I've adopted two great dogs from the shelter. The volunteers who work there are very nice and most…read moreof the workers are too. Some really go above and beyond. Some of that can be overshadowed a bit by the rather surly woman who works at the desk. I do feel bad for her as I'm sure it's not an easy job to do but it can definitely dampen the experience. Beyond the staff and volunteers, the shelter itself is depressing as hell. The two rows of kennels that face each other in the middle are intimidating to walk down and the dogs really seem to trigger each other, very stressful environment. The building needs a HUGE makeover. Also, It smells awful, even when you first walk in. I understand there are animals there but the whole lobby doesn't need to smell like urine and various other unidentifiable smells. It doesn't even smell that bad where the dogs are contained, why so gross out front? Anyway, I'd give five stars because I love our dogs so much and would def support from them again but had to take off a couple of stars because the building itself and overall mood is quite abysmal. It seemed there have been efforts lately to change that but they've got a loooong road ahead of them.

This is my 2nd bad experience with Verona Street Animal Shelter. Rude, rude, rude! I came across a…read moredog that was wandering my street. I grabbed him b/c I saw a collar but quickly noticed he had no tags. I walked up/ down my street asking if anyone recognized him - no luck. So I brought him home and gave him water and cat food (b/c I only have cats). He's a sweet boy, full of energy, I posted on FB and the local neighborhood sight (Maplewood)... I did all the things and hit all the buttons. I called 911, who dispatched Animal Control, then they advised me to bring him over to Verona Street. While there, a rude ass, tall woman with straight hair, came to the door (with the security guard) and would not allow me to leave the dog... after I was told to bring him there. She asked me who told me to bring the dog there, I asked if I could put the dog down to show her on my phone (that was at 3%) she refused - I was trying to show her the phone number on my soon-to-be dead phone - while balancing a dog. But I shouldn't be surprised this isn't the first time I've encountered RUDE ass women at Verona. If they don't like their jobs, maybe they should consider a different field. Maybe next time, I will turn a blind eye and just let the dog wander and hope that he doesn't get hit by a car. Sadly there won't be a next b/c i will not get involved as much as I love animals - - I will NOT get involved. I hope that the pup finds his family. To that RUDE woman I encountered, today... I hope you step on dog poop and drag it into your car every day until Dec. 31, 2024.

Lollipop Farm is composed of a board of individuals that turn a blind eye to animal abuse. They…read morehave refused to step in and help dogs that were chained up outside in temperatures well below zero. In fact dogs have froze to death due to their negligence.They also have lied to animal advocates regarding dogs being kept inside an abandoned "house" without heat, food and water- stating that they were taking a dog that was in a crate and had eaten his way through the side- and was stuck and bleeding, for help. Animal advocates watched them back a van in to "take the dog for medical help" while numerous Rochester PD stood guard on the property. However, it was later learned that they never removed the dog- it was all a staged game. Lollypop takes in thousands and thousands of dollars- pays their board of directors massive salaries and continues to abuse and mistreat animals. STOP SUPPORTING THIS TRAIN WRECK!! THEY ARE USING PUBLIC DONATIONS TO FUND THESE SALARIES-NOT PROTECT ANIMALS. After walking through the above mentioned house - through feces and urine and finding more than one dog in this type of situation, Reno DiDomenico, from Lollypop, stated that they don't take action because nothing is wrong. You do the math.

Good luck trying to adopt from here. My fiancé and I tried to adopt a dog recently, and the whole…read moreexperience was honestly pretty upsetting. They told us we had to bring our own dog for a meet-and-greet, which we were expected, even though we live an hour and a half away and I had to work later that day. Time was already tight. When we got there, they made us wait outside in the cold for at least 30 minutes. When they finally brought Willie out, he still had a cone on from being neutered a few days earlier. Because of the cone, the dogs couldn't smell each other the right way, which made our dog bark out of confusion--not aggression. Willie wasn't being mean at all either. Both dogs were just stressed because they couldn't interact normally. The woman handling Willie didn't help the situation. She kept pulling him back and barely let the dogs get close. Then once we were in the pen, our dog Fynn barked again for the same reason, and one of the workers turned to us and asked, in a rude tone, "Does he bark like this all the time? Do you have a problem with it at home? This seems like bad behavior." No--maybe if they had taken the cone off or let the dogs actually smell each other, things would've gone differently. After only a few minutes, they told us it "wasn't going to work" but that we could come back the next day and try again. I was crushed. I really loved Willie and could see him fitting into our home. We already have an Australian Shepherd and everything ready for two dogs. For a place that says they want these animals to find good homes, they made the process way harder than it needed to be. I truly hope Willie ends up with a loving family, because he was such a sweet boy and would've been a great addition to ours. But the way Lollypop Farm handled things felt rude, rushed, and honestly unfair. Walking away without him was awful and heartbreaking.

Great place to adopt your next family member. Its very small, not fancy and run by volunteers, only…read moreopen on Sundays but you can leave a message during the week or send an email an your call will be returned. I see there have been some negative reviews- know that they are operating with volunteers and are very low-budget. With that said, the volunteers I worked with were very nice and doing their "job." They want to know that you will will provide a loving and safe home before adopting. You will be "screened" and need to wait a few days before taking your new kitty home. There is also an adoption fee, they need to cover costs. The sweet cat we adopted was in a foster home and clearly very well-cared for. She was socialized with other pets and the owner gave her lots of attention. We are so happy with our new kitty, Phoebe Katz, THANK YOU!

I honestly don't know why anyone would give this place a good review. After no one responded to my…read moreon line application I went in person. They had me fill out a written application. Then I got to see the cats. The cat I was interested in was listed as gentle and loving. The gentleman who came to get her out of her cage had to call another staff to help him because he said she was "difficult". They let you interact with the cat you choose in a small room in the back. The room was crowded with random furniture and generally unpleasant. I understand that cats can be really nervous with strangers but there was no way to tell what her temperament might be in these surroundings. They offered to have the foster call me to talk more about her. Again, no call, no response. I'm guessing some of the people in there were probably volunteers but they didn't seem to know much about the cats in there (or much about cats in general). All in all it was a really disappointing experience. I ended up adopting from another agency.

We just adopted a puppy from Blue Moon Meadows. From start to finish, it was a very positive…read moreexperience. We felt the owner was very caring about arranging a good puppy/owner match. She provided us with thorough information, gave us opportunities to ask questions, and meet our puppy, at our convenience. We also felt she provided a. good, loving temporary home for our puppy.

I am shocked at how unprofessional this experience has been. We had started the process of adoption…read morein good faith with Dee. We told her we were very much wanting to adopt the little Chihuahua we had visited with. We asked her to let us know each step of her adoption process. She called our vet, set a time for a home visit, causing us to think we were adopting this little pup. The day before our anticipated home visit, she sent an email saying the dog had been adopted by someone else! We were strung along as though we were in the process of adopting the dog we wanted, and she adopted it out to someone else, with no explanation. So disappointed, wouldn't recommend this rescue.

Awesome people! Great animals! Slow moving animals but they are respectful and helpfulread more

Though I've never adopted from HEART I have stopped in to both their Hamburg and Williamsville…read morelocations. All of the volunteers are super friendly and so so caring! You can tell how much they love what they do. They're all extremely educated on their animals as well, if you need help finding your match they will find you the perfect cat. :)

NOT RECOMMENDED! Went there with my wife and family for a…read moresurprise for mother's day gift. Since we adopted two brothers last year from them. This time, the service and attitude from the older volunteer staff was very rude and challenging. After we expressed which cat we're interested in and then said that she's bonded with another, so we would have to get both. They asked how many cats we have (understandable question), I replied the two brothers. My son has one (unrelated from the brothers) and will be moving out this summer. The older volunteer staff then stated, "well maybe you should wait and see what happens" with her attitude... What does that mean!? Who the hell are they to tell me what's best for my family! So we left with a disappointed wife. One thing is for sure, they did not like me asking questions about any treatments, diseases or medical conditions on record. The living conditions is subpar. It is filthy, smells horrible and I would question if there are too many animals inside that small building. Maybe the Human Society of Greater Niagara or Niagara SPCA or even the Town of Pendleton should be contacted to check on things...

My daughter fell in love with a cat this past weekend while we were donating food. We applied to…read moreadopt him and were initially told we were approved but when we showed up to take him home they denied us because we told them we don't typically give canned food. Not that it was off the table just that it's not typical for us. There was no discussion it was an automatic decline and my daughter was devastated. I was so sad for her and the cat. I have owned cats for over 20 years and worked in the vet industry for over 6 years. I am appalled that they didn't trust us and left my daughter crying. To say we were approved and then to deny us when we showed up was absolutely cruel and they should be ashamed of themselves. This is not how a rescue operation should run and I will absolutely never support them again.

I came here in 2023 with my mom and was impressed with the open floor plan where the cats free roam…read moreinstead of being kept in cages. I ended up adopting a kitten, spay/neuter, vaccines, and microchip was included in the cat adoption fee. I started volunteering there recently and I am still in awe of how well the cats are treated, no cats are put down unless they are suffering. They also do literally everything possible to keep the cats happy and healthy. I have watched them treat an elderly cat with hyperthyroidism, spending money on two different surgeries to help him. You can tell how much the employees love these cats and how passionate they are.

We ended up here after no luck finding a non-high needs cat at another popular pet adoption org…read more Pet Pride is 100% dedicated to cats and is the best cat adoption org I've ever been to. The house is a cat loving dream, maybe there were about 70 cats when we visited. We ended up adopting a 3 month old fostered kitten from Kitten Kingdom, one of their many domains there for various cats of different ages and stages. There were lots of catios and the cats are generally given free range of the place. The staff and volunteers were great and helped my kids get acquainted with many of the cats. The adoption process was smooth and straightforward. The follow up was great and appreciated.

We found the shelter to be thoughtfully caring for animals and assessing which animal would be good…read morefor our family. There were easily a dozen dogs there, but with young kids & cats the shelter recommended only 3 to visit. They were thoughtful, insightful, and attentive. Yes, it is an older facility. Yet there is love for the animals & effort to make them feel safe & be ready for a forever home. That flag our front is on someone's private home. Judge the shelter by how it treats animals not by who its neighbors are.

I called here when my cat went missing for a few days. Even though they didn't have my cat the…read morestaff went up and beyond to help me find him. Thanks to their help my cat was back home in a matter of days. I don't know if we will have found him without them.

A small zoo but a decent walk! I recommend coming in the middle of the week as there aren't that…read moremany people. We were also lucky in that most all of the animals were active. My favorite was going inside the elephant enclosure building and seeing the trainers perform tricks with an elephant and catching the goats during their feeding time. A fun experience for all ages

This zoo is just OK. I think the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse or The Wild in Chittenango are…read moremuch better and more worth it. The negatives are because the zoo is very linear and small. Frankly all the animals look depressed and all the outdoor exhibits reeked. I'm fine with the zoo smelling like the zoo but it was overwhelmingly noxious. The rosamond gifford zoo also has elephants and penguins but it never reeks of poop and a fish market when we visit there. The gift shop was also small and cramped. The indoor exhibits weren't entertaining or informative either. I would say the only positive would be the outdoor playground. It was great and beautiful compared to the rest of the zoo.