Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption

Pet rescue? What a joke! After moving to Atlanta from NY, I decided it was time to adopt a dog into my home. I am not currently working but do do have a steady, dependable income from an annuity as well as substantial savings. Needless to say, after waiting for over an hour to be ""interviewed"", I was told within one minute that I could not adopt because I did not have a stable income! My income is guaranteed for life. Who is to say if I had a 9-5 job, I wouldn't lose it tomorrow? I was asked no questions with regard to what type of home I could provide. I own my own home, have a large yard and unknown to them, I started a canine rescue in NY and worked there (no salary) and other rescues for 10 plus years. I have fostered and cared for dogs all of my life. \r \r As for their ""rescue"" group...what a joke. All they do is go to other shelters and take the cutest, small dogs from them to adopt at their shelter. Being in animal rescue for over 10 years, I can tell you without a doubt that small dogs are the very first to get adopted from a shelter and rarely, if ever, are put to sleep! Nowhere did I see a mixed breed dog over 25 lbs there! No lab mixes, no pitbull mixes, no boxer mixes-just cute little Chihuahua, terrier, poodle, shihtzu, etc. mixes and purebreds. Oh wait, there was a purebred cocker spaniel there. \r \r I also must agree with one of the other comments posted here about the way the dogs are kept at their facility. It is clean, but the dogs are housed together in large groups. This is a dangerous and I too feel sorry for the omega dog in the group. Also, some of the dogs were not even nuetered and caged with groups of dogs. Again, dangerous and irresponsbile!\r \r I did write a letter to the founder and director of the rescue group, but to date have had no response. (from the rudeness of the employees there and the general unprofessional atmosphere, I truly did not expect her to bother to reply). \r \r All in all this is a very unprofessional group who really do not service the community. If they really wanted to help homeless dogs, they would help all adoptable dogs they could and not just the cute, little, fluffy lap dogs. They also would treat each potential adopter with respect and take time to learn their unique circumstances. \r \r I have since gone to two local animal shelters (pound types) and have been treated wonderfully by their staff. I am still looking for the right dog for my lifestyle, but as soon as I find him/her these shelters would happily adopt to me. \r \r If you are looking to really save a dog, please go to the public shelters first. These are the dogs most in need and these are the people who really want to help place these dogs in loving, forever home. more

These people need to be investigated. They ended up with our Schnauzer after a cross up with the microchip company and the animal shelter. We were not notified she was found because the microchip was in transfer. We called and explained the situation to APR and at first they acted like they really wanted to help us get our baby back. Then even with the microchip company verifying we were the owners they said we were not getting her and we needed to contact animal control. I know they are not obligated to give her back but I think it's bad business. They told us how much it would be up front and we agreed so we are not trying to snatch a freebie. We were also told she was being housed with 8 other dogs. I feel for the low dog in the pack. To me it seems like organized hoarding. Attitudes like theirs is what makes the freebie and the mill market flourish. more

If anyone is thinking about adopting, I hope you'll go directly to their website and look through it thoroughly, including their blog.\r \r I was not savvy to pet rescue in general, and went through lots of sites, lots of info., lots of disappointments in the process ( it's not a simple thing, which is good!-it's a commitment that you should think carefully about), but finally adopting is one of the most rewarding experiences ever. Their site is a 10 out of 5; the only reason I can't rate them perfectly is that one of the volunteers was more than a little cranky-don't let that deter you! If I had to take care of 100 homeless dogs, I would be cranky too:)\r \r After looking at LOTS of dogs on LOTS of sites, I finally ended up with the perfect companion-stick with it and be patient. This is an EXCELLENT organization, and they are looking out for everyone's best interest-especially the animal's. Thank you so much to everyone at Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption.\r \r Sharon and Tazzy more

While this place has wonderful dogs and it is well-maintained, I wanted to caution parents with children. It has taken me a full month to write about my experience there because I want to write in a fair and non-emotional manner, but I believe that anyone adopting from this rescue should hear my story. My family and I have rescued two pets in the past. We have a large home, a lake to walk around and I am a stay-at-home mom. We have two children 10 & 12 -- old enough to assist mom and dad with proper care and love for a new animal. I took my son to this rescue on a weekday afternoon. We were new to the idea of getting a second dog, and relatively new to Atlanta, so we wanted to check the place out before submitting an application. Also, we did not want to have too many applications filled out at too many rescue places.When we arrived there, we filled out the application, but we did not have my older dog's paperwork and my husband or daughter with us (we did not know when we arrived that we needed them). My son was shown 4 dogs. The first three showed a little bit of interest in him, but the last one, Bishop, fell into his arms, licked his face and it was love at first sight. This was a Tues. I was told that we could come back Sat. and there would be a lot of dogs -- I said there was no need, they had obviously fallen in love with each other and we wanted this one. While I understand the policy of not holding dogs, please hear me out. I called the agency at 8 a.m. Wed. and left a message and said I was coming that day with EVERYTHING I needed to get the dog. I was just about to leave my house to pull my daughter out of school to meet the dog, and called the rescue one more time to say I was on my way. Much to my dismay, the person told me another couple was looking at Bishop. I told her, please tell them I am on my way and that my 10-year-old son will be heartbroken if the dog is given away. I am sure you can tell where this story ends. The dog was given to that couple. When my son returned home from school, expecting to see Bishop, I had to tell him the story. I have never heard him sob so much in my life. This rescue cares a lot about animals. It is obvious from its facility and the care that it takes to adopt dogs to families with good homes. Having said that, however, they fail to acknowledge the human element in this process. The director told me there was no way my son could have bonded with this dog because the bonding process takes much longer. I beg to differ. I knew with my first rescue dog and we knew with this one. To rub salt in a wound, they called me the next morning to say we were approved. If you have children, please consider this and make sure that this does not happen to you. They have beautiful dogs, but could be a little kinder to children and families. more

Be extra careful adopting pets from APR&A. One week in, hundreds of dollars later and many sleepless nights, one of the two pups I rescued is NO WHERE NEAR BETTER. \r \r I was told that Benji was a ""picky eatter""! Only to find out that the poor darling has kennel cough (so he has no appetite). \r \r Now, both Benji and Milly are on antibiotics (Milly's is more of a prevenitive measure since this infection is contagious). \r \r APR&A interviews folks wanting to adopt pets . They then sell the animals as is....but, they never prepar you for the several emergency room visits that you'll make in less than one week. OH YEAH, I DID GET ONE SUGGESTION, WHICH WAS TO RETURN THE PUPS FOR A REFUND. AS IF. more

I agree 100% I had a very similar situation happen to me. The shelter is suppose to abide by a first come first serve basis- according to their website. I was there early and completed the application days prior. I selected a dog and after spending over an hour with Gizmo- I was told that another family ws there to visit the dog as well. After waiting for this family to finish their visit with the dog that I selected, I was told that they would be better suited for this pet. I was truely devasted- the staff could not offer a reasonable explaination as to why this occured. There is a staff member by the name of Claire who also fosters many of the pets she was very cold and was for some reason the decesion maker. I almost believe it was discrimination, but Im hoping that this is not the case because dogs do not respond to race they respond to love!!!!!!!! more

I went to Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption over a year ago to look into adopting one of their dogs that I saw on their website. After asking me some questions, the lady working at Atlanta Pet Rescue told me that they do not adopt out any pets that are under about 6 months old to a new home unless the owner could be around 24 hrs/ 7 days a week. Both my husband & I are in real estate... I had 2 days off during the week and while I worked weekends, my husband was home... so, our planned adopted pet would have one of us around all day, 4 days out of 7. Which is more than the average working family, since most people only have 2 weekend days off. I left disappointed that I was not able to give this dog the loving home that it deserved & I knew that my husband & I would've given that puppy the best life. What bothered me the most, was I found out the dog was adopted out to a family with children (one being an infant!!). How could that be a better situation? Yes, the mom would be home all day long, but a new mom would be preoccupied with her baby & you'd rather adopt out the dog to that family? That really surprised me.\r We ended up going down the street to the Atlanta Humane Society and had a great experience. We came home that day with our new addition to our family! We are so thankful for having her in our lives & she is the happiest 4-legged child ever. Pros: Saving the Lives of Animals Cons: Policies for adopting more

I recently adopted my dog Shyla from this no-kill shelter, and thought that the volunteers and staff there worked so hard to help me find a perfect match. They don't just want to get the pets adopted - they want to help each pet find the perfect match, and help each family find the right match. It is such an emotional decision to choose a companion that is going to be in your family for 15 years or more (hopefully) but they were patient and spent over 2 hours with me going over the adoption questionarre and spending time with me answering my questions about everything from how to housebreak a dog, to what is the best dog food to feed my dog. I know it must be the hardest job in the world to see so much abuse and neglect from some of the sad cases that come into their adoption program, but they seemed to have found a way to keep their chins up and stay positive. It was a very good experience for me and a recommend them to everyone I met that is thinking about adopting a dog. Pros: tons of small dogs, lots of volunteers to answer questions, clean shelter Cons: long wait on Saturdays- go during the week if you can more

I just recently adopted my new best friend, Goober - a shaggy and sweet Terrier, from Atlanta Pet Rescue and I thought I should share my experience so others in the Atlanta area will know about this hidden gem tucked away on 14th Street in midtown Atlanta. First, the facility itself is beautiful and most importantly clean. It is obvious that the staff and volunteers care deeply about their furry charges, making an extra effort to make sure their temporary homes are clean and comfortable. Both the dogs and cats are kept in cageless areas (not together of course!) and are allowed to play and romp with each other instead of being locked up in a cage all day. Secondly the staff and volunteers are very friendly and knowledgeable and can tell you about each and every dog in great detail. Although the application and interview process is a bit intense, in the end it is worth it because you end up with the right match, which in my case would be my fabulous little Goober. All in all, my experience at Atlanta Pet Rescue was very pleasing and I would recommend it to anyone who is the market for a 4 legged companion! Pros: cute dogs, clean facility, nice staff and volunteers Cons: long application process more

I applied for a dog at Atlanta Pet Rescue and was treated horribly by the staff at the shelter. When I went to visit the dog, the staff was extremely rude and actually had an attitude with me. As a customer and prospective adopter, I was shocked by how I was treated. You would think that the staff would be respectful of their clients and treat them kindly but this was not the case. I realize that they must look after the animals' well being but I cannot imagine treating a customer that way, especially one who shares the same genuine concern for animals that they do. Pros: lots of cute puppies Cons: horrible staff more