Animal Rescue Foundation

Chris Tompkins

2024-04

They do great things for the animals but on the adoption papers they want your social security number photo id address want to talk to your friends before you adopt they also want to know if you have a house or appartment if you rent or rent to own or own your own place they also wanna reach out to your landlord even if its rent to own just seems a little fishy they want all of your personal info

Emily P

2024-03

Great rescue organization! I adopted my cat from here and they were super informative and accommodating. You can really tell how much they care about their animals

Coral Savoy Ferrara

2023-05

I’ve seen first hand how well cared for and loved the animals in their care are! They are a volunteer run organization who put the needs of the animals first regardless of the cost associated with caring for them. Most people do not understand the expense of running an organization based on donations, grants and yes adoption fees! Shelter, utilities, vet care, food, meds etc! Every animal is vetted with shots and or spayed/neutered. Every animal is treated monthly for fleas/ticks and heart worm. Caring for one pet in your home is expensive, caring for 10x that is expensive! My last baby is from ARF and I know how well she was cared for because I also volunteer there.

Randy Voytas

2021-05

I am a volunteer at the Animal Rescue Foundation. When I am there I will bring the dogs for a walk, hang out with them in the backyard, clean their kennels, and feed them. I have been helping them for over 5 years and enjoy giving my time to them. The animals are well cared for at the rescue.

Tracie Barden

2021-05

They were absolutely WONDERFUL!! The facility was very clean!! They workers were sooo friendly and VERY helpful!! We rescued the most adorable, well behaved puppy!! We got a GREAT new member to our family this weekend!!!💜

Michael Carr

2023-08

The people at ARF were very helpful and courteous. Holly and the staff were patient with my family and I during the adoption process. The entire process was very easy and Skye (Cooper - renamed) was the right for our family!

Tashalee Cruz

2022-05

Terrible organization. I was rejected because my 16 year old got sick and was eventually euthanized after being treated by the vet. They rejected me without asking me or talking to me directly about the circumstances or the situation regarding the untimely end with my sweet prince. To disqualify someone who had a pet live almost 2 decades making it seem like I was a bad pet parent because I made the right choice to put him down instead of more procedures that wouldn't have helped. The ordeal was quite traumatic for me since Chester wasnt in poor health. He got old and had digestive issues due to his age. His previous vet said he'd eventually have the issue so severe that he'd need surgery or to be put down. Shame on you and your organization for being so judgmental and passing up yet another great home for a set of kittens! I will leave the same review on Yelp and on my social media pages since I run a business in Hartford. This is beyond unprofessional and cruel. Anyone else reading this review, believe all the other reviews who say the exact same thing about this heartless organization.

Meaghan Goico- Maciokas

2023-05

Really disappointed in this organization. We wanted to adopt not shop- we are homeowners, we have awesome vet references and we applied to adopt two kittens. I even tried to email and follow up after a few weeks of not hearing anything to which I got no response. Then I found out the kittens we put the application in for are adopted and we didn't get any communication about why we weren't chosen. Was it the fact that we have kids? Was it because there are dogs in the house? You should really just at least email people back and notify them that they weren't chosen even without giving a reason.

George Waters

2023-05

Wow... incredible amount of negative responses here, as I came to this site [researching this animal rescue org] after hearing about it from an older not so good radio interview about it.For starters, it is important for rescues to ensure that the animals being adopted out are truly going to a proper forever home, where they will get the proper care, love, and attention required to ensure a quality of life that is the best one can provide, as the lives of these sentiment beings are completely dependent on the life we provide for them - in times of both good and bad, though sickness and good health, up until the very end when it comes time to cross the rainbow bridge.For those complaining about minimum age requirements, everyone loves to say how good their kid was/is with animals until the kid gets scratched or bitten for doing something to the animal that it does not like.I had recently two young children approach my leashed senior dog asking if she is friendly while returning from a hike.I replied yes, but only if you are nice to her.I then added if you are not nice to her, she will not like it - and I could tell right away these rotten kids were rough with animals, so needless to say they did not get to pet my dog.So, major props for this org for going out of it's way to ensure every animal adopted out gets a proper home, 4 stars only because it sounds like there can be some improvement on the records and customer service end - but on the other hand, I get it - rescues are beyond a full time job - and it is very very easy to get maxed out.

Leslie Duque

2019-05

It’s so sad to say but this organization does not want to find these animals a good home. No one is good enough just like the rest of reviews say. I didn’t want to believe it but I witnessed it first hand. I have two dogs of my own one being a rescue so am familiar with the process. We went to go check out the dogs and were showed dogs that we were told are good with other dogs. This was a specification that we needed because we have two dogs. After we filled out the application which took an hour to fill out, we were told that we’d hear something back in two weeks. It was more than a month before someone contacted us asking if we had a fenced in yard. We do and we specified that on the application as well. Then a few days later we got an email stating that we cannot adopt because the “trainer” doesn’t think the dogs we selected for adoption would be good with our dogs. Mind you they have never met our pups or even tried to schedule a “meet and greet” with us like they said they would. This is all based on an assumption. Don’t get your hopes up with this place they may seem like they’re helping those poor animals but they aren’t.

Miranda C

2022-05

Was very disappointed with my experience. I was up front about the fact that I had a rabbit and that I would be willing to take a cat home and introduce them with appropriate safety precautions. I did my research and if done appropriately this can be an acceptable arrangement. I was told that this would be fine and I could bring the cat back if I had concerns. I was then told if all went well at the meet and great I could bring the cat home. I was then told the review board denied my application because I have a bunny. If they were not sure I could take the cat home because of my bunny they should have told me this up front. They made me go through the process and got my hopes up. It seems like they discriminate as well for example not allowing people who have young children to adopt an animal . What if you adopt an animal and then have a child ? Doesnt make sense and they're finding less animals loving homes.

Martha Fairbanks

2022-05

Adopted Bella what a great companion.we love her so much. We are so happy to have her in our lives. Thank you ARF

Steve Petrillo

2022-05

Here I am going out of my way to show how unprofessional this organization is. Was called from a blocked number to be told the pet I was interested in was adopted. Not only were we the first to inquire about this pet, but had expressed much interest in coming to see the pet and getting to know the organization. All they were concerned about is their outdated, generalized application that serves no use in determining the competencies of the future pet owner. Poor communication from day one. Good luck trying to get ahold of them because the phone is seldom answered. Perhaps they should have in person interviews after someone has shown interest. They have all the time to post TikToks but will take a week to reply to several phone calls and an email. Just don’t bother.

Stephen Roman

2022-05

It's a Wonderful organization hosted by a bunch of caring wonderful individuals who give a lot of themselves in an effort to give the best care countless dogs and cats well finding good homes for them. They could use a lot more help from the public. They are always in need of cat litter, Pet Foods and financial donations to pay for the vet bills. They will even accept yard beverage returnables and it would be appreciated if they were wrenched out

Pamela Radner

2023-12

Was able to drop off alot of items from our dear boxer Nemo passing.Wonderful organization.

Ray Beaulieu

2019-05

I was a volunteer there many years ago but I can assure you that if you expect to adopt a pet you better be able to have the financial ability and proper knowledge to take care of the animal or you won't pass the adoption process.Hence the low star rating.These animals have been through enough. They don't need to be dumped or abused again. They will only go to FOREVER HOMES with people who are equipped to properly care for them and love them. They deserve a good home.

D Mio

2020-05

My husband and I just left the ARF facility after less than 10 minutes. I have never been so embarrassed by any one in my life. After a 40 min drive to visit 2 possible candidates for adoption we were not allowed to visit, see either animal. There were others in the waiting room listening to this battle axe verbally shut any opportunity down for either animal to be adopted. After losing our 4th rescue dog three weeks ago we will continue our search for the next member of our family elsewhere. I would recommend you all do the same.

iTzZ Leppard

2020-05

This place is terrible because recently my dad my grandma and me (I'm currently 11) tried to adopt a cat and my grandma filled out a form explaining all the guidelines and who the cat would go to if she passed all stuff like that so we wait a week then we go to pick the cat up and when we get there the lady says that we needed to call our vet to talk to them when last week they said they would call and then they told my grandma that she probably misheard what they said but I know she didn't and so a week goes by and my grandma goes to pick up the cat but then they say she can't can't adopt the cat because she missed a few checkups for our previous 6 cats but me my grandma and my dad are pure animal lovers and my grandma with pay thousands of dollars for vet visits and get the cat help it needs. This place also has mean workers only one old lady was.nice but others were yelling in the place and even 1 cat too this place doesn't care about adopting animals they just want money :Side note they make you pay $200 for a "donation" just to adopt a cat I understand the donation part but people should be able to donate what they want not $200!!!! Also I saw in a review that somebody declawed their cat don't ever do that just trim the nails

Maryann Marino

2018-05

I went to pick up a cat on Saturday and I was told I wasn’t able to get the black cat I requested because of my hallway entry. There are double doors on both ends of my hallway and there was no way this cat could get out. The cat was at this facility for almost a year. A person was going to call. me Sunday. This persons name is Carolyn. No phone call yet. Not a place for adoption. Very disappointed. Looking for a black cat (male 1 yr. old.

Anonymous

2014-05

DO NOT go here if you live in an apartment. We found that out the hard way. They don't even consider applications from people regardless of what kind of apartment you live in. It is a poorly run organization. Details follow:They don't take online applications, but they have visiting hours on the weekend. We decided to go see a dog we really liked (which was one hour drive for us) but they wouldn't let us see ANY dogs until we filled out and read our application.The receptionist asked us if we rented right away, and said it is okay as long as we had documents stating that dogs are allowed. We filled out the application which took 30 minutes, just for this other woman to come along and look at only the first page. She told us that they don't give their dogs to people who live in apartments. This was such a shock and an insult. She didn't even read the details of our application about what our apartment is like, she just circled the address. They didn't have this posted anywhere, not on petfinder, not on their website, not on their application, not even in their office. Strangely though, in their application there is a section for renters. If we had known, we wouldn't have wasted our time.While we were filling out the application, there was another visitor who asked when she might find out about her application. They said that if she didn't hear back, then the dog probably went to another home. Come on, this place doesn't even give a courtesy call?

Stephanie Farrell

2020-05

We walked in and immediately got a strange vibe from the woman working there. I mistakenly thought this was a shelter where you could see the dogs in person after visiting their website. The site states “This is a shelter with a lot of foot traffic on Saturday and Sunday. If you are looking for your new best friend please feel free to stop in on Saturday or Sunday!” Well, we stopped in around 1pm on Saturday and were told we couldn’t look at any dogs and they really only had one available. The woman was rude and dismissive - completely uninterested in helping us and she judged us the second we walked in. It seemed like we were bothering her. Guess we’ll adopt from another organization. And you may want to fix the verbiage on your website! If it’s true that you can’t just stop in during the open weekend hours. It’s a little confusing to people who have never been there. Bad experience.

Weiss Noir

2019-05

I have adopted two cats from here before without much issue but the last two I tried to get one had Herpes and I was not informed about it when they knew I had other cats in the home. Vet said both were likely to be infected. So I had to bring both of the sweet girls back and that broke my heart. The woman in charge of the cats started to give me an attitude like Herpes was no big deal and tried to guilt me into keeping them then said I was lucky they were even giving me my money back.I gave them the vet bill and she said she'd talk to her superior. It's been nearly two months and not a word. Super unprofessional here and you have to jump through ridiculous loops at times to adopt an animal. Just go to the Humane Society.They do not truly care about adopting these animals out anyway. All they care about is getting money.

Ellen Merrell

2020-05

I recently adopted an animal at ARF. I'm so impressed by all the volunteers.The facility is clean. The care for the animals is excellent. The management team takes great pride and concern in endorsing the adoption of their animals. A great group of folks caring for the well being of abandoned animals.

WESLEY KATRENYA

2017-05

If I could rate this place any lower I would. They were very misleading wouldn't let us adopt a cat because we didn't have another cat in the house. Staff was not helpful and rude. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy. Also where they had their kittens the place smelled awful. Like they hadn't cleaned the litter boxes in weeks. Maybe they should be more strict with themselves.

april moore

2018-05

This is what happened to me today! I was there on Sunday and saw a calico cat I really liked.Filled out a form,and was told they would put her on hold waiting for approval. They called today and told me I could have Bella,and could pick her up on Sat. I went shopping and got some stuff for her.Later on I received a call telling me I couldn’t have her because during my conversation I mentioned her maybe catching mice. So I was told if I only wanted a mouse catcher I couldn’t have her. I could buy traps if that’s all I wanted. That poor cat just missed out on an excellent home because of one persons assumption I wasn’t good enough. Very poor judgement. If she called my reference she would found out Bella couldn’t have a better home anywhere. BIG Mistake! So Sorry Bella hope you will still get a good forever home.

Allison Dederer Romano

2018-05

My husband and I walked in with our nearly 4 year old, looking for a cat. We own 1, and our 2nd cat died a year ago from cancer. The receptionist asked if we were looking for a dog or a cat. As soon as I said "cat," she said we could fill out an application, but we probably wouldn't be considered because of our young child. She never asked how my son's age, never asked if we owned any cats, never asked anything. She saw a young kid and immediately said "it's not my decision, but they just don't send our cats to families with small children." Put that on your website then, ARF. What a ridiculous blanket policy.

bryonne vancini

2023-12

Hours are wrong they are not open according to the online hours drove over 30 min. To turn arouns.

Edmundo III

2019-05

We recently adopted the sweetest two-year old orange tiger cat from ARF. We had adopted a cat from ARF almost twenty years ago who we cherished for his whole long life as an indoor kitty. ARF is immaculate, there is no smell of animals even though there are multiple cats and kittens in residence waiting for good homes. Carolyn the owner and her staff really care deeply for these future pets.

Madison K

2021-05

Very interesting and long adoption process, but you can tell the staff really loves all of their animals and just wants them to find a forever home. My boyfriend successfully adopted 2 beautiful cats.

Rachael Stamat

2021-05

I called looking for my missing cat I am so heartbroken about and the lady was so rude and judgmental to me. My cat ran out of the house too late at night. I live one town over and have been searching high and low. She was very judgmental as if I was trying to adopt one of their cats I was just trying to find mine!!!! I don’t know why ppl that work at these rescues are so rude sometimes!!!