When I first walked in they told me I would have to submit an application to see the dogs, ok great no problem. We leave and my boyfriend (who is 19) submits the application and within like 20 minutes receives a call. *background: my boyfriend put me and my miniature dachshund down on the application because the dog would be around us a lot, not because we live with him* First we get told that he has to be 21 so the dog would have to be put under his dad's name, and they would have to call his dad to make sure it is ok. (He has no problem with this). I was in the store while my boyfriend took the call, and the lady he was talking to told him that no information was found for my dog. She was REAL snotty about this. (She is not under my name for the vet but my moms, she's just the one who paid for/set up the account for my dog because I was a minor when I got my dog). I had my boyfriend call back and tell them that my dogs name is not under any of the names on the application and the lady was once again rude. She called my boyfriend's dad, and asked like she said she would. My boyfriend's dad said yes of course and the lady replied with "okay.. I guess". *at some point during the call she informs my boyfriend that all the people in his household AND my dog would have to come in to meet the said dog to make sure everyone would get along. My dog does NOT do good in shelter/vet like environments. She does not do well with new people.* After she gets off the phone with my boyfriend's dad, she calls my boyfriend back and tells him that my mom would have to call my vet and allow them to release the medical information. I understand the application and them wanting to make sure all of their dogs go to a good home, but the attitude and the way that we were both treated, as LEGAL adults, is very disappointing. read more

Located on Evans in Valpo. This is an awesome place to go to adopt your next pet. They have a lot of dogs & get new ones in all the time. From mixes to pure breds, there is always someone in need of a good, loving home. If you're not looking to adopt right now, you can always volunteer. They need walkers, cleaners, and fosters. You can also donate much needed items. They keep a list on hand of the things they are in need of. Everyone is so nice & helpful. The dogs are well taken care of. The cages are clean. The dogs get walked and played with by the volunteers. They make sure that each dog has a meet & greet & is the right fit for their potential family. read more

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My daughter wanted to get a dog and we debated at where to go. As fate would have it Lakeshore Paws had brought one of their older dogs downtown to Central Park to walk around and be seen. Their volunteer was great with the dog and with everyone that came up to see the dog. We then went to the facility on Evans Avenue with the intention of seeing that dog and possibly rescuing it. The facility was nice and was very clean. The workers were very friendly and helpful. We were able to see the potential adoptee that we had come to see but quickly realized that he was a little higher energy than my young daughter was comfortable with so the volunteers showed us several other options that they had available. We rescued an older dog that was a good fit with out family and Lakeshore Paws made the adoption process simple. We recommend this shelter to anyone looking to rescue a pet. read more

Lakeshore PAWS - Pet Adoption Near Me - Valparaiso, Indiana

We adopted a dog from Lakeshore Paws and I'm so pleased with how it went. Admittedly I had a not-so-great experience with them 5 years ago when we were first looking to adopt, but I think they've made a lot of changes and I'm really glad we gave them another chance when searching for a second pup. When we arrived they gave us a tour of their dogs - their facility is very large and all the dogs housed there had decently-sized spaces. We originally just went to take a look, but we saw a dog we liked and ended up playing with him a bit in a separate location while supervised, we filled out an application at a computer they had there, and made plans to bring our other dog in the next day so they could meet. After the dogs met in isolated locations both outside and inside, they let us take the dog home for a foster-to-adopt situation where we could basically do a week-long trial run. We ended up extending that for a second week which was extremely helpful before finalizing the adoption. Everyone we interacted with was very friendly and helpful, down-to-earth and you could tell just trying to do their best for the dogs there. We did have an emergency with the dog (swallowed something he shouldn't have!) where we reached out, and Lakeshore Paws was quick to answer and give us directions (head to the ER!). Overall they made the adoption process easy and also thoughtful (the foster-to-adopt was really such a good idea) and were very helpful throughout. I would definitely recommend starting with them if you are looking to adopt a new family member. read more

Lakeshore paws has an awesome staff to help you with adoption.Taylor helped us with our new pet Jiffy She& all staff were very helpful & staff was great with all the dogs They were very busy on Saturday but had a handle on the dogs and people waiting to adopt. Process was calm and efficient. Thanks so much for our new addition as he is a very sweet and happy pup David Morganelli read more

I wrote this after our experience & decided to share since I've been informed of more experiences like mine. 11/20/21 Dear Sir or Madam Director, My son & I recently visited your facility in the hopes of him adopting a dog. He filled out the application, my son, myself & his friend then visited the dog for about 30 minutes. We were told the director was gone for the day but should hear something within the next day or so. The next day, my son received a call from someone at your facility stating that he was denied because a check found an arrest for a gun charge in 2011. My son was born in 2000, making him 11 years old & in elementary school at the time of this so-called "arrest". After he called me & told me about the call he had just received, I called your facility to try & get some clarification on the issue, since clearly, this was an error. I spoke with Wendy, when I relayed to her what I had been told by my son, her response was "the bottom line is we cannot adopt to him, that is the bottom line." When I asked about where this information came from, because it needed to be corrected, I was told there is a website that rescues use & that's "what popped up". I continued to ask about how the information was obtained & where it came from. It is clearly an error, and if this information is floating out in some database somewhere, it needs to be rectified, so this does not continue to disqualify him in the future. As I continued to request the source of the information, I continued to be told "it doesn't matter". Well, it matters to us. After a subsequent phone call from my son, the reasoning for his denial changed. It was no longer that he had some arrest record, it was that he lied on his application, about owning his home. He rents to own, from me. I stated this when we were asked in the visiting room by a younger male volunteer. Once again, no one made an effort to clarify any potential errors or discrepancies or ask any further questions. In my opinion, it seems like I may have shot a hole in the first denial reasoning, so an alternate reasoning was needed to cite. I understand you are a private organization & can make decisions at will. However, your credibility in the application process takes a bit of a hit, when first, you refuse to acknowledge & even entertain discussion on an obvious error, and second, you change your reasoning halfway through the game. If you had been upfront about honest to goodness concerns you had from the beginning, I could respect that. I genuinely do support your cause & the work that you do. Our family has adopted several dogs & we aspire to be able to foster someday. This experience has made me apprehensive to ever consider this organization again, for fear of reprisal in any future application I may submit, because I gave my name over the phone, which I'm sure was probably noted. I find this to be very unfortunate for everyone involved, including the dogs that are needing homes. If this happened to us, I hate to think who else has been affected negatively for similar reasons. read more

My sister was driving home one evening & in front of her noted an SUV moving slowly & throwing "things" from their vehicle. She quickly discovered those "things" to be puppies!?! She stopped & began picking up pups one after another until finally she had all 17 puppies in her vehicle!!! This was in May of 2013... It was Lakeshore PAWS who came to her rescue. My sis already had 3 dogs of her own! I then adopted one of the pups myself. LSP has always been there for the community, helping dogs everywhere, (even as far as Florida, Spring 2019, rescuing dogs young & old from a hurricane)... They keep the adoption center extremely clean & are devoted to finding each puppy/dog a happy 'furever" home!!! read more

God knows why I came back a SECOND time but these people sure know how to turn people away. Thanks (for nothing really) a lot Lakeshore Paws! read more

This organization functions like a cult. They overlook disturbances their animals create when housed by volunteers who keep the animals before adoption. Lakeshore PAWS impacts neighborhoods in a negative manner by failing to properly screen volunteers and ignoring complaints when notified. Their volunteers are known to house dogs in high density residential areas with HOA restrictions that prohibit keeping animals that are not family pets. The dogs create disturbances by barking and escaping temporary housing. Blind devotion is not an admirable characteristic, particularly when it deprives citizens of quiet enjoyment. read more

We visited Lakeshore paws on a whim and we were very pleasantly surprised. The staff members we personable, upfront and honest about everything. The people working in back went above and beyond when it came to really knowing each dog and explaining their personality. You can tell these people love what they do and do not give you false hope or the run around. Unfortunately that day, the dog we were looking at was just not quite right with our other dog. They made us feel comfortable, they never rushed us. After our experience. I will be sure to tell anyone else I know who is searching for a pup, what a great place this is. Thanks LSP for taking such good care of these guys and getting to know them well enough to give potential adopters the info they need to make the right choice. read more