Friends For Pets Foundation in Sun Valley, CA

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Telephone:	+1 818-767-5919
Website:	www.friendsforpets.org
Address:	11117 Fleetwood St, Sun Valley, CA, 91352 Sun Valley
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	0.6 miSun Valley 2.9 miBob Hope Airport
Categories:	Animal Shelters

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Today

Today	9:00 am – 5:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Sun Valley)	17:32 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

In its 25^th year of operation, The Friends For Pets Foundation is a fully volunteer, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to finding good homes for Sporting Breed Dogs (Weimaraners, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, & Labradors) who are abandoned, mistreated, neglected or left in pounds throughout California. Adopt Today!

We are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and placement in secure homes of abandoned Weimaraners. As space and finances permit, we also accept into our program other sporting breeds as well as mixed-breeds.

Meet our dogs: We typically have around 50 dogs in our rescue facility at any given time of the year. These dogs need good homes and can’t wait to meet you.

To meet our dogs, please follow our adoption process and fill out an adoption application and we will contact you to schedule a home visit. While you are waiting for your application to be processed, feel free to view some of our dogs online.

History

Established in 1985.

Since 1985, we have placed over 3300 dogs in loving homes. We maintain contact with our families and are always available to them for any questions or needs they have have during our dogs’ lifetimes. Many of our families have adopted a number of times! Check out our Facebook page!

Adoption:

Adopting a dog can be one of the best things that you can do in life, but it is not something that should be taken lightly. Remember, you are adding a new member to your family and it should be a wonderful situation for all (including the sweet one who is getting the home!). Visit our website to read more about adopting from Friends For Pets.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Our dogs would be very grateful if you volunteered some of your time to make their lives a little better. They’d love to be taken for a walk around the neighborhood, talked to, pet and simply adored. The Friends For Pets Volunteers get together every Sunday from 8:30 AM to 11 AM to give these great dogs the attention they need.

Meet the Business Owner

Diane M.

Business Owner

Diane Monahan has been involved with dogs in need of a second beginning since 1985. Her hands-on dedication for those dogs in Friends For Pet’s care has received attention in the LA Times, the Daily News, Dog Fancy as well as other publications.

Diane has been doing rescue for over 25 years and has the knowledge, patience, heart and gentleness that each of these dogs require when entering the rescue. She has been blessed with a sixth sense for understanding the needs of each individual dog.

Through many years of experience, Diane has come to be an expert in the breeds she handles, especially in their diverse health issues, as well as their behaviors and temperaments.

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13 reviews of Friends For Pets Foundation

No registration required

Duane J.

Place rating: 1
Ventura, CA

Our experience with Friends for pets has been horrible to put it politely.
We have traveled from Ventura a couple of times to walk the dogs on Sundays.
We applied to adopt a wonderful dog but we were told by Helen our application was lost. How does that happen when you submit it on line? We submitted another one. We never heard back. I called and spoke to Helen again. She said she would set up a home inspection. That never happened. I called her yet again and she said she would speak to Diane and get back to me. Again nothing. I’m done.
We have been treated as if we were not good enough to adopt a «Whiem». Very frustrating.
Helen has told me on a few occasions that she was going to do something but never has done a thing to help us adopt a dog from this organization. In fact, she just stops any and all contact. No phone calls returned, no emails replied to, no indication from her as to why we are not able to adopt one of these beautiful dogs in need.
I STRONGLY suggest you steer clear of this snooty, elitist bunch.
Find an organization that actually wants to find good homes for dogs.

Ken H.

Place rating: 5
Hermosa Beach, CA

So happy with our FFP adoptee, «Trophy» and thankful that FFP is there to help these dogs!

Debra B.

Place rating: 5
Oak Park, CA

I got my first Weim from Diane 14 years ago. I was hesitant to adopt because I know the breed can be hyper, and I wanted a mellow dog. Diane knows her dogs, and she guided me toward an 18-month-old who is now 15 ½ and has been one of the biggest joys of our lives. In fact, the thought of losing him upset me so much that over a year ago I adopted another Weim from her just so we wouldn’t be alone once he has passed. My second Weim is definitely channeling the first one’s personality, and we adore her. So, I have two gems from Diane.
I am in awe of this woman, her staff, and her volunteers’ dedication to the welfare of these dogs. She has been down in the trenches, working tirelessly. If she has put some of you people off, cut her some slack, please. She has seen and experienced things that none of us dog lovers ever want to witness.
When you get a puppy, you really don’t know what it’s going to turn out like. It’s really important to get a good fit for you and your family. I am SOOO glad I adopted. I would have posted on Unilocal a long time ago, but I didn’t know about it.

Marie R.

Place rating: 5
Long Beach, CA

Wow. I am stunned by the negative reviews. Diane would give (and has) the shirt off of her back for these innocent creatures. I wanted a weim my whole adult life (I grew up with them), but waited until my husband and I had a home with a yard suitable for a weim. Even if you are an experienced dog person, weims are a special breed and require more attention and affection than other breeds. Just because you think they look cool doesn’t mean you are suited to own one. Wikipedia the breeds history. Read for yourself. They were bred as indoor dogs and shared sleeping quarters with their masters for hundreds of years.
Friends for Pets knows the breed and I trust their decisions to approve or deny people for adoption. Don’t take it personally. Rescues inherently are a lot of work, and weims are no exception.
We love our Howie. We adopted him from FFP last July and we have worked with him everyday with training and behavior. FFP harbors a lot of dogs and only the best behaved are considered for adoption. Diane checks in with us from time to time to see how Howie is doing. She really cares for every dog. I am proud to have adopted Howie from Friends for Pets.

K T.

Place rating: 5
Corona, CA

Diane and Friends for Pets are doing wonderful things for abandoned Weims. This breed of dog is BEAUTIFUL and can be very energetic. It takes a certain amount of energy to provide a good home for these dogs. We once had a Weim who jumped up and perched like a cat on top of our 8 foot fence so we know why the home visit is important and part of the necessary process.
It’s been almost 3 years since we brought home our first rescue from Friends For Pets. He has been the BEST!!! I am SOOOOOOOOO glad we went through the process.
If you are thinking of resucing a dog, please take the time to do it!!! Do research on the breed. Take your time looking at the dogs, go and visit. You will know when you have the right match between your family and your dog. If you have time to volunteer or sponsor foster dogs in your home, please help. I wish I lived closer to Sun Valley — Diane, you’d see me every weekend…
Can’t wait for the Weim Get together, Oct 2013!!! See you all there!!!

Karin O.

Place rating: 5
PACIFIC PLSDS, CA

I stumbled on these reviews and I must describe what I have experienced with FFP. Over the last 15 years our family has had two wonderful dogs from FFP. As far as I was concerned each dog was described accurately-one had been in puppy mill and dumped on the street when she was no longer able to produce, hence she did not know how to «be» in the world… she was an amazing, docile girl who lived her 5 last years with us. The second was a stunning 8 mo old weim. pointer x who my husband said was like walking with a super model! We were warned of his «interest» in escaping and the potential for some rocky years. All that was true and when he developed epilepsy, Diane was front and center and we, together with our vet, discovered why he developed this disease. It was due to being vaccinated in a way that is potentially dangerous to these sporting breeds-it had NOTHING to do with FFP!
I have fostered a dog brought up from Mexico, immaciated and when she became strong enough (had to be spayed «again» bc whoever did it the first time essentially didn’t do the job completely!) she went back to FFP-Diane was again front and center listening to my concerns that the now stronger dog was starting to challenge my other female weim (from No. Cal Weim Rescue).
In my experience FFP wants to make the best match and will do everything, including saying that x dog would not be good. They DO NOT want to get dogs out for the sake of making room. It does not behoove FFP to make a forced placement. No one wins!

Jessy's girl y.

Place rating: 5
Long Beach, CA

After much careful consideration (and looking at other shelters and other breeds) we decided we wanted a Weim and contacted Friends For Pets. We filled out the application, exchanged a few emails with Diane, had her Orange County affilitate do our home visit and picked a date to go down to the facility and see a few dogs. Based on our application and experience with dogs, Diane recommended 4 different Weims to consider. We walked and spent some time with all of them and narrowed it down to 2, who were incredibly similar in every way. We decided to take a week to think about it and were still having a hard time deciding. The following week we went back to look at them again and try to decide between the two. Still having a hard time deciding, Diane gave her clear opinion on which one we should take, and we’ve never given it a second thought. We went home with the most incredible, lovable, intelligent dog anyone could ask for. Diane and her staff of volunteers really make an effort to make sure they are placing the right dog with the right people. In or case, she made an excellent match and we are eternally grateful. Thank you Friends For Pets!!!

Vanessa S.

Place rating: 5
Scottsdale, AZ

My husband and I adopted our dog, Piper, from Friends for Pets a little over a month ago. I had emailed back and forth with Diane after finding a listing for Piper on Craigslist. We filled out their very detailed and meticulous application and then were told we could come visit with Piper. We are completely in love and so grateful for Diane and her staff. They placed a great dog in our home and I have compete confidence in their screening process. They even let me bring Piper back to get a shot that she was missing for no charge. Wonderful organization and wonderful people!

Sabrina p.

Place rating: 5
North Hollywood, CA

I got my dog Hailey from here in 2009. I feel sorry that I waited so long to write a review for Friends For Pets as I hope the negative reviews haven’t turned potential owners away! As the reviewer below said, FFP is a No-Kill facility. In 2008, they were one of the rescues who intervened in a hoarding situation in Lancaster, CA and took in 6 mixed-breed dogs– one of which was my Hailey :) She was with FFP for over a year and was terribly frightened of human contact. If she had been at a city shelter, she surely would have been euthanized. Since adopting her, I have become a volunteer here, walking dogs on the weekends and often fostering for a night or two. (They have a program which allows you to take a dog out for the weekend. How great is that??!) I’ve met some wonderful people here and many amazing dogs. Sadly, some of whom have been here for their lifetime. I highly recommend checking Friends For Pets out and finding your new Best Friend :)

Nic R.

Place rating: 1
Costa Mesa, CA

We have to return a dog that was placed with us for being vicious towards everyone but us. He has been rehomed before, and I feel that they did not do their due diligence in assessing this dog before placing him. He bit my father on the genitals, and lunged at children.
The tag line read «this dog is not good with kids.»
Then they tried to pretend like we were the ones to blame «we thought you were a loving, quiet, and protective home.» When they clearly knew this was a violent dog but are too dog-crazy to think about the safety of the humans involved.
I’m considering taking legal action to make sure they don’t try and rehome a dog that should be euthanized.

Martin L.

Place rating: 1
Costa Mesa, CA

We adopted two dogs from the Friends for Pets Foundation, a ten month old and a two year old. They informed us that the two year old was «protective»; as it turns out, that’s a euphemism for «he bites people». How bad was this dog? Here’s how bad this dog was:
1. On walks, this dog would lunge at passers-by, it would bark and lunge at other dogs, and — especially scary — he would attempt to take down children, all completely unprovoked.
2. The dog also caused us a grand total in excess of $ 1000 in property damage. He destroyed three pieces of furniture. We left him alone for an hour and returned to our house looking like a bomb had gone off.
3. He bit our landlord and my father in law, both also completely unprovoked. He would growl at and intimidate guests coming over to our house.
4. He completely terrorized the younger dog. Regular dogplay quickly turned into aggressive fights we had to break up for fear that he would hurt the younger one.
Basically, we were not dealing with a «protective» dog, but a psychopathic dog. These aren’t my words, but the words of a dog behavior specialist we hired to figure out what on Earth was wrong with this animal. She is a professional with more than 30 years’ worth of experience training and assessing all types and breeds of dogs. Her recommendation was to have this animal put down as soon as possible because he was too far gone for training and conditioning.
In short, we were given a dangerous, vicious animal with a tendency to attack humans. Imagine a dog that’s 80 pounds of pure muscle, teeth, and claws, with the mental faculties of a four year old and the sensibilities of Ted Bundy. Nice.
Diane, our contact from the Foundation, reacted as if this was just us being overly dramatic. She tried to place blame on us, but this dog was clearly messed up before we ever met him. She said that he will be euthanized, but I have a nagging fear that they will try to re-home him. If that happens, sooner or later he WILL attack someone, and whoever owns him WILL be in for a world of hurt. If your dog attacks a person or even another pet and you get sued, you stand to lose everything you own. I cannot stress enough how much financial damage an out of control dog can do to you.
Be very, VERY careful when adopting a dog through this organization. They re-homed a dangerous animal before, and chances are they will try to do so again.
The dog’s name is Louie, he is two years old at the time of this writing. He has a white spot on his chest, no other distinguishing marks.

Dick V.

Place rating: 1
Los Gatos, CA

My recent interaction with Friends for Pets, specifically, «Weimeranier Rescue of Southern California» has been much less than satisfactory.
Ms Diane Monahan, the founder, placed a female Weimer with an elderly couple in Los Gatos. When they got home they found that «she’s a little protective» and «she dosn’t like men» to be a bit of understatement. They kept the dog for three weeks and could not control her and she finally attacked and bit a senior visitor three time before the couple could pull her away. I was asked to help drive the 700 round trip with them to return the dog as the husband is no longer able to drive. When I called to make arrangements I was berated by Ms Monahan when I asked why she had placed a dog with known human interface problems with an elderly couple. The dog (at her admission) had been at the kennel for 6 months because it was a problem animal. Dogs that attack and bite people should, at the very least not be given homes with very old or very young people. I believe that Ms Monahan and Friends of Pets acted in a very inappropriate and unethical manner. Would you want your grandmother and father to have to go through this just because they thought they would get a good companion with love andaffection. Returning to the center 1400 miles later the dog looks like it will go and get a chance to attack someone else. I hope it’s not your paperboy.
«Babe» a female Weimeriner with long collar scar under her neck and scar on the top of her skull.

Laura M.

Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA

Please take the time to look at all the beautiful dogs up for adoption at
. They are the Weimaraner Rescue for Southern California, but they also take in and rescue other sporting breeds. They are a NO KILL facility and will take care of the dogs they rescue until they find homes. The foundation also encourages those of you who can not have a dog full-time to become a big brother or big sister and take a dog out hiking, to the beach or for a sleepover if you can.
I have just adopted two beautiful Weimy girls from the Friends For Pets Foundation and can say the people at the rescue are some of the most loving and dedicated animal advocates I have ever met. You can also sign up to have money donated to the rescue every time you use your Safeway or Vons Club cards. The store will send money to Friends For Pets to help support rescue efforts.
Adopt, dont buy.
Thanks!

Friends For Pets Foundation

Sun Valley, United States