ART & Paws Animal Rescue

I came to know Liraz when I chose to foster for her rescue, Art n’ Paws. I had seen many posts on Facebook of the chihuahuas and other dogs on the euthanasia list that her rescue saved.
I wanted to help such a rescue.
I picked out a fear-​biter high risk dog at the shelter and contacted her. She graciously accepted and totally supported me with food, supplies, medical care and grooming. My first time fostering, I found her to be so very patient and kind. It was such a great experience.
Watching all the dogs find amazing homes at the adoption events, I was inspired to start rescuing and attending events with her. She took me by the hand and taught me so much. For about 2 ½ years I got to see this woman in action with her rescue. I can tell you that her heart is as big as the ocean, her integrity and dedication are off the chart amazing. She Always has the best interest of the dog (& cats :) in mind. She Never compromises on the quality of the new home and adopter for these little lives that she saves. She has a strong foster network and is well-​funded so there is never urgency to place a dog until the right fit appears. Her ideals are so high. I saw all this in action for years. I respect this woman so much. She truly is a leader in the rescue world and such a quality person. Her intentions are always good.
Considering the 1 negative review. I can tell you personally that there are always concerns adopting to someone that has never had a dog or cat before. I’ve denied some adopters because of this as they had unrealistic expectations. Considering that these puppies were living with other kids and were successfully potty trained in their foster home– if the new parents were responsible, motivated, up for the challenge of 2 puppies and asking all the right questions (Liraz spends hours talking with adopters and instructing them on proper care especially with young kids in the house) then I can see how this would seem like a match made in Heaven.
(there are thousands of Chis in households with kids and loving it! One cannot discriminate against breeds because they all can excel.
Also who lets their kids treat the animals like a doll? To me that’s disrespectful to the animal’s needs. I only encourage gentle petting and holding in their lap if a parent is assisting … especially with a 2 & 4yo! So my impression is the kids weren’t being properly supervised. they are just kids after all. It’s the parent’s responsibility.
How else can you say give me a little space when small kids are too aggressive? Except by a growl… we all do it! :)
(On a personal note – My friend used to babysit my small dog when I was at work. She had 2 small kids. Of course my dog was irresistible to the kids and they were all over her. She started to get snappy to them so I stopped the babysitting. I wasn’t there to manage the interactions and that was the outcome. Kids are rough by nature and don’t know any better. It was my responsibility to be there.)
Also there is an adjustment period with potty training… always. It does take time. Some shorter than others but that’s just a known. I think the adopter had unrealistic expectations of the experience and chose to blame the rescue instead of taking any responsibility in the decision-​making or rearing of these puppies.) Knowing Liraz, I can tell you that she reviews everything in great detail and is a wonderful resource for not only her adopters but also fosters & rescue partners.
I have come to know Liraz as a friend, rescue, adoption event partner and can’t say enough about her passion & dedication to saving lives and giving them a second chance for a great life.
I would recommend her rescue, Art n’ Paws, in a heartbeat! I can’t say enough wonderful things.

I adopted a dog from Art n Paws a year ago. The dog I adopted was rescued by the founder liraz. The dog was on the euth list at at a southern California shelter. The dog was going to be put down at the end of the day. Thanks to art n paws they saved MY dog. I absolutely have the best shelter dog anyone could ask for. My rescued dog stayed with a foster person. That person helped my dog regain confidence and feel loved. The dog also got familiar with a doggie door (I since have had one put on my own door). My rescue dog has been nothing but a pleasure. She is a dream with my 2 year old daughter. I am looking to get another rescue dog and of course, I AM GOING TO ART N PAWS! Whenever I have a question or concern I text liraz, she always gets back to me with the advice I need (I am a 1^st time dog owner) She already knows I’m looking to adopt another rescue dog! Not only am I looking for another rescue dog, my coworker wants one as well. I gave my coworker art n paws website and she’s looking to adopt this summer!

My experience with Art N Paws and Liraz was a great one. I found the love of my life Roxy and sister to my Faith. Liraz saves so many animals from death and God bless her for what she does for them. I highly recommend rescuing a dog from her because she really truly cares for the them even after they have been adopted.

My Family searched for a very long time for a puppy that fit our family both humans and the other 4 legged babies in our home. We interviewed many rescues, upon meeting Liraz and Arts n Paws we were instantly comfortable with her rescue. Even though at the time she did not have the ONE for us, we decided to foster for her. We fostered for other rescues always felt that they were not in it for the dogs. Liraz (Arts n Paws) goes above and beyond for the puppies checking environment and making sure they are safe and will not need anything. She provides everything, if they are sick she gets them care. Liraz has an amazing heart and will for all her puppies. When it came time for a litter of puppies to come to us we did find our new baby. Its amazing when you see a person smile when people bring dogs into adoption event and she remembers every single one of them.
I saw the other review not sure what went on in their household, maybe it was the lack of puppy knowledge, and being over whelmed with puppies and children. I always believe there are 2 sides to every story and emotions and anger should not be handled in this manner.
Thank You
Janice Cochran

This rescue is AMAZING! Liraz does so much to help save the lives of animals and goes out of her way to ensure they find wonderful homes. The dogs are all very well taken care of and very loving. I would highly recommend getting your new family member from this rescue.

BUYER BEWARE!
I’m an animal lover and have a lot of respect for organizations who rescue and protect animals. As a non-​profit small dog rescue, I’m sure that Art N Paws does a lot of good for animal welfare but my husband and I had a VERY bad experience with them recently that compelled us to write this negative review in the hopes of warning other perspective adopters to beware when considering adopting a pet from this organization.
My husband and I adopted two chihuahua puppies (5 months old) from this organization from a Petco adoption event. We have never owned a dog before but have been talking about getting one for our family and especially for our kids. I immediately fell in love with a 5 month old tiny female chihuahua and my husband liked her brother. Having never owned a dog before and knowing virtually NOTHING about their care, we asked LOTS of questions about these pups and spent time handling them and telling the two ladies at the adoption event about us and what we were looking for in a pet. Liraz (Founder and President of Art N Paws) and the puppies foster mom were there that day and assured us (multiple times) that both pups were housebroken, gentle and great with kids. Our young kids met them and they seemed to be fine. It seemed we had found the perfect match for our family. The adoption «donation» (really an adoption fee) was $ 250 per dog but we were given both for $ 400. It seemed like a reasonable fee as both pups were fixed, vaccinated and microchipped. To be fair, we were warned that they adoption fee was non-​refundable. But we had no reason to think we would need a refund. After over an hour of getting to know the animals and asking questions about them, we went home happy and excited with our two new pups.
It was apparent right away that the pups were NOT housebroken, as we were told. Despite frequent trips outside, both of them soiled in the house, and only about half of the accidents made it onto the «puppy pads» we took home. Then, the male puppy became fearful of my husband and bit his hand as he went to pick the dog up. And then the female puppy growled at my 4 year old son. This was too much! I was told the puppies were housebroken and gentle and good with kids and none of this was turning out to be true. With a 2 year old and a 4 year old in the house, this was non-​negotiable.
We tried working with a dog-​trainer but she was surprised LIraz adopted the pups to us in the first place. In her opinion, chihuahuas are not a good choice for a house with young kids. Internet research backed up her opinion: everywhere I looked, chihuahuas were missing from lists of best dogs for kids and were even in the #2 spot on a list of worst dogs for kids. They tend to be skittish, bond with one person and be possessive of that person, and «nippy». Also, since they are so small and easily picked up, they can be injured by a child too young to understand how to be gentle. Of course, we were warned of none of this by Art N Paws before the adoption.
We contacted Liraz at Art N Paws and informed her of the situation. She quickly reminded us that our adoption fee («donation») was non-​refundable. We felt that an exception to this policy should be extended to us due to the fact that we were lied to, misled and deceived about what we should expect with these dogs (housebroken, gentle, good with young kids). There was a lot of back-​and-​forth with Liraz in which she acted unconcerned about our problems and even accused us and our children of abusing the dogs. Although I was concerned they may not always be gentle enough, our 2 and 4 year old never did anything that a typical toddler wouldn’t do (mostly giving hugs and carrying them around as much as possible, trying to play with the dogs like a doll or stuffed animal). The situation culminated in us threatening to sue for our money back in small claims court, at which time Liraz agreed to a 50% ($ 200) refund, which is what we settled on.
It broke my heart to give the dogs back, but in the end I did what I felt was best for my entire family. My husband and I learned a lot through this experience. We plan to eventually adopt another dog, but this time we will do our due diligence before settling on the right one for our family. We just hope that Art N Paws takes better care in matching the right dog to the right family. However, I see that the little girl pup we adopted for one week («Charlotte») is still listed on their site, still listed as housebroken and good with children. *smh*