Devore Animal Shelter

I completely agree with all of the previous comments regarding the care and services of this shelter. I have been there five times throughout 2015 to adopt a dog. EVERY SINGLE time I try to adopt, they tell me it is not available until a certain date. Then, when I go on that date, the dog has magically disappeared, even though the shelter opened up minutes before??? Furthermore, the people working there sit around and do not even acknowledge your presence or your questions. Completely unprofessional in all aspects.

My family and I want to thank the wonderful people at Devore animal shelter for blessing us with a new addition, we rescued a 1yr young lady now known as Raven, but it may be her that rescued us, in less than 24 hrs she has brought so much joy to our lives. (ps even though she thinks I would do better on the couch as she has decided my side of the bed is now her side)

Awesome shelter! Friendly staff and well maintained kennels. They always have a wide array of different dog breeds. Their cats seem happier here too… maybe it’s the music they play for them! :)

I have not been there but have seen pictures of shivering, frightened dogs… and that is a disgrace. The blame seems to settle on the persons running the shelter… your tax payers should get rid of them… you are paying for innocent animals, scared, lost, cold, hungry, frightened to be mistreated… I am in New Jersey so if I have seen this 5,000 miles away so have a lot of people in-between…how in the hell did you screen them for this job… by who they knew… certainly not by compassion and work performance. This is a delicate job that requires a humane approach with little the little lives that have been placed in their care. not for those with no heart, soul or human decency… we will continue to follow up on this to see if you had the ‘know how’ and caring to take care of it… not just turn your back on those in need…

Dogs do not have blankets or rugs despite cool weather and cold floors. This is apparently due to the manager of the shelter not allowing it! Many were shivering and so uncomfortable! With all this negative feedback you’d think the shelter would improve over time, not get worse!

This shelter needs to learn how to MANAGE their shelter, I have tried three times to adopt a dog only to find they allow RESCUE GROUPS to grab them immediately, people are frustrated when they drive from the desert and even call ahead to show interest only to find that it’s a wasted trip.
SUGGESTED…HAVE RESCUE GROUPS COME AT NOON… thus it allows families to adopt the dog, if they can’t adopt what they are hoping for because of a rescue group who then takes it to another shelter area although nicer it gets traumatized… GET IT TOGETHER, ORGANIZE AND COMMUNICATE…
RESCUES you do a good job… but do it in order… and shelters… learn how to manage

I went there today for the first time and it is as bad as I hear. The dogs, none had a food bowl. (just water) and many had very dirty kennels. all the dogs looked unbathed and some had ALOT of ticks and goopy eyes. (what kind of «care» do they offer?) i used to volunteer at the west la shelter and the staff and volunteers took the time and funds to dip the animals in medicinal baths, and bather/​clip mats off. Care is NOT just food and water when the animal is dying in it’s kennel and needs medical treatment. And the only volunteer was a cholo doing community service hours. The kittens had better luck, they had food and water and air conditioning, but not enough visitors to adopt them all. The management there is very cold and should not be running the facility. It was a very saddening experience. Even more saddening is that the employees and the inefficiency of the shelter is really fault of the county residents. Fix your damn pets! especially if you dont even plan to breed them intentionally, and keep them indoors! Why people get pets to let them roam outside is beyond me. Ridiculous

I adopted a dog there today! The staff was nothing but nice and I even called everyday this week to see if the dog had been claimed. They have very cheap adoption fees and the facility is very nice. Please check them out! So many loving dogs available.

OK here we go.
The front desk staff is great. Trista has a heart of gold.
Not much can be said for ADMINS Kelly Papp and Doug Smith, who must have run Nazi death camps together in a previous life.
Go after San Bern city council member Josie Gonzalez! She has blocked every attempt to form any kind of animal oversight committee in that county.
This hole consistently violates the Hayden Act and will not allow citizen volunteers on the grounds. Instead work release prisoners are running the place!
All true folks! Check it all out on the internet.
God bless the animals and those who truly love them.

Any shelter you every go to is going to have a high euthanasia rating. It is because of people not providing proper care for their pets and has nothing to do with the staff. All of the staff that work at shelters have devoted their lives to caring for these animals and you think you can just show up one day and judge these people based off of the little that you see or hearsay? These people have to see so much and deal with so much emotionally and no one has the right to judge them. They sacrifice more to help the animal community than anyone! And they don’t benefit financially from it! If you don’t wanna see animals euthanized, then get people to spay and neuter and stop blaming the shelters and animal control staff. Adopting a pet from the Devore shelter would be a great move and the staff will love you for doing YOUR part to save a life. And last thing if your getting a dog from a shelter, expect it to be sick. No matter what shelter, 99% of pets coming from a shelter are going to need some sort of treatment. The whole point is to help them.

We adopted a puppy this week and our experience at the facility and with the staff were nothing but positive. I expected the worse after reading the reviews but don’t let them from keeping you from visiting this shelter. The kennels were clean and well maintained. The staff was patient as we spent almost two hours with two dogs trying to determine which one to take home. We’re senior citizens and have adopted many fur babies in our life and this is one of the better shelters we’ve been too. I want to note the receptionist who was exceptional. Please visit this shelter and give a pet a new lease on life. Thanks.

What a terrible place. The people that work there are desensitized with no heart. I offered a 500 deposit on a young emaciated Great Dane that couldn’t put wait on her back leg to hold off on spaying her… untill she was healthy. They said no, the day after I picked her up she died from internal bleeding. Her name was Emma and she was so sweet

Ok, I adopted my 5 month old Purebred German Shepherd puppy from here.
My dog was a stray, and probably lived in terrible living conditions. He was very, very, very skinny. He would also do submissive urination and was very shy but I believe that I have successfully rehabilitated him. I fed his ass. He is a very fast learner and I taught him over 24 commands within 7 days. He was housebroken in 3 days. 2 weeks in and it’s hard to stay apart from him because he loves me that much.
If you are shopping for a certain blood line (German (working class) or American (show class) lines) for German Shepherds (schutzhund trainers) don’t expect to find the top class dog. You might get lucky but there usually isn’t paperwork which means they could be heavily inbred. They aren’t tested for temperaments, genetic diseases, & physical capabilities/​features. You can always get a blood test, but you would not be able to breed them because all dogs are altered upon adoption.
The cost of the dog plus shots and altering was $ 80.00 out the door as of ³⁄₂₀₁₅.
The things with the rescues is, you need to find out how to calm them down as much as you can. It’s a high kill shelter, I get it doggy. I gave my dog a shower and held his head under my armpit while I scrubbed his body and he was so happy after because he was clean.
I originally drove up to San Bernardino from San Diego, CA on a Monday but had arrived at 11am. I was then told that the dog I was looking for had been adopted 4 minutes into the day.
So I went in early on Tuesday!
*****If you are driving from a distance, they do not allow you to place holds on animals.
*****If you are looking for a popular/​beautiful breed such as a German Shepherd, GO AS EARLY AS YOU CAN. — I left San Diego at 630am and arrived at around 845am. The shelter opens at 10. It goes by FIRST COME FIRST SERVE.
***** If you are not alone in wanting the animal, they do raffles, I did a raffle even though I was the first one there, and out of three people, I won. I got the priority by getting the highest number, and I only won by one.
So I named him Lucky.
Oh yeah, they let you meet your dog in a cage (with that green cover like in tennis courts) with a bench for you to sit and bond.
I was able to meet him, and I know a lot of them are screwy from the shelter experience… but he licked my hand and placed his head on my lap. That’s how I knew he was mine.
Best to use petfinder or petharbor websites for listings the night before!!!
Good luck and I hope you get your dream dog!
You have competition from Rescues too!
***If you are in a rescue, you should give priority to adopters who want to give them a forever home! (you can say who you are and maybe try asking the people what dog they are looking for)
Don’t get discouraged tho!!! Just make a plan of action and stick to it!!!
I went for one dog (had a plan A. and a plan B.) and they were both gone in the first 4 minutes of opening.
So I went back the next day and got him.
Since I was able to get my dog, I give this shelter 4 stars.
I didn’t like how I had to spend 60 bucks on gas though. hold should be allowed if the promise is made to own the animal.

This place has the HIGHEST kill rate in Southern California.
They have TONS of cute cats & dogs that need to be adopted!
Went to look for a dog for a friend, they one we wanted to see they wouldn’t let us play with because «it wasn’t ready until tomorrow». It was a beautiful Aussie. Fortunately it got adopted (hopefully to a good home).
I wish I could adopt the animals but I don’t have room.
The animals needed their areas to be cleaned out desperately. There was tons of pee & poop in their caged areas. The animals looked so sad, breaks your heart.

Unidentified Animals (No tags, Liscense. Microchip, collar.) are usually put down w/​in 5 days of becoming available for adoption.
‘Intake’ will hold them, at most, 72 hours, if at all; unless obviously injured or too ill/​infectious to other animals. Once stabilized, these too, are available.
Mothers w/​pups, or kittens are available 2 days after birth. You must adopt entire ‘family’; and pay a spay/​neuter deposit for all.
For example: ‘Stray’ ‘Momcat’ came in «extremely pregnant” — so they, «…did not give her any shots, vaccinations, flea control, or any other medicine.» She has a sinus infection, and tape worms. (But they don’t want to endanger the kittens), so kittens will also probably get worms and sinus infection.
They do not provide a certificate for a free vet check, (as most shelters do.) or cover/​reimburse for any 1^st visit cost; or any subsequent treatment and medication costs; or age-​appropriate vaccines, (when kittens are old enough for first shots.) But they do require them; as animals cannot be licensed without proof of current, or at least, up to date rabies and other vaccinations.
They do suggest you call a local vet and let them know, you, «…just adopted an animal from the shelter»; and ask if they, «.,.will give a free 1^st ‘post-​shelter’ exam to that Animal?»; As many veterinarians do.
You can, however, return a sick or unsuitable (behavior related problem) w/​in 14 days.
Your funds are not returned.
You have 30 days to make another selection.
Back to our example: ‘Momcat’: She hit ‘intake’ on 7÷26÷14. As a ‘stray’ she would have been put down on or about 7÷31÷14. Luckily, for her, she gave birth to 7 kittens on ⁷⁄₂₉. That bought all of the new ‘family’ an additional 48 hours reprieve; and then, the countdown was re-​set for 5 days. (8÷5÷14)
She was given no special diet for her obviously undernourished body. She was given the same food as all the other cats.
They provide service for the huge unincorporated area of San Bernardino County.
They have a very small facility, and a very small budget.
They do the best they can.
They don’t have any money for ‘extra’s’.
They use «Home Again» microchip. ($ 17/​year vs Avid’s one-​time fee/​lifetime coverage.)
I adopted ‘Momcat’ and 7 kittens on 8÷4÷14, because I could not bear the thought of 8 «Hemingway» (polydactyl) lives being snuffed out so young. 7 only 7 days old.
So, I dug into my non-​existence savings and paid $ 30 deposit for each Kitten, and a promise of spay/​neuter; to be refunded upon proof of spay/​neuter, and accompanied by original receipt. Plus $ 45 for the mother, same deal: the deposit returned/​refunded provided upon proof of spay, and accompanied by original receipt. Total damages to my ‘Savings account’ $ 280.00. There is/​were/​are no other. ‘Adoption’, or any «…other additional fees.» (Now we know why their budget is so small!)
They are just trying to cut down on the ‘unwanted pet’ population.
The staff was so thrilled/​relived they tried to give me «…goodie bags, and something special from the ‘Treat’ box», for each kitten.
There were not enough donated items appropriate for kittens, so we compromised… Riley-​Dog is going to get a couple of ‘Big-​Dog-​Tough’ toys, as a reward (Bribe? Lol) for putting up w/‘Auntie Robin’s 8 new arrivals; (7 of which will, currently be cousins too young to play with!!!) in addition to the two kissin’ cousin kitties she already let’s play w/​him.
Last night, a one week old, male, as yet unnamed kitten, started snoring and sneezing.
This morning he is 8 days old and dead.
His eyes never ever opened even once.
I think I’ll call him ‘Smokey’.
I wonder…
… Do I have to provide ‘Proof of Death’, along with the original receipt, to get my $ 30.00 spay/​neuter deposit back for baby boy Smokey?

If you’re really looking to rescue a dog, this is a high priority shelter that has a high kill rate. We adopted 5 month a rat terrier dachshund mix last year. She’s been a sweet addition to our family, and is great with kids. Initially she had kennel cough after adoption, we’re not sure if she acquired it at the shelter or from bringing our dog there to meet with her. They were accommodating with allowing our dog to meet with the new adoptee in one of their meeting pens. A couple of our other dogs have had kennel cough upon adoption from other shelters so its nothing new if you’re experienced with adopting dogs. Please understand though, as this shelter is the last in line for most of these dogs, they are in urgent need of adoption and the first to meet their maker are usually the sick ones.
This year my mom has tried to adopt from another county’s animal shelter to adopt dogs only to find that they have sent the cute or desirable ones off to an animal rescue before allowing the general public to adopt. So she broadened her search to the Devore shelter and we found a sweet Basset Hound mix whom we rescued from certain euthanasia. The staff are cordial and accommodating. Some friendly. I wouldn’t expect them to be chipper when they are having to face seeing so many dogs facing a certain fate after not being adopted for a period of time. I have been to nice newly remodeled facilities in other cities, and Devore shelter pales in comparison to them, but I feel like this is place is like trading in some karmic coin because you know you’re really saving lives when you adopt from here. Please don’t overlook the possibility of adopting from here.

I was really taken aback by this place. The two women at the front desk weren’t especially friendly, but they also weren’t mean or anything. One star for not being mean. It goes downhill from there.
First, they hand you a few sheets of paper that correspond to the dogs in the pens. But these sheets do not, in fact, correlate to the dogs – at least, not well. Nor, as far as we could tell, did they go in any order, coordinate with the numbers online, or facilitate the adoption of a pet in any other way.
Next, the cages are all outdoors. It’s San Bernardino, so it’s VERY hot most of the time. I think there was some kind of cooling system for the dogs, but it was VERY hot when we went there.
Not only did I feel terrible for the dogs, but going to Devore put me in a horrible, depressed mood. I am so sad that dogs are kept like this. And I’m sure most of it isn’t Devore’s fault – there’s a terrible animal overpopulation problem in the area. But I really wish the city found it in its heart to treat wayward animals a great deal better.

I have visited this shelter a few times with rescue friends. Unfortunately, the shelter is really off the beaten path so not a lot of people are going to notice it and stop in. And it is right next to a busy freight train track – horrible noise and ground rumbling from the trains that frequently pass through. Poor animals are already distressed with their circumstances and then the chaos of the train just makes it worse.
Anyway, the good — it’s very clean, nice areas to meet/​greet your new fur baby, and the staff and volunteers are nice. Lots of beautiful dogs and cats. No need to spend a ton of $ at a breeder/​puppy mill. All kinds of great breeds here and the fun loving mutt mixes too! And yes, many of these animals come out of here with kennel cough or some virus. Not uncommon with the overcrowding, but it’s easily treated with anti-​biotics, something the shelter won’t or cant afford to do. Who knows, it gets very political and often little funding. But you can do it! You are the difference between life and death for these precious creatures. Don’t let the medical waiver scare you. Saving one of these animals will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams! Just do it! My friend did!

How far would you drive for your best friend? What if your best friend really needed you?
The Devore shelter is a bit of a drive, even if you live in San Bernardino. However, the shelter is clean and there are always amazing dogs of all breeds. Australian Cattle dogs, pit bulls, Jack Russell Terriers, Poodles, German Shepherds, Huskies, and the list goes on. There are some darned cute cats, too!
Each one of these animals is sitting in one of the highest kill shelters in the United States. They are sitting and waiting. They are hoping. They are wanting a best friend who will accept their friendship for life, treat them with care, and help them be content. If you don’t make the drive, don’t imagine that someone else will. After all, if others made the drive, this would not be a high kill shelter.
Take a moment to look at the darling faces at the Devore Animal Shelter. Now, make the drive to Devore and meet your new best friend. After all, these animals really need our help.

Although the shelter is high-​kill, they try to treat the animals as humane as possible (after all it is not there fault that pet owners do not spay or neuter their pets).
The cages are cleaned throughout the day, and not sure if its true, but they advertise the floors of the cages are heat sensitive for the dogs. They have large individual areas to have meet & greet time with your potential dog, and they leave you alone to have as much time as you need to decided if they are the right fit for you.
The staff is a mix between friendly and not so much… there is one woman at the front desk who is the kindest, and an animal control officer who was professional. But, the people who work here shouldn’t wavier the decision to adopt at this shelter.
If you are looking for an addition to your family, this is a good place to start.