Adopt-A-Pet

I’m probably going to sound biased because I’m a volunteer with Adopt-​a-​Pet, but I will tell you this– this place genuinely cares for these animals and will go to the moon and back to ensure that the pets in their care go to their forever home.
That being said, yes the adoption process takes a long time. Yes, you will be asked «personal» questions about your family dynamics, employment, living situation and references. And here’s why. I have seen dogs and cats come to us with terribly sad stories of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Not all, but there’s been quite a bit. We intend to adopt an animal to their FOREVER home, not to their «good for now» home. We ask about what will happen if you have a baby in the future because guess what… people dump their pets at shelters as soon as a baby comes along. People get divorced and give up a pet, and some think a dog is a lawn accessory instead of a companion. This is why the process is so strict. Many of these animals have experienced some tough times and we don’t want that repeated. Not one person with Adopt-​a-​Pet is being paid a salary for this. We do it because we love animals and want them to have their happy ending.

What’s up with the bad reviews? People do realize that this is an outfit run 100% by dedicated and caring volunteers, and the animals are fostered in their own private homes? These are people who really love animals.
There is no physical shelter, a la PAWS (who is also awesome) or Anti Cruelty Society. The animals are in private homes, and get loving care. The adoption fee is a bit steep, but when you consider that the animals you get are spayed/​neutered and up to date on shots and probably housebroken and trained, it seems like a bargain. They’re ready to go!
The application — yes, there are personal questions. No, you are not adopting a child, but you ARE adopting a LIVING THING who may have quirks and issues. They want to make sure you are right for the dog, and vice versa. Bottom line, they want the dogs to find FOREVER homes, not bounce around back and forth.
I lost my precious GSD to cancer last March, and while my heart is irrepairably broken, I figured the thing to do would be to award some other little shelter dog the Dog Lottery award and give them a life like Egon had for years. And I was horribly dog-​lonely.
Enter a little pup I met on the Adopt A Pet website. I met her, and was smitten. Not in love yet, but. .. smitten. Spent a good amount of time with the foster mom and got all the details on this pup. Trained, housebroken, socialized. .. a really good little dog.
I decide to give her a try. Long story short. .. there’s an issue at the vet. Dogs get wiggy at vets, we know this. Adopt a Pet was incredibly responsive, helpful and supportive. Phone consultations, a fantastic Dog Behaviorist was sent out, and I decided to go ahead and keep this sweet pup. There’s not an issue, it was an overreaction, and we can avoid this happening indeed. SO very helpful!!!
She’s not another Egon, but she is awesome in her own little, different and completely sweet way. I’ve got this goofy, tiny little 40 pound dog that cracks me up every day. And TRIES SO HARD to be a good dog, it makes me smile.
YAY! Dog Lottery Winner! The dog formerly known as Windy/​Bailey is now SONIC, the STAR of the Uptown Puptown dog park.

Have to agree with the favorable reviews on Adopt-​A-​Pet. They have some truly exceptional people: Tammy the local «liaison» fostering dogs, Marion the adoption counselor who not only makes herself available every moment pre/during/post-adoption,.but also took our «adoptee» to extra medical care appointments… Linda the person who assisted with the application… truly this is an AMAZING and 100% VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION!

I was writing back and forth with a foster mom about one of her dogs and she stopped answering back my emails after I told her I don’t sleep with my animals at night… I didn’t know that to be a good dog owner I had to sleep with my animals? I also attempted to fill out their 8 PAGE ADOPTION APPLICATION. I understand that they want their animals going to good homes, but good God, can’t you just trust humans a little bit? You can tell who some people are just by talking to them and meeting them. I feel so bad for the dogs because this rescue is narrowing out GOOD HOMES to find PERFECT HOMES. Sorry, but you wont find perfect! That’s probably why the dog I was talking to the foster mom about has been with her since Sept of 2011. Poor dog just wants to go to a good home, she’s not looking for perfect. Sorry Adopt-​A-​Pet but I’m adopting from someone else.

I adopted my cute kitty Teenie from Adopt-​A-​Pet and absolutely love the animal shelter. They are very well organized and very professional. They are a cageless animal shelter without a central facility location. All of the animals are in volunteer homes which is great because you have an idea of their personalities before submitting an application.
They are quite strict in their adoption process and for very good reason. Too many adopt cats & dogs, only to relinquish them later or they end up neglected. They go through these measures to ensure the animal you adopt from them will have a safe, caring home for life. Adopt-​A-​Pet truly cares for the animals they adopt out.
They have monthly adoption shows at Pet Smart, Christmas photos with Santa for your pets (dare I put up the picture of my kitty with Santa?! haha), and an annual raffle for the animals with some great prizes.
I highly recommend adopting from Adopt-​A-​Pet. And if you feel like pitching in, volunteer with them!

First, I love Adopt-​a-​Pet. I have adopted two cats from them and am so thankful to them for being so great and introducing me to my babies :) I liked them so much, in fact, that I drove pretty far out into the boondocks to meet both of my cats (separate adoptions), rather than going to other adoption places nearby in the city or Evanston.
My ex-​roommate (who is still one of my best friends) has also adopted two cats from them. It was actually through her family, who has fostered for AoP, that I became familiar with the organization. Since they don’t have a central facility, all of the cats are fostered, either in homes (the majority) or at Wilmette Pet or Thee Fish Bowl (in Evanston). This is a really great thing, since they have all been familiarized with people, and often other dogs, cats, and children. AoP really makes an effort to make sure that the pet you adopt fits well with your lifestyle (family, housing situation, other pets, work schedule, etc.)
Second, I have to respond to, or comment on, the other review (which I really never do).:
It is pretty ridiculous to give a two-​star rating for an adoption organization, just because they are more concerned with the well-​being of the animals they take in (many of which have already been in traumatic situations) than YOUR convenience. And really, how hard is it to put a couple of personal references? If that’s too much trouble, how much trouble will it be to take the cat to the vet? Buy his/​her food, litter, etc.
Adopt-​a-​Pet does have some rules that they are sticklers for, and for good reason. So many people are so careless with pets. They need to make sure that you’ll make every effort to keep your pet safe, healthy, and forever. Therefore, they want to make sure you.
–keep cats in-​doors at all times (these are domesticated animals that are subject to many dangers and diseases if let outside).
–have consent from your landlord, if you rent.
–are not adopting the pet on a whim or as a present for someone else.
–have a history of taking your pets to the vet. (if you have or have previously had pets).
–have people who will vouch that you are a good person and treat animals well.
If you can’t meet those reasonable standards, then you probably shouldn’t be taking on the responsibility of another living being. It’s really that simple.
Anyway, I’m not saying Adopt-​a-​Pet is the only good place to adopt a pet (but please DO ADOPT, not buy, your pets!), but my experiences with them have been successful and if I ever win the lotto and buy a huge mansion, I’ll come back to them for at least 2 dogs and 3 more cats :)

Several years after their most recent cat died a sad and premature death, my parents finally decided to get a new cat. I volunteer with a cat rescue organization where I live, and happen to be home on vacation and so was happy to help.
Adopt-​a-​pet had a number of wonderful pictures with great descriptions of their cats on petfinder, so I looked at their main website, which is fantastic. It offers tips on adoption, terrific points to consider about adopting a cat vs. a kitten that convinced my parents to consider a young cat rather than a kitten since kittens don’t have their final adult personality yet, and generally seems like the organization has the best interests of their cats in mind and will be supportive. Good sign! So I was excited to get to interact more with the organization.
My mom totally fell in love with a picture of a few of their cats. Their cats seem uniquely appealing and well-​described. But a picture is just a picture, as anyone who has ever done internet dating knows.
I called the organization to try to meet a few of the cats so my mom could decide if she was interested, but the organization wouldn’t allow us to meet the cats until I filled out the application. The woman on the phone, Linda, emphasized how important it is that I give them at least 3 personal references plus contact information of all vets that my parents have used. This is just to see cats that we might not even adopt. If it were me, I would have done it, but my parents weren’t comfortable having this organization call up 3 of their friends just so they can see some cats they might not adopt.
I spent at least 30 minutes filling out the application without references and then I wrote Linda an email explaining why I wasn’t sending references, listing my parents’ cats, how long they lived, why they died, vets’ phone numbers, and said that I hoped she would let us meet the cats anyway. No dice. The 45 minutes I invested was answered with a 2 sentence email telling me to send the application to her when it was complete.
We went to Treehouse, Red Door, Felines Inc, and CARE (Evanston), and spoke with a woman from another foster organization, A Caring Place, and all of them allowed us to meet their cats without calling 3 references and 2 vets. I’d recommend any of those in preference to this organization.