Small 1st shelter in the US. Compassionate people that really care about animals. Adopt your next pup from here

With all the hype you hear about PAWS these days, it's kind of easy to forget about Morris Refuge. Heck, I haven't stepped foot in there in ages. I see from the other reviews, though, that they're still doing what they do best. And surely they must be doing it well. I adopted my baby girl, my floppy lap cat, Sydney, AKA Flirty McFlirtster (she loves human males with beards), from Morris in 1998. She was just a wee lass, a tiny kitten, but already spayed because someone adopted her (a week before I met her) and returned her due to allergies. Phooey to that guy! And you know what? My little tramp is still kickin' it, managing our household from the windowsill on a daily basis, nary a health problem. Sometimes I think I should turn on a red light, make her start contributing to the bills and stuff. (Cats, they're so lazy.) Thanks, Morris, for introducing me to my best buddy, my special girl. read more

I wish I had a better experience to report about Morris Refuge because I have heard nothing but good things about them. Unfortunately... My review deals primarily with something they are known for, and that is their spay and neuter voucher program. They advertise that for $40 (cats) or $60 (dogs) you can get a voucher good at a number of local veterinarians who will spay or neuter your cat, and the refuge will pay the difference. Now they do advertise that additional services not part of the routine surgery may be an extra charge. Examples they cite include vaccinations, blood tests, even the fixing of internal abnormalities. But here's the problem. All of the places I called wanted to charge a very hefty additional fee for anesthesia, the INJECTION of the anesthesia, and antibiotics. On what planet are these things not part of a routine surgery? Again, even the voucher itself says it covers "routine surgery." I even asked the vet offices I called point blank whether they considered these things PART of a routine surgery. One of them put it best when she said "Well..anesthetizing your pet for the procedure is not optional." So basically you're getting, IMHO, a mild to moderate discount on the entire procedure by buying one of these vouchers. I'm not even entirely sure how this benefits the refuge...I thought that this was probably a service they budgeted for, one of their main services to the community. But really it seems like if you're actually a person who has found himself in a seriously difficult financial situation, you shouldn't be relying on this as the affordable way to get your animal fixed. With a $60 fee plus a $60 fee for pain meds etc..., plus a this and that and so forth fee, you should look to be spending $150 or more total (including the cost of the voucher.) read more

I own 2 dogs already so I don't need anymore dog. My friend whoever want to get a dog, he want to buy a dog from the local store. I told him to adopt a dog and explain to him why and blah blah blah... Then we went to Morris Refuge to adopt a dog. I helped my friend filling up the applications with all the papers required for the adoption. 3 weeks after we filled up the application, we didn't hear anything back from them we tried to call them couple times they say they still working and reviewing the application. Weeks later we visit this place and they say they lost the adoption application the my friend give to them. What a shame. There are hundreds of dogs killed / euthanized everyday because no one want to take care of them, my friend want to help to save a life but Morris Refuge doesn't seem to want to do that. I will never ever recommend this place anymore to anybody that I know to adopt a pet. read more

I know the employees can be ignorant at times, but anyone who sees that sort of neglect every day would be miserable too! I always find a way to donate to Morris because I have brought quite a few strays I have taken in to them to be put up for adoption. It's so hard to find them homes, but they are always willing to take them in for us (although we often get "the look" and a sly comment about why can't we just keep them). We were even looking into adopting another dog from there, but she turned out to be not-so-kitty friendly. With two cats and another dog we couldn't take that chance. What I think is refreshing is that they screen all their potential parents, which can seem annoying at the time, but it shows that they really care about who their babies are going home to. They also spay/neuter all of the animals and give them a few of their shots before they can go home with you. In order to try and be as kill-free as they possibly can be some of their animals are often transfered to "rescues" such as greyhound rescues throughout PA and the Jersey area. It just bothers me every time I'm dropping off food to see the irresponsible low lifes turning over their animals because they just don't want them anymore. A lot of people prefer to go to Morris because they are somewhat of a no-kill shelter, but then at the same time a cat or dog from the SPCA will be put to sleep. So, please, if you're looking to adopt at least check out the SPCA or Philly Paws first. I know they may be more out of the way, but chances are you will be saving a life there. read more

I got my Rosie from Morris not long ago. She is the sweetest. They tend to get more of the smaller dogs than PAWS or SPCA and because they're a smaller organization, you really get to know the people who work there. I went back a few times to visit with the pups and once I fell in love with Rosie it took a while to get everything in order so I got to come back and play with her while things straightened out. To that end, it was a little frustrating because they wouldn't release her for a week or two after I adopted her, but I was thankful that they wanted everything to be totally set. She had an ear infection and they wanted to monitor her for a bit, so I was ok with them making sure she was healthy to go home. Lots of good things to say about this place. Not the least of which I got an adorable fuzzy roommate from them. read more

Morris Animal Refuge is one of American's first animal rescues and a wonderful place to find your new best "fur" friend . They have small to medium sized animals, including dogs, cats & rabbits of all ages. As a philly native, I volunteered there as a teenager ; donate money there as an adult; and also was rescued by my beloved dog there. I like that they thoroughly screen applicants to help each person find a pet that is the best fit for their lifestyle. Happy companion animals make for happy people, and this leads to a better world for us all . Thank you, Morris ! read more

In January 2000 I saw this HUGE tortoise cat in City Pets (was that the name?) located around 2nd and Market. She was placed there by Morris hoping someone would adopt a 9 year old cat. Well, I adopted her. My favoritte memory is bringing her home, letting her out of the carrier watching her stroll across the living room floor; no hesitation and purring incredibly loud. She was a big purr kitty. Bea passed away two weeks ago. She brought a great deal of joy to me. Adopt an older pet! read more

This review is in regards to the spay/ neuter program by Morris Refuge. You can essentially purchase a 'gift certificate' to have your pet spayed/ neutered by a participating vet: $40 for rabbits, $40 for cats, and $60 for dogs. (YES! spay/neuter your rabbits because uterine and prostate cancer is a big killer!!!) A list of participating vets are on the website (also, see my 5-star review for Girard Vet, who did the spay for my rabbit). To participate in the spay/ neuter program, bring your payment (and a donation such as pet food if you would like!) to the center and they will issue you the certificate. I chose to go to the participating vet for a pre-op appointment to meet the vet, so I did pay for that separately. At Girard Vet, you were responsible for paying for pain meds out of pocket, which was an additional $10. At another vet, it was quoted that my rabbit's spay surgery would be $1,000!! Morris offered a much better option for my rabbit and me. I would highly recommend anyone to come here and take advantage of the program. read more

I got my two gorgeous cats from Morris - got another one from Morris years ago which had to be put down at the age of 14 due to endstage renal failure - on two different occasions and always found the staff at Morris to be extremely helpful. They helped me with everything from applying flea medication to trimming the cats' claws to giving good advice about how to integrate a new cat into a household where another cat was already in residence to shuttling a cat I was thinking of adopting from one vet to another without making me commit to adopting her. (I did end up adopting the cat.) Also, unlike PAWS - see my negative review of that facility (I hope that they treat their animals better than they treat people) - Morris is willing to place animals on hold for prospective adopters. Morris is not perfect; it's a high-kill shelter and no-one there was willing to take care of my cats for a fee while I was on vacation but they do the best they can within their budget and I am very pleased with the way that they handle the adoption process. Unlike the people at PAWS, the people at Morris have always treated me with the utmost courtesy. I would recommend Morris for anyone who is thinking of adopting a pet. read more

How good it is to be able to review places online now. Hopefully the right people see them just in time. A few years ago I tentatively adopted an 8 week old kitten. The owners were willing to give me a trial with her to see how she and my old male would get along prior to making a commitment. They could not keep her, as they already had six cats. I knew the prognosis was poor for returning this kitten back to them because of this - what they were looking for is homes for most of their new kittens. I'd heard of Morris so I called for info about their procedures. I asked them about taking this kitten to them on the off chance I changed my mind, for whatever reason, about adopting the kitten permanently. I said that if I dropped her off there I'd try to find her a home, but if I did not succeed, then I would return for her and keep her myself. They told me that once you 'surrender' an animal to them, that animal is their property and that in two weeks' time they'd euthanize it. You could not return and take the animal back! This was a healthy 8 week old kitten that they'd kill in two weeks if not adopted, even though I'd offer to take her out of there myself for adoption. Everyone should know about this! Needless to say, I kept kitty and saved her from that horrendous fate. This is a KILL shelter, then - finding them homes wasn't so important to them as getting rid of an inconvenient kitten in 2 weeks time even though the one surrendering her in the first place might reconsider and adopt her. And re Aundrea's review - sad sad sad. That place is bad news. read more