Save The Animals Foundation

If I could give zero stars I would. This place is terrible. Went on a Saturday to find a cat for our family. I filled out some paperwork and was then interrogated by a volunteer. I already felt a little uneasy after all the unnecessary questions but we continued on and went into a room with 25 cats and fell in love with one! The family was excited and we were dedicated to doing everything they asked us to do to prepare for the new cat. You have to go back and visit and we already made plans to go the next time they were open.
Sunday I received an email that my application was declined. Why? Because my current cat goes outside once a month for a couple minutes under my supervision. I can understand if my cat was an outside cat, but she isn’t. I do not understand how something so small is the reason they rejected us! I am more mad they didn’t let us know that day we couldn’t get a cat for this reason, I would have not wasted my time.
Please do not go here!!! They obviously want to keep all the cats instead of giving them a loving home. I went to the league for animal welfare in Batavia and they were amazing. We went today and already have our new fur baby in her new home!

We recently went to STAF to adopt a cat for our 11 year old daughter. Our whole family went, and we spent about an hour talking with a volunteer and meeting a lot of cats. We had to fill out a comprehensive survey about what we were looking for, current pets, etc. Then the volunteer interviewed us about the answers we provided. One thing she instantly «red flagged» was the fact that our current cat goes out into the backyard for about 5 minutes at a time, once or twice a month — mainly when she dashes out the door. She chews on grass for a bit, then we bring her back in. The volunteer said that all their cats were inside cats, and that we had to pledge that our current cat and any cat we adopted would stay inside 100% of the time forever. She said we would need to sign a contract stating that, and we agreed with it — we said we would promise to keep both cats inside all the time. Our daughter then met the cats, and found 2 that she really liked — she was very excited to come back for the 2^nd visit!
Well, imagine our surprise when 24 hours later (on a Sunday night) we got an email from STAF stating that they would not let us adopt a cat, because they didn’t think we would be able to abide by the 100% inside promise! These people didn’t even give us a chance to come back a second time and sign their contract! And, my daughter was quite upset to boot.
For a shelter that has hundreds of cats that need adoption, they sure don’t seem to want to adopt any of their cats out! I can understand they want the best for their cats, but this was over the line — not even giving us a chance? We already have one cat, and are obviously serious if we’re going through their hoops to adopt another cat… we aren’t just running into a kitty mill store and grabbing the first thing we see.
After talking with friends, we found a few similar stories to ours from people that had been to STAF to adopt a cat. My recommendation — stay away from these people. They are obviously not serious about wanting to adopt cats out, and their staff is not willing to work with you if you do want to adopt.

I’m going through the adoption process now, and many of these reviews are so wildly inaccurate that I thought I’d share my experience.
1. A lot of people have noted that the place smells. It’s an animal shelter. They have over 500 cats at any given time. Of course it smells. However, it’s not excessive or extreme, and totally reasonable if you’ve ever spent any time around dogs or cats.
2. The application is rather long and detailed, but there are no unnecessary questions. The interview isn’t an «interrogation»; it’s just a friendly volunteer asking questions about your home, your family, etc. None of the questions were intrusive or inappropriate, and it was all over in a matter of minutes.
3. Some have mentioned that there are sick/​diseased cats. Again, it’s an animal shelter and a sanctuary. If there are sick cats, they’re receiving treatment. They have entire wards of FIV-​positive cats who will spend their entire lives at STAF. That’s what the organization does. During our first visit, one of the cats we met appeared to have an upper respiratory infection. The volunteer took note of it, and when we went back tonight, he’d been treated and was in good health. They don’t just let them get sick.
4. You do have to adopt two if you want a kitten. Companionship is vital at that stage, so it makes sense. If you only want one cat, they have a lot of older cats that would make wonderful pets.
Okay, now that those are out of the way, here are the best things about STAF:
1. It’s seriously cat heaven. We almost feel guilty adopting because the cats seem so happy where they are. They’re organized into several rooms with toys, scratching posts, and cat trees. They have people there to love and pet them. The cats seem relaxed and at ease. Visiting is really a wonderful experience.
2. The volunteers and the shelter manager are delightful. They’re all polite and friendly, and not judgmental at all as others have suggested. They’re thorough and professional and they definitely know what they’re doing.
3. The volunteers know the names and temperaments of each cat, and can make great suggestions about which cat would be a good fit for your family. We have three dogs, and they introduced us to cats who have been around dogs and would be a good match for us.
I volunteer with another local rescue, and we could definitely learn a thing or two from the way STAF does their adoptions. It really was an amazing experience from start to finish.

I’m a volunteer at STAF as well as having adopted a dog from here. The volunteers do everything in their power to give the animals quality time with the volunteers. I volunteer with the cats but usually volunteer in the same set of rooms each week. I’ve seen people complain about the conditions and the cats being sick. Listen, they have 600 cats and are a NO KILL shelter unlike the SPCA and other shelters around. Unless the animal is in pain and its quality of life is being reduced they don’t put the animals down. There’s a reason they’re over protective of the pets, this isn’t a revolving door for handing out pets. If you come for the adoption times and want a cat you have to come back several times, why? Because they don’t want them to be mistreated or brought back. The staff is selective because we care about these animals and don’t want anything bad to happen to them, and in most cases bad things have happened to the vast majority of these animals.
I have been volunteering here since 2012 and my fiancé and I decided we wanted to adopt a dog, when you come in there is a smell, just like at the SPCA or most shelters, why? Because we have over 600 cats and 20 – 30 dogs at a time. You first meet and the staff asks what you’re here for: cat or dog. Then you fill out an application and someone will go over it with you and ask what you’re looking for in a dog (size, age, male, female, etc) then if you’re looking for a dog they will take u to a holding room where they bring the animals to you so you can meet them in a quiet calm less stressful environment. If you find a dog you like you can take them outside to one of their play areas and get to know the dog even more. If you still like the dog you can put it «on hold» and schedule a home visit. However, before you can have a home visit a volunteer will come to your house and do a fence check to make sure that the dog will not be able to get out from your yard and run away. To give you an idea of the time frame for this we put our dog on hold on a Saturday and picked him up the next Friday and had him for the week and once that week was up we decided to keep him. STAF will send you home (on your home visit) with a crate, food, bowls, treats, and several toys as well as two collars and leashes. You can keep some of the items (for a cost) if you decide to keep the animal. We love our dog so much that we are thinking about going back and finding a companion for our current dog. I told my fiancé that if we’re going to adopt from a shelter STAF is the first and only place I’ll go because of how well they take care of the animals and how thorough they are with everything.
In regards to the cat rooms being dirty… There are volunteers that clean the cat rooms twice a day, and their food and littler is changed either once a day or once every other day. The cats water is changed at least twice daily and the rooms are vacuumed messes cleaned up twice a day… To the people that think they’re dirty and the cats are sick… Being in close proximity with other people will get you sick too.

We arrived almost at 130 pm Saturday, with closing at 2. We filled out an application and waited. Cindy greeted us cheerfully, stayed over (this is all volunteer), and showed us some dogs. We fell in love with one, but because she was not good with cats, she would not be a good fit for us. Their policy of fitting dogs to owners and of letting you take a dog for a week to see if it works out is amazing. We left with a good feeling and a chance to talk to trainers neat our home to see if we can take the dog we like home and teach her. If not, at least we know we can love another dog after the death of ours last year.

Just to be clear, just because you are an animal person doesn’t mean that you have to be a horrible human, but some folks missed that memo. My mother lost her home of 40+ years and had to move into an apartment that does not allow pets. She worked with one of the volunteers well in advance of bringing her adopted dog Bella back to the shelter. The woman who greeted my mother at the shelter was disgusting. My mother called me in tears this person was being so rude to her.
Look, I understand the volunteers are frustrated. They love animals, animals are forever, animals are family, yada yada yada. But wow. Way to be classist and uninformed. There are many people who love their animals and have to re-​home them who don’t deserve to be judged and treated rudely. All my mother asked was that they let her know when she had been adopted. And if that’s not policy, politely say, sorry we don’t do that. Not grumble and roll your eyes and imply that my mother is irresponsible. Seriously, take a seat before you fall off your high horse.
I’m an animal liker (not lover)…and a social worker. I’m definitely more people than pets and believe that sometimes animals need re-​homed whether the reason is that it’s aggressive, you can’t afford the vet bills or even just for your own sanity. However, I do know from experience that pets can be considered family and most people do not take the decision to re-​home a pet lightly. There are people who may be in a domestic violence situation and they can’t bring an animal with them to a shelter,. People who have lost their homes and don’t have shelter themselves. People who surrender because they can’t afford to properly care for them, and people who are sick who can’t care for the animal any longer. It’s not black and white. Even if you don’t agree, to treat an older person like crap is never okay and always despicable. Keep this woman behind the scenes. She is clearly better with dogs.

I can see how the potential adopters can leave not being very happy, but as one other volunteer said, you have to be there to see how truly, loving, caring, and dedicated the volunteers are. And they are very strict, due to the terrible backgrounds of the animals there. When a dog goes 3 weeks locked into a cage, when the owners move and leave him with no food, or water, laying his own feces, or a litter of kittens thrown into a lake, with a brick tied to them, or kids beating on an innocent cat, that had no front claws to defend itself, or cats being put into pillow cases and hit with a bat, which left them having a concusion, and broken bones, and yes bringing animals back because they are having a baby or moving. Those few stories should give you some idea, on why they are very protective on who gets them next. It’s heart breaking, and there are 28 cat rooms, yes that is a lot, but they are not cramped. And it is not STAF’s fault for the number they have, but the unresponsible humans, out there that don’t give a crap. So in my mind, I am grateful for this organization, to pick up where carelessness of others have stopped. Yes the place has a strong smell, but that’s the least of our concerns there! All goes into being there for the animals. Trust me, if the animals were not put first, and cared for like they are, I would have reported and stopped volunteering there. I am big into animal welfare.

I had a very similar experience to others here. There are cats EVERYWHERE. They have them in the hallways, on file cabinets, etc. When you first walk in they give you a 4 – 5 page application. Then they interrogate you on your past pet history and future intentions. Basically they told me I couldn’t get a cat because I may let it outside if I buy a house in 5 – 6 years and that was a «red flag». Also you aren’t allowed to move, ever. They have over 600 cats which doesn’t surprise me since they turn everyone down. Basically you have a bunch of animal hoarders running this place who don’t want to give up a single animal. It doesn’t serve well for the animals in their care when there are plenty of good homes for them and they turn people away.

This «rescue» is nothing more than a group of hoarders. We went there to look at a kitty. My husband, baby and myself went, and were forced to wait outside in the extreme cold for 35 minutes before they’d let us in. When we got in, it was because they let someone else inside first! They had completely ignored us. After filling out a ridiculous adoption application, we were made to wait another 45 minutes in the cold, disgusting-​smelling lobby, while we watched other people who had arrived after us be assisted first. Then the real joke came. A lady who was called the «cat specialist» came out with my application, and right off stated that because we had a baby we were in no way, shape, or form, candidates to any of their cats. We weren’t allowed to look around, meet the kitty we’d seen on Petfinder, or anything. I will never go there again, or donate anything to these people, and I will make sure everyone I know hears about how awful the people are. I absolutely feel horrible for the 500+ animals they have in that facility. We went to our local SPCA the week after this and adopted the most amazing cat ever. I’d strongly recommend to go to your nearest SPCA or kill shelter and rescue an animal there.
Edit: Shortly after I posted this review, I got a private message being bullied by one of the rescue’s volunteers. I will DEFINITELY not ever recommend this place, and I will continue to discourage people from going to this establishment.

We had a terrible experience at Save the Animals Foundation. After losing our cat of 14 years to cancer, we made the decision to rescue two adult cats from a shelter. My daughters and I spent hours on the STAF website, looking at pictures and descriptions of adoptable cats and making a list of the ones we wanted to meet. Last Thursday, I took my daughters (ages 5, 7, and 9) to the open adoption session, a visit we were all excited about. Little did I know how disappointing it would be.
After filling out a lengthy application in the waiting area, we were brought back into the main shelter for an «interview»…although I think «interrogation» is a better term for it. While my girls waited, I was asked a variety of nosy, probing questions, which I answered honestly. Apparently, I sent up some «red flags» when I told her that my previous cat had been declawed 13 years ago and that he had gone into the backyard occasionally. By the end of the interview, the woman pretty much blatantly told me that I may not get a cat. I was stunned. «But we’re offering a cat a loving, safe home,» I told her. «Oh, I know,» she assured me. «But we have a committee who decides who is fit to adopt, and I’m just telling you now that we probably won’t all agree.»
Oh, did I mention this place is sheltering SIX HUNDRED cats?! 600 cats crammed into several small rooms, literally piled on top of one another, sharing dozens of litter boxes. Many are diseased and injured. And she is telling me that they can’t risk sending one to MY home? Right, because it would be better off in that cramped, urine-​smelling environment than a warm, comfortable home where it would receive the undivided love and attention of my family?
Anyhow… after the interview, they did show us around and let us meet some of the cats. The girls fell in love with Elliott, a long-​haired orange cat. The woman told us they had a 2-​visit minimum, which meant we would have to come back to at least one more open adoption session to meet with MORE members of their committee before they would consider us for adoption. She also stated that they would need to meet my husband first, to make sure everyone in the house is «on board» with the decision.
Again, give me a freaking break. It’s a cat, not a child. I believe it was pretty obvious, after observing me and the girls interacting with dozens of cats, that we are not cat killers or torturers.
She sent us home with what she called «homework» — a packet of information about caring for cats — with instructions that we all read it.
I left with a very unsettled feeling, but I figured I would try to convince my husband to return on the next open adoption day, as the girls really wanted to adopt Elliott, as did I.
Well, I didn’t have the chance to try. The next day, I received an email from STAF with the following message:
«Dear Melissa, Thank you for coming to Save The Animals Foundation last night to see some of the wonderful cats we have. It was great meeting and working with you and your girls. Unfortunately, I am writing to tell you that we will not be adopting to you. Please do not take this personally. It was clear to us that you would be a very loving home. You and your children were great with the cats. Your situation is just not the right fit for us.»
YOUR SITUATION IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT FIT FOR US???
Oh, okay. So the 600 cats’ current situation is a better fit. Right. Sounds perfectly logical to me.
These shelters make it seem like purchasing a pet from a breeder or private seller is the worst thing you can possibly do… but then they make it virtually impossible for you to rescue an animal. In what world does this make any bit of sense?
STAF seems to be in the business of hoarding cats, rather than finding loving homes for them.

I love love love dogs, so when I got a place that was a big enough to have one, I immediately started checking out Petfinder. A lot of the dogs that I liked were from Save the Animals Foundation, so I made an appointment to go over there and check them out.
Save the Animals Foundation is an amazing no-​kill shelter located on the east side of Cincinnati. Adoption hours are on Thursdays and Saturdays. They have both cats and dogs. So many more cats than dogs actually. The facility is very large though and they try to make room for everyone.
The adoption process for a dog was a little different here than the process is else where, but its good because they are really thorough. You won’t be leaving with a dog after your first visit. They work really hard to make sure the owner and pet are a good match for each other. The first visit is a little like speed dating, you get to meet a bunch of dogs who are the temperament and age that you are interested in. Then if you like you, you can plan an overnight visit to make sure that you guys get a long. If you have a fenced in back yard, someone from the foundation will come check it out to make sure its doggie friendly. If the overnight doesn’t go well you can bring the pet back to the shelter and start over. If it goes well, then you can choose to adopt your furry friend. They also ask for references to make sure you are a good person, good with pets, are actually employed and live in a place that allows pets. If I were going to get another dog, I would definitely go here again.

a no kill animal (dog and cat) shelter that is run by dedicated volunteers. i have adopted two dogs from here and had a great experience doing so. i have also started volunteering there and still love it. there are always events that the shelter is putting on for fundraising (bingo twice a week every tuesday and friday in blueash), walks, book sales, spaghetti dinners, open houses, and alumni gatherings).