Story County Animal Shelter

Jenn Me.

2024-03

Very dedicated shelter. Everyone is so friendly and nice! We ended up adopting on the spot the day of our visit for Finley and it was the best decision we could have made. He fits in so well with our family. The adoption process was so easy and smooth. They even send you home with food to transition your new family member at home and a goody bag too. As well as a certificate to take to your vet for a free physical checkup! Overall, a great experience! We will keep Story County in mind for our next adoption:)

Kayla Bergman

2023-05

We adopted 2 barn cats last summer and had a great experience! They let us borrow their kennels to take the cats home and even gave us some of the food they were eating and some stuff to attract them to the litter box in their new home.

Lois Hill

2022-05

SIMPLY FANTASTIC! I adopted me a furbaby today. The best experience meeting my forever baby. It was a meet-and-greet with the one I originally picked out, but then they showed me 2 more, and I fell in love three times. What an experience I had! I only took the one that loved on me from the moment we glared into each other's eyes. Momma loves her baby. She will be spoiled rotten. As she should be...

Nancy Pritchard

2024-04

Excellent resource. Has great staff and takes fantastic care of the animals that go through there

Travis Lenig

2018-05

Careing shelter and staff. Lots of animals needing loving homesWe have adopted almost all of our fur family here. Donate care items they need support call and ask what they are in need of.

Deb Malsom

2024-01

We stopped in to give a donation in A friend's name. They are also sending a note to our friends! Cool!

Jolene Stouwie

2024-01

The people there were awesome! Deb is who I worked with. She was and is AWESOME!

Megan McFadden

2022-05

I adopted Patches from the Story County Animal Shelter in July 2020. She’s a huge diva who loves playing with toys, and she gets along with her siblings very well.

Tawnya Zerr

2018-05

The staff there truly loves the animals and will make sure the animals get to live their lives with the right loving caring people. It's because of them that we got our little girl Sammie!

Nancy Dorer

2023-09

We just adopted a kitten yesterday and he is so wonderful he bonded to us right away we love him That is a great place to go so why are you waiting go get one !

GaiL Foley

2023-05

I live in the same city but had never been to this shelter. It's definitely bigger than it used to be from a street view and even bigger inside than I thought it would be . The only problem is at the very least, half of the building inside belongs not to the to the animals but to the humans. While they have well over enough room to do as they please the cats and dogs share the other half. One fourth each needless to say is not near enough room. They said they don't allow you to go in where the dogs are because it stresses them out. Not sure how the "You don't see them before you adopt them" works out but on the kitty/cat side 3 adult cats to one not so big kennel sharing one food bowl and cat box also in with them. Not all have 3 each some had 2 little young cats to one kennel. Come on give up some of your space so they can have more space which they really need

Alex M

2017-05

I adopted a dog, Delta, as an emotional support animal from the story county animal shelter about two months ago. I had a great experience! The staff were so friendly and answered any questions I had. I changed deltas name to vesper :) the whole process took a about five days. I understand why they don't just give the animals to the first person that walks through the door, they want to make sure it's a fit that way the animal and the person / family adopting are both happy. I also adopted a cat a few years back and while I did not get the cat I applied for, they helped me find a cat that fit me and she, too, is perfect. I recommend this shelter for anyone looking for a forever companion!

Chad Macziewski

2016-05

I had been looking for a cat for a few months and decided to try looking at the local animal shelter. When I came in the staff was very nice and after I had found the perfect cat they were more than helpful when it came to filling out my application. They said it would take a couple days for my application to be processed. After three days I received a call stating that my application had been approved and that I could come in a pick up my cat that day or at my earliest convenience. A very nice experience for me after months of looking for a cat. I would definitely recommend them in the future.

KimK

2016-05

Our dog had passed away and it had been 10 days. We had to have her put down due to cancer. I said we weren't going through this again, that was three dogs ago. We knew eventually we would have another dog we didn't know it would be so soon. We were looking on line and saw our dog, Katie, we knew she was the one for us. When I went to meet her, I was told she was possibly going to another home, it wasn't finalized yet and I could still see her. The shelter contacted the person that had inquired first and they said to go ahead and to let us have her if we wanted to. I had filled out an application, just in case,and had a great and meet with another dog that was just as wonderful. I would have taken them both if I had the room to.Several years ago we adopted from this shelter and Dakota was a wonderful dog.We have had Miss Katie - did, that's right, all of our dogs had a middle name, for a week now. She is pretty smart knows several commands and we are going to take her,I should say, she is taking us to obedience classes. Thank you to the Story County Animal Shelter, adopting Katie has been bitter sweet, as we are still missing our Sasha. Katie already knows when I'm not feeling well, she passed with flying colors yesterday, she stayed beside me the whole day.Thank you again,Kim & Bob and Katie-did too!

Nov Aguilera

2017-05

Honestly I wish I could leave 0 stars. I went in and met this adorable little dog so I filled out an application and asked how the process works, will I get a call, etc. Well they said if they didn't call in the next 5 days, then I should call. So 5 days passes and I call and was told my application hadn't even been processed yet and the girl working on mine wasn't there so I'd get a call back the next day when she works. Two days later I hadn't received a call so I went in just to see what was going on and what not, she then began processing my application, a whole week later from when I went in. She said that the shelter manager hadn't made a decision as to who ,out of the applications, would get her but is making one the next day. So I ask if she'll give me a call tomorrow to let me know either if I got her or someone else did. Now it's over two weeks later and I never got a call back. I called three times last week and no one answered, also left a voicemail and received no call back. I don't see why it's so hard for them to hust be considerate of the applicants who would just like to know what's going on. They were very rude whenever I talked to them and didn't seem to care about getting their animals new homes. Very disappointing and I think there needs to be all new employees here or a very very different system. I won't be going back to this place ever again and will never recommend it to anyone. I hope those dogs do eventually get a home and they don't keep ignoring people so they are stuck there. Just a very unprofessional place and hard to deal with.

Samantha Adkins

2018-05

Wonderful staff and great place to volunteer! I have been volunteering here for a few years now and the staff has always been kind and caring towards their animals and people. They are very careful that the animals they adopt out go to great homes. Once I graduate I will definitely be looking into adopting a dog, cat, or another animal from their shelter.

Frank Mehrtens

2018-05

I think the staff judge you in the first 5 minutes. I wanted to adopt a specific cat and filled out an application. No call back. And when I called I could not get a straight answer even though the cat was still there. Staff seemed odd. I just went and adopted a cat from a home shelter for my kids. Happy I did, sweet cat. Also take note that the positive reviews are fake or made internally.. Look at the profiles. Only 1 review per person on a couple of the most recent reviews. Interesting .....

Kirsten Jones

2020-05

If I could put 0 stars I would have. This place is a joke. I've been in there twice and both times staff was VERY rude on answering questions. They don't even greet you when you come in. Don't offer to ask what type of animal you're looking for or if you're just looking. All of the cats have nice warm beds with something soft to lay on, while all of the dogs (both times I've been there, which were roughly two years apart), have pallets and a hard floor with no toys or blankets. From what we saw where their donations were, they clearly could take one cage at a time and make it more comfortable and roomy. Going into the dogs area was like going into a dungeon while the cat area seemed comfortable and more mellow. My bf and I just couldn't believe it! I will choose Ames Animal Shelter over this one anyday from now on! I truly hope they step up and do a better job with everything!

Jack Ermisch

2017-05

Very very un-responsible and immature employees. My friend was trying to adopt a dog here so we went in to fill out an application and meet with the animals. We then left the application and were told they would call in 2-3 days but if we hadn't heard back we should call. Of course no call was received so we called 5 days later. Some girl answered and said she would have one of the people in charge call back the next day. Next day comes....and goes. We call again and the one who was supposed to call us answers and says "Oh yeah let me look for your application and I'll call you right back." ....48 hours later....we go to the actual place to check in. We just want a yes or no at this point. They once again say we will get a call later and they hadn't decided yet. They never have called us again and this was over two weeks ago and we tried calling on more time but clearly are on a do-not-answer list since we got ignored and even left a voice mail. Extremely disappointed in how the employees conduct this place and think a whole change in staff is necessary. VERY rude. VERY unhappy. All we wanted was to give a dog a nice home, now she will have to sit in a metal cage for months since the staff is so lazy.

Savanna Smith

2020-05

The people there are amazing and are very kind. It’s a great place to volunteer and to adopt from. The dogs and cats are equally cared for and you don’t have to worry about one animal being treated better then the other. If you want a pet this is the place to go. They are so kind and answer many questions. I hope you choose to adopt from them.

Mischa Sinclair

2017-05

I've been frequenting this shelter for a few months now. The staff aren't very helpful unless I spell out what I want. i.e. can't ask "what's this animal like" have to instead ask "what's the name, what's the gender, is it good with cats, does it like people, how old is it, is it for adoption yet" etc. Have to ask each question one at a time or risk not getting an answer.Staff don't offer to introduce you to the animals or help you choose the right one. Staff argued with me over ADA rules and regulations, which really put me off from adopting here.There's a dog in the back of the shelter that they refuse to introduce to people or put up for adoption. I understand it's for safety and liability sake, but this is a tax funded shelter. This animal, since he is a liability to the shelter (that's why they won't let anybody near him) needs to move on to another rescue or something. They don't have room to keep him permanently.Staff don't label the kennels like they're supposed to. Each dog is supposed to have information about it stating the breed they think it is, the approximate age, how it got there, whether it's up for adoption or not yet, the name, whether it's spayed or neutered, etc. I've seen a total of two dogs get labelled properly in all the months I've been visiting.Despite claiming to update their facebook and website regularly, they don't. I visit once or twice a week. I see what dogs come in and out. Almost none of them are on the website. The staff have plenty of time to update these things, as there's usually four of them in the building at once. They don't exactly do a lot. You can find them playing on computers or phones or reading instead of updating information on the animals.I'd move on to adopt somewhere else, but this is the closest shelter to my area and I have a very hard time getting around.

Lindsay Smith

2019-05

I wasn't impressed with how the dogs were cared for. Theres totes and bags full of donated items (blankets, toys, ect) and the dogs were in a cement cage with a pallet to sleep on. No toys, blankets, NOTHING in the cages. Not even a water dish.When I put an application in for a dog I wanted, it took about a week to finally take her home. I don't think they would've called me back if I didn't keep calling in to check on my application progress.Some of the gals there were pretty helpful and upbeat..that's the only reason why I give it 2 stars.

Jo Farnsworth

2017-05

I recently lost my dog in a tragic accident. After searchingI found a dog on this website that was perfect. I called the shelter on a Saturday and completed my application over the phone. Answering all questions I was asked. Was told the dog was available but there were other applicants. I was to call back in 3-4 business days if I hadn't heard anything by then. Tried calling twice the next Thursday (Monday was a holiday), no answer, no answering machine. Called in Friday, 3rd time someone answered the phone and said they would have someone call me back. Received call back and was told the dog had been adopted. Apparently my application hadn't even been processed due to 2 unanswered questions. Questions I had NOT been asked during phone application. No call back when they saw this, no follow up. Very unprofessional way to do business. Disappointing to say the least.

Michelle McClintic

2018-05

First of all - their hours aren't listed anywhere. Called to find out when they are open and no later than 4:00 pm on weekdays. NO weekends. Won't make an appointment unless you fill out an application and are approved. Why would I fill out an app if I don't find an animal I like? And from other reviews I've read it takes FOREVER to get an application approved. Guess we will be looking elsewhere...which is too bad since they have some really great potential pets!

J Gard

2016-05

Be wary....they were holding a cat for me (that was sick) while I got my cats up to date on shots. They called me back and asked if my cats were up to date and if I still wanted the cat. I said yes and then they adopted the cat out from under me. This happened with two different cats. Told them to throw my application away, I won't be back!

Zac Ose

2016-05

This place is a joke. What a waste of our tax payers dollars. Unprofessional, bitchy and down right stupid. You are a fricking animal shelter!! It shouldn't take weeks for you to make a decision. If someone wants a cat or dog give it to them. It seems like they search for anything they can find to disrupt your application process. You all should be fired as you are wasting our money and time with your ridiculous screening process. I hope you all get stuck with all those animals. Have a horrible day story county animal shelter. You make me and my family sick.

Lizmari Collazo

2015-05

They are not a good place. They really lead us along with promises of working with us, and without warning they adopted out the cat we wanted. "We'll work with you" turned into attacking us for being 'bad owners' because our vet and our landlord weren't quick to get them the information they needed. But even after the landlord called them, the next day they just gave our cat away to someone else. After having suffered the devastating loss of our last pet, it was just not worth it to put ourselves emotionally through this with these people.

Marla Sandve

2022-05

The staff is wonderful, you can see the love for the animals here. Very clean. Deb was wonderful helping adopt a cat. And the cat is already totally loved.

Heather Pearson

2023-05

Staff was very friendly and helpful. The animals rooms were clean. They had lots of very friendly animals looking for homes.

Tara Yoder

2017-05

The staff works very hard to match the pet with the best family possible. Patient's is the key and keep checking back, no they don't always return calls because an emergency comes up and the staff is more involed with the welfare of an animal that may need more attention. I will be back yo adopt!