I absolutely love my dog from Fido but I have to warn people about what goes on there. I adopted a…read morePomeranian and when I visited her twice she was calm and sweet to all people and dogs. 24 hours after adopting her demeanor totally changed and she was aggressive to others and dogs. She is amazing to me but I know now she was definitely drugged before we met because she has severe social anxiety. So just beware! They will drug aggressive dogs so you will be fooled. I love my dog so much and we have been training and her vet gave her trazadone to calm her which works wonders but ethically, this is not a good establishment.

I love BFF. I was looking to foster for a local rescue and my vet recommended Be Fido's Friend. I…read moream SO glad he did! I filled out a foster application and 'Liked' them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BeFidosFriend) One day I saw a photo they posted of this adorable little grey dog in a cage saying they needed someone to volunteer to foster her so they could bail her out of the pound. I eagerly volunteered. I was so excited to pick her up---BFF arranged to have her looked at by a vet, spayed, chipped and vaccinated before I got her. I immediately fell in love with her. It wasn't long before I knew I was never going to be able to give her back. I adopted Poppy back in November from BFF. I am so grateful that they were able to introduce me to this little pup who I've grown to love as if she is my own child. I then fostered another dog through them who I also fell in love with, but this time I was happy to know that she went to a really loving home. BFF is great. They aren't pushy at all like a lot of rescues are. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. They offer you some bonuses when you adopt from them, like lifetime help and support for your dog among other things. They are completely, 100% run by volunteers which is extremely impressive. They recently threw a really fun fundraiser at Bucktown Pub which was a great way to give back to the rescue and all of the lives that they save. I've volunteered with various rescues over the past few years, and I must say Be Fido's Friend is one of the best ones I've had the opportunity to work with. I highly, highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to adopt or give back and help some pups.

After the loss of our dog, Faith Nugget, my mom wanted to rescue an older dog. I cannot tell you…read morehow many rescues she contacted and never heard back from. Enter Players for Pits. My mom worked with both Rebecca and her sis, Jessica. They do rescue right - they know their dogs intimately and match you to the dog that will work best with your personality and lifestyle. They told us about Stitch (who, yes, looks like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch), the cutest little Chihuahua mix. Jessica brought him over to my parents' house so he could meet his potential new 'rents, inspect the place to make sure it was up to his standards, and meet his potential new cat sis. Of course, he was the perfect fit. Jessica then brought Stitch back the following weekend, along with some of his fave things from her house, so he would still feel at home. He was a little sad and stared out the window for a bit after his foster momma Jessica left, which made us so happy to know how loved he was. He's since settled in and is king of the house, and the perfect guard dog on walks. I couldn't be happier with my new little bro!

I've had nothing but great experiences with this rescue. The owner has been kind and helpful…read more They've answered any messages or questions I've had quickly and kindly. They're an amazing group of people who speak for the voiceless and do everything they can to save those precious babies out there. Highly recommend.

Evanston Animal Shelter is a top-notch animal shelter that truly cares about rescues. They're…read moreprofessional and conscientious. If something were to happen to me, and with no other options, I have confidence that my beloved dog would be taken care of conscientiously by Evanston Animal Shelter.

I would like to give them one star for ghosting people on phone calls and emails, as I and others…read morehave had happen, but since they do take care of some animals, and I do like animals, I will show them some mercy . Considering that they got over 6 million dollars from the City of Evanston, I am very unhappy with their poor communications and the fact that they are only open to the public for about 2 hours a day. One of the two cats I adopted turned out to have obstructive airway disease and since they were in charge of my two cats for months, one would have thought that would have been disclosed. The medication cost over $2,000 that first year because what was prescribed was not off patent and the cat was too obese to take prednisolone safely. Why was my cat obese? Ask them. Further when I asked if I could donate the huge cat carriers back to them and some food bowls they gave me (since I already had those items) they refused them as if they have all the money in the world to buy new supplies, other shelters would have jumped at the opportunity, a donation in kind of about $100. I applied to volunteer and heard nothing from them for over 2 months after emailing and messaging them following up on my status, to no avail, until I had to actually go in there to find out what was happening. I could go on but in my opinion this is an organization that is not managed well and they could do much more with the funds that they have been given. I'm pretty sure, imho, that they will ask some pals or cronies to add some high star reviews to try to balance out the negative ones, of which there are quite a few, but all I can do is try to get them to get their act together there by posting this. Finally, as to others here saying that some people there are rude, I completely agree. It is not a pleasant experience. If they try to get more taxpayer funding without improvement of their management, I intend to go down to City Hall to cite my many reservations about this organization. Update on 2/18/25: I stand by my review in spite of the response from EAS: To EAS I respond as follows: Unfortunately the cats were obese from a medical standpoint so you may want to consult with a veterinarian on animal obesity. I note that you did not post the photo of one of them I emailed to you after he had some cat nip the first night I got them, but chose the "skinny" video :) so I posted my photo of one of the big boys I adopted. Further, it is my understanding that my cats were elsewhere in foster care under your auspices until they were put into my care as fosters. If you take no responsibility for their care when at foster locations, that could be problematic, especially for them, since you foster out many animals. As to communications issues: I sent an email Sept 8, 2021 asking about a vet. No response to that. I found a vet myself and did not contact you again until early Dec this year when I put in a volunteer application. No response to that. On Jan 7, I sent a followup email asking the status. No response to that. After that I wrote a msg to your Facebook page. A day or two later someone answered and said she would follow up with the dog volunteer area. I waited approximately a week and still had no answer. I wrote again to see if anyone heard from the dog volunteer group, but received no reply. Growing quite annoyed with the runaround, a few days ago I decided to walk over to EAS and find out what was going on, which I did. I told The person there, also the person who did not answer my email of Sept 8, 2021 that I had emailed and messaged and gotten no reply so decided to walk in. He told me I must be mistaken as EAS has no email address posted on its website and was rather brusque (rude, in my perception in addition to being uninformed) gave me no apology and then insisted I must have emailed a vet with a similar practice name to EAS. He subsequently agreed to follow up, nevertheless. Moreover, with regard to my claim of poor communication, there was a post on your facebook page not long ago telling the public that people have been rude to EAS staff/volunteers when they don't get back to them and how they shouldn't be because everyone is so busy( too busy to hire volunteers who might answer phones, I guess.) If EAS cannot acknowledge the problem, it certainly will not be fixed. Re: funding: So it didn't go into your pocket, you say, but why spend 6 million dollars so you can be open approximately 2 hours a day to the public? I certainly hope the number of adoptions skyrocket going forward , you train people not to be rude (as mentioned here and elsewhere in reviews) and you answer communications because certainly the Evanston taxpayers should see something for their generous funding of your large facility.

A lovely place with lovely people…read more I went in looking for a specific dog I had found online. Unfortunately, because of a health condition he has he wouldn't be able to go to a home where he would be left alone for a typical work day. At first I was sad, but the owner Kelly was upfront and made it clear to me this was for both mine and the dog's sake. The next step: They asked me what I was looking for in a dog, if I had any breeds in mind. Next thing I know I'm in a small room with 5 dogs saying hello. They both explained to me each dog's personality and let me socialize with the dogs midst the chaos. I would have never expected to end up adopting a Chihuahua - but he stole my heart right away. I'm in the middle of a move so could not adopt him until a couple weeks later (but still provided my payment) and they were more than happy to keep him the extra couple weeks until I could pick him up. It's been a very long two weeks, and I'm thrilled to see him this week! Overall it's a great organization with fantastic staff and volunteers. We live in the city of Chicago, but I know that if I ever adopt another dog in the future, I'll be going to Tails of Hope.

Tails of Hope is a non profit organization that takes in the pets of individuals who pass away or…read moreare terminally/chronically I'll and can no longer care for their dog or cat. They do make exceptions and take in pets that would otherwise be put down at another location as well. To me that was an amazing mission statement. And they are a no kill shelter. Who could ask for a better shelter?! These ladies truly love the animals and provide them with the best care possible as they try and find the perfect families for these animals that have fallen on hard times. My coworkers and I took a group of students here to learn about the animals and the work that goes into running a shelter. Tails of Hope was super accommodating and helped us organize an engaging field trip!

Wonderful Rescue!!!!!! I highly recommend Chicago…read morePetRescue. They're top notch. Adopt, don't shop and PLEASE support them in any way you can.

The volunteers who foster the animals really care and love their jobs. The problem is their…read moreDirector. They ask for Zelle payment and then claim the information that I used was not correct, even though I followed their printed instructions. I had the feeling something fraudulent was occurring when they wanted me to send another payment before my original payment was verified. I really wanted to give donation, but don't trust it will go to the care of the animals.

Have volunteered at this organization for a few years now. I can honestly say the people truly care…read moreabout the pups and seek to match them to the perfect forever home. They use a stepping stone method from inhale to home. The pups start in a triage shelter to ensure the dogs are healthy through vet visits, stabilize the pups after any transit, and to get to know the intricacies of the individual characteristics of the new arrivals. They use this information to pair up the dogs with foster homes, helping the pups learn how to live in a caring environment and structured routines. This helps prepare the dogs for success at the next step which is adoption. Some dogs are so well adapted to the new surroundings that they can skip ahead in the process but others need time to decompress from the trauma they experienced. Again, this places has a mission to help dogs find their perfect home. Feel free to volunteer with the organization as I do, sign up as a foster, or even adopt a new family member. You will enjoy it and appreciate this place.

Let me just say that we adopted our puppy back in May and we couldn't be happier! Great place and…read moregreat people! Really professional and application process was seamless. Definitely 10/10 experience.

I volunteer with ARFhouse walking dogs and holding them at adoption events. This is a great…read moreorganization where the focus really is on rescuing pets and finding them permanent homes. The shelter rescues dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes from local kill shelters and also picks up strays. Many of the dogs ARFhouse takes are senior, have health problems or "their time is up" at their previous shelter. I love the fact that so many of the dogs are in foster homes or at doggie daycare. This makes them super social with both people and other dogs, and they learn good doggie manners. The adoption process is very thorough (no same-day adoptions) to make sure the dogs are going to good homes. At ARFhouse adoption events, the dogs are right out there on a leash, not in a cage or separate room. This makes it easy to meet a number of different dogs and instantly see what they're like around people and other dogs. I have to address some of the negative reviews of ARFhouse by pointing something out: Everyone who has bad things to say about the organization was trying to get rid of a dog or a cat. They already have a pet and are either sick of dealing with it or just don't want it any more. The shelter doesn't accept pets from people who are trying to dump them, and it says so on the website. ARFhouse fights for dogs who are totally alone with no family at all.

Like many of the other reviewers, I wish I could rate zero stars. I don't really need to explain,…read morejust read this chain of emails with this delightful organization: Dec 23, 2010: Hello, Who would I contact regarding a dog that we need to find a home for? Thank you, Jason Response: Is it a personal dog of yours or somebody you know or is it a stray somebody found? Dec 24, 2010: ME: The dog belongs to my Grandfather but he is unable to continue to care for her. I am trying to find a home for her otherwise my Aunt is going to have to put her down. Response: That's a shame a family member won't take a dog so she has to be put down. Dec 26, 2010 Me: Is it your policy to try to make people feel guilty when they come to you for help? This isn't an easy decision, its our only option. Thanks for nothing. Response: Yes, that is exactly our policy. Actually, it is our policy not to help animals who already have homes and take the guilt off people who shouldn't have it taken off them. We don't appreciate the "if you won't take it, it will get put down" speech. How many times a day do you think we hear that? It's not our responsibilty to help your family members. Me: To Whom it May Concern, I apologize. Perhaps, to avoid your judgmental statements, I should have provided some background. On December 11, 2010, my grandmother passed away at 83. While she was still alive, she cared for my grandfather of 87 who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Because he has lost his caregiver and wife, my relatives have had to make the difficult decision of putting Grandpa in a nursing home to get the care that he needs. Also, because many of my relatives live in California, he is being moved to a home in that state. At this same time, a decision has to be made about what to do with his and my grandmother's beloved dog, Molly. An extremely difficult decision that has been made by my grandfather's children and that I do not chose to judge. We must find Molly a new loving home or put her to rest. I do not want to divulge further heartbreaking details as to spare the dignity of a sweet 87 (almost 88) year old man who has lost his wife of 65 years and now has to part with his dearest friend as well. If you, or your organization have policies that must be followed I understand. It's unacceptable for you to simply judge people who are reaching out to you and berate them, when you have no idea what their circumstances are. I do not expect any sort of resolution here as there really is no dispute. My purpose of this is to make people aware of the level of professionalism - or lack thereof- that exists at Arfhouse. It seems that you clearly do not care about helping a needy dog find a home. If you are curious as to how I am going to let people know...please visit Yelp.com and view the comments about your organization. This entire email thread will be posted for all to see, and I plan on making contact with your superiors. Thank you and Merry Christmas. End of thread. If anyone on Yelp has suggestions about how to find a home for Molly please contact me. I will be updating this review if I receive more responses from Arfhouse. UPDATE 12/27/2010 Here is the e-mail I received in response to the last one: This e-mail in no way changes our opinion of you or what you are doing to the memory of a "beloved" relative. To explain in such detail is just you trying to make yourself feel better for..what is it you said..."putting a dog to rest", which is killing the dog. Spreading the word on Yelp about what a horrible thing you are doing is only a reflection on you. We don't care. UPDATE 12/28/2010 This may or may not be related. Strange occurrence: at 4 am my relative received a text message from "Joe" stating "continue electronic harassment". We think they meant "discontinue".

Sheri was fantastic with us; took the time to assess our situation and needs from a pet so we…read moredidn't get in over our head and (more importantly) the dog found the best home possible. The application was thorough, she communicated quickly and efficiently, and when we went to meet the dog we took a long walk with him and Sheri to further assess. Once we got our bundle of joy home, it was clear he had been shown lots of love and received the benefit of lots of training and attention while he was at Friends of Petraits. He's a 5 month old Golden Retriever who is housebroken and full of love and life. Similarly to the other review, we contacted about a female Golden pup Sheri had, but a couple came the next day to adopt her. Sheri let us know she ALSO had her brother who hadn't been posted yet; so we jumped on the opportunity and I'm so glad we did.

I love what they do, and by no means want to tarnish their reputation but the way they lied and…read moreomitted crucial things like for example, they said my 6 year old pomsky was potty trained, he's not. He didn't have flea and tick medication, so I ended up adopting a dog that I got expecting him not to be perfect but at least potty train a dog especially if he's in a foster family.... my point is; this couldve ended badly for everyone