San Diego Humane Society and SPCA

My wife and I went to this location to look at the dogs up for adoption. The kennels were large and kept clean and the staff with aprons were friendly. The dogs were mostly affectionate with the few that were just scared none appeared to be aggressive towards myself or my wife. We picked out 3 dogs we wanted to spend some time with and went to the front desk to ask about them. The first 2 were a no because of a waiting period. The third was a 8mo cane corso. I filled out the form required to see the dog and was told by the staff that we would not be able to see the dog due to the fact that he was a bully breed (we live in an apartment at the moment). I tried saying that he wasn’t a bully breed but they said they were understaffed at the moment and that was that. I’m not saying that the lady at the front desk was an idiot (cane corso are from the molossus family, not bully) but she was 110% rude and had the attitude of a complete arsehole. If they didn’t have her and were more educated about breeds it may be a better place for both people and animals.

Very poor customer service! The people at front desk at the animal shelter are very rude and uninviting! You’re supposed to come to them if you have questions but they seem to have no interest in helping you. Their attitude is blatantly like «alright tell me what you need and leave.» It’s truly just disrespectful. I work in customer service myself, and I would never treat my clients this way! If it wasn’t the closest location to me, I certainly would not be back. Someone needs to have a serious talk with these ladies who would much rather talk amongst themselves than acknowledge your existence. Wish I could give negative stars.

The staff was nice and I found the most precious cat I love how the animals get some space they aren’t just crowded in a little cage this place is a amazing

Staff is beyond rude I really don’t know how they expect to adopt out animals when they treat their potential rescuers like garbage. I really don’t know what they have against people trying to rescue animals and give them a forever home. The two women up front were extremely rude first one of them was on her cell texting or something for literally over twenty minutes. She wouldnt even talk to me just put her finger up and the other girl said sorry she was busy.

I know there are some workers at the humane society who care a lot about their animals which is wonderful, but their customer service needs WORK. When I first walked in I was under the impression I could bring my cat in to interact with the other cats. NOPE. I’m a first time cat owner, my mistake, no biggy. I just wanted a companion for my cat, my mistake for not knowing. What’s NOT okay is when one of their workers abruptly gets in my face and tells me that I need to put my cat in the car because you can’t introduce cats in that way. I said okay and put my poor kitty in the car (lucky it was a cool day outside) and came back to look at a couple cats.
Let me tell you about the cats they have first off. Yes the facility is «nice» but almost all their cats have medical issues which raises my concern, almost all the cats were «code blue» meaning shy, bashful, introverted which translates to unapproachable which concerns me because this is the first shelter I’ve been to where almost all the cats are pretty much trained to be adoptable. (Moving on) the girl was sweet but Every cat that I wanted to check out they would urge me not to get and when they tried suggesting a cat to me they would point me in the direction of the older cats (because that’s mostly what they had) when I was looking for a young adult (1 – 2). So I left pretty disappointed. A week later I Came back with my sister and it took about an hour and a half to get help (ridiculous), when we were helped, the same thing happened. Same set of rude front desk staff, fairly nice person helping us choose a cat but the same amount of cats needing medical attention. We left shortly after visiting the dog section (which is all pit bulls and a strong lingering smell of urine). Anyway, I’ve heard that some cats go into that facility perfectly fine and they come out with medical problems. If this is true I really don’t want any part in an organization that gets a kick out of poisoning poor animals. I will say that they do need to shape up their front desk staff, almost all of the other bad reviews agree with this. As for finding another cat, I will always love the riverside county animal shelter in San Jacinto. That’s where I got my Little girl and that’s where I’ll be going the next time I want another companion for my little muchkin.

I’m baffled at how rude and unwelcoming the staff is here. I found a stray dog and a family friend was interested in adopting him. I brought the dog to the Humane Society because our local animal shelter is closed on Sundays and Mondays. We wanted to check for a chip but the woman working took him from us and put him into a cage without even looking at him. When I told her I needed my leash back she wouldn’t get up to go get it and gave me a cheap leash that she had on her desk.
I had a few questions about what was going to happen to the dog and when my friend would be able to get information about adopting the dog. She acted like I was asking her the most difficult questions and was so exasperated with her answers. I can’t believe that someone who chose to work at the Humane Society would act so careless toward a dog who has a potential adopter. Isn’t that the goal of animal shelters?
It’s also worth mentioning that I said the Chula Vista Animal Shelter has bad Unilocal reviews and the women working at the Humane Society desk started laughing about how they also have bad Unilocal reviews. They just don’t seem to care about doing a good job here. Will not be returning because who knows what happens to the animals dropped off here.

This place is amazing. The volunteers are so nice and helpful, the dogs and cats have their own rooms and it is extremely clean! I adopted a pair bond (kittens) from here and if I ever plan to adopt again (not any time in the near future), I will not hesitate to go back to this location.

This is for «Fur Fix Thursday’s». I would reconsider if I were you bringing kids here. They have kittens in a cram space and there were two employees along with a couple of people looking at the kittens.
One lady was nice but there was another who clearly didn’t like children. She was very hostile towards my toddler. Constantly on her case while I was there supervising. Every time my toddler moved towards the cats she reprimanded her and gave her dirty looks. There were two other people checking the kittens out and she kept showing them her annoyance towards my child.
I couldn’t stand being there for more than 5mins.
I even asked if this was all ages. I understand children need to learn to handle the animals with care but this was beyond uncomfortable.

Provides vital services to animals by sheltering and adopting. Investigates animal cruelty and neglect.

The facility looks so welcoming and clean, the dogs and cats have their own rooms and suites. Unfortunately the staff seems to love animals more than people as their interactions with the public are anything but helpful.
We arrived at 10:15am on a Sunday after having breakfast with the family. We quickly realized that they don’t open until 11am. I asked the girl at the front desk if they had any retrievers or any other dogs that are good with kids as my 2 yr old was standing next to me. She said that they had a great selection of dogs and many are kid friendly.
We waited for 45 minutes for them to open, once inside we followed along the tour of the private rooms each dog has, we began to wonder where all the variety of breeds the girl at the front was talking about. Each room was simply a new pit bull. After looking at every room and including the kennels in the back we were extremely disappointed that 95% of the dogs there were pit bulls and only 2 said they were okay with kids.
Unless you are looking for a pit bull and you don’t have kids then don’t get your hopes up of finding a four legged friend here.
So sad that such a nice facility has such an unhelpful staff and only one type of dog to choose from.

We have always visited here looking for the perfect dog. This visit we finally found him! We found the sweetest 6 year old dog. We had thought we would get a puppy so that we could get a good bond with a dog, but this dog was happy, healthy, mostly obedience trained and super excited to come home with us. So that was unexpected and completely fantastic. He’s mellow, seems to fit our lifestyle and doesn’t seem overly interested in cats. After just a few days of being at our house, we brought him to our vet for the free Humane Society vet visit (go within a week.) Our vet did say that the Humane Society doesn’t do a heartworm test (heartworms are super bad for a dog), so we had to get that done (it cost about $ 50 at our vet.) Our vet warmed our hearts as we left by saying that he seemed to have already bonded to us. Happiness!
When you get there you can look at all the dogs, cats and bunnies. Then if you find one that catches your heart, you have to sign-​in on the sheet at the front desk to meet with an adoption counselor. This can take hours on weekends, so get there early or go during the week. We went on a Friday at noon and it was about a 15 minute wait. Saturdays/​Sundays can easily be a few hours so get there early those days (they will give you an estimated time when you sign-​in so you can somewhat plan things.) They take your phone number and will call you, but you need to be hanging around within 5 minutes of there around that estimated time.
The counselors are very helpful and will answer or get the answer to any questions or concerns you might have. They are busy with all the potential adoptees, but make a point to focus on you and spend a decent amount of time making sure this is the right fit for both you and the pet. You have a sheet to fill out with all your info if you proceed past this. Then they sit you down and tell you about the waivers on the pet (ours had kennel cough and a small wound), about the microchip, pet insurance, free 1^st vet visit details and answers any other questions. If you have a cat at home and get a dog/​cat, get the sheet on how to introduce them. (I think if you have a dog already you have to bring him in to see if they get along.)
They also have a store with all your pet needs on the left as you walk in. You pay for your adoption at the store. There you will get a free bag of food. I think you have to have/​buy a collar and leash for dogs. Cats need a box or crate to get home. If you adopt a pet, you get a discount that day. I think it was 10%. They seem to have everything you will need at decent prices. If you want a larger selection or other pet supplies, Petco is just a quick drive up Morena.
They also sometimes have kittens in a huge crate area in the store. They are so adorable.
The front desk people are pretty nice, they seem to be always busy with people, phones or getting adoptions set-​up.
The cat section is on the right side, along the back and in the back left behind the door. The rooms look pretty nice for cats. They all seem pretty happy. The bunnies are right in the middle of the hall.
The dogs are down the left side after you enter, behind doors in various hallways in their own private rooms. Dogs are always being taken for walks by the volunteers, so check the sign that says where the dog in that room might be.
If you don’t find your pet this time, visit the website to see that they have other locations and the pets that are there. They also adopt out horses, so look on the website for that. All the pets are listed on the website by location if you need to narrow down your selection and focus on a few.
On the second window on the left there are some flyers of pets that are not actually out for viewing but are still adoptable.
As for the adoption fee, it seems that there is one thing listed on the animals flyer by the door or on the website, but they have specials all the time. We thought our dog would be $ 95, which was a deal itself, but somehow it ended up being just $ 11 due to some special rate for the holidays. That means we can get more treats and toys for the dog!
The parking is ample– street and private lot. More packed on weekends. The parking is shared with the SD Animal Shelter.
If you walk past the café on your right, the Humane Society is on the right side and the SD Animal Shelter is on the left. Both have tons of great animals, so make sure to check out both of them.
They also offer training, pet loss meetings, lower cost euthanasia and I believe they have vet services.
There are a few options for coffee/​food (Starbucks, Rose Donuts, Mexican Food, 7 – 11, Pizza, Carl’s Jr.) a few blocks away or there is a coffee/​snacks stand out front by the parking lot.

So, this review is from six months ago and unfortunately I have to echo the sentiments expressed with those 1 star reviews on Unilocal.2 stars are for the décor and level of cleanliness. Loss of the other 3 stars are for the incredibly rude staff that mans the front desks.
I’m not a young, inexperienced possible adopter. I’m not a working mom and/​or working couple. I’m a retired professional, I live alone with my 13yo pug, and was looking for another older dog to complete our family. Ideal, right? Apparently not. The young women at the front desk were rude and dismissive. They were seriously put out to have to hand me an application.
When I did find a dog who might be a good match for us, I wanted my dog and the potential adoptee to meet. I realized I didn’t have a leash with me (of course I have 10 at home, right?)-the woman at front desk said I would have to buy a leash at the gift shop. She said this while not looking up from her phone.
When I came back and said,“I’m not paying $ 14 for a 6 foot leash I will never use again,” another woman came over and handed me a simple leash from a box of a hundred they keep behind the desk for just such occasions.
By then I’d been there 2 hours while my pug waited patiently in the car. I brought him in and was told «sorry that dog’s been put back in the kennel. You’ll have to wait until someone has time to bring her out again.»
That was it, I was done– my pug was tired, time to go home. I tried to give the leash back only to be told «it’s contaminated you might as well keep it.» Her words exactly.
Why am I writing a review today? Because I lost my precious pug a few months ago and I’m going back today to see what might be available locally. I’m going to update after my visit. I see others had the same experience as me. Let’s see if they listen and care about the public that pays their salaries.

Love what they stand for and what they do. We have supported SDHS for many years by adopting, donating, and using their community services like dog training, kids camps and support groups. Not too thrilled with their new personality color coding. Being in a loud, kennel environment is very stressing for an animal. My dog was surely labeled a high energy-​firecracker, but once he got home and settled in he is the laziest, most mellow dog ever. This dog only runs for one thing and that is dinner. We are hoping to get more involved in fostering.

I’ve been to this location twice now, with my boyfriend, looking for a new addition to our family. I want to say that this location is pretty clean and have areas where the animals can be comfortable. The first time we were here a trainer named Gabby helped us and she was very professional, knowledgeable and extremely sweet and understanding. The pup we looked at wasn’t a good match for the puppies in the household, but Gabby was wonderful throughout the whole experience. The second time we came to visit, there was a nice lady by the entrance that greeted us and offered a treat for our little puppy. We had a trainer named Carol come out and help us with the puppies we were looking to adopt. She was funny, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. She went through our whole list and patiently sat with us explaining all of their temperaments and needs. We weren’t able to find a good fit here, but she directed us to other places where we can go and sat with us to show us at least one of the websites of the places we can go. I believe these two ladies went above and beyond and made our experiences at this location stress free and fun. So I wpuld love to give a big THANK YOU to Gabby and to Carol! Please give this place a try if you’d like to find another addition to your family. From our experiences they will try their hardest to help you find a good match.

Overall the place is beautiful and there are so many dogs to be adopted. However, the staff is so unwelcoming! The front desk lady made me and my two roommates feel like we weren’t worthy of adopting because we are younger. She questioned why we would want to adopt and avoided letting us see the dogs we wanted to see by saying they were «unavailable».
Finally, after filling out a form and waiting about ten minutes, a girl came out and escorted us outside to meet a dog, Buster. The girl was in a bad mood and I asked her why all the staff seemed to be upset by the customers… She said they were all having a long day.
OH! And while I was at the front desk a lady came in and complained about a dog being locked in a black SUV (in 105 degree weather). The owner of the vehicle was one of the workers at the humane society!!! The staff responded so rudely to this woman and she left upset.
These people need to realize that with a nicer staff more dogs would be adopted into a loving home. They make me never want to go back! Hoping this changes soon for the animals’ sake!

Much of my experience was just ok, lots of the public view areas for the dogs smelled so bad we couldn’t breathe. Most of the spaces were clean with the exception of a few of them. I understand not every space can be clear of odor and a mess so I did get to see very cute animals. Sad to see that a lot of the dogs were pitbulls but I do find myself adopting one in the future.
The reason why I wanted to write was because of how the front staff treated my friend and her little sister. Her sister is looking for a dog to adopt when she is able to find the right one for their home, however this lady was absolutely rude and it made me furious to see such a treatment when asked if we could meet one of the dogs. The lady asked if she was «really serious about adopting or just want to play with the dog» in a condescending and unwelcoming tone. Her thirteen year old sister replied with well, I would have to meet the dog before deciding. The lady was like well it’s really unfair for the dog to get attached if you end up not adopting it and then told us they were understaffed. So we ended up just leaving and they lost a potential adoptee.
I felt like she treated us the way she did because we are younger and probably just want to «play with a dog». Are you kidding me? Adopting is a huge decision to make, how do you expect anyone to adopt a dog without meeting and seeing what the dog is like, their temperament etc…
I could not believe the treatment from this lady.

This No-​kill animal shelter is the best in San Diego. The building is HUGE and has several different sections (I.e. Cats, dogs, store, etc.) It is clean and all of the employees and volunteers are friendly and welcoming.
Most importantly, the animals look comfortable and are well taken care of. There are a ton of furnished rooms (the cats have much more decorations than the dogs do) with about 1 – 2 dogs or 3 – 5 cats per room. They also have bunnies and the occasional bird or guinea pig.
I adopted my kitten from here in May and the adoption process was nice and easy. You get to meet the animal before committing to the adoption, and they don’t rush you at all. Then they have you fill out some simple paperwork and give you a voucher for a free vet checkup within 1 week of adoption, discounted pet insurance if you choose to have it, and a bag of pet food. Also, the pets come microchipped in case they get lost.
I had a great experience adopting here, and will adopt here in the future as well. Even if you aren’t planning to adopt a pet, it’s still a fun place to go if you want to see sure cute animals. :)

My first thoughts when I walked up to the building was, «wow. This place is gorgeous!» There are a few different sections to the building, if you walk right it will leading you to the dogs available for adoption. When my boyfriend and I went it, we were a little thrown off on where to go, but we just ventured off and found that the doors to the right led you to the main area where the cats were. To the left, were the small rooms where the dogs were available.
So the shelter: this place is a no kill animal shelter, which I think is nice, although I worry about getting a dog that may not settle in well with my family and be right for us. But just when I started to worry, there was a small paper next to the door with the dogs information. Each dog is color coded by personality, shy, outgoing, and it tells you if the dog is good around children, other dogs, cats, and if they are house trained. For me that’s a relief! I need to find a dog that will be good around my little siblings who often visit and range in age from 18 to 3. The dogs up for adoption have their own small rooms that have toys, a couch, a cage, and bedding.
The staff: fanTASTIC people! They all had a genuine smile on their faces and seemed happy to be around the animals. One dog that drew me to her was a small, skidding, shy sweetheart, 7 month old, Daisy. The woman who was in the room socializing her let us in, and chatted with us a good long while.
The animals: mostly seemed to be pit bull mixes, which sucked for us because we can’t own one because of insurance and our landlord. There were a few dogs that were in there that were pups that we could potentially take home with us. The only thing that was off was that on one of the dos, Daisy’s paper, it said she was a German Shepard/​Alaskan malamute mix. There was no WAY that itty bitty thing was that mix. She was all white with black spotting, short hair, MAYBE 30 or 40 pounds. She looked more like an Australian Shepard mix, she just looked so agile rather than built. It kinda seems like they go by what the previous owner had said. It would be nice to take her to a vet to see what she really was. But that dog was an absolute sweet heart.
I would recommend any family to coming here to look for a new family member. This place genuinely cares about their animals, and every one of them look as healthy as they can be.
Adopt, don’t shop!

My mean kitty Bear Claw needed a new roommate so my husband and I came here to adopt a new kitty. This is a well-​maintained and clean animal shelter. We knew what we came here for so we went straight to the kittens. One of the volunteers came and helped us shortly after. My husband popped his hand in one of the cages and it was love at first touch. The volunteer answered all of our questions and we decided we were going to take our new friend home.
We were informed that the Humane Society offers an adoption guarantee which was comforting because sometimes things do not go as planned. They also do health and behavioral assessments for the animals. We were warned that our kitten did not like being held and was a little aggressive. This is funny because he has actually been the biggest, sweetest snuggler ever! The adoption fee included neutering, shots, and a permanent microchip.
We named our new friend Sampson. The Humane Society is the perrrrr-​fect place to get a new kitty ;) Plus, it’s near Rose Donuts!!! Best $ 125 spent! The adoption fees vary, but you can’t put a price on true love!

Don’t even know where to begin. I LOVE this place and everything that they do. Amazing service, amazing people, and just so many furry animals around!!!
Signed up to get my pomchi neutered here, their appointments are done online so very easy. They emailed me right away and a few days before the surgery even called me to check up! What surprised me even more (besides from their MEGA affordable prices) they called to tell me that the whole surgery was FREE because I luckily signed up on National Neuter Day!!!
On the day I came in, I got my dogs cone, 2 up to date shots, AND got him microchipped all for $ 30. SO CHEAP. And the workers were amazing with my baby. Definitely visit their pound too, amazing people who work there and so many cute babies who needs a loving home!!!
Thank you for everything!