates a serious risk of unsafe or failed placements. Medley is a good dog--funny, energetic, inquisitive, and outdoorsy--but she is also a higher-needs dog who requires the right environment to succeed.Portraying her as something she is not does a disservice to potential adopters and, more importantly, to Medley herself. We tried our absolute best to find her the correct home, hence why we brought her back to her original adoption location, and gave them all of the detailed information we did. Now reflecting, I wish we hadn't returned her here because we are so unsure about her future, and have no control over the situation. Beyond heartbroken over the way this matter was handled. Honest, transparent profiles matter. Especially for dogs with specific needs, accuracy can mean the difference between a stable forever home and repeated rehoming. I sincerely hope this shelter reflects on how surrendering families are treated and how dogs are represented going forward, because both deserve better. I will be including the documents I sent them, followed by their description.

I cannot say anything less then EXCELLENT comments about Mary Finlayson and her Team!…read more Grooming- Mary helped Sally our Angora French Lop with her get back to her beautiful self after a period of matted fur. While Sally was in Mary's care, her skin was very thin were most of the matting had occurred. Mary took EXCELLENT care of Sally. Mary bunny plucked her fur, and Mary also took the time to explain what she did, and kindly educated us on how to care for Sally's fur from that point on! Mary and her team are Professional, Educated, Patient, and Care about clients and their humans. Training- My 8 yr. old German Shepherd and I attended and graduated from Mary's Obedience 1 class. Mary is once again Professional, Educated, and most of all FUN to have as a instructor!

Mary Finlayson is the best trainer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. My dog Addie loves…read moregoing there for her class's and for day care. Love this place

Awesome experience. Wendy is fantastic. We had to board our 4 yr old Chihuahua/dachshund and our 6…read moreyr old Maltese for the first time. We had a lot of anxiety but everything seemed to go smoothly and both of our babies appeared to be well taken care of.

I brought my dog to stay for an overnight here and took her out of there as fast as I could. The…read moreoutside looks alright with a few different fenced areas but slightly muddy it doe not appear the groups of dogs are supervised. I walked in with my dog and saw crates stacked atleast 2 high and filled two rooms, a mud room and living room. There were a couple small dogs in a kitchen and a few more in crates around the dining room. My dog and I were frozen and overwhelmed. It was so loud I could not hear the husband and wife talking to me. There must have been about 25 dogs in the care of the two older couple that live there. The home was smelly and terrifying. I took my dog and left crying.

Sharing a recent experience of ours. We have boarded with this facility in the past. Due to a…read morecancer diagnosis and surgery (with a 6 month plus recovery & treatments), as well as my mother passing 5 months later, we did not board here for almost two years. We had scheduled a few times to board, however, for various reasons, had to cancel. The owner also told us to bring our 2 dogs in for boarding once in a while to keep them familiar with her and the kennel. Spending money to board without need seems irresponsible to us. Last week, I left two messages to schedule boarding for two nights. The owner finally called us back, and we were absolutely stunned of the accusation that our dogs gave other dogs kennel cough more than two years ago when we boarded them. She also accused us of altering vet records, which we find grossly unprofessional, slanderous and out of line. Why would anyone alter vet records? This makes no sense. We have owned many dogs in more than 50 years, mostly rescues, and have NEVER had a kennel cough incident, and our dogs have always been vaccinated with rabies and Bordatella/kennel cough. They also do not go to dog parks nor are they around other dogs unless we bring them to the beach, however, still mostly away from our dogs in order to avoid contagious illnesses. We would never board a dog without the kennel cough vaccine, and most kennels require it, however, this kennel prefers you do not get it or do not get it within a week or so before boarding. Our dogs are 10 years old, have been vaccinated for Bordatella every year of their life as all of our dogs have been, and kennel cough can normally not be spread from dogs that have been vaccinated in the past, and newly vaccinated dogs have a very very slim chance of spreading kennel cough after an initial shot (we spoke to a Vet following this disgusting conversation with the owner). There was never any notification from the owner of this supposed kennel cough incident, and frankly, if dogs next to ours came down with kennel cough, WHY DID SHE NOT NOTIFY US THAT A KENNEL COUGH OUTBREAK HAD HAPPENED AT HER KENNEL DURING OUR BOARDING TIMEFRAME? Very irresponsible if that did happen. She never contacted us. Never mentioned this to us after we had made a few scheduled boarding days. We needed to cancel due to cancer treatment complications, and a dying mother. Our experience was that the owner might be unhappy that we did not board with her in two years. We had no reason nor have taken any vacations or time away to board our dogs anywhere. To be falsely accused of this is concerning. Our dogs always came home smelling so badly, usually with urine on them, and they are very clean dogs. I understand kennels are not always the cleanest places, but one person managing the entire kennel might be overwhelming at this point. We are stunned at this accusation and demeanor of someone we entrusted with our dogs (kids).

A Lifesaver For Many Animals. The farm does its best in every case and because some horses come…read morethere severely malnourished that horse may not recov er. But they do the best they can and have constant vet supervision and spend Lots!!! Of money on vet care and feed. I don't think anyone should criticize what they do. I got my dog there and he is the dearest little pup! They have saved many many creatures! They are the best!

I believe I was lied to about the dog I adopted from there. Be careful and ask lots of questions…read more Make sure the animals are properly vetted. The dog was very aggressive towards little ones and bit a dog and bit two adults. I do not recommend this rescue to prevent others from stress and being hurt physically and mentally.