Humane Animal Rescue

Reviews 5

RA

Rachel Courtney

In response to the post below, a shelter can be no kill or open door, unfortunately right now its not possible to be both. The Animal Rescue League does not pretend to be no kill. Feel free to go to Animal Friends to adopt and free up a space for one of the animals on their year+ waiting list if thats what you prefer, but the ARL does a great job finding homes for a huge percentage of the animals that "no kill" shelters turn away because theyre not considered adoptable enough or because theyre just full. The ARL adopts out almost 80% of the pets that are turned away from area no kill shelters and brought to them! The animals are well cared for and the ARL works with pet store adoptions, fosters, behaviorists and rescues to make sure every animal gets a fair chance. I believe they also never euthanize for space - only health and behavioral problems (and they do have the resources to work on those when possible). When animals have to be put down, the decision is not taken lightly and the euthanasia is performed in the most humane way possible. A "kitty cold" can be fatal (especially since upper respiratory symptoms can sometimes be a sign of serious, fatal diseases like feline leukemia) and can spread like wildfire in a shelter. If a dog or cat is sick and can be treated with a reasonable chance of success without posing a risk to the other animals there, it will be treated. Its sad, but until there are enough homes for all the homeless pets out there, shelters can either euthanize animals or leave them for other shelters to euthanize, which is all "no kill "shelters are doing. And many of the animals the ARL euthanizes would need to be euthanized even if they were peoples pets. I found a sweet stray pit bull type dog a few months ago who unfortunately was very aggressive towards my cats, and was generally very unsocialized as well as having medical issues. I had to surrender her and she had serious anxiety issues in the shelter. Thanks to the the kind employees at the ARL, who publicized her case and searched for every possible option for her she is now healthy and happy and living in an excellent foster home while she waits for her forever home.

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IA

Ian Davis

The shelter is awesome but the clinic not so much. We took our dog (adopted from there) because the costs seemed much more reasonable than our local vet. Our pup needed some vaccinations and he had a limp during exorcise. Once in the room we could hear the vet talking in a very worked up manner that she was going to demand a test for lyme disease. Limping is apparently a symptom. So in comes the vet saying any animal that comes in with a limp gets a lyme test. I wish this was explained when I made the appointment & told them about the limp. So the vet acts all concerned about money because she could tell we were doing the same. She also says dont worry about the vaccines. Dont worry about the vaccines?! They were for rabies & bordatella or kennel cough. Both of which are important because our dog is very social (dog parks) and we backpack a lot. So the lyme test come back positive but the vet proceeds to tell us this particular test has been known for false positives. She then recommends another more expensive test that hell have to get twice. Remember all the concern over costs? Well I put the brakes on there. What was supposed to be a visit costing under or around $100 cost $186. She prescribed doxycycline 200 mg for 4 weeks. Meds alone cost $112. If they were so concerned with costs they could have told me I can get the medicine for around $20 on the internet. She never even looked at his leg or shoulder or anything mechanical. Hes still limping. Not going back. Not driving 24 miles round trip for an overbearing vet who doesnt listen charge me an arm & a leg.

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A Private User

Deserves more respect. I have been following this shelter for a while and these are the facts I have gathered. The ARL has a contract with the city animal control and often takes in difficult cases. They are considered an "open door" as described by their website and do not hide the truth that they do euthanize for health and behavior. This is the most responsible thing for any shelter to do. They take in animals that other shelter have turned away and have given many a chance that would have otherwise not made it. If it were not for the ARL these animals would have no where to go. Those who are euthanized do so with dignity, rather than being neglected or left on the streets to die. The building is old but they do what they can with their facility. All the dogs and cats look healthy and seem to be well fed and clean. There is always clean water in the kennels and the animals are constantly being check on by staff and volunteers. The staff may seem a little discourteous but once you talk to them, they really do care. For all the comments on the treatment and condition of the shelter animals, please realized these pets are given the best care possible for the limited resources and space the shelter has. They had over 5000 adoptions in one year and work around the clock to find homes for these pets. From what I could gather, I believe the ARL deserved a 5 star rating for all the effort and care they put into rescuing animals.

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マリソンクリスタル

I realized today that I never posted a review of ARL, so let me begin my saying this is definitely my all-time favorite animal shelter in Pittsburgh. The staff and volunteers are very dedicated to the animals; this is evident immediately when you walk in. I was a volunteer in 2011 and 2012, when I fell in love with a black-and-white pit bull there (as well as all the other dogs, but her especially!). I followed her story up until the point when I was able to move into a housing situation where I could adopt her. She was there nine months without anyone coming to adopt her. She suffered a broken leg during her stay, and staff and volunteers covered the cost of her surgery out of their own pockets, raising more than enough in the span of 24 hours. If that doesnt put into perspective who the faces behind ARL are, I dont know what will! They were there for her during her recovery, and, as a volunteer, I fostered her for weekends and visited her at other locations as often as possible. And if I didnt already know how great ARL supporters are, someone I didnt even know paid my dogs adoption fee when he heard I was interested in adopting her! The adoption process was super easy and everyone was so excited to see her finally going home. When Im able to, I am definitely coming back to find a companion for my beloved ARL alum. Im forever grateful to everyone there for caring so lovingly for her until I could bring her home. :)

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A Private User

We had such a great experience here that I wanted to share with all. I recently adopted a 4yr old cat named Missy on 10-29-10. She is wonderful, healthy, & the kids love her! She is such a happy cat & a great addition to our family. She was well cared for. The facility is clean and I found the staff to be very patient & supportive. My girls,16 &10, really enjoyed this, we left very happy. For as many cats that they care for, the facility is clean, no repulsive odor throughout my visit. There is a follow-up appointment offered as well as support. She is microchipped, shots are all up to date, spayed, came with ID tags, & bag of food. All the cats & kittens were clean & cared for. They had cats & kittens of all ages. Some had "sniffles", but vet would have examined cat & sent antibiotics home with cat if needed, but Missy did not have this problem. They will not adopt out an animal that is sick. Only a select few cats were not adoptable at this time because of sickness, but would be after health improved. All medical history is documented for each cat as well as cute little volunteers opinions of their individual personalities, which showed me they actually socialize these cats, not just house & feed them. I like this organizations policies & look forward to donating in the future. I will definitely return when I can accommodate another pet.

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