This place is a SCAM!!! Don't believe ANYTHING that Terri Sween or Jennifer tell you!!! And BEWARE adopting a dog from them! We found a puppy on adoptapet.com that we wanted to adopt. Unfortunately, for us, it was being sheltered at the Paws Inn in Antioch. Our first debacle came when they told us that the dog we wanted to adopt was already adopted and proceeded to convince us to adopt another puppy instead. Seemed fair, at the time, but we noticed after the fact that our dog's picture was earmarked "adopted" on the website, immediately after we adopted and the original dog that we wanted remained on the website for weeks after, with no such ear mark. We were immediately curious if we got duped. But never mind, because we LOVE the puppy we got. However, the Paws Inn is cluttered, filthy and completely disorganized. When I went there to see our potential pup the first thing I noticed was that all the dogs in the back were barking and howling. Since we weren't able to get the pup that we wanted - I mistakenly assumed we'd be able to walk through the kennel and look at all the available dogs. WRONG. We were denied access to all dogs except the one they wanted me to adopt - and they brought him out front to me (instead of allowing me to go to him.) I thought this was odd. And judging from the unclean state of the "customer waiting area" assumed they did not want me to see the filthy conditions that the dogs were living in. We did not let this deter us - but instead told ourselves we were rescuing the dog from otherwise unfit living conditions. Our dog also has a damaged tail. Jennifer and Terri told me that the dog's tail was bent in the womb. However, my vet has confirmed that this injury happened post birth, most likely from being slammed in a door. Imagine my surprise/horror - when I log on to write this review (not sure why I didn't check it first) and learn the other two reviewers are complaining about damaged tails on dogs. What is going on at this place?!? Lastly, and probably most offensive in my book - I was told by Jennifer that the adoption fee of $350 included the cost of having my dog neutered (a requirement by Paws Inn if you want to adopt one of their dogs.) However, because my pup was only 3 months old - I was advised, by Jennifer, to wait until he was 6 months. He is now 8 months old and for the past 2 months I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to have my dog neutered by their vets. They refuse to return emails, phone calls or even notification from our lawyer. It has become obvious that we were completely SCAMMED out of $350. These people are a disgrace. There are plenty of honest people running dog shelters and I highly encourage you to avoid the drama we've been through and adopt from one of them. read more

First let me say that I went to Paws Inn to adopt a pet not to criticize whether the office was clean or not. My goal was to give a pet his furever home. We adopted a white malti/poo that was rescued by Terry and her staff. When I first saw him he was dirty and scared. They had just rescued him from a puppy mill. Thanks to them he was given a chance to have a fresh start. When we picked him up he was clean and ready to go. The ladies were very helpful in ways to help us help him. He never had a name and we named him Linus. He is doing great and opening up more and more everyday. We are so happy to have Linus in our family. He now has his furever home. Thank you Terry and your staff. I'm glad there are people out there that does a great job. People don't understand how hard it us to do your job and I congratulate all of you. Keep up Gods work of helping these poor helpless animals. Remember people your not there to pass judgement on the staff and kennel, your there to save an animals life. read more

When I rescued my dog I had the same experience as Krystle. I was told he was much younger than he was. When I picked him up he was covered in urine and feces. I was told the volunteer groomer wouldn't touch him because he was a demon dog. When I took him to the vet he had bacterial and yeast in his ears, did not have any vaccinations and was about 8 months old. Luckily they were nice enough to give me the puppy plan to get him all caught up on vaccinations since they were familiar with the deception of this so called shelter. I never received the adoption papers in the mail that Terrie promised me. This place is a scam and I hope they are shut down. If I could give them no stars that would be appropriate. read more

I rescued a puppy from this shelter and I love him to death. If more people rescued animals from shelters, we could contain the dog and cat population crisis because dog breeders would be forced to breed less! read more

After little to no communication while we were away, and after feeding our little 7 lb dog an ENTIRE 4 lb bag of Fromm's Surf and Turf dog food in just 8 days, this is an email I recently wrote to the owner after my experience with The Paws Inn: "Do not worry about replacing the food. We will not be sending another check. There should be more than "a bit" left in the bag my husband brought over. It was a brand new 4lb bag and those will typically last us anywhere from 7-8 weeks. I didn't appreciate the fact that you insisted the bag was half full when I spoke with you over the phone last night, considering it was brand new and my husband actually opened the bag in the office while he was explaining how much we typically feed him. We also do not appreciate the fact that though you are responsible for this operation you attempted to shift blame and insist that someone may have "knocked it over" and not told you. None of these excuses are things that we should have had to worry about while leaving our dog with you. In addition, the day prior to our bringing Russell to you we had him at the vet (you even have the paperwork) confirming his weight of 7.8 lbs on 6/1/2011. Needless to say we were both shocked and appalled to discover that he gained almost 2 whole pounds in the 9 days he was at The Paws Inn. That is over 20% of his body weight. This kind of overfeeding causes very harmful bloating of the stomach and can even twist his intestines in a way that can be very damaging. Our vet says it is also highly possible that this type of eating can cause a dog to go into shock, though luckily that obviously did not occur. Considering this amount of weight gain is a health concern, our vet has also requested that we bring him in to get checked for possible damage tomorrow. This is going to cost us about $30, an expense we would have normally had to deal with. This is why, besides the consumption of an entire bag of food that should have had 5-6 weeks left, I will not be sending another check. Also, his bowel movements have been 2-3 times the normal size. Regardless of if you or one of your staff "overfed" Russell, that is neither here nor there. His food requirements should have been clearly communicated to the entire staff. While we were there Brandon even said he "topped it off today" (referring to the bag of food) and acted surprised when we told him the amount we normally feed him. I can at least say that Brandon was very helpful and nice, while I found you to be rather rude and defensive when clearly something here is not right. I would have rather come to find out that someone actually did knock the bag over, but my now 9.5 lb dog begs to differ. Also, we tried reaching you several times during the week to check in on both your cell phone and the office phone and were never able to contact anyone, which was a bit unnerving. I have also recently come to discover from some of your other patrons that the experience we have had with The Paws Inn pales in comparison to the terrible experiences of some dogs who have recently stayed there. Needless to say, we will not be using your services in the future. " read more

A stray dog that was roaming our neighborhood that was very scared and skiddish that I had been trying to catch for 4 days but was caught by another individual and taken there. When I contacted them via email to let them know that I had a foster home for them and was heartbroken the dog was there. This is the response I received...... ********************************************************************************************* I believe that we do have the dog you described. He was brought in early this afternoon. His information has been posted on multiple sites in an attempt to find his family and we will, of course, be bringing him to the vet so that he can be looked over and more importantly scanned to see whether he has a microchip that might help us locate his family. He has been treated for the fleas and ticks which he was covered with. I am not exactly sure why you are heartbroken that he is no longer left to fend for himself and at risk of being hit by a car or having some other misfortune befall him. In any event, he appears to be in good health and he is doing well. Terri 847-688-0200 www.havenattheinn.com www.thepawsinn.com ******************************************************************************** I am very disgusted with their lack of compassion.. Wouldn't you rather have a dog in a home than a cage. Especially a dog that is approx. 2 yrs old and has been in the wild during TERRIBLE storms and possibly abused prior. I wish there was way for to get the dog out of there. DO NOT TAKE ANY ANIMALS THERE..... read more

I should have written this 3 years ago but I saw Terri Sween on WGN news this morning with her bird and she promoted the shelter. We adopted 2 beagle puppies in December of 2011. They were listed online as brothers. We, too, were not allowed to see how the dogs lived. We waited in a dirty, cluttered office for her to bring the puppies to us. They were puppy mill dogs as well. We just wanted to get them out o there....they smelled worse than the office did. Terri microchipped them right in front of us and one of the pups bled quite a bit. We got home and it was then that I realized the anatomy of one of my male puppies was missing something. I had a male and female. When I text Terri she swore that a mistake like that has never happened before. How on earth do you not know the sex of the dogs you are caring for? She offered for me to bring her back. I declined...the first night they both were coughing. I again reached out to Terri, who was difficult to get in touch with. She blew it off, even though my (real) male had pneumonia when they rescued him. My female also has a bent tail, which I was told it could have been in the womb of abuse at the breeder. My beagles both ended up at the vet with kennel cough, ear mites and roundworm. It took a year to get them fully healthy. I had to get my male microchipped again. He bled so much when she did it, that it must have worked its way out of his body. I made a complaint with the Department of Agriculture and they did go check out the shelter in early 2012. I was told that while it was a bit messy, the only violation was her being short staffed. I would never recommend this shelter to anyone. While i can respect the fact that it is a no kill facility, hire more people to actually care for the dogs. They need to be walked, given affection and adopters should not be misled about the animals in their care. read more

This place is one of the best places I have ever seen. Mostly, the owner Terri is very caring and loves dogs. It's easy to tell she is not doing it to get rich. I have read some of these other reviews and have to wonder "are they talking about the same place?" At any rate, there is always more to a story than perhaps the story teller may tell you. All I can say is I have always had a good experience there, and board the dog I adopted there several times. It seems most of the time, my dog doesn't want to come home, I think that says it all. read more

DON'T believe this statement from the website of The Paws Inn Kennel in Antioch, Il! "We pride ourselves on providing individual care, attention & love to every one of our guests during every stay with us..." During a recent trip, we entrusted our healthy, happy dog in their care but were appalled by their lack of care, attention and love. Our dog sustained an injury at Paws Inn. This injury resulted in the amputation of his beautiful tail, changing his appearance that is characteristic to his breed. The surgery & recovery were painful & devastating to our dog, & watching him suffer was heartbreaking to our family. This injury was traumatic but the manner in which it was handled by Paws Inn was inexcusable. To this day, Paws Inn has NOT been forth-coming with any details of his injury. They have chosen to ignore any correspondence we have attempted for details & reimbursement of medical bills. In the past, we have recommended this kennel, but since it's NEW ownership and this unfortunate incident, we feel strongly enough to write a negative review of The Paws Inn (formerly Twyneff Kennel) to make public their incompetency & dishonesty as well as lack of empathy, integrity and compassion. Sincerely, Tom & Ann Howe/ Glenview, Il. read more

This kennel should have been shut down over a year ago, as my dog also came home injured resulting in a costly surgery and months of recovery. Oh! You should also know that my friend's smaller dog-- never returned at all! Try to explain that to your younger children! DO NOT USE THIS KENNEL as they should be shut down for their inhumane treatment of animals. Unfortunately ... this has not been the case. We can only hope that the authorities will read these postings and act accordingly. read more

During a trial week with a cute puppy my mom had adopted, we took him to the vet to check up on him. This first check up showed that the puppy was at least six months, most likely eight months (all his adult teeth were in) and that he had an ear infection. The puppy is a mix maltese/poodle. Since this was the first sign of being lied to by the owner of Haven at the Paws Inn, I decided to then check reviews and came across these outdated, but still fairly accurate reviews. After my mom's experience and me accompanying her, I had to share this information to hopefully help others and also make this a better place for dogs (by having agencies check up on their health code and other codes.) When the week trial was over, my mom and dad decided to return the dog mainly because he needed special attention and they thought another family would be better suited to take care of him (I really hope he's already found a new family.) Following are some of the problems we encountered: - Microchip: the puppy was not microchipped and we were told it would be sent to our home and any vet could put it in at no cost. If that wasn't the case, the owner would stop by our home to do the procedure. Through a vet visit, we found out that it is not as simple a procedure as she made it sound and that it costs - Neutering: we were told by the owner/vet that he could not be neutered since they believed/stated that the dog was 12 weeks to 14 weeks. In addition, we got a "reduced" price ($450) since he was not neutered. During the separate vet visit, we found out that he was at least six months, probably eight months - Ear infection: during the vet visit, we found out the dog had an ear infection. The owner did not disclose this information and we believe she should have known based on her insisting that they take care of the dogs well and that he recently had a vet visit - Location: unlike other shelters, they bring the dogs out to you, which gives a sense of "hiding" something. The place, although outdoors, smelled unclean and the dogs were barking constantly. Since I do not know about codes and shelters, I do not know if what we saw would be over-crowded or not, but it doesn't give anyone peace of mind that the dogs are treated well, which is my main concern - Owner (Terri) and staff: the day we decided to return the puppy, our first encounter was with the woman who seems to be Terri's assistant. When explaining to her the reasons why we were returning the puppy (that due to him being a puppy mill dog, he needs more attention, etc.), she kept simply saying "well, yah, it takes time" or "he's a puppy mill dog" as if everyone has to know all the details about their behavior and such, which I believe they should have disclosed and been more forthcoming, transparent and clear about. Regarding the age issue, "well, we only get an estimate and go off of that." Once the owner arrived and we mentioned the age issue (two months or more is a huge difference at that age) she said "I always give the correct age!" and any issues we were telling her about the vet visit she just seemed to brush off. There was no interest at all from her about the dog, his health, how he had adjusted to a home, etc. Simply said, it gives the sense that they are in it for the money. I have filed complaints with the appropriate government agencies so that the place gets check up on to make sure the dogs are treated well. Hoping it makes it a better place and shelter. read more

These people do not return messages. They are rude on the telephone. We adopted a dog and took it to the vet. They said the dog was micro-chipped. It wasn't. They said the dog was healthy, it wasn't. She tested positive for heart worms. They are supposed to only adopt out dogs that are spayed or neutered. Ours wasn't, and they didn't reduce the fee properly. The place is shoddy, poorly run and if the way they treat people is an example of how they treat dogs, I would say stay as far away as possible. read more

We adopted a dog from here last July who has been one of the best dogs ever. Since then we've been fostering for the shelter. The girls there really care about each and every dog like they're one of their own. The dogs get all the required shots, microchipped, dewormed and fixed if they're old enough. I've been behind the scenes and in all the kennel areas. The girls are always cleaning and taking excellent care of the dogs. I'm not sure what the couple tail posts are about, but as with any shelter, accidents do happen, other dogs do nip once in awhile at other dogs. It happens everywhere. This is a no kill shelter. They've gone way outta their way to pick up dogs who were otherwise going to be put down. If I didn't think this place was awesome, I wouldn't be fostering for them. I highly recommend them!! read more

I have adopted a dog from this kennel. I was allowed to walk thru the kennel and check out the dogs it was in the summer it was raining and early some of the dogs where having the kennels cleaned and some of the young puppies where filthy because it was muddy and the like to run in there poop! So Jennifer the manager of kennel was asking me which one I wanted to see considering I already had a chihuahua I said can I see the 2 they had . They where long haired and brother and sister's she said they may not be a good choice . I asked why she said they did not want to separate them because they are very attached to each other and being around another dog may break there spirit or change the way they act . So I tried anyways she was right they wanted no part of my dog then I looked at just 1 u could clearly see sadness of separation. So she described a mini pincher pup she said would be great for my dog. He was so cute he came from a puppy mill which saddened me but the owner does a great job of shutting them down when she finds them all over u.s. Makes me happy some people still try. So i took puppy home he was not potty trained he was such a little stinker he was giving me a hard time to train him my dog trained instantly i trained him to go out and on pads when I am late coming home or it is too cold for him. This dog nope wanted no parts. So owner gave me her private cell phone if I needed help she told me to crate him all kinds of things I was so upset I said I wanted to threaten him by bringing him back to shelter thinking oh he will be scared snd behave himself well that truly back fired because he was so happy to see jennifer and the owner Terri I have adopted dogs before because I only believe in adopting to many dogs need homes and I have brought my dogs back to threaten them it always has worked they shake hold on to me for dear life while I visit. They where really scared but nope not this dog he was happy to be back. I could not believe it. Well the point I am making is I saw these negative reviews and was upset because I still go visit them because they are nice hard working people at this homeless shelter. They never have enough help they are not run by the state or county they are a non-profit shelter and a no kill shelter so if you hAve time in your life or s few extra bucks buy a 50 lb sack of dog food 20.00 bucks from your wallet and donate to this homeless pet shelter. The owner and jennifer do it for no money the money you pay for the adoption is to help out the other dogs still there or the new ones to come. Please give a helping hand have your kids go volunteer there every bit helps the shelter. Thank you again Jennifer and Terri . Oh and my daughter also adopted a dog from there. But I must admit to have them get neutered or spaded takes them forever to get the certificate to do it. If you ask for the website from Jennifer she will give to you so if speeds up process. read more

Nice people, animal lovers

Great country place!! I boarded my dog there 3 times and every time she didn't want to come home with me back to the city! They take very good care of the boarders and their pets. The owners Terri and Ron are great and wonderful people. If I was a dog I would want to stay with them. also, best prices around, and that helps too read more

beautiful farm location.. the people obviously love animals. there are horses, goats, a goose and lamas!! great place to board a pet.. jhope they are here forever!! read more

OMG- part of me says that I wish I read these reviews first, but on the other hand I am grateful I did not because I have a new lifelong four-legged pal. However, I cannot agree anymore with these negative reviews. As far as the "after" cost that I am now facing, it is ludicrous, but that is neither here or there. The place is indeed FILTHY beyond belief and they were far from straight with me too. I went there with a certain dog in mind but ended up with a different one; the first one that I saw when entering the filthy kennel area (not to mention the waiting area which was just as bad) is the one I picked just to get him out of there. I thought maybe if I took him others would go down the line rescuing them one by one. According to them he was there about a year, but something seems very strange to me. My little guy came into my home house-broken, he lets me know when he needs to go out, he knows a couple of tricks but overall he is so good. His nails were polished, yes HIS. This is no big thing, but things do not add up, house-broken, tricks, nails polished, and he was in their possession for about a year. Part of me cannot keep but wonder where he really came from. Regardless, in the long run I really am lucky, but we all need to do research prior to "adoption". read more