Seventeen years, plus a few odd months, my husband and I were looking for a Jack Russell terrier to…read moreadopt. Unbeknownst to me, he had been communicating with Star-Mar rescue in Wooster and showed me a photo of the most ungainly JRT I'd ever seen. The dog had the coloring of the breed but longer legs than any JRT I'd ever seen with crazed look in his eyes. We went to visit Martha, (the Mar in Star-Mar) and met this incredibly heroic woman and a houseful of white and brown barkers. Bosco, originally Bobby, was as wild as his eyes suggested. Martha had the battle scars to prove it with a knee she had destroyed chasing him. This is his story, as best as I can recall more than 17 years later: The year-old dog was a marked man in the Youngstown pound and slated for death when Martha discovered him and whisked him to safety in the nick of time. At their first encounter, he threw up in her car. Not an auspicious beginning. The rescue had him several weeks, a longer stay than normal. It seemed he was an undisciplined thug. Initially, he was being fostered at a farm with horses. Once again, the dog faced certain death due to his penchant for the chase-of the horses. (Those of you who love the breed are chuckling: "A JRT chaser, imagine that.") Bosco was relocated to Martha's during which time she vainly tried to make him acceptable to civilized society. As I recall, she said he had lost two or three e-collars during his nightly hunting trips over her acreage. After what I remember as three hopeful placements, the dog was deemed hopeless by just about everyone but Martha. Then she got an email from a retired guy in Fairlawn who showed an interest in the mongrel. Woah, I'm sure she thought. A possible match? She was reluctant to pursue the possible adoption due to the fact the guy was over 50. Who wouldn't be? Hubby convinced his doubly doubting wife to go meet this animal. During the meet and greet, the wife, hereafter referred to as I, remained unconvinced-knowing full well this dog would be the biggest challenge we'd ever had in a dog. But since it has always been my style to make my loved ones' wishes come true, I reluctantly agreed to take him home. In the car on the way back to Fairlawn, Bosco threw up in my lap. That was the moment I knew this dog needed and deserved a forever home more than any animal I'd ever met. It took several training classes and he has never lost his desire to chase anything that moves. He gets anxious and he still paces as if he's on the end of a chain. He still walks a minimum of two miles a day, usually in his favorite park with his pack, five miniature schnauzers and his best friend Milly, a seven pound fluff ball. The activity is proven life extender for both of them. As Martha says, "Motion is lotion." As we promised on the adoption papers, we have kept our end of the bargain. Our secret to his longevity? Long walks, the absolute best food I can afford (check with dog food advisor) annual trips to the vet, NO PESTICIDES on this paws and probably good Youngstown genes. But Bosco, at 17, has had no major illnesses (one kidney infection) totally deaf and just a tad under weight, still embraces life with a fervor matched by only a few people. He is my . Thanks, Martha.

We just adopted a dog through Star-Mar Rescue and had a wonderful experience. The process was…read morethrorough, but quick. They helped us make sure we picked the right dog for our family, while also making sure we were the right family for the dog. After visits to their house and ours, we brought Hannah home last weekend. I would recommend Star-Mar Rescue to anyone looking to add a new furry family member. They are doing great work!

A beautiful building with plenty of room for the cats to roam and explore. Everything was perfectly…read moreclean and well maintained. The volunteers were incredible -- they knew every cat by name, which ones liked being held, which were shy, which ones were little bullies, and which would happily jump on top of the furniture or refrigerator. They were also very knowledgeable about each cat's medical needs and personality. It's clear this place is run with so much care and love. An absolutely amazing place. Bonus - it's a no kill shelter.

Stay Awhile Cat Shelter is a truly special place. The love and dedication they show to every single…read morecat in their care is remarkable. You can tell immediately that this isn't just a shelter--it's a safe haven. The environment is calm, clean, and thoughtfully set up to give the cats the space and comfort they need to feel at home. The staff and volunteers go above and beyond to ensure each cat is not only cared for physically but emotionally as well. They take time to get to know each cat's personality, which makes the adoption process thoughtful and successful--for both the cat and the new family. If you're considering adoption or looking to support an organization that truly puts animals first, Stay Awhile is worth your time and trust. They do incredible work, and the impact they make shows in every purr and playful paw.

Nearly impossible to get ahold of, leave a voicemail and get a call back sometimes days later if at…read moreall. Adopted my beagle from here in 2020 and since i moved to another state and came back home they will not treat him since he hasn't been there in over 18 months because they're no longer accepting new patients. I think that's ridiculous to turn away a dog that was adopted from YOUR facility. Probably for the best as they've just gotten harder and harder to get ahold of throughout the years. Maybe hire more staff and you could keep up with the demand!

I picked up a puppy! They were very friendly and knowledgeable. The staff was great and they…read moretreated their animals with respect.

We adopted our sweet family dog, Brida, here. The facility is clean. I spent more time in the dog…read moresection. I could tell that each dog was well taken care of. The staff were very friendly and so very helpful. I highly recommend adopting a dog here rather than buying from a pet store or breeder.

I would recommend this Humane Society to any dog lover. The staff was very nice and helpful. They…read morealso gave me a two-page information sheet about socializing dogs from puppy mills. I never had a dog rescued from a puppy mill, but the suggestion sheet and the manager's tips really helped me. Try this Humane Society rather than getting a dog from a breeder or pet store. Also, this facility is very clean and most dogs seemed content. The manager was so kind and gave my dog her parvovirus shot since Lulu didn't have one yet.

What a wonderful shelter with caring and loving staff! We got our Minnie from this shelter 3 years…read moreago, as hard to believe as that is, and it's been such a blessing for all of us! I will always be grateful for them helping us find our new family friend! This shelter really does everything they can for all of their animals to keep them safe and healthy! They are incredibly hard working and committed to their animals in a loving and supportive way; whether it taking them to the vet at any time of the day or night to helping mother dogs birth their puppies, they are right there caring for them every step of the way! They go above and beyond to rescue animals and take in any stray/surrender they can! That's how they found Minnie. They do their best to find their animals homes that will take care of their needs as well as work with the new families in any needs they have. They really know each and every one of the animals they care for by their personality and interests. These staff members have a personal relationship with these animals instead of only knowing them by a number or "name". I honestly am very proud of all their hard work, their abilities to conquer through anything and admire their passionate hearts! 5 stars is not a high enough award that this rescue deserves as they clearly do 10 star and above work! I hope you consider checking them out for a new furry friend and see all of the care they receive here!

Love the rescue work they do, but also love the work they do as a boarding facility. We adopted our…read moresecond dog as a puppy two years ago and she is a perfect fit for our family. I appreciate all the love they show both my pups (one from their rescue, and our older dog from another rescue) when we drop them off. They know their personalities and how to handle each of them. We used to have a family friend watch the dogs at home when we were out of town, so I was a bit nervous the first time we left them, but the staff made sure to let me know we could contact them to check on the dogs any time... and now my dogs are exited to go back and play when we are out of town. Thank you for all your hard work ROAR staff!!!

Fabulous organization. After searching high and low, they found the perfect dog for our family and…read moreshe has been amazing. She got pneumonia and almost died before she came to us, but the volunteers at Secondhand Mutts nursed her back to health and gave us such a gift! Forever grateful!

The owner could call you back when you ask them too. I was going to adopt one of their Dobermans…read morebut was told after I filled out the application that "we think you do too much with your dogs." My Dobermans have been therapy dogs, scent dogs, tricks dogs and competition obedience dogs.. not all of them have been the same. I then pursued another Doberman with another rescue to see if it would work because they didn't know anything about the dog. In the middle of this, they contacted me to say they may have made a mistake .. I said I was involved in this now and I have to follow through. Unfortunately the dog did not work out .. I messaged them last Thursday and was told that they were open for adoption and that I was approved as the email stated.. messaged them on Friday to tell them I was coming on Monday to see the dog and then was told someone else just got approved and was coming to see the dog. I was told they held the dog for me and I said that's good because you were the reason I didn't come to begin with. You get no response when you ask whoever runs the place to call you.. I would not recommend this service to anyone!

This continues to be one of the animal rescues that has the biggest impact. Not only are they…read moresaving our precious furry friends, but they have a prison program that has the power to also transform the lives of the inmates who participate in this program. We adopted a dog from here years ago & it has proven to be one of the best decisions we have made as a family. Our pup came out well trained, socialized & a ready made companion for our mom. The adoption process is lengthy and thorough, as it should be, to ensure that animals in their care are placed in homes that are all that they claim to be. This process includes a home visit which allows them to get a better idea of how safe & suitable a prospective forever home could be as well as discuss any potential barriers to the adoption process.

How can I give anything less than 5 stars to the rescue that likely saved our pup's life and then…read morewent on to introduce us to her? Two years ago, we decided to expand our family and since our cat hates all other felines...a pup it was. Our search began at petfinder.com which is how we found both our dog and Ladybugz K9 rescue. The family run rescue was very helpful, making sure to provide us with directions since their location seems to trick GPS. They work to get rescues from Amish puppy mills and from what I can tell, they do a fantastic job socializing the animals. In fact, when we walked into the area where the pups were, ours was excited to see us and standing on her two hind legs waving. Some of the other puppies were timid and it was explained that they had just been brought to the rescue the day before and they give them about 24 hours to get used to their surroundings and then they begin "hug therapy." In the two years since, we have been able to enjoy a happy, healthy, loveable dog...what could be better!

As an avid animal shelter volunteer and rescue mom - I was a little skeptical about adopting online…read morewithout actually meeting the people and seeing the dog and its living conditions. For years I refused to adopt a dog because i knew how much work went into them. Its just like having children. Long story short the time came to adopt a pup and I couldn't be happier! Roxie (rescue name Fiona) has been a blessing in my life. She just turned 3 in May and I can't imagine what life would be like without her. This rescue gave me a healthy active loving little girl on the fourth of July 2010 and to this day my little firecracker pup is spoiled rotten! I was told she was a pomeranian maltese - and it turned out she is pomeranian papillon which makes her even more fun!Thank you so much Ladybug K9 Rescue! I couldn't be happier