Angels Among Us Pet Rescue

At first, I thought this was a wonderful organization. I was promptly contacted, thoroughly checked, and got to meet my prospective dogs in a timely manner. The foster even drove to Athens for me. I adopted a dog, and at first everything was great. I later found out that not only was the dog not potty-​trained, kennel-​trained, or dog-​friendly as advertised, but he was actually 12 instead of 2 or 6 (I was given conflicting age reports, but either way, that’s a major difference). So, things didn’t work out between us. Angels was actually very understanding and though I was disappointed in the misrepresentation of the dog, I was impressed with how they handled the situation. What drove me to write this review is the fact that upon his return to the organization, nothing in his profile has been updated to reflect the realities of his needs in a forever home. I obviously check frequently because I loved the little guy, and am disgusted that the organization wouldn’t have the dog’s best interest in mind by accurately summarizing what he needs. Most shockingly, the photos were updated, and his tear-​stains were PHOTOSHOPPED out, to make him look like a completely different dog. I think this is all very sketchy and I just cannot give them the benefit of the doubt any longer.

I have to echo some sentiments here with regards to the way this organization treats potential forever homes. I too was made to feel inadequate as a potential adopter because I work out of the home 3 days a week. I live in a beautiful neighborhood with a giant fenced in yard, and both my husband and I have had 4 pets rescued that have lived nothing short of 14 years. Our dog is going on 15 years and we have provided a safe and nurturing environment to her and our other 3 pets. It’s unreasonable to deny an application based on the fact that one or more family members work outside of the home. There have been times where we have had to spend hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars towards medical bills for our pets. We do so because we consider them family members. Without our jobs we might not have been able to afford to care for them to this extent. Aside from that, we have always made provisions for pets when we are away from the home for longer hours during a day than anticipated. But dogs do learn how to cope for up to 8 hrs a day in homes where parents work. They can adapt. To be adopted into a loving and safe forever home is far more of a payoff than time spent alone a few times a week. A little unreasonable if you ask me.

As someone who has been involved in animal rescue for decades, I have mixed emotions about this operation. On the one hand, they’re obviously dedicated to finding the right placement for often traumatized animals. On the other hand, they pick way too many nits! I felt the assessment process was sometimes intrusive and the information requested unnecessary to determine my fitness to own a pet. I short-​circuited the process early on, as I was beginning to feel it was an exercise in futility. There are way less labor-​intensive procedures to provide a wonderful home for a needy dog.

Great organization, for people looking to them to adopt a pet. You can’t go wrong, for the reviewers who have had a terrible experience with the fosters asking too many questions or not responding back, etc. I might have an explanation, but first I have to bore you with my experience :)
Filled out an application on the AAU website, was contacted by phone and was approved to adopt. After that we contacted a few fosters about slightly older dogs (we settled on a 3month puppy. I know!) and had a couple that did not respond back which was very disappointing… but an AAU volunteer did reach out to me to make sure I got in touch with the foster to which I said I did not, she followed up and still no word. Following her direction when I did not see an email from the foster after a day I sent her a note, she responded back letting me know the foster did not like my profile! Which I have to admit pissed me off, the foster he/​she could have had the basic decency to let us know instead of ignoring us. at this point I was starting to fall in line with the Unilocalers who rated AAU poorly. Anyway after some perseverance and forgiving, ended up adopting a puppy at one of their adoption drives at the Northpoint mall, (he is a sweet little guy) 1 week into the adoption I was having second thoughts, this littly guy is the center of my schedule now. I no longer can stay at work all day (can’t remember why that bothered me), I need to go home middle of the day to let him out, I have to make sure his energy is well contained, he needs attention all the time and the first real complete dependent I have had (I was freaking the bleep out). Reenter AAU, reached out to the foster who was taking care of my puppy, she was understanding and started the process of taking him back, AAU swung into action set up a counselling call and helped me through those difficult times. Cut to the present we are now in a situation where we are a well adjusted owner and pet :) so I have to say end of the day it was a 5 star experience for us and we couldn’t be happier with our choice.
Finally my take on the poor reviews here.
If the foster is not responding back. that’s ok someone else from the organization will, be patient. They are volunteers, they are not making any money from providing this service to you so «adjust your expectations».
If the foster is nosy about your lifestyle/​living conditions thats a great thing. That foster cares for the dog, the animal probably has been adopted and returned before, you don’t want an insecure dog at home. The foster is doing you a favor by vetting you.
If the foster made you feel you are not qualified to own a dog, think about it you probably are not. Most wannabe dog owners like me are not qualified enough to own a dog. But you will grow into it. It’s upto you to make the foster believe you will grow into it. It is a life exchanging hands we are talking about, you can’t fault someone for being meticulous.

It’s been two months since I submitted an application. That process was ridiculous and I had to email numerous times to see about it being approved.
Trying to actually meet any of these dogs is also ridiculous. The first foster was actually very sweet, responsive AND she brought the dog to us and did our home check while she was there. Unfortunately, the dog she brought us was adopted by the second couple they visited that day. I’m happy the dog got a good home but we weren’t even given time to think about it or spent more than 15 mins with the dog before making a decision. It was like take him now or forget it.
The second foster was about as rude as they get telling me that after looking at my application that we wouldn’t be a good fit for the dog because we are recently engaged. Her reasoning was because we MIGHT have kids. I asked her if this dog had been tested with small children and she told me that in general small dogs don’t like small children. So, we got rejected because of something that may or may not even happen, not to mention I already have a small dog under 10lbs and he does just fine. I understand that sometimes kids and dogs aren’t a good mix but these people act like I would sell the dog to a dog fighting ring as bait if it didn’t work out.
The third round the foster gave the me the run around. Making appts to meet and then telling me we couldn’t see the dog bc he was being neutered. She told me this 3 times (really? he’s been neutered 3 times now?) and then finally emailed and said he’d been adopted.
So basically i’m over it. I appreciate the work this organization does but I wish them luck in finding owners for these dogs who can devote 100% of their time & energy to not on the process, but the dog they adopt as well. There are plenty of other rescue groups in the area to work with.

We had a great experience in adopting from this organization. We went to an adoption event to see a particular dog and we just loved him. The next day the foster brought him over to check our home, etc. he got to stay with us and we could not be happier to have him as our family. We are even thinking about adopting another dog from them.

Angels is a wonderful organization. They truly have the best interest of the animals in mind. I do not work for Angels but have been volunteering with them since January of this year and have successfully fostered and adopted out 4 dogs into loving families.
When I first applied to be a foster, I was promptly contacted, walked through the process over the phone, and had my home check done within days. I ended up taking a dog who was in boarding and needed a foster. Being my first time, I didn’t really know what to expect. Luckily, there was so much support through the Facebook groups, mentor program and just regular volunteers who wanted to help. I was lent a crate to use since I didn’t have one and had multiple people as contact points who readily gave me their home and cell phone numbers for any questions I had at any time. Six months later and I now can help the new fosters who are coming into the program. It’s truly a wonderful network.
I have volunteered with other rescue and humane organizations. Some with shelters. I loved that Angels rely on the network of fosters to place the animals into homes. I really believe that it’s the best way to transition dogs from shelters into their forever homes. Someone who gets to know the animal, provides comfort and a place to readjust to living in a home, rather than on the streets, in a shelter, etc. I know there are comments on this page with people who may be disappointed that they were unable to adopt the dog that they wanted. I understand the frustration, but I want to emphasize how much time and effort the fosters put into these animals’ well being. If it’s not the right fit, the foster has full responsibility to make that call. In my opinion, this is the right way to do it. If it’s not a good fit, is it really the organization’s fault?
Over the past months, I have seen the amazing work that is done on a DAILY basis. I’m talking saving lives… every day. I would hesitate to take any of these negative reviews to heart until you have interacted with Angels yourself. From every interaction I’ve had, they are responsive, compassionate and kind-​hearted. Please take the time to experience Angels for yourself! And if you had a bad experience… reach out again. I can promise you they want to help!

I wish I would of read all the 1 star reviews before wasting my time, and emotions on this rescue. I have rescued 5 dogs from other rescues with no problems or hassles and this rescue was a joke. I too filled out an app. didn’t hear back on any of the 3 dogs I was interested in until Friday, got 1 response on 1 of the dogs, nothing on the other 2. Was told I can’t see the dog because she was being transferred into her foster home and she has to «get settled in» before we can look at her, REALLY? Asked to see her the next day got no response. I then sent an unfriendly email back to the main email address and got an email response to call Marla. Called left a message on Sat. am got no return call until that night. Was told she will find out what happend and will get to the bottom of the frustration, she was supposed to call me that night, NO CALL. Texted her the next am, got a response, I’ll contact the foster. Go no call back EVER! Went to PAWS Atlanta and rescued the sweetest litt girl ever, glad we did. I have adopted from PAWS ATLANTA, GA SPCA and IL Dobe Rescue (in Illinois) never had any problems so there are good rescues, just do your research before you waste your time.

This organization is awful. They lie and mislead people that are genuinely interested in adopting a pet. They say the dog is available and talk about a meet and greet time then you suddenly get a email that the dog has been adopted. We have been good donors to the organization but I cannot recommend anyone to give money to this organization. We are stopping our financial support. Awful management, lies and deceit rule the day for this organization.

I agree wholeheartedly with the one star reviews.
The volunteers I’ve interacted with are so rude and really make you feel unqualified to own a dog– almost like you aren’t worthy. I can’t believe these volunteers are allowed to talk to people like that– people who spent hours filling out the application and looking through 7 – 8 pages of dogs only to find out that all the ones you would like to adopt have either been adopted or the foster family has deemed you not a good fit without even talking to you. It’s insane how pretentious this organization is. They want every little detail about your life and speak to you in such a condescending manner.
The volunteer told me it was very unrealistic that any of my close friends and family would support me with this whole thing. Who says that?! And she was trying to make me feel guilty about her volunteering on a Sunday! Seriously, save your time and efforts and go somewhere that respects you and the love you have for dogs.

More like demons among us. I attempted to adopt one of the puppies I was interested in, it took them over a week to get back to me to tell me that someone had adopted it already. Mind you four people of this organization «approved» my application to then tell me they don’t have it. Come to further investigation their inventory is incorrect and most of the dogs posted on their site have already been adopted. My advice to anyone who reads this, stick with breeders as animal rescues are a hassle. Especially this one as they try to spade females dogs very early on; which if you didn’t know can give female dogs bladder issues in the long run. Not to mention house visits after they’ve put you through all this! Hope this helps!

I wanted to share a very negative experience I had recently with this organization. They are completely unprofessional, inconsistent and unorganized. I have volunteered for many pet rescues and understand the tremendous pressure they’re under since they are all-​volunteer run. But this is the first time I’ve ever felt insulted during an adoption process. While so tempting to name the volunteer I won’t. But if she is at all representative of the organization’s conduct and values I truly pity the animals there.

We adopted two pets from AAU. They are GREAT people. They are all volunteers but they still work their butts off. Instead of just handing off whichever pet you’re wanting (like most other rescues) they REALLY take the time to make sure that that pet is not only good for you, but you are good for that pet. I had to wait two months for my pup to be well enough to leave his fosters home, but he was totally worth it. Definitely recommend them!

I have adopted two pups from Angels and I cannot say enough good things about them. My husband and I are totally in love with our pups and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The adoption process did take several weeks, but that’s because Angels makes sure they are sending their pups to the best possible home. The people who complain about the process need to understand Angels is looking out for the best interests of the dogs. Angels is a volunteer operation and most of the volunteers don’t do this full time. And yes, I now foster for Angels when I can. And I also get frustrated with the process sometimes, but it us all worth it when you can save a dog from dying alone and unloved in a shelter or in an abandoned home.

We adopted our dog Dallas from them and it was a great experience! We put in an application, someone called and told us that he would be at an event we took our other dog to meet him! It was love at first site! So happy we adopted not shopped!

Angels Among Us doesn’t seem to care about people who wish to adopt their animals. I did an application over a week ago and I didn’t get a response. I applied once again and I received a response saying I will hear from them in a couple of days. The next day I got an email saying I have 2 applications in and a second one isn’t needed. Well if they responded to the FIRST one I wouldn’t have needed to apply again.
ALSO I went to Petco where they had an adoption day. I spoke to the «main lady» and told her the name and breed of the dog I’ve been wanting for over a week. She said, «I don’t think we have that dog». I said I will tell you the pet id number and she shut me down by looking away from me and speaking to other people and ignoring me while I stood there for several minuets.
I will NEVER adopt with this company being that they want $ 300 from me to get a pet and won’t even help me get a pet…

In April of 2011, our family at home consisted of me, Grammy, our rescue Shih Tzu/​Pekingese, Empress Muffin (15 yrs old), and our rescue Yorkie, Princess Peanut (10 years old). Our household was happy: three girls and one old codger. Then, our friend Donna, a volunteer with Angels Among Us, told us about Raleigh, a 9 year old CockerPoo who had been abandoned by his former family in a weekly rental motel room for a week without water or food. He had a desperate need to be fostered for a while. Donna kept after us for two weeks (Come see him! He’s SOOOO sweet! He’s no problem at all! He’s totally housetrained!!! He’s soooo low profile!!! He’s a LOVE!!!), so we finally went to see this amazing dog. At this point, I will tell you, having had this experience 4 times now, that if you go see the little people, they WILL go home with you eventually. My objections were, in no particular order, that a) Male dogs were always a disaster for us because of their leg-​lifting habits on our furniture (NOOOO!); b) Our social order in our home was firmly established, with Grammy being alpha, Empress Muffin being co-​alpha, Princess Peanut being assistant alpha, and me being the court jester; c) Who in their right minds would live with three indoor dogs while being retired? We’re supposed to be traveling whenever we want to!
We ended up with Raleigh coming home on a ‘trial’. Empress Muffin passed her part of the throne to (now) Queen Peanut this last Spring and joined the ranks of canine monarchs in Heaven. Raleigh was lovingly coached past his (understandable) paranoia and suspicions and elevated to Prince, and now he and I have conversations about the beneficial aspects of Rex Regina.
Angels Among Us did a wonderful job of documenting Raleigh’s background, health, needs, and providing support for him. They help so many needy animals each month. Wonderful people!

I found my new baby! Z found «Reno» online and sent his info to me. His foster mom, Corene, is a sweetheart and clearly took good care of him for the month she’s had him. He. Is. Precious.
She was sweet enough to come in town to meet me since I can’t go to the adoption event tomorrow, and as she came to the office, everyone got to meet him!
My application went through via email and I got a nice note back (promptly) from the folks at Angels Among Us and based on everyone’s good experiences with them, my interactions online and then meeting my new little one, I said «yes»!
He’s a 9 month old Maltese/​Pekegnese mix (more Peke– see the underbite!!) and (see my new pics) totally precious. I am dying that I’m at work and Z’s getting to babysit during his first few hours. .. and I have to figure out what to call him!
So, so happy. 5 o’clock can’t come fast enough and if you’re in the market — check out this great organization!

This afternoon I attended their PBR for Pups event at Steamhouse Lounge. I was actually invited by someone I went to high school with and hadn’t really interacted with him other than Facebook. Despite our long time lapse, it was good to see each other again and I learned a lot about this organization from him.
He brought Olivia to the party. Apparently he and his family had been fostering her for the last few weeks. When they got her she was totally emaciated and now, thanks to him and Angels Among Us, she has a clean bill of health. She’s available for adoption and they charge a nominal fee that includes her microchip (among other things).
I definitely think this is a great organization. If you think a dog would compliment you and/​or your family, I highly encourage you to check them out. Of course, there are lots of other noble resources for adopting pets and I’m glad that this charity is another worthwhile cause.

Deborah and the other folks at Angels Among Us helped us immensely with a Craigslist kitten today. Jodi didn’t realize the kitten had fleas, and Angels Among Us invited us to meet them at a PETCO in Johns Creek. It was well worth the drive; they got the store to donate a flea bath and AAU themselves donated kitten-​sized doses of Capstar and Strongid to keep this kitten healthy. They also referred us to a very affordable vet up by the Forsyth/​Gwinnett county line (separate review coming soon).
Angels Among Us did so much for us and were grateful for a $ 20 donation. I know they named themselves for the animals they rescue, but I’m starting to suspect that it could just as easily refer to their staff!