I adopted an amazing dog from ARF about a year ago. It's true that the hours are inconvenient, and that the first come first serve system isn't without frustration. However, it was clear from looking around that everyone there was pretty competitive and aggressive in their search for a dog, and actually swapped stories of such incidences with another person in line. The place is much, much cleaner than any other shelters I went to, and I saw "accidents" being cleaned up very quickly. All the animals had a fact sheet of their age, personality traits, health, good with kids, etc. After a few weeks, I found the perfect one and won the lotto. ARF wants to make lifetime matches, so if something happens and you can no longer take care of your pet, or if you get your pet home and just don't feel like it's the right match, you bring the animal back to ARF no questions asked. read more

The Clement family is deeply grateful to Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation because due to the good work of ARF we recently got a wonderful addition to our family. His name is Tony and he is a beautiful two-year old Chihuahua mix that ARF rescued from Oakland. We were treated so well during the ARF adoption process, and most importantly ARF rescued our beautiful Tony so he could become part of our family. Tony now regularly hikes with us in the Mount Diablo area, and he is game for other family adventures like SUPing on the Delta. He is a tiny, four legged wonder with a huge heart whom our boys take turns sleeping with every night. read more

We just adopted Whitney, our French Bulldog mix, and everyone at ARF was so helpful through the entire process! I can't say enough good things about everyone there, especially Ursula! The shelter is so clean, spacious, well-run and friendly. I recommend their third Thursday preschool classes as well, they're a lot of fun for the under-5 crowd. read more

While ARF was quite a drive for us from the Peninsula we are so happy we made the trip. The center is well maintained, clean and staff is very experienced and helpful. We adopted a very shy, and initially scared puppy. We could not even pet or hold him directly at the center. Yet they had assessed him right when saying he warms up and then he is just loving and friendly. And indeed, Rocky is now confident, cuddly, and lovingly attached to all family members. We are so happy we took a chance based on the description ARF provided. We had been trying to find a puppy for several months and what was strikingly different with ARF compared to other rescu organizations is that they were very well organized with their appointments, communications were clear and they sent over additional information on how to handle the adoption of a shy dog and what to look out for before the appointment. They also have a store onsite, which we used to pick up the first collar and leash, again with friendly help from the staff. The dogs all looked very well taken care off and the center felt pleasant and more relaxed than some of the more hectic centers we had visited before. Certainly can recommend the center and we'll go there as first pick the next time we look to adopt a puppy! read more

OMG what an incredible place!! Its so clean you would never know its a shelter! The cages are incredibly clean and quiet. They have plexi-glass up so the dogs aren't bothered by the noise. They have quite a few separate areas so your family and pets can meet the prospective new dog. I cant say enough about how great this place is!!! read more

We adopted our sweet, playful German Shepherd mix from ARF over a month ago. Their facility is amazing, we just started their training program (excellent instructors!), and they have been so accommodating. I have emailed Barb at their behavior line multiple time with questions, and she is so responsive and helpful, sending me information and links to resources. Plus, their adoption process allows you to find the right dog by speaking with a staff member about your lifestyle and the personalities of the dogs at ARF. Plus, their on-site shop made it really easy to take our dog home with us, even though we didn't have some of the necessities. I highly recommend ARF if you are looking for a wonderful dog or cat companion for your family! read more

I adopted a dog here. Best day of my life. Everyone was so friendly. The process was fine. They ask you questions about you and your home and who you live with, which I absolutely appreciate. The grounds are really nice, and the kennels are pretty good too. They have a gift shop that I ran-sacked. The only weird thing was, my dogs fee was waived so I wanted to donate $150 towards a dog and they said I couldn't do that...? Okay, weird, ohwell. I think my money just ended up going towards ARF, instead of that specific dog. read more

ARF helped me through the adoption process and the staff was careful to place the animals in good homes that would be hopefully for the lifetime of the pet. The staff was also careful and trained to place animals that are appropriate for the families and the type of home. I have an apartment and I chose a small dog that was going to fit into a small living area and he is working out great I couldn't be happier with my new pet he is perfect I love him dearly. read more

We adopted our dog Won Ton from Arf on may 1st. He was about 8 weeks old. He did have kennel cough or we thought. He got sick but thanks to our vet. The vet at Monte Vista Animal Hospital. He got all better on the second round of antibiotics she gave him. She also did all of this , Like 5 visits at no charge. Arf did call and check in on us which was cool. I would recommend you save an animal rather than go to a breeder. These dogs are all rescued from shelters were they are on the list to be put down. read more

This review is for the spay/neuter clinic. My puppy was just fixed there. Volunteers Dick and Carol are wonderful and didn't push my people shy puppy. They were patient and loving when she was scared. She seems fine, low key but fine. The incision looks good. Betty and another receptionist help with check in and payment. Everyone was nice -It was a good experience and very affordable. :) read more

Great place to adopt a pet. Great teachers and dog training programs. Really fun grassy area for the dogs to let off steam after class. My Lady loved coming out here for classes with the smaller dogs. read more

Our family has been here twice - both times for cat adoptions. Very nice facility - the best I've seen anywhere. The staff here was very courteous and we were able to adopt a cat the very day we came in. They do make you fill out a questionnaire and try to make sure that you and your animal are "compatible" (to the extent possible, anyways). I do like the rating system that they have assigned to the cats (e.g. Leader of the Pack, Personal Assistant, etc.) - it gives you an idea, based on the obervations from their volunteers, what kind of personality you can expect from the cat, and whether this is something you are compatible with. Given that cats have a wide range of personalities, I found this rating system, useful. Based on our latest cat adoption, I can see that she definitely exhibits some of those personality traits. One question I had, and I need to remind myself to ask ARF this - how did they come up with some of these cat names? I just had to laugh when I see some of these names... the all time classic was a cat they named Ralph Malph (from Happy Days, for those of you old enough to remember that show). I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to adopt a cat. read more

We adopted a kitten from ARF recently. From beginning to end, a fantastic experience! Absolutely highest recommendation! After having a tragic experience adopting from a shelter in Richmond, we asked our vet who she would recommend, and ARF was one of the 2 she suggested (Maine Coon adoptions was the other). Clean organized, quiet, roomy for the cats....I just can't think of a thing to criticize! If you want to adopt, you must at least look in here! read more

My 1st grade twins just attended the three day winter camp and LOVED IT! While my son already loves all animals, my daughter was phobic of dogs. Yes, phobic as in has run away in a panic from an unleashed dog and almost hurt herself to get away. I was very nervous about introducing her to this environment, but we made several visits to see the facilities prior to the camp and I spoke with the organizer to make sure it wouldn't be too much or boring. What a success! For animal lovers (or haters) this was a very, very well run camp with dedicated counselors and great appropriate activities. They also had the opportunity at the end of each day to meet with a "hug" therapy dog. My daughter left with a photo of her happily hugging a dog. Miraculous. My son loves dogs even more! We are enrolling both kids again for Spring Camp. Definitely a great camp. read more

ARF is an amazing organization! I had been wanting to get some kitten since I moved out here in January. We took our time prepping our home and visited ARF twice before finding our sweet Lucy & Ricky. They are both happy and healthy and thriving here thanks to the excellent care they got at ARF. read more

If you are looking for your new best friend, either canine or feline, ARF is a great place to go. The process is easy and the facility is bright and cheerful and the staff extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We just adopted our cat Lucy in December and she is so wonderful. We have also had one other cat from ARF in the past and had the same experience. You will also have the satisfaction of saving a life! read more

The people who work for ARF are very sweet. We just put my dog (of 15.5 years) down at ARF on Oct. 7th at 4pm. It was so hard to say good-bye, but they were very thoughtful and caring about it, as if it was the first time they put an animal down. They made everything comfortable for her and I'm grateful that they exist. Also, their volunteer staff is wonderful. So kind and helpful. Keep up the good work, ARF. I'm definitely a fan. I only give 4 stars, because it's hard to write a positive review for a place that put your pet down, even if it's not their fault. They did do a great job being so caring. read more

I am glad I did not look at the reviews before going as my experience was beyond amazing. First - we were greated by a nice volunteer that asked if we needed any help. We said we were interested in adopting a cat. She explained the procedure, and pointed us to the desk to start. It did take about 30 minutes before we were called after checking in, but this gave us plenty of time to look at all the cats. The place is very clean. There are descriptions about all the cats including information about their personality. When my son and I were called, we were interviewed about what we were looking for, our background with cats, if we have other animals in our home, who lives in the home, etc. The person was amazingly nice. I can see how some people might feel it is an intrusion to be asking all the questions, but I like that she was able to use what we told her to help us find the best cat. We have another cat this is a dominate male, so we wanted to ensure we got a great fit. One of the two cats we selected was one of her favorites. (She not only said that, but when she brought us in, the cat just licked her face and you could tell they spent a lot of time together.) She told us VERY detailed informatin about the cat, including that he had been adopted and returned because he likes to play rough. However, he gets along very well with other cats. Since we had no kids at home (my son is over 21), and my current cat is a "rough play" type too, we decided to spend some time with him. This cat is lovely and fits in well with our family. Someone had even made a donation already, so the adoption was free. This allowed my son to take the $50 he had saved up and buy things in the gift shop for the cat as well as make a donation. I read that others said they are pushy in the gift shop. I actually found them to be very knowledgable in helping us to pick out some things. In fact, the things they recommended were the least expensive in the store. My cat's favorite - the $1 homemade catnip socks that volunteers make. He loves it. I could see though, if you were not there to buy anything, it could feel like they were pushing you to buy things. And a bonus is the prices were less than the pet store I usually go to. All in all, I cannot recommend enough this place if you are interested in adopting a cat or dog. Understand that it will take a good part of the day (2-4 hours) and you will be interviewed and asked some personal questions, but this is a major life changing event for most people. Finding a pet that is a great fit for you and the animal is what they are trying to do, and I found the process to work very well. read more

We recently adopted an adorable 5 month old kitten from ARF. The kitten was very shy and didn't like to allow people to pick her up. My daughter fell in love with her so I agreed to take her home. This little ball of energy took a little time, patience and love (okay treats, too) and then she came out of her shell. She just needed someone to give her a shot. She now runs around our house, plays with our dog and tries to play with our older (16 years old) cat. She cuddles in bed while sleeping and our older cat allows her to cuddle up to her, too. We are thrilled with the new addition to our family! Thank you ARF for helping us find the newest member to our family!! We just adore her! read more

This is a review for the classes. We took our dog to Basic Manners 1 with Sara Scott. She was great! And so was her assistant, Scott. They were incredibly helpful and knew exactly what to do, especially with different dog personalities. They were approachable and you could tell that they genuinely care. We also took Wallflowers: Manners for Shy Dogs with Judy Bowman. This class was so helpful! I am so glad we took this class. We saw all the dogs in the class improve and we got helpful tips on what to do about our dog's shyness. We also learned a lot about our dog in general. It was really nice to meet other owners that were facing similar obstacles with their dogs. If you have a shy dog, I highly recommend this class! read more

This was my first visit, & I can't emphasize enough how impressed I am! Their facility is so clean & the enclosures are spacious. The volunteers were all caring & professional. It was obvious that they had taken amazing care of our kitty. They had rescued him from another facility, provided surgery to improve his quality of life, & given him lots of TLC on his road to recovery. They also have followed up with us since adoption to see how he is doing. I highly recommend ARF for adoption, volunteering, and donating. read more

The adoption of our little Sophie (miniature Poodle) at ARF was a wonderfu experience. Our adoption counselor, Stewart, was very patient and very thorough with us. We have 3 dogs, not including Sophie. Stewart set up a meet and greets with each of our dogs individually to judge the reaction of each dog to Sophie.This assured us that she would fit in perfectly in our home.....and she has! She is a "senior citizen" and has come alive since joining our family. She runs around with our 2 big male Goldens and her little sister, who is also a rescue Poodle mix. She is a delight and the whole experience at ARF was wonderful. BTW the Boutique is amazing. read more

It is my pleasure to write a review. We couldn't be more pleased with the adoption of our little Roxie. She is the most lovable dog. I was so impressed with the Animal Rescue Foundation and the people who work there on behave of animals in need of a home. What really surprised me was that the fee was waived because I am a Vet. Thanks you, we have more than made up for the price with toys and treats for Roxie. I've already recommended the foundation to all my friends. Keep up the great work you do for these animals in need at ARF. read more

ARF was really great. We got our kitten Calliope at ARF about 3 weeks ago, and it was a really great experience. The people who helped us were extremely friendly and had so much love for the animals. Everyone from the groomer to the lady at the counter who helped us with food was great. Calliope is an amazing little kitten, and we are so so happy. read more

I recently adopted Jessie a mixed breed female. The staff was very helpful duaring the adoption process. She is very shy so ARF suggested taking the Wallflowers class. We are doing that and Jessie is becoming more confident. I highly recommend adopting a pet through ARF. And taking advantage of their services. read more

Amazing place. They do great work, facilities are beautiful, really think about which animal is right for you.

I came to visit on Saturday afternoon 5 weeks ago just to check things out. Lord behold, I adopted a lovely, spunky Chihuahua dog and was able to take him home on the same afternoon. The staff and volunteer were friendly, courteous, knowledgeable, to help me to get acquainted with my new 4 legged spunky little pet. Once I was home, he immediately got to know my disabled wife and a new bonding relationship began. Our last dog passed away 12 ys and we could not bring ourselves around to get another one. We named our new pet "Buzzy". New chapter began with Fuzzy Buzzy, Thank you read more

ARF is a top-notch organization... friendly, competent, and doing good for the world. 13 years ago we adopted our first dog through ARF, and 2 weeks ago we adopted our second. Both have been absolute gems! ARF does a great job of finding excellent dogs, getting them ready for adoption (including all needed vet work and even micro-chipping), and then matching them up with appropriate families. Their fees are very moderate for what they do. They even arrange for a free health check-up at a local vet. Pet supplies are available on-site at reasonable prices, and the ARF folks are always around to answer questions or give advice after you bring your new family member home. The facilities are clean and inviting, and the folks are great. Highly recommended! read more

I've adopted two dogs from ARF. It is a well-run organization staffed with kind, caring people. ARF staffers take the welfare of these animals very seriously. They screen applicants carefully. Before allowing an adoption to occur, they want to meet everyone in the household, including the other pets, to make sure it is a good fit for all. Animals who end up at ARF are lucky. Many of them, including my two, start out at shelters in the central valley, where their days are numbered. Once they arrive at ARF, they move into dog and cat condos, and they're treated well. The dog and cat condos are kept clean and they're never overcrowded. On adoption days (Thursday - Sunday), you can sign up early in the day to be one of the first to meet with a counselor and the pet you're interested in. This is an improvement over the system that was in place when I adopted my first ARF dog. Back then, it was the number you drew rather than the time you arrived that determined when you could meet with a counselor and your animal of choice. My first ARF dog delivered puppies while at ARF. Then one year after she and all of her puppies had been adopted by families around the Bay Area, ARF held a birthday party and reunited my dog with all of her puppies. There was even a cake! ARF is doing good work, and I'm sure there are additional ARF adoptions in my future. read more

ARF is amazing! I adopted two cats from there in the past few years! The facility is so clean and bright. The animals have wonderful little condos in which they reside. The staff is amazing. Everyone is so friendly....animals lovers typically are! Both of my cats were rescued by ARF from a shelter that had them on the "soon to be" euthanized list...I can't imagine life without either cat..and that they almost didn't live if not for ARF. God Bless the staff and volunteers at ARF. Keep up the great work! read more

Everyone was wonderful at ARF. We adopted an amazing dog who is sweet and loving, but needs a lot of attention and exercise, and the people at ARF made sure that we were a good fit for him, and he was a good fit for us. We are doing dog training now at ARF with our dog Logan, and the trainers are great, clear, concise, gentle and helpful. I highly recommend ARF for anyone who is looking to adopt a dog or cat. Thanks ARF! We love Logan so much, and you made it happen. read more

ARF is a wonderful organization! We recently adopted a puppy lab/hound mix. The adoption process is straight forward and offered on a strict first come/first served basis - so if you have your eye on a particular animal it is best to sign in at the facility early. On certain days you can even do an early sign in starting at 9am, although adoptions don't open until noon. Once you adopt, you get the support of their animal behavior specialists, discounts on their training classes and a follow up email about how things are going. The behavior support is super helpful - I have emailed a few times already about puppy vs resident dog interactions and got prompt, helpful responses. The puppy manners class is awesome! The follow up in general is phenomenal - you will feel so supported as you welcome your new family member. Highly recommend ARF if you are looking for your next pet. read more

What a great facility! The staff is very helpful and has the animals best interest in finding the perfect home. We're so excited we found this location. Our family recently adopted a 5 year old dog, perfect for our family. They really care! I highly recommend this adoption center to anyone looking for a new family member. read more

Great experience. We've had our dog now for two months and could not be happier. The staff did a great job paring us based on our home lifestyle. If it wasn't for this process we would have chosen a much larger dog. We were very impressed with the entire process. read more

Great place to take the kids and learn about adopting pets. The facility is clean and my children enjoy learning about the pets, reading about them, and watching the volunteers play and care for the animals. My family has visited ARF at least a dozen times to look at the dogs and cats and each time the volunteers are super kid friendly. read more

After searching online for over two months and visiting a couple of times at both ARF and the Martinez Shelter, I chose my border collie/lab mix 3 month old puppy Sebastian from Tehama county who has become a wonderful and fast learning member of my family! The ARF staff helped me select him based on my feedback the week before. He passed the ARF puppy manners class and thrived on the skills learned. ARF's trainers are second to none in my dog owner lifetime! read more

I adopted my sweet puppy from ARF last month and I couldn't be happier. I got a complete history on her and everything was done for me. She was spayed and microchipped and had her 1st round of as many vaccinations as appropriate for her age. She had been near a dog with some diarrhea and although she tested negative I was sent home with prophylactic antibiotics just in case as well as some light pain pills for her recent spay along with simple but complete instructions. Along with her history I got lots of tips for puppy training as well. Additionally she had a free first visit with a nearby vet who treated us very well for her follow up care. All I've had to do is love and play with her for the most part.They have followed up with us to make sure we are a good fit and to see to it that I followed up on her aftercare which I appreciate. They have an in house store so I was able to buy a crate and some supplies to make coming home easy ( they sent me home with a good size bag of puppy chow too). They offer puppy classes and socialization too. Thank you ARF ! Love Tanya & Florence (Flo) read more

So I was like the crazzzzy dog lady who came in several times because I couldn't make a decision. However, because of this I think that I'm thoroughly qualified to write a review about ARF. 1) The staff that show you the dogs are fantastic and very educated! 2) The shelter is cleaner than my apartment (jk but close) 3) They really care about linking you up with a pet that best suits you. Adopting a pet is a big deal and there are numerous things to consider. They help you weigh the pros and cons about each pet and I appreciate the honesty! 4) The gift shop rocks and has comparable prices to other pet stores in the area (and I would say actually cheaper). 5) Love that they have an up to date website so that you can check out the doggie options before you come in. 6) I love that Tony actually comes into the shelter. I saw him one day and he was totally humble. I don't have enough good things to say. Thank you ARF!!! I love my Yamir! Oh and people who have bad reviews should volunteer and help out if they think it needs improvement! It's a volunteer based organization and I think they do a great job. read more

I had heard and read plenty of negative things about ARF, but after months of searching for an addition to our family, I finally decided to just go. I walked in, not knowing what to expect or where to go or the process or anything, and was immediately greeted by a friendly volunteer. It was easy enough to figure out which side the dogs were on and I began looking. It was very clean and well kept, considering the shelters I had been to looked more like doggy prison. I picked a few out that I liked and then filled out a form and began my interview, all while wrestling with my 2 year old, who just wanted to run around and look at all the puppies. The man conducting my interview was very friendly, and understanding of my trying to lasso my kiddo. We finished quickly and I told him the few pets I was interested in. He looked up their behavioral scores on his tablet, and filled me in on some of their backgrounds. I was relieved that instead of just trying to give me what I wanted, he wanted to make sure that the dog we adopted would become a part of our family, and not returned in a week. I settled on a 1 year old mutt, who has molded perfectly into our family. I'm very grateful that I didn't take home my first picks, since it feels like we have had Rex forever, even though its only been a few weeks. My only negatives are that I don't feel I really got full disclosure on his medical issues, and that when I was looking at the dogs, no one approached me to see what I wanted or if I was interested in adopting, I had to approach them. read more

Joybound - Animal Shelters Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I adopted Sophie and Barney from ARF before Christmas. They operate a first class cat rescue, and were very helpful. My cats have settled in and become family members. Thanks to ARF for all your help! Please help them by donating! read more