I had such a wonderful experience adopting from Valley Humane Society! The entire process was quick, smooth, and stress free, which made such a big difference. From the moment I walked in, I felt welcomed and supported. Emily and Shelby were especially amazing. They were both so kind, patient, and genuinely helpful throughout the whole process. They took the time to answer all of my questions, made sure I felt confident, and really showed how much they care about the animals and the adopters. You can tell the staff truly prioritize the well being of the pets and want to match them with the right homes. Everything was organized, transparent, and efficient. I am so in love with my puppy and SO GREATFUL that I chose to adopt from here!! I highly recommend Valley Humane Society to anyone looking to add a furry family member. Such a positive and heartwarming experience! read more

Valley Humane Society plays a critical role in our local pet adoption ecosystem, and we had the privilege of being given a tour recently. VHS goes to local county shelters and saves well-behaved cats and dogs that are about to be euthanized because of overcrowding. They have a medical clinic onsite that does a wellness check, and then their 200+ volunteer army steps in to foster and care for these cats and dogs, while permanent homes can be found. Our tour focused on the cat side of VHS. First we checked out the youngest kittens, which are kept in separate rooms, followed by Kitty City, which houses the remaining cats onsite (the rest are in foster homes). We met all the Catizens of Kitty City, including Mayor Big Bird, who has since been adopted, and several others with interesting personalities and histories, like Donna, Dealership, and Zombie (my favorite!). The animals are lovingly cared for, and the operations at VHS are well-organized (e.g. laundry area, kitchen and break rooms, etc.). Kitty City also includes an outdoor play area for cats, affectionately called "The Catio" !! Thank you, Valley Humane Society, for all that you do for our community. read more

See all

I showed up with a kitten today and just because I'm from out side the area they wouldn't take it. I'm allergic, I e been to all the vets I've been to three animal shelters they are all full. Britney was the girl who helped me and she would rather me leave the kitten outside instead of help me find this kitten a forever home. Horrible service . Horrible and all the girls inside just laughed. I'm seriously trying to help this animal. read more

Best kitten adoption experience ever. You can tell the friendly staff and volunteers here truly care for the right reasons, and make it such an easy process to find and adopt the right feline. Very knowledgeable, very helpful. We req I adopted my a female kitten in September of 2022 and most recently, a male kitten during the "Home For The Holidays" event in 2023. Each time, I've left with a healthy and happy kitten that is up to date with shots and surgeries. The second time was an even better value, as all kitten adoptions are waived during the month of December. read more

Fabulous people! Wonderful purpose. Whenever I go the VHS I am always greeted by friendly smiling people and if I'm lucky by a tail wagging dog. The facility is clean and you wouldn't know there were cats and dogs there. It does not smell. They have a excellent adoption program and save many lives. They are very active on social media, look for them on Facebook. The program which is nearest to my heart is the canine comfort program. They have two parts, paws to read and paws to heal. The first offers the opportunity for children to build their confidence by reading out loud to dogs. Paws to heal allows people to get comfort form visiting dogs. My dog and I have been a part of these programs for 5 years. read more

Such a great and caring place for our four-legged friends not yet matched with their fur-ever homes.

Clean, professional, and friendly. What a great place to find your new furchild. The volunteers put their heart and soul in the work they do a the facility. Requesting to look at one of the cats/ dog is so easy to do at this location. Just a fantastic place read more

We got a kitten here and the staff was very helpful and patient with all of our questions. The cats were all very well cared for and the place was very clean. It was hard to decide but not as sad as I thought it would be to only take one cat and not rescue all of them plus the puppies that were there. Okay, that was sad. But they are being well cared for while waiting for a home! read more

I got the world's cutest, sweetest cat ‍ here, and it was very easy to do. I live in Oakland, and when I went in to Petfood Express they were acting like I just asked to see Lady Gaga without a bodyguard. I had to wait so long at PE, that I eventually got lunch, came back, and then they told me if I wanted a kitten that I had to take two. The vet bills on two cats! When I came to Valley Humane society, I found the kitten that reached the depths of my soul. She's a year old now, and I love her too much. She's like "Enough with the hugs and kisses!" This is the fourth cat I've had and the best. I brought her back in a week because they forgot to give her a shot or something, and the vet thought I was starving her because she was 2 pounds- she's twelve pounds now, all muscle! The people who foster them and take care of them really like animals. I paid $100 for all the stuff and they send you out with some food and toys. Can't imagine life without this cat. read more

Valley Humane Society - Luna during the pandemic. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

See all

Really wonderful staff, great clean facility and Covid safety was taken seriously! I had a short phone call interview in response to my application for this cute terrier mix and we scheduled a meeting for the next day. It was only my father and I and maybe two staff members and we were given an agreement that if we contacted covid or anyone at their facility did within the next two weeks that we would be in touch. Which I think is such a smart idea! We met with the pup outside and we didn't feel rushed at all to make a decision. Even though Leila (now named Dot) had only been at VHS for 9 days they had answers to all my questions and I could tell they definitely had Dot's well being in mind while making sure we knew of any behavioral issues. We got sent home with a goodie bag including treats, a toy, a leash, and a handmade blanket. Really so sweet! Thank you VHS! read more

Valley Humane Society - Adopting Dot (previously named Leila) from VHS. Such a great experience and everything was very safe during Covid times! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

This is NOT an animal shelter and not an animal sanctuary. After the loss of my beloved senior pet, my sister was kind enough to suggest donating my late cat's carrier, climbing stairs, littler boxes, food, cushioned cat bed (a memory foam one from the Sharper Image!), etc to pets in need. This is a great way to pass along high quality items for pets and even can be given to those considering adoption to reduce the cost of pet ownership. She was told that they accept all donations except medications. However, when we arrived, Lisa at the front desk and her colleague treated us like we were asking for handouts. They told us they can't accept things that are not new. When I asked why, the woman said they can't "properly disinfect" them. As a medical professional I know that animals do not live in sterile environments. The woman also said "look around. We obviously don't have any space." Well it turns out the room was open and uncluttered. Their sign outside states they cannot accept stray animals. Anyone who is genuinely dedicated to helping animals would coordinate the transportation of animals with nearby shelters. Pro-tip: Do not donate anything to this institution. They have invalid excuses for not providing helpful donations to pets in need. If they treat pets with the same disregard and arrogance as they treat humans, you'll be better off donating to the East Valley Animal Shelter. Suggestions for management: Consider training your staff not to be rude and unhelpful. Also, they might also need some training on treating everyone with respect, even if they are not white. read more

An excellent experience. Everyone was nice, helpful and super professional. Especially Emily, our adoption person was great and very easy to work with. The facility is kept clean and all adoptable animals were contained in well lit separate rooms not dark, cold and dirty kennels. Very welcoming and a very positive experience adopting from Valley Humane Society Pleasanton. We adopted a 5 year old female Shih Tzu to add to our family. We already have a 3 year old Shih Tzu Mix and they allowed us to first meet Cleo (renamed Molly) alone then a meet and greet with our dog Finnegan at the final adoption date. On adoption day we were flooded with a ton of important information regarding her surgery (spay) pain medication, vaccination info, microchip, welcome package with coupons, leash and other goodies we didn't expect but was a nice surprise! We would definitely recommend Valley Humane Society Pleasanton if you're looking to adopt a rescue dog or cat. read more

See all

We had our first and unfortunately last foster dog experience-- only because we adopted our furry friend. Best people who care for these animals. read more

Thank you so much for helping me adopt such a lovely puppy! Very efficient and easy to adopt a dog！ read more

Valley Humane Society - Thank you so much for helping me adopt such a lovely puppy! Very efficient and easy to adopt a dog！The service of the staff was excellent！ - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

See all

Clean, professional, and friendly. We've visited here while our tires were being rotated over at Big O Tires. We appreciated feeling that we were welcomed visitors, and we donated a little cash before we left. Our 6 year old attended a birthday party there this weekend, she had such a wonderful time. I was impressed with everything that she did and learned in just 2 hours and 30 minutes. We currently don't have a dog or a cat (Fish and Hamster are all I'm committing to so far). Our daughter didn't come home begging for a dog or cat, I was a little concerned that might be an issue. She did come home happy that she learned so much, and thrilled she had the opportunity to interact with cats and a therapy dog. A job well done by all of the staff/volunteers. Thank You! read more

Valley Humane Society - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

See all

We just had a birthday party here today for my 6-year old daughter and we were beyond impressed! First, Emily helped us view the facility and talked with us before booking the party. The party is reasonably priced for what you get. The only thing you need to bring is a cake and drinks. They take care of the plates, napkins, silverware, party favors, etc. Amazing! Emily was a teacher and it definitely shows! The party was well-paced, all of the children were engaged, and she is the perfect person for the job! When the children were arriving for the party she had them doing a craft that they got to go and give to the kittens to play with while on their tour. She did a great job explaining how to handle animals, what they need, and how to greet them. The children were very prepared for going behind the scenes to meet the animals. The children toured the facility, played with the kittens and saw the dogs in doggie drive. Emily even scheduled a therapy dog to come and meet the children. The kids got to decorate a special box with either a dog or cat stuffed animal inside. The birthday girl got to ring the bell and when she did, all the children got to open their boxes for their surprise stuffed animal. Each pet had a collar and an adoption certificate. She also let them make a beaded collar for each pet. The kids LOVED this! Emily was so easy to work with. She was flexible and did a fabulous job! Many parents commented about what a great idea the party was, said it was much better than Pump it Up :), and their children had a blast! If you are looking for the perfect party - look no further! You will not be disappointed! read more

See all

I adopted my beautiful male cat here during the pandemic. I looked at the adoptable cats on their website and filled out a application to view each cat . If you want to meet multiple cats, you will need to make multiple applications. A person working called to schedule a meeting, which was within a few days. It was overall an easy process. I signed some paperwork, took a picture, paid the rehoming fee and left home with my boy! They also sent ms home with some toys, food, and treats! Follow them on instagram to see animals find their homes, it's great to see. read more

Thank you, Valley Humane Society, for our sweet dog Waggy! The employee we worked with was so friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. We left with plenty of information and a goody bag to get us started. My boys are just so in love with Waggy. Best friends for life! read more

Valley Humane Society - Waggy! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Adopted the most loving and friendly Cocker Spaniel, Cody, from Valley Humane Society! The staff made the adoption process such a positive experience for me and my family. They were knowledgeable, friendly and professional. They even helped us introduce our fearful dog to Cody and made sure they were a good fit before moving forward with the adoption. They really do care about their fur babies. Cody had a full vet check, was microchipped, neutered and vaccinated. They had all of Cody's paperwork ready to go and gave me tips on how to help Cody adjust to his new forever home. I would highly recommend them if you are looking to adopt! read more

See all

Yuumi is so cute and smart.. He can fetch too!! I miss him so much when I am at work read more

See all

This is one of the best shelters in the area. VHS is just down the street from my work. When I'm off early or can take a break, I try to go over there to play and love on the kitties. This is a small shelter, but they make use of the space very well. And the cats are so well cared for. They have four feature rooms that will have a few kittens or a dog in it most of the time. But my favorite is KITTY CITY!! At any given time, you will find a dozen or more cats. And there will be five or six out of their cages walking around the large room. We adopted our two cats from Dublin SPCA because that's where we fell in love with the two kitties. But I would not hesitate to adopt from VHS. They take great care of their cats (and dogs). I'm there once a week or every other week and there are always volunteers working to socialize the kitties or clean their cages and feed them. Sometimes there will even be a notice on one cage that the kitty is at the vet. They spay/neuter, vaccinate, and microchip all the animals before they're put up for adoption. And they're very stringent about who they adopt to. They're also a no-kill shelter (some of the cats have been there for six months :-( )- that alone is worth five stars!! The employees and volunteers are wonderful. One of the ladies (Niki) does a recycling program and all the money goes to the shelter. She asks local businesses to set up a recycling bin and she comes around once a week to pick it up (in her own car!!). I have a bin at my work and she comes by every Friday morning to take our bags of bottles and cans. This just shows the dedication of the volunteers. I love this shelter and all that they do. If you're looking to adopt, start here!! read more

See all

I absolutely love this place! Friendly And knowledgeable staff.... Great place to adopt healthy animals! read more

Valley Humane Society - Emme and puppy - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

See all

5 stars for Valley Humane Society! We first discovered this shelter through the "Paws to Read" program and have donated to them over the past couple of years. This past weekend, after losing my beloved 18 year old cat to metastatic cancer, we decided we were ready to expand our family. Screening process was straight forward and we were able to meet all the available cats, with good details about history for each animal. Both kids were given good instruction on how to interact with each cat (who was friendly, who was shy and who to be extra gentle with) and the staff was great throughout the process. We ended up bringing home a new family member this weekend and have been surprised with the amount of information and support we've received. Highly recommend Valley Humane Society. read more

What a great place. Wonderful people doing such good work for animals. Whether you're adopting or forced to surrender a pet, this is the place to go. read more

I just adopted a cat from Valley Humane. She is absolutely awesome and I was very impressed with the level of caring that they showed both for me and the kitty. I now have a lovely little companion. Thank you Valley Humane. read more

Last Friday my girlfriend and I were rained out on our intended hiking date day and found ourselves wandering around animal shelters instead. We made our rounds through the Dublin facilities, finally landing at the Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton as the last place on the list on our way back home. The facility is clean, welcoming, and well kept. We were greeted with smiles, and even had one of the staff, I think her name was Lori, walk us through the various rooms giving us little tidbit of each animals personality. We were ideally looking for a younger kitten, as we already have a dog at home, and were hoping to get the two introduced without any pre-existing fears already in place. I loved how we were able to go in and interact with each of the cats on the spot, allowing us to get a feel for their personalities and get to know them. One of the last rooms we went in had a 2 month old kitten named Bubbles. I picked Bubbles up and she immediately melted in my arms and I knew it was a done deal. My girlfriend got to hold her and felt the same immediate attraction, so the next thing we knew, we were signing forms at the front desk and going home with an adorable new kitten. We've since renamed her Beans, gotten her set up with her own space in our house, and successfully gone through the introductions to her older canine "sister". Beans has made a wonderful addition to our family and ended up being the perfect cat for us. Forget breeders... come rescue an animal. Both of ours are rescued, and I can tell you first hand that they know and appreciate it and will show you their appreciation for the rest of their lives. read more

Valley Humane Society - Our very spoiled kitty, Beans... formerly known as Bubbles. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

I have started volunteering here over the last month and it's a great organization. Any organization that helps animals in need is 5 stars in my book. The facility is nice, if small, but has plenty of dogs and cats to be adopted. Every other volunteer and staff member I have encountered has been friendly and helpful. They offer education which I think is great for people thinking of adopting a pet. Sometimes it's not as easy as one would assume to adjust a dog or cat to a new home and educating people on their decision to adopt is a great place to start. They also offer pet first aid classes and a few others. It's a no kill shelter that takes animals from over filled county shelters and puts them up for adoption. The volunteers care for the animals like they were their own and try to make their stay in the shelter as comfortable as possible. I encourage everyone to consider a shelter animal in need if they are looking to adopt! read more

We love VHS! We adopted all three of our pets from this location and now have a son volunteering at VHS. The office is so friendly with caring staff and it doesn't seem to change after all these years. Our pets are now 5,3,and 1. :) Visit them and adopt your new family members here where they care so much about the furry friends. read more

I signed up for Yelp just to review this place. I adopted a kitten from here yesterday and the adoption process was super easy and staff is very friendly, answering my questions, giving recommendations, and going over the little guy's paperwork. The kitten (now named Bullwinkle, since my Shih Tzu is named Rocky) has been the sweetest and spunkiest addition to my home. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to adopt! read more

Valley Humane Society - First day at home :) - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

VHS rescues cats and dogs...and they do it with LOVE and caring. How the heck could you want anything else? They do a wonderful job with education (Shoshanna is awesome), volunteerism and adoption. ***** 5 YELP STARS!!! read more

The staff is nice, friendly, very knowledgeable & accommodating. The place is very clean. Had to check a dog that we were interested in around lunch time. We found one we liked but told them I had to go back to work so if my daughter (over 21) can just continue the adoption process. They worked with us to make it happen. I highly recommend this place. read more

We went to Valley Humane Society this past weekend and found a sweet puppy, only 8 weeks old. The place is clean and well run. The staff is great, very helpful answering all our questions in our search for the right match for us. They had us fill out an application and then they gave us a short interview to make sure we would be a good home. I like that, shows how much they care about their animals. When it came time to do the adoption, they were highly organized and thorough. Our puppy has been spayed and is on track for her shots. They gave us detailed instructions to finish her last shot which is due in a week and a voucher for a free vet visit. This is a wonderful facility and I highly recommend them. read more

Valley Humane Society - Jake and Bella leaving the facility - Animal Shelters Near Me - Pleasanton, California

This is a wonderful wonderful wonderful place. Clean, thorough, well maintained, and well staffed. Laura was very helpful in helping us bring Tramp home. I cannot convey my gratitude completely. You all are doing a great job, and deserve all the appreciation. read more

The staff here are great! All of the volunteers are friendly and everyone takes the animals to heart. Keep up the great work! Best, Sebastian F. read more

Let me start out by saying I am a HUGE animal lover, so any organization that's dedicated to helping animals should get a 10-star rating in my book. And I'm not an employee at the shelter, either. Just someone who admires what they do. Valley Humane Society is a GREAT place to go if you're looking to adopt a new friend. They have a ton of wonderful programs (including Animeals, where they actually help seniors and low-income families by providing food for their pets-- how awesome is that?) and they're staffed mostly by volunteers, if I'm not mistaken. Valley Humane Society also 'features' a pet each week in The Independent Newspaper, and that of course helps to get the information out to the community while showcasing a wonderful animal. They survive on donations, and I'm guessing that with the economy being in pretty bad shape right now, their donations are probably pretty low. Plus, Valley Humane Society is a NO-KILL SHELTER. So here's my shameless plug-- if you're looking for a pet, PLEASE consider a shelter animal! There are so many wonderful, friendly, loving animals that are sitting in this shelter RIGHT NOW. And when you adopt from a shelter, the money you give for an animal goes right back in to helping the other animals at the shelter-- not just Valley Humane Society, but most other shelters operate this way as well. It's a win-win situation for you, your new pet, and the shelter. Doesn't get any better than that, right? read more

I had called ahead about the availability of a puppy. I was told it was still available. My mom took off of work, I loaded my 3 dogs into my car, and we made the 150 mile drive to visit the pup. We got there and there was another family visiting the pup. Rather than taking two applications in and reviewing both, they came to us and said they were going with the other family. I told the gal working the front desk how far we had driven. She said we should have called and they would have worked with us and held the pup until we arrived. I told her that I had and she then responded with "Well yeah, we don't normally hold animals". The way the situation was handled was unprofessional. I went to another rescue with a similar distance and they were willing to hold the pup until we could drive to meet him. We ended up adopting through them. read more

Beautiful new facility. There's a big "cat room" where they let all the kitties out of their cages to play and you can hang out with them.

This is the place to throw your child's next birthday party! Shoshannah had absolutely everything set up so that all I had to do was bring cupcakes and snacks. She personalized the Animal Jeopardy game with my daughter's favorites and even scheduled a a therapy dog to visit with the kids. Everyone had a great time, and I felt good about supporting this great facility. Strongly recommend Valley Humane! read more

WOW!!! Words cannot even describe how phenomenal this animal shelter is!!!! Super friendly, extremely clean, intensely attentive to explaining any concern that someone may have, etc!!! They were able to assist me in finding Ruby (Labrador) a safe secure home, due to the fact that my husbands parents couldn't attend to her any more! Unfortunately she could not be at my house because I already have two male dogs, I absolutely do not want them to fight over Ruby. One thing that I can say is they thoroughly interview people who want to adopt an animal, that way the staff is secure with who will be the new owners! Once being told that, I was 100% sure that this is by far the best animal shelter! 10+ stars!!!!!!! read more

My husband and I adopted two cats from Valley Humane Society in November and we have volunteered there for about a year now. The staff is extremely compassionate and knowledgeable. Yayoi the veterinarian is top notch and always concerned with the safety and health of the animals. Melanie the director is passionate about animals and is always running special events to generate interest in adopting the animals. This is a NO-KILL shelter - once they take in an animal, it is there until it's adopted. They have an outside area for the cats to play and the cats regularly get exercise there or in the common areas. The kennels are cleaned twice a day. Our cats have been a true blessing and I can't thank the staff at VHS enough for introducing us to our cats. read more