Washington Humane Society

I went to an event there this weekend and it seemed poorly organized. It was a struggle. That being said, I’m sure they do great work and on a normal day it’s much better.
For those going, I recommend checking online first if you have restrictions. They seem to keep the site pretty up to date. There wasn’t a wide selection of dogs. As might be expected, it was mostly large pit bulls and Bulldogs but a few of them were total gems. See photo!

UPDATE 7÷2÷15: We’ve now had Leelah for over eight months, and I am happy to report that she’s still practically perfect in every way and that my earlier post was not just the new-​pet-​glow.
I WILL say, though, that shortly after I wrote my original (12÷8÷14) review, she had a few behavioral problems and became very territorial of her areas. She would lunge at us (never biting, but clearly freaked out) and thump if we came too close. We were really nervous that this would be her behavior forever, and scoured the Internet, reached out to WHS and the DC House Rabbit Society, and did everything we could to make her comfortable. I would caution other adopters to bear with their new pets as, at least in our case, none of the weird things the Internet taught us (to pet her using a paintbrush. Seriously.) helped, but with time and lots of love bordering on smothering, she’s now come around. She follows me around the house, comes when I call her, and even stands on her little hind legs to beg for treats.
I just couldn’t be happier with the way WHS treated us, helped us through a little bump in our adjusting to Leelah, and obviously our adorable bunny herself. Definitely adopt, don’t shop!

I adopted a wonderful Siamese mix kitten from WHS, and could not be happier! Shelter cats are awesome because the adoptions staff cobbles them together from spare parts, so you get the very best of the feline world!

We were not sure what to expect with the whole adoption process. Our previous pets were strays that found us. We never had to «find» a pet. When one of our cats passed away, we were all incredibly sad, but our remaining cat, Charmed, was very depressed.
We knew we needed to find another cat, not to replace Hallie, but for a new companion.
The WHS website was very informative. We were able to scroll through the available offerings. We were able to take advantage of a special where the adoption fee was $ 15 which included spaying and the required immunizations to date.
After finding a potential match, the next step is to meet the potential adoptee. Following the meeting, an application is required followed by a counseling session.
Everyone was very professional and knowledgable! I actually plan on sponsoring in the future. We are extremely happy and would recommend WHS for those wanting a pet!

My girl wanted some budgies and I was like «wtf is that a name of a italian sub?» APPARENTLY they parakeets I’m like «girl please I ain’t lookin to babysit some black-​bean-​lookin-​pooping-​chirping-​machines» but you know you gotta go with her when she give you that death stare and if you don’t go she gon go clubbin with her girlfrans on a saturday night and post that shiz all over ig tryna making you jealous aka you ain’t gonna get some playa-​love for like the next 6 months :(
These guys holdin down the BLOCK with all types of animals, dogs, cats, turtles, rabbits when I came through. Respect to how they accept all animals and keep em happy, only true OGs know how to pimp all hoes (RIP Biggie). Was tempted to pick up a pair of dogs myself, pay homage to DMX but I’m never home, too busy out holdin down my corner sellin BLUE TOPS, aka heroin SIKE just SAT books because I’m Asian and I can ace that test easier than I can ace a girl for a number :(
Anyway, staff is super friendly, get you squared away immediately and you can be out in 15 minutes. Time to train these little birds who the TRUE BIRDMAN IS get them to fly out like this:

My fiancé and I had never adopted a pet before so kind of went into the process blind. After extensively searching the website (which is crazy up to date) we instantly fell in love with a little girl cat named Opal. Opal’s old parents had left her in a house while it was being flee bombed TWICE because she had gotten fleas. After the tenants moved, the landlord found her starving and abandoned so took her to WHS.
We went in that weekend to meet her and the staff. We had a half hour meet&greet with her in the back room (where she hid under the couch for 20 mins of it! Haha) and took her home later that day. She was EXACTLY how the humane society described her (sweet, loving, loyal) and she was in GREAT health considering her circumstances!
We now donate every year to WHS for saving Opal’s life — and enhancing our own lives with her in it :)

I just wanted to share my nightmare experience with this humane society. I went to the humane society to pick up a kitten. everything seemed fine at first. the kitten was adorable but not very active. after the second day me and my girlfriend noticed that the cat wasn’t eating anything and was sneezing. we went to multiple stores buying cat food and tuna to try to coax the cat into eating. after the third day the cat still had not eaten or drank and her health was deteriorating. we decided to take it to one of the vets that the humane society recommended. the vet gave the cat fluids and gave us some pretty expensive medicines to administer to the cat. we were told by the vet that the cat had a respiratory infection and ulcers on its tongue. as soon as we got home with the cat, the director of the humane society called us after talking with the vet and told us to take the cat immediately to the animal clinic were it would be cared for over night. we said we both had to work and asked if we could do it tomarrow, but she said no we had to go now. so We left right after hanging up the phone. we arrived at a spay and neuter clinic in SE and told them who we were. they had no idea what we were talking about. they told us the doctor wasn’t available that day and we had to take the cat back home. frustrated beyond belief at this point. I tried calling the director but there was no answer. I couldn’t take the cat back home with me because i had to go straight to work. the people at the clinic told me if i left the cat there i would be relinquishing ownership. I was told by the director that i would be able to just drop the cat off there. This wasn’t even an animal hospital! I called the director later and she denied any knowledge of giving me and my girlfriend a sick cat. and apologized for the situation. I find it hard to believe that the cat just happen to stop eating as soon as we adopted her. All in all, I spent $ 300 in 3 days trying to do everything possible to get this cat better.

WHS is an incredible place with great staff. They take very seriously their duty to help adoptable animals. Staff and volunteers are knowledgeable and helpful. Please consider adopting a WHS animal. And also remember, WHS is a part of animal control. They take ALL animals they find/​are brought in, unlike some other area rescues. Don’t forget to check out the website for foster pets… many of the young dogs and cats are in foster care. Also consider donating time, funds, or supplies to WHS.

I foster for WHS and am constantly amazed by their professionalism and attentiveness in an environment that must be often emotionally and physically draining. I recently adopted a dog (foster failure) and my positive experience continued through the adoption process. Victoria, my adoption counselor, was enthusiastic and kind, and the adoption process was efficient and informative. I’m so happy to have started my time with my forever friend in such a wonderful way!

I am the happy owner of two fabulous adult cats from «the cat house». The staff was casual but very professional and helpful. I have the cutest cats ever but I think there more very special animals there for you.
The orange cat below is clementine (cat formerly known as Hilton.)

Extremely attentive, responsive, kind, and helpful staff. The adoption process was comprehensive and easy to navigate thanks to Jackie and Giselle.
This was my first time adopting a kitten, and I am so pleased that I went with WHS. They provided us with so many materials and resources to answer any questions we had about raising a kitten, and made it so our first vet visit, as well as medication prescribed in that first visit, was free. Very much appreciated.
We love our kitty! She came home with an eye infection (vet said that URI’s are triggered by stress and hers turned bacterial– we picked up eye ointment and its doing the trick) and also giardia, which is supposedly very common in kittens and the shelter covered the cost of the medication for that, so no complaints from me.

I LOVE WHS! They are doing an amazing job for the animals of DC, with limited resources and old buildings. They love the animals so much and do their best to help the public make a love connection. They also offer low cost spay/​neuter and vaccines, which is a huge need in our community. I am excited to see them build a new state of the art shelter that will be what these animals deserve. The NY Ave Shelter is a bit tough to access unless you have a car, but they take animals out into the community for adoption events, too. Remember this is a non-​profit, so they are doing a lot with a limited budget. Help WHS out!

This is a tough and personal review and was very hard for me to write but I wanted to share my experience to inform/​warn others who go to WHS looking for a cat to be more careful than my boyfriend and I were.
My cat adoption experience with the WHS led to one of the most difficult and emotional periods of my life, and I honestly think that it could have been avoided by the staff being honest with us.
My boyfriend and I went to WHS looking to adopt a single, adult cat who could get along with our future dog and kids we have planned and who could also be a «couch buddy» for me in the meantime. My boyfriend wasn’t that interested in getting a cat, but went along with it because it meant so much to me. Specifically, I was looking for a cat who was social but could also handle being a solo cat, who was also moderately playful and affectionate, and I told the staff and volunteers at WHS as much. The cat we left with, while outwardly friendly and playful in Kitty City, was ANYTHING BUT.
Within just a few days of bringing him home, it was very clear that the cat we adopted had likely never lived in a home before, was semi-​feral and incredibly aggressive. We consulted with the animal behaviorist that the WHS has on staff and was told that this was «play aggression.» However, after consulting with ANOTHER behaviorist and a vet, it was diagnosed as being more territorial aggression as playing with him often made him more aggressive and he preferred attacking us even when we tried to redirect his attention with a toy.
Long story short, we knew that we would eventually have to give him up because problems like that just don’t go away, and he was not a safe animal to have around kids (or really anyone) and tried to work with the shelter to rehome him but eventually gave him back and (you guessed it) he was then deemed upadoptable and put to sleep. I was (and still am) devastated by this experience, and now hold a pretty significant grudge against the Washington Humane Society.
Clearly my experience is not the experience that everyone has and the perfect adoption match doesn’t happen every time — but really? You send home an aggressive/​high prey drive cat with a couple looking for house cat? While it may have been bad judgement on our part, we didn’t really know what we were doing or looking for behavior-​wise in the shelter and they had to have known he had some of those issues and should have redirected us to a cat who was closer to what we were looking for. My boyfriend feels that they cared more about getting him out the shelter than they did about making sure the right cats are matched with the right adopters.

Went here to help a friend find the perfect cat. (He found one!) Loved their selection of cats and the fact that we could take them out of their cages and interact with them. Not many kittens, but it makes sense that they do best in foster homes.
This location seemed to have a ton of staff members and volunteers, but everyone was friendly and helpful and reminded us to sanitize our hands before handling different animals. (The Takoma Park location was a different story, with just one or two staff members that essentially ignored us the entire time)
The dog selections, however, were extremely limited. In fact, every single one that we saw was a pit bull or pit bull mix. I’m secretly relieved we didn’t find any German Shepherds, because I would never have been able to pry my husband out of there without one.

This weekend my fiancée and I adopted our first pet, Max (previously Cravat), a year-​old cat who looks (and acts) like a Maine Coon mix. I’ve never adopted an animal before, and my only experience with animal shelters has been in Georgia.
The first thing I noticed about the shelter was the smell. Basically, it didn’t smell horrible like other shelters I’ve visited. The facility is very clean and they make sure that you sanitize your hands in between handling animals.
The staff is so sweet, they were so thorough about the adoption process and what to expect after we’ve brought our kitty home. It’s a busy place but I thought they did a great job addressing everyone and helping us all find our new family member. We had a couple of cats we wanted to see when we showed up, but the staff was happy to let us explore and play with everyone, and that’s how we found Max.
The WHS staff is also great with their dogs… they get to know each one of them and have a trainer on staff who helps them with manners. Since they know the individual dogs’ personalities they can make you a recommendation based on what you’re looking for.
The whole adoption process was surprisingly painless, and at the end of it they gave us a folder with all of the microchip info, vaccine schedules, names and information about local vets, and some coupons for Petango. They also have pet behaviorists on staff to help you if you have any problems. It was such a great experience. There has been nothing like bringing Max home, watching him come out of his shell and adopting us as his people.

Over the last month, my fiancé and I have completely fallen in love with the newest member of our family. Reuben Sandwich (we now call him Gonzo) has already brought us so much excitement, happiness, and unconditional love that I can’t even begin to thank this organization for rescuing him.
We went to the Humane Society intending to look at what was available, maybe play with a dog or two, and go home empty-​handed. We specifically said that we really weren’t going to leave with an animal. Our apartment wasn’t ready and we didn’t want to rush into anything. When we got there, I was totally overwhelmed. It was heartbreaking to see how many dogs were there, waiting for a home. Gonzo was the first dog we saw, and I was immediately smitten. After walking through the long hall of dogs, my fiancé asked me if I wanted to play with Reuben Sandwich — he made the same impression on him!
I was so moved by the dedication of their staff. Every step of the way, they were encouraging, positive, and incredibly helpful. They made it easy to adopt Gonzo. Even if they hadn’t, after one look into those sweet dark eyes, there was no way we were leaving without him!
He had a clean bill of health at his first vet visit, which was so easy (and free!) thanks to the Humane Society. We have now established a great relationship with a fantastic vet at Ballston Animal Hospital. He’s quickly learning how to walk on a leash and is very eager to please when we work on training exercises.
He absolutely loves his daily trips to the Clarendon dog park and is great playing with other dogs of all sizes. At home, he is a perfect balance of energy and calm. We bought a crate on his first day home, and I was hesitant at first (I’d never crate-​trained a dog before). As soon as my fiancé set it up, it was clear that he found his «bedroom.» He loves laying across both of our laps when we watch tv, but he’s always ready to go for a walk or run. Basically, we got the perfect dog.
I can’t imagine how anyone could have surrendered that sweet puppy to the Humane Society, but I’m incredibly thankful that we ended up together. Thanks so much to the Washington Humane Society for making our family complete!

Was there today to adopt a dog, however had the worse experience of my life. As I tried to get help a female employee by the name of Mia was very rude. She was talking to a friend and as I very politely asked for her help, but she put her finger in the air and said «can’t you see I’m busy». She then said «damn white people».
I highly suggest to stay away from a place like this that hires people like her. I was about to adopt two dogs and this really deterred me and I felt to uncomfortable that I left.
There are other great places to adopt that the staff doesn’t treat you like this that I would suggest to go try before here.

I have nothing but great things to say about our WHS experience, but let me break it down anyway.
The short version of the story was that we had recently lost our dear 7yo cat Sammy. He had passed away from a presumed aneurysm and we were devastated. A few weeks later we decided that our other cat Miso might want another brother or sister to spend her day with so we looked online at the WHS site and found a cat we loved named Thomas. But we felt we were a few weeks away from making the plunge. And then we saw on their Facebook page a little guy named Tucker that was being fostered and needed a home. We got to visit with Tucker – thanks to his foster mom – and decided he was the one.
Upon our visit to the NY Ave. offices for the WHS to fill out paperwork on Tucker, we got to visit the Cat Room and low and behold Thomas was there – only unlike his prior photo he was now wearing a cone because he had damaged his eye. But that only made us fall for him even more. So by the end of the day we were adopting not one, but two little furballs into our’s and Miso’s lives.
The WHS was so thoughtful with us and so wonderful about helping us understand both our new kitten’s and our older cat’s medical needs and how to best care for them. Their facilities are well worn, but everyone there is bright, kind, gentle and wise. The staff even rang a bell and clapped for us and Thomas on our way out as we proudly took him home. And the foster mom was just amazing as well. I mention this because not only is their dedicated staff and volunteers awesome, so are their foster network.
Our lives are not just better because of our new family of cats, they’re also better because the WHS was there to help us along the way. We can’t thank them enough.

I truly have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Washington Humane Society. This is a fantastic organization and it’s evident that they truly care about all of the animals that come through their doors.
We adopted our cat, Zoe, from the New York ave location almost three years ago and I cannot imagine having a more positive experience. When we adopted Zoe she was a bit under the weather and was being given medication. For that reason, she had not yet been spayed or immunized. However, the WHS made sure that all of these appointments would be covered financially. I even received a call from a staff member several weeks after the adoption, who just wanted to follow-​up and ensure that everything was going well for both humans and kitten alike!
I am constantly impressed with how much work WHS puts into getting these animals adopted. Their social and web-​based media campaigns are awesome and extremely helpful in raising awareness about just how many animals are waiting to be adopted. And, in a large city with so many strays and abandoned animals, their efforts all that much more important and appreciated.
I highly recommend visiting the WHS if you’re looking to provide love and shelter to an animal looking for a forever home!

They do a great job here. People who say otherwise I doubt have been to many other shelters, so I have to respond to a few of the negative reviews.
Sure, if you want an animal because you’re «tired of people in the city» — you may be part of the 1% of people who find the staff rude. The staff is super busy and their tone with customers is informal. But the employees are friendly, love animals, and you’re the one «tired of people.» That’s on you. Work on your own personality.
And yes, they do have to put some animals down. The Humane Society doesn’t have the luxury of turning animals away and people are dropping off animals all day and night. But if you talk to the Humane Society about their policies, you will find that they do all they can to avoid putting animals down and, in fact, don’t do it very often. For example, they spay/​neuter stray cats and return them to the neighborhood where they were found. When we were at the shelter, someone brought in a «stray» cat, and one of the employees remembered the cat, tracked the cat down in their system and spent the next hour on the phone tracking down the owner.
When we adopted our kittens, their foster mom flaked out and dropped them off at the shelter before Thanksgiving weekend — the Humane Society kept the kittens in the back and called us right away so we could start to foster-​to-​adopt. It was great customer service amid a terrible experience for the kittens.
They care for all kinds of animals. They handle the dangerous dogs that are literally ON TRIAL for seriously biting people. They take in a lot of abandoned (and gorgeous) pit bulls. It’s serious business.
So yes, the cats you adopt here might have a little conjunctivitis or a «shelter cough» for a little while, but c’mon — you’re rescuing abandoned animals. That comes with the territory wherever you adopt. You have a good heart. You deserve a pet with a story. Get yourself down to the Humane Society!