North Shore Animal League America

I had a pretty poor experience, but realize it was my expectations were maybe too high. It is largely volunteer run, and the price is certainly right. I had an issue with the fact that they did not hold a dog for me that my family saw the day before, even though I called that morning and was on the way over in my car! But to be fair, they did not promise to hold the dog for me. I eventually adopted a dog but she was infected with whipworm, according to my own vet, at her first checkup. When I called NSALA I was told I could bring the dog in to their clinic for inexpensive treatment. I think they could have done some more diligence and been less confrontational over the phone, but they did offer to make it right. The stack of paper you get is your responsibility to read thoroughly. Please do your recommended initial vet visit and it’s best to just go back to them for it. Overall, they do a fair job with respect to medical, but not first class.
Paying for adoption, food, toys, leash, a bed, microchip registration, city tags vet bills and so on are how the game is played. Expect to be out at least $ 500 at the end of first month. It is like getting a used car, think about the repairs and understand what you are signing up for.
To the whiners: If not for NSALA there would be a lot more dead dogs and cats out there. Running a no kill is a huge amount of work. There’s no sense griping what animal a bunch of volunteers couldn’t save but concern yourself about which ones they DID save. I don’t see the complainers here volunteering their time! NSALA have been advancing the cause of responsible adoption since I was a boy getting my first cat. Now I have a family of my own and that’s where I chose to take them for their pet.
The conditions are what they are. I witnessed a continuous stream of dogs going to the grassy area to the north all day long. They live in cages, true. But bigger cages mean fewer animals can be saved. It’s all a trade off. It’s sad but NSALA didn’t create the situation, they are part of the solution. Owner education, free neutering, microchipping, and a 30 day return policy prove it. Puppies are sick? They are in NSALA for a couple of weeks before adoption. They get medical care but don’t forget THEY COME IN SICK! You see sick animals because it’s triage, like a hospital. You think NSALA gets all the healthy, prime animals?
NSALA called both of my references while I waited (3 hours) before I could take my dog home. Some abuser slipped through and got a pet he shouldn’t have? Well what would you have them do? Fingerprint applicants? If you see animal abuse out there in the world call the cops! NSALA can’t run over there and arrest an abuser simply because their dog or cat came from there. YOU have to take the initiative. I think they do a good job screening in my experience.
Despite my 3 star review (improvement needed) I still would return for another animal, just with better expectation and more diligence to avoid the unfortunate surprises I encountered.

If I could give a minus zero I would. North Shore couldn’t take one moment of their time today to take back a dog named Troy that they adopted out to an irresponsible owner. The owner kept Troy in a basement and muzzled and then dumped him at the NYC ACC hellhole when he had no more use for him. The NYC ACC in turn put Troy on the kill list today and now he’s DEAD. North Shore was VERY well aware of Troy’s plight yet DID NOTHING. North Shore signs a contract agreeing to take all animals back that anyone has adopted from their shelter, but they don’t do that, they just let the animals die. They were very well aware of Troy being dumped at the NYC ACC and they were very well aware he was on the kill list today yet DID NOTHING! This is the second animal in months they have let die and I have heard there have been others. WHAT KIND OF A NO KILL SHELTER DOES THAT??? DO NOT ADOPT FROM THIS PLACE. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE ANIMALS’ BEST INTERESTS AT HEART. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNCARING. RIP Troy. You did not deserve this.

I brought my 9 month old kitten for a check up, vaccinations and ultimately to get her spayed.
1^st visit — we waited two hours to see the dr. The check up, immune booster and shot took about 5 mins. Cost $ 95
2^nd visit — the wait wasn’t as bad. It took five mins to get her shots and go over what to do leading up to her surgery. Cost $ 85.
3^rd visit — she was getting spayed. Drop off at 8:30am. Quick and easy. Paid $ 110 upfront for her last shot, spaying and cone. Pick up at 4:00pm. Waited for about a half hr. The lab tech or assistant reviewed all the follow up care with us and we were on our way home with our pet.
Overall, I had a good experience and feel comfortable bringing my pet here. It’s always busy here so visits might feel rushed. The staff is friendly and the prices are decent. I adopted a second cat recently so I will be making all her appointments soon!

They are not a non-​profit organization. No true animal rescue group has carpeting in their waiting room! They go out of state for puppies. Where do all these puppies come from? Also, we rescued a dog that was being abused & noticed he had NSAL tags. We called NSAL & they didn’t care one bit. They would not take back the dog, nor would they take the owners information to assure he could never adopt again.

Do not adopt from them. They are only in it for the money, Puppies, dogs and kittens very often sit in their cages with no toys or blankets, water bowls are not kept filled, and cages not cleaned often enough. One whole room has puppies who are sick with respiratory infections, and are on medication. People are told that if they adopt a puppy, and they have dogs at home, they have to keep them separated for up to two weeks. Why are these dogs not nursed back to health before they are put out for adoption? They often get in purebred dogs from puppy mills, and make a big fuss over the date they will be up for adoption, when they are supposed to be championing the cause for adopting «mutts». They also charge a lot more money for them. A lot of these dogs are scared, and do nothing but shake or growl, since they have been living in cages for years. No one works with them for more than a day or so before they are put up for adoption. The people who work there, and the people who volunteer, spend most of their time either just standing around, or standing in groups gabbing with each other. Very little attention is given to the animals. The so-​called «management» are far from pleasant, do not answer questions, and basically ignore you, even if you seek help from them. Do yourself a favor and go to a shelter where the people care more about the animals, and are in it for the love of those animals, and not simply profit.