I'm sharing this in hopes of saving someone else the heartbreak and frustration we've experienced. Please think twice before adopting from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. This organization misled us from the start. They were not honest about the breed of the puppy we adopted, and they failed to disclose serious pre-existing medical conditions. We later found out they didn't give our puppy his proper initial vaccinations or fully deworm him before adoption. They waited several hours after the adoption to send over his medical records--which revealed he had been diagnosed with hookworm and roundworm, and had only received a single dose of medication with no follow-up. After a vet visit, we found out he was also positive for tapeworm and Giardia. On top of that, he was underweight for his age. When we reached out to the foster, they admitted to feeding six puppies from one trough and "letting them fight it out" for food--completely unacceptable and neglectful. My vet said this rescue has a poor reputation for a reason. They do not properly care for their animals, and it shows. To make matters worse, we've been told they block adopters and delete negative reviews on Facebook to avoid accountability. That alone says everything. This organization needs to be held responsible for the way they're handling these vulnerable animals and misleading loving adopters. Please do your research and advocate for these animals who deserve better read more

Hey everyone! Please use caution when adopting a pet from this rescue. They lied about our dog's medical conditions, not even disclosing it until after the adoption was complete. They fail to provide a complete copy of the contracts you sign and then claim to refer to it for terms/conditions. They ignore the disclosure that you have 14 days to return if the home doesn't work out for you or the animal. They only care about your money. They mislead you on the adoption application for any specific animal, and they force you to attend the adoption events with no guarantees. It is all a bait-and-switch. It's terrible for the animals, as they are seen as just profit for these people. It's also bad for the families, because if things don't work for any reason, they won't allow you to find them a better home and they will not help facilitate taking them back. When you try to call them out, they just block you. It is all unprofessional and messed up. We have dogs and we love them dearly, but sadly things don't always work out. Unfortunately, this organization doesn't care at all. All I'm saying is to be cautious, because these people don't care. read more

I don't have enough AMAZING things to say about this rescue. Truly I will continue to foster with them in the future. My relationship with Wolftrap began at college when my sorority would volunteer for their puppy shipment days. It was like a conveyor belt of puppy services one of us would hold a puppy while they got wiped down, flea and tick protection was applied to their coat, and then the vet Dr. Amber Burton would give them their necessary vaccines before they went to their foster homes. Basically this rescue does the Lords work, no exaggeration! They are a nonprofit based out of Vienna Virginia and they bring truck is full of puppies and kittens that they save from kill shelters in Louisiana. In college, I fostered a kitten and now as an adult with my own home I took on fostering two puppy littermates last week!! Christmas and donkey have been such a blessing they are precious angel souls. This rescue makes the process easy. First you go online and you apply to be a Foster, then you are scheduled to have a phone call with a foster team member to ensure you understand the process and responsibility. Based on that you can sign up for available pup shipments! Shipments are usually available on a biweekly basis. The foster period lasts three weeks in which during the time you will take care of them and provide them basic training plenty of love and hopefully find their perfect FUR-ever home and match them up with the best family to suit thier individual personalities. You also go online to fill out adoption forms! I picked up the puppies the day they came in transported them to my home gave them a quick bath since they had just come from the Place That Shall Not Be Named, fed them, provided them with puppy pads and multiple toys that the rescue provided me. They have since been dropped off this morning to get neutered free of cost to the foster or to the family. I chose to take in 2 siblings but you can also chose to just take in 1 pup or kitten. As A foster- my responsibility is to escort these puppies to the meet and greets with potential new owners - the rescue handles the coordination between people who applied online and email me directly phone number so that I can contact them. PLEASE sign up if you are able and love animals and want to make a difference. Often they are in NEED of fosters to be able to continue their good deeds!! Adoption fees are very manageable $525 for a pup?! In summary- fostering has been a pleasure of my life. Thank you WolfTrap for all you do!!!! read more

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We had a great overall experience with our puppy adoption process. We are so grateful for WTAR and the other organizations that provide this important service. My son is a foster and youngest daughter has just put in her application as a volunteer. read more

In Mississippi I fostered a dog who was transported to Wolf Trap. Sadly, the transport van wrecked sending the driver to the ER and losing 5 cats. When I went on the Wolf Trap Facebook page to inquire about my foster pup's health and the status of the lost kitties, I was blocked on Facebook after my comment was deleted. When I emailed Wolf Trap hoping for a better response, I received a nonsensical response allegedly from the veterinarian who owns Wolf Trap. I had never heard of Wolf Trap, but based on this experience, I told the local volunteer that I will not foster animals who are being sent to Wolf Trap. I just hope and pray that Pluto, the little dog whom I fostered and who slept beside me every night, is safe and is adopted by a loving, patient family. read more

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue - My foster pup Pluto - Pet Adoption Near Me

We fostered a pup from WTAR and decided to adopt him. It was smooth overall, some of the instructions could be updated to make the process more clear. The staff was helpful and the medical records were very detailed. The fact all of these pups and cats are being saved is a 5 out of 5. We love our new pup, he is a sweetheart and WTAR made that possible. read more

I wanted to give more stars. Because anyone involved with animal rescue deserves more stars. But we had a terrible experience and it speaks to the owner and the lack of professional communication and compassion that WTAR employs. We had just lost our 16 year old and found a dream dog on WTAR. We paid the fee for the meet and greet. No one had expressed any interest in this beautiful pup. There were some health issues and we could never get straight answers or medical records. But no one had expressed any interest at all. We said we were totally interested. Loved meeting her, expressed further interest. And asked more questions about her health. Said we were going out of town for a few days but would follow up as soon as we were home. But that we were in. WTAR switched fosters as we were heading out of town (they never asked if we were interested in fostering, which we would have been) and the new foster decided to adopt. They did not tell her there was already interest and that someone had paid to meet the little girl. The new foster had not expressed interest, they had to search her out to ask her to foster. When we complained we got "everyone makes mistakes, sorry" and a long email from the owner saying she didn't have time for a phone call (although she spent far more time on the nasty email she sent us). They said "you were on the fence". We resent the email we sent to them showing our interest and plans. There was no fence. They could not have been less sympathetic. There are wonderful animal rescue organizations in and around the DC area and we're sure that WTAR does good work. But they have poor policies and desperately bad communication. Again, they should deserve more stars for doing what they do. But they should learn how to talk amongst themselves so they don't break hearts. read more

Signed up to foster cats. My application was accepted. I received a call a week prior notifying me a date change and also pickup time for a cat and I confirmed, I was good with it. I received 2 email reminders and multiple text messages confirming date and time. The night prior I received detailed instructions about pickup and training. On the day of, 20 min prior to pickup, I received a text message confirming pickup time. Literally, 5 minutes prior to me getting there, I was notified that kitten wasn't available because she's "TOO YOUNG". If the kitten wasn't 'Too Young', a week ago then she wasn't 'Too Young' the night before and wasn't 'Too Young' 20 min on the day of so WHY is she 'Too Young' 5 min prior pickup time? Basically they gave away the foster cat to someone else and wasted my time. Foster with other people! They don't care. read more

I volunteered as one of their foster parent for their pups. I fell in love with this organization because of their mission for the animals. Dr. B is an amazing person who's making the world a better place not just for animals but for the people. They're very organize in doing their event thanks to all the volunteers and especially to Jenny C. (& her exceptional voice!!! That you'll hear from miles away! Haha love you girl!). I would encourage everyone to support their cause by volunteering, donating or even just sharing them through your social media accounts. Im including pictures of my foster baby here, I fell in love with this little cuddle pup! Wahhhhh i miss her already but I'm very happy she had found her furever home! read more

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We found a dog on their website that we just adored and knew was perfect for our family. We filled out the lengthy application form to find out that in order to adopt this dog (so they claimed. Back to this later) we now had to attend an event on a Saturday morning. They also said you needed to line up for the event 2 hours early. Obviously this is inconvenient but if that's the way it worked we were prepared to do what was asked. Now we come to the week of the adoption event and we check the dogs profile to find out it had already been adopted! We messaged asking how this could be since it contradicted their own information. Well, the information they provide turns out to be inaccurate (or as some might say, a lie). You can adopt the dogs before the event. That would have been a much easier and preferred way to meet our perfect dog if we had been aware of it but it was in no way communicated to us until it was too late. We are absolutely gutted that we lost our opportunity with what we thought was going to be a perfect dog for our family and this has completely turned us away from this particular rescue and perhaps rescuing a dog at all. read more

Our experience with WTAR was amazing! We had friends trying to rescue puppies with other organizations for over 8 months only to be turned down or have the dog placed within another home. We started looking for a rescue puppy in late April 2021 and came across a picture of one puppy in June who we immediately fell in love with. I submitted the meet and greet request on a Tuesday and we drove 90 minutes to meet the puppy on Friday. We immediately fell deeper in love with the adorable puppy and knew immediately he was the perfect fit for our family. The foster parents were very thorough in interviewing us and showed a deep concern and interest in the puppy's well being and potential future home. We shared our previous dog experience and philosophy on pet care and training. We also showed pictures of our home and the property we own and how we had plenty of safe open space for a puppy to play. We expressed our strong interest in adopting the puppy and the foster parents felt we would be a great fit. We were approved later that day and were able to pick up the puppy the following Wednesday. We were thrilled to say the least. And, how often to you get to bring home a 10 week old puppy who is crate trained, potty trained, use to a leash and already knows several basic commands!!! Kim and Jordan were amazing with El Grande (now Pete) and we can't thank them enough for choosing us to be Pete's forever home. He is so loved and has been such a blessing to our family. It is so true what they say - "who rescued who?". We cannot wait to rescue a playmat for Pete and know we will only look to Wolf Trap Animal Rescue to fill that open space in our family. The Andrews Family read more

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue - Pete (WTAR El Grande) at 8 months and still growing! Love him!! - Pet Adoption Near Me

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In an effort to start the process of looking for a puppy through WTAR again, I emailed to inquire about a few puppies -- only one was available. During this emailed discussion, I expressed my discontent over our situation trying to adopt a specific puppy earlier during the week. I received only an explanation that in a Meet and Greet document I "agreed" that I wouldn't take it personally that I didn't get the pet. This document was sent to me over in a Google Doc and was riddled with misspellings, so you could see how it would not be an explanation of how the adoption processes work at WTAR. We were blindsided and made to believe things that were just not true. I expressed that we were only looking for a fair chance. I have since been ignored, and no one has responded to my email. For a company that claims that they don't believe in "taking things personally" this sure feels personal. I can imagine that Wolf Trap Animal Rescue would work for you if you got lucky. I bet that lots of puppies end up in happy homes. This was not my situation, as mine has gone from disheartening, to dishonest to just outright bad. On top of everything else, from my own stupidity I suppose, I realize that the foster mom we originally met slid into the conversation that the puppies had been on deworming medicine, and had diarrhea the entire first week she had them -- a telltale sign that those puppies were positive for ringworm and we'd been exposed. When I went back to my own residence, I pet my dog as usual, thus exposing the dog to possible worms. We'll have to have our dog tested now. This is just another way that WTAR slides the truth to you -- in a way that isn't clear or honest. I am now currently being ignored by WTAR in totality. They have not and most likely will not respond to me. I am not actively pursuing adoption from WTAR as a result of their poor service. This is a shame as we truly and honestly were looking to add to our family. We have decades of experience raising dogs, and were looking to give a rescue dog a forever home. read more

I'm updating my review to 3 stars only because our pup's was mislabeled as a 12 month dog due to a clerical error - when they obtained him in January he was estimated to be 12 weeks. Somehow the paperwork was messed up and mislabeled to 12 months. Assuming a 12 week pup is a 12 months pup leads to assuming a dog has extreme behavioral issues when truly he was just a baby. My biggest problem with it is really just that both the fosters and we were feeding him as an adult dog for so long, the poor baby was incredibly thin and has gained 20 pounds in the 3 months we've fed him appropriately. Still a great rescue, and an absolutely incredible community. Just a simple mistake that unfortunately had a negative effect on an innocent pup. read more

Everything the first reviewer said is true. HOWEVER he left out some important details. 1) This was a nationally televised adoption weekend, therefore the crowds were unusually high. 2) Most of the people working for WTAR are VOLUNTEERS. From the time the animals arrive at intake to the foster parents to the people who run the adoption events, these lovely folks give of time and their money to help these helpless animals. 3) Agreed, the www. should change there time to 7am arrival instead of 9am arrival to get a number, but again this was a nationally televised adoption weekend and the number of people that showed up were unpredictable to the organization. I hope what matters at the end of the day is that you rescued a poor animal in need of a loving home and not that you didn't get the animal you wanted in a picture. Remember, to volunteer takes time, energy, money and love. Give Wolf Trap Rescue a BREAK and another chance! read more

I've been seeing some very negative reviews about this rescue, but I had the best experience. My boyfriend and I had been looking for a puppy for quite sometime, and once the pandemic hit, we figured it was the perfect time. We were on petfinder applying to so many different rescues, but due to the influx of people trying to get puppies at this time, we never heard back. WTAR was the only rescue to get back to us in a timely manner. We followed the procedure of the rescue and was able to schedule a meet and greet with the foster family that following weekend. To other people complaining about singing a form that says "do not take it personally if you don't get chosen for a dog", that is at any rescue. We went through months of rejection, but we weren't letting that stunt our process. Also, it is ANY rescue that typically allows the foster families to have the final say on who the dog goes home with. This is standard procedure at just about any rescue. If you follow the website's instructions, they will get back to you. However, we did not attend any adoption events, we went directly to the meet & greet with the foster family after we got approved to adopt. From there, we were able to bring the puppy home a week after the meet & greet. Overall, it was an extremely easy process and everyone was extremely helpful. I would definitely adopt from here again (when we are ready for another puppy hahaha). See the happy baby below! Thanks, WTAR read more

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue - Pet Adoption Near Me

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I recommend against using Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (WTAR). If you are considering it, here are three pieces of advice based on personal experience: 1. Do not trust the "safe with children" or "safe with dogs" labels, especially if you adopt an older dog. I'm deadly serious about this. As I write this review WTAR has put a dog up for adoption that attacked my wife and repeatedly attacked our other animals that is listed as safe with children and safe with dogs. They appear to be trying to get a fourth $450 adoption fee (he was adopted twice prior to us) from the same dog! I sincerely hope they spent time reforming him with our money and are warning future families verbally. I suspect not, since it's only been a month since we had him, and they never interviewed us about the circumstances surrounding his attacks. Incidentally, he was also marked as "safe with children" and "safe with dogs" when we adopted him (our top priority was a family-friendly dog since we have a child in the house). Perhaps they truly did not know at that point - I remain suspicious - but the fact that they failed to update his bio after they knew he attacked our family is indisputable. (https://web.archive.org/web/20190430124343/https://www.petstablished.com/pets/public/237036). 2. In the unfortunate event that either you or someone in your family is attacked by one of their dogs, or you simply fear for your own safety or that of a child or loved one, just don't expect anything from them: Not to take the dog back, refund your adoption fee, or even necessarily respond to your e-mails and voice mails pleading for help. They did initially respond by releasing us from our contract, but then ignored 5 subsequent emails and voice mails from us over 8 days during a crisis until we were finally able to surrender the dog to another shelter, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter (FCAS). In the process we learned from the other shelter, and later confirmed by the WTAR director Dr. Burton (who was CC'd on all ignored correspondence) that our case is not unique and that at least one other family, possibly others, had surrendered WTAR dogs to FCAS. They eventually picked up the dog from FCAS and responded to us, but it took a Facebook review to get any attention. They say they have taken steps to address this issue, but without any details I would assume nothing has truly changed. 3. Please consider a well-run, ethical, organization like the Fairfax County Animal Shelter (FCAS) as an alternative. They spent nearly 2 hours interviewing us during the surrender in order to ensure a great placement. They seem to genuinely care about the welfare of both their animals and their families, and as a county organization can focus on doing the right thing rather than making money to stay afloat. If you take my advice and use FCAS instead of WTAR you can be confident that they have both collected _and_ disclosed the animal's full history. Obviously my family had a very bad experience, but to be fair we have friends that had a good experience with WTAR when adopting a puppy. However, dogs carry risks. On the same week as our incident, a friend of a friend's child was attacked by an adopted dog and required reconstructive surgery. Thank God our story wasn't that bad. All I'm saying is that you can minimize risk depending on the organization you adopt from, so read all the reviews, take our story into account, and consider carefully. read more

I had a fantastic experience with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, and felt compelled to write this review after reading some of the negative ones. My impression reading these negative reviews is that these people didn't understand the adoption process (which is explained on the website). From the beginning, I saw several puppies I was interested in on the website, and filled out an adoption application and submitted a meet and greet request. Prior to meeting the puppy, we saw on Instagram that WTAR was holding an event at the Tyson's Corner mall, where you could donate and play with a puppy for 5 minutes (which was worth every penny). At the event, I met Sarah, who went above and beyond to answer all of our questions and talk to us about the adoption process. We had several meet and greets to ensure we decided on the right puppy, and every foster we met with was super friendly, generous with their time, and clearly had been doing a fantastic job of caring for these puppies. The adoption coordinators I spoke to, Jenny and Sarah, were absolutely fantastic and accommodating. Our biggest struggle throughout the whole process was waiting for the adoption event itself... I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas. Our puppy has been a fantastic addition to our family, and we are super grateful to WTAR for all of their help in the process, and for taking the best care of our fur baby prior to her adoption. Our vet confirmed that our puppy is in great health and we couldn't be happier with our decision to adopt from Wolf Trap. To everyone at Wolf Trap: from the bottom of our hearts... thank you so much for everything! read more

What a lovely organization! I got my pup from WTAR in October and I could not be happier. She came to me up to date on shots and fixed. If you're concerned about the price, keep in mind the vet bills that the organization incurs, which you don't have to worry about later. She also had a wonderful foster who took great care of her before I was able to pick her up. I had a great experience. read more

I have fostered for this organization and I think they are fantastic. They are far more organized than other rescues we have fostered for, have better support via facebook groups and have a vet available for medical questions. Yes, they have firm policies and dates and stick with them. This is a good thing! I see many poor reviews from people who didn't get the dog they fell in love with online during the pandemic. Get over yourselves! You have to get in line and follow the policies like everyone else. Yes, it's a pain to show up and wait at the adoption event but if you want a dog, it will also be a pain to walk that dog in the rain at 6 am. This will be your first of many inconveniences of dog ownership. The foster to adopt program is great and I recommend it to all the people we have interviewed as potential homes for our puppies. The fosters are volunteers, and as such you will get a wide range of experience with them. It is a tough job and they are literally cleaning up dog poo from the goodness of their heart. Great people and so impressive how many puppies they have been able to save from the south. A+++++++++!!! read more

This organization is the king of bait and switch. We met a woman with an adorable puppy at a social event in Herndon. She told us it was available for adoption and we said we wanted the puppy. The woman, a foster mom for Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, told us to fill out an application and come to their adoption event to get the dog. We filled out the application that night and got an email back telling us our application for the dog had been received. It pointed us to the adoption event in Tysons Corner a couple weeks later. Nothing in the email said we had to do anything else. Nothing said we should contact them further. We arrived early at the event, and first were told that the dog was there and they would go get it for us. My wife started crying for joy. Then they came back to us and told us that it had been adopted by someone else "but we have lots of other dogs here to choose from." Now my wife's tears turned to totally disappointment and anguish. Wolf Trap Animal Rescue does this scam all the time. Look at the other reviews, they do the same thing. They entice you in, don't tell you to further contact them, have you show up and your dog is already adopted but "there's lots of other dogs here to choose" from. Then when you complain they say, you never contacted us again after your application (although nowhere is this stated). Also, in our application they have our email address and cell phone numbers. They don't even have the courtesy to text or email an applicant once the dog they desire is no longer available. They just wait for you to show up and hope you will choose another dog. We highly recommend you find another Rescue to find your new pet. read more

I volunteer and foster with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. I volunteered at FCAS for 2 years prior. My experience has been great. I was a little hesitant and unsure as I thought the adoption was steep. Once I got involved and saw the numbers of puppies and kittens that were being brought in (40+) twice a month, from other states, such as Mississippi and other states down south, rescuing these animal from high kill shelters, I started to understand. I've volunteered at an intake and watched the van full of puppies come in, after a 14+ hour drive that other volunteers participated in, and saw everything involved. Upon coming off the van, one volunteer per puppy, went through a series of checkpoints. They got a health check, shots, cleaning, fed and a chance to move around before being handed off to the willing fosters signed up to care for them. When they are handed to the fosters, they go with a bag of food, toys, peepads, bowls and anything else they need. Also, they get the assurance that if ANYTHING goes wrong, Dr. B is readily available to assist. There's also a strong support system with the other fosters. So, this has been an overwhelming experience. We care for our foster pets with the love and care that we give our own pets. We train them and show them how to be puppies in loving homes. And we do this because we love these animals. I could go on about this but I think I made my point. This organization is great. I've got to have a hand in raising these pups and sometimes getting a say in who the pup goes to. I have a full time job that pays the bills, but this is my passion and I pour my passion into these animals. read more

We just adopted a puppy from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue at an adoption event last weekend and she seemed like healthy happy puppy. Her medical records seemed fine and she was up to date on things. We took her to the vet for a check up within the first 2 days and left with a $500 vet bill for parasites, worms, UTI, Yeast Infection, etc. I am extremely disappointed that the vet Dr. Amber Burton did not treat her or catch any of these health issues. If we had waited just a little longer to go to the vet the pup would have been in serious fatal condition. I understand that there are lots of animals being cared for, but the vet needs to make sure that they are thoroughly checking animals. read more

I wish I could say I had an awesome experience. My first attempt at adoption with this organization could've been better. I followed the instructions and submitted an application. But by the time it was the week of the adoption event, majority of the pups were all gone. I had no idea I should've requested a meet and greet in order to up my chances of adopting prior to the event. My second attempt, I requested for a meet and greet. Finally! I thought. The foster got back to me in a timely manner. We met the pup that weekend and fell in love. We had no idea the decision was up to the foster. We thought we were simply going in for an interview but it seemed more like we were there to ask questions. At the end, we didn't get the pup and it was disheartening to say the least. I'm pretty sure the foster decided to keep the dog. That's fine and all but dont waste my time and give me "hope" by agreeing to a meet and greet. I thought I could handle another meet and greet with a pup but I felt so discouraged as I was filling out the application once more. I did not want to get attached to the pup only to find out we were yet again not selected. I think the process could be better. It works for some but not for all. read more

Our experience with WTAR was very positive. We were able to get a wonderful new kitten for our family and had a great relationship with the foster who was super helpful and communicative. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the application process was a bit unclear. I had to follow up multiple times via email after submitting an application to get to have a meet and greet. read more

There is a woman here named Jenny who honestly ruins the entire experience. I have witnessed her yell at volunteers at adoption events and she's so loud at the events. I have heard from others that she's denied them the chance to adopt the dog they've wanted because she is so horrible with communication. She will not always reply to your email so be careful. She honestly just needs to go, someone else needs to fill her place, someone who is actually decent with communication and is approachable. Overall the org is great, but she has such a negative impact on it. read more

My experience left me depressed. I can't say I would suggest any "first come, first serve" adoption event. Their communication is pretty poor. I even tried reaching out to them about my experience before leaving this review. Their fosters need some training. I think only rescuing pregnant dogs is kind of shady TBH. Overall I had a bad experience and as I look for another dog that will become part of my family, I wont be looking here. read more

My boyfriend and I just adopted this sweet girl and are loving her! I see a lot of reviews about the frustration over the whole process which I do understand. There was another dog we were interested in originally but the foster parents decided to go with a different family, which was upsetting but completely understandable! They chose the family they thought the puppy would best fit with. WTAR updates the page with the dogs that will be at the event the Thursday before the event so you know which will actually be available for general adoption the day of. While the event doesn't start until 11 I got there at 7 to put my name on the list and make sure I was one of the first and I got to leave and come back for the event itself. It may be a frustrating process for some but if you know all these things going in it will definitely help! Thanks to everyone working there to make this process go so smoothly for us we love our new pup and can't wait for her and her sister to have many more adventures together! read more

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue - Lily - Pet Adoption Near Me

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I'm sure this organization does a great job of taking care of its animals, but this review is exclusively about their adoption events, which have a terrible process. The one I went to was held at the Tysons Corner Petsmart. I contacted the organization about a specific kitten a week in advance of the event. They asked me to fill out an online application, which I did. Apparently that did absolutely nothing, however. The way they do the event is to have people "check in" at 9 am which places you on a numbered list. I was there at 9:05 am, and was placed at number 47. At 12 pm, they then start going down the list, one by one, and asking which pet you would like. Out of the 20 or so volunteers that were at the event, literally 1 is responsible for processing adopters. We were there for 1.5 hours waiting for our number to be called. And by the way, if someone ahead of you in line decides to adopt the animal you want (even if you were there before them, if you already filled out an application when they haven't, and if you're a better applicant), none of that matters, they get the pet. When they process you, they start asking you for the exact same questions that were on the application because they "might not have read your application yet". That means they probably didn't check the references you listed or anyone else listed. After checking in at 9:05 am and then standing around for 1.5 hours from 12 pm to 1:30 pm, the person ahead of us adopted the kitten we wanted and we went home empty-handed. Please fix your process asap to help animals get adopted quickly by the best family for the job rather than making a weird, heart-breaking competition out of it. read more

Wonderful organization. I have 2 rescue pups from other organizations, and have been a foster twice for WTAR. Wonderful experience and their adoption fee of $450 covers SO MUCH in comparison to adoption fees I have paid with 2 other organizations. With regard to a previous review about choice of kitten, my suggestion if want to have the best choice of puppy/kitten to adopt... is to sign up first to volunteer at an INTAKE event when the animals come off the transport, and also volunteer to FOSTER. As a foster, you will have priority to adopt, and you will also quickly find out during the foster period, if the responsibility of a furry baby will work well for you or not. The disappointment of not getting the animal you hoped for is not unique to WTAR. We experienced the same in the process of adopting our first dog... but when we didn't get that one...we picked another who needed a home just as badly...and he's been a member of our family for 8 years since. It all works out. read more

My partner and I have fostered and adopted several animals through Wolf Trap Animal Rescue. We adopted our first kitten in April 2017 from friends who were fostering through the organization. Because we knew the family that was fostering the kitten, we were able to go through the "Friends and Family" adoption event and avoid the long lines of the main event. From previous posts, there is some confusion about the purpose of the Friends and Family event. It's exactly what it's labeled as -- if you are already acquainted with the foster family, you get the opportunity to adopt that animal first and don't have to show up super early to PetSmart, put your name on a list, etc. Fosters are NOT obligated to tell anyone interested in their puppy/kitten about the F&F event. The F&F event is for folks that the foster family already knows, and its the foster's call to say whether they feel the animal is a good fit for the potential adoptive family. That said, if you don't know anyone currently fostering with WTAR and you're not keen on going through the main adoption event, but you want to be able to have 'first dibs' on a puppy or kitten, there is an easy solution -- sign up to be a foster with WTAR! They bring animals up from Mississippi every two weeks, so there's plenty of opportunity to foster and meet the pup or cat who's right for you. And as a foster, you get first choice in adopting the pet you're fostering. Having attended and volunteered at WTAR events, I know that those events are not for everyone. If the event process and the noise are overwhelming to you, signing up to be a foster is an easy way to avoid having to go to the event at all or worrying that you won't get the particular pet you thought you wanted. Our other experiences with WTAR is what really made them stand out as a premier animal rescue group. Through a chain of events, we were made aware of a group of four kittens who were found in the backyard of an abandoned house nearby. We brought the kittens home and called the local animal welfare leagues, but all of the shelters were at full capacity and wouldn't take them in -- or said they would need to be euthanized. Now, these three-week-old kittens were in bad shape -- malnourished, eyes crusted over with pus, snot dripping steadily from their noses. We knew that WTAR had limited resources and was focused on bringing animals from other states with greater numbers of high-kill shelters, but reached out to Dr. Burton (WTAR's founder and CEO) to see if she would consider accepting these kittens into the WTAR foster program if we volunteered to serve as their fosters for the next several weeks. Dr. Burton was under no obligation to say yes to our request, but she did, and then dropped everything else on her schedule to meet us a couple hours later to give emergency treatment to the kittens. (Again, I'd like to note that this situation is an exception to the rule -- WTAR has a very specific mission focus, and they are NOT just a general shelter for the surrounding area.) Over the next six weeks, we worked very closely with Dr. Burton as she nursed the kittens back to health. As first time fosters -- and especially with newborn kittens that we had to bottle-feed -- we were oftentimes overwhelmed, but Dr. Burton was always available to give advice, dispense medical care, and give us pep talks, even inviting us over to house on multiple occasions to check out the kittens when we felt they needed in-person medical attention for a particular issue. The support staff at WTAR also provided cheerful, informative answers to our questions about finding potential adopters, logistics for the adoption event, etc. Having worked so closely with the WTAR team during this time, I saw a lot about how their organization worked, and it runs pretty damn well considering all of their employees have additional full time jobs while volunteering up to 40 hours a week at WTAR. So for anyone who might feel upset regarding their interactions with the staff, please take a step back and remember that these folks are doing this on top of their everyday commitments as parents, students, workers, etc. If you don't hear back from someone on staff, email or call again. And again. There's a lot going on, so sometimes you just need to send a gentle follow-up reminder about your question. Overall, WTAR is doing incredible work with the resources they have, saving so many animals' lives and enriching the lives of so many humans, too! read more

Wolftrap is a wonderful place to adopt and foster/volunteer for. There is a process you need to become familiar with in order to avoid any misconceptions. This process is for the protection of the pets and fosters/owners. Wolftrap does wonderful work and I would highly recommend volunteering and/or adopting from them. read more

After fostering a puppy with WTAR, we fell in love and adopted her at the end of our foster period. Can't say enough about this organization and the care they provide for the animals and the services provided for fosters and adopters. We will adopt from them again as soon as we're ready!! read more

I can't not say enough positive comments about this organization!!! From the first experience with the amazing foster mom, to the volunteers and the care and attention from Dr. Burton and her team, made it so clear how much they love what they do. Our last dog was a "find" and we had no assistance. We paid a small fortune getting her up to speed with shots, visits, care and a spay. So when we adopted Georgie everything was taken care of--shots, chip, exams, medicine and neutered. He was well cared for and it saved us a ton of time and extra expenses!!!! We are so grateful for all the attention and care! We love our pup and cannot imagine our home without him. Thank you so much WTAR!!! You are a special group of people. read more

You have to respect people who put so much love and expertise into the work of rescuing puppies and kittens from kill shelters. We have fostered both a puppy and a kitten for them... How sad that these tiny creatures were so starved... for food and love. We also adopted our dog from them. The Director Amber Burton DVM is an incredibly good vet. These animals receive the best of care from the time that they are rescued to when they are put up for adoption. I especially like the two weeks of foster care that not only assure that they aren't infected but also that they are socialized and have a chance to adjust to household living before being adopted. It is true that the adoption events can be frantic. For whatever reason many people want the same puppy or kitten. But ours was nearly the last to go on her day and she is easily the best -- of a lifetime of dogs -- that I have ever had. My advice: go to one event to observe how it works and adopt a puppy or kitten at the second event. Unless, of course, you fall in love. read more

WTAR and their volunteers are absolutely amazing! I have fostered with WTAR as well as adopted from WTAR. The process was easy and the volunteers were super friendly. They answered any questions I had throughout the process with enthusiasm. The amount of puppies and kittens WTAR has rescued is a testament to their dedication and commitment to saving lives. The adoption fee is appropriate and is actually a bargain for what you are getting with your puppy or kitten. I have fostered many pups with other organizations and the fees were the same if not higher and did not include spay/neuter and the amount of vaccines the WTAR animals are given. WTAR fosters are dedicated and provide loving homes for these babies that help identify any medical issues prior to the adoption events. This is yet another way this rescue is amazing. They want to give these babies every chance at a normal healthy life instead of starting their lives out in horribly overcrowded dirt floor shelters, the animals are transported to VA and given a warm loving home until the adoption events. Highly recommend this rescue! read more