We recently adopted Astro, aka Apollo at Rocket mobile adoption. The support staff is amazing. They helped made the transition for Astro to our home as easy as possible. The staff is very friendly and even assigned an advocate to Astro. If we have any questions or concerns, we contact his advocate and they've been quick to response. Rocket is a non profit that is operated efficiently read more

See all

A little more than a year after our pup Buddy left us, we decided to get a new friend for our other dog. My wife insisted we rescue a dog in need of a family. Rocket Dog's adoption process is fairly simple. While it costs a bit of money, the money pays for initial shots and neuter/spay. They ensure the dog will be in good health and has been taken care of while waiting their turn. Our rescue Lola was approx five years old and was found wandering the streets. Lucky for us she came already potty trained and knew how to play fetch. That was a bonus! As is the case with some chihuahuas, It took some time before she 100 percent trusted us, probably longer than normal. But with some time and a lot of patience she has turned out to be a wonderful addition to our family. There are opportunities to foster dogs if you're so inclined and they can always use more volunteers. They have morning and evening shifts and you can also volunteer at their community adoption clinics. It's been known to happen that a volunteer adopts a dog. I think it happens a lot! Thank you to all the staff and volunteers! And thank you of course, to the founder. She makes it all happen! read more

See all

I am upset that they will not consider Home Rescues. They wrote me bask and said that they mostly take rescue dogs from shelters that are being euthanized. I am being displaced due to a Domestic Violence event, which I won in court. I cannot find a desent place that will allow dogs. This entire situation breaks my heart. read more

See all

EXTREMELY grateful to Gabe and all the people at Rocket Dog rescue for helping to get 3 abandoned huskies and 3 abandoned chihuahuas fixed. I was part of a network operation to get all these dogs rescued (I was in charge of transporting the chihuahuas) but really have no time or money to be doing any more fostering right now (to say I am way overbooked is an understatement), so I was super grateful that Gabe was able to help find a foster for Biggie (his siblings found other fosters in my area). When I rescued 4 shepherds 3 years ago I had to pay for everything myself, and even though I found an awesome low-cost clinic, it all really adds up when you are trying to help multiple dogs. It's great to know there are organizations that care so much about dogs, they're willing to help out. Gabe was also above-and-beyond patient on the day I went in to get them some treatments for fleas, worms, etc.. The chiuahuas he was treating were super scared after being abandoned in a back yard in Stockton. But I can see from his last pic uploaded that he is doing better and had a smile on his face. I heard Gabe volunteered for a long time at this place before he actually started working there. I'm so grateful I got his contact info from someone on NextDoor, he is so helpful. Gabe and the people at Rocket Dog really saved these dogs' lives. HUGE THANKS! read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - Gabe is a great photographer! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

Everything that you would hope from a rescue for dogs. Everyone is passionate about saving dogs and giving them their best.

Rocket Dog has had regular adoption events in SF and I finally decided it was time to put in an application to adopt a dog! I have a lot of experience with different breeds (living with them and being a Rover that boards dogs). I applied for a mixed breed dog, med/large, neutered/spayed, and house trained. Nyx was my top choice! His description said he needed leash training. We applied and immediately was in contact with Nyx's advocate. We communicated well, over text/call. We set up a time to meet Nyx pretty quickly, and even took him on the walk. It was clear he was good with other dogs, and struggling on leash when other dogs were around. The staff were really helpful- they had their hands full for sure, but gave us plenty of time with Nyx. We decided to take on the responsibility and train him. He actually came with all his vaccines up to date except Rabies. They gave us some basic supplies and when we got his Rabies vaccine, they reimbursed me with proper documentation. I did a lot of research and working with him on leash. I'm really happy with the adoption process. The $400 fee was worth it as it covered several rounds of vaccines and his neutering. read more

See all

This is a wonderful Shelter with helpful people who are happy to find homes for the pets that come to their shelter. They helped us find the perfect dog. We are very very excited and happy. read more

I'm crushed to see others have had an experience similar to mine. We adopted a dog from this rescue back in March. Her posting on the email I received said that she had no major medical issues and she was ready for a home. I went to their adoption event that weekend in the hopes of maybe fostering her since I was still unsure about adding a new dog to the home. When I arrived, the volunteers/staff members were all saying how this was a "highly adoptable dog" and she would get snapped up quick because she's so small and cute. They highly encouraged me to adopt her instead. Their logic made sense, she was very cute, but I still felt uncertain. It became quickly apparent that she had something wrong with her, as when I put her down, there was a streak of mushy poop on my arm. I didn't think much of it at first since she was a puppy in an overwhelming environment. But then it kept coming out the whole time during the event. We eventually decided to adopt her since we believed it was probably just temporary diarrhea. We asked the rescue about it and they claimed that their vet said she was fine and that this was the first time they'd seen her go like this. Then they said she was possibly pregnant after looking at her in that moment! Pregnant at 8 months. They just added on all these health factors at the last second before we adopted her. I think they could see that we were starting to feel unsure, so they assured us that we would have their full support and they would cover any medical costs related to the issues if we found out anything. For the next week, there was poop everywhere. It was very clear that this puppy could not control it and that this was not normal. We tried the supplements and pumpkin that the founder was nice enough to buy us and it did nothing. When we reached out to them again, they sent us information about what the internet said to do and once again claimed that their vet gave her a clean bill of health. They eventually gave us his phone number, I gave him a call, and he responded that he was "very concerned" hearing what our pup was going through. He ordered an immediate fecal test. Well, we discovered she had giardia and another internal parasite. She had a contagious parasite that could have been spread to my other dog and members of my family. I texted the rescue about it and the guy just said "It's giaradia season, we can't screen every dog, just the ones with ongoing symptoms". It had been two weeks of this by that point, that was enough of a marker of "ongoing symptoms". At that point, I decided to stop communicating with them. I know that when working with so many animals it can be hard to spot everything, but after an adopter tells you that it's been happening for a week, that feels like the time to try to support them. On top of this, she had not completed her DHPP vaccination series, and Rocket Dog had framed her second shot to be "optional" via an email they sent me. I spoke with another vet, who shook her head in disbelief. It's not optional for puppies. And because she had her first shot in November and never got a booster, we had to start the series all over again, which meant she couldn't get the other vaccinations she needed yet, which meant she wasn't supposed to go on walks yet. Another contradiction of what they told us. She could have gotten even more sick during that time. In the end, she still has fecal issues, and thankfully she was not pregnant. I've gone back to the vet 3 times and tried various things to try to see what's happening with her. There may never be a clear answer, and she's probably going to be special needs all her life. What this dog needed was a medical foster to assess her issues before she was adopted out so that her adopter could be prepared. I debated on giving her back during the early weeks of having her, but my fear was that she would just be put back into the system without full disclosure of her needs (which seems would have been the case looking at these other reviews). I felt blindsided and angry and awful that this young dog has been going through so much, but she's safe and loved with us. I would not recommend adopting from this rescue. read more

I love rocket dog! They rescue from shelters before euthanized. If you ever have time volunteer! You will not regret it.

So the Five-Star Part: This is truly an organization that deeply believes in saving the lives of dogs in overcrowded shelters around California. Kudos to the group. I commend them. Where I knock of stars is that this place is about moving dogs as quickly as possible because there are many dogs waiting for their help. This can create some bad situations for a new dog owner--I believe all the reviews on Yelp, actually. Read them carefully. Also, being a volunteer does not always translate into being a dog expert--so, this, too. I'd recommend this rescue organization to people who are highly experienced with dogs but for people who are either first time dog owners or have limited experience with dogs, I recommend figuring out how to talk to a vet about what is happening in the dog world today and what each rescue group offers customers. I grew up with a lot of dogs. When I was very young, I lived in the rural south where stray dogs followed us home and we'd feed them until we could figure out where they belonged. If we couldn't find their home, we'd either try to keep them (If they fit with our regular dog) or we would find them a home, often on a farm. When I was in middle school and living up North (left the South), my dad decided it would be "fun" to breed Dobermans so we did this a few times. My dog had large litters, smallest was 11 pups so, I have a ton of puppy experience. For a few years, after college, I lived with my dad, who rescued a Greyhound. She was a GREAT DOG. She was also the last dog I had until 15 years ago. There was a big gap between that Greyhound and my next dog, over 15 years, for sure. I found out dogs are not as healthy today as they were 30 years ago. A vet told me she believes it is due to the Internet because puppy mills exploded online. All the cute homey websites? One too many are actually fronts for puppy mills. The puppy mill dogs have gotten out into mainstream population and they have brought a lot of diseases with them. The same vet told me the best dog is a mutt because their DNA is truly mixed up. Recently, my vet told me that my present dog is extremely healthy and he was actually the first dog of the day that did not have a heart condition. My present dog is the third dog I have owned in the last 15 years. The first dog did not make it to a year old due to water on the brain. The second dog had a genetic heart condition so she passed away at 10.5 years. And, now Harry--he is a Rocket Dog rescue I have had for 2.5 years, adopted him before my sick dog died from heart disease. My present dog is actually a Rocket Dog Rescue. Harry is extremely healthy. He is the healthiest dog I have owned in the last 15 years and my only rescue. When I adopted him from RD, he did present some behavioral challenges (I fostered him before adopting him) but truly felt I could handle him. It took me two years to get him to a good place but he is well worth the work. I just fostered a Doodle from RD that was a different experience, though. She had a great personality but I thought she needed to see a vet. RD was going to arrange an appointment for me to take the dog but somehow it didn't happen before I returned her to the sanctuary. My other RD was shutting down with her around--just some dog drama. I just looked and noticed she was adopted quickly after I dropped her off. I had to crate her when she was in the house (We have a yard, too) because she was urinating several times an hour. I also mentioned that her body was flailing like a much younger puppy. In any event, RD rushed to get a dog out the door, and she was adopted quickly. I live in San Francisco so I am well aware of every vet's favorite rescue. It is Muttville. Muttville has older dogs but these dogs have had vet care and potential owners are not in the dark over costly medical care. Otherwise, I am familiar with SF Animal Care, which is essentially the city's animal shelter. They keep highly adoptable dogs that need no training. They send dogs they believe need training to the SFPCA. The SFPCA is known to work with their dogs before placing them for adoption. We have allergies in my present home (Not me, though) so we actually need a hypoallergenic dog (They work). It is hard to find one through a rescue, which is how I ended up working with Rocket Dog. I actually like Rocket Dog but I have to foster a dog through them before adopting. BTW, the only consistent rescue dog I have seen is the Greyhound. I have a California friend who has adopted four Greyhounds in the past 25 years and every single one of them is similar to the one I had at my father's house. They come crate trained. They are house trained. They have manners. They are companion dogs. They are highly trainable.They are wonderful. I even taught my old Greyhound to bark when someone is at the front door, lol! I love my Harry. He came through Rocket Dog! Consumers need to do their homework when it comes to dog ownership. read more

Picked up a 2 year old rescue 1 week ago and we are very pleased. The staff was very helpful through the entire process. read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - Buddy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

We recent adopted a dog from one of Rocket Dog's events. They explained the likely background and issues the dog has, and gave us ideas of how to work with her. Three days after we brought her home she was accidentally let out and ran away. I notified Rocket Dog that if found they might get a call because she's chipped. While my family was searching, Rocket Dog sent four volunteers to help the search, even bringing dogs that our dog knows! Some volunteers travelled 40 miles to join the search and it took hours on a very hot day but we got her back. I can't recommend Rocket Dog enough for their dedication and caring about the dogs they rescue, and the amazing support for adopters. They are truly amazing, 10 out of 10!!! read more

Palli is outstanding!!! She will go out of her way to help out dogs and their owners anyway she can. I know because she helped me out with my two Labrador sisters (Ruby & Bailey) that I had rescued from a not so great home in Sacramento. They were 7 years old and lived another 7 years with me before passing away. I had the privilege of meeting Palli while I had Ruby and Bailey and she was there when I really needed some help and she went out of her way to make sure me and my girls were ok. Thanks Palli, you're the best!!!. Joe read more

I have worked with Rocket Dog as a volunteer and as a foster.. all of it is so rewarding and the dogs are so sweet and amazing!

Two dogs were abandoned in my neighborhood, and I called Rocket Dog to ask if the dogs could be taken in. The jerk on the line was somewhere in SF and not willing to offer any support for the doggies, would not call me even though I asked to receive a call, and was wholly uninterested. This was my first encounter with the organization, and it will be my last. Do not expect this company to come to the rescue as they claim but do save yourself the time and seek assistance elsewhere. The two doggies are likely going to be euthanized (my wife and I cannot have them since we already have the limit), and Rocket Dog "Rescue" should be very proud of their do-nothing approach. Thank you, Rocket Dog...for NOTHING! Zero stars from me. read more

My boyfriend and I lost our previous best friend back in December. After several months of grieving and healing, we were finally ready to look for a new companion. We saw a couple dogs on Rocket Dog's website that we liked, so I put in an application. I was contacted almost immediately by Edgardo, a volunteer there. We had some back and forth conversation via email, and set up a time to chat on the phone a couple days later. After our chat, we set up a time to meet the dogs we were interested in. We met Edgardo at the rescue and he showed us into a side yard. He brought out the two dogs we thought we wanted, but our energy didn't match and there wasn't really a connection. Edgardo was understanding and patient, and offered to bring out other dogs for us to meet. We ended matching with Tinsley! While he was preparing our adoption papers, he reached out to Tinsley's previous foster, who asked that we give them an hour to get there so they could say goodbye to this sweet girl. We agreed and went out to lunch. When we came back, Tinsley's foster was still there. We hugged, and a tear or two was shed. After a couple photos of us together, we loaded up our pup and headed home. We are so pleased with how wonderful Rocket Dog made this process for us. I wouldn't say it was easy - judging by the application/questionnaire we had to fill out, as well as the additional questions Edgardo had for us, they obviously care so deeply about their animals and who they are adopted out to. Everyone treated us kindly and respectfully, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants an animal to become a part of their family. read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - Miss Tinsley! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

When we were looking to adopt a dog a while ago, we went to a few of Rocket Dog Rescue events. I did not have a good experience with them. They seem very cliquey and I based this on some of the conversations we had with their volunteers at the time. Maybe they will explain this away as maybe certain dogs will do well with certain people or family, etc, but I honestly felt something weird with how they conducted their adoptions. I'm not certain if this is happening now as my experience was during the pre-Covid world. However my experience was not a good one with them and I have more experiences now with other rescues to notice the differences. read more

For the last 20 years I've had nothing but positive things to say about Rocket Dog and the people who work and volunteer for them. They respond to inquiries in a timely manner, their volunteers are exceedingly polite, and they really care about the dogs AND people. They make an effort to be considerate. Years ago I pulled a dog facing euthanasia out of a shelter. I called them and asked if they could post him on their website. Their answer: of course, and yes bring him to our adoption event! And this rescue walks the walk: they respond to emergencies like no other rescue I know. I'm glad they have so many positive reviews, and the whiners can just go away. read more

I had an amazing experience fostering through rocket dog rescue. They are IN IT for the doggos. Keep doing what you're doing, RDR!!

Good hearted dog rescue. Sometimes lacking cohesive communication. Support them. Dogs need homes.

I am heartbroken to be writing this review, especially for an organization that does something so close to my heart. Several years ago, we adopted a dog from RDR. Her online posting was brief, but she sounded like the perfect dog. After talking with her fosters and meeting her, we understood that she was shy, but no red flags were raised. We adopted her and fell in love. But it soon became apparent that she was not a city dog. She was extremely fearful and shy and terrified of all new things. Like so terrified that she ran away from dog walkers on two different occasions after being startled (causing one to fall down and need stitches and once weaving through traffic to make it back home). But she was a great dog in so many other ways and we were committed to her. With lots of misguided enthusiasm and love, I felt like I could fix her with training, patience, and time. Two years and thousands of dollars later - we've gone through two trainers, two dog walkers, 7 months with a dog behaviorist and a 6 month trial of prozac before I finally heartbreakingly acknowledged that she was not a city dog and was never going to be. Her life was confined to the safety of our small condo. Even walks around the neighborhood or to the local park to potty were sometimes too stressful for her. The communication has been the biggest source of frustration. Our dog was microchipped prior to us adopting her, but emails asking for the microchip information went unanswered. We reached out to RDR during our early months with her, when her behavior became apparent, but received delayed or no responses and no real support. When I did a background search on our dog, I found her original listing from the shelter that she was pulled from and on it, they specifically wrote about her fear based issues and stated that she needed to go to a patient home. This was never conveyed to us. When we finally reached the painful decision that she would probably never be happy in the city, I was told that Pali (the founder) wanted to talk to me to understand what had been going on. Despite several text messages, we never connected. When we gave her back to RDR, I wrote several pages of information but none of it seemed reflected in her repeat posting. Her repeat posting was essentially the same as what it was previously (including her age) and her fearful behavior was never discussed. I think the heart of the organization is in the right place. I believe the fosters and people who volunteer are probably loving, fantastic people who are trying to do right by these dogs. But ultimately I feel like there are too many cracks in the system and they adopted out a dog (again) without giving all the information. read more

Well this is a weird update. The woman who gave the orientation at Rocket Dog (who was rude to me) has taken it upon herself to message me 11 months after my last review. She told me my review was "entertaining and untrue." I contacted Rocket Dog and told them she was harassing me. Rocket Dog said she is no longer a volunteer and doesn't represent them. The same woman decided to text me another two times. She called me immature child and continued to insult me. Rocket Dog has apologized and said they don't support her harassing me. This has been an unfortunate experience and I hope it ends here. I think RD has to be careful who they put in positions of authority over others because it can go bad as you see here. In fact-when I was on a shift at RD (Jan/Feb 2023) I watched a remember a long time volunteer telling Sharon SHE was the reason why a lot of volunteers had quit. It doesn't surprise me at all. I hope RD implements better policies (maybe anonymous reporting) to prevent things like this from happening again. read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - This screenshot shows the volunteer telling me shes' blocking me AFTER I have asked her to leave me alone - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

I am thankful for Rocket Dog Rescue because they have saved many dogs. A couple friends adopted rescue dogs from Rocket Dog and all are very happy and the pups in both homes are thriving. It takes true dedication to work with and deal with all sorts of dog behaviors. And when an organization survives on volunteers, that dedication truly comes from the heart. Sadly, in 2020 as the pandemic spread, more people wanted new (temporary) companionship, so they adopted animals. Not thinking about 'tomorrow' and that one day they wouldn't be home all day, now many dogs are being returned to shelters and rescue organizations. Making adoptions considerably more involved. Rocket Dog Rescue is in my top three rescue organizations that is my go-to when it comes to looking for, and adopting a new four-legged family member. read more

AMAZING!! I reached out to Rocketdog and from start to finish it's was the best ever!! I truly recommend them!! Amy put me to team up with Alicia who went above and beyond to help me place "Leo" with his 4ever home. David adopted him and from our 1st contact he was the perfect match!! Alicia I cannot thank you enough though I say it was bittersweet I know that Leo went to his best 4ever home thank you again and thank you David! both Leo & David scored forever love read more

Super rescue they are available when others are not They go into such bad situation and save puppies and dogs. I love this Rescue and I donate to them because they are so dedicated. if you're looking for a dog, I strongly suggest this is the place to go. Big hearted people. read more

My 10-year-old daughter wanted a dog. I did not want to potty train a dog so I was interested in either fostering a rescue or going straight to adopting an older rescue dog. My friend and colleague at California Academy of Sciences, Ali, was my rescue docent. I combed the website for the perfect match and much to my delight, we found Lenny, a rescue from a hoarder. Better yet, he was going to be at the adoption event in Rockridge the very next day. When my daughter got to my house that rainy January, we headed for the Petco parking lot to fall in love. Oggie, as we renamed him, sat on my daughter's lap for hours. She declared, "This is the one" read more

See all

We adopted a dog from Rocket Dog Rescue. They do a really good job of providing honest feedback on a dog's background, behaviors and personality to ensure the fit is right for both the dog and the owner and their family and/or existing pets. These are good people doing good work to match dogs with good families/people. Support them if you can. We had never heard of this organization when we started looking to add another dog to our family. Highly recommend RDR. Kent & Andrea, Davis, CA read more

After adopting a two year old dog from Rocket Dog earlier this year, my partner and I were left feeling beyond burned. Here's why: - We were told our dog had been spayed when she was not. This is a pretty big oversight. - We were then told Rocket Dog would cover the spay, but they would not tell us when that might happen (not even a remote estimate of when). Meanwhile our dog was likely going to go into heat (it was spring time), which would compound her behavioral problems (more on that later). To avoid this we ended up having to pay $700 to spay her ourselves. - The "advocate" from Rocket Dog who was helping us decided to stop returning our texts one day, saying that they had food poisoning and could no longer help us. This person never checked in on us later. - We were told that Rocket Dog would reimburse us $100 for dog training for the behavioral problems, but that never happened, even after leaving voicemails and emailing them about it. - We were not told our dog had aggression and extreme separation anxiety issues. Our dog has bit myself and my partner multiple times, as well as another person, breaking skin on all three persons. - We were not told whether or not our dog had been dewormed, and it turned out she had giardia which we only discovered after she started having really intense diarrhea one week. Deworming medicine and prescription diet which are required to resolve this are expensive and the process takes two - three weeks. It doesn't feel good to have to leave this bad of a review, but I feel that we have no other recourse given that Pali nor anyone else from Rocket Dog would get back to us or offer us real assistance with them. My advice would be to avoid this rescue at all costs until they have accountability for their mishaps or at the very least can offer some sort of apology for them. I understand that they are 100% volunteer run, and that can make running a non-profit rescue difficult, but it's not an excuse for this type of mishap. read more

I originally gave them 5 stars but after learning more about their finances, I've updated to 1 star. While the group does rescue dogs in need, a wonderful service, there is absolutely no transparency in their finances and their tax returns, which were difficult to locate online, were highly questionable. I'm sorry I volunteered and donated to this group. read more

Thank you Rocket Dog Rescue! Over the last year or so, my five year old daughter and I have been through so many major life changes. We had been talking about adding a dog to our family for a while and I had been browsing around on the Rocket Dog Website for several months. In early August, I decided it would be a great step for us to visit dogs at an adoption event in Pacifica to see the little fur balls for ourselves. I had originally inquired about a dog online (which you can easily do) and wasn't sure if that dog would be at the event my daughter and I would go to. We went to the Petfood Express in Pacifica for a Saturday adoption event and the dog I had been inquiring about was in the process of being adopted. Kind of sad for us but that was okay because I knew he was getting a good home and I also trusted the right dog would come to us. And she did! We played with a dog at the event who came to us right away, and I just knew. My daughter took her for a walk and she fit in with us like a glove. We spent a good almost three hours total there, observing and spending time with different dogs (and we kept coming back to our favorite one!). I filled out the application information right then for our favorite little Terrier Mix. I was told by the foster mom Valerie that I would have to wait to know if we could adopt her because another family was interested in her and already had an application out. Again, this is how it is to adopt a rescue dog, so I prepped my daughter for the any outcome and we waited. The foster mom told us the next day - the family decided to let go of her and release her to us! Whew! Huge sigh of relief! We had really felt connected to her right away. The next day, we went to the Petfood Express Sunday adoption event in Stonestown, San Francisco to pick her up. We went through the whole process right there! And, you get a coupon to purchase all your new items at the Petfood Express too! Bonus! So, we drove home with our new love and all her goodies to boot. It has been almost four weeks now and our little Hokulani is a beloved part of our family already. She adjusted well, and we can't imagine life without her. Since she is a rescue you can tell she has had a rough past, but her sweetness shines through and she is flourishing in the love my daughter and I can give her! This is the best feeling ever. Rocket Dog is a great rescue organization and I highly recommend them! We text the foster mom Valerie once in a while for information and updates. If you have it in your heart to add a rescue dog, you can't go wrong at Rocket Dog - a fabulous non-profit organization doing great work. :) read more

See all

Never returned emails, phone calls, what's going on? I filled out an application for adoption, well over a month ago, and haven't heard back from them in any way. Was it because of an answer in my application?? I guess I'll never know! Would have been nice if anyone responded in any way and at least spoke to me! read more

This place is amazing! My cat got into a fight and came back with his eye crusted open and covered in blood. To make matters worse this was during covid-19 so I can't work, which means I can't afford to pay for emergency care. Rocket Dog (to the) Rescue! They stepped up and helped me find a vet I could afford to treat his eye the same day! Sadly it was too damaged to save it, but now I have a happy pirate kitty who doesn't have to suffer anymore. I can't praise them enough for the help they provided in a time of critical need! Thank you, Rocket Dog Rescue! P.S. Meow meow. (That's my cat saying thanks.) read more

Absolutely love rocket dog ! We have two dogs from them. Our first dog came with a special letter from his foster mom !

They do not respond to emails. Hard to connect and understand how to work with them. Sketchy business untrustworthy. I think the videos and photos are used to get donations for a very rag tag sloppy disorganized crew of self important entitled Karen's who don't like to be asked questions and feel zero need to respond or do their job. Know the type? Burly surly rude and aggressive. Extremely unpleasant to deal with and sick about being in charge and acting like the aloha bully, yes rocketdog all of this seethes off of your website so-called mission and complete ignorance of what's most important connecting good homes to rescues. Not sure where all that money is going but there is zero accountability and zero response. Don't want to get tangled up with negative people who use innocent animals to make money and take advantage of pity. Read their reviews and see for yourself. Gimmick. read more

We were honored to foster a couple of great dogs through Rocket. All were adopted, the most recent one by us. I have read some of the other reviews and I can say from our direct experience that they have been very responsive with all of our communications. They strike me as a group of volunteers doing their best to transition mistreated dogs to good, loving homes. Their system is more organic than your typical top heavy, rigorously structured, organization, but If you provide a little patience, they'll be great partners in working with you to achieve a common and worthy goal. read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

This rescue truly cares about their dogs! I've been volunteering here for almost a year and I've been so impressed. All the volunteers are so dedicated to not only working with the dogs but also helping potential adopters find the perfect pup. Rocket Dog often waits until all other rescues have taken dogs from Shelter's before stepping in to save the most at risk dogs left behind. What a lot of people don't realize is when you adopt from a rescue you get so much more than just a dog. Rocket Dog invests a huge amount of time and money in getting to know their dogs through their foster program, additional training, and of course helping all their dogs find the perfect homes. read more

News flash! I have a new man in my life. He's kind of short and his teeth are a little fucked up, but we like, totally connect. Okay, so he's not really the most romantic guy - he doesn't scavenge flowers from the farmer's market or forage vittles for a candlelit dinner. He just looks at me with the most amazing eyes. And shit, he knows how to spoon! His name is Pinto. Pinto is an 11 pound half chihuahua, half pug from Rocket Dog Rescue, and thankfully, he was saved from being euthanized by Pali, who is sort of an angel. She goes around California and saves dogs before they're put down and gives them foster homes and real homes. Rumor has it her dog saved her from street life, so she's made saving dogs a full time passion. RDR holds adoption events a few times a month, and while they're pretty crazy with all of the dogs running around, once they know you're serious about adoption they'll tell you everything you need to know about your new little guy. The handbook on their website has saved me from losing it quite a few times, and Pali even texted with me for a few days after I got Pinto to make sure he was okay. For now, Pinto and I are in love. It's all sunshine and roses, people. Just one more happy couple! read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - pinto, the new man in my life - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California

We had made a donation in honor of our dear friend that passed away. Months went by, no acknowledgement was received. I tried to contact RDR but still no reply. It makes you wonder where the donation went. After reading about other unsatisfied customers I would not recommend this place for donations. Very unprofessional. read more

Pali and crew are wonderful. We came in to rescue a dog and we found him. Pali sat with us while we played with the dog and she educated us on rescues and what to expect. I would have taken them all home if I could. Highly recommended. read more

I am so incredibly grateful for the work that this organization does. I am a biologist working in Puerto Rico and I took in a pregnant stray dog named Lola when I first arrived. Lola gave birth to six beautiful puppies that were in desperate need of good homes. You see, there are hundreds of thousands of stray dogs on the island of Puerto Rico, which is about the size of Connecticut. Despite this, there are only 5 shelters to care for them and the kill rate at these shelters is 99%. Dogs and puppies relinquished to these shelters often do not survive more than 48 hours. Aware of this issue, I knew that I needed to send Lola's puppies to a rescue organization in the states that would adopt them out to loving homes. Having already found a home for one puppy in the bay area, I contacted Rocket Dog to see if they would find homes for the remaining puppies. Within 24 hours I received a reply to my email from Katie Whittaker, an amazing Rocket Dog volunteer. She told me that they would be more than happy to help and even offered to help Lola as well! Katie and her fellow volunteers campaigned on social media and were able to find homes for the puppies within two weeks! I shipped the puppies via United's Petsafe Program and Katie even housed them in her own home while making final arrangements for adoption visits. Thanks to Rocket Dog, these puppies have a bright future and will not become another stray statistic here in Puerto Rico. This is a fantastic organization staffed by courageous and compassionate volunteers and I cannot thank them enough! My sincere thanks, Dana Herman read more

Rocket Dog Rescue - Puerto Rico puppies - Animal Shelters Near Me - Oakland, California