West Milford Animal Shelter Society

brian creeley

2023-05

Found a stray this past week and brought it down to the shelter to see if they could help find its owner. They were super caring for the kitty and helpful in explaining everything about the process to me. Within the hour they had a post on their Facebook page. I'm super confident that little kitty is in good hands.

Joan Johnson

2020-05

Its a wonderfully ran operation. The staff is fantasic. Many volunteers with big hearts.This is Peeps(aka Chickie). She had been at their facility for a year and needed a home. She had been with us for 3 years now and such a sweetheart. So adopt don't buy. Lots of lovely, cute, old and young babies that need their first or second chance that are looking for their furever home.

Kathy Morelli

2023-06

I was so happily surprised when I met the staff at West Milford animal shelter. Every contact with them was amazing. My mother-in-law needed to go on hospice. And we needed to take care of her two cats. We are allergic. So we could not take them ourselves. West Milford animal shelter stepped in and helped us. They are amazing. Caring, competent, and a wonderful facility. Wonderful staff wonderful facility. Adopt, don’t shop!

Valerie Fahey

2023-08

Wednesday completed an adoption application for an animal. I was told I could call Friday to hear something. I called today and was told they were “almost through their decision” and “someone will call in a few days or I can call back”. I saw them post the animal’s adoption on Instagram and they never called me. Never told me the animal was almost through this process orI simply would have looked at other options as well. Zero transparency or communication skills.

M Fab

2024-04

Very dedicated volunteers. Very clean and caring place.

alexander colon

2023-05

Not even worth the one star.In the middle of June, I decided that I wanted to adopt a cat, and my brother, a shelter volunteer, informed me that there were lovely adult cats up for adoption and two kittens in quarantine that would be available for adopting sometime soon. I considered the kittens but also figured why not see if there’s an adult cat I can adopt. I decided to go to the shelter in person and express my interest in adopting.My first problem was when I first met their senior black cat, Cooper. He’s a 15 year old cat with health conditions. I fell in love with him. Sweet sweet boy. They told me he requires medication every day. When I asked how much that medication would cost so I could consider adopting him, most of the volunteers just stared at me clueless as if that was something I should’ve known. They asked this one woman who seemed to be in charge and she told me she had to call someone and ask but they’d call me and tell me the cost the next day. That same day, I was taken to the back room where those two kittens where in quarantine and was able to look at them and everything. I filled out an application for Cooper and they told me that they would put it to the side and call me once they had information on his medication.The next day an hour before the shelter closed I still hadn’t received a call back, so I went ahead and called the shelter and asked if they had a number on Cooper’s medication, and the person who answered told me he’s “not the person that would know that sort of thing.” Aggrivated, I asked him who would know and he sighed and said he’d contact the person who’d know and get back to me.I didn’t get a response for another day.His medication turned out to be too expensive for me to take on so I sadly decided to not adopt Cooper. I hope someone will take that sweet boy soon. But then, I decided to tell them about my interest in those kittens. I asked for a ballpark estimate of when to expect the kittens to be available for adoption and they said in July.Once July rolled around, I called every other day inquiring the availability of the cats. Except each time I called, I would get no help. No matter what day or time it was and no matter who answered, I was met with an array of dismissive answers. They would say things like “I don’t know.”, “Call back another day.” “How would I know? Check the website for something like that.” “I’m not the person you should be asking.” “I just volunteer here I don’t know that stuff.” After so many attempts I got fed up with how useless the staff was being and I decided to adopt a kitten from a rescue organization in Riverdale.The WM shelter has still yet to contact me about availability of kittens yet I am seeing kitten adoptions through their Facebook page. Not posts of availability, just straight up adoptions.I am just in disbelief with how little help the volunteers are. I thought that the shelter was supposed to encourage folks to adopt and bring animals home but they seem to just not give anyone the time of day. I am more infuriated with the time I wasted with the paperwork, phone calls and meeting all these people at the shelter to discuss taking a kitten home only for them to not put in effort and call me.Do better West Milford Animal Shelter.

Donna Bauer

2023-05

Wonderful place! I adopted my 16 year old cat here 15 years ago. He's still here making me happy everyone.Went back to visit and took application to volunteer!Please rescue ❤️

Lyn Decker

2019-05

Brilliantly clean, super friendly volunteers, and the animals are all healthy and well-cared for!

Joel Oster

2024-02

Well maintained, clean and they care about the animals.

bobbie del sol

2022-05

Adopted three cats from this shelter. I know the staff.It's a clean facility,bright n the cats are in large cages.The animals are well taken care of by people who volunteer their time and love animals.I highly recommend this shelter for a site to come to adopt pets.Bobbie Del Sol🐈🐕

Jay Bee

2019-05

Top notch facility - Volunteers always helpful and the animals well taken care of. We and other family members have adopted from them and have been VERY happy. A few volunteers have gone above and beyond for us, Cindy, Paula and a woman that I'm not sure of the name, maybe Glory or Sunshine. Such nice women with great advice, really knew their stuff. The place is so clean and the animals seem so well taken care of - they obviously care a great dealAs for the reviewer "michelle" - something smells very fishy about your post - I think you have an ax to grind with someone. I do know they are VERY careful who they adopt the animals out to so maybe you did not make the grade? Perhaps you need a hobby, or a life.

Robert Veralli

2019-05

Clean and caring facility for the sheltering and protection of West Milford's homeless animal population! Outstanding all volunteer staff treats each and every resident as if they were their own personal pet! You won't find a better run shelter anywhere!

Richard Rasp

2017-05

My wife tried to adopt a kitten and all I've got to say is WOW! We have been loving cat owners for over 30 years and now we have 2 children and want to give a new kitten a great home and this absolutely horrible women that works there would not even give us the time of day! Great job hag! You just stopped a kitten from having a great life with our family! With that said, please beware of this terrible experience and nasty women. My wife is so upset after receiving this hard time from this nasty women!

Caitlin Ennis

2017-05

I adopted the sweetest cat back in the early 90s named Otto...he was a big orange and white tabby about a year or two old... I was six years old and insistent on getting a "girl cat all white with blue eyes"... well let me tell you when I went into the adult cat area Otto kept getting in my lap giving me kisses and cuddles...my mom said to me"what about this one he seems to really like you Caitlin" and I said"but mommy he's a boy I want a girl cat!"...lo and behold he would not leave my side so finally I said "ok we can take him"... BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! He was the sweetest patient most loving cat I ever met! He was with me for a whole twenty years! I miss him so much now that he has passed away, but I know he's always with me... The people at the shelter were just wonderful and I will absolutely be going back soon with my boyfriend to adopt two cats this fall when we move into our first apartment... I am so grateful to West Milford Animal shelter for giving me Otto...he was truly a special cat and I can't wait to see what happens when we go to adopt another one! 😃

Maureen McCarter

2023-05

It's a great place to adopt your next new furry best friend. Very clean and the people are very helpful and friendly. Their fees are more than reasonable

Linda Fochi

2021-05

West Milford Shelter helped us take home a beautiful Tabby Cat named Rain, yesterday. Lovely, kind, caring staff.Gave us more items then ever expected for Rain.She is transitioning well. Hardly hid at all. Hit the floor running and playing.

Rosie NYC

2019-05

I adopted one of my dogs 7 years ago from another shelter in NJ with no problem at all. It was an easy and painless process that involved meeting with all the members of my family, meeting the dog, playing with dog for a while and off we went. Not at this shelter were supposedly my family and I would have had to be "interviewed" by 3 ladies from some kind of shelter community board before we could even be considered to adopt. And of course, they could not all be there on the same day so we would have had to come back 3 separate times to this middle of nowhere town to meet them. Based on the looks I got when I first went there, and how much the lady at the front desk went out of her way to make the process sound very difficult, I have the feeling they really did not want me to adopt from their shelter after all and that we were not going to be deemed to be a "suitable" pet family regardless. Needless to say, I said "Thank you for the information", turned around and left. Found my second pet at a great shelter where the process was easy and painless. Seems to me getting the pets adopted is not as important as getting ego-boosting fixes at this shelter after all.

Sandra Ferrarella

2022-05

I volunteer at the shelter. Love working with the animals and seeing them get their forever home. Terrific place because they care about every animal that comes in and excited for those who get adopted.

Jennifer Kim

2020-05

Had a pretty bad experience this week trying to adopt a bunny. Had so much difficulty communicating with this shelter and in the end, I was denied the bunnies because I also own a cat. I have done so much research about cats and rabbits and I created a very large enclosure dedicated to the rabbits where the cat could not access them.I am going to find my rabbits elsewhere, but please take better care of Scooby and Bear. They are being overfed with pellets, which they should not be given unlimited amounts of. Rabbits need hay more than pellets and I wanted to help those bunnies find a better home. Also carrots are TREATS, not food.Overall this was a really frustrating and disheartening experience. More than my personal frustrations, please take better care of those bunnies. It’s clear that they are very overweight because of their poor diet and care in this shelter.

Michael Byro

2018-05

I know this shelter was taken over by the town with volunteers and God bless most of them. Having said that, I have had a couple of bad experiences with impolite folks there, it is random who you get. I said something positive on "the real cats of WM page" and was immediately banned or blocked (this is Laurie and not Michael) and I have spoken to other tax payers who were disenchanted by their experiences here. In the past i adopted from Oakland, and Warwick NY and Siamese rescue, so I know there are other options but I used to send donations regularly but the last experience was so unpleasant (3 kittens in dire need of rescue that were on the Ringwood border and were immediately adopted) but I was nastily told this was a breach on my part but since Ringwood vets have volunteered there as well, I didn't think this was such a bad thing. As i say as a resident for 60 years and a tax payer for 40 I would like to give this place 5 stars, but it really is a matter of who you get when you call or walk in. We adopted our last "furry son" there 13 years ago through them and that was a great experience, what I will say to those reading this is call TWICE on different days and if both days you get a bad vibe, then try another shelter. i have learned that is I get a crabby or worse "officious" person, I call back and generally most the volunteers are pleasant AND caring. I have just given them an additional star for helping send an injured vulture to the proper authorities after Mike rescued it. But again, I keep hearing unpleasant reports about how rude they are to the public, good for and to the animals but unnecessarily unpleasant

Rob Souders

2018-05

I went to the shelter Sunday looking for a dog to adopt with my girlfriend, who has always had a dog and recently lost her pet Bandit and was ready to find a new family member. I suggested the pound because it good to save a dog, but to me the experience was not good. We were basically rushed out and not allowed to interact with any of the dogs, even the two they said were available for adoption, the others were new and not ready. Really was a complete waste of time and felt disrespected and hurried out the door. We were given the excuse the air show was stirring up the dogs, really felt like a lame excuse and we were a bother. Oh well, other shelters.

Pam D

2024-01

Was able to meet a cat and adopted him

Victor Odin

2017-05

We have had three perfect cats for over fifteen years. We wanted to adopt a six yo cat w special needs. After being put through the third degree by some hag that was as rude as rude gets they said we weren't allowable because we couldn't account for every missed vet appt in ten years. Now that poor cat will sit there until they kill him. And don't believe the "no kill" crap. That just means they don't do it there.

Joe Rivera

2017-05

We went there looking to give a dog a forever home and everyone there were the best the showed us Bella this lil baby is an angle . She is spoiled by the both of us but with Bella you just can't help .Now we think a playmate for Stella is the next step so it's back to westmilford and we will not go anywhere else this is our new home ..To the staff thank you for makeing this experience the best it could be may god bless you allPS we will be taking Stella to see you all today .

Laura Ann

2013-05

Wonderful place to adopt. This place is very serious about keeping cats and dogs off the streets. Clean, healthy animals, shining facility and helpful volunteers.

Elena

2023-05

Kind, compassionate and amazing people! Thank you for helping me with my kitten when I needed the most. I will forever be in debt to you!

Dawn Strubeck

2021-05

The West Milford Animal Shelter is very well maintained. Staff is very helpful and makes the animals the priority. Thank you all for what you do.

Mike

2020-05

Have adopted two dogs and a cat and will likely continue to try and adopt when we can. Great caring team with great facilities.

Lauren Roy

2020-05

A lady in my neighborhood who allegedly volunteers there stole my neighbors cat and had it adopted out in what they are calling “record time” meanwhile my neighbors kids are devastated and want their family pet back. The shelter seems to be refusing to call them back. The cops have since been called. This lady was also trying to take another cat yesterday.

Jennifer Rehbein

2023-05

I adopted my car from here and they were very nice and helpful