Lcal is a sinking ship. Current leadership values policy and black and white rules over what is…read morebest for the dogs and the families that love them. Let me tell you my story as an 8 year supporter of lcal. We adopted our first dog (a boxer) through the founder, lisa (who is an absolute angel) in 2016. We loved our dog deeply until she passed away in 2022. When she passed, I started volunteering weekly with the rescue, walking dogs, trying to fill the void that my dog's passing left. I learned more about rescue and started fostering dogs through lcal. We took 4 foster dogs from intake through adoption, one of the fosters staying with us for 6 months! I also attended adoption events with these fosters, donating hundreds of hours promoting the rescue. I attended fund raisers, donated supplies and cash, and supported the lcal thrift store. I was invested in the mission. In December, I told the foster coordinator that we are looking for a dog to permanently add to the family, ideally a boxer between the ages of 2-5. I would send her listings from shelters, and she would explain why each dog was not going to work for lcal to pull for me. I appreciated her advice and was waiting patiently for a right fit. When she texted last week asking me to foster a boxer, Tyson, I was overjoyed! I expressed to her that we would love to and that we would hopefully adopt Tyson. Unfortunately lcal decided to advertise him on social media the next day and quickly got multiple applications from well vetted adopters. We were told on a Sunday (after having tyson for 4 days) that we needed to decide by Monday if we wanted to adopt. Otherwise he would go to a meet and greet on Wednesday and likely be adopted. On Monday evening, I texted the foster coordinator telling her that I had some questions about the adoption. She did not get back to me until Tuesday morning. We discussed my concerns (we have 4 cats and I ideally wanted more time to see how Tyson would interact with them) but I clearly told her we wanted to keep Tyson. She said she would ask the board for more time. Later that afternoon, I was told that because I wasn't sure, they were moving forward with the other adoption and I was no longer eligible to adopt Tyson. I was in shock. I responded that I wanted the dog and that I had put aside any uncertainty and please can we adopt Tyson. I was told no and that they would immediately come pick him up wherever I was. The lcal president contacted me and was so over the top harsh and rude, I felt like I was being treated like a criminal. My family is heartbroken. Just as we were bonding with what was likely the perfect dog for our family, he was forcibly taken away. Shame on you lcal. You've put deadlines and policy above what is best in complex situations. I understand the reasons for your policy, but you refused to have even the slightest flexibility for a long time supporter. You wouldn't even give me a few hours to get my questions answered before moving on to the other adopter who hadn't even met Tyson. You are burning your fosters, the very backbone of your organization.

Thank you LCAL for connecting us to the dog of our dreams! Our family found your matching process…read morestraightforward and supportive. Your staff and volunteers were also incredibly helpful as we transitioned him into our home. We didn't expect you to take care of the details for his neutering appointment, but you did. You went above and beyond and we will be supporting your work and thrift store for years to come.

Good people working there - so helpful - many cute dogs that need homes - young and old - adopt…read moredon't buy !

My husband and I went there to adopt a kitten on Friday 7/24. I had seen the kittens the day…read morebefore and wanted my husband to see them to make sure he also wanted that kitten. First we went and looked at them all and nobody came by. A woman who sits at a desk and unfortunately we don't know her name was going by and we asked if somebody could show us the kitten we wanted. There were 2 snuggled together in the back of the enclosure and all we could see was a ball of white fur. She said they are not allowed to take them out. My husband said how can that be, we want to adopt one of them but we can't tell which is the one. She was very rude to my husband, saying it was there protocol but would not answer his questions. My husband was upset, said we want to pay $200 for a kitten we can't even see, That's ridiculous! She walked away from us not offering any help for us! I wanted to leave and I have adopted prior and donated tons of stuff. Not to mention I do rabbit rescue of euthanasia, abused and dumped bunnies for over 30 years and Thursday this same woman gave 3 young children around 3-5yrs each a treat to give the bunnies. I was shocked that she did that being bunnies will bite little fingers. A vet tech appeared to care for some kittens and he was extremely nice and went and got a girl Emily who came over, checked the microchip, picked up the kitten. all with gloves and took care of us throughout the adoption, She is the type person who should be working there! A person named Alice I think also was rude telling me the same BS as the rude woman. Being in the rescue circle and well known in HRS I feel that I will definitely let people know about your so called protocol. Seems it is up to the employee if they follow the supposed "protocol" Emily was wonderful, kind and helpful in all ways!l Thank you Emily for helping us adopt Fee!

Long overdue but here's my review. Last year, when we visited this animal shelter, it looked very…read moreclean and the customer service was great. We had visited other shelters that day but this one was very impressive. The staff was very professional and answered all of our questions. They also let us meet multiple dogs and it looked like they really took care of their animals. We couldn't be happier with our little guy today. It's crazy to think a year ago we picked him up but he's a member of our family now.

There has been a lot of negative press and social media about the Carlsbad shelter and their shady…read moreoperations. I was hoping it wasn't true, but my most recent experience was really bad. They now require appointments for vaccines, so I scheduled a time and their website said it would be $20 for one vaccine. When I arrived, the person at the counter (who could use some customer service training) said it would be $85 because Carlsbad residents are out of their jurisdiction. What? The shelter is 4 minutes from my house...in Carlsbad! Our dog received vaccines here about 8 months ago and we never had any of these issues. The right thing to do would be to honor your on-line pricing and notify customers before they show up if your policies have changed.

We are so happy to have found our adorable rescue baby from 4theloveofdogs! We contacted Yuribia…read moreand had made an appointment to meet two potential doggies. Yuribia explained that the majority of her doggies are rescued from the streets of Tijuana in deplorable conditions. Some of these doggies are in very bad health from neglect or injuries or abuse. Both of the doggies we met were precious but it was clear that this baby girl was meant to come home with us! Yuribia told us that if she needed any veterinary care that she could take her back to the vet in Tijuana that takes cars of all of her rescues. We received a record of her vaccinations to date and took her to our own vet just for a checkup and our little girl was happy and healthy. I tell everyone who is looking for a pet to contact this rescue because she really does care and rescue so many babies that need loving homes. We are so pleased to have found the perfect addition to our family. Thank you

Called to find out information, requesting to tour facility and told I wasn't allowed to see…read morefacility before I made a reservation. Called to set up appointment and never received a call back

On Instagram you suggested that one of the dogs was going to be put down and to please make a…read moredonation to try and save the rest of them. We have rescued and fostered 25 dogs and 32 cats. I'm living on social security and don't receive any funds to take care of those animals and I am offended that you would suggest one of the dogs is going to be put down so donate to save lives of the others instead of focusing all the great things that you do which is reflected in the reviews of people who have worked with you. Very disappointed.

I adopted my new girl Shelby from Wagging Dog rescue a little over three weeks ago at a pet…read moreadoption event in Encinitas. It appears that they have dedicated foster parents who help transition these pups from shelter life to permanent placement in their forever homes. They were very honest with us about the dog we were adopting struggles with timidness and fear. They sent someone to do a home visit and we had to do an initial foster to adopt agreement for 2 weeks. If all worked out fine for both Shelby and our family then we were cleared to adopt. Which we did last Thursday. Shelby has had all her initial shots, was spayed and treated for fleas when we adopted her. All we needed to do was provide the love. Done. I would highly recommend Wagging Dog Rescue to anyone who is considering adopting a new member of their family.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!…read more I have been patient in looking to add a kitten/cat to our family and stumbled across Marigold on a fosters Instagram page which prompted me to submit an application. Kat reached out the very next day after reviewing our application and pre approved us. Yelena reached out for all coordination afterwards. Marigold was not even posted on the rescues page but they were so kind and were able to get us in to meet her. The foster mom (and dad) were wonderful and have been doing this for so long (60+ kitties). We instantly fell in love with Marigold and were able to be selected to adopt her (pat on our back for being able to provide a good home). She came from a hoarder home and was lucky to survive from malnutrition. We came back to get her after getting she completed her shots/spayed. Not even 24 hours in, my one year old tabby loves her and she is settling in perfectly. I will say I have had not so great experiences with other rescues in the area and Dirty Little Paws surpassed all expectations! I hope one day I can repay them and foster another baby in need.

I called with a simple question about rehoming a cat for a family member and was surprised by how…read morehostile and judgmental the interaction was. I was cut off, accused of wanting to "dump a cat," and spoken to in an unprofessional manner. The experience felt unnecessarily confrontational and upsetting. Unfortunately, I would not recommend based on this interaction.

We came here for a birthday celebration and had so much fun! Unfortunately we are not in a position…read moreto adopt a cat but this was an awesome way to get some cuddles and play in anyway! The lounge area is so cute and there are plenty of toys to play with the cats. The person working there was so kind and came over and told us a little background on some of the older cats and answered all of our questions. You can tell they really make sure the cats are respected and give them plenty of high options to get away from some of the excited younger guests. The gift shop was really cute and full of unique items and I'll definitely be back to do some Christmas shopping for my cat loving friends! Highly recommend this place and would love to come back again.

My daughter wanted to check this place out so our family of 4 (3 year old, and 9 year old) decided…read moreto check it out. We weren't really greeted but asked if we had a reservation. Reservations are made online, walk-ins may or may not have availability depending on how many spots they have open for that time and the size of your party. We had to fill out a waiver before checking in. We were the first group of the day, since we arrived before opening. We were asked to sanitize our hands before heading into the cat room. Then we were told to stay behind the line and remove our shoes. The room definitely smelled like cat litter but we didn't see any litter boxes. We had a bit of alone time maybe 10 mins before the next group arrived. There were a few older cats but mostly kittens. All kittens were pretty playful. The older cats preferred either to be petted or left alone. Right after the second group walked in we were asked to keep it down or we could be asked to leave. I didn't think we were being loud and she could have asked us to keep it down without "threatening" to kick us out. We have three cats at home and our kids were quite respectful with the kitties. Anyhow, we did our best to keep it down and enjoy the remainder of our 30 min visit. ($15pp for 30 min during the week). When our time was up, the employee said it was time to go and waited for us to put our shoes on and escorted us out. As you enter/exit the building they have a little cashless cat store with cat related memorabilia. My daughters really enjoyed the experience. We weren't looking to adopt but enjoyed the company of the cats. I would consider returning IF I was going to adopt a cat but not likely for a long time. Also, I just didn't really care for the employee. Go check out the coffee shop next door- Jitters. They have an awesome breakfast burrito. You can't take food or drinks in but you can enjoy before or after your experience. Worth a stop if you like cats but can't have any or you're looking to adopt one. I suppose it could be good therapy too.

Ana is awesome! I am so happy we selected Purrxotics for our little nuggets. Alex and Eliza are…read morethe cutest and have made our lives happy. We have always been dog people, never owning a cat. Ana talked us through what we were in for and her website has all the information you need. Ana is always there to help even after bringing them home 4 months ago, she always makes herself available. She has tremendous knowledge about the breed. We were originally only going to get one cat, but at the last minute Eliza's brother became available. I am so happy we got them both, they are inseparable and do an awesome job keeping each other entertained when we are not around.

I bought my tangerine tabby, exotic short hair in April from Ana at PURRXOTICS. He is so loving,…read moreplayful and sweet. Tangie is now 6 months old and he is thriving. All of this is due to the way he was raised before he found me and his forever home. I would recommend Purrxotics to anyone!