I LOVE Operation Kindness. We first went 6 years ago just because I had heard of them when we started "just looking" for a dog. The volunteer was so helpful and patient with us; for my husband and I we were picking out our first dog, and I've never been terribly comfortable around dogs as pets. We were also navigating the fact that my husband has allergies. They had pics and descriptions of dogs online, so when we went in, we knew a few dogs we wanted to meet.
I agree; it is frustrating that they won't let you put an animal "on hold." The day we left, we just wanted to make sure we were really doing the right thing and choosing the right dog. The next day we were worried the dog we wanted would be adopted, so as soon as I got out of work I hurried over to the OK Corral and adopted my new best friend. The same volunteer walked me thru the rest of the process and we had a great experience. They gave us coupons for a few local pet stores, and we were on our way. They told us we needed to assume the dog was not trained, like a puppy, although he was 3 since they didn't have information. We fortunately adopted him on a 3-day holiday weekend, and 24 hours into his living at our home we realized, "this guy is pretty well trained."
So...then we waited a few years to decide to get another dog to join our family. Not sure how this would work, since our 1st dog Bailey can be funny around other dogs. Well, we found a dog we wanted to visit, so we brought Bailey with us, as they suggest. When we got there this time, it was not as positive an experience, only because we went to see a dog only to find out it had some health issues that could be pretty significant...we are still fairly novice dog owners, so we weren't ready for that. Additionally, they wouldn't let both my husband and I go back with our current dog...we had to go back one at a time to see if we potentially liked the dog before the dog could come meet our current dog...I'm sure there are reasons for this, but after that experience we put our search on hold.
Later, on Memorial Day weekend 2016 my husband saw a dog online we liked, and found out that OK was holding a pet adoption at a car dealership that a.m. Perfect! So, we brought Bailey with us, and we actually beat OK in getting there and when they got there, there were some issues with parking their trailer, so the volunteers seemed a little stressed out when they got there, but that is understandable! We were immediately able to see the dog we came for, which was great, and somehow she and Bailey bonded immediately. It was strange to me to hear from the volunteers that the dogs had been "fixed" yesterday so this little gal was on pain meds, and clearly not 100% herself. But, we fell in love with her anyway. Only after we got her home did she seem a little scared, sore from her surgery...but, she adapted very quickly, and in the days to follow we saw this sweet 2-year old little girl and her energetic, lively personality. We have 2 wonderful dogs from Operation Kindness, and I tell everyone I know they should adopt pets from this great organization. If/when we ever look for another dog in the future, it's the only place we'll go. They do a good job of telling you about the dog and trying to place it in a "forever home", but they don't go completely off the deep end and crazy like some of the rescue organizations that need to come see your house to let you adopt a dog!
I tell everyone I know to go to OK! read more