I am a crazy cat lady. With that said, I always look for excuses to pat more cats I can find. On…read moreone October off-work day, I made a reservation for the "Tree House Humane Society" cafe to see some cats in West Rogers Park. Reservation was done online and no deposit was needed. I paid $10 onsite which included a drink or pastry of my choice and 30 min play time with these feline beauties. When I arrived at the cafe at the scheduled time, the young lady at the cafe informed me there was only one cat in the cafe area but offered me to see some more cats upstairs. Honestly, that was a great trade-off even though she kept apologizing to me for the inconvenience. I was able to enjoy my iced chai and visited some kittens and adult cats in different colonies. Toys and hand sanitizers were provided as we entered and exited each colony. The barista lady introduced me to the cats that were awake for some playtime. Too bad 30 minutes went by way to fast and it was time for me to leave. "Tree House Humane Society" is near the 49B (Western) bus stop. I personally had to take 3 busses from my house to get there, so I do recommend driving since parking should not be too hard to find. There are spots by the building for the patrons I assume.

What an impressive rescue shelter. It was the first stop on our journey to find a new cat. The Tree…read moreHouse staff was extremely friendly and helpful. After reviewing all of the adoptable felines, we fell in love with a small 1 year old cat that they called Toaster. She is perfect. Because of Bissell's Clear Out The Shelters" special (May 1- May 17) adoption fees were reduced from $115 to $70.

They treat the animals so well here. It's great! A huge selection of kittens and cats of all types…read more They give them shots and fix them. Great place to support!

Felines and Canines is the most wonderful shelter! I had to put down one of my cats recently and…read morewhen I began looking to adopt a new friend, I stumbled upon Felines and Canines. They were so helpful from the start and made the adoption process so easy. After filling out the application, they were very prompt with responses (even during a holiday week!), I was able to schedule an appointment to meet the available cats. I absolutely loved that they are a "cage less" shelter and I was able to really see all the different personalities of the cats. I met this sweet little Tuxedo cat and knew he had to come home with me! The staff were so helpful in answering all my questions and made the paperwork process very smooth and easy. I've now had Joey (formerly Darth Vader) for two weeks and couldn't be happier!!

I've been volunteering for Red Door for close to 25 years. The staff is very caring and dedicated…read moreto giving the utmost care to the animals. They take in animals that need a lot of vet care and make sure they get it and are healed. I've always seen great care and cleanliness at Red Door. I've adopted "many" rabbits and had a dumped cat under my deck that needed to go somewhere and they took him. This place is totally amazing! I've always been treated with the utmost kindness. I've seen them treat everyone like this. Thank you Red Door for your persistent dedication to saving animals! I've seen guinea pigs, ducks and dogs that go into foster homes. Hand punch and chest thump to YOU!!

My experience here was as a volunteer. Every time I came in to help, I was made to do common room…read more(the main rabbit and cat room). It was always filthy, many of the fleeces were covered in so much fur that I was worried about the rabbits getting a blockage, water bowls were often fully empty or had literal soap suds in them. The volunteer coordinator suggests you "spot clean" the litter boxes, though often they are so saturated that the pellets they use as litter are disintegrated. It put a bad taste in my mouth that staff was not following the basic "contact time" instructions on the bottles of Rescue when they claimed they wanted to kill bacteria. They kept a sick cat with giardia in a cage first thing when you walked in. He had a sign that said not to touch him, but not what he had. I saw senior staff repeatedly handle iso animals with no gloves. I saw them put iso laundry right into a pile with the other laundry more than once. I found a wet pile of laundry with feces (or litter, according to the literal president -- not sure that's better) stuck to it sitting on top of the dryer. I was written up for making staff "feel bad" about not knowing how to disinfect stuff when they claim to have vet tech experience, and for not being nice enough about the "litter" on the wet pile of laundry. I saw other volunteers regularly mix in BnB laundry with shelter laundry -- with what I would consider a homeopathic amount of bleach. They were not chastised for doing laundry incorrectly. In fact, they were allowed to train me on laundry. I tried to report a possible historical ringworm infection to the staff just so they knew to be mindful to check themselves and animals for sores, but instead got met with bizarre legalistic stuff about how I might as well be suggesting that I could have gotten it from "invisible space aliens" (that's from the president directly). Look at these photos and tell me if you think it's insane to think someone could catch a fungal infection here. I was then banned -- again, the stated, written reason being that I disagree with their veterinary practices and they've been doing this for 26 years blah blah blah. Ok. I'm really worried about how much else has been swept under the rug in 26 years, then. The president was so cruel to me when banning me that I immediately went to urgent care for medical clearance. The NP was grossed out and suspicious when I told him I got yelled at for trying to let them know about a possible exposure. Staff here does nothing but bully people if they trust you enough to let their true colors show. I have personally heard them do it about sexual orientation, weight, and ethnicity -- they even had rabbits with antisemitic names they got from Seinfeld (they are not Jewish themselves). They stood silently by while a senior volunteer made fun of my sexual orientation the first time I met her, even. They do not have a pride flag hanging anywhere. I wish they would change that, because maybe there would be fewer homophobic and transphobic comments. Though everyone here reflexively "punches down" so much due to their low self esteem that it seems they can't even keep track of what they say. Just know that if you have a certain skin tone, everyone here older than 40 with a sensible haircut has an opinion about your hair being "unprofessional" if you do anything but make it as straight as possible. I grew up in a hoarded house, and I have to be honest. That's what this shelter feels like and part of why I wanted to help. They cannot keep up with the animals at all, especially not while running HareBnB. Over the holidays, for maybe 3 full cumulative weeks of the year, volunteers handle everything in the shelter except paperwork and isos. No one is properly trained -- in fact, I trained several people after doing common room only ONE time. But these photos were taken when BnB wasn't busy. This is what their performance looked like when they had one more staff member than they do currently and very few BnB guests. And I heard the president and VP talk about buying more BnB space as a potential for the future! I don't have a rabbit currently, but if I did, I would not trust BnB. I am telling everyone I know with rabbits not to board at BnB. For a while, they were the only game in town, but now you can do better. I had already stopped finding joy in volunteering, because as soon as I would come in, the volunteer coordinator would sit at a computer and pretend to look at spreadsheets. That would devolve into hours of me hearing her talking and laughing while I did what would've been her assigned work. No thanks. As you can see, there's clearly enough to be done that we both needed to be working at the same time. I would love to see them change ownership and find a crew really dedicated to the mission instead of dedicated to doing a bit less than the bare minimum. It seems like this shelter used to be good, but maybe it was just the quirkiness of a bunny shelter.

Great staff. I had researched cats on line and knew the one I wanted to meet. The staff were great,…read moremeet went well and the adoption process was easy. The huge problem was my cat was starving. When I looked at the records this small cat lost 20% of her body weight in about 3 months. When I got her home and fed her the same food she couldn't keep it down. If I continued with feeding her that food, and I added a good quality canned food, same issue, she wouldn't have last 6 weeks. Luckily a friend gave me a bag of food which I tried. 3 months later she is healthy, great weight and happy. I know they are a huge number of animals to watch but even their vets commented on how skinny she was and how she was losing weight. There is some lack.

Have been trying to adopt a surrender. We've talked to several people about this and each one…read morepromised to call back. We know the person that surrendered him and this is where he took him. First we were told he had been neutered and it would be a couple of days. They knew we were going to take the dog! Called today, got the run-around, put in hold and then disconnected. Called back and was told the dog was "transferred" but they would not divulge where he was taken. We were told a manager would call back ... didn't happen. Sent an e-mail to Darlene, the president, again no response. How sad. I used to donate a lot of money to this shelter, but stopped because of poor practices. I'll send my money to Felines and Canines. They genuinely care about the animals. Please don't take your dogs there!

I volunteered here briefly, and having seen the behind-the-scenes side of things, I can attest that…read morethey are extremely conscientious about the health and safety of all the cats and the cleanliness of the shelter. It is just as unfailingly neat and tidy in back as in the public-facing parts. And their leaders are very careful never to put any of the cats in harm's way. At this shelter, like other good shelters in the area, they make a concerted effort to match the cats with caring humans who are the best fit for each particular cat. But it's just inevitable that a small number of adopters will not work out. That's not a reflection on the shelter. I never heard shelter management badmouth adopters who returned cats, even if some of them may have deserved it. When you adopt a shelter pet, you're making a commitment. It's supposed to be about doing right by the animal.

Secured environment. Very informative staff. I attended the valentines showing and was told I over…read morepaid.... I wish they could update their system because I chose 1 adult and somehow still over paid. Also, there wasn't any kittens available. I was told to make an appointment with a foster, it said there were a bunch of available slot times to choose but wouldn't let you choose more than one person or any day.

We traveling from California and they are the nicest people helping to find her…read more I'm a disabled navy veteran and she's my medical alert service dog

I was one of those who wasn't deterred by the reviews because it felt like they weren't taking…read moreseriously the fact that a shelter was understaffed (as they often are) or that they probably shouldn't be adopting with the expectation of an immediate turnaround. Undeterred by those reviews, we went to the shelter with a particular cat from Petfinder in mind. Unlike the reviews I'd read, Jasmine was responsive when I left a voicemail asking if they were open for adoption events on Jan. 1st, given it was a holiday. She told us what time to arrive as well. The positives: the cats are clearly incredibly well cared for. Jasmine has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of each and every cat, even when the cat hasn't been at the shelter very long. Her volunteers are kind and friendly and were really helpful with us. All of them helped people interested in adoption to understand each cat's background and context: this one is bonded so can't go alone, that one is too young for your home because you have elderly cats and the young one will harass them, etc. The shelter isn't just dedicated to preventing cats from being euthanized unnecessarily, but also to ensuring that the homes people want to bring those cats into are appropriate to the needs of the cats. Overall, with all of this, we were really impressed. The cat we'd seen on petfinder didn't end up being a fit for us, but there was another cat there who hadn't been adopted for four months who was. He was a black cat, very charming and sociable, and after going through and meeting all the cats we decided that he was likely a great fit for our home, which has a young cat and two middle aged cats as playmates. Jasmine seemed elated because she said "no one takes a chance on black cats, thanks for taking a chance on him!" We've had a black cat before (he died at age 18), and were excited to meet another one who was just as charming. We were asked to fill out an application. We knew we wouldn't likely be able to take him home that day and that was fine...a shelter really should vet its applicants to ensure the best outcome for the cat. We filled out the application for the black cat, and as we were leaving Jasmine offered to do our interview right then to determine whether we would be a good fit for the cat. We were thrilled it was that quick. For context, we are homeowners in our mid-40s, have been employed at the same salaried jobs for many years, have a long history of adopting adult cats and keeping them healthy and living their best life until well into old age (including a verifiable track record of regular annual preventive veterinary care, updated vaccines on schedule, etc). Jasmine pre-approved us, told us the cat needed a microchip and a visit with their nurse, but she felt she could get that on Sunday (ie. 24 hours later) and drop the cat to our house that night. Sunday came and went, no text. I inquired on Sunday night really politely about timelines. She said monday morning that a board member would review the application that day and get back to me in the evening. No response Monday. Tuesday I texted asking if there were any updates, offering to pick up the cat if that would be easier, and happy to provide additional information if needed in assessing the application. She responded she hadn't heard back from the board member. No news Wednesday. Thursday I followed up again, still very polite as who knows what the circumstances were. Got a response Friday: our application "did not go through" and someone else filled out an application for the cat we applied for and another cat, and the cat went with that applicant. So this is where the negatives come in: if your organization's goal is to find good, stable homes for cats, this isn't how to treat folks. There has never been any explanation for why we were rejected. In the event they found a better fit for the cat we applied for, that's great! But no one ever told us that he was bonded with any other cats (and we have playmates for the cat at our house), no one told us anything other than our application "did not go through" with no explanation as to why, and if they found a better fit, they could have asked us to come back and consider another cat and we would have done that. In the end, we have the space, love, resources, and time to invest in another cat, and a long track record of doing so. Instead we got ghosted and rejected, with no explanation whatsoever, and no apology. For as much as they've got cat care figured out, it seems pretty counter-intuitive to alienate good, safe, stable potential homes for those animals. We won't be going back. In the event they want to improve, they could do a lot to improve transparency and communication to preserve those relationships. They'd get a lot more support that way, through adoptions and donations.

Where to start...home where cats are kept is a mess. Owner Janice is a headcase. Many of the cats…read morewere sickly and or filthy. Nonetheless, we found two cats we were willing to rescue from this rescue and we submitted an app. We live comfortably in the NW burbs in a 5 bedroom house with several other pets that are all well cared for. Someone is also always home too. She turned down our application! Feel sorry for all those neglected cats that are stuck there.

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

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.

Could not have had a better experience here! Sage, our adoption counselor, was super knowledgeable…read moreand took the time to really get to know us, answer any questions and suggest which cat would be the best fit for us. He did a phenomenal job, as the "Duchess" is already bein' a lap kitty the first night home. We're really so appreciative and are excited to give this lil' girl a loving home experience. Also this is a beautiful facility! It's heartwarming to know that these rescue animals have a wonderful space to stay until they are carefully placed in their new homes. Well done HHS!

Adopted my most amazing dog Marco from here 9 years ago :) he's the sweetest boy I'm so lucky to…read morehave him. Thank you for saving him off the streets

I am writing to express my appreciation for your professional staff and their commitment to…read moreproviding such exceptional care for pets. It is clear that you prioritize the safety and well-being of the animals, ensuring they have a wonderful experience socializing with other dogs. I highly recommend Bow Wow as a safe and reliable

We love Bow Wow. The staff has always been great over the years, consistently friendly and helpful…read more You can tell they truly love what they do as well as all of the dogs in their care. Text communication is good if they need something or have a question while you are away. I wouldn't describe our dog as "friendly" (haha) but they love our weird little furball just the same.