Pets for Disabled Americans

I don’t know a ton about dogs, breeders, etc, so maybe my opinion isn’t worth much but I enjoyed my experience with this organization. My family and I decided to get a family pet — specifically a shih tzu. I saw that they had one listed by the name of «Gus! on pethar​bor​.com» I fell in love with Gus’s photo and immediately called to inquire about him. I spoke with an older-​sounding lady who explained the process, gave the price, etc. She told me that we could stop by and pick the dog up at any time. We went that evening. When we arrived, we were not greeted by the person that I spoke with, but with her daughter, who was very nice.
She had «Gus» in her arms and asked my husband and I to sit down. The dog was going to be a surprise for our son, so he wasn’t with us. The daughter asked if her mom had explained about Gus’s personality and I said no. At that point, she went into a very detailed description about Gus… his temperment, his likes and dislikes. She even asked if there was a way for her to meet our son and see him with Gus, to ensure that he will be a good fit. She was sincerely concerned with the fact that we weren’t really seasoned dog owners, knowing that Gus had such a «special» personality. In the end, it was decided that we would wait for another puppy to become available. It was a joint decision and I truly appreciated her honesty and sincerity in ensuring that Gus went to a good home.
About a month later, we went back and we were able to pick a little puppy from her newest litter. My son was thrilled. She stayed in contact with us in the weeks leading up to our time to select the puppy. She sat with us and answered our questions, sent us home with a doggie bed, food, toys, shot records, etc. And has even made herself available since then… in fact, she stated that she would always be there to answer our questions.
I was very pleased with my experience and would recommend this organization to others. GREAT JOB!!! WE LOVE OUR LITTLE PUPPY!!!

I came across PFDA on
during my search to adopt. Mary was the one I talked to after calling for more information about a Shih-​Tzu pup. When she told me that $ 500 was the total fee, I was shell-​shocked. Politely, I asked her to explain to me the reasons for such a high fee compared to the many organizations/​shelters I’ve looked at. She sounded annoyed that I asked such a question, and gave me an explanation that didn’t clearly answer my question (time/food/vaccinations/etc…but don’t all dog rescues do the same?). Mary said they’re not working for «profit», but I’m doubtful. I’ve seen Craigslist ads for Shih-​Tzu pups that quote a much lower fee than that.
The next day, I proceeded to make an appointment to see the pup. This time, it was apparently Mary’s daughter I talked to and said she marked me in their calendar. Long story short, she got my date wrong. I’ve moved on since and am still searching for a dog to adopt. I know I’ll find him, but just not through PFDA. I didn’t feel welcomed and got the sense that things just weren’t as organized as I would’ve liked. I just hope their dogs find good homes.

I agree with the above review for Pets for Disabled Americans. We adopted a dog back in 2009. We adopted an obviously ‘previously pregnant” bulldog named «Zooey»
Mary was horrible to deal with AFTER we adopted her. Great communication prior too. Almost like they wanted to get this dog out the door.
They did not vet her properly as she was severely aggressive and had to be put down after she attacked a family member and ripped their nose off.
I’ve adopted from rescues before and was guaranteed that she was healthy (she was not). I had vet bills from UTI infections, skin infections from her crate she was in at the rescue and a host of other issues. After we got her cleaned up we started professional training as I knew she had mental issues and knew they were deeper and probably cause from some sort of abuse.
**NOTE: I asked all these specific questions and was guaranteed she was a loved animal who hadn’t been pregnant before. LIES. Not until we had her in our home for 4 months and with hours of professional training, a call to Cesar Milan’s foundation for guidance and the nose bite incident did we realize the red-​zone case we had adopted and been given as a «mellow» dog.
She loved me, but had obvious issues with males. She wasn’t intentional about her attacks, totally random and came out of no where. She obviously was mentally scarred and it caused her to react aggressively and oddly at random times. We did put her down, something I would never choose to do because I couldn’t «handle» a dog.
I emailed the board of directors and Mary personally on 15 different occasions over the course of 4 months. NO RESPONSE! I sent pictures of the injured party who had to have multiple plastic surgeries because of the bite. Let’s just say, for their sake, we are both lucky it wasn’t a child or small woman she attacked. There wouldn’t have been anything left and we’d be dealing with a manslaughter case.
DO NOT ADOPT FROM THEM. I know these animals need homes, but not animals that haven’t been taken care of properly and can be life-​threatenting. I loved my zooey, but at the end of the day, putting her down also let her not suffer the damage someone else had caused prior to me owning her. Just wish someone else could have made that call before someone got injured.

I have a great deal of concern in regards to an email I received responding to an add I have on Craigslist. I am looking for a home for two of my adult Shih-​Tzus as I don’t have the resources to care for them any longer. I received a response to my ad from a person who is stating they are looking for a Shih-​Tzu for their elderly Mom. I love my dogs and will not allow them to just go to anyone so as I was emailing back and forth I googled the email address and the phone number of the person who has been emailing me about my girls.
It appears that the person contacting me advertises that they are a non-​profit dog rescue group who also advertises dogs on the website
. The name of their company on that website is Pets for Disabled Americans, a non-​profit organization. I am assuming if this group were to get their hands on my girls, they would simply list them for sale for a profit. I am appalled that someone would try to do this with my girls and I am quite frankly a little scared for the dogs they get their hands on. It seems this non-​profit is probably in the business of making a profit and would probably care less about where the dogs go as long as their making money. Why else would someone be deceitful in trying to adopt my little ones?
Currently it looks like they have three dogs listed for adoption for a fee on the AdoptAPet website. Ted a Dachshund, Tiny a Maltese/​Shih Tzu Mix and Abby a Shih Tzu. Why would they need my two female shih-​tzus for their mother if they already have Shih Tzus avaiable for sale? Because they are NOT looking for dogs for their Mother they are looking for dogs they can sell for a profit!

Do not EVER EVER adopt a pet from these people They are scam artists. I just lost 2 elderly pets in poor health and wasn’t sure if the timing was right for a new pet and they told me that if it didn’t work out that I could bring the dog back the next day and they would give me a full refund. Six months later after numerous phone calls and emails I still have not received my refund. They rarely even answer the phone when you call and when they do they just make up stories and claim they don’t know anything. They have numerous dogs on their property and I am beginning to believe that these dogs are not treated or cared for properly. They claim they are a non-​profit organization but I guarantee they are spending ever penny they get on something other than the animals. TOTAL SCAM ARTISTS!!!

My boyfriend and I adopted a dog through them, as did his coworker, and we hadn’t seen this review– the exact same thing happened to us. It’s just downright shocking and gross that they’re taking something as important and selfless as animal adoption and treating the people who adopt from them with zero respect.
They are going to be hearing from our attorney… would love to know if the person who wrote the first review ever received her money!

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH P4DA! they are a scam. i adopted my pup after signing the contract agreeing to have him neutered within 30 days. upon receipt of proof of alteration, Pets For Disabled Americans agreed, under contract, that they would refund my $ 100 deposit. i made sure to have the alteration taken care of immediately and mailed off my paperwork to them. I gave it two weeks before calling Mary and Adrian. when they finally answered my call on the fourth or fifth try, they told me they’d look into the papers they received and call me back. they never did. a dozen calls/​messages later, i finally get a someone to answer. they told me they had to wait until the next board meeting in a few weeks to process all refunds. again i waited. long story (almost 9 months later) i just had my small claims court date this morning in which i sued them for the deposit AND alteration fees, and I WON! judge ruled in my favor since neither of those trashy broads showed up. they’re a scam. they should be ashamed of themselves for giving pet adoption agencies a bad rap.
ps the bill themselves as «nonprofit». i checked with the government website, no such records. stay away