I'm disappointed the Paws Work's would let sick animals be adopted. AndI believe the staff at Pet Smart the fed them and cleaned their litter box would have heard them sneeze and cough. On 12/17/23 we adopted 2 orange tabby kittens from Paw Works in side Pet Smart. As we were putting them in the crate 1 sneezed. By the time we got home they sneezed 4 or 5 times. I told my son to make a vet appointment as soon as possible. I thought they had Upper respiratory infections. He took them on Tuesday 12/19/23 and they were both put on antibiotics. Then Saturday 12/23/23 the smaller of the 2 not showing much improvement ( now having watering eye and wheezing) with our local vet out of town we took him to the emergency vet. Where he received a bit more medication. I guess they are lucky we have them . Instead of being sick and ignored in a small glass box . We love our new babies. read more

I was in the mall recently and decided to check out what's new near Sears and Penneys. I found this place: What an exciting concept! A pet rescue and thrift store combo! I know that another Animal Rescue does this type of thing (selling donated items to raise money for the animals) but I've never seen it inside the mall. Th clothing/items for resale were nice (more than just the Goodwill) and there were several cats hoping for adoption near the front windows. I inquired about them (because cats) and while it's not an ideal situation, it's better than them being on the streets. They are looking for volunteers to help work with the animals, so what an amazing way to give back. I plan to be back again because I fully support this cause and hope others can support them, too. read more

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Let me just say this review has taken me a long time to write. This is Harley, he was adopted from Paw Works in January of 2019. See photo below. They told me he was skinny because he was an Italian Grey Hound. He was in their care for over 200 days. And this is what he looked like. When we brought him home the first time we told him no he was so scared he peed himself and ran outside. His tail was so bad it was cracking off. And he was throwing up nearly daily. He was no where on their website. Because who would adversaries a dog that looks like this?? I will never forgive Pawworks for the torment this dog went through. I can't say don't adopt from Paw Works because if I say that dogs like Harley will stay there to potentially die with them. But you should know that they did this to this dog in 256 days they couldn't put a pound on this dog? I adopted him at 11lbs. He is 19lbs. He had so little energy he could barer run around. He was grey he was sick. People should see what dogs they don't advertise look like. I would like to thank the sweet boy who volunteers at Paw Works who showed me Harley. I knew in that moment we couldn't leave without him. And we didn't. He is AMAZING and happy and kind and loved and that is no thanks to Paw works who sold us a dog so emaciated we are lucky he is with us. How dare you have a dog in your care that looks like this and not help him and claim to be a rescue. You should be ASHAMED. read more

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Interesting store - it's a dog rescue and a thrift store, all inside the mall. Not what I was expecting, but cool. They had mostly small dogs there on site but that makes sense due to size and popularity. No tiny tea-cup or purse dogs and no big giant ones, though there were three pit bulls listed as available but off-site. I came here with a friend of mine who is a dog trainer and who is suspicious of mall "rescue" sites since not all of them are as honorable as they sound. She was happy to see that Paw Works had dogs for adoption that looked to represent the typical types of dogs that end up in shelters here. Not "designer" dogs for exorbitant prices. Staff was friendly to us during our visit and offered us help without prompting. A few nice thrift store things for sale and a good selection of new dog leashes and collars. I bought a thrift store item. Oh, they also had one adoptable cat. Very cute, laid back and not a tiny kitten. Good job Paw Works! read more

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This should be no stars. Yesterday, I was at PetSmart in Ventura to shop & saw signs for "adopt a cat" upon entering. As a pet lover, I turned left to a dimly lit area at the entry to see small glass pens against the wall with a large long hair black & white cat lying down pawing at the glass. The card next to the pen advertised Paw Works & said that Midnight was a 2 yrs old male. He was beautiful! I could see he was bored, a large cat in a small pen with no room to run around, so I tap on the window playfully to give him some stimuli. Midnight continued to lie on his side, reaching out & pawing in the air. I continued to tap on different areas of the glass to get his attention & lovingly called him by his name. Nothing... It was like I didn't exist. I went off shopping thinking about this poor non-responsive large cat in this dark small pen. It was disturbing. A 2 year old cat should have been responsive & interacting with me. My 14 yr old cat would have! How long has Midnight been in this small pen without anyone talking to him & handling him? At checkout, I asked about Midnight. The employee thinks the cats have been there a week? Cats? A week? Did she really nonchalantly say a WEEK! I thought rescues did their adoption shows & took the animals back to their shelters after. How inhumane! I went to say good bye to Midnight & he was sitting up eating. There was an employee standing in front of the glass front pens quietly watching Midnight eat. She saw me looking into the dark pens & I remark that Midnight is the only cat here. She says no & points into another dark pen above Midnight's. Inside the pen is a cat lying comatosed in an open box on its side. The card next to it again read Paw Works but it states this cat is 6 yrs old & her name was Charlie. She did not look well & older than 6. I couldn't wake her. How long have these animals been isolated in cages & ignored with no human interaction until they behave like this? I was so disturbed by what I saw at PetSmart that I came home & started researching Paw Works. The more reviews I read, the more disturbed I got. Paw Works is supposed to be a non-profit but seems like it's a for profit by selling dogs & cats that they rescue from shelters that have already been fixed & neutured. They charge a high adoption fee to recoup the shelter adoption fee incurred. Paw Works is a 1st come, 1st serve with no home checks. Their shelter area is overcrowded & the dogs adopted out are underfed, neglected & mistreated. They provide no history of the animals they're adopting out & lie about the age & medical conditions of these animals. Reading about the various horror accounts by these loving adopted fur baby parents made me happy that these were the lucky ones that got away from Paw Works. But Paw Works needs to be reported. Does anyone know what agencies to contact? Paw Works should not be allowed to continue operating a business presenting itself as a humane rescue when making a livelihood by profiting on homeless animals. AND I'm never shopping at PetSmart again in protest against their support of Paw Works in Ventura County. read more

"Adopted" (more like purchased) a dog in September. They claimed she had a mites and was on medication. After adoption, and her medication ran out we learned the real diagnosis. To make a very long (EXPENSIVE) store short, they 'sold' us a dog with a clinical vet diagnosis of mites, when she actually had 13 environmental allergies. Including dust, 3 types of grass, several weeds, etc. We spent $1,200 getting her diagnosed but Dr Greek along with $200/400 a month in additional vet appointments and medications. The 'vet' they use through contact is also bottom dwelling scum that is known for shady practices. Check them out on Yelp. If you don't believe me, contact Dr Greeks office, they will openly discourage anyone from adopting from pawworks. read more

I was in Petsmart on Sunday and saw an 11 year old cat who was up for adoption. I went home and my husband and I agreed we would take her and we drove all the way From Fillmore to pick her up after calling the store. They would not let us have her because we did not have a 3rd party at another address who would take her. What!? This means they want 2 different households to adopt each animal! This is crazy as how many people were willing to pay $150 for an elderly cat but we were. She is still stuck in a cage when she could be queening it up on our bed or sofa. The animal always suffers. read more

This wonderful association shows the true meaning of ambition and humanity. They are clearly dedicated to the welfare of the dogs and cats. This store provides adorable dog and cat accessories that will make your pet stylish and happy! They've got leashes, collars, sweaters, beds, dog purses (that you put your dog in), treats, shampoos, toys, and more!! If you are looking for something specific, like a cute rhinestone collar, this is the place to go! Anyone is welcome to walk right into the store, and adopt a dog or cat! Yes, inside the Ventura Pacific View mall! If you are looking for a companion like a dog or cat, all of Paw Works's animals are looking for a home. So next time you're at the mall, you should go check them out! Great store that has a great purpose. read more

Went to the paw works in April 2020 and adopted a dog--we love him, and he is part of our family now. However, their adoption fees are exorbitantly high compared to our humane society in Santa Barbara, and they make you buy supplies from their store (at least $150 worth) in order to adopt, whether or not you have things at home. Further, our pup was adopted to us 1) with absolutely no background info, so we found out the hard way that he is dog- and stranger-reactive, and 2) seemingly too soon after his neuter. He was swollen and we ended up with a $200 vet visit to get him antibiotics and pain reliever. We love our pup, but as a volunteer with the SB humane society, you can see how much better off the dogs are there. With behaviorists and training and partnered walks, our dog may have been able to get higher quality care and help for his reactivity (not to mention information and resources for us) before we adopted him. As first time pet owners, we have had to put in a lot of work and pay a lot of money to deal with this. I understand a lot of people with puppies rate this org highly and have good experiences, I just think that you really need to be careful and not equate them with your local humane society. Especially if you're getting an adult dog, the fact that they cant give you any information regarding the pup's past AND aren't screening if you are capable of dealing with their specific issues is a big red flag. read more

I'm very concerned about this organization. I found out after trying to adopt a dog, that they do NOT "screen" or "vet" potential candidates for their rescues. Bottom line, I was told that it's "first come, first serve" which means the first person interested in an adoptee, gets the dog if they want it. They do not do a home visit to find out if the dog is compatible to the environment. So a dog could be going to a "hoarder", "dog abuser", etc. The adoption is based on what ever information the adopter provides on the application and if they are willing to pay the fee. This process scares the hell out of me! read more

Be careful of this place. I have been hesitant to write anything negative because I think it important that people rescue dogs instead of purchase from breeders. Just make sure you see the paperwork from their intake vet in Somis before you adopt so you know what you are truly going to be taking on. If you are prepared to give a dog a forever home and committed no matter what, that dog is going to be very very lucky you cared enough to give them a loving home. However, you still deserve to know what you could be taking on. Our dog was misrepresented as being 6 in their ad which was ok as we were looking for an "adult" (not senior dog), when we first met her we noticed she did not respond when we called her and they said it was because she was distracted by the activity in the Pacific view mall, then we fostered her over a long weekend to see how she got along with our other dog, so, we used that opportunity to take her to 1) our groomer 2) our vet, AND after a lot of effort by our vet, finally got the Somis vet to fax records to our vet so we could see what they had done, we learned: she was closer to 12 than 6, mostly deaf, had stitches in her mouth from having 5 teeth recently removed after being attacked by other dogs at the paw works "foster home" where she lived when not on display (how did that happen and not be noticed until the next morning?), her prognosis had been pronounced as "guarded by intake vet, AND she had a heart murmur! We had told paw works upfront that we had recently lost our beloved dog who required a lot of care in her final years and we hoped to find a dog with a few more good years ahead of her who would be a good companion for our other dog so he would not be lonely. We expressed to paw works it was not cool to misrepresent her age in their ad(s) and they said "we just put the age the shelter tells us" However the owners' daughter worked at the Somis vet and could easily have read the paperwork. After all this they still charged $350. We are going to give her a much better life and outcome than she would have had staying with paw works but just beware if you adopt a pet from paw works and demand their intake records ( they won't want you to have them until after you adopt) If you are okay with what you learn either way and adopt you will make some lucky dog very lucky indeed read more

visited this store a couple days ago, and ended up buying several items in their resale section at a really good price! I also love how all the proceeds go back to the pups. I feel so much better knowing my hard earned money goes to something so much better. I will most definitely be back! read more

Great place! It's a second hand boutique with dog and cat adoptions! You can walk in and visit with adorably sweet animals, possibly adopt one and/or buy something from the boutique. It's a non profit so everything they earn goes back to support the animals. read more

What a cool concept - you get to shop and cuddle with puppies at the same time! The store has tons of unique second hand resale items, and you can also adopt cats and dogs there. I will definitely go back! read more

My family and I recently adopted a dog from Paw Works. This is a very special place to find what you're looking for in terms of the right fit for your family. They are ethical conscientious and supportive of putting these lovely rescued animals in the right home I would highly recommend their website and their rescue before any place else read more

One of a kind store where you can purchase gently used items AND see/play with rescued animals that are available for adoption. They are completely non-profit so all the & spent goes back into rescuing animals. The store is absolutely gorgeous too!! read more

We just adopted our new family member from this amazing organization. Everyone at the Thousand Oaks store was so friendly and helpful and when I emailed an inquiry about the dog we were interested in, I received a response that same day. It was a great experience and the store is so beautiful and a great place to find your new addition. Thank you Paw Works for all the wonderful things you do for these animals. You are the best!! read more

Awesome!! The puppies and kitties are super cute and sweet! The store is very well put together. Was ready to spend some money in there up until this heavyset rude gal comes stomping out of the back with a huge tude! My husband asked her a simple question and her response and tone of her voice left me in disbelief that such an awesome store would have customer service as such. I see great reviews, so maybe she just didn't like us. Definitely want to shop there so will try again when I don't see her working. read more

I came in here a couple of months ago and fell in love with their concept of adoption and resale boutique. Just came in again this past weekend and had another great experience. I came looking for a dog collar and came out with a ton of stuff for both me and my doggie! The employees were very helpful and quickly directed me towards their large selection of collars and helped me pick out some great clothes for myself. read more