Adopt Pet Shelter

ADOPT animal shelter is a fantastic little private shelter that does it’s absolute best for the pets they rescue. We got our little dog from ADOPT and she came all of the way from Puerto Rico! They don’t do same-​day pet adoptions, so don’t go in expecting to walk out with your new dog, and they have limited hours on the weekends, but since it’s almost completely run by volunteers, I am willing to forgive a little bit. I actually think that same-​day pet adoptions aren’t necessarily a good thing. Anyway, if you want to know what animals they currently have, their website is not the best resource… they have a facebook page, but visiting and meeting the puppies and kitties is the best way to know :)

I’m not too sure why I came in here I was already set on getting my kitten from a breeder but I think I was just curious or just wanted to see how it was, at first when waking in it looked almost like and hospital or old age home lol so I waited till someone from the cat department came and greeted me and showed me around. The lady at the front seat was kinda snippy and rude but the older lady showing me around what much nicer. Once in the car rooms only one was somewhat descent and that was the one with the older cats. The two others were kinda gross, I didn’t even want to touch the cats in those. We left and I walked away with the same perspective I came in with. As bad as it sounds I’m sticking to getting my pets from breeders.

My fiancé and I came to ADOPT to look at the kittens. We got to look at the kittens, but they never even asked what we came there for. I wanted to adopt a kitten, they never asked what I was looking for, or what kitten I was interested in. They also never asked if we wanted to interact with the kitten either. I felt like I was being treated like a child when I’m 25 years old and have owned three cats before. The lady proceeded to tell me that «a kitten doesn’t stay that small forever, it will be full grown at about 7 – 8 months of age.» Gee, thank you I was not aware of the fact that animals grow! I was also told that in order to adopt a kitten, I had to take two because they need «social skills.» I will not be coming back here.

Over one year later and Chaplin/​Guapo is as healthy and loveable as ever. We are glad he is a part of our household!

Can’t talk highly enough about this place. In early October we adopted our dog Ella (formerly Hershey) from A.D.O.P.T. They gave us time to play with her, a chance to take her on a walk and walked us through all of her history and medical conditions that they were aware of. The adoption process was relatively painless and Ella came home with us a few days later.
The volunteers at A.D.O.P.T. obviously care for all of the animals and want to see them placed in great homes. They’ve called to check on how she’s doing just to make sure she’s adapting to her new place. If you’re looking to adopt a pet I highly recommend stopping here first.

You really can’t go wrong.. . When it comes to reviewing animal shelters, the negative ones all seem to turn on one factor; the enormous hassle that it is to adopt an animal. It’s true, often it feels like it would be much easier to adopt a child, then say a cat.
Granted.. . that would open up a whole host of other issues which are way beyond the scope of this here review.
.. . moving on.. .
I recently adopted a cat from these folks, and was pretty happy with the service I received. The ladies that work with cat adoptions are all weird cat ladies, and frankly, that’s fine by me. Why? Because I am an eccentric cat dude. To that end, it was nice that we all spoke the same language.
However, if I were a newbie or first time adopter I could see how it might be a bit off-​putting. My suggestion is that when it comes time to adopt your new furry best friend, plan on making a day of it. Trust me, it will be well worth the effort.. .
Other things that the place has going for it, is the fact that I didn’t feel like crying as soon as I walked in or out. Seriously, if you ever visit a kill shelter, you’ll know what I mean.
So.. . bottom line.. . be patient, keep an open mind, and make a day of it. Oh, and for christ sakes adopt before you pay any money to a puppy or kitten mill.
EXCELSIOR!

it seems that a large number of the reviews on here are written by people that are upset because they couldn’t waltz in and walk out with the animal of their choosing. Many shelter animals have been abused and neglected, and the primary concern of any shelter is to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. If prospective applicants are offended by a series of questions about their plans to care for the animal, then they have very little understanding of what many of these wonderful creatures have been through.
I recently adopted my 18 month lab/​pit mix from ADOPT and while they screened me and asked quite a few questions about my home, exercising the dog, and caring for him, it never occurred to me to be offended. Again, they are trying to look out for the best interests of the animal.
Frankly, if you are offended by these questions and deem them an invasion of your privacy, then you shouldn’t be eligible to adopt any animal, in my opinion.

After 3 visits to ADOPT, we brought home our beagle, Stanley! I can’t say enough positive things about ADOPT.
On our first visit, a volunteer showed us around and introduced us to each and every dog. It was a «viewing hours» day, so we didn’t get to interact with the dogs. Make sure you go during adoption hours if you expect to interact with the dogs. She gave us thorough information about each dog and was very friendly and polite with us. I wish I could remember her name. I went home and filled out an application online so they would have it on file.
On our second visit, we went during adoption hours to interact and play with Stanley. We learned that Stanley was on hold for another family, but we played with Angel and PJ. We decided neither of those dogs were for us, so we went on our way. On this day we met with another volunteer who again was knowledgeable about each dog and friendly toward us. She asked us questions about our home, but she did not interrogate us.
After that weekend, I emailed ADOPT to inquire if Stanley had been adopted. I received a response that he was scheduled to go home that night. But the next day, I got a phone call from Carol, and she told me he was available. I was thrilled! I informed her we would return on Saturday, and she put a hold on him. A few days later, they followed up with our references (we provided two of our friends whose dogs we’ve watched before).
On our third visit, we played with Stanley some more and took him for a walk. We decided that we definitely wanted to take him home, and Carol said she would call us to set up a day to take him home. That gave us plenty of time to get to the store, purchase doggie stuff, and prep to take him home.
I strongly recommend that people take their time, the 3 visits really gave us the time we needed to decide if this dog was really for us. And I felt that we got more respect from the volunteers since we kept coming back instead of making a hasty decision.
On adoption day, we met with Carol again who was very nice to us and explained every detail of the contract. We were provided with food and a leash, and although they didn’t force us to take him to obedience training, they strongly recommended it and I agree.
I don’t know where the bad reviews are coming from. Seems that some of the staff others complained about aren’t there anymore. I dealt with 3 different volunteers and they were all exceptional.

We had an excellent experience with ADOPT. Yes, there was a bit of a wait while they checked us out, and yes, I had to push a little to make them understand we were offering a great home, but our dog came from a very sickly litter of puppies and they took excellent care of them and nursed them to robust health. Our dog is super-​healthy and amazing and were it not for the quality of care he got at ADOPT as a newborn with terrible worms (the mother was found pregnant in Kentucky two days before she gave birth), we wouldn’t have this most beautiful dog in our lives. I saw recently that one of our dog’s littermates was returned and up for re-​adoption, and I think how traumatic that would be for our dog, so I believe that ADOPT (or any shelter) does have a right to grill people and test them a bit to see how they’ll hold up under some challenges. Everyone falls in love with a puppy – how could you not? They’re trying to see if you’ll actually go the distance beyond the love of cute puppydom. It must be awful for them to see a dog returned through no fault of its own.

Came here in 2009 while we were looking to adopt our forever furry kid. This is a 100% class operation. From the detailed application process and guidelines, to the knowledgeable and caring staff, to the way the animals are handled and documented. It was the only place I felt completely comfortable coming to during our search – but regrettably, we didn’t find out forever furry friend here.
Kudos on the new logo and branding, btw.

Whoa… I was expecting this place to have some bad reviews, but not nearly the type of bad reviews that it does. Hmm. Kind of glad I didn’t Unilocal back when we got our first babe.
So anyway, we recently adopted a second dog from the Naperville humane society, so this review is in contrast to my review of NHS, wherein I complain that they didn’t really thoroughly vet us as pet parents, making me nervous that they adopted animals to any jackalacka who wanders into the shelter.
So of course in this review, I’m going to complain the exact opposite.
I saw hamish’s litter on ADOPT’s website and was immediately in love. I grabbed my fiancé and we drove from the NW side of Chicago all the way to BF naperville (ps, how is this place seriously in Naperville? Where does Aurora start? Because man… It’s out there) so that we could get there in time for «adoption hours» (different, mind you, than viewing hours, during which you may look, but may not interact. Tease.) and meet our dream dog. I wanted this dog so badly, it was palpable.
So we filled out an application, and then we went in for The Talk. I felt like we should have had a single light shined in our face, with vague threats of torture or worse if we didn’t pony up every detail of our lives. It wasn’t a talk, it was an interrogation.
It started with living in the city — yeah, I get it. But it was a nice neighborhood. No, we didn’t have a yard. No, we hadn’t owned a dog before. I get it. Those are big black marks against us, and rightfully so.
But then, it got ridiculous.
«Well you’re engaged? So when’s the wedding?»
«Um, 18 months away.»
«Oh good, because if it were even a year away I’d walk you out now — you’d be too stressed to own a dog.»
«Um… k.»
«But if you’re of marrying age, soon there will be kids. So I don’t think you can have this dog. Chihuahuas are delicate and children hurt dogs.»
«Ma’am, we don’t have children.»
«But you will.»
«No, we won’t.»
«What do you mean you won’t?! You will.»
«Um no ma’am, we don’t want children.»
«Well… Fine, but your friends will and they’ll hurt the dog.»
No seriously, that all happened. Then they asked us for 3 references, allowed us to put the dog on hold, and we left, certain we would never see the dog again and feeling like petty criminals.
After calling my mother, two friends, and my landlord twice, this mean old woman FINALLY bestowed upon us her blessing to adopt the dog «so long as I didn’t come in as excited as I was originally because I was just too excited.» WHAT?! Sorry my first ever dog was a cause for happiness. I assure you the glee was NOT me looking into the future of children snapping puppy legs in my living room… Good lord.
ADOPT gets a lot of things right — the dog came to us with food, painkillers for the neuter, lots of instruction for care, and in PERFECT health. And I respect ensuring that the animals are going to the best possible home.
I wish there was a happy medium between NHS and ADOPT — someplace where you could be checked for sanity but not checked with a blood sample — cuz I really think it’d be the perfect shelter.

Many years ago we tried to adopt a small dog from this shelter. We were not allowed to do it because the dog we had our sights on was small and could have been mistreated by my then young kids. I understand the almost militant enforcement of their related rules, given how easily people around here seem to dispose of unwanted pets. It is very hard for volunteers to judge whether promises of extra care will be sufficient to prevent a return. I did end up adopting a small dog from a neighbor and he lived happily with us until he died of cancer.
My second experience with ADOPT has been very good. I am bringing a senior dog home with me this very week. Understanding the limitations of well intentioned volunteers who won’t deviate from the norm out of fear could go a long way. So could going beyond office politics. I hope the board members’ actions mentioned by an ex-​volunteer are the exception and not the norm. There are internal struggles in every organization, profit or not-​for-​profit alike. They are opportunities for improvement where true leadership can make a difference.

These are some of the hardest working volunteers you will ever meet. I have adopted 2 cats from ADOPT. The first cat we adopted was when they were still in their old facility. Ray is now 10 and going strong. He might live forever. The more recent cat, Cleo, we adopted in 2010. She too is healthy and sassy as ever.
The councilor worked tirelessly to find a good match for our situation, talking to me about individual cat’s personalities and «quirks». There are «after adoption» gifts for the new parents such as free check ups and nail trims.
Hands down this is one of the finest places to chose a new family member and give a needy animal a loving forever home.

I adopted a kitten from adopt almost a year ago. They have kittens in a decent sized room with a bunch of toys, a cat tree, some tunnels, blankets and its very clean. The staff there was very friendly and very helpful with me. They have different aged cats in different rooms and they have some adult cats in the biggest room with lots of cat trees and windows for them to look out of. I Adopted my kitty but noticed he was not eating when i took him home so i called and asked them about it and they were really friendly and asked me to come in and their vet there would check him out. It turned out he had some kinda ulcers in his mouth but the vet there gave him some antibiotics and they did not charge me for them. They got him to eat in no time and he was soon healthy after. The staff and volunteers there are so nice and caring you can tell they really love the animals. i would definately recommend this place i am even thinking of volunteering here myself.

As a past volunteer of A.D.O.P.T., I can probably add some insight into the behind the scenes shenanigans that go on there. First, I don’t know who this Rich person is (supposed to be the new director of ADOPT.) The president, could be a cut throat person. She has run out several great volunteers. Here’s what you need to know: We had a wonderful married couple who was extremely dedicated to ADOPT as volunteers. They were run out of ADOPT by the board of directors and the board’s followers. The reason? The board didn’t like the personality of the husband. Many volunteers in the cat section admired this couple, for their hard work. So when the «marrieds» were run out, a block of people left with them. This left the cat section under staffed. The board keeps bad volunteers (those that start fights with others, those that are bigoted) and run good ones off. I think the volunteers do the best they can and ADOPT as a whole does as well. But when you have bully’s on the board of directors running off good people, what does that say about the organization?
To comment on some of the other postings:
The Pomerarian: The volunteers should not been given preference over the public in an adoption scenario. That just seems unfair to me.
The cat with worms: The cats are supposed to be dewormed immediately upon arrival at ADOPT. All pet rescue organizations are running on a tight budget. There is a limit to the costs they can expend once you take possession of the cat. When you adopt a pet, it is presumed the new owner will take care of the pet’s medical expenses. I believe there is a statement to that effect on the contract you signed.
There are volunteers that «foster» animals for ADOPT (like a foster parent.) The fosters have alot of control over who is permitted to adopt «their foster animal». I have seen a family come in AFTER they were told they were approved for adoption a specific dog. The foster put the kabosh on the adoption, after the family drove over to ADOPT. The mother of the family started crying in front of her children. The reason for denial of adoption priviledges: The foster did not feel the mother could spend enough time with the dog, even though the mom was a stay at home mom. I might add that the children were school age and well behaved. For this reason, some pets at adopt spend alot of time in a cage because of power trips of those doing the adoption or «fosters».
Toward the end of my volunteering at ADOPT: To save money, they stopped giving painkillers to the animals after a spay or neuter. This seems cruel to me.
ADOPT being a no kill shelter: ADOPT started to call itself a «low kill shelter». They killed a dog name Kylie, Cindy, and others. Kylie was kept in a cage and not treated very well by it’s foster. Then when the foster couldn’t care for Kylie any longer, she went into a cage. She didn’t adjust to a cage very well, and was ultimately killed by ADOPT. I personally know people who would have and could have taken Kylie. But ADOPT’s management would not approach the proper people who could have helped out, because of pride. Although ADOPT does have many success stories, they have their share of horror stories as well.

We have gotten 2 dogs from ADOPT. I must say, getting the first dog was a somewhat trying experience. We had a youngish dog previously that had to be put down (on the STRONG advice of our vet), and they acted like we were dog murderers for awhile. After they called our vet and verified our story, they warmed up a little and let us look at the animals. We were a couple in their early 20, in an apartment and we never felt like we discriminated against.
The first day, there were no dogs that we felt would be a good match, so the staff would periodically call or email us about dogs they thought we would be interested in. The first dog we adopted was not spayed and was being treated for heartworm. ADOPT covered all the costs of her treatment and surgery without blinking an eye.
We went back a few years later for a companion for our first dog, and it was nothing but smooth sailing. The second dog had a fatty tumor on his chest that ADOPT offered to have removed. We declined, so that we could have our own vet do the surgery and ADOPT could use the money to help other animals.
We have since lost the first dog to cancer and taken in a dog that was given to us by a co-​worker, but I would go back to ADOPT if we were ever looking for another dog.

I cannot say enough bad things about this shelter, it’s hard to figure out where even to begin. If you want the short story: do NOT consider ADOPT when looking for an animal — even though they advertise as no-​kill, and say they want to look for the ‘perfect fit’ between human and animal, both are NOT TRUE. I highly recommend avoiding this place and not supporting them.
Long story: I adopted a 6 month old cat from ADOPT, and it had mouth sores and an upper respiratory infection when I first met her. They said they were willing to treat those items before giving her to me to take home. Over the next few months, I realized she had worms and terrible diarrhea. They were willing to treat her for the worms, and figured that would clear up the diarrhea.
Well, then she started having seizures. At this point ADOPT said they were no longer willing to cover medical costs, even though I had yet to own a healthy animal after adoption. Please note, I was not looking for a special needs animal. After taking her to my own vet, we treated her with broad spectrum antibiotics as well as a treatment for toxoplasmosis (an incredibly infectious disease that is transferable both to other cats AND humans), but at this point the cat was 12 months old, and the damage had been done. She is now going blind, and is on anti-​seizure medication twice a day. There is nothing more that can be done without spending thousands of dollars, and even then nothing might work. And at this point, I have already put in $ 600 for this cat.
When I called ADOPT to tell them I plan on bringing her back to their program, Rich, the Director, proceeded to YELL at me over the phone and THREATENED to euthanize the cat if I ever came near the shelter with her, ever. When I said I thought they were a no-​kill shelter and asked about the ‘perfect-​fit’ advertising, he said, and I quote, ‘We try our hardest here to prevent our pets from being adopted by people like YOU.’ Excuse me! What else could I have done for this cat? How was I not a responsible pet owner and did everything possible within reason? His behavior was absolutely shameful.
What the worst part of this is, toxoplasmosis is an incredibly infectious disease. ADOPT has a COMMUNITY cat environment, meaning there are 5 – 6 cats per room living together. Probably every other cat that my cat lived with probably caught this disease! And they are going on and adopting out these animals. Other people might have to go through what I had to go through. Unbelievable!
Anyway, while trying to re-​home or place my cat in a different shelter, I was told «I’m not surprised they did that to you» reactions from other shelters. Apparently, ADOPT is notorious for such terrible behavior and refusing to take back their animals. Sure they were sweet in the beginning when they were trying to dump an animal on me, but when the cat never got healthy they said oh well, things like that happen and it’s your responsibility now. Now I’m faced with desperately trying to find a home for this cat that needs meds 2x a day, or put it down even though it doesn’t need it yet (I say yet because who knows if the seizures will get worse).
I will never consider adopting from ADOPT again ever. And I will tell everyone I know the story of my terrible experience. All I wanted was a companion, and instead I was given a diseased animal and then scorned that I was the irresponsible, immature one. So, so sad.

I adopted a cat from adopt about a month ago and they were great. We found a cat we wanted and they let us introduce our dog to the cat with them. Everyone was very nice to us and wonderful to our dog. These people love what they do and I would recommend adopting from them. They gave us LOTS of supplies and food and were very helpful when our cat started sneezing and coughing. I do have to say when we called to adopt a cat about 4 weeks later they recommended the cat we already adopted. Oops…
We love Bailey (formally Lolita). She is a great addition to our family and we are looking to adopt another cat to keep her company.

When my fiancé and I considered getting a cat, we had a lot of trouble getting shelters to even consider letting us adopt or foster. As total cat newbies who keep vulnerable prey animals as pets, we encountered a lot of rudeness and general ignorance from other shelters’ staff. (Fun fact: cats and bunnies can and often do get along, and our cat is actually quite terrified of our rabbits!) A.D.O.P.T. listened to our story and our concerns and worked with us to help us find the perfect kitty for us. Yay!
I think we visited the shelter half a dozen times before deciding to bring Henry (formerly Sylvester) home, and the staff was always friendly and accommodating. We initially thought we wanted a kitten, and they encouraged us to spend lots of time playing with the kitties and even let us try out different kitten-​cat combinations (kittens have to go home in pairs, either with another kitten or a young adult cat).
The cats all live in big rooms with lots of toys, cat trees and space to play in, and they are a friendly and social bunch. The shelter is clean and well-​maintained; I would honestly say it is the best of all the suburban shelters I’ve visited, in terms of both kitty happiness and human helpfulness!

We stopped by this place when looking for a newbie addition to our household. They had us go into another room (cafeteria style seating) and fill out a few page form. We brought it back to the front office and they said someone would be around to show us the animals soon.
We waited. And waited. And waited. There was another couple sitting near us, and they said they had been waiting 40 minutes to view the animals. Shame on you A.D.O.P.T.
I’m an impatient antsy person, so I meandered back up front and asked if I could just view the dogs, as I wasn’t sure if they’d have what we were looking for anyways. The woman jumped up and was like «Oh, sure you can!» Wow, lol. Obviously, we want to see the animals first before we decide to adopt something.
It was crazy walking back to look at the dogs. They were SILENT. SITTING HAPPILY. TAILS WAGGING. It was the strangest sight to behold. It actually seemed like they must have been outside playing earlier or something, because they were all calm and content.
While we didn’t see any pets we wanted, the staff was most helpful in giving us a sheet that had other local animal shelters in the area. That’s pretty nice.
All in all, check it out. Animals are well cared for and happier than most. Just be prepared to wait.

OMG– I am shocked by these other reviews and direly feel the need to defend this place. I just really can’t even fathom having a bad experience here with the way my family and I were treated. It was an unbelievably positive experience and though we did see some people at the shelter get turned down for adoptions for various reasons, as an outsider, it was clear that they were making the right choices on behalf of the animals.
My family and I arrived and filled out a form with what our current household situation was like, our pet history, and our wants in searching for a new feline friend. Once we finished our form we were given a number and directed to a large cafeteria-​like waiting room with a few other families. I believe we were the only cat family there and we waited less than 5 minutes. I think they will only take one family per animal type at a time to view all of the adoption areas so you may be waiting a long time but the one on one time and attention is unparalleled. I believe the wait is why you can’t just go in and visit the animals as a materials donor, they try to make it intimate and as stress-​free for the families and cats as possible.
First we were taken to see the newest cats in a caged area. It’s caged, I believe, because they haven’t been acclimated to the environment and they try to keep it low stress. All the cats in there were fairly young and we were looking for a more adult or senior cat. The next room we went into was HUGE!!! And though there were cages along one wall, it was really only so each cat could have their own cubby space, should they want to hang alone. Otherwise, all the cats are free to roam about the jungle like room with 2 cushy couches to nap and play on, LOTS of custom made tall scratching posts trees and sunlight with a view to the outside world. The cats in the room were all friendly, a testament to the volunteers and their ability to get everyone comfortable with one another. And though there were 20ish cats to the first large room, there was more than enough space, feeding places, hiding spots, resting spots, fresh water, everything. We had 2 saintly volunteers who knew every cat, in every rooms’ name, history, and demeanor by heart. They were some of the sweetest women I had ever met and we knew that A.D.O.P.T. was the place for us. I ended up loving one cat (well, all of them but one in particular) in the big room but still going to check out the 3 smaller rooms that each housed 5 –7 other cats of various ages and breeds together. Again, the volunteers knew the ins and outs of everything and stepped out of rooms as to not crowd the cats when we tried to get to know them, unlike the other spots we’d visited.
There was one cat that had been living the shelter life for a very long time and was very dear to the volunteers hearts. Of all the cats needing a good home, they wished that he find one the quickest as his demeanor was changing and was starting to withdraw after almost 2 years at various shelters and his brother being adopted the prior year. …and then my tears poured down. My Dad and I are suckers for animals in need and we knew we could provide a great (big) forever home with lots of love for him.
In the end, we decided to adopt not one, but two cats from A.D.O.P.T. The cat from the first room and the cat who had been living the shelter life for a very long time. We tested a few scenarios and they got along marvelously and the shelter said that we were excellent candidates for both cats and gave us detailed and specific instructions on introducing our current home cat to the new cats.
The whole adoption process for our family was a little over 2 hours and was very thorough. The volunteers are great about getting all of your information and many of the questions they ask are like little quizzes so they can be sure that animals are going to the right home. Thankfully, our answers fit our picks for felines and we left elated with 2 cats. One of the best things is that once we got home, the 2 cats were not scared or weary in the least. Very curious for the first hour but then just wanted to play with all our toys and cuddle on the couches with you. We had family over for Easter less than 24 hours after getting the newbies and they were out and about and wanting to be friends with everyone because of how they were raised at A.D.O.P.T. Everyone was impressed. I think it helps to not be single person going in as they want for their pets to have the constant love and attention they deserve. We brought our whole household and it was very clear to them that we would make a great forever home.
Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this place. It was nice enough for a human to live there and the people were nothing less than saintly. I’m so happy that my Dad found A.D.O.P.T. and ignored the prior reviews. They can definitely expect some donations of supplies from our happy family.