Humane Society of Utah

Reviews 3

AL

Alexia Shado

I have not only adopted two cats and some small animals in the past, but I have also had the honor of fostering mother cats and their kittens until the kittens were old enough to be adopted. From that standpoint, I can personally attest to the care and attention the Humane Society gives to each and every one of their animals. This Humane Society in particular is wonderful to simply visit due to their Cat City. Theyve built spacious rooms with a specially designed tower that fills the center of the room with places to climb around, through, hide in for some quiet time, perch, lounge, nap, play and interact with human visitors. There are chairs and teaser toys to play with any currently playful feline. There are smaller rooms that are quieter, with TV screens continuously playing the Cat Sitter DVD for ambiance and stimulation. Theres some seating here as well, just as much to climb around and lounge in, lots of toys about. As with the bigger rooms, theres always some kitty interested in you that might be staring at the window at you as you leave giving a sad mew. Lastly, theres the kitten room. The kittens are kept in large kennels because they never stay long. Theyre usually adopted within a day or two, and would prefer a cozy cubby system over a big scary room with other cats; and besides, theyre too young to have all their shots yet. Its easy to get awed over big eyes and tiny fuzzy bodies, but please remember that the older cats have a lot of love to give and already know how to behave in many case. Give them a chance! Besides, theyre much cheaper and sometimes free! On the dogs side, there is a lot more space and it is kept quite clean. In the past and in other places, I could spend a very limited amount of time in the dog kennels due to the odor, but there is much better ventilation now. Design-wise, they are still kennels, but at least you can breathe! Theres a cute small animals room off to the side, and when you walk in there is a big play area for fur babies set up in the waiting room. Theres also several rooms to take your maybe-baby into to play and see if this is the right fit for you. The staff are always eager to help you and answer any questions you have. The vets are very good and cost efficient. If you need to surrender an animal, they will not make you feel like a horrible person; they are understanding. Dont worry about surrendering, as this is a no-kill shelter. Overall, this shelter sets the bar high for other shelters to follow.

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Anna Woodruff

Im giving 3 stars because if Im being completely honest, we have adopted practically all of our pets in my lifetime from the Humane Society and have had good experiences and they offer a great service for animals and pet owners and lovers of animals. However, two years ago Christmas we wanted to surprise our 8 yo son with a new cat for his own after a beloved family cat died. I took him to the Humane Society and tried to get a feel for which cat he bonded with, then my husband would come to adopt it, and we would surprise him Christmas morning. My son REALLY fell in love with a sweet little white cat and even talked about how he wished he could have her. He played with her for an hour with a cat toy and even let the cat chase him with the toy. A mean old lady was hovering over him and lecturing me about proper play with A CAT. Are you kidding me?!??! It annoyed me to no end. Ive had probabaly ten cats in my lifetime. Im not an idiot. When my husband came to adopt the cat, that old lady manipulatively asked my husband if he was the dad of a little boy (describing my son), my husband proudly said yes. So she refused to allow my husband to adopt this cat. However they did let him adopt another cat my son liked. Wtf!? What is wrong with these people? I dont care about the foster program and these old lonely ladies who have some attachment to a cat. If you love the cat that much adopt it yourself! Please allow good families to adopt the animals that are overcrowding your shelter! This is insane. The Humane Society cannot afford to be so picky. I recall another experience at a Humane Society in Colorado as a kid that tried to pull the same crap supposedly because we had a garage door opener. Now look, Im all for protecting animals, but lets face it, they need homes. And you cant be THAT picky. I mean dont let animal abusers like those that put them in cages and make them fight adopt the animals, but an animal loving family with the resources and environment to keep a pet should be able to take one home. The point of this droning long story is that the Humane Society in a way is an extremist activist group that acts like elitists when it comes to animal rights. I appreciate the work they do and have donated many times, but I have to be real, they need to calm the ef down a little, or at least disallow the foster Bettys to dictate which animals get adopted by whom.

KA

Kathryn Gowers

My husband and I adopted a cat a few months ago. She was a beautiful Russian Blue Long-hair with a tag that said "Loves dogs" and Potty trained. 5 months later and LOTS of accommodations made, the cat is not potty trained and she DOES NOT like our dog. So, after lots of deliberating, we made the terrible decision that we would have to return the cat. When I arrived I was greeted with a little bit of hostility, like I was inconveniencing the elderly, gray-haired woman. Without taking her eyes from the computer screen she asked, "What do we have?" I replied, "Im bringing my cat in." "Has it bit anyone within 10 days?" "Uh, no." "We need a $25 surrender fee and your ID." Well, I recently misplaced my ID and am waiting for a replacement to come in the mail. I told her that I didnt have an ID and she slammed her hands on the counter, like she was done with me, and stated, "Well we need that for proof of ownership." Huh? How is my ID going to prove that I own this cat? Im not the one who purchased her? I asked if we could do it without and she stood up and started to walk away and said, "No." I picked up my cat and asked if my only other option was to let the cat go? "Oh, I wouldnt do that, we have cameras!" I stated then, "Then I guess I wont do it on your property." I, of course, did not intend on doing this...I love my animals! She immediately flew off the handle and yelled at me to "give me the cat, lady!" I handed over my sweet Hazel and she asked if I wanted my crate back. I did, only, I didnt expect her to shove it across the counter at me. Yikes! As I turned to walk away, without getting to say goodbye to my girl, she very rudely asked, "What? Did you drive here?" I didnt respond, as I could tell her last remark was made in jest and I was hurt that she wasnt even interested in finding out my story or that of my cats. My husband will have to call in later to give them any information they may need. For "loving animals" so much, Ive never been treated less humane. I will certainly not be re-visiting this Humane Society. Ive had enough bad experiences there that I dont believe they deserve my business or my donations. I hope they dont treat the animals the way they treat humans. Way to make a terrible situation even worse!