I have worked with the staff at FFL to help foster a sweet older lady cat. They have been nothing…read morebut courteous throughout the process. From what I've seen, they care a lot about the animals they're saving and do a job in the community that many of us do not want or are even able to do. I cannot vouch for the adoption program since I have not adopted an animal through the shelter.

I am a vet tech of about 24 years so I have seen every type of client, good and bad, from my time…read morein the vet field. Now, I am a school teacher but I still foster dogs for animal control and currently have 9 spoiled mutts at our ranch who are loved dearly, whether my own personal pets or one of my fosters. I feel like I am very knowledgable with regard to animal care and now as a teacher, spend my days reflecting on systems that work and ones that really need improvement. I am sure that Friends For Life has good intentions for placing these animals in perfect homes but the narrow minded approach they have to the adoption process and line of questioning is an absolute detriment to the pets waiting for their forever homes. A family member of mine began the application process to adopt a sweet young dog and I can vouge that she would be considered a TOP NOTCH loving, caring, responsible pet owner/client in the eyes of any vet because she has no kids and treats her dogs like the kings and queens that they feel like living in her home under her care. During the interview with her, Friends For Life asked her how she felt about the use of shock collars and she was honest and told them that under the direction of a dog trainer when one of her dogs was a puppy, she used one for the timeframe of about a month (and later, I found out it was only on the vibrate setting and was activated probably 3-4 times during the training sessions). They immediately sent her an email telling her that they could never consider her as a potential adopter because she believes in her trainer's methods and trains dogs by using fear as motivation. They told her that they were sure she could find a dog somewhere else to adopt, but just not from them. Any dog could only be so lucky to be adopted by her, as I have joked for years that she runs to the vet if her dog looks at her funny. She videos and keeps a log of their every move to give the vet a minute by minute calendar of what is going on when something isn't right. She will spend whatever it takes to help them, buying only a high quality diet, the veterinary recommended preventative medicines, and the best of the best in every aspect of quality care. I truly can't say enough good things. That month of using a vibrating collar with one dog in her 63 years on this earth was enough to stop the application process in its tracks. No further questioning, no checking references, no calling the vet for a recommendation, no nothing. Hands down... she is out and the dog is still homeless. The real victim here is a dog that could have landed the most loving home ever for it's entire life, with NO worries that it would ever be given away, given up on, or put in a bad situation. It could have had a stable, mature, active home that catered to it's every desire that a sweet, spoiled dog deserves. A 6am walk every single day, runs at the park, golf cart rides, car rides, regular medical care and more. I called this adoption facility, as a loyal and caring family member, and told them that I was NOT begging them to reconsider because the hurt that their assumptions caused had already settled in. Instead, since their own description of their animal adoption facility suggested that they were "innovating, improving and tracking results to find the most effective ways to save lives," I suggested that they consider and collaborate on a more extensive vetting of adopters by looking at the bigger picture of what the potential home can offer and calling various credible references, rather than placing judgment on a more-than-great family and negating the whole process based on a single application question that required further interpretation than an email or a text could offer. Anyone can lie on an application and let them hear what they want to hear, but she didn't... and further conversation could have probably clarified things to the point where this dog could have already started living it's best life. She had even cooked bland chicken and rice in preparation for bringing the new dog home and acclimating it to a new food. Prayers that every dog in this facility gets a great new home and a fresh start, but more... prayers that Friends For Life revisit their adoption process so they don't continue to run off any more perfect homes for these very deserving animals. Again, I am sure their intentions are good but... what an unfortunate loss to the animals for a possible forever home at the same time!

This organization does a fantastic job helping so many dogs. The pups all seemed to be well taken…read morecare of in their facility and I can't thank the fosters enough for taking such good care of Macey and Leo until we found each other! These 2 dogs were really a bonded pair and the folks at K-9 Angels just would not allow them to be separated. Thank you so much for doing that- these 2 are the sweetest pups and I can see how they would have been heartbroken had they been separated. I really like how the dogs are kept in foster homes and only brought into the shelter itself on weekends or events. The shelter itself was clean and organized and all the people working there were super nice. There are so many homeless dogs out there and this organization is doing a great job in finding them furrever homes! You truly are angels! THANK YOU K-9 ANGELS!!!

Terrible place. Reached out for help when we found out a rescued dog was 5-6 weeks pregnant (the…read moreequivalent of 3rd trimester in humans) and the recommendation was to kill the puppies. From Mary Tipton the cofounder: I would have gone ahead and spayed her today. Pregnant or not. Mary Co-founder K-9 Angels Rescue

I would not recommend using Spring Branch Rescue Transport for out-of-state pet adoptions,…read moreespecially if you're adopting a cat. The rescue organization I adopted through was outstanding. They communicated clearly throughout the process, helped match us with the right pet for our family before we even adopted, and worked with us to find what they believed would be the fastest transport option. Unfortunately, the transport experience itself was the exact opposite. Communication from Spring Branch Rescue Transport was poor and often confusing. Updates were primarily provided through a Facebook group chat, which required scrolling through long message histories just to piece together where the transport was and when your pet might arrive. Even the dog owners--who make up the majority of their transports--were regularly asking for updates because information was so limited. One of the biggest frustrations was the transport schedule. The screenshots showing pickup and drop-off locations didn't include dates, and the stops weren't numbered. A simple numbered route with estimated dates or even the expected order of stops would have made it much easier for adopters to understand where the transport was and when to realistically expect their pet. Instead, it felt like you had to put your life on hold while waiting for updates. For cat owners, I would strongly recommend looking for another option. Our cat spent more than four days in the transport vehicle, surrounded by numerous other animals in what was undoubtedly a stressful environment. The uncertainty around arrival times also made planning nearly impossible. I watched other adopters in the group chat rearrange important milestone life events and even drive to different states because the delivery window kept vaguely changing or remained so broad. Looking back, I would have skipped the transport altogether. Flying to the rescue, renting a car, and driving home with your pet would have given us complete control over the schedule while likely making the trip far less stressful for the animal. While I appreciate the work involved in transporting rescue animals over long distances, the communication, organization, and scheduling experience left a lot to be desired. For anyone adopting from out of state--particularly a cat--I believe there are better options.

From the owner: Spring Branch Rescue is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization with a mission to care for lost,…read moreneglected, and abandoned pets by re-uniting them with their owners or finding them loving new owners. We also educate owners in our community on population control

I recently adopted a cat from this organization. They know a lot about each individual cat and…read moretheir personalities. I wanted a laid back cat, and that's exactly what I got! I went to meet the cat, and made sure we got along and then they dropped her off at my house. They offer personal service! Exceptional Adoption Agency. I had an excellent experience.

the lady who answered the phone was very rude and I could tell from her tone that she did not want…read moreto be talking to me. i understand that life is stressful but I'm also going through a stressful situation and this made me have a mental breakdown after getting off the phone. I do not recommend calling this place. I'm not a Karen at all and usually never leave reviews, I'm not sure if she was having a bad day or what. do not recommend.

Very clean lobby - professional, friendly staff. They get right down to business, they get you in…read moreand out quickly. We paid $45 per pet on an emergency sick visit plus medications.

Found a baby opossum, kept it warm and fed it, but next day we noticed worms around it's bum, so…read morecalled Houston SPCA, they said to take it in right away or else it might not make it thru the night. Took it to the Houston SPCA wildlife rescue. Staff were friendly and kind enough to let us know the status of the opossum, apparently it had prolapsed anus with maggots :( but they did tell us with meds the prognosis was good! The transition was seamless and all we did was fill out a brief form. We also got to see a cool one eyed owl and a hawk in the window while in the lobby

I have fostered and adopted from shaggy dog rescue, they are simply the best. Kathy goes above and…read morebeyond for her dogs, that includes exceptional vet care for them (included all vetting even if they need specialists) She filters adopters because she wants her dogs to end up in good homes. I have never seen someone work as hard and diligent for their dogs' health and well being, she is an angel on this earth. Houston is lucky to have her! All the bad reviews must be from denied applications. To those people: -Make sure you are ready for a dog, they are lifetime commitments. -Make sure you can afford vet care. Vet care is expensive. If you complain about an adoption fee then clearly you are not informed on vet costs. -Make sure you can dedicate quality time ( walks , training spoiling) to your dog.Again.. they are lifetime commitments. I get it.. rescues can be tough and strict, they just want the best for the dogs. These dogs have already been through enough, they do not need more let downs. But if you are committed to adopting visit a local shelter! That is were the majority of the dogs in rescues come from. Lastly, the internet is a sad place where bullies can say whatever they want. Instead of bashing a person that clearly does great things for the rescue community in Houston, go do something positive. Volunteer or foster, its rewarding and you will learn rescue is not easy! If you read this review and you are in TX please visit the shelters ( always full of dogs) and volunteer, foster and adopt.

The woman that runs this rescue clearly doesn't want her dogs being rescued. She is rude, abrupt,…read moreand doesn't answer questions, she just forwards an auto-response. Don't get your hopes up like we did about getting a dog through her. You simply won't hear back. And don't even think about emailing her to ask, she'll immediately shut you down.

I had adopted a young black lab puppy at Sugar Land Tx animal shelter who was barely weaned but…read moremean as a little rattle snake when I got him home and introduced him to my other dog who is as docile. The little fart was even mean to me and wouldn't even let my other dog move in the house or in back porch. I returned the mean little rascal to shelter and they noted should not be adopted with other dogs. I checked back and found out Scout's Honor had rescued the ornery cuss and he became one of their pups who represented them at events in full regalia of a beautiful vest of his own. He was some sort of a little mascot and lived being the center of the universe at events. So glad they lovingly found a great role and obvious personalized care for that little stinker. If they can find the right training and life for that little demon, they can be trusted with any breed to try to save him. I now greatly admire this organization!!!

My daughter has friends that work there. She says they are very kind…read more Do do a great job placing the people pets that go thru through their group.

** When reading reviews for this location, you also need to look at the reviews for Harris County…read moreVeterinary Public Health located here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/harris-county-veterinary-public-health-houston-2?osq=Harris+County+Animal+Shelter ** Several years ago, we adopted a dog from this location (see my review at the site listed above). Recently, we came back to inquire about adopting another dog. No appointment is necessary now: come to the shelter between 1 - 5 PM on weekdays or 11 AM to 3:30 PM on Saturdays. Do your homework first. Look on their website (www.countypets.com) to see if there are any dogs you may be interested in. If so, write down their ID number so it's easier for you to locate exactly where they are in the shelter. We did just that and were able to see the dog that we were potentially interested in. I did observe another person asking the staff about "small dogs" thinking that they were all in one location (which they are not) and then getting frustrated because they would need to walk through every wing of the shelter on their own to locate a small dog. Again, prepare for your visit by writing down animal ID numbers. Last time we were here was shortly after Covid, so the shelter was not very crowded. This time, however, there were multiple dogs in one pen: often two together but I did observe three dogs together. I understand that they are short on space, but having dogs crammed together only increases their stress and anxiety - and makes them more fearful and less likely to come out to meet a potential adopter. We encountered just that - a dog we wanted to see literally cowered away and would not exit their enclosure. So sad. Also, when looking online for available dogs, do not take the listed breed as gospel. In my opinion, often it's completely inaccurate. In fact, I inquired about who "labels" the dogs as a specific breed, and the response was that the "animal control officer who picked them up" does that. Hmm. We saw a dog that was obviously an Australian Cattle Dog labeled as a Jack Russell Terrier. Wow . . . While we were successful in adopting two years ago, this time we were not. If you do adopt, ask a lot of questions: is the dog heartworm negative; have any particular behavioral issues been noted; are there any noticeable or diagnosed medical conditions that need to be addressed. Know that when you do adopt, your pet will be spayed or neutered, come with a county license and a microchip and be vaccinated against SOME (but not all) canine/feline diseases. You absolutely must bring your new pet to your own veterinarian within 72 hours. Should your new pet become ill within 2 weeks (provided you've seen your vet in the 72-hour time frame), you are able to return it. Lastly, most of the animals here are picked up as strays. Even if you don't adopt a pet here, spay or neuter any animal you own to prevent potential offspring from ending up here. Also keep in mind that if a dog is picked up as a stray, by law the shelter must hold and cannot adopt them out for 3 days (if they are not microchipped) in order for an owner to claim them and 7 days (if they are chipped) if the registered chip owner does not pick them up. Coming here is an eye-opening experience. Be prepared for lots of noise and lots of dogs. But you never know: you could, indeed, find your next best friend here. If you do, remember that you've saved a soul!

Horrible! I found an abandoned puppy and tried to find him a home for a week because I cannot have…read moreanother pet. When I called to schedule an appointment to take him to the shelter, the woman told me it was considered an owner surrender because I found him a week ago and that there were no appointments available. What an asinine policy to begin with, but when I said that I should have said I just found him, she basically threatened me, saying she now has my name, address, and phone number on file. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. This organization will not help you if you try to help an abandoned animal.

Location isn't even a doggy rescue. I drove 30 mins away due to them not having a phone number to…read morecall or email. Waste of your time.

We have fostered a few dogs and never had an issue. We keep in touch and the dogs are great til…read morethis day. There will always be a negative review, please don't let it deter you from giving a fur baby in need a forever home!

Kids Meals Houston is a nonprofit that delivers free, healthy lunches to children suffering from…read morefood insecurity. They deliver 7,000 to 8,000 lunch bags a day to children across the Houston area. We are glad to support this awesome cause by decorating paper lunch bags, stuffing the bags with healthy snacks, and donating stuffed bags. Hope everyone who's able will find time to donate or volunteer for Kids Meals!

Through an organization I'm a board member of, I signed up to volunteer on a Saturday morning at…read moreKids' Meals Inc. Located in The Heights, Kids' Meals is in a shopping center with a bunch of other businesses. Since some entrances were closed, it was a little confusing figuring out how to get in at first. But, once you're in, parking is easy. After arriving, an employee at Kids' Meals spent a couple of minutes training us. Kids' Meals makes bagged lunches for kids in need. Since you're making meals, they require that you wear a hat or hair net. After training, we moved on to the facility where they had an assembly line system going. There were several different jobs and mine was to place a sandwich in a bag and then place the completed lunch in a large box. After 60 lunches filled the box, I also served as the muscle (a role I always gladly accept ;)). The boxes were then moved to a tray. I spent two hours or so volunteering here and it was a great experience. Giving back to the community is so important and Kids' Meals is one of the many great non-profits here in Houston. I would gladly volunteer here again.