The Washington Humane Society

I was looking for a new class pet and stopped by to take a look at their small animals. Everyone there was so friendly and you could tell they all really cared about the animals. I ended up picking a Guinea pig named Bee. They went over what supplies I needed and how to take care of him in great detail. Ashley made me feel comfortable and prepared to have my students help me take care of our new class pet! She even volunteered to find to my school for career day! I will never buy a pet from a pet store again.

We adopted a cat from the Georgia Avenue center. For a large urban shelter, it wasn’t a bad experience. I was happy that we could go here to adopt rather than over on New York Avenue as this is a slightly better neighborhood, and the adoption center, located in a storefront, is a little more homey and friendly. There also weren’t people dumping — I mean dropping off animals at this shelter, at least not when we were there, which was good because having to see that would have depressed the heck out of me. I got the feeling the kitties on display here are hand picked to be friendly or fun or otherwise appealing. There were dogs in the back too but I did not go look at them.
The people working there clearly had different levels of experience, but all seemed professional and kind to the animals, taking the time to greet and play with the cats and bunnies as they passed the cages. We went on a weeknight having called beforehand to make sure the cat we saw on Petfinder was still available and the adoption could be done in one session, since we live about an hour away and had to knock off work early to make it down there in rush hour traffic and have time to meet the cat and fill out all the papers before the place closed. The adoption process was pretty easy especially if you have responsibly owned animals before; no home visit was required. I was impressed with how they provided super complete medical records and even entered on the computer the information to transfer the pet’s microchip over to you, on the spot. Other shelters where I adopted in the past made me do that myself later on.
The biggest negative to me is that this adoption center is very small and a bit dingy, and there was very little room for folks to sit while waiting to meet with the adoption counselor (we had to wait about 20 minutes while she finished with another adoption ahead of us). We were given the option of making an appointment and coming back another time, but didn’t want to do that due to our long drive and work schedules, plus I was really anxious to get our new pet out of the little cage and take him home that very day. Nor was there a room available for us to meet with the animal we were interested in. We were told the animal room was being used for a dog training or something, and we were encouraged to meet with the cat right at the cage door. The cat was friendly enough but the cage was on the floor meaning that one had to pretty much sit on the cold, slightly grubby floor to visit with the cat, plus the room itself is very small and full of cages and other people walking through looking at the animals, so it wasn’t the ideal place to get to know a prospective new pet. It didn’t really matter in our case as we were pretty set on getting this particular cat before we arrived, and five minutes of visiting him sealed the deal, but if you arrived not knowing which one you wanted, you would definitely need a better space to get to know them.

This is a great place to adopt a pet. Although its rather small, they seem to care about the animals and are very helpful and friendly. I adopted my dog from here and our family cannot even imagine life without him. Even though we already own the best dog in the world… maybe you might get lucky too.

I had a great experience adopting my cat a little over a month ago.
We were warned from the get-​go that the shelter didn’t have any kittens, but since I wasn’t looking for one that wasn’t an issue. While this location is certainly on the smaller size, that of course is no reflection on the animals they’re finding homes for. The cat I wound up adopting, Stevie, had just been brought over from their location down the street that same day. I couldn’t be seen by the adoption coordinator immediately because there was a longer «interview» ahead of me, but it was no problem to come back a few hours later. What broke my heart was how surprised some staff members sounded, first that I was willing to come back later, and second that I was ready to adopt immediately. I can imagine there are many cases of changed minds once folks step away from the animals for a while.
Anyway, the ‘interview’ process was quick and painless, and mostly just focused on ensuring that I was prepared to bring a cat home and that I was comfortable with the responsibilities of ownership — having had many family pets, there wasn’t much for me to ask about, but if I’d had questions I have no doubt they would have been thoroughly answered. The staff let me take Stevie’s blanket and a toy with us to make her more comfortable. Before leaving they made sure to update her records and provide a vaccine that she hadn’t yet received. They also provide a list of vets, give a free month of pet health insurance, and there is a select list of vets who will do a free initial check-​up within 2 weeks of the adoption.
About two weeks in they followed up to check in and see how everyone was adjusting, which was very kind. If I’m ever able to find a friend for Stevie, the Georgia Ave WHS is the first place I’ll go!

Great dog adoption experience. I highly recommend adopting from the Washington Humane Society.

We adopted two dogs from the Washington Humane Society last year. We heard that they were having a special in March on training and we decided to take them in for a couple consultation sessions with Kevin Simpson, the Director of Animal Behavior and Training. He was excellent! He provided a 90 min consulation for both dogs where he observed their behavior and asked us questions, pinpointing their temperment and helping us to create an individualized plan for both dogs. The techniques he recommended have really helped with their behavioral issues and as a result have made our lives easier. I have recommended Kevin’s consultations to our friends with dogs. It was definitely within our budget and he provided invaluable advice.

The staff at this location is great! Everyone I spoke with was incredibly knowledgeable, both regarding general dog questions and about the specific dog I was looking at (and ended up adopting!). I was able to spend plenty of time with the dog making sure she was a great fit before adopting her, and someone was always available to answer any questions I had. They do not have as many animals available as some other adoption centers that I have been to, but seemed far better run, and I’d highly recommend this place for your next pet!

I had no idea how hard it is to adopt an animal! You have all these strays looking for a «forever home» because «time is running out» yet everyone else makes the adoption process so ridiculously difficult! It’s basically set up so only crazy old ladies are allowed to adopt animals.
Not here though. I first came to this place thru an open-​house kind of thing where food was provided by Whole Foods I think. It was great — the employees are very friendly and like their jobs and each other, and the other foster volunteers are great people too.
In fact, two of the wonderful foster volunteers volunteered to drive me back to the metro because they noticed I rollerbladed here from the metro. After they heard the path I took, they definitely didn’t want me rollerblading back at night lol.
The process to adopt an animal was so simple. They took our app and probably made some calls and all was well. We were able to pick up our cat (Fats) right away. We didn’t have to deal with the complete BS that all those other adoption places make you deal with like multiple home visits and extreme scrutiny! They even gave us a bad of Science Diet for our new friend as well!
The price of adoption and their services here are also really good compared to everywhere else we looked.
Later that week, we taught our cat how to do some tricks :-)

This is a top notch facility. I could tell that the staff and volunteers truly care about the animals. I went to the shelter to adopt a cat. The shelter is very clean and the animals are well cared for. They do a sort of quiz, then you get to meet cats that will have the traits you are looking for in a pet. It was difficult for me because I wanted to adopt them all! I wound up meeting 2 female cats that won my heart. They are litter mates. The staff at the shelter bring the cats to a «play room» where I got to interact with them for a period of time. I then knew for sure I wanted to adopt them both! The shelter made sure they had all their shots, etc. They also had ½ off the adoption fees this month! WHS is a great organization!

Smaller and quieter than WHS’s New York Avenue shelter. Their cats were very cute and well-​cared for. Volunteers give each cat a little personality assessment, so that each cage has a «Meet Your Match Feline-​ality» profile. Sort of like eHarmony for pets. This helps potential adopters find a good match: quiet vs. talkative, independent vs. clingy, lazy vs. energetic, etc. You can read more about the Feline-​ality program here:

We adopted our two kittes, Fausto and Miguela, from the Washington Humane Society’s New York Avenue animal shelter. This was my first time adopting from a shelter (my other pets came from friends or just showed up on the doorstep) but I think this shelter does a great job, especially considering the challenges they face.
We went in a few times to check out the kitties and even though space was a little limited, the kitties were all obviously well cared for and seemed pretty happy. They have great volunteers — if you’re looking for a place to volunteer — go here! If you want to adopt and animal, their policy includes a «home visit» by one of their volunteers; this just means that someone will come over to make sure you don’t already have too many other animals and that living conditions will be reasonable for your new pet (s).
In case you don’t know, the non-​profit organization has the contract to provide the animal control services for the city (as I recall). Not only are they out there helping abused and unwanted animals, they have a program to teach children to be kind to animals. They must do something right, because DC has been rated as the third-​most humane large city in the country by the Humane Society of the United States (see the Humane Index web site at
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Fausto and Miguela are the best kitties ever — and I’m sure there are other doggies and kitties (almost) as good as them waiting for your love!