Fortunate Pooches & Lab Rescue

I called them earlier today asking about a puppy I found on PetFinder. The dog had already been adopted and when I was asking about their other pets, I said that I lived in an apartment and didn’t want a large breed because they don’t have a yard to run around in. The girl on the phone literally said «we laugh at people who say that all the time» … so you are going to tell me that you laugh at people like myself, a potential adoptee with 10+ years of dog training & ownership experience because I want to have a home environment that’s the best fit for my pet? Her rude comments did not stop there. She was helpful in getting my in contact with one of the foster moms to schedule an appointment so that’s why k give my experience (thus far) 2 out of 5 instead of only 1 star.

This shelter cannot afford to make good on any promises or contracts, and will not honor vouchers to spay/​neuter, etc. Once you drive away with your new best friend, good luck.
We were fortunate to make it through the vetting process and adopt a new mom dog who had been brought here with a number of other dogs from South Carolina. We were told she was cat friendly (we have 2 inside cats).
As it turns out, our dog is so afraid of cats that she either cowers if she thinks they’re near, or, as my deep scars will attest, attacks them. We have spent hundreds of dollars for training, an interior gate and portal system to give the pets a modicum of freedom, and numerous training & psychological items to allay her fears. We now have two scared cats as well!
The foster keeper gave us a certificate for a heartworm test and spay. She emphasized that the org did not pay for, nor support, the pre-​op testing. In fact, the foster mom stressed what an unnecessary money grab pre-​op testing is.
The dog couldn’t be spayed for quite a while post-​partum, so we put her in behavior training in the meantime. When we went for her spay at a clinic that accepted their voucher, we did, indeed, pay for the pre-​op blood work. It revealed heartworm disease. Through a number of emails, the foster mom and shelter’s rep, Illena, admitted that many of the dogs in this convoy also had heartworms. If you look at the national map of heartworm frequency, South Carolina is the reddest, densest area by far.
Illeana claimed to have made multiple attempts to call us to discuss the matter, though it is perfectly clear that she never did. Phone records don’t lie.
We set out on a thousand-​dollar course of treatments, which the shelter’s leader, Illeana, also bad-​mouthed, claiming the medicine was so cheap and the markups ridiculous, not taking into account everything else that is required for safe administration. She touts her vast knowledge of animal care, yet derides DVM’s diagnoses and treatment plans.
In an email she offered a $ 250 refund against our costs. Four months later and no further replies to our emails, we have nothing to offset the treatment costs, not to mention the discomfort our dog’s been through and the constant drama our family endures.
To wit, our dog is now ready to be spayed and the clinic that would otherwise have done the procedure isn’t doing business with the shelter due to unpaid bills. Now, keep in mind that our stray adoptee gave birth to 8 puppies who also need to be altered, but this shelter’s practices and finances will not prevent most of these 9 dogs from making even more stray or abandoned dogs. Go figure. Our altruistic attempt to save a poor, knocked-​up dog who was rumored to be healthy (as opposed to getting a mill dog who’s been spayed, free of heartworms, documented or trained to cope with other pets, etc.) is a great dog — don’t get me wrong — but we’re nearing two grand in 9 months in fixit’s for a $ 300 stray.
This is a deceptive, lying runaway outfit that finds beautiful, if sick, dogs, yet cannot make good on their core mission — in at least 9 cases — and are actually helping to perpetuate the cycle of unwanted animals.

Through an online search for a puppy, I came across Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue. The adoption process was great and the volunteers were very helpful. Unfortunately, our older dog did not get along with the puppy so we had to bring him back. Again, they were extremely understanding and welcomed him back. The problem came when I tried to get the $ 350 back that we had paid for the pup. I have e-​mailed twice and left voice messages over the course of the past few months. I understand that they are busy volunteers, but I believe that there was time to return at least an email. $ 350 is a lot of money, and we would like it back!!! The puppy was adopted by another family, so they got the $ 350 AGAIN! Our older dog passed and when we were looking for a new puppy, I never even considered Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue!