We were frustrated with how our application turned out. It seemed that our application is rejected…read morethoughtlessly... They're application included a question about what you would do if potentially you developed allergies. We were honest in disclosing my husband's asthma - and clarified we don't have any animal allergies. His asthma flares up with sports, not with any animal or other allergen exposure. We wrote that if it happens that we developed a life threatening allergy, then we will of course rehome the dog. But explained this is highly unlikely given that we've had family dogs growing up. We felt it was an unfair assessment of our capacity of being responsible dog owners. I understand they might have limited resources and can't give enough time for coordinating applications. But I wished they had called us instead of just emailing so we can communicate more effectively about their concerns. They do ask for references and we provided these! I'm surprised because of our answer to this allergy question that they turned us down so quickly without other considerations. It was disappointing. We want to help rescue animals, but this experience has turned us off from rescue orgs.

First I want to start off by saying Simon is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I…read morelove him to bits. As for the rescue I would not recommend it to anyone. I work in the veterinary industry and there are a lot of flaws with this rescue. I have had Simon for weeks and have not received his medical records. This is very unprofessional. What if something came up and I needed to take him to an emergency clinic and I literally have no files for him. I do not have proof he is vaccinated. I do not know if he had any medical issues. He was also a massive flight risk and I was not told he did NOT have a microchip. They were so adamant about him being a flight risk before adopting as well. When I asked about this they basically told me it's my responsibility to ask. I'm sorry what?! If I wasn't in this industry and didn't scan him myself I wouldn't have known. For the high adoption cost they should be way more organized. This is very sketchy that I have not recieved my medical records for him and I will be looking further into that.

I told AHCR what type of dog I wanted and they matched me with two dogs. I picked one of the dogs…read moreand that dog was perfect for me!! I still lhave him and I went back a year later and adopted a puppy. The puppy's personality was not as clear cut ( being so young) but I got great guidance between Dawn and Cindy helping me out. My puppy has turned into such a great gal too. I am so happy with AHCR and what they do ( very transparent with the way they work, open door policy).

Our first 2 animals from pawsitive match were amazing. The…read moreissue is the third one. The foster home she was in had absolutely no idea what they were doing. This puppy was a rescue who's mother passed when she was young. And from how things have been going, she was no where near ready for adoption and I would say the foster parent simply wanted to off load the puppy. At near 10 months old, we are looking at possibly returning her to pawsitive match as training is having no effect whatsoever. I will absolutely not get another animal from pawsitive match

I totally agree about what some have written here about giving dogs time to adjust, to earn your…read moretrust, to feel safe with you, give them a chance to know you and your family. They know that they have been rescued- given a second chance from being killed, they know that and are thankful with all their hearts, but they need time to get over all the hurts, disappointment, pain, hunger, loneliness that they experienced before you came along to give him the chance to be loved and cared for, to be his friend and family. Dog moms, dog dads, dog siblings-please show these animals that you will give them the time, the kindness, the patience, your devotion, love and care they so crave, wish and long to receive. Please be patient with them as they come to realize that you are trustworthy, forgiving, nurturing, loyal, faithful, loving, concern for their safety, happiness, health and well being. That you'll really be a dog's best friend. They so deserve as a living, feeling creature. Please Give them the hope they've yearned while being out there as stray animals, fending for themselves to get a morsels of food just to survive for another day. Before you adopt them, please be sure that with all of your heart, that you will not abandon them when you have a new partner, new baby, new job, new home, less money, move to a new city, etc. Dogs can't speak for themselves, they can't beg you to not abandon them, they can't make promises to eat less, make less mess, love you more than they already do so you'd keep them because they already love you more than they love themselves. Having a dog is a lifelong commitment, the spouse, or partner you breakup or divorce will survive a broken heart, dogs rarely do. Having a dog takes a lot of time and money, they can't surf the web, watch TV, read a book, liste to podcasts or go out to bars to socialize like us...they only have, we are his only companion, caretaker, friend. They will make mistakes like us, please forgive them, praise them when they do good to reinforce the good. Read books from Patricia McConnell so you can understand what your dog is communicating to yo using their body language, after all, communication really is a two-way street. My Chancey has loved me unconditionally for 13 years now. I'm honoured and feel privileged. To each other, we have found what mutual respect really means. Chancey chose me to be his guardian, his dog mom, and I hope and pray that I'm proving worthy of his forgiveness, patience, kindness, all the love, the devotion and faithfulness his shown me, and all the joys he's showered all his life. He's there for me when things aren't so great for me-and I will be there for him as his gets difficult when he ages more, until the end of his life. I pray that you'll find your match and that you'll treasure your dog, more than anything else in this world. Give him a chance, forgive and forget like he will for you. PMRF matched us perfectly!

Grifters gonna grift. This is not a no kill shelter but…read morecon artists. Offered a dog that hadn't seen a vet, said it was 3 months (turns out it's 2 yrs old), was covered in its own waste, and had medical issues. Adoption fees were suppose to included shots and spaying which they never did. They need to be shut down Do an animal a favour and use a reputable establishment

it's a scam running around and they are trying to take money from people for personal benefits …read more we adopted a dog in Jan and paid 650CAD to Shauna . the team did not disclose complete details to us at the time of adoption and we had to return the pet within 3 days . we drove from Calgary in the extreme cold , but this organiz does not care . they just want to loot money from people . it's been 5 months, many emails and messages but they would not respond . BEWARE OF THIS SCAM ORGANIZATION

#104: Located near the corner of Portland St SE and 11th St SE, you can adopt a cat or dog and…read moresometimes rabbits I heard. Currently, it is under renovation but still open normal hours. However, if you view their website and find a pet you wish to adopt, you must make an appointment to see that particular animal. The inside, as previously mentioned, is under construction and renovation, is reasonably bright and airy though small compared to other animal shelters I have visited in other states and provinces. The staff is friendly and informative regarding the condition and expectation of the animals that are available for adoption. The fees are much higher than I expected but the pets are microchipped, come with 6 months free pet license, 6 weeks trial insurance of some sort, spayed or neutered, and have all the shots except rabies. Hopefully, they will be able to increase the size and services of the facility.

I recently adopted 2 great cats about 3 months apart. One is 3 yrs and one is 8 months. The staff…read moreis very helpful, takes their time with you and helps find the right fit for your life and home. Since I have a dog who has grown up with cats, it was important that they all get along. My new Ginger Tabby boys are loving,playful,safe indoors and loved. They were well looked after at the shelter and have become part of our family like they have always been part of the family. Yes, our dog really likes them as well...thinking he is part Tabby. Just want to say "Thank you" to the staff for the work you do, from the front desk, by law officers and caring staff looking after each cat and dog. There are several rescue groups to choose from and some people don't think about our own animal services in Calgary. If you are looking for a new addition to your home, please check their web site and go and see the cats or dogs. The cost is so reasonable, including a bag of food, license, vacinations, health check and microchip and afew weeks pet insurance. Each dog or cat is waiting and hoping for their new forever home.

Emailed them about a simple question about rocky there answer to me was very ignorant and rude if…read moreanyone would like there reply send me a like and we'll email it to you this is the secound time we have asked a question and had straight forward answer just ignorance we will not be adopting from this place nor will any of our family members now, your communication skills are very childish and you make wanting to adopt from your shelter very complicated and stressful I'd give your childish ignorant attitude a check before you consider taking care of animals and dealing with people

The work this shelter does for animals is absolutely amazing. If it weren't for them I wouldn't…read morehave my sweet kitty. I have recently become a foster parent and have had nothing but exceptional help from everyone I've come across. They are very busy and quite often overwhelmed with all that they take on but they ARE making a difference and saving lives. I'm forever grateful

Not a good experience for us... Cold and heartless and I am STILL shocked and appalled at their…read moretreatment towards us and they determined that with even knowing who we were. My animal was the SMARTEST animal I EVER knew and she is none because of a pissing contest...

The systems and procedures of adoption are faulty, causing potential adopters not to be treated…read morewith good faith resulting in disrespect and distress. My daughter and I dutifully adhered to their system, and booked an appointment to adopt a specific pet, but the time lapse between the appointment and our request meant that the pet got adopted out from under us. This would be understandable if it was others with appointments who ended up adopting, but from my previous experience, it could just as easily be a walk in who just decided to "wait for an available counselor". While that was disappointing, we understood and came in early to look at the pets, to pick out another pet, and fortunately we found a couple, with one that my daughter really liked and wanted to adopt. However, the adoption counselor was NOT prepared and very disorganized. Rather than listening to us and ensuring the enclosures of the animals we were interested in were marked as potentially adopted, the counselor took up a great deal of time on irrelevant details, in the office. Despite our noting that we wanted an adult animal, they tried to get us to adopt specific young animals (under a year). They then took an immense amount of time on irrelevant details, such as the specifics as to how the pets had recovered from surgery months ago, confusing current potential health issues with those that had been resolved, rather than taking us to visit the animals themselves. In fact, they took so long telling us irrelevant details about the pets that by the time we were able to go out to see them, the one my daughter had stated she really wanted was again adopted out from under her. This didn't need to happen. If the counselor had immediately taken us to see the animals we were interested in, and given us the specifics of the animals as we were with the particular pet, my daughter could have had the opportunity to indicate the pet she wanted, and been able to adopt it. Something as simple as marking the enclosure of the pets as potentially adopted would have given my daughter a fair chance of adopting the pet she wanted. Instead of having a fair chance to adopt, our adherence to their procedures caused us to be treated with disrespect, and caused distress.

After a bit of research and the realization that the cost of a breeder dog was exorbitant, we…read moredecided to rescue. We looked at a couple different options and finally settled on ARF. ARF spends each Saturday afternoon between 1 - 3 pm at Pet Smart near Chinook Mall. Before starting the adoption process, we decided to visit them here to get additional information as well as to meet a couple of puppies that we had our eyes on from their website. They have a very stringent selection process which - as first time dog owners - we appreciated. They won't just let you adopt a dog because you want one. They will ask you to visit the dog, they will interview you, they will spend time with you and the animal to see how you are with them. They will come to your house to ensure it is safe for pets. It may sound a bit elitist but the people at ARF truly have the dog's best interest at heart. Most of the dogs are rescued from rural areas and reserves around the city. Once you have adopted the dog, the support continues from ARF - you are provided with 6 weeks of training lessons. There are also periodic phone calls from ARF to see if everything is ok or if you have any questions or concerns with which they may help. All dogs from ARF are spayed or neutered prior to adoption. I would highly recommend adopting a rescued dog from ARF.

I am the proud owner of 2 ARF dogs. The are a wonderful organization that does a lot to rescue dogs…read moreand cats and also limit the stray population in and around Calgary. They do have a bit of a process to go to to adopt but its worth it. They want to make sure the right people get the right dogs for them. I love that they have a trial day with the dog you are interested in so you can really get a feel for how the dogs will fit in with your life (family, home, schedule etc) before making a full commitment. They are powered almost completely by volunteers and have done some pretty amazing things with very little funding. Want a pet? Check ARF out.

We are always greeted with a friendly smile when we drop our furry friend off for a stay with Cody…read moreand his staff at The Place 4 Paws. The service is fantastic and you really feel your pet is getting the best care available. Each kennel is divided by a wall of concrete which I believe provideds a quieter (as quiet as it could be at a kennel), much less stressful experience. The rates are very reasonable and I usually don't have any trouble booking.