The Barking Lot

The Barking Lot experience was different than my experience with other shelters, in that they really worked with us on finding the right pup for our lifestyle. The adoption counselor was always quick to respond and very accommodating, especially when we weren’t ready to adopt after our first play date and waited a few weeks to come back and try again. I really appreciate that the adoption process is more involved than other rescues, with home checks and we also had to do a cat check which was very important to us. The volunteer at the rescue spent a lot of time with us and was in no rush even though it was nearly 9pm on a Wednesday evening. And now we have the most perfect pup and couldn’t be happier!!! Will definitely recommend the Barking Lot to others!

The Barking Lot is not like most rescue shelters. Their way of doing things is different from other shelters. Their application is longer than the others, they require a home visit by volunteers before adopting, and it is an appointment only.
With that being said, the Barking Lot Team kept in contact with us the whole time. Barking Lot’s Lara asked about our history, what our musts and hard no’s were, and even provided with a list of other possible fits with similar personalities and behaviors. The process took 10 days from start of the application to our appointment. It is pretty clear the dogs come first which it should be, but the fit has to mutual.
As for the appointment time (instead of typical walk in) it is to give you their undivided attention. My girlfriend and I set a list of 6 potential pups and had a chance to walk, spend time, and chat with the Barking Lot team. After 2.5 hours we fell in love and found our perfect match. We love our pup Dakota (née Ladera) and this process is the way it should be done. I encourage others to give this process a try. It took us 9 months to find the right fit and wish we tried the Barking Lot earlier.

Adopting our pup was a very straightforward process. The website is very easy to navigate and frequently updated. Also their fb page is great and also has lots of information. Our adoption coordinator Lara was great, responded quickly and thoroughly to emails, and the entire process from start to end took about a week including the house check. Overall great experience with this organization.

Adopted a life long healthy pup from here! The volunteers and staff are truly dedicated to finding homes for pups. So happy to have found this organization and our new forever family member. If you follow the instructed pre checks ahead of time, you will be well prepared to bring your new pup home after the «play date».

Adopted a great dog from here. When we brought him home, we noticed he had a limp. We got x-​rays done and it turns out he had broken his leg as a puppy and it healed on its own since he was a stray. Unfortunately, the bone stopped growing so his leg is shorter than the other one. When we got him, he was only 8 months so he was still growing and we’re worried his bad leg is going to cause issues down the line especially if he gets tall enough that the leg won’t reach the ground. We called the barking lot and told them our concerns. After a few calls and emails, they stopped taking our calls and won’t respond to our emails. The last email we received was them telling us they talked to their orthopedic surgeon and he said our dog would have no issues. How does he know this without even looking at our dog? All we asked of them was to get us an appointment with their surgeon and then maybe help with some of the medical costs if something needed to be done. They never disclosed his injury to us at adoption so I think they should pay for some of the medical bills especially when they’re charging almost $ 500 for a stray dog. This place is a total scam. They’re just interested in making money. They don’t care about the dogs they care for

The Barking Lot was awesome in helping us find the perfect dog! The website is great –love the in depth descriptions and pictures. The process might be long, but they are dedicated to finding their pups the best homes possible. They were quick to respond and very easy to communicate with via email! When we met our puppy, Pax, it was love at first sight. We have had him home now for a week and we could not be happier! Thanks, TBL.

The minute we saw Ginger online, we knew she was going to be our dog! I filled out the application, and a day and a half later we got an email from our coordinator. Within a week, we already had a home check and appointment to see her. She’s been in our home for over a week, and we are very surprised at how well behaved and trained she is! Thank you to all of the volunteers and workers who dedicate their time to helping dogs in need!

I found this group quite unhelpful and pretentious. The majority are borderline hoarders that do not want to release the dogs to would-​be adopting families.
They make it quite difficult for you to adopt, they charge in upwards of $ 300 to $ 500 and are slow to respond to your messages, if at all. So by the time they get back to you, the dog you were interested in is no longer available or so they say.
If you’re interested in adopting a dog, go to one of our County Animal Shelters
. They are not overzealous hoarders, patient and educational and not a profit center.

I should’ve trusted my gut and the other reviews and not tried to adopt through this organization. I had a terrible experience with them. I’m not even writing this to bash them, but to prevent other people from the heartache and absolute disregard I’ve experienced.
I finally found the dog that I thought was right for me. I met her on a Sunday, bonded with her, was told by a volunteer that «she’s mine» and that I could pick her up on Wednesday as long as my home check goes well and my roommate is there. Those are the facts.
I bought everything to prepare for the dog, I told all my friends and family, and then Tuesday night I get an email that «unfortunately, the dog is being adopted by someone else.» I was devastated. WHY would they put me through that?!
And it’s not even THAT which was so disappointing, but it’s what happened next. They made it out to be as if I was confused and had misheard them. They lied, they ignored my multiple calls and emails, and they reported my roommate’s previous review of them and had it removed.
This so-​called non-​profit organization practices on a foundation of lies and deceit. I would hope this is not the vision founder Stacy Parmer had when she started this organization — manipulating households and playing with people’s emotions is highly unprofessional, not to mention unethical. The BBB needs to put an end to this sham of an organization.
If you’re looking to adopt a dog, PLEASE LOOK ELSEWHERE! Oh, and there’s a reason they don’t let you see beyond that fence.

We have tried twice now to adopt a dog through this organization and have been denied twice because we wouldn’t bring our cats to the play date versus them bringing the dog to our house. If you can do home inspections, it boggles my mind why they couldn’t bring the dog at the same time.
Instead, we are expected to bring 2 cats to an unknown environment and see how they get along with a strange animal. Makes perfect sense :-/​
I would assume our situation is not the normal and here we are in a big house with wonderful yards and a loving family to add a new member, and they can’t make an exception… so they lose $ 300 and placing a dog in a loving home.
Very sad.

My husband and I researched SO MANY rescues in San Diego and we believe The Barking Lot is the absolute best. Our interactions with the volunteers and fosters were always positive and someone was always available to answer my questions (and I had a lot!). We already had one rescued dog from the county shelter but were looking for a Shepherd cross and wanted to adopt from a reliable source where we could interact with the dog and know its personality beforehand. These people LOVE their dogs. Thank you for helping us find our sweet girl Zoey! (formerly Freya)

THE BARKING LOT is NOT your tax dollars at work. they are self-​supported. the staff is awesome even if the facilities are a bit scruffy.
the process is surprisingly through even requiring adopters to sign over the right for THE BARKING LOT to claim your dog if they’re picked up as a stray or surrendered to another shelter.
the application is thorough to the point of being burdensome but that’s their process. it is in the best interests of the dogs and NOT custom fit to my convenience. even had a home check so they could feel comfortable that the dog would be safe (fenced yard) and well cared for. i’m okay with that.
love our «new» dog. she is a great fit with our pack.

A week after losing our beloved 16 year old Min Pin, Nikki, we realized that our house was not a home without a four-​legged friend. I had been following TBL on Facebook for the past year as we were considering getting a second dog until we realized it would be too much for our old gal.
We had our eye on two pups from their website and a week after completing the application (very thorough!), we got our home inspection with Kathy. She was great and the process was quick and easy, and not nearly as invasive as we thought it would be. Rachel, our coordinator, was responsive and provided us with loads of information. We couldn’t schedule a play date for two weeks since they were booked (good sign), but luckily they had a cancellation on the upcoming Sunday.
It was raining hard when we arrived, but we got right in and we never felt rushed during the appointment. Yes, there is a smell, but what do you expect with so many dogs? The floors had been recently mopped, which was appreciated, and the dogs they showed us were recently bathed (also appreciated). TBL is aptly named as there was a cacophony of barking, but it was probably made worse because of the rain; the dogs were indoors, rather than out in the yards. We met both dogs we had been interested in, but there was no love connection. Rachel suggested that we meet Montelena (one of the front office dogs, lovingly referred to as «the potato») and after 15 minutes with her and another pup they recommended, we knew the potato was the one for us. Montelena’s foster mom is a TBL staff member and she answered all of our questions and cemented the decision. Her tears as we were leaving showed how much she cared and while I felt a little guilty for taking away her foster pup, I was comforted to know that Montelena had been well-​loved and well cared for.
TBL couldn’t have chosen a more perfect pooch for us! We love our little Tater (her new name) to the moon and back. I’ve even become FB pals with her foster mum and another volunteer, and have met for a play date! I couldn’t recommend The Barking Lot more as a wonderful, caring rescue organization. The adoption fees are steeper than other rescues/​shelters, but to us, it was worth it. I have already, and will continue to, recommend them to my friends who are looking to expand their families with a furbaby. THANKS TBL!

The Barking Lot staff has been awesome since day one! We had our eye on one dog and throughout the process they made it so easy! When we had questions they had answers. When we weren’t aware of something they let us know.
The home check was easy and it was really nice to meet new people! Since we live so far we were happy to do a home check through video chat. The walk through didn’t take long and we were able to show them everything and how the new pup will be living.
As soon as we got to the location there were nothing but friendly greeters! The staff was great on letting us spend time with our adopted furbaby and it gave us time to bond and really think about if we wanted to adopt or not. We had our hearts set on adopting and the pup was just as we expected; perfect for us! He was calm, easy to walk with, took commands very well and most importantly overall a friendly and loving dog!
We ended up taking him home but before we did the staff did go through everything from price to when we adopt him that we are fully responsible for him even medical costs.
I read the reviews before we went to the center and it’s always not good to go off on reviews. I asked the staff about the negative reviews they were given and they did give us a clear story of what happened.
All in all, if you can’t afford medical costs or to take care of the pet for the rest of their lives, don’t adopt; think a thousand times before making a life long decision.

We did it! We found the pet friend of our lives and are so thankful to TBL!
I have wanted a dog for… forever. I started the search at SD Animal Services and Humane Society and found a lot of little dogs or BIG pitbull type dogs, which made me worried.
We had gone through a little heartache when we found a dog we liked and got our expectations up to meet her and the night of our home check found out that she was adopted. I was ready to possibly write off TBL (communication was a little back and forth sometimes, but we loved Elisa who came to do our home check! We definitely suggest following up instead of waiting for information on questions you may have along the way).
I took one final peek at their facebook page and saw Fila, and her little eyes caught me right away! We made an appointment to meet her as soon as we could and were trying our best to curb our enthusiasm, but when they brought her out, she hopped right on my boyfriend’s lap with a «okay! ready to go home!» face.
They were so patient as we took Fila and the original dog we looked at for a trial spin. Fila (now Willow!) was so excited and really made it easy to say «YES!» to the dog.
There was another cute couple there getting their dog friend as well, so checkout was a little slow (we were likely just so enthusiastic and ready to go but from appointment time to finish was about 3.25 hours). You do have to wait outside (bring a sweater after sundown!) with your new buddy. Stacey was pretty awesome and even gave us a hug on our way out.
Really happy for this pup! We can’t wait for more adventures!

Filled out an app. Got the home inspection (Sharon is cool).
I made an appointment to go look at dogs. The coordinator (Lara, super nice) asked me what I wanted and which dogs I wanted to see.
When my husband, cat and I got to the facility we were asked questions that we had already answered ie. we live in an apartment, the dog will come to work with us during the day or stay at our apartment etc… They asked which dogs I wanted to see even though I had already told the coordinator and she said she was going to add those dogs to my play date.
They kept showing me smaller dogs not on my list even though I had told the coordinator I wanted a medium dog. It was weird, I got the impression they did not want me to have a medium size dog and they wouldn’t let me see any of the medium sized dogs on my list. I was too flustered to really take interest in the dogs I was seeing because I felt judged. I had even asked to see one specific dog I liked but was literally told «he is too high energy for you.» I respect the opinion of someone around dogs and adopters all day but as a 39 year old mature adult I think I can judge for myself if a dog is «too much for me» and I still would have liked to have met him.
The lady (never got her name because she never introduced herself) tells me «You should email your coordinator so that for your next appointment we can have the dogs you want to see ready.» Which is hilarious because I had sent an email with exactly the kind of dog I wanted and the names of 6 dogs I was interested in. They should tell you point blank based on their «observations» which dogs they will allow you to see, it would have saved me an hour of freeway traffic.
Really I’m just sad because I am the type of pet owner that would face a horde of zombies to rescue my pet and I don’t feel like I was taken seriously or allowed to see dogs I wanted. My take away is that I was meant to adopt from someplace else. I hope this review helps other passive aggressive people in their search for the perfect pet.

The dog I adopted from these people had a serious, life threatening medical condition. 24 hours after I brought him home we were in the animal emergency room at 2 am undergoing tests. He was having trouble urinating and it turned out he had a total blockage from a bladder stone that would have killed him without emergency surgery. So, I spent $ 4000 to save this little dog’s life.
I emailed and then called The Barking Lot in tears and begged them to get back to me with any health history, information or anything that could help. I also asked them if they could share in the costs of the surgery he needed. After 3 days they asked me for his medical records and thanked me for taking care of the dog and then ignored me and my further pleas for help.
I am grateful that I adopted him because I’m sure he wouldn’t have survived without the emergency surgery and I’m not confident they would have even noticed he was in such distress. He will be my buddy for the rest of his life and I’m so glad to have him healthy and well. But I can’t believe a «rescue» organization would be this unfeeling and uncaring about helping someone who saved one of their animals. Nor do they feel bad they passed such a sick dog onto someone who was trying to do a good thing. If you decide to adopt a pet from these people be sure to get a complete vet evaluation before you sign away your rights. They really don’t care.

I had wanted a dog for quite some time, I have an 18 month old daughter and I wanted to take my time to make sure I found the right dog to bring into our home. I saw my dog on The Barking Lot website and immediately thought he was the one, and he was!
The Barking Lot is wonderful. From the moment you see the dogs online it is obvious that they care so much about each one of them. The pictures are adorable, they take time getting to know each dog so they can place it in a forever home that is right for the dog and the humans! They get to know you before they send a dog home with you and they even suggest and let you meet and play with dogs that they think would be a good fit for you and your family.
Everyone here was kind and so gentle with the dogs.
I have already recommended The Barking Lot to so many people. Thank you for a fantastic experience and for all you do for those sweet animals.

We adopted Boris about two months ago and could not be happier! When we were considering adopting, we contacted multiple organizations and The Barking Lot was by far the most responsive. Kelly contacted us within a day and the home inspection occurred just a few days following. The «meet and greet» was only suppose to be an hour, but they let us stay well past our hour to make sure we were adopting the perfect dog for us.
What people need to understand is that The Barking Lot has tons of volunteers who dedicate their time to these dogs. Without The Barking Lot, many dogs would not be here today. While it may not be 100% perfectly organized or look like a 5 star hotel, Stacy and all her workers genuinely care and want the best for their dogs. I think The Barking Lot is a wonderful organization!

This is an amazing organization! This is a long review, but I wanted to share my experiences with them. I highly suggest rescuing a dog from The Barking Lot.
We were interested in a adopting a corgi mix as a friend for our Siberian Husky, Jax. I saw a picture of Lola (TBL Osha) a corgi/​rottweiler on The Barking Lot’s website and instantly fell in love.
I filled out the lengthy application and my fingers were crossed that we would be able to meet her. The application was detailed and long, but I believe it shows the dedication that this organization goes to finding their dog’s forever homes. A volunteer, Kelly, reached out to me via email within 24 hours after I filled out the application. She was very responsive and answered all my questions. I wanted to meet Lola that weekend, but my husband was out of town working, so we made an appointment to visit her first thing the next weekend. They insist that the entire family is available to meet the dog before it is adopted. Again, I think that this is because they want to make sure that their dog is comfortable and welcomed by all members of the household into their forever home.
While we were waiting to meet her, Kelly did a detailed home check via Skype. This was so convenient and easy. She was also in contact through out the week and asked if there were any other dogs we were interested in meeting while we were there. There were not, but I appreciated it.
When we arrived at The Barking Lot it did smell a little, but not nearly as terrible as all these reviews are making it out to be. It is a shelter with dogs that are not potty trained… I don’t know how else they expect it to smell. We were the first appointment of the day and were greeted by Stacy, the owner. She was friendly and helpful. She met our current dog, Jax, and watched how him and Lola interacted. After the initial meeting, we took Lola on a quick walk around the neighborhood. We wanted to adopt Lola.
When we got back, I asked Stacy a few more questions such as Lola’s temperament– she said she got a long great with all dogs. This has been true. She is a great playmate for Jax, gets along great with our friends/​family and even their dogs. I also asked if she was potty trained. She explained that in their environment there is no way for them to know if a dog is truly potty trained. They are in crates/​kennels a lot of the time. She did say that she did keep her kennel extremely neat. Lola has had some adjusting with potty training but is quickly getting the hang of it. Lola was found in a field in Riverside and The Barking Lot rescued her from a Riverside pound. She had a rough life. I did not expect her to be potty trained — a few previous reviews seem to be disappointed that the dogs they adopted were not. This is ridiculous to me.
The adoption process was quick. They require general things that you should do when getting a dog — take it to the vet for a check up and license the dog. The adoption fee was a little steep compared to some places, but it is worth it for the care this organization takes in their dogs. If the dog does not work out for whatever reason, you sign a paper that you will return it to them. I took comfort in this that all the dogs that go through The Barking Lot’s doors are a member of their family and always have a home there.
Lola has quickly become a member of our family. We named her Lola Ryder (Low Rider) because she is so short and close to the ground! She really is the cutest! She loves to play with all toys (especially tennis balls), walks, the dog park, and treats! She is such a great cuddler and really loves attention. She steals people’s hearts whenever they meet her! At her vet check up, we learned that someone had cropped her tail and that she had recently (within 6 months) had a litter. It breaks my heart to think someone abandoned this adorable dog. Thank you so much to this organization for finding Lola and bringing her into our lives. You guys do great things.