We adopted our puppy over the weekend 12/10/16 adoption event by PawSafe. From reading the previous reviews, I gathered that it's best to get there first thing bright and early. My husband and I woke up at 5:30 AM and got there at 7:00 AM. When we got there the line was already beginning to build up, we were the 17th family in line. The first in line had arrived from Massachusetts at 7:00 PM (the night before) and camped out the store for the night! They got the puppy they came for - Molly :) There were a total of about 30 to 40 families. Thankfully my husband decided to pack a couple of park chairs and a blanket for the cold December morning. We were surrounded by friendly folks ready to adopt a puppy and we had a wonderful social time that helped the time pass effortlessly. At 8:00 AM the volunteers started appearing. One of the very good things they did is have us start signing in so we could secure our number and then go out and get breakfast or coffee instead of waiting till the event start time out in the cold. They asked us to be back by 9:15 AM so they could promptly start maneuvering the crowd at 9:30 AM. We decided to go out to breakfast at a nearby diner with some folks whom we had just met at the event waiting line behind us. As soon as we got back around 9:10 AM, the doors to PetSmart were open and puppies lined up in crates with their foster families. There was an air of excitement and everyone including the friendly volunteers were in high spirits. They had families line up in a separate aisle, in the order of the sign in. They called out names and the families walked over to the next aisle over with the puppies. Even while waiting in line people were happy and social with a lot of sense of humor that kept everyone laughing. The older dogs were being walked outside by their foster families. The whole process was seamless and well done especially considering it was being done by a volunteer organization. They even had puppy take home gift bags with dog food with dog treats. What was more impressive was the the gift bag was tailored size specific! We adopted a large breed puppy at 8 weeks old and the bag had large breed kibbles. This was extremely helpful since we were to overwhelmed to shop aa soon as we found the puppy of our choice cuddled in our arms. They had instructions for us on diet and care, all the vaccination and health paperwork to take to our vets. All the information we needed was ready in hand. I would like to extend our thanks to all the wonderful volunteers and foster families for effortlessly working and giving hope to so many animals to find families and make a forever home for these helpless creatures. Thank you and God bless each and everyone of you! Cheers always, Kempshall and Sanya McAndrew (Proud dad and mom to puppy Hook) read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

I recently adopted an adorable puppy and the process was great. I recommend any organization that helps take care of animals. read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

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We adopted our new pup Fergus (fka Hot Rod) a week ago and had a fantastic experience with Pawsafe! All the pups were great. The adoption event was well organized with only 3 other adopters in our time slot (previous reviews mentioning dozens of people all vying for a handful of dogs are simply not correct). Everyone was calm, friendly, and courteous. Sharon from Pawsafe, who ran the event, was friendly and very welcoming (and has been very conscientious checking in to make sure Fergus is doing well in his new home). The fosters were all there to answer questions about the dogs, hovering like proud parents watching their kid at their first school play. It was just a great experience full of wagging tails and smiling faces. To also come away with a great new pup is the icing on the cake. Can't say enough good things about Pawsafe and would highly recommend! read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Fergus (fka Hot Rod) adopted from Pawsafe Animal Rescuse 4/9/22 - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

First, let me begin by saying the puppy we adopted from Pawsafe did not work out because in less than a week of having her, she became aggressive and even bit a family member. We are so sad to have to give her up but feel it is best. Our feelings about the situation have nothing to do with the review however. Pawsafe Rescue (if you can even call it a rescue) is nothing more than a puppy mill. Diane only cares about the money. When we went to an adoption event, we were asked ZERO questions, NOT ASKED to give ANY references at all. It was like these volunteers led by Diane only cared about getting their money and sending dogs home so that they could get more and repeat the cycle. She clearly does not care where the animals are going. Once we got our puppy home, we took her to our home vet. We soon found out she had a medical problem that should NOT have happened if she had been vaccinated and checked out by their vet. Nonetheless, we paid for the necessary medications to get our puppy well. Clearly whatever "vet" they are using does not properly check their animals and our poor girl was sick though she was "vaccinated." After our puppy who was only 8 weeks old (really a puppy who is 8 weeks old should still be with their mother and litter mates) was aggressive towards family members, we contacted Diane. She told us to return the dog. Upon bringing the dog back only a week later, Diane asked ZERO questions about the dogs aggression, ZERO questions about the dogs current medical problem (which she was still taking medication for at the time of return). This already horrible moment was made worse by the cold and careless nature of Diane. If you research this "rescue" you will find HORRIFIC reviews of the same account. Our situation is NOT unique. They give dogs that are sick and aggressive. Even news stories that go back to 2017! DO YOUR RESEARCH! And please, stay far far FAR away from this horrific "rescue." They do not care about animals, they only care about the money. read more

Great place to adopt! Beaux has been a joy and the adoption process was very smooth and quick! It does take a bit to get to the point of being able to get an appointment but it's well worth the wait! read more

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My fiance and I went to an adoption event in the Ellington location, we did not know what to expect but we were happily surprised when we got to meet the newest member of our family, Luna Tripp! They couldn't have handled the adoption any better even with COVID-19. read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

Love this organization. I have adopted 3 dogs from them over the years and have been very pleased. They truly care for the animals and require an extensive adoption process in order to adopt their dogs, which is the right thing to do. I will be continue to adopt from this caring organization. read more

Diane S. From Pawsafe...Wow. And everyone should read all the bad reviews about Pawsafe. Such a waste of your time looking into my business now. When your not interested in anyone's business before you sell a dog. Jagger is doing so well now btw. Gaining weight! Listening., going to the bathroom OUTSIDE! She's actually trained and is on her way to be dewormed. Thanks to me, this dog will have a great life. I don't leave her for 7 hours a day roaming the house without supervision. Get your facts straight. Before you jump all over me. I believe the veterinarian knows what a rabies certificate looks like. So maybe you need to check your facts miss Diane. And If you'd like to continue this. I can keep going on as well. The BBB, ASPCA, ETC. whatever you like. Hey maybe I'll get you on 7 On Your Side ABC. SHAME ON YOU! read more

DO NOT ADOPT FROM HERE I just adopted my puppy, gautier (booze now) from here. He's the cutest little dude we love Him dearly but be careful from adopting here. I made the mistake of not reading reviews before adopting. It seems that i am not the only person who has dealt with similar situations. When i went to adopt him They asked me no questions before taking him home or asked for any references. They did warn me about his heart murmur but the day i took him i noticed an insane amount of itching and parasites in his poop let alone they had just told me he was completely healthy and dewormed. After a few days of keeping a eye on him i realized something was up so i emailed them with my concerns they said they had no recollection of any of this and would ask the foster but i never heard back and it's very obvious that he was in pain and uncomfortable due to crying and whinning while scratching almost constantly through out the day. It got to the point where he would knaw at his skin till he was bleeding. Wasn't much i could do, i had already made the vet appointment but had to wait for them to squeeze me in he ended up having a skin issue, worms and a parasite. They should have either told me or should've realized something was wrong because it took me less than 2 days to notice. I believe this place in unprofessional and a scam. I spent $500 thinking i was getting a healthy puppy but now it's ended up being a lot more due to all vet bills and medications he is on. Even with all his medical complications he is still the perfect little dude and I'm glad i got to take him before things got worse for him. read more

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We adopted our fur baby last week. His name was Baxter, but we changed it to Bixby. The adoption was so easy. We took Bixby to the vet and he had a clean bill of health! No worms! He was obviously well taken care of before we adopted him. He's the most well behaved, affectionate, and lovable puppy. I highly recommend PawSafe! We are so happy with our new arrival. read more

My daughter wanted a puppy for years. Last year, my friends recommended Pawsafe to me. I work in a bank, and working from home during this pandemic makes it possible for me to own a dog again after about 10 years after my previous dog passed. So I gave in and decided to adopt a puppy for her birthday, but my stipulation was to find a rescue. We adopted a husky-australian cattle dog mix (aka an "Ausky") at 2 months. I spent about 20 minutes discussing dog care, training, patience, etc with Sharon after I said I never owned a husky before, nor had I owned a puppy before. The adoption fee of $395 I did not think was particularly high. I think they cared for the pup a few days at the Patterson location, plus vet papers, and transportation from Mississippi. Plus the overhead. Finally, the new puppy was not very easy in the beginning. He bit us, urinated in the house a lot, but was loving and a real pleasure the rest of the time. I joined some Facebook groups and found this is pretty common with puppies. They get over these stages after about 3-5 months usually. Our 1.5 year old is a handsome and great dog. I truly feel fortunate to have found Pawsafe, and our dog. He was the 3rd to last puppy to be adopted that day. Now as things are opening up, I hope people who are considering pups decide to adopt from rescues such as Pawsafe and others since the dogs are not being adopted with as much frequency. No regrets with Pawsafe. You have to go see it - no one would think it's a "puppy mill". I was happy with the overall experience, and you have to understand that a rescue cannot control every dog's behavior. And that puppies take a lot of patience, regardless of breed. Finally, it's a non-profit with volunteers and overhead. The folks (Sharon who I met, and Diane I have not) who run the place appear to me to be doing it on a shoe-string so not really seeing a lot of money going through considering the fees people pay breeders. This appears more to be a labor of love. read more

I have yet to adopt a dog from Pawsafe because they have been very booked up during all of quarantine but I will continue to be patient. The reason I am writing this review is because I've been trying for 4 months since before quarantine and in those 4 months they have been VERY BUSY (I saw something that said they had over a thousand applications) but some how find time to answer all my emails, find homes for every dog (and that is what is really important) and they truly are trying their best to save as many dogs as they can even during this difficult time which prevents them from getting a lot of dogs at one time. All these people are working over time. I look forward to hopefully adopting from them soon (fingers crossed) read more

Please read my review. Some people have awful things to say off of a brief encounter. I do not think that is fair. We originally contacted PawSafe back in Feb. 2019. We spoke to Diane via email and were directed to fill out an application for adoption. Unfortunately, my husband got a horrendous stomach bug and we could not go to our original meeting. We decided to go meet an adorable puppy at an event. We got there as soon as the event started and I literally took the puppy fka Spot from Granny's litter out of a volunteer's hands. It was an immediate love at first sight. After filling out the appropriate paperwork, we were able to take her home. Not only was Diane incredibly approachable, but she is a realist which I fully appreciate. She told us all of the pros and cons of a little puppy and made sure that we were aware of all of the responsibilities she came with. Our pup, Roxy, is now 10 months old and probably the most spoiled pup in the world. We absolutely loved working with PawSafe and have begun to look for a second pup using their rescue again. I will tell you, despite some of the awful reviews above, they have been instrumental in finding a good fit for our furbaby. They gave us some really helpful tips on how to best prepare our dog for an additional pet. I look forward to many years of remaining active in the alumni page and working alongside Diane to find the perfect fit for our family. This is my one plead. Please do not judge this organization on some of the reviews I've read. They are ignorant and seem to be muddied by the disappointment in not getting a pet. Diane has been nothing but nice and knowledgeable. She is very protective of her puppies so if she didn't think it was a good fit, she was probably right. read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - This was one of our first pics of our baby. She is much bigger now but still just as cuddly ;) - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

This is a great organization. (be sure to read the hidden reviews below the visible ones). Marie G gives a thoughtful review...but admits it was no-ones fault that her dog developed issues afterward and paw safe did a great job taking her dog back. Not a 2 star review...more like a 4 or 5. We adopted two sisters and they let us see them first as we told them that if we liked them we would take both. Our vet said who-ever spayed them did a good job. The business side of the adoption was professional. Our family wouldn't be the same without them. Can't speak to the crowds, but I give 1 star to Rose's parenting skills...who brings children to see puppies unless they know they can get a puppy they want. read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Our sisters from Pawsafe - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

If you plan to go to a Pawsafe event please read this first. The events at Choice Pet are not well managed. They start at 9:30 but people camp out in the parking lot. Many arrive the night before. It is very competitive. I arrived at 8:30 to check in and was already in the high 30's on the sign in sheet -- this for only about 33 dogs. Many more arrived after me. No one is allowed to see any of the dogs until it is their turn. Some early parents let their kids play in the pens with the puppies for a very very long time so it takes a long time for the line to move. For me, it took hours of waiting in a very crowded stressful situation before it was our turn. I was going to leave but the volunteers said not to, that it works out and to trust karma. Eventually we were able to see only the last puppy. He was adorable. Love at first sight etc. He was not on the list of puppies we thought we might want but we were open. I was a little concerned because he had some Chihuahua in him. On line I had studied ways to assess temperament with a puppy (puppies for Dummies) and I performed some simple tests. This was very important to me. I would have preferred to take him straight away to my vet and then return him if he saw temperament issues but I knew Pawsafe did not allow that. I asked a volunteer if he was the runt - he was tiny - and she only said he was a small dog. I could see that myself. The puppy was so relaxed and sweet that we took him home. As I spent time with him and did more research I suspected he was the runt which comes with real behavior issues. After two days at home he put on much needed weight and then developed aggressive behavior - not just teething but biting and nipping He broke skin on a neighbor child that went to pet him. He aggressively attacked me, biting my ankles, hands, face, neck, tearing at clothes etc. Other times (when he was tired) he was totally loving and sweet. I took the puppy to my vet who said that his temperament and mine were not a good match. She said I would need a weekly visit with a dog trainer consultant to correct his tendencies and improve his manners. And that he would be a difficult dog. I raised two very large dogs from puppyhood and they were much easier. I am sure I made some mistakes with this one, but I am not a newbie at raising dogs. It was very sad for me to decide that it would be best for him and me if I returned him quickly so he would have a chance to find another home. So I was out $425. Plus vet visits, supplies, etc. Basically a $1000 mistake. And a heartbreak. So now I have no dog and am unwilling to risk more money at this time. The return process went smoothly and the volunteers I communicated with were helpful/nice. I delivered the dog to a foster home near me. He was quickly adopted again. And I hope he does better with his new family. If you go: Arrive as early as possible Walk away if you are low on the list and you cannot see the puppies that attracted you to the event in the first place. Realize you cannot test temperament - these dogs are exhausted and traumatized from their long journeys and the event and you will not see their true selves Buy your crate, pen, pads and supplies before you go. The dog pens and people crowd the aisles at Choice Pet so it is not possible to shop there comfortably. Understand that you cannot return the dog no matter what. Your $425 may end up as a donation. A good cause for sure, but I think they really need to work on the adoption process and procedures to avoid disappointment and heartache. Clearly they work hard, try hard and love the animals. However, their practices need review. Good luck to all in finding puppy love! read more

I have two dogs that I adopted through Pawsafe! I had such a good experience the first time, I was happy to return when looking to add another pupper to our family. This rescue has a big group of volunteers who foster so many of these dogs when they come up from transport and they work hard to keep the dogs out of the kennel and in warm and happy homes where they can bond with people and other animals while they wait for a forever home. Both of my dogs were loved up in foster care before they came to my home. I've had no problems with communication and getting all my questions answered and I felt informed every step of the way. The adoption fee is what it is and these dogs came home to me and were already fixed and microchipped, had great vet care along the way and it also covers their cost of transport. It is no small job to save these animals but these people never stop rescuing. And the best part of it all is that I've got these amazing friends in my life now and as it turns out, they rescued me. Life is more fun with a dog, I promise read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Meet Teddy Roosevelt - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

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I adopted a puppy at the January 28th PawSafe adoption event held at Choice Pet Supply in Carmel NY. It was very well run, and I am very happy with my new puppy. I had filled out my paperwork about a week before and was invited to attend (email from Diane). The advertised start time for the event was 10:00AM, but I had heard that it was a good idea to get there early. I arrived at about 4:30 and that made me 2nd in line. The people in front of me got there at 4:00. Within 20 minutes there were 3 more small groups in line. By 7:30 there were a total of about 25 groups in line and when the store unlocked its doors (around 7:55) there were about 40. Just inside the door there was a sign in sheet and we each wrote our names in order. This sign in sheet is the most important thing because this is the order you will be called in when the event begins. We then had some time before the PawSafe people arrived at the store to set up, so we could shop in the store or go to one of the breakfast or coffee shops nearby. There is a Starbucks a few doors down in the same shopping center and a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds across the street. At about 8:45 the PawSafe people started setting things up, so they cleared everyone out of the first aisle of the store. It was crowded in the other aisles as we listened to them getting ready. We were given some instructions on how things would work. These instructions can all be found on the PawSafe site, but it was good to hear them again. At about 9:30 they were ready and called for anyone who had signed up for an adult dog. These people were the first to receive their new pets. They then called out the first 5 names on the sign in sheet and lined us up in the closest aisle to where they had the puppies. We had all picked a favorite puppy from the pictures and profiles on the PawSafe site, but we were allowed to look at any of the puppies and no one was allowed to pick a puppy to adopt until the previous person had made their final selection. The family in front of me asked to look at 2 puppies. Neither of these puppies were ones that I was interested in so I was also allowed in and I asked to look at 3 specific puppies. I was led to the first one by a volunteer and allowed to sit with it and see if I liked it. Each puppy has a volunteer who takes care of it until it is adopted, so they are all sitting with their volunteers as you walk through. The pictures and descriptions on the PawSafe site are very good. The puppies and dogs I recognized were exactly like their pictures and as described. I was led to and looked at all the puppies I thought might be best, but quickly decided on the first one. That was it. Another volunteer helped me hold my new puppy as I signed the final paperwork and paid the adoption fee. I even received a treat bag from Choice Pet Supply as I left. I was done by about 10:20. I don't know how long the people further back in line waited, but I would guess it took at least a few hours to get everyone through. My advice is to make sure you get there early so you can be one of the first to sign in. Once you have signed in, don't worry - they are very good about following the order on the sign in sheet. Be back before 9:30 so you don't miss anything. Once it is your turn they will not let anyone else adopt the puppies you are looking at until you make your choice. PawSafe did a great job! read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - This is my awesome puppy, Freddie. We believe she is a border collie mix. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

Pawsafe is the BEST! I recently rescued my puppy Zeus out of a local foster home. The process was easy and i was really impressed because you can tell they treat the dogs they save like their own. Thank you Pawsafe for connecting me with my fur baby and for donating your time to dogs in need!!! read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

DON'T BE PUT OFF BY NEGATIVE POSTS - they were probably just bitter that they didn't get the puppy they wanted. OK so personally I would never wait in line for 3 hours for anything - even Star Trek. If you did this pre-COVID, you will want to give Pawsafe another look now. We completed applications for 5 rescue groups and only 2 responded. Pawsafe not only responded quickly but THOROUGHLY with a lot of information prefaced by "I know this is a long email." If you read it all the way through the process was AMAZING. You are given links to the animals up for adoption and for puppies they were listed with a location (NY or CT) and a date (May 16th). If you see SOME that you like, you have to be quick when appointments are added to the the calendar link (Calendly as of this review). If you see openings grab the 1st appointment you can get and pay the $25. You can cancel up to 24 hours before for a full refund. This is when it gets hard - you have to wait your turn and you have to hope that no takes the pups you saw online before you get a chance to meet them. We saw a litter of 5 lab mixes and hoped for one of the 3 blacks. Our time slot was 10:40 (1st one was at 10) and we were prepared that the 5-6 people ahead of us might take them all. You have to be willing to go into this with the possibility you might not get the one you saw online or one at all. Fortunately no one took any labs !!! I preferred Rick online but when we met, Neegan was a better personality match. Still as adults were we prepared for the ambiguity of this, that we might walk out empty handed. Now - before we ended up in Patterson NY we looked at the calendar for Ellington CT and those slots were GONE in 7 minutes. It's like concert tickets - be ready and be fast and if you don't get what you want right away GET OVER IT and try again next time. There are so many needy pups from the south who end up in loving homes because of this group AND their fee ($395 not-yet-neutered 10 week old) was the lowest of the 5 places we applied to. No one is "making money" volunteering or rescuing pups. It is a labor of love so BE NICE to the volunteers even if they look fried or frustrated because the website crashed and you don't end up with the one you fell in love with on the internet. Check out was very efficient and you can tell the VOLUNTEERS care about the health and safety of the pups and people. You get what you give and everyone involved were PERFECT PARTNERS in a lock tight high tech process to help move pups to homes. read more

Went to an adoption event Dec. 21 at Choice Pet in Carmel. The event was supposed to start at 10am and I signed in at 8:30. There were so many people. Some even camped out the night before to be number 1. I waited for almost 2 hrs and they still had not called my name. To me it was like a puppy mill. They charge almost $400 and that's without spaying or neutering. Many more people than pets available. I would not recommend this rescue. read more

Diane should stay in the kettle, she has absolutely no people skills. It saddens me to be so unkind but I am stunned at how unpleasant she is to deal with. We applied a puppy that wound up not being a good fit for our family. She would have no way of knowing that and neither us. However her judgemental and nasty way of dealing with the situation made the already heartbreaking situation of having a dog not be a good fit much worse for us and the dog. read more

I applied for other rescues but this has been the best one by far . I filled out an application and within days they responded . I was emailed back to pick a time slot for NY but I had no luck ..I emailed pawsafe to ask when they would post new pups the following week. I kept checking the site everyday because do to a number of ppl checking the site was down. so one day I finally checked and new pups were posted for ct . I selected a time slot asap because you have to be fast . I ended up finding my forever pup two days ago the staff were nice and friendly and it was a fast process. im glad I decided to choose this rescue. read more

We adopted a 9 month old sheppard mix today and couldn't be happier. The application process was easy and replies to emailed questions were very quick. The website was up to date with the dogs at the event. The staff gave us training tips while we waited our turn and answered questions. One family goes at a time, based on the order you arrived and signed in. From other reviews, we knew to show up to the adoption day early. We got there at 4:30am and were 4th in line. The groups ahead of us arrived about a half hour before we did. We had a top 5 list of pups we wanted to look at. Only one was gone by the time we had our turn. Much to our surprise, we fell in love instantly with our boy, who we'd seen online but hadn't considered before seeing him in person. So if the dog you went for goes before your turn, hang in there, because you never know who you'll meet! The event was well run, efficient, and friendly. I would do it again (but would recommend getting there early and just be prepared to hang out outside until the 8am signup goes up, then be back around 9am as the event kicks off). read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

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Have a dear friend who volunteers with Paw Safe. Have 7 rescued pups of her own. This organization rescues an unbelievable number of pups. Can't believe anyone would complain about such a devoted bunch of folks who are doing such an incredible job for our beloved pets. One of the best!!!!!!! Bless you Paw Safe for what you do read more

PawSafe Animal Rescue is the BEST! I have adopted two dogs from them. We adopted our hound mix, Opie, two years ago and our shepard mix, Baxter, this summer. The volunteers are so passionate and dedicated to the animals and making sure they are going to the best homes! Both of my dogs were adopted out of local foster homes who treated them as if they were a part of their family. I whole heartedly recommend PawSafe to anyone I know who is looking into adopting. read more

These people have devoted their lives to animal rescue, and that is quite evident if you attend an event. These adoption events run like a well-oiled machine. The volunteers know what they're doing, each have a job to keep the event running smoothly. They even have volunteers there solely to engage with nervous potential adopters to try to ease their nerves, to speak to them about their lifestyle and try to help them match with a puppy or adult dog that best suits their family. It is best to arrive early, as they start check in's promptly at 8 am, an hour and half before they start...Anxious people arrive extra early, and maybe this sets the tone for those that do not, but this isn't the fault of PawSafe. Once it was our turn, we got to meet several pups that caught our attention and not once felt rushed by the volunteers which was refreshing. We surprisingly fell in love with a pup that wasn't on our original list, but the rescue said this happens 90% of the time! They like to let the dogs choose their adopters, and boy did he choose us!!! All adoption paperwork was reviewed with us thoroughly and our pup was fully vetted for his age. The rescue requires you to visit a vet of your choice within 4 days of adoption, which personally working in the veterinary field, shows they truly care about the wellbeing of these dogs even after they leave their care. I witnessed tears of joy, from both adopters AND rescue volunteers, not tears of disparagement like these other reviewers apparently experienced. Please consider attending an adoption event rather than falling in love with a picture of a rescue dog online, and then picking that dog up off of a transport truck and bringing in home. If that dog isn't a good match for your family or looks nothing like the outdated picture, there is nowhere for it to go. Now THAT is heartbreaking. Suck it up and stand in line, people. THAT DOG HAS BEEN WAITING THEIR WHOLE LIFE FOR A LOVE LIKE YOURS TO COME ALONG, SO CAN'T YOU WAIT IN A LINE FOR AN HOUR FOR THEM? read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - Here's our PawSafe Rescue boy! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

We adopted a puppy on 01/28/17 in Carmel NY. Seeing all the reviews online we were scared getting there too late would cost us the puppy we wanted. Someone said that people camped overnight or got there at 6 with 30 people in line. We got to the store at 4 AM, and to our surprise, no one was there! Im not sure if it was our particular event, but the online reviews were very exaggerated. My sister and i sat outside in the cold while my parents got sleep in the car (i guess since they were paying it was fair). Someone else arrived 20 minutes after us, and there were about 6 families in line by 6:00 AM. However, by about 7:30 the line grew to almost 40 people. I extremely recommend getting there very early, but you don't have to get there at four. Since we were first, we were able to quickly meet the puppy we wanted, fall in love with her, pay, then walked out. The first five people will almost definitely get their first choice, and get out earlier, so its worth it! This place is very caring for their dogs. The people there had genuine concern for where these dogs were going to end up, and that kind of seriousness is very appealing. Just remember to get pre-approved on their website(they kick you out if you aren't!),get there bright and early, and walk out with your new dog. read more

Pawsafe Animal Rescue - our beautiful puppy we got at pawsafe - Animal Shelters Near Me - Patterson, New York

This was just terrible. My 5 year old son wanted a dog named expresso. So I went to their site and filled out their adoption form, I did it and it said it was sent. We were waiting for a email back. So as you would expect we get no email back. So we decided to go on the site to see the dog once again. And its gone so we email them. Its funny how they will respond to your question but not your dog-adoption form via email. And they responded with this dog has been already adopted this afternoon. So I had to tell my son this news one way or another, I tell him and let me tell you I wasn't expecting a good reaction or anything but this was like a family member died. So still a day after I told my son about what happened he is still crying. I don't think anyone could care for that dog more then my son. I WOULD NOT recommend this place to anyone. They will do you dirty just like they did my family. Just terrible. Here is a list of the reasons not to try to adopt from this place 1. Terrible response time 2. Unfair way of deciding upon who will get to adopt the dog 3.Will do you dirty just like they did me And let me tell you there is far more wrong with this place. NEVER ADOPT A DOG FROM HERE PERIOD read more

I have adopted from Pawsafe twice. They respond quickly to your application and provide detailed information about the adoption event. I called the pet store prior to the adoption and they told me that sometimes people camp out overnight, other times the events are quieter. We arrived early, met the two litters we were interested in and adopted the dog we felt was the best match. The second adoption we adopted an adult dog who was "available now" so we were able to skip the event. The volunteers were helpful, organized, and able to answer questions. I highly recommend this rescue group. read more

First and foremost, I commend anyone who dedicates their time to work with animals, especially dogs. As a dog lover I ultimately consider the well-being of a dog over the selfish needs and wants of a potential owner. That being said, I wasn't very happy at all with todays adoption process. I've noticed there were others who have shared past reviews who have dealt with the exact same thing we dealt with to a T. As with the other reviews, we followed all procedures. We filled out applications, got approved, listed references, etc. We were told the adoption event would be 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We had applied for the two dogs we wanted to see over a week and a half ago. I had a death in the family and tried to get to see the dogs a few days early, as the burial was today (morning). They refused to help or accommodate in any way; fine. I wasn't asking for special treatment above anyone else, I was just absolutely certain I wanted to come home with one of these dogs, and it couldn't have hurt the chances of it being adopted for it to be seen. I digress. We tried to get to the Adoption Event early so we could fill out paperwork and find the earliest time to see the dog, get enough time to make a proper choice, and get back in time for the burial. Turns out, that getting to the event at 8:15 (when its supposed to start at 9:30) gets you near the END of the line. There were names written down from 7ish o'clock only a few spaces ahead of us, and we were at the end of the list. Within the first half an hour we eagerly sat and waited as the event started, and of course we saw the dogs we wanted being looked at and ultimately taken out of the store in the arms of their new parents. We were heartbroken watching a potential lifelong friend, something we have been excited and waiting for weeks to see, walk by us without ever even knowing if it would be the right choice or not. I forgot to mention we had also driven an hour and a half to get to this place, so getting up at 6 AM wasn't fun either. Now I know, if I'm ever to do a PawSafe adoption again, I have to camp out the night before like it's a new iPhone release. I understand you guys have lots of dogs you'd like to move, and I get that regardless of how you market yourself (not for profit, whatever), that at the end of the day time is money and this is a business. But lets be real here. If you were seriously doing this for the good of the dogs, there would be more time set aside for these people who were seriously considering this huge life changing event that will impact your life for 10-15 years. There was no space for us to even get to spend time with the dog, never mind not even seeing the dog period. But had we actually gotten to see the dog, we would seemingly have to make a choice right on the spot or else lose it to the next person in line pushing to get their hands on it. A couple I saw was 100% certain they wanted a dog today, was asked if they could jump the line because no one else wanted it. When one of the volunteers asked if anyone ahead of them in line wanted it, the couple looked distraught, like they would lose this awesome dog they picked out. Another family said "Wait, do we want this dog? Hmmm. Hmmm. idunno. Hmmm." COME ON! The couple loved it and picked it out and wanted him! Just give them the freakin' dog. Not only do you have to camp out overnight for this event, but you have to almost fight people like its Black Friday at Best Buy too?? How is this a process that allows people to make the right choice for a dog? No wonder I've seen reviews of dogs ending back up in your care; the families weren't making the rational choice, or you didn't do your research to make sure the family was even proper for the dog. Your events are great because dogs are adopted, yes. But when you're choosing a dog, I understand they have to choose you as well. I understand you could POTENTIALLY fall in love with another dog you didn't even consider online, and it's a different story in person. And that's about the online plus side to this adoption process. In reality I feel like you do this so that a lot of people will take the "less desirable" dogs, the older dogs, the ones people wouldn't pick first, because they missed out on their "dream dog" and go "Well screw it, we drove out here and I'm feeling the puppy fever, I just want a dog! Lets just pick that one". Sure the dog ends up in a (hopefully) loving home, but at the end of the day that family most likely isn't going to give that dog 100% because its not 100% what they wanted. This is how neglect and abuse start, and you'll never really know what happened to that dog after it ends up in their care. I don't want to totally dismiss PawSafe from my future searches. But I truly would only consider ever attending one of these events if I absolutely LOVED a dog and knew it was 200% the choice I wanted and I was willing to fight someone over it. read more

I wanted to leave my own review as I found the others on Yelp helpful when my husband and I were thinking of adopting a new dog. We dealt with Pawsafe over the course of about a month and I'll outline all of it. The other reviewers are correct about the events at Choice Pet in Carmel. They are wild! When we finally decided to attend an event to see a specific dog, my husband arrived at approximately 7:15am and found 20 people already in line. According to others in line, some had gotten there the night before. He ended up being number twelve in line, as some in front of him were families etc. Someone from Pawsafe arrived around 8am, as they had said they would, and started the sign-up list. When you write your name, you are able to add the name of the dog you are interested in only if it is an adult dog. Once you are signed up, you're free to leave and get breakfast or whatever, as the event will not officially start until 9:30am. Let me back up a bit. We found Pawsafe online when we decided to adopt another dog after losing our lab mix to cancer several months ago. They have a lot of dogs available and lots of breed variety and different ages. My husband and I decided to stop by one of the events around 11am one day just to check it out. The mayhem had died down a bit by that point and we got to meet some "leash dogs," which is what they call the adult dogs who are on leashes with volunteers. The puppies are inside in pens. The volunteers were a little pushy about the leash dogs, telling us we would be going home with so-and-so that day. But that's understandable, the adult dogs are harder to adopt out and they are just trying to get them good homes. We didn't go home with a dog that day, but got a feel for the organization and how the events go. We then saw a young dog on the web site that we were interested in, and planned to go to the next event to meet her. She was unfortunately delayed for kennel cough. We had a bit of a run-around then, and my biggest gripe with the organization was their communication. After inquiring after the sick pup and being told she would be available upon her arrival locally the following week, she popped back up on the site as available at the next adoption event. I figured after speaking with the adoption coordinator about this dog, being told she would be available for a private meeting, explaining that we had young kids and were replacing a dog we recently lost to cancer, someone would've at least told me she wouldn't be available to meet privately anymore and would instead be at the next event. Turns out there was some misunderstanding and she wasn't ever going to be available to meet privately. So, we intended to meet her at the next Choice Pet event. Unfortunately, she was delayed again for sickness. We decided she likely wasn't the dog for us. I will say that I was impressed by Pawsafe's determination to keep ill dogs off transports as to not infect all the other adoptable pups. The adoption coordinator told me that a new dog had been put on the transport who was about the same age and similar breed mix. We almost decided to call it quits, but decided to go see that one dog. So, back to the event! My husband was #12 in line and first to write down the dog's name that we were interested in (I had confirmed prior that she would be on a leash and considered an adult dog, even though she was only about 6 months old). After signing in, everyone scattered for an hour. I arrived with my kids around 9:15am and the place was packed! The volunteers and Pawsafe workers are all very knowledgeable about the dogs, breeds, etc. They can't be expected to know every dog's breed and disposition, but they do their best. Some addressed the group about different topics; puppy care, the benefits of an adult dog, etc. Then they started calling families in to look at the puppies. They call everyone inside in groups of ten and each family gets time alone to look at all the puppies and decide who they like before the next family is permitted to go look. They really do their best to make it fair. The dog we were interested in was outside on a leash, so we told the volunteer holding her that we had come to meet her and were #12. She was very nice and proceeded to check with numbers 1-11 to make sure no one else was interested in her, then gave us some private time aside with her. We were allowed to introduce our other dog to her and play with her a bit. We decided to adopt her and the crowd cheered, how fun! Nice to see so many people caring about these dogs getting good homes. All in all, we had a good experience. I think this organization is made up of really good people who are trying their best to save as many dogs as possible. Adoption events with tons of cute puppies can certainly be a little hectic. Our specific event had more dogs than people, so there were both adult dogs and puppies left at the end. read more

I had a very positive experience with Pawsafe from start to finish :) The volunteers were very prompt in responding to my application and communicated clearly about changes in the adoption event. I attended an event that occurred after a snow storm with power outages. The event was delayed a by a day, and I think it was the right thing to do, even though I'm sure some people were disappointed. I got there at 5:30am and was 3rd in line. According to the Starbucks baristas, that sounded right for winter, but for summer events, the line would be much longer, earlier. Once the event started, it was so nice to be able to meet multiple puppies that I was thinking about adopting. You just don't know which one is right until you see how big they are, how the behave, etc. For some of the litters, the foster parent was available as a volunteer to answer questions about temperament and socialization. I left with a beautiful puppy, fully up-to-date on vet care, and clear direction about next steps. Can't thank Pawsafe enough! read more

not a good experience I too was told a time to be there, did an application beforehand, before the "event" even started the dog I was interested in was already gone and out of the store they only had five dogs, two large and three small and quite a few people, they should have cancelled until they had more animals and had very dissatisfied adopters that went away empty handed and now I have a bad taste in my mouth about this organization, and I also drove an hour to be there and one volunteer was not very nice to me and was to busy on her phone to care about my disappointment. read more

We attempted to adopt a puppy from this place. We were "preapproved" for adoption. The event started at 9:30. They said someone would put out a sign up sheet at about 8. I drove 2 hours from CT. We arrived at 7:50. When we got there there were already over a hundred people in line. They apparently invited a couple hundred people to an adoption event for just 20 dogs. We got in line and learned that some people had slept out overnight. They never said this was a possibility. But we still got in line because we so a puppy. My son went from excited to stressed at seeing the line. We waited in line to put our name on the list......40 minutes later. Then we waited another hour before they actually started the event. Then we waited longer, out in the cold mind you. We waited and watched as eventually all three of the siblings we were hoping for walked out the door with new owners. And then I learned that some people who had arrived after us were some of the first in the door because they "knew someone!!!!". At that point my son and I headed home. It was after 11:00 by that time and we still had a 2 hour ride home. A ride my son will forever remember. For today was the day I was helpless in stoping someone from breaking my child's heart!!!! read more