Humane Society of Fairfax County

Adopting a pet here is a waste of time. Filled out an application, waited 4 days for a response, they said we need to interview you over the phone, someone emailed me a day later and said the puppy you wanted was given to someone else over the weekend. Slow process, rude, and absolutely useless. You would think if your adopting a pet you would make things easier and increase your response time. Horrible, adopt somewhere else!

**WARNING** This is not the Fairfax county animal shelter! their dogs are at least twice as much money. We got a dog (for $ 350) but had to return him after he bit two of our kids. This was outside of their two week return window so we were denied a refund. If you are going to get a dog pay a bit more and get one from a breeder, or go to the Fairfax county animal shelter and save a ton of money!

I went during the week when I was in the fairfax area, the admin staff was different from when I went years ago. Everyone is so friendly! I got to visit all the kitties and pet them! So many adoptable pets. To adopt they have stricter standards, so I think some of the negative reviews may be a result of that. However, I had nothing but good experiences and like visiting whenever I’m around the area

Cats are friendly and well cared for. Staff knows a lot of the cats’ personalities really well, which is helpful in making an educated decision about which pet will work well for you.
This location has mostly cats and a few parakeets. I adopted a 15 year old cockatiel that I named Phoenix. Shelters seem to be unhealthy in general for any animal… Phoenix had bald sores the size of a half dollar under each of her wings when I adopted her, and the shelter also said she had peptic ulcers. When I got Phoenix home, the sores broke open and she bled everywhere, which can freak you out when you’ve just gotten an animal home. I read on the Internet that getting sores was normal for older cockatiels, and that they should be transitioned from a seed diet to a pellet diet, which is a lot more expensive. I’m not sure if the shelter was feeding her gravel, which is also necessary for a bird’s digestive health, but she’s getting gravel now. It’s been about two months and the sores are completely healed and the feathers are regrowing. I get that the shelter mostly deals with cats, but I don’t get how the vet that supposedly signed off on her checkups missed those giant sores.

I had a wonderful experience with the Humane Society of Fairfax County in the adoption of my two wonderful kittens in the Fall of 2013. From the moment I decided I was ready to adopt again all the way through the adoption process to the day I brought them home, and beyond, HSFC has been there all the way.
The initial form was available online and asked relevant questions that anyone considering adopting a furry family member should consider. Once the form was submitted I received a call and an appointment was scheduled at my convenience to come visit the shelter and view all the available kittens. And there were a lot of kittens. I was taken to several rooms with potential adoptees and allowed to sit and interact with several groups of kittens in their environments. All the rooms were clean and comfortable and the kittens had toys and beds and play spaces and built in runners so they could go up high or down low along the wall if they wanted. It was fun to watch. Of course in every room most came down to visit. The ladies at the shelter were extremely nice explaining that the lot of kittens in each room were named by the letters of the alphabet temporarily so they could keep track of them… I had the week with «F’s» and «Z’s». :) There were so many great kittens I couldn’t make up my mind and they said that most people usually came back at least twice.
I came back the following Friday and sat with two groups of kittens that caught my eye previously… and tough as it was, made a selection. They are all wonderful but my two boys have turned out to be magnificent. Sweet and friendly, smart and beautiful, and great companion cats, orange tabbies, both are animated talkers. With the help of the staff at HSFC they made sure that my two were completely healthy and feeling good before they came home as one had a bit of an infection from having been recently neutered. The kittens had been microchipped and the adoption fee covers that procedure and you can maintain that service for a very nominal yearly fee which comes with handy packet of information handed out when you pick up your new fur kids to bring them home.
These guys were absolutely stellar in every respect, waving one of two kitten adoptions fees, and having the whole staff coming in to say goodbye when I was getting ready to take them home. They even took a photo of me with my new charges on my lap. It was funny… I was beaming like a new daddy. I appreciate HSFC being vigilant in the protection of their animal charges, so many of them having been rescued from bad situations and certain death. These folks care and put in long hours and it shows. Thank you HSFC. :)

Linda R. 1÷30÷2015
I adopted a handsome, 6 year old brown and black tabby cat in early December and had a fantastic experience! I had been interested in adopting for some time and wanted to rescue a cat from a shelter that did not cage cats and took excellent care of them. I couldn’t have found a better shelter than the Humane Society of Fairfax County. The ladies who work there are excellent at customer service and do a great job in helping you find the right cat for you. I was very impressed with the questions asked on the application. They obviously care very much that their cats are placed with adopters who really understand and know what to do to take excellent care of a cat. I was also impressed with how clean the place was and how well all the cats were being cared for. It was hard to choose because so many of the cats were so friendly and sweet. I highly recommend this shelter to anyone who is looking to permanently love and take care of a cat or kitten!

We would just like to thanks the Ladies at the Humane Society, especially Deborah and Janice they were so helpful as we were selecting our two cats, they made the process enjoyable, from the initial contact all the way through the adoption and follow up. We are greatful for all their help and the beautiful additions to our family.

We can’t say enough good things about the Humane Society of Fairfax County (HSFC)! We recently adopted our first rescue dog from their farm where they house the dogs and horses. It’s clear from the moment you walk in this facility that it is filled with love and compassion. They do a great job taking care of their animals, as well as making sure they get matched with the right home.
Their online application only took a few minutes and asked all the right questions. Everyone at the farm was so easy to work with. The dog we were interested in was older and had some medical challenges but the staff explained the treatments he had received and what we could expect after taking him home. We have called several times with questions since bringing him home and they have been so helpful.
We couldn’t be happier with the new addition to our family– he is the perfect companion for our other dog — like two peas in a pod!
This is an organization that is changing the lives of people and animals for the better. Check out the Humane Society of Fairfax County — you won’ t be disappointed.

We had a very easy and friendly experience adopting our dog. Reading some of these other reviews, it seems clear there’s a huge difference in attitude between the facility that handles cats/​birds and the one that handles dogs. (And to be fair, hopefully by now, after all the negative Unilocal reviews, the staff at the cat/​bird place have undergone some remedial customer-​service training.)
We applied online (which takes just a few minutes) and promptly got an e-​mail back from a very friendly volunteer. A day or so later, we visited the dog facility – and ended up bringing our new dog home that day. Everyone at the farm was very nice and helpful – truly! I have *zero* patience for snippiness or officiousness, and everyone there was just normal and sincerely welcoming.
I had long been skeptical of adoption groups due to the controversy a few years ago with Ellen DeGeneres’ dog – so if I can be won over, anyone can. (The rule against giving away your adopted dog, as Ellen had done, actually makes sense; although you as an adopter have been screened, how does the organization placing the animal know that anyone you deem worthy is equally responsible and kind? Just because you’re a good animal owner doesn’t mean you’re also a good judge of who else is.)
The reason you can’t just show up at the HSFC farm and look at the dogs before applying has to do with what some of the dogs have been through. Some have been rescued from abusive or neglectful previous owners by the authorities. Sometimes the old owners want their dogs back – so the farm is not a place where the public can just wander in without an appointment and a little vetting. If you do make an appointment, they’re great about letting you look at any dog you want to see. It keeps the dogs safe, so I don’t think filling out a one-​page online form is too much to ask.
The facility is spotless, and the dogs are really well taken care of. Some of them have been through truly horrific experiences, but HSFC gets them back into health and resocializes them. (Our dog had been through multiple surgeries.) They do great work there.
If you’re looking for a pet, I’d encourage you to take a look at HSFC’s website, and if you see an animal you like, fill out the application.

Oh my word, what a royal waste of my time it was to pay a visit to the HS of Fairfax today. I am not sure about the eagerness of these folks to adopt their four-​legged and winged inhabitants.
I drove out with my 2 and 4 year-​olds to look at a potential companion for our beloved kitty. We live in N. Arlington and drove out there because other shelters closer by were not open today. The reason why I brought the kids was to gauge whether any prospective cats would be tolerant of them. So while bringing two very excited humans of this age group to an animal shelter is not ideal, I feel that it is imperative to find a good match.
Upon arriving, I was finally acknowledged and given an application after wondering whether I was even in the right place, as nothing is marked as such and is very confusing and misleading. I was then told that I had 1 person in front of me, there would be a wait, and I may want to come back some other time. After building this up with my youngsters and the long trek out there, I was not about to leave.
So we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited… In the waiting area were two birdcages with some parakeets. Yes, my 4 and 2 year-​olds wanted to look at them and yes, they were excited. One of the ladies came in and lectured me about keeping the kids under control after I spent the entire drive prepping them for having good manners and animal shelter etiquette. They were actually being just fine. Just rubbed me the wrong way and I got the impression that even bringing them was not acceptable. I then explained to the lady that they HAD to meet the cat for me to even consider adopting it, as I would not want to bring any animal into our lives that couldn’t tolerate them. That was dismissed and she just went on to lecture about keeping the kids away from the birds. Fine. So we waited, and waited some more. Probably about an hour.
The sole «gatekeeper» to the animals was finally freed up and then she returned to the office to chat it up with her coworker. And it wasn’t work-​related stuff, as I overheard it all. 5 – 10 minutes later, I looked at the time and thought about all of the wonderful rush-​hour traffic I could only dodge by leaving within 10 – 15 minutes which clearly would not have been a realistic timeframe to be granted the privilege of laying eyes on any of their treasured imprisoned creatures who are clearly better off under lock and key than to be exposed to all the evils of the prospective adoptive world of humans.
So I kindly thanked them for wasting my time and royally disappointing my children and walked out.
They said «Sorry, please come back.» Yeah, don’t hold your breathe, crazy cat lady human-​hating animal hoarders! Those kitties will be so much happier in their cages living in their feces. So long as they’re loved and protected by their employees for all of eternity.

I’ve been to both the cat facility in Fairfax and the farm where they house their dogs and horses. I ended up adopting a puppy.
I visited the cat facility twice over the summer (about June 2013 timeframe) and from my experience, I am very surprised at the other comments. Yes, the application is cumbersome, and it is mildly irritating that you have to fill out an application before viewing the animals (which is unlike the SPCA facilities that I had also visited). However, I think they want to make sure you’re «pre-​approved» before you fall in love with an animal and then, due to their guidelines, you can’t take the fur person you love home.
Both times I visited the cat facility, it was clean for what it was — a facility for animals. But yes, let’s be honest, they give these cats HUGE rooms to run around in and if you have 6 – 8 cats (or kittens) in a large room, it may be a little bit stinky at times. But I do think that the volunteers and staff do the best they can to make sure the rooms are clean.
Everyone was very pleasant to me when I visited and often left me to my own devices to look at the cats I liked the most. However, I did end up wanting to adopt a dog, so I did put in additional paperwork to visit the farm.
You make an appointment to go visit the farm and see the animals. They do have a lot of dogs on site and of course, the puppies are always sought after, so I understand them also wanting to make sure you have a good experience meeting all of the dogs you’d like to see.
I felt that the volunteer that introduced me to the dogs was very upfront with which dogs would be best for my needs and situation. Because I had passed all the screening prior to my visit, I was able to pick my puppy that day and take her home later that week (they do have suggestions on pick up days, just so you can acclimate a pet to your home). Honestly, I’m glad they set up their process the way they do. I would have been extremely upset had I fallen in love with my puppy and not been approved to take her.

Run!!!
The people who work in the animal adoption house next to the thrift store are nuts!
Not sure they want to adopt animals out or even like animals.
I read somewhere that some of these adoption organizations if you look carefully at them have a few top people and they cut themselves a big fat salary from the adoption fees. I would say that may be the case in this place.
The ladies there give you the 3^rd degree to look at an animal and if you pass their adoption process if you pass. You just might get to barely look at an animal versus try to touch it and see if the animal is for you.
If you want to adopt go somewhere else. Not sure what is going on in this place.

I appreciate what the Humane Society does for animals. At times when other shelters or rescue organizations refuse to accept any strays, the Humane Society will make room for another animal and ensure that it receives a vet’s attention and is placed in a foster home or adoption center.
My initial communications with the Humane Society of Fairfax were with a professional and helpful woman. Unfortunately she wasn’t there the day that I had an unpleasant experience with another staff member. I think something is wrong with this other woman’s personality. More specifically, I think she dislikes all living things. I went to the facility with my parents to inquire about adopting a cat. As soon as we walked in the door she had an antagonistic tone that seemed to say, «why are you bothering me?» I don’t understand what the tone was about because we were very friendly towards her despite her attitude. She reluctantly allowed us to see the cat where she was harboring it in a room that smelled like urine. On the way there she took us through a crowded hallway where my mom accidentally bumped into a cat bowl. When she apologized the woman snapped, «you’re going to have to watch yourself!» She even yelled at a kitten for scratching at the crumby wall. The whole time she kept referring to us as «these people.» For example, when some dude politely asked her a simple question she replied, «I’m busy trying to deal with a million things right now, but as soon as I get THESE PEOPLE out of here I can answer your question.» She was completely overwhelmed by the simplest tasks. Then she practically shoved us out of the place. I don’t understand why such a rude person would work for the humane society. I feel that she would be better suited to administering electroshock therapy or some kind of slow torture.

I have to be honest: this review probably has some subconscious bias because we adore our cat Lía. When we adopted her from the humane society they were wonderfully helpful. We like that they follow up with adoptees to make sure the animal is doing well. We especially like that they make cat owners pledge to not declaw them. (PLEASE do not declaw you cats!!) Good people doing good work.