Watermelon Mountain Ranch

I adopted my dog from Watermelon Ranch almost 11 years ago, when he was just 7 months old. When I finalized the adoption, he had been neutered and all of his vaccines were up to date. Unfortunately, he showed signs of kennel cough about five days after I brought him home. I took him to the vet and Sophia met me there. She took him back to the shelter, took wonderful care of him, and I was soon able to bring him home again with no problems. Even then, Sophia followed up to ensure we were all doing okay.
Unlike one of the other reviewers, I felt Sophia did a very thorough interview to ensure this pup was getting a good and safe home.
He recently passed away and I can honestly say I’ve never had a better dog. If I still lived in New Mexico, Watermelon Ranch would be my choice for my next rescue.

There are so many animals out there. Just being an animal shelter does not automatically make Watermelon Mountain Ranch a good one. They have no adoption process that educates on the behavioral issues of the animal being adopted. They ask no questions which should be asked, such as, «have you done any research on how to raise a puppy? If you work 14 hours a day, how will you potty train this puppy? Are you aware that this puppy is scared to death of humans, and will take off at the first opportunity?» These are real experiences I, as a dog trainer, have had with people who have adopted pups from this shelter. These questions are not about control or refusal to adopt, but about education of the adoptee to ensure a smooth, educated adoptive experience. Watermelon Mountain Ranch also charges large fees, but does not provide services that should be included in the amount of the fee charged, such as neuter, shots, or city licensing. They also do not educate on other resources for obtaining less expensive services, such as vaccines. Do your homework before patronizing this shelter. There are millions of animals and shelters needing your help with donations and adoptions. You cannot save them all. Stand up and hold animal shelters responsible for good animal management!

My children love animals, and so they wanted to help out after hearing on the JTD show [
] that the ranch needed money, time, or resource donations. My girls are working on giving the latter two. Any child that is passionate about helping out the community has to be supported, right? Plus, I appreciate the idea of a «no kill» animal shelter [
].
Since they insisted on helping, as the adult I qualified to be a volunteer [basically anyone 18 and over] once I completed the Saturday training. That training is about an hour long, and it costs nothing out of your pocket besides the gas to drive there. If you attend the training, it is outdoors so dress appropriately. In the summer at least there is some shade, but still wear a hat, put on sunscreen, and bring plenty of water. Word of seasonal warning: snakes are on campus, so watch where you step during the reptile months; notify an employee if you do not want to handle the snakes.
After that required training, we were free to help out as much or as little as we wanted to. My children could only help out as long as I was always with them. We volunteered with the kinder animals because the staff is interested in the safety of its workers and volunteers. Some of the volunteer duties performed included playing with cats and canines, walking dogs, grooming animals, and simply showing some love. We avoided all mean dogs, the snakes, and the goats. We didn’t bother the birds nor the rabbits just because the dogs and cats took up all of our time.
All in all we have an enjoyable time at the Watermelon Mountain Ranch [
]. The fellow volunteers and employees are outstanding. We make a positive difference in the lives of these important animals. I encourage you and your people to donate any time, money, and/​or any resources to the ranch.