Lhasa Happy Homes Rescue

I tried to adopt a dog from Randi. Filled out long form honestly. She said the dog needed another dog which was not on the listing. I asked to see another dog of her selection. She told me to go to a shelter. I believe she turned me down because I am a senior since I have not heard that from other older people. Have given cats and dogs loving attention. I found most of them wandering around and no one claimed them.
Randi is rude and denies the age discrimination. Yet there was no other dog that could fit my home. I feel sorry for the dogs that cannot be adopted. Stay away from this woman.

Lhasa Happy Homes is a boutique rescue. When they rescue a dog, they commit to it fully. I know of multiple cases where they have rescued a dog that the shelter stated was healthy, or had a minor health issue, and it turned out the dog need thousands or even tens-​of-​thousands of dollars of vet care, and LHH covers it. This concern for the dogs they rescue extends to the adoption process. So please understand that LHH is very strict with their rules and requirements:
1) Look at the listing of the dog on the LHH website, or ask, before applying to adopt. For example, if LHH states that the dog needs a home with another dog, and you do not have a dog, they will not adopt that dog to you. You might be the best adopter in the world, but if LHH has determined a companion dog is needed, and you do not have a dog, you will not qualify.
2) Understand that LHH’s expectations and yours might be different. This isn’t a slam against you. It is just LHH’s policy. For example, LHH requires that all adopted dogs be «inside» dogs and that the adopter be home typically. If you prefer to keep your dogs outside in your huge, awesome yard which is totally fenced etc… GREAT, FOR YOU! But that will not work for LHH.
3) Just because you were not approved for a specific dog does not mean LHH does not want to adopt to you, nor is it in any way a personal attack. Ask if there is another LHH dog that LHH thinks would be a good fit for you.
All of Lhasa Happy Homes requirements for adoption, as well as the specific needs for every dog up for adoption, are listed clearly on the website. If you do not meet the requirements for a specific dog, do not like the requirements, think they are stupid, whatever… then by all means please adopt a dog from another rescue, or go to your local shelter and adopt a dog from there.

We adopted our two little fur babies back in February and they are the best things that have ever happened to us! My partner found Lhasa Happy Homes online and we went to their adoption event in Santa Monica one Sunday. The minute we saw them, we fell in love and had to rescue them. We spoke with several volunteers at the event, including the owner Randee.
Reading all of the reviews below make it seem as if people are upset that they didn’t get the dog they wanted and lash out. We were up against many other applicants for our two little ones and even if we didn’t get them we would have gone back to rescue any of the number of other dogs they have. Randee is a very strong personality which bumps against many people. She tells it like it is, she’s no bullshit, and is a 100% straight shooter. She takes the time to ensure that each dog’s personality goes to the correctly matched home. This may not make everyone happy, but it ensures the dogs end up in the best environment possible.
Rescuing our dogs from LHH is one of the best decisions we have ever made in our lives. We love them and bring our boys back frequently so everyone at LHH can see them growing up. They are the nicest, kindest people who get NOTHING. They volunteer and make LHH a reality out of love for these animals. We will continue to support them and will always have nothing but great things to say about them!

We have been blessed with two great dogs from LHASA HAPPY HOMES (LHH). We adopted a Shih-​Tzu from LHH in 2009, as a companion for our older Shih-​Tzu. She had come to LHH after a traumatic experience of being abandoned on the streets of Fresno. Because of the care provided by LHH, she was able to make a quick transition from being traumatized to being loved and taken care of in our home. She has been just a blessing.
Recently, our elderly first Shih-​Tzu passed on, and we realized our adopted LHH Shih-​Tzu was missing her companion, and we knew it was time to bring another dog to her. We only thought of LHH and within a few days found a great dog, which had been rescued from the streets of Lancaster (CA) by LHH. Our new little boy Shih-​Tzu, because of LHH’s care, blended right in, and our little girl is now back to being her happy self and our little boy is an angel.
One thing to know about LHASA HAPPY HOMES is that Randee Goldman, the director of this organization, is «dog-​centric» — she puts the care of the dogs above all else. If she is going to let you have one of her rescued dogs, then there is a certain hill to climb. One must meet certain criteria so that Randee is clear that you or anyone will take great care of her dogs, and that each dog has found their forever home.
With all this in mind, if you are looking for a dog and are willing to go through Randee’s application process (which is designed to ensure the dogs will be taken care of), you will find that either you will have a great dog to take home, or you will find out what you need to do to become a better fit for a forever home for the dog and yourself.
Lastly, there are a number of negative comments on «Yelp» about Randee and LHH. Please take these with a grain of salt, and put them aside, if you are looking for a dog that has been taken care of by an extraordinary rescue organization. We suspect that the source of the negative comments is not LHH. For instance, if a family loses a dog, and they feel rejected by LHH, the sadness can turn into anger. We have never experienced any of what these negatives portray. Our experience with Randee and LHASA HAPPY HOMES has been entirely positive, and we are so thankful for what she does for the dogs she rescues. She is there for them, literally day and night, and we are so grateful for the sake of our dogs and the thousands of other dogs she has rescued.

Over the past 10 years I have adopted 4 wonderful pups from Lhasa Happy Homes.
Randee has dedicated her entire life to saving animals that are sick and abused and they have cost her many fortunes to restore everything from spines and brain tumors to heart surgeries and eyes and ears and who knows what else. She cares so deeply that it is amazing she hasn’t burned out and we are glad she’s still at it!

Lhasa Happy Homes has been great for my husband and I. Randee has been wonderful and rescues many older dogs. One in particular stood out to me. He was an older dog who had to have one of his eyes removed because his previous owners did not take care of him. Randee rescued him and now I am lucky enough to call him mine :-). Randee was great throughout the whole adoption process and home check. I am happy with Lhasa Happy Homes and will adopt with them in the future when I am looking to add a new addition to my family.

About 5 months ago my 15 year old Lhasa past away. My two children and I were devastated as I had my Chewie before they were born. We set out to find another one from a rescue instead of a breeder. I found this website and we saw an adorable Lhasa who was 4 years old, but nevertheless his age, we were ready to take him in. First, and before anybody can even talk to you in person, you have to fill out a lengthy and intrusive application which will take you like about an hour. The application process is ridiculous and they require even you to enter your family income, and questions that don’t make sense, like how much are you willing to pay at the vet if the dog gets sick (???) By the way, I entered a couple of thousands maybe, but that wasn’t enough for them. You should put millions if you want to get the dog. I understand their concern about their dogs, but it was very intrusive even with personal matters. After all that, I had to call because no one would answer the application; the lady that answered the phone was very unkind. I explained that our Chewie had recently past away. She was not in the least compassionate. She questioned me everything about my home even to the point of telling me that our vet new nothing and that the food I had been giving Chewie for 15 years was junk food (Science Diet). We adore our dogs and have a two acre, beautiful fenced property in San Diego. She said that the dog I wanted couldn’t be confined to my «back yard» and that I needed to walk him 3 times a day on a leash! Not be confined to my «back yard». I insisted that we had two acres and that my dogs don’t need to walk on a leash 3 times a day, but she was adamant. My dogs sleep in the family room and each one has a giant Costco bed which the Lhasa was going to get also. This woman said that that was absolutely unacceptable and that the dog needed to sleep in my bed! Also she warned me that he was still not house trained. We were talking about a 4 year old dog! She said that she believed our home was unsuitable for her dog because I have «rules» and her dog was used to do everything he wanted and they wanted a family that would let him do that. Again, they make you feel that they’re doing you a favor, you peasant, by letting you have one of their king dogs. I adore animals and my dogs are very spoiled, but just like my children, I believe dogs need to be trained to be obedient, they need to have rules, and they need to be house trained. This women believes otherwise. She denied our application and months later that poor dog is still in a foster home. We went to the local shelter and we got a beautiful two year old maltese/​terrier mix who is now adored by my children, me, my husband and grandma. He sleeps in his own giant bed with my German Shepherd and my little Schnauzer in the family room and has two acres of playing, rabbit chasing fun in San Diego. I feel sorry for the the Lhasas and the people trying to adopt from this rescue place. Please go to the local shelters instead. There are so many dogs in cages waiting for a loving home.
Update:
1. they do ask you for your income in the lengthy and intrusive application they make you fill out.
2. My dogs are not left alone unsupervised in my fenced 2 acre land. They go out, they play, and then they come back in. I am a stay home mom, so they are always supervised, and this rescue was informed of that.
3. they also ask you how much are you willing to pay if the dog gets sick.
4. Sebastian, the Lhasa we wanted is still there. We requested adoption back in March, I believe. It is September and he is still there… if you check their website, they always have the same dogs. I must assume they want to keep the dogs because as long as the dogs are there, there will be donations and grants.
5. They leave the decision for adoption approval to the foster families. Obviously, if they love the animal and they are getting paid for food and vet, they will continue to deny adoption, but that is just my opinion…

I can’t say enough good things about Lhasa Happy Homes and Randee Goldman and her team. We adopted a Shih Tzu from Lhasa Happy Homes in 2009 as a companion/​sister to our older Shih Tzu, and with the recent very sad passing of that older, senior Shih Tzu, we are now back to get a companion dog for the precious little girl we adopted from LHH in 2009. What has us come back is that the first and foremost concern of Lhasa Happy Homes is for their dogs. We visited their adoption event yesterday in Santa Monica, and it was abundantly clear that each and every dog was totally loved and cared for by Randee and her foster parent/​volunteer team. It also makes such a difference to know that Randee will be completely straight about what is so regarding each dog, and she really looks with you to see which dog will be the perfect fit for your family and your circumstances.
UPDATE: We adopted another little angel from Lhasa Happy Homes, and we couldn’t be happier! Lastly, I want to acknowledge Randee and her team for the difference they have made in the lives of all the dogs they have rescued. I am so grateful that they rescued our two angels, but I’m just as grateful for all they have done and will do for all the other dogs they’ve saved and placed in loving homes.

After the loss of our two Lhasa sisters we waited and had planed on waiting longer until we came across a photo on Pet Finders, a set of sisters, brought us to Lhasa Happy Homes.
We will say after completing the application and the following 50 emails :) We were feeling very defeated that we may not get the two sisters. Randee put many road blocks for us to navigate around and honestly, looking back and getting to know Randee and the organization we understand why she was so protective, these two love bugs are the lights of our lives and so worth all the road blocks, emails and conversations of everything to do with taking care of these two.
Rescue is difficult, emotional and very hard work finding suited new homes. We can only imagine how hard it is to find families that you know nothing about and trying to figure out if they will love, care and give to these fur babies a great life without reservation. (We would probably never allow adoptions :) and have to keep all of them:))
Thank you to Randee and Lhasa Happy Homes for ALL that ALL of you do for these animals. We love Mitzie and Maxine with all our hearts and are so grateful to you for going the extra mile to be sure we would be great parents for them!

My wife and I have been extremely pleased with Lhasa Happy Homes. We adopted our first two ‘kids’ in 2006, a third in 2010, and just adopted our fourth two weeks ago!
LHH is not a ‘business’, it is a small non-​profit all-​volunteer organization.
Randee and the LHH volunteers work tirelessly to rescue, foster, and find «forever homes» for small dogs that literally no one else wants.
LHH spends large amounts of donated money to heal sick or injured dogs that were declared to be «not worth it» by their owners or other organizations. (I know, because one of our kids required a heart operation that cost more than $ 4,000. He was going to be put to sleep at the animal shelter but was rescued by Randee.)
With an outstanding track record of success, LHH uses it’s experience and discretion to match its rescued dogs with the right homes. No doubt some folks are disappointed when they are not selected to adopt the specific dog they want — but the decision is made based on what is best for the dog, not the applicant.
If you are serious about adopting a rescued small dog, I encourage you to contact LHH and attend their adoption events. By taking the time and making the effort to completely follow their application process you are demonstrating your level of commitment to adopting a new family member.
Once approved, you can be sure that your new family member will be a good match for your household, and you will be rewarded with the love and joy that comes from a pet grateful for their new home!

I became familiar with Lhasa Happy Homes in the summer of 2013 when we lost our 15-​year-​old Lhasa to cancer. We were devastated. Randi, the owner of LLH, was compassionate and really listened to make sure that a dog from her rescue and my family fit perfectly. We have had our dog for almost two years and we love her sooo much. I am so grateful that Randi guided us to find the right dog for our family. Since our rescue adoption, we have kept in close contact with Randi – we have donated to her special needs dogs and keep posted on what she is doing to make the world a better place for small dogs. I really admire her for taking dogs with special needs. As a mom who is so blessed with a special needs daughter, this is so important– to me, it shows a deeper level of caring, commitment, and definitely a rescue that we will always support.

I’ve been looking at adopting a dog from her for quite some time. They are a great group of volunteers and obviously really care about the dogs! I also participated in the «Strut your Mut» event with them. What a great time:) They do adoptions almost every weekend in Santa Monica. Even if you don’t want to adopt come out and play with the dogs! It’s a ton of fun.

Randee Goldman and Lhasa Happy Homes are true angels. We just had the most amazing experience adopting from LHH. We went to Los Angeles from Illinois to adopt because of Randee’s ability to match the dogs with appropriate owners. No one does it better than Randee! She is a true professional and an absolute angel. Randee’s knowledge, expertise and heart cannot be beat. Randee puts the doggies and their well-​being first, as it should be. I am in love with my two doggies; and it appears to be mutual – Thank you Randee and Lhasa Happy Homes for all you do.
Merle Levy

I think it’s very good that this organization is discriminating in who gets to adopt its dogs. But what we experienced today went beyond that and entered discrimination. I have two complaints: 1) There is a mismatch between this organization’s motto that your dog, if you already have one, has the final say in which dog you adopt. Untrue. The woman in charge – I believe her name is Randi – has the first, last, and only word in which dog you get to adopt. In our case, we weren’t allowed to adopt one at all, despite our having 50 years’ experience in owning and loving small dogs, having a large, fenced-​in yard, and a home situation that would allow a dog to have someone with her at all times – another small, pampered doggie and my retired mother. 2) This gets me to my second complaint: age discrimination. My mother is 87 but looks 67 and acts 37. But after Randi had paid excessive attention to the portion of our application about my mother, she simply decided that the only dog suitable for us would be an older dog, when we’d actually wanted a perky dog to be a playmate for my 5-​year-​old Shih Tzu and a companion to both my mother and me as well. We saw several dogs up for adoption today whose written profiles fit us to the letter. But we never got a chance to express this to Randi, though the people handling the dogs in the tent were very sweet, helpful, and encouraging about each dog we showed an interest in. But Randi, who had seemed overwhelmed and unkind from the moment I introduced myself and my dog, said we could not adopt any of them because they were «too young.» We drove home in stunned silence at the harsh way we’d been rejected.

Seriously people … do you know how heartbreaking and exhausting rescue must be? I have three older shih tzus right now and they have so many troubles that I can’t imagine how much Randee has to deal with on a daily basis. We adopted Sammie in August 2004 to round out our pack here and we’ve never regretted it for one minute. Randee was so accommodating with us that she even helped us get her to San Diego. It might seem that she’s harsh and selective and dismissive or whatever else you want to call her, but trust me … she doesn’t care what you think because there’s only one thing that matters: getting her dogs adopted to the right people so that they don’t end up with her again. Please people, just have a little bit of empathy for what she sees on a daily basis and know that it’s her extreme level of caring that makes her run a great rescue. And OMG, she likes dogs better than people?! Don’t we all? Well, then maybe I’m just as terrible as Randee is. LHH is as good as it gets!

I’m always suspicious of one star reviews. They come across as sour grapes and not an honest review of the business.
We have adopted two dogs from Lhasa Happy Homes and they do not charge $ 600 for their dogs. They do charge $ 350 for their puppies, and there is a $ 200 s/​n deposit, which is refundable when the puppy is fixed. If you went to buy a lhasa or shih tzu from a breeder, they would cost you a minimum of $ 750 and more like $ 1000 – 1500 for a quality pup. LHH is not about the money, they are about the quality and fit of the home. Entitlement doesn’t fly with this organization.
Lhasa Happy Homes’ first concern, as it should be, is about the dogs… and like any good rescue, they do due diligence where applicants are concerned. Sounds to me like all these one star reviews didn’t get what they wanted and decided to would trash the rescue in revenge. Shame on them. Lhasa Happy Homes saves a ton of dogs who would otherwise NOT have a second chance.

I am so disappointed with this organization. My girlfriend and I submitted an extremely detailed application to adopt a dog. First of all, to adopt a dog, these people want to know your life story. What you do, pictures of the home, exactly how many people live there, etc. I understand that they want the dogs to go to a good home, but to submit your entire life story just to be turned down immediately is such a waste of time. I spoke with a lady on the phone who was not only rude, but told me she would not allow me to adopt because I live in San Diego, and the dogs could not leave the LA area. Mind you, I applied for the cutest dogs on the website that they wanted almost $ 600 for. If I was applying for a 9 year old sick dog for $ 100, I am sure there would have been no problem. I help foster dogs monthly, and I do know a little something about taking care of a dog. This is exactly why I would rather buy a dog and not adopt. I was ready to help a dog in need, but could not do so because I lived too far because this controlling ass woman could not track the dog? Disgusting. So I will continue to shop, and not adopt. Because I do not have time for people to ask my life story, and then put it down because it is not a spitting image of theirs.

I’m the kind of person who pushes my rescued cat, Lemon, around in a stroller and even I think the good intentioned owners of this business need a 101 in client relations. If you’d like to adopt, I suggest visiting in person, because over email the owner is dismissive and unkind. I really wish I didn’t take the hour necessary to fill out the lengthy application form because the entire experience was hurtful at best and insulting at worst.
Lhasa:
«Thanks so much for your application. Unfortunately, this would not be the right fit for Aiko, as she needs to go to a home where there is another young, small playful dog. Best to you in your search and happy holidays…
Lhasa good wishe,
Randee Goldman
Founder»
Me:
«Thank you for your response. As mentioned, our elderly pet passed away on Thanksgiving. From your own experience, I am sure you know what a sad and sensitive time this is for us. It would have been compassionate not to remind us that we lacked a youthful animal in our home. I appreciate your quick response and am glad LHASA has enough resources to be selective. Kind Regards, Breanna»
Lhasa:
«I am very sorry that we did not see that your dog just passed away. I am very sorry for your loss. Enough resources? You say that you would take special needs, behavioral, blind, senior or abused… yet you chose the youngest dog on our page for a senior household.
Your application is very confusing but your comment about our resources was unnecessary. I hope you find what you are looking for, and best wishes to you. Obviously, you are still very emotional about your dog and it might make sense for you to wait awhile before you insult another rescuer who spends ²⁴⁄₇ saving the lives of dogs who will be killed if we don’t take them.
Lhasa good wishes
Randee Goldman»

I do NOT know why people leave such negative reviews here… I adopted one of the most sweetest dogs from Randee a shihtzu mix named Lexi 3 years ago… She is kinda picky who she adopts out because she doesn’t want the dogs returned so that’s why she has a long application and requires home visits… and she runs the rescue by herself so u have to be patient with her… We all have our bad days but she is doing a good thing here!

I have seen firsthand how much «crap» this woman literally deals with! I’ve been her neighbor for the last year and seen tons of dogs go through her care. Let me tell you, there are a lot easier ways to make money then comforting broken pups. (picking up tons of sh*t is not high on anyone’s list.) I promise you, just knowing the neighborhood we live in (next to a very busy blvd. is not luxury) no one’s getting rich off of this. She gives so much of her time and energy (emotional and physical) to this project of finding homes for these dogs.
It outrages me to see such harsh (might I add personally harsh reviews.) She’s a human being first and foremost and while it appears to me that she’s doing a great job, you’re allowed to disagree, but criticize the service not the person. You don’t get to judge the person. I can see there is someone else who might need a crash course in human interaction (as I say this over the internet.)
I also might note, that taking care of shelter dogs requires a lot patiences and taking lots of crap from the rest of world. ««Don’t let it pull on the lesh» «keep it away from my dog!» «get it to shut up» So much so, the irony is that if you couldn’t handle the obstacles you may or may not have faced with a woman exhausted by middle of the night pee walks and many other rude potential dog adopters … then well, her instincts might have been right not trust you to provide a loving home to an animal. I can’t blame her at least.
A good dog owner would have let it bounce right off them and done whatever it takes to get the dog they want (I went through a lot of hoops with the LA City Sheter to get my dog, but it was worth it.) Yes, it’s annoying, but so is a dog chewing up your couch! These issues are a breeze compared to the carpet we had to replace ;op So if you can’t get through this with a smile, maybe you want to reconsider dog ownership. These dogs came from abused homes and they need people with EXTRA patience.
A kind person, I think and worthy dog owner, would understanding what a huge sacrifice this woman makes…
Not wake up and say «how can I make a person who volunteers her time and tries to find good homes for abandoned/​abused dogs feel like crap today?»
In the least, anyone reading this Unilocal review should see there is more than one side to the story and give her a chance.