Menu
CB Animal Hospitals North Shore Animal League America Be very aware of the animals you get from North Shore
North Shore Animal League America

North Shore Animal League America review: Be very aware of the animals you get from North Shore 61

D
Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
Review updated:
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

On Saturday August 18th I adopted a puppy from the mobil unit of North Shore Animal League. When I took the puppy she had very bad diarrhea I returned to the mobile unit the same day to ask about this. I was told it was because she had just been spay. I trusted what they told me and took the puppy into my home of which I have a 3 and 5 year old. On Monday Aug 20 my husband and I took her to the vet and she was placed on medicine for her diarrhea and a stool sample was to be tested. I was told by the vet that if she had any worms I would be notified the following morning. Tuesday Aug 21 I received a call from the vet telling me to get the dog away from my children IMMEDIATELY and to put her outside in a quarantine area. She had not only hookworms but Giardia. Giardia is a parasite that is very easily transmitted to people and can cause dehydration and death in the elderly and children. Needless to say I was terrified. I put the puppy outside in her crate and went to the vet to get the medicine she needed. Once there I began to ask more about Giardia. She would have it for up to 4 weeks and everything she came in contact with while sick had to be cleaned with bleach and water. She could not go to the bathroom on the grass because Giardia can survive for up to 6 weeks in the right conditions and she would have to be kept away from everyone while sick. Giardia is highly contagious and it not visible to the naked eye, it is transmitted via water and feces. It a dog has it, licks their butt then licks your mouth you got it. If she sat on one of her toys and you touch it then put your hand by your mouth, you got it and ready for this. ONCE YOU HAVE IT, YOU HAVE IT FOR LIFE!. You can take meds but it just controls it, it does not kill it. Well that same day I called North Shore, I explained that the puppy was very sick and there was no way I could keep her especially not around my children. I was told to bring her back BUT I had to take her to Long Island, I live in NJ and had no way to transport the puppy that far. I explained this and asked if they had a sister shelter that I could take her to, I was placed on hold then disconnected. I called back and went through the whole story again to another person, I was placed on hold then transfered to voice mail. I hung up and called back again, I again explained the story and was again disconnected. I called back again and demanded to speak with a manager, I was given Linda. She agreed to send someone to pick up the puppy. I asked if the puppy could be treated then returned to us I even offered the medicine I had just purchased. I was told they would not do that. I asked what would happen to her, I was told that she would be looked at by their vets but she would not be able to remain in the hospital until the sickness was gone, that she would be looked at and would be put back up for adoption. I said so basically you will give her to another unknowing family without treating her, I was hung up on. I called back again but was either recycled in the queue or sent to voice mail. A nice man came to pick up the puppy later that night. I just want everyone to be very aware of the animals you get from North Shore. They are adopting out animals they KNOW are sick and do not care about who they infect.

61 comments
J
J
JustAnotherHO
,
Nov 11, 2008 1:36 pm EST

Hay Katie, you make a lot of assumptions in your totally judgmental post.
Can you not see these people here have gone through so much while trying to do the right thing, getting a shelter do, not a mill dog.

You should be ashamed of yourself, NSAL is a disaster, just compare to Best Friends.org.

You will see what a true No-Kill Rescue organization really is.

K
K
Katie
,
Nov 09, 2008 12:03 am EST

I am disgusted by what I am hearing from most of you. I adopted a puppy from North Shore March 2008. They told us she was shepherd/husky and we still don't really know what she is, but she is definitely not a shepherd. She is the most amazing dog I have ever seen. Obviously these dogs are mutts, people! The people at North Shore will never be able to tell you the EXACT lineage of your puppy or how big it will be especially because even dogs of the same breed are different sizes! This is a SHELTER meaning they are not bred to give you! THEY ARE MUTTS! Puppies, much like people, have different demeanors and their personalities are not always apparent when you go to see them. Many are groggy from just getting neutered and some are nervous or scared. When I got my puppy, she barely moved and I was second guessing my decision until two days later when she recuperated. I just went yesterday (November 8) and got another puppy who is just as amazing as my first puppy. I know many of you are first time dog owners but you have to be more lenient with the shelter. It is truly amazing that they are non-kill and they have so many dogs and puppies to chose from. Thousands of dogs each month are adopted and if only 20 people in 3 years are unhappy then I'd say North Shore is doing its job. I really hope you all go buy a turtle or something because obviously you do not deserve to have a puppy. And by the way, dogs get sick sometimes and some things are overlooked. Why, I used to have strep throat all the time and all my doctors thought I just had colds. I saw about 6 doctors. Once it got so bad that I saw an ear, nose, and throat doctor at Columbia medical center and he told me I had tonsil stones. I went a long time without knowing the major condition I had because I had relatively normal symptoms of colds. Just like me, a puppy may have a runny nose like most do and something is overlooked. Have compassion and just realize that the opportunity of dogs getting adopted is much more important than ### about the cost or one tiny thing that went wrong and attracting bad attention to this amazing place. So please stop being negative about such an amazing organization. And for the record, I know 15 people who have adopted puppies and dogs from North Shore and none have had a problem, including myself. My dogs are the best thing that ever happened to me and I beg anyone who can to go adopt the dog of your dreams from North Shore; it is truly an amazing place!

A
A
Alexis
,
Sep 20, 2008 3:56 pm EDT

My husband and I adopted a 10 month old puppy from North Shore. We wanted a dog that was house trained and known to be GOOD with kids. They directed us to a dog named Christopher who was a hound mix save from Hurricane Gustav. I asked over and over to everyone who worked their "how do you know this dog is goods with kids, we have a 3 yr. old and a 9 month old". I was told they have behavioral specialists that work with the dogs and that this particular dog had been tested with autistic children. We get the dog home, he sleeps constantly and will not eat or drink. The second day, still no eating or drinking, we call NSALA and they tell us this is normal and the dog is just adjusting to our home. We took him back on the morning of the third day. White sludgey, boogers oozing out of his nose, coughing, not eating or drinking, begining to show signs of agression towards my kids. My 3 yr old is devestated! My husband returns from NSALA with a 13 week old black lab mix puppy. We brought Princess to the NSALA hospital this morning(5 days later). She has PARVO! She's got a 50/50 chance of making it. When I asked NSALA vet. what responsibility they take for adopting us out a gravely ill dog she said "well, we treat them for free". That's a joke right? It cost 150 to buy the dog, 150 at my vet., 100 for toys, crate, dishes, food, bed, and who knows how much in gas. I should have bought a dog!
P.S. we are hoping Princess recovers and can come home soon.

V
V
very upset
,
Sep 16, 2008 3:55 pm EDT

NSAL is a fraud! They do not care about the dogs! They treat people who want to adopt like crap. They have no idea where the dog is coming from or what it's medical/behaviour history. They don't know and they do not care!
I have donated to this organization before, without ever being there or having any contact with them. After my recent experience and what I'm reading here I won't give them a penny. There are many other shelters whom in need of donation and don't have all the sources what NSAL has.
I agree, they do not care about the dogs. Maybe execpt for the volunteers. They are in the red shirt. They really care, otherwise they wouldn't be there. Perhaps they stay too long, their attitude will change too.

N
N
n. keegan
,
Sep 03, 2008 12:41 pm EDT

I hate NSAL. I adopted a dog from them at one of their mobile units and I have had trouble with this dog from the first day. Although I was told it was housebroken, it is not. I have a handicapped child and this dog shows aggression and is very destructive. I had to call and e-mail numerous times to get someone to listen to me at NSAL. They bottom line is that they don't want you to bring it back.The longer we have the dog, the more we have invested in her, and the more attached my daughter gets. They don't do any temperment testing at all, and don't even care who the dog goes to as long as it leaves. It is a crap shoot and we lost. I adopted a wonderful dog from HiTor Animal Shelter in Pomona, NY and it died 10 days later from cancer. Now I have a terrible dog with a nasty personality and no where to turn.

S
S
Stewy
,
Aug 18, 2008 10:38 am EDT

We wish I looked into NSAL (again) before we got our last puppy there. North Shore (NSAL) is out of control.

14 years ago I got a sick pup there but is was ok after 3 weeks of treatment we could do at home. But my latest pup was very badly sick and had parvo and need hospital care. What I'm reading here rings true to me. I will add two things.

1. NSAL was not as bad years ago. Dogs were sick but not "parvo" sick

2. NSAL - their downfall will be the turning point after hurricane Katrina when they started taking dogs from down south. For a pup that is just too much stuff to go through and many will not adjust well, even with the best training you can get it - believe me please!

My family suffers greatly now. Please don't go to NSAL for a dog. It's an absolute crap shoot down there and the odds are stacked against you and the pup you will fall in love with.

I'm sure there are great stories out of there, but it is not because of the management down there, it's because there are people who really care about dogs and they try hard.

Follow the money and I bet you find the problem! Something smells real bad at NSAL and it's not the dog doo!

E
E
Evelyn Dufflar
,
Aug 17, 2008 3:03 pm EDT

I can't believe the stuff I'm reading. Today, August 17, 2008, I just returned a puppy to NSAL which I adopted on August 9th. I was told the puppy had an upper respriratory infection and had worms. I was given meds for both conditions. This puppy has not been well from day 1. She threw up everytime she ate and all she wanted to do was drink water. For a week we found her behavior very peculiar and the puppy was also destructive. I don't know if the meds had anything to do with her behavior, but the way I see it, she should not have been put up for adoption being so sick. I was never told that because of the meds she was on, it would be virtually impossible to potty train her because the dog would need to go whenever that urge came where ever she was. That information was given to me when I returned her. I WOULD NEVER have adopted this puppy had I been informed of this. After reading all the complaints above I am scared that she may have had something more serious than they revealed. I am scrubbing my home clean to be safe and will never adopt from these people again. I cried all the way home.

S
S
Sam
,
Jul 23, 2008 11:02 am EDT

I went through a very similar situation. I adopted my darling Liza on 2/25/08 at a mobile unit adoption that NSAL was putting on at a local pet smart store. I had just lost my dog about six months prior and I know people will understand when I say I lost my best friend. I didn't know if I was ready to have another animal but my husband and I went anyway. When we got there we noticed this small sad looking little puppy. When I asked to see her I noticed she was covered in feces as was the other dog in the crate with her. We took her out and asked for something to clean her up with. One of the staff gave us a dry paper towel. I mean this little puppy was caked with feces. So I sent my husband to get some wipes and we cleaned her up best we could. I wanted to spend some time with her but they kept rushing us saying are you going to adopt or not? I asked about why she was so thin and lethargic and they told me she was fine she got a clean bill of health from their vet just that morning. So we decided to adopt her. I just couldn't just leave her there. We started off in the store to look for supplies and she had an accident in the cart. It was liquid diarrhea. My husband and I were concerned so we took her back and asked if this was normal it did not seem normal to us. They assured us she had been through alot in the last couple of days and she was probably just nervous. We went home and it became clear that something was definitely wrong. She would not eat or drink. We took her to our vet first thing in the morning and they wanted us to leave her for testing. We were on pins and needles for a couple of hours and then the vet called and told me she had Parvo. I was so scared and really did not know what to do but one of my greatest concerns was that she had come in contact with other animals. We called NSAL and they were horrible. They not only told us this was our problem but they wanted us to take her off the IV and bring her down to their facility. I couldn't believe how little they cared for her life. I told them they were out of their minds their facility is approx. 3 hrs. away from my house and this little puppy is fighting for her life she would have died on the ride. They basically could care less they just kept going back to the financial aspect which is funny because we never mentioned money. My husband and I were on the phone with them for 4 hours and we did not speak to one compassionate person. I told my vet please do whatever you can do to save her life. I knew I couldn't give her back to those cold, callous people . I firmly believe that if we did give her back they would have put her to sleep and threw her in the dumpsterit would have been cheaper for them than putting her on the treatment for Parvo and they clearly are all about finacial gain! She survived thank goodness and she is a healthy and happy little puppy. But I do not know about the other animals that came in contact with her that day I hope and pray they are OK too but there is no way to know since NSAL would not do anything. Please be careful they are a business not a shelter they do not care and they will not help!

J
J
Jade
,
Jul 16, 2008 6:53 pm EDT

please post what happened to Comet. About 45 days ago, we also adopted a puppy @ NSAL and she started throwing up after 3 days. Took her to the vet, she also had cocidia. I go home with antibiotics and meds for cocidia. Since she's still throwing up the meds are not getting into her. She starts diarrhea too. I bring her back to vet. They keep her overnight. Our beautiful baby tested positive for parvo. We had her on fluids, antibiotics the works. She had a fever the whole time. After a few thousand dollars and week later she did not make it. We had to put her down. My son was very traumatized. He's eight. We threw everything out. Bleached all the floors and we are heartbroken. Hope Comet makes it! Please let us know if he's ok.

C
C
Christine
,
Jul 12, 2008 8:57 pm EDT

We were going to get our son a puppy from a private breeder(not a store or mill) He only wanted to adopt one from a shelter. He said he wanted to save a dog and not buy one.

We adopted "COMET" 10 week old boxer /hound mix at NSAL. on Sunday. He was a little boney and "shy". Well guess what? He's not shy at all, he's got PARVO! Well thanks alot. I brought him back today to the animal hospital there. They said they would put him on IV anti biotics and other meds. Then she told me they will call with his condition every day. My son is heartbroken. Why do they let people adopt sick puppies? This little guy is the love of my sons life. He waited 2 years for a pup. If this puppy dies there, I don't know what I'll do. Oh yeah and thanks NSAL for contaminating my house, my yard and my car with PARVO.
Praying for Comet...

G
G
Gerry
,
May 13, 2008 11:44 am EDT

DO NOT ADOPT FROM NSAL> My wife and I adopted from NSAL in Sept 2007. We wanted a smaller dog, something 30 lbs or so. When we went into the Kennel we saw a cute dog, a Pointer mix. Of course they could not tell us what the mix was and is, and to this day we still don't know. She grew in 2 months to 50 lbs, she is now 9 months old and close to 65 lbs. They have no clue on the dog breeds and how to place a dog with the right family. As a novice myself on dog breeds I had no idea that pointers are large dogs and are hyper dogs that need a lot of activity. The dog was always a handful, nipping and ripping things apart. We were told that was a puppy thing, and with training she would grow out of it. We gave her training, but she is still ripping things apart. Lately she is getting more aggressive, and bit my 8 yr old daughter. She is very possessive and the dog was eating a bone when my daughter just got a little to close when walking by. But otherwise the dog has always been good, little hyper, but good. She needs a active family with a big back yard.

We called NSAL to return her, they indicated that we need to first keep her for 10 days after biting someone before they can do anything. This is bull, as we recently learned that they should have taken her back and should have put her in quarantine for 10 days. Well, they never called us back after the 10 day period. We needed to call them and then to only hear that they have no room for her. They would call us, when they get room. Meanwhile the dog is in her crate and outside most of the time and isolated because we can't take the chance of another bite. Finally I called them back the day after indicating that this was very unfair to us, my daughter (because we are restricting her friends into the house) and the dog (because she is always separated from us and company when we have people over). They agreed to make an appointment, another 7 days out, to evaluate her. They indicated no guarantees that they would take her back depending on the evaluation. Well the evaluation was yesterday. I took the dog in, the trainer immediately took her and then within five minutes brought her back to me. She said that the dog immediately bit at the trainer evaluating her and they can not take her back. Their reason is that they are a no-kill kennel and the dog has to be able to approach people and that she needs serious training. Now I am not sure how this guy approached the dog, but I know for a fact the dog doesn't nip or bite at anyone unless she feels threatened. Otherwise she jumps up and licks.
I explained that this weekend was a very busy weekend for us and we had a lot of company in the house. We separated the dog and she was getting really frustrated because she just wanted to jump and lick everyone. She went from outside to the crate many times and she was stressed. They just didn't want to hear it. They wouldn't even consider trainer her themselves before adopting her back out. Since we called many shelters and have been denied. Our only option is to bring her to the town kennel where she will be put down. We are so heartbroken and feel like we have no other option. She is not a dangerous dog, but she needs special attention that we can not give her. Now we are deciding to kill a perfectly healthy dog we have grown to care for. North Shore sucks.

S
S
suzanne
,
Apr 07, 2008 7:53 am EDT

WARNING DO NOT ADOPT FROM NORTH SHORE< Last saturday 2/29/08 I surprised my * yrd old by bringing her to North Shore to adopt a puppy, we went and picked out a 11 wek old lab/collie mix, my duagther named him Jackson, we took him home, putchased a cage, toys, etc...and fell in love witth him...by tuesday he was vomitting and would not eat, i ran him back to North Shore vet where they kept him becuase he had a fever and you could hear his stomach making horrible gas sounds. Well the next day I call early and im told to call back two more times to try to find out the status of our puppy, they finally tell me he is doing better to call back tomorrow, next day I call again and now they tell me he is in serious condition and has a parasite, I was so pissed. I have a neice who is a Vets assistant, I call her and she tells me it sounds like the dreaded Parvo virus, I call them back and they get very annoyed that im even asking about this and keep putting me off, I went to go see the puppy the next nite and he looks horrible and is not responding to me, again I ask what is wrong with him, they tell me he has a cold...they treat people like they are ###s...the next morning THEY CALL ME to tell me he has parvo and is serious condition, now mind you all this time il telling them I have another dog in my home...they tell me 4 days after i brought him in..now i have to be the one to tell my girls we cant take him back, becuase once a dog has this, it is never right...so this surprise has turned into a horrible experience for my 8 yr old THANKS NORTH SHORE, and now they are telling me they would give me another puppy NO THANK YOU you have caused enough heart ache

M
M
Mark OMalia
,
Mar 30, 2008 6:54 pm EDT

These people are full of it( I don't know how many stamps I've waisted with this f**king sweepstakes of theirs).
I have a best friend who's been with me since he was 4 1/2 weeks old. We've lived through thick and thin together. He's Alaskan Husky and Mexican Red Wolf. I have never been so attached to anything or anyone in my life. When ever I have reason to worry for his health it's a huge deal, especially when I don't have the money for a Good Vet.

So much for how highly I love my dog. Once, in this way overpriced Vet's office, ($300.00 for blood work, routine blood work) I was asked for an Email Address. I have now been involved with a 'Sweepstakes' for over 2 yrs! Yes, feeling bad for my partner I got sucked right in, $40.00 worth! I don't really know where the connection is but one solicitation after another! I actually thought this was a local organization here in San Diego, (North Shore Animal League) and this joke keeps going on and on.

There are plenty of organizations in your own area that need help with lost and abandoned animals, even if it's the family down the street that seem to have a few too many 'pets', (maybe they just care). If you want to help, help your 'own'. It's a GRASSROOTS THING ! Lets come together and leave them out of it!

A
A
Ally
,
Mar 28, 2008 11:27 am EDT

NORHSHORE is a good place idiots

M
M
Michael Cohen
,
Dec 07, 2007 8:31 am EST

NSAL is not the place to adopt puppies. I am posting this warning because of the experience we had. Last January we adopted an 8 week old "Lab Mix" without trepidation. He was cute and the kids loved him. We were told that he was a cross between a Lab and a Chow. What could be bad? One year later this pup, which was given an abundance of love and affection, grew to be a nasty animal. Raising his lip and showing signs of aggression to everyone but our family.

He was properly socialized and trained by two professionals. On his 1st birthday hit BIT my eight year old son! That of course was it for me. I brought him back to the NO-KILL NSAL in Pt Washington, NY. They told me they couldn’t accept him back. We didn’t want to put him down. Upon further inquiry, we found out that he was part Pit Bull and that we weren’t the first to come upon this problem with pups from NS. The truth is, the will do a background check on you but have no information at all about the dogs! What’s wrong with this picture?

Fortunately, my son has no permanent scars, thank god! NEVER, NEVER get a puppy from the North Shore Animal League. If you are inclined to rescue, rescue a full grown dog so you can observe the personality you will be living with.

I strongly recommend buying pups from persons that can provide info on or introduce you to the pup’s parents.

N
N
nicole
,
Dec 05, 2007 11:19 pm EST

i had gotten a rottie mix from the north shore animal league on friday nov 28th 2007 and i was first told that she was a month old then when i saw the paper work it said she was 9 weeks old and first written stating it was a female then written over in a black marker stating it was a male, (its a female) when i asked where they got this puppy from they didnt know, they just stated that they rescue hundreds of puppies and they dont know where they come from(###!). but any ways i was told that she was diagnosed with coccidia and was given a med called albon, when i first took her in the car on my way home she threw up i just figured it was from the car ride and being over whelmed, friday night and saturday she was fine she took her med with her food until sunday... she didnt eat at all and would constantly drink water, her stool was liquidy and she was very weak, so i looked up her med albon online and it mentioned the side effects werevomitting, diaharrea, loss of apetite and excessive drinking, i just didnt understand why i wasnt informed of any of these effects, so monday it remained the same so on tuesday i took her to the vet and they said she is very sick dehydrated and looks like she possibly has parvovirus disease and pneumonia, make a long story short she died that night... when i called the NSAL they said they didnt know and it cant be tested for something that they werent aware of basically blaming the fault on me saying this happens because it couldve been from the shelter she came from in (i forgot where she said) but anyways remember whenn i first got the puppy they didnt know where she came from now all the sudden they do? funny huh? when i asked well at least why was i not informed about the possible side effects of the med? they said "o well just because it has those symptoms it doesnt mean its from the pill" which i dont understand is y would u give me a med in the first place y would u not lemme know anything about it? y do i have to go online and find out myself? i just dont understand how a puppy an be according to them "perfectly fine" besides the coccidia, develop pneumonia and parvo over night? so i went down there and got my money back and had the balls to ask me if i would like another dog, but since my dog had parvo its highly contagious so id have to get a 5month old or older or a arvo survivor, now y the hell would i get a dog that overcame such a deadly disease and be weak and unhealthy for the rest of its life and mainly y would i get another dog from u! NSAL is a ###in death trap BE CAREFUL PLEASE! when i went in there where the puppies were they had more puppies and 1 in the same cage i got mine from, please please please dont put yourself or the puppy through the same ### i went through...thanks
P.S. they also told me if i wanted any puppy no matter what age id have to wait 30 days because i have to disinfect my whole house because of the virus. now think about it, the shelter wasnt shut down n cleaned n disinfected was it? ha doubt it, they get dogs and give them up for adoption so quickly these pups are in and out just like bootleg dvd's! the place is bull!

L
L
Lyn Rossa
,
Nov 27, 2007 10:28 am EST

Yes, they do not care if they give you a sick dog or not. I adopted a puppy for $240.00 from a North Shore adoption fair at Pet Smart in Newburgh, NY. I was told Maggie was a collie mix who had been deformed and spade. In fact she turned out to be a Great Pyranese spayed only the day before with MAJOR social problems, kennel caught, whip worm & cocidiosis and possible hip displays. When I called both North Shore & Pet Smart I was treated like it was my fault for not knowing all the info before hand and was told that everyone makes mistakes and maybe for the dogs sake I should give her to someone who has more patients. I have lodged a complaint with the BBB as well. BUYER BEWARE OF NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE!

S
S
SoniaMaria
, US
Sep 28, 2019 10:13 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Lyn Rossa

Now the fee is $350 for a puppy with an extra $75 fee for the animal to be spayed (that you get back when the animal gets spayed). I was treated the same way! I know it’s been a while since this happened, but I’m trying to get people who have had the same experience. We need to fight back!

C
C
Clemuel
,
Oct 13, 2007 5:10 pm EDT

Yes, North Shore is a fraud. Their owner makes $350,000 a year selling dogs that are brought up from puppy mills down south.

Stay away from them!