Famous Fido Rescue No Kill Advocacy Wellness & Learning Center

Donald Kleis

2024-04

They apparently are not utilizing donations effectively and efficiently. I was a huge fan of this place, even donating to owners personal pet. As expected, they continue to have limited and stretched resources, yet they are currently seeking donations for a young man's living expense and even to furnish his apt. A young man who apparently has made some bad choices. They say that a furnished apt will make his dogs feel better. What a joke. Meanwhile more urgent needs of our fur babies are difficult to meet. Also, they refuse to try to persuade donors to use PayPal rather than credit cards to save thousands of dollars each year. Lastly, they seek donations for expensive foods as opposed to using Friskies, etc. I understand that in some instances special diets are needed, but typically not. This operation needs focus and business experience. I will not donate to them anymore.

Karen M

2024-04

This is an amazing organization.They have saved so many animals for years and years.Gloria is amazing with what she has accomplished in her life.Every time I have gone to her shelter, it is clean and the volunteers are busy cleaning and meeting the animals needs.Gloria makes sure that the animals are placed in appropriate homes, so they will have a forever home.This is one of my favorite animal shelters to donate to.We need more Gloria’s in this world.

Anastasia Bychkova

2024-01

My husband and I tried to adopt a cat from here not so long ago. I came by one day to take a look at the cats and the staff was incredibly kind and encouraging about the process of adoption. The place was not clean and looked like there were too many cats per room, but I dismissed that in the beginning because one particular cat just stole my heart.We filled out an application for him and came a couple days later to take him home. Or so we thought… We spent 40 mins waiting for Gloria to become available to interview us. That whole time we spent in the room with the cat that we were wishing to adopt and the staff was already instructing us on the care for him and letting us know more about his personality.When Gloria started interviewing us she was very condescending in her attitude, especially about the fact that we were from Ukraine. Never mind the fact that we are residents of the US, have stable jobs and I attend college in the city. From that point on, we were “unstable”. At some point in the conversation she asked if we were to ever move from Chicago, to which we said honestly replied that it is a possibility. Since we are both in our early twenties we thought that we might eventually move to some other state/city. But we told her that whenever we went, we would ofc take our cat with us.She said that it’s unstable for a cat to move and that this possibility made us unfit to bring a cat home.There were other things she said about our country of origin that were disgustingly rude all because she knows better watching “Fox” than we do having lived in Ukraine our entire lives.An absolutely terrible person to be running a shelter. It’s almost like she doesn’t want any animals to get a loving home. Someone in the previous comments described her as a hoarder and it’s true.The day we came for the cat, he was in the same room (mind you, a room is probably a few square feet) with a very sick cat who was just found at the dumpster. How is that acceptable?We feel sad about the cat we could adopt because we absolutely loved him. But we ended up adopting a senior cat from Felines and Canines which is North Uptown and we couldn’t recommend them more. They didn’t ask any invasive questions, were kind and offered vet services if we discovered something was wrong with our boy within a couple months.

Rose Woods

2023-05

Best place to adopt a pet.They care about who they are placing the animal with. They are very picky, as they should be.We got our little Pomeranian, Prince from them in May of 2021.They do not have animals in cages.They have to keep expanding to home more animals. It is very expensive to keep remodeling and taking such great care of all these pets in need! Please donate to this wonderful caring rescue.This is Prince 👑

Alexis Rodriguez

2024-02

I called and spoke with a rude lady name Denise ( she might have lied but an older woman who answered) my mom passed away and she had a year old pit bull and unfortunately I couldn’t take him in due to my apartment policy and no family member could take him in. I listed him on social media and asked around but no one wants a dog or wants a pit bull given their rep. So I called to see if they accept animals or if I could get information on where I could possibly take him, she explained to me that their shelter is full which is perfectly understandable but she could put his picture up and see if anyone would be interested but didn’t recommend me taking him to a shelter because it won’t look good for the dog. I explained to her that he wasn’t my animal and I was running out of time to find him a home that it was my moms and she rudely interrupted me and stated “well that’s your dog now” I explained I’m not able to keep him due to the reason I stated above. She then stated I don’t know how to help you and don’t know what to say. I then asked is there anywhere you know that I’m able to take him though she said no I’m not giving you that information because it won’t end up good for him. Then proceeds to hang up on me. I call back to ask for her name because she was really rude then she said I was being inconsiderate and heartless because I was trying to give away an animal not putting in consideration that I just lost my mother last week. Also stating it didn’t matter if I lost someone or not the dog shouldn’t have to suffer. I understand a shelter isn’t the best place for a animal and I understand that but if I were able to take him I would but I can’t and I didn't appreciate being judge for a situation that I didn’t expect to be put in. I was just calling for information not to be judge also I’ve never ever had to give an animal away.

Grigsy

2023-12

I adopted my baby boys from this place. Gloria loves her animals and her community and has dedicated her life to the chicago animal community. It’s a bit messy, but it’s full of love and dedicated staff and people who genuinely care about animal welfare. They want to make sure the person adopting has the right fit for the animal to avoid unnecessary abandonment. This is something we should all appreciate. They will make sure you have what you need when you go and want you to be successful. These people saved my boys until we found each other so I’ll forever be grateful to them.

Lourdes Hurtado

2023-12

We adopted our first cat formally known as Biggie from this shelter. Gloria and Cindy made our experience very easy and pleasant. For people who critique the place, why don't you volunteer instead? Does the place smell like flowers? No, but imagine having over 100 pets in one location. Gloria thank you for everything that you do, for taking the responsibility that pet owners decide to give up.

Matthew Hotchkiss

2024-04

Do not volunteer here!! Treats people rudely, the person that runs it is racist and think they are above everyone else, the staff has always been helpful, but for the person that runs the place is trash!!! I feel very bad for these kitties so at least try and adopt them…

KALISTA

2024-03

Famous Fido is a no kill rescue. They help so many animals that would otherwise be put to sleep. I recently donated my family's clothes for donation here so that I can help in any way I can.

jalen

2024-02

They said that they dont let their cats into homes with dogs then i walked in and saw someone with a dog getting a cat. Mind you this isnt a rule. I would of respected them more if they said we dont give cats to black people with rottweilers. Also the lady on the phone is beyond garbage at her job stop hiring worthless individuals.

Oreo Luna Jedi

2023-12

For over a year we have been trying to adopt 3 senior cats and with no luck on them reviewing our applications. At first I thought it was just the overwhelming amount of applications they received but then they will post about the same cats we tried to get. When we dropped of cat supplies since they were in need, we asked Gloria and she made a not so nice remark about us having pitbulls. Our pitts are sweethearts to our other cats and a no kill shelter would be the last place I expected for pit discrimination. An email to say we don’t think you are good fit would be appreciated instead of having to keep applying with no response.

Ophilia Necr

2021-05

I hope my review can clear some things up left by bad reviews. This may be long.First, my husband and I had a cat of 10years die of cancer on Dec.23,2020. A few days later we made the decision to adopt a new pet, or 2. I sent applications to 4 places. Because of Covid, the waitlists are insanely long for adoption. On Dec 30, by pure luck I met a volunteer from F.Fido who told me to call.Right off the bat, this great volunteer let me know that Gloria won't adopt out to anyone who wants a pet. The application process is for the PEOPLE to make a good impression, and the meet up is for her to "feel out" potential pet parents.After talking to Gloria, i was able to book an appointment to meet with the cats on Jan 1, 2021!!! Yes, that quick! For reference, a month later, the ONLY place that replied to my initial application was Paws, and only to tell me to keep applying!Let's be clear. F.Fido isn't a large, national charity, or a chain rescue with multiple locations. It's run by ONE woman and her volunteers. That means they don't have an extensive budget, or the luxury of the best of everything.The day of the meeting, as soon as we walked in, we were given a bottle of hand sanitizer, and told to use often, and between cat rooms. It's true, Gloria doesn't wear a mask, but everybody else did, and we had a whole bottle of sanitizer. The cats were in rooms with lots of big cat trees, couches, cat beds and things to climb on, and plenty of toys. If we ever saw a cat in a cage, it was a large cage, and because the cat was recovering from a spay/neuter or other medical reason. Info on the cats with pictures, was posted on the door to the room, not inside.Every interaction, including the questions on the application are meant to show Gloria how equipped and knowledgeable you are on pet care; helping her make her decision on whether you deserve to take a pet home. She was upfront about it too, telling us that it's because she's seen too many awful things, and too many ill-prepared pet owners who ended up dumping their pets, due to not understanding a cat's behavioral problems. I can't help but see the many 1star reviews as nothing but people who felt entitled to a pet, with poor understanding, a bad attitude and a bruised ego. Obviously Gloria picked up on it, and knew they weren't a good fit.I find it disgusting how the word "hoarder" is used for Gloria, just because she won't let anyone take an animal. Isn't a thurough vetting process what you expect a responsible shelter to have? A person who cares about animals, cares about where they go and with who! Afterall, pet behavior, especially cat behavior is very nuanced, and subtle, not everyone understands it and knows what it means. Also, these claims that Gloria only cares about money is so contradictory. How can she be a "hoarder" who doesn't want to give up pets, but also only care about getting money and flipping as many as possible?? Both can't be true.The cats we chose were "Jimmy"and "Timmy", a bonded pair who had been there for 5years!! Why? Because bonded pairs, adults, seniors & special needs pets aren't as desired over babies and singles. People tried to get her to separate these cats, but she stood strong in her belief that someone would adopt BOTH. Gloria explained she knew some of her cats would live out their life there, due to their special needs, or less than social personalities. The kitties we chose somehow "knew" we were here for them, even though we had our eye on a different pair. By the end of the visit, she was surprised and happy we had chosen the cats with the longest stay. She let us know we could pick up the cats in about 3 days.The volunteer I met told me we made a great first impression and Gloria thought we "had great vibes". The day we took them home, she requested we keep her updated on their progress and health. Thanks to FF, we've been able to get through our grief, with 2 amazing cats!

Joe Perez

2020-05

This is a lovingly great place, run by nice people.To be clear: it's a cat shelter. While the organization does involve dog rescue, the physical brick & mortar location on Irving Park is 100% about cats.And, ironically, I'm allergic to cats. Which is why I went there.I've been receiving allergy shots for the past year, specifically targeting my cat allergy. So when the time came to see if the treatment was having an effect, I went to famous fido, explained my situation to the lady at the desk, and was given the opportunity to interact with a cat family.Family... that's what really impressed me about this place. There are no individual cages. Instead, cats are housed together in groups which are known to get along, in large rooms which have space for the cats, a space for the humans, and a space for the cats and the humans to interact. It struck me as a very low-stress environment for the animals, and allows you (the human) to enter their environment in a way which puts you off to the side and allows the cats to explore you at their convenience.I spent about an hour with three orange-and-white shorthair brothers, all of whom eventually found their way into my lap as I sat in the comfy stuffed chair at the corner of the room. We got along rather well.Alas, the experience confirmed that I am, in fact, still allergic to cats. Benadryl was consumed the instant I left. But I'm grateful to the folks here for allowing me the experience, knowing up-front that I was not looking to make an adoption that day.

Dominique Casey

2023-12

I would give 0 stars if I could.I recently learned that my son was severely allergic to our puppy. After weeks of trying to rehome our pup, we finally (reluctantly) contacted this shelter to inquire about taking him there. The lady who answered was extremely rude and after explaining our situation suggested that we simply give my 4 year old benadryl and/or allergy shots (despite the professional advice from my son's LICENSED allergist).Her unsolicited advice was extremely disheartening and unprofessional. She then told us that we needed to be careful "calling random shelters" because they could put the dog down or he could sit in a cage for a long time. Again, unneccesary & unsolicited considering that we did in fact contact THIS no kill shelter & made every effort to avoid a shelter to begin with.She had no regard for our situation or the fact that this is very difficult on our family especially after bonding with our puppy. I raised my first dog for 13+ years so this puppy was not an irresponsible decision but an unfortunate & uninformed one. A little compassion goes a long way.

eric- “Bird-E” brd

2023-12

I will say I haven’t visited this place. My German shepherd passed and they have a malinois. I don’t want to do puppy stage but want to foster/adopt the pooch in their care now. But I will always rate a non/kill shelter with top honors.

Vanessa Ruiz

2022-05

Sandra and Brian were so friendly and helpful. We only made it 2 areas by the time we found our cat Keith. They are all so adorable you want to take them all home. If we could have taken 2 my next kitty would be Jasper. He was a sweetie. The owner Gloria was very nice and informative. She loves her babies so much. Glad she's here to save these little guys and give them a better life.

Chris Perez

2022-05

I am truly grateful for coming across Famous Fido because now we have been able to welcome fantastic cats into our family. I can’t help but feel as though a lot of these negative reviews are a bit harsh and unfair. I also noticed that the negative reviews did not come from people who actually adopted animals. As someone who adopted 2 excellent cats from Famous Fido, I can not give enough credit for all their work.Animal care is an incredibly serious commitment and one not to be taken lightly. The folks at Famous Fido do ask questions and do not instantly turn over their animals that day. I visited the cats a couple of times before adopting them and was given time to really think it over and prepare our home beforehand. When I went to visit them I was able to enter their space, see how they interact and play. No one hovered over me and told me which cats I should get. I actually appreciated this process because I got to know the animals. It was a bit of a process but they wanted to ensure the animals were going to a good home, which I deeply respect.Being a rescue they take in a lot of animals from rough situations and rehabilitate them and put them in a safe environment. One of the cats we adopted came in with serious health issues and they took care of all of her medical needs, she is now fully recovered to the sweetest cuddliest angel.I could not recommend Famous Fido enough. The cats that we adopted are well adjusted, well-behaved, and comfortable with socializing.Thank you, Famous Fido for helping our little guys be happy and heal before having people adopt them. Just be sure you are ready to be taking on this commitment and the responsibilities of having an animal join your family. Once you are it truly is an absolute joy.

Dolores Lopez Carmona

2023-09

For starters, the person who always answers the phone, which is a lady older lady I believe her name is Gloria never returns phone calls, nor email messages. There are three pets that need to be put up at this no kill shelter. She never returns phone calls yet she claims to care about pets. And donations have been given to her such as food betting and I have even volunteered many times in the past to help out and she does not return any phone calls once again or emails very responsible on her behalf. How can I feel comfortable surrendering three pets to her when she doesn’t bother returning messages knowing that many people have hardships currently she doesn’t cooperate.

Christine Rule

2024-04

Yes, the place is poorly managed, and the woman in charge is really hard to deal with. However, she takes in a lot of animals who are really in need; many are uncared-for, sick, older, or just unwanted and stuffed in the dumpster. The cats are really sweet, and want and deserve a good home. If you’re looking to adopt, please check out Fido‘s. You might find your new best friend.

Holly Heikkila

2023-09

Gloria graciously helped my dog and I out to pay for an expensive diagnostic that I didn’t have money to pay for. I was so grateful to extend my baby’s life a bit more, in greater comfort, before she recently passed. Gloria was hard to catch on the phone because she was so busy helping others; inasmuch, they would place the phone down as I waited for Gloria, and I could always hear her busy in the background dealing with pet emergencies or etc. Gloria, thank you so very much for your charity to Mitzy and I! We give thanks to God for your kindness.

Rick Garcia

2023-05

I love this place. I got my o Baxter here. Caring, competent staff. I was especially impressed with the grilling and vetting I got to make sure that they were placing him in a home that was appropriate and loving. They are the best

Jordan Smith

2022-05

These people are wonderful. I found a blind dog with a collar but no I.D. wandering in the middle of Kimball Ave. in the Logan Square neighborhood, and the good folks at Famous Fido gave me step-by-step directions on how to post about the lost dog and check for a microchip. After I learned that there was no microchip, they were willing to shelter the dog until the owner called. Turns out they know their stuff! I was contacted by a third party regarding my online post (per Famous Fido staff directions) and a match , then I contacted the owner, and they spoke with the Famous Fido staff to pick up the dog. Because of the guidance of the Famous Fido staff this whole process took about 90 minutes from start to finish. An amazing place.

Debi Krystyn

2023-05

They opened their heart to help a feral kitten get the hospitalization it needed to survive and hopefully a home

Alexia

2019-05

I volunteered for Famous Fido as a cat foster. I have nearly a decade of experience and I've worked with many rescues. Famous Fido is by FAR the worst 'rescue' I've ever encountered. They're not really a rescue, they do what is called 'flipping' animals which is a horrible way to make money off of animals that need to be rescued. It appears that they pull as many kittens from the city shelter as they can, give them to foster homes, do not equip the foster homes with the necessary supplies (I'm talking medications, etc.) and they do not provide the proper veterinary care to their animals. This, unfortunately, is a fairly common practice for shady 'rescues' because it requires the least amount of financial investment (not paying for vet bills/medications/etc) and it has the highest financial reward (kittens/puppies are more expensive to adopt than older cats/dogs).It's also shady that Famous Fido contacted me via Facebook to foster for them. They did not interview me nor did they require any paperwork, background check, home check---nothing! Then they gave me SEVEN cats only a few hours later. Personally, I was okay with that, but that is extremely unprofessional in the world of animal rescue. As any reasonable person can imagine, it is important to have some sort of vetting process when giving internet strangers the animals you allegedly care so much about.Of the seven cats I was given, one of them was a dying kitten (CACC said they didn't think she would survive the night). This kitten required extensive veterinary care, and even on her discharge papers from the shelter it said she needed specific antibiotics. I was not given any of these things. I asked for them, and the woman from Famous Fido said "I'm only dealing with emergencies right now. Don't talk to me about that". Well, call me crazy, but a dying kitten seems like an emergency to me.After many pleas to get the proper medical supplies for this kitten, I told her I would just contact my own vet and get it myself (something a foster should never have to do). I contacted my vet as well as a few others I know, I told them the situation, and every single one of them told me to stop working with this rescue and get the kitten to a proper rescue instead (one vet even cc'd PAWS on an email and said 'can you believe this?').I told Famous Fido that what they were doing was unacceptable, that these cats needed veterinary care, and that I was even willing to adopt them all and take care of it myself. Famous Fido's response? They said they'd find the cats another foster home. Instead of bringing ONE DYING KITTEN to the vet, they thought it would be better to find a foster home for SEVEN cats (in 3 different quarantine spaces). It is not easy to find a good foster home, and foster homes are unfortunately very scarce right now.Famous Fido sent a brand new volunteer to my home and I watched her expose a healthy litter of kittens and their healthy mother to 3 sick URI kittens, including the one that was dying. This is the level of care that Famous Fido prefers. Again, never in my almost TEN YEARS of working in animal rescue have I ever experienced this firsthand. I've only heard tales of awful rescues who flip animals... but now I've actually witnessed it at Famous Fido.

Junior V

2023-05

I really like this and wish we have more place like this one. Gloria was serious at first but after you talk to her she was nice

Allison Cayo

2023-09

Bought a cat tree from here and everyone was extremely nice and accommodating. I was so impressed with how much space these cats have to move around and how each room for them has a tree and shelves so they can get up high. This is an ideal place to adopt from since you’re supporting people who are really going the extra mile to make these cats lives better.

Alexandria Sandoval

2023-08

DO NOT TAKE ANIMAS HERE!!!I give this place zero stars if possible. Gloria is one of the reasons people go to breeders and pet shops. Not only was she rude and condescending every time we spoke to her, she basically said we were incompetent. Then lied about another family being a better fit for the dog we were trying to adopt after we were explicitly told no one else was interested after jumping through all the hoops she requested to prove we would have provided a loving home. She does not like people of color. The shelter itself is disgusting & not kept up. We were also told that dogs only get walked on the weekends by volunteers, never by Gloria who claims to be an animal lover.

Candace Gray

2023-05

I stumbled upon Famous Fido Rescue by chance and I'm grateful I did. My cat was very sick and I took her different animal hospitals to see if I could get some help but the cost of her surgery was extremely expensive and I did not have the money to pay for it. So I thought I would have to make the hard decision to give my cat up to a shelter who would then cover the cost of her surgery. I called Famous Fido in tears ready to see if they would be able to take my cat in but instead I spoke with Brian who was not only very helpful but empathetic as well. He let me speak with the owner and she was absolutely amazing!!!!! Not only did I not have to give up my cat but she also covered her medical bill. Famous Fido cares about every animal and I will forever be grateful for them! So please go and donate because without those donations they would not have been able to help my precious kitty as well as the fur babies in their rescue. Thank you Famous Fido Rescue!

JT Reilly

2023-05

This rescue is GREAT! They really care about the animals and put every effort into finding each the correct match for a happy forever home. We've adopted 3 times now from Famous Fido.A special Thank You to Gloria, Ted and the entire group at Famous Fido! Where would the animals be without all of you to give them a voice. You are the Very Best! Please keep up the great work.

Ian S

2023-05

Hands down the best place for pet adoption in IL!!! I have been to numerous shelters and these people here genuinely care. The owners Gloria and Ted. Amazing management Brian and Sandy. Along with all of the volunteers ALL actually care and love the animals. They have big enough rooms with cat trees and toys unlike being caged in a kennel 24/7 like other places. The people here are absolutely amazing and they do their due diligence so the animals are going home to the appropriate place with the right owners. I highly suggest you volunteer and DONATE!!! because they do so much for the animals there. Its stress free and amazing animal therapy. Please go check them out and tell them Ian sent you!! You will not regret it.