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Review content:
My husband and I visited PRBJ to see about adopting a dog. We found a little dog that took to us immediately, and spoke with a couple of volunteers about adopting him. We live in a townhouse with a fenced yard, but one volunteer told us we needed a house to adopt; he also didn't know much about the dog and, despite the dog being well behaved, kept shoving a large stick in his face. When we asked why, he told us that he saw it on the Dog Whisperer and it was ok. I didn’t like seeing a 5+ foot stick shoved in front of the dog; I’ve never seen Cesar Milan do it; and given that the dog was sitting quietly, there was no need for discipline or correction, and the poor dog was getting confused. \r
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We talked to another volunteer who answered our questions and assured us that a townhouse was fine, and we decided to apply for the adoption. We were advised that we’d hear in 24-48 hours, after they called our references. Five days later, none of our references had been called, and we found out that the dog had been adopted out only after it was posted on the PRbJ website. We were very disappointed and puzzled that our references weren’t checked, and we never heard from the rescue, so we called to ask why. The person I spoke to very rudely insisted that *all references were always checked* and I was mistaken. When we asked why we weren’t considered, we were told that 1) we lived in a townhouse and 2) we didn’t have any other pets. \r
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I wrote an email explaining my frustration with the process, and I suggested that a phone call or email would have been helpful-something along the lines of, “Thank you for your interest; unfortunately, X dog has been adopted. However, based on your application, Y dog and Z dog would be a great fit; please come in and meet them.” I think they missed a great opportunity to match up pets and potential owners. Unfortunately, I got a nasty email back telling me that 1) I knew nothing about pet rescue 2) I was a liar for suggesting that our references weren’t called; and 3) the volunteer we had spoken to on the phone was so upset that she quit, and it was all my fault, and I should feel terrible about that. (!)\r
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I’d like to think that PRbJ is a well-meaning organization in desperate need of a volunteer coordinator/ trainer and some public relations training. I'd really like to believe that the person I got the email from was having a really, really, really bad day, but I cannot, from my experience, recommend getting a pet here or donating. The Orange County Humane Society has kind, empathetic volunteers and I am happy to report that we adopted a lovely dog and now direct our donations there. \r
Pros: .....
Cons: Poorly trained volunteers; unclear processes
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