*** I LOVE THE BARKING LOT. ***
I would give them many more stars if I could.
We just completed this process, having adopted our dog, Hemingway, this past weekend.
Everyone there was incredibly responsive, helpful, kind, and enthusiastic. Gabi got right back to me after I turned in my application (it was literally within hours), never minded any of my questions, and helped me put together a list of dogs that might work for me. The house inspection with a volunteer got scheduled within a couple of days, and we easily booked an appointment to see our dogs. The entire process all happened in less than a week.
When we went to their office, there were tons of (very happy!) volunteers there walking the dogs. We heard that several of the high-energy dogs had already been taken on hikes that morning. Every walker-volunteer we spoke to was so nice, really knew the personalities of the different dogs, and gave us lots of good advice.
We had picked out 6 dogs to look at. Personally I dislike the process of going through a building full of cages, where dogs are usually rather stressed out. I find that it doesn't give you a real sense of the dog. At The Barking Lot, they have you go to a grassy area, and they bring out each dog, one at a time. You can spend as much time as you want with each one, take him/her on a walk, etc. It's a great way to figure out quickly how that dog responds to you, how it behaves in general, etc.
We spent time with 4 of the dogs on our list. #4, Hemingway, immediately stole our hearts. We knew right away that he was our perfect match!
The check-out process was easy. They gave us his entire folder, informed us about all the shots he was current on, etc etc, and gave us advice about how to transition him into life with us. They answered all our questions in detail and gave us all the time we needed. We didn't feel rushed in any way. Ultimately we spent about 2 hours there, but that was including plenty of time walking and playing with our potential dogs, and it went by quickly.
The Barking Lot team also followed up with us by email shortly after our adoption, to be sure that things were going smoothly. I had a few questions, which they answered right away. They all seemed so happy that we'd found our dog, asking for photos.
Some people on Yelp had complained that the fees are high, but that's really only if you're comparing it to the price of getting a dog at a county shelter. The group is volunteer-run and the fees pay for the time that the dog was fostered, his/her medical needs and check-ups, etc. All completely worth it. Also, keep in mind that, unlike county shelters, TBL doesn't receive government funding! The adoption fees are what keep this place going. Our dog had clearly been well cared for, he had just had bath when we saw him, and he was up-to-date on everything.
I would absolutely, 100% adopt through The Barking Lot again. We really couldn't have been happier with the process, and ended up with our PERFECT match.
THANK YOU to everyone at The Barking Lot!!!!
** I also want to add that their website and Facebook pages are GREAT. (Better than any other shelter or rescue website I've visited.) Incredibly informative, great photos of the dogs, with accurate descriptions of each dog's personality. They clearly really care about these dogs and want to find them their best homes, and I want to continue to support the good work they do. I'm even considering fostering or volunteering with them down the road. read more