RVAR - River Valley Animal Rescue

Kristin Mathews

2024-01

My experience with them was 10/10 recommend. Very sweet staff, clean environment and organized. You can tell these animals are cared for well and loved and next time I'm looking to adopt again I will definitely be coming back. Thank you for giving me my amazing fur baby!

Dawn Davis

2023-08

We found our pup on Pet Finder. We submitted an application to RVAR and within a couple of days we heard back. Dawn, the Kennel Manager, was very responsive, very professional, and very concern about the welfare of all the pups at their facility. She called our vet and checked up on us, I thought that was great. The place was as clean as you can hope an animal shelter can be. We drove an hour to RVAR in hopes that this cute pup would fit into our family. Dawn brought us into a room and then brought our pup into the room. She sat with us for awhile and watched. Then she gave us as much time as we needed alone with our pup. We absolutely fell in love our new baby. He's the perfect fit for our family and we decided to adopt him. RVAR rescued him, his 2 siblings, and their mom from a kill shelter in Kentucky and we will be forever grateful to RVAR! Dawn took our first family photo and she even checked in with us the next day to see how we were all doing. Thank you Dawn and RVAR..... 5 STARS!!!!

Lisa S

2022-05

Great folks to work with. They really care about the animals. We adopted our pup and he's in great health. You can tell that he was well cared for.

Myron Pedantic

2020-05

Your experience will be greatly enhanced depending on the staff member that works with youI don’t want to mention names but one person stands out.My wife is from a culture that normally does not keep dogs inside the home. We’ve had a 50 lb dog in our home since we met 12 years ago. My wife tolerated her ( the dog) but kept respectful distanceUnfortunately, my precious friend died several months before we ventured in to RVAR.I explained this to the staff member and that staff member jumped to the conclusion that my wife would not allow a dog in the house.Not true.After visiting the shelter with my wife, we met this certain staff member. She introduced us to several larger dogs (that I preferred) and my wife was clearly cautiously afraid.In a stroke of genius the staff member brought out a tiny (9.6 lbs) furball that was abandoned in the most disgusting part of our County. She was shivering and scared.My wife’s face lit up and the little creature immediately accepted her and became instant friends.We still have the little pooch that gets regular professional grooming and lots of love.I am grateful to this staff member for her thinking outside the box. I would have never considered such a tiny dog.She’s a great friend.You’ll know if you’re working with the right staff member. All are well intentioned but it takes someone special to make a match.Take your time. You’re in the right place.

Susan Koehn

2024-02

Filled out an application and was approved. They asked me when I wanted to come in...I answered. They never got back to me. They ended up giving the cat to someone else a week later.

Carrie G.

2022-05

Wonderful people doing wonderful work! Dawn is the absolute best! She found us our perfect match to complete our pack. If you find a dog there through petfinder.com, be sure to make an appointment. Some of the cutest furbabies around just waiting for their furever homes! Check out the River Valley babies! Adopt don't shop!

jackie sorenson

2024-03

Absolutely awful people, dirty facilities, & lied about condition of the animal. My heart breaks for the animals that are stuck being there.

Leann Smith

2023-05

such an awesome experience with RVAR! Dawn was very informative about the pup my Mom ended up adopting (you can tell, they're very concerned with the pups at their facility) and Dawn makes herself available for any questions/concerns... very happy how this turned out.

Debra Pool

2023-05

River Valley Rescue is a terrific animal shelter. The people running the place are fantastic. They are very knowledgable about pet health and behavior and really care about finding the best home and fit for the pets. Some people are just not meant to be fur parents. You must be good hearted and empathetic. The animals are very well taken care of and they are happy. So if you are an animal lover looking to adopt check this shelter out!!!

Sherry Hays

2023-05

Words cannot express the emotional and physical gap Sasha filled in a 90 year young amazing ladyThank you

Barbara Owen

2023-05

Got our 2 year old Beagle mix at RVAR 2 weeks ago. Dawn, who is the kennel manager was excellent in getting back to me after I called a couple of times. I was persistent in calling and she did get the ball rolling for our adoption as soon as she could.

Audreanna

2023-05

There is virtually no communication from this rescue. You apply for a dog and will never hear back. They don’t even read your application and follow up with a general approval. so you will waste a lot of time applying over each dog only to never hear from them. They need a better application process

keiniece

2023-05

Put in an application for adoption. At the end of the application it asked for donations. I figured that if I didn't donated anything my application would end up at the bottom of the pile. The exact same dog I applied for weeks ago they they're showing that it's STILL not adopted yet. It's like you have to buy the animal. And I scanned their FB page every week and I noticed that none of the adoptees that they posted are people of color 🤷🏾‍♀️. It's easy to search applicants because you have to give up so much info. It would have been nice to get an email or call to find out if I was or wasn't a good fit. Truthfully I didn't feel comfortable "DONATING" at the end of my application as if I'm buying the dog. I personally prefer to just buy a dog vs forced donation to only get rejected.

John Davis

2022-05

This place needs to have someone do over sight of what they are doing. My family put in an application and it took 4 weeks to be told the dog had been adopted and when they were called river valley was very unprofessional over the phone. They do not respond to email, they do not call back voicemail and they are extremely rude and discriminatory. I will personally be doing everything I can to see that someone else is in charge there and that the people working there take care of those animals and treat the community with more respect.

tony carmona

2022-05

Stop by and see if you can adopt a cat or dog. Very nice staff. So so happy for there help .

bob w

2023-05

Good people doing good thing for pets. We reduced 2 dogs today.

Michael W

2021-05

Completely unprofessional. My family and I are looking for an emotional support animal for my young daughter and were referred here by someone. We completed an application and a phone interview, were told everything was fine and we would soon be contacted again about meeting with some dogs but then all of our subsequent emails and phone calls were completely ignored. I certainly hope they don’t just ignore the animals the same way they ignore people trying to adopt animals in need. I normally don’t even write reviews but I also don’t like being ignored by people. If you had something to say to me and my family just say it and don’t waste my time.

Kat K

2020-05

I have two small older dogs and I wanted to add a puppy to my family. We have a nice house on 5 acres of land with a small fenced in yard. I do not have children or grandchildren. Our house is quiet. I am home 7 days a week. I brush my dogs teeth every night. We have bubble baths and hair cuts once a month. And once per year we go to the vet. After speaking with my vet they told my we would make a wonderful home for a new puppy. All day we sit on the couch and cuddle. At night we all sleep in the bed. I treat my dogs as if they were my kids. And River Valley Animal Rescue Said they would not let me adopt a puppy from them. Too STRICT!

susan herbert

2023-06

We adopted our sweet Daisy from RVAR. I love that try to make sure every pet finds a forever home by matching the family to the pet.

Lana Mcdade

2019-05

We visited 5 rescue last week. They were by far the best one we visited. They were very informative about each dog. The place was clean and dogs and cats were healthy looking. We got a dog and they called everyday to see if she and us were ok. We now have a really nice dog and could not be any happier

Ian Tiele

2022-05

River Valley Animal Rescue is a wonderful no-kill animal shelter located in Momence, IL. They do great work finding homes for unwanted animals. There is always a large selection of cats and dogs available for adoption, and the wonderful staff will make sure that you find the correct animal for your home.

Chrystal Brave

2019-05

I have made several attempts to speak with coordinator at this facility only to be told, we'll get back with you by end of the day. And not once has anyone contacted me back. I have reached out 4 times in 2 weeks with not one phone call back. beginning to think the negative reviews are correct about this facility. Apparently there is a communication problem here. And they do not know how to work with the public. I guess this is one rescue that needs rescuing themselves.Just sad.....

Eric Schoening

2019-05

If you are looking for somewhere to rescue an animal or somewhere to donate your time or money, RVAR is a great place to consider!I travelled down from Chicago to visit RVAR and am so glad I did! We worked with Kate to find the perfect new friend. She quickly and professionally assessed our situation and introduced us to several very friendly and well cared for dogs. Gunner stole our hearts! Now named “Blue” because of his big blue eyes! Kate has checked in on us by text to see if there’s anything we need, which is just wonderful. The staff (all volunteers!) couldn’t have been more patient and kind. Thank you all for helping us find our new friend!!!

Sarah Aldridge

2019-05

If you have no place for your animal to go this is the place. They are well taken care and retrained. They shelter with lits if care and love. They will make sure your dog is taken care of. The are a blessing to all animals. Give them a call to adopted lots of different dogs and cats. They are super great people.

Kim Feller

2019-05

Our experience with River Valley was so pleasant and I really respect how important it is Kate and the rest of the amazing volunteers to find the right furever home for their precious rescue animals! We were offered the chance to take Wiggles home for a trial to see if everyone's personalities matched and Kate checked in with us and I sent pictures of how well Wiggles was adapting. Wiggles had a little issue and Kate and Dawn were on it in an instant! We were offered to adopt Wiggles on Easter Sunday and went to sign the papers and all the volunteers were there and they were actually getting ready to have an Easter egg hunt for the precious furry ones!! That just showed how much love these fabulous volunteers have! I would highly recommend River Valley Animal Rescue!!

Don Sorenson

2023-05

Worst facility I’ve ever seen .. smellsRude staff.. adopted a dog & was told she was seen by vet & her teeth were checked.. my vet had to pull 5 teeth that were rotted !!! I feel bad for the animals stuck there

Dee Kwic

2021-05

They helped me adopt a great older pup for my older pup who was alone after losing his buddy due to sickness.They picked the right pup.. I've had her for 2 years now... they are the best of friends

Jonathon Bacon

2018-05

Very biased and a cruel staff to boot. Someone drove by my home without my knowledge or consent and then parked in my driveway and spied on my home for hours. They tried to tell me a six bedroom home in Bourbonnais was not adequate enough for me to adopt. They don't want to help their animals but keep them for themselves. I was told this was not like other shelters locally as the pets get couches and televisions. More like it isn't other shelters due to not wanting their rescues to have a forever home but rather just a couch. I was also told that after adoption wellness checks will be made for the rest of the pets life meaning I could not move out of the area. Despicable and disrespectful as I was called a liar by this organization publicly on Facebook when I never lied.

DeAnna Kiifner

2017-05

Had a wonderful visit with Dawn and "Lily". Very friendly staff and great temporary home for animals awaiting their furever homes. They seemed committed to assuring the animals adopted go to loving responsible families.

Jennifer Underwood

2023-09

🐾All my furbabies have come from RVAR. I wouldn’t adopt from any other place🐾