North Shore Animal League America
Reviews and Complaints

have adopted from nsal twice, first time puppy 18 yrs ago, all went well, second time 2 yrs ago 8 month old dog named Lilly, was in a crate with another dog, she was filthy, covered in feces, smelled and sick as can be, took us over 6 months and thousands of dollars to get her well. Used to donate regularly, will no longer unless they fire J. John Stevenson CEO, and cut salaries of upper management. Get back to what this organization used to do which is take care of animals.

The puppy we adopted from North Shore Animal League yesterday had to go back to their questionable care. She was extremely sick and almost died last night. Without knowledge and abilities as a vet tech, she would have. Worst part is we were told that she had a little cold and some diarrhea from an upset tummy... normal puppy stuff. Facts are that she has coccidia, a highly contagious and nasty GI parasite giving her explosive bloody, mucus and polyp ridden stool. If that's not bad enough, she has a prolapsed rectum as a result, and most likely pneumonia, etc. To cure her properly, she requires total isolation, IV treatments, and possibly surgery. All this, and she was passed onto us as healthy! These are not acute onset conditions. They knew all about it and hid it intentionally! It's obvious we were deceived and that this poor puppy was loaded with analgesics to make her appear healthy, and when those wore off and she showed her illnesses, they wanted no part of her, minimizing her condition and saying it wasn't their responsibility anymore. We would have loved to try to bring her back to health ourselves, but with other pets at risk (something they knew and didn't care about) and not having the proper facilities to do so we are unable to do so. By NSAL's adoption contract, we weren't even permitted to give her to an outside vet to be brought back to health. Their contract is specifically designed for them to deny any responsibility, place everything on the adopter, while denying the adopter any outside assistance. The very nature of their "fine print" is enough to tell you what kind of organization they operate. It's sad and infuriating that they play a numbers game with these animals and don't really check or treat their health, let alone be honest with adopters and play with their emotions. PLEASE, DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE! We are devastated and really worried that "our little girl" won't receive proper care, and just be patched up for the next sucker. Even if we can't have her to love and spoil forever, we want the best for her. She was only with us for a day, but managed to get into our hearts with her cute face and sweet disposition. To understate it, we're disgusted and devastated...

why the hell hasn't the complaint status been changed to unresolved. complaintsoard.com i'm typing complaintsboard.com so it will eventually get the attention of the board owners at complaintsboard.com also, this is about as annoying as aliens, ufos, jfk, and making fun of donald trump ; )

That is ###! What a horrible! F them!

You are making a mistake by thinking this outfit is about animal welfare. They are not. They are merely a front for a political, liberal fund raising effort. That is their business, not saving animals. Sorry you were scammed by them

HORRIBLE PLACE, I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND ANYONE TO ADOPT FROM THIS PLACE, I RECENTLY ADOPTED A LONG HAIR FELINE BACK IN LATE SEPTEMBER 2012. THE FIRST TIME I LAID MY EYES ON THIS CAT, I FELL IN LOVE! SHE WAS PERFECT BUT I DID NOTICE SHE HAD PROBLEMS. THE NOTHSHORE VETS TOLD ME THAT THE ANIMAL SUFFERED FROM (COCCIDIA) WORMS, BUT WAS CURED. I TOOK HER HOME WITH ALL THE LOVE AND AFFECTION IN THE WORLD, BUT AS SOON AS I TOOK HER HOME I NOTICE PROBLEMS. THE FELINE WOULD SNEEZE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, AND HER EYES WERE ALWAYS RED. WHEN IT ALL BECAME TO MUCH TO BARE I TOOK HER BACK TO THE VET. WHEN ARRIVING AT THE VET I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS VERY COMMON AND HE GAVE HER A ANTIBACT SHOT AND EYE OINTMENT. TWO MONTHS LATER SHE THROW UP A FULLY SIZED WORM, I WAS DEVASTATED. TOOK HER TO MY LOCAL VET AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS ISN'T COMMON AND NORTHSHORE LIED ABOUT THE VACCINATION GIVEN. MADE ALL WELL WITH MY CAT, THEN APRIL 11TH TOOK HER BACK TO NORTHSHORE TO BE SPAYED WHICH IS VERY ROUTINE, AND SHE DIDN'T MAKE IT OUT OF SURGERY. I WANT TO SUE THIS ORGANIZATION FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND PUTTING HER UNDER WITHOUT THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS, JUST LIKE YOU WOULD DO ANY HUMAN BEING.

Don't try to get your refund for the puppy neutering fee... I took my dog to our vet to be fixed, as opposed to returning to NSAL where most staff was rude and unhelpful, and made us wait for 5 hrs... and faxed the paperwork to them the same day. I knew it would take sometime to get the $75 I was forced to pay since my animal was too young to be neutered, but its now close to 8 weeks. I have called and left several messages and always get the run around. This is unacceptable! I was told my animal was a plot hound, and I have had several vets and animal enthusiasts all say he is mutt. I am fine that hes a mutt, but they made me pay the purebreed fee, plus non neutered fee... so over $250. He didn't even have his shots completed. The way they caged the animals lead to very bad cage anxiety and unlike any other animal I have had/trained, no concept of no accidents where you sleep. By far the HARDEST animal to train, and I believe a pure result for how these poor animals are kept. Oh yea and I did I mention that my dog along with most dogs there were sick... hes been on 4 rounds of medicines and finally is healthy. We purchased him in May and was under the assumption we were "rescuing" him... yea right! If it wasn't for our son who feel in love with him, we would've left and dealt with a different agency. Its just another ploy to get $$$ for sick, uncared for, misrepresented dogs while dealing with staff that is really just nasty to speak with... except the volunteers.. they were all genuinely kind.

I worked in adoptions for many years at a rescue. Sorry, but in this case NSAL is right. Many animals organizations have rules about keeping dogs outside. Our rescue doesn't allow it, as we believe dogs are companion animals, and belong indoors with their people. I wouldn't adopt to anyone who wanted to keep a dog outside, regardless of how nice the dog house was or the yard was. The dog is being adopted as a companion, as an indoor pet, and thats that.
Any organization has the right to do this...their job is to find the best home for the pet.

They are liars, tell you lies about the animal, then keep your money. That's messed up!

So we went to adopt a dog. We have 3 cats already that we adopted at North Shore. We saw a cute puppy with a sign below it saying "terrier". We knew we couldn't get a pit bull because of the cats so we asked, "is this puppy a pitbull terrier". They said "no, just a terrier". So we paid $200 plus a $75 fee for spaying and took it home. I did some research and found a photo of a puppy online that looked just like the one we adopted. Below it was "American Pitbull Terrier Puppy". Your insurance company may not insure you if you have a pitbull. We had it 2 days and it was a sweet dog. We had no choice but to bring her back. They kept our $200 even though they lied. These guys are not good to deal with. We will never go there again.

Allow me to clarify for many of those who may consider reading coming to NSAL ., but after reading these complaint might consider otherwise.
Don't listen to any of these chronic complainers. If you are an honest broker, who understands what type of pet is suited for you, there will be no problem with adoptions.
As someone who has intimate knowledge of what the people have to deal with there to make sure that the animals receive a proper home, I could fill a book full of the self centered, obnoxious, lying people who come in looking for a pet and when they are properly denied, come to websites like this to vet their sob story.
This is not Walmart folks, these are living animals. Know that your 85 year old mother can't handle a puppy and look to take an older, more subdue dog rather than asking if there is a return policy.
Don't live in an apartment with 5 obnoxious kids, who are poking at all the dogs in the kennel and a landlord who doesn't allow pets and come looking for a pitbull and put down on the application you own a home.
As for the puppy mill stories...puppy mills call them to see if they would like to come take the animals that will most likely be destroyed if they refuse.
Are there some problems there, yes, what work place doesn't have issues, but the bottom line is the care about their pets and do the best they can to find them a good home.
Do you think some of the biggest stars of New York would make huge donations and link their credibility to NSAL if there were really serious issues.
Come on in, be honest, patient, understanding and you will leave with a life long friend.

Hi,
Does anyone have an ADOPTION Application from NS that you can email .
Please, blank out your name & contact !
Please, email it to judystarr@earthlink.net
Ty

I was highly considering adopting from The Northshore Animal league, but after all these horrible sad reviews NO WAY! They make themselves seem like such a perfect caring place with the animals best interest at heart, but from what I read it's all a lie! Very sad for the animals that they take in =-[

You are so right! I never thought of it that way, that donations are going to pay employee salaries rather than going to the needs of the animals in this disgusting North Shore Animal League Agency. To top it off, North Shore Animal League thinks they are the greatest! And turn down many good people who want to adopt the dogs and cats in their sick and stinking care!

I agree with most of these complaints and I will use a local shelter who does not pay staff and Directors and presidents but rather runs on Volunteers and foster homes and there are plenty of Volunteers to help rescue organizations by donating their time and resources. We see it in our town all the time and we are a fairly large city. I would not donate to pay someone's salary when I can donate and know it is going for food and shelter and vet bills for the animal ONLY.

If you have a problem with this rescue and have documentation of adoption and vets bills. etc. please get in contact with us at legal@investigativerescuealliance.com

Thank You,
The IRA Team

Please report all your animal illness and keep accurate records. NSAL has many issues. Currently we are looking at the tour across the US to spread more "goodness" to their adopters "victims". If you have had a good experience with them, then you are 1 in 100 (rough estimate). We are finding issues that need to be addressed. If you have an animal from them and you have vet bills and documentation. Please lets know ASAP. legal@investigativerescuealliance.com
Thank You,
The IRA Team

I am also having a horrible experience with North Shore Animal League. The employees there are either eccentric, or crazy, or have no common sense, and wouldn't know a good pet owner if they ever met one! These women, Pat and Cindy do not care if an animal lives in a cage for the rest of its life. I wanted to adopt a 9 1/2 year old black and white cat named Max who North Shore animal League put into a wire cage in a drafty Petland store for two months, they said, to be adopted? I had seen Max for about a month in this pet store and finally, after no one else came forward to adopt him, I decided I would. You must know the ending of my story, I filled out 2 applications and in the end was rejected, not allowed to adopt Max, an old cat, who no one else wanted by the way? They said they rejected me because I also have a tiny Chihuahua. I said not to worry that I only work part time and that I would supervise the cat and my tiny Chihuahua until they got to know and trust each other? They still wouldn't let me adopt him. THEY KNEW I HAD A CHIHUAHUA FROM THE OUTSET, I TOLD THEM ABOUT MY CHIHUAHA SO WHY DID THEY MAKE ME FILL OUT 2 APPLICATIONS AND THEN REJECT ME? WHY DID THEY MAKE MAX STILL LIVE IN A CAGE WHEN HE COULD HAVE HAD SOFT BEDS, TOYS, FOOD, AFFECTION? WHAT IDIOTS AT NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN REJECTED FOR A PET IN MY LIFE? PEOPLE BEG ME TO TAKE MORE HOMELESS ANIMALS BUT I SAW MAX AND I WANTED TO HELP HIM? NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE IS FILLED WITH INCOMPETENT PEOPLE IN ADOPTIONS, DON'T KNOW THEIR ###, THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT MAX, AN OLD CAT WHO IS IN DESPERATE NEED FOR A HOME. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND I ALWAYS SAY. ONE DAY THESE WOMEN PAT AND CINDY WON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE POWER TO HURT PEOPLE AND ANIMALS ANYMORE. THAT DAY COULDN'T COME SOONER FOR THE POOR CATS AND DOGS AND OTHER ANIMALS THERE TOO.

This place is really going down the tubes fast and something needs to be done BETH STERN! If only BETH knew how her staff is misleading, lying and disrespecting donors.

This is my story, last week a co worker of mine found a litter of 7 3-4 week old adorable kittens in a dumpster where I work. I immediately thought of north shore because of their non kill policy.
These kittens were in a dirty box with no food or water. I tried to go be them water and food but they needed to be bottle fed.

Long story short, I drive them there in hopes they would take them, clean them up, feed them, vaccinate them and find them a forever home. (Wrong)!

A young guy approached me in the parking lot asked me for my id drivers license and advised me to wait in the car with the kitty's. When he came back, he told me they were full to capacity and could not take them.

I have been here before and have donated as well. I also. Took 3 kittens here in the past for trap neuter and return.

I handed me a list of places in the five boroughs. I told him I was from queens and he said take them to rego park the acc on queens Blvd. He said they are 98% non kill. The only time they will put down is if they aerate really viscous or sick and old.

I journied of from port Washington to queens. I went I and explained this horrible story to 2 female employees. As I was explaining what happened at north shore, there was an angel of a woman standing there listening. She was there to donate food.

The employees already had there speech practiced as they tell everyone who walks through that door the same speech over and over again. She said that the guy at north shore gave me bad info and that if I left them they would be euthanized within 72 hours if they were not adopted.

The angel lady said wait here I am going to make a phone call. She came back in and said that she was taking the kittens. She asked to swap out the old crate that they had for her newer and more expensive carry case for the bigger one so that the kittens wouldn't be scrunched up together and they said no. She told me that she felt like taking the cases of food back that she donated. She also told me that she makes large cash donations as well.

The call she made was to her vet. Theses kitty's were taken bathed, Vaccinated and well fed every three hours. She made a very large donation to get cat that she has used for years in west Chelsea. God bless that woman for having a heart for these innocent helpless babies and SHAME on north shore animal league and nycacc in rego park queens.

Imagine all the millions of $$$$ that they receive. They are deceiving, disrespectful and most of all failing to do much, much more to save the animals. That's the whole purpose for the donations. They run it as a business and pat themselves on the back for the lucky ones that actually get saved.

I tried to upload a before and after photos of the kittens but could not do it. Thank God for the real animal lovers like myself and the lady at the acc that day. She sent me photos of the kitty's and they cleaned up real nice. The vet did a great job giving them a complete makeover from a dumpster to a living home.

During hurricane sandy north shore animal hospital came to my rescue. One of my dogs died in the hospital from the storm. The second dog needed a lot of medical treatment. My dog stayed for over a month until he was better to take home. The bill was over $4, 000.00 and we were told we did not have to pay one cent. They were my saviors.
To lose a home is one thing, to loss a dog is another.., but to save a dog is a blessing. I don't know what goes on in the shelter but the medical team is great

Worst "rescue" ever! My aunt found the sweetest Pitbull yesterday and, although she wanted to keep him, her current dog didn't like sharing the attention. Her first call was to North Shore, an apparent rescue (I throw up in my mouth everytime I refer to them as that!) told her to take him to a local shelter, which means a kill shelter in NYC...My Aunt stood her ground and said she would never take him to a shelter because they would kill him and asked them what kind of rescue they are...The response, "Yeah, we know" and then they hung up on her! Luckily, with the help of TRUE rescues and friends, the owner was found and Scooby is now back at home being loved on! Thank god for truly good people, none of which work st North Shore! On a side note, my coworker adopted a puppy from you a few months ago and she has "acne", which means a deeper health issue (like my dog I got almost 30 years ago that you sent off to Teterboro to be killed)...Remember my name, because I plan on bringing down your whole bogus, no better then a puppy mill, operation! Total ###!

North Shore Animal League is a big money maker. The owner gets $500, 000 a year pay check and why is it if you go to the pound they never have puppies but NASL always has puppies?

This is a review of the North Shore Animal League I found online:
As a former volunteer, I'll tell you the good, the bad and the ugly about North Shore.

The good:

1. There are lots of great animals up for adoption. However, I would steer clear of the puppies as I'll explain later in the post.

2. The staff is for the most part friendly and knowledgeable. This is especially true of volunteers (those in red shirts) as they are not paid to be there.

3. It is a clean facility - at least the parts the public sees.

The bad:

1. The puppies on the website are not in the shelter. If North Shore was a business - and in many ways it is - it would've been fined a long time ago by the BBB for this blatant bait and switch scheme.

2. Most reputable shelters will never adopt out a pet that has not been spayed or neutered. Not North Shore. They require you to leave a $75 deposit which you will get back when you bring back your puppy/kitten. I can tell you that a large percentage of adopters never come back to get this done which of course further worsens the pet overpopulation problem. Now why would North Shore, an organization that is supposedly set up to fight this problem actually be encouraging it? Cos they don't have to refund that extra $75 of course!

3. Many long-term "problem" animals are neglected - kept in the back away from public view in small cages. Partly because they are understaffed and partly because not enough people care, these animals behaviors get worse the longer they are there.

4. There are way too many animals and not nearly enough workers/volunteers. If this was someones home, North Shore would be called the equivalent of a hoarder.

The ugly:

1. The president John Stevenson makes an obscene amount of money - nearly half a million a year. To put this in perspective, the top ranking executive at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - a charity that actually has higher revenue and expenses - makes less than a third of that. This information is readily available at http://charitynavigato... For the record, I never saw Mr. Stevenson once in my years there and I've been told by employees that he rarely makes appearances at the shelter.

2. North Shore will most likely not accept your animal if you should ever return it. Now I have little sympathy for most people that do return pets, but that said, it's almost criminal that a no-kill shelter will basically turn away their former animals and have them most likely end up in a kill shelter. Unless your dog is small, young and "cute" (e.g., not a pit bull), your dog will most likely not be accepted back after the 30-day return policy is up.

3. Conditions can be often disgusting - areas can be neglected for hours at a time resulting in animals laying in their own urine and feces. Of course this is only in areas away from public view.

4. At a recent major event, many puppies were not checked out by the vet staff before being put up for adoption. Because of this gross negligence many sick animals were adopted out and ended up passing away from the parvo virus. A large amount of the veterinary staff quit in protest.

5. Ask yourself why every other shelter does not have puppies, but North Shore seems to have an endless supply of them. There is a dark answer lurking there if you search deep enough. If you do adopt from North Shore DO NOT ADOPT A PUPPY.

So in summary, I would encourage everyone to adopt from North Shore as long as it is a kitten/cat or adult dog and NOT a puppy. I also would not donate a single cent to the organization until some serious philosophical/organizational changes are made. There are much more reputable charities out there to support.

"lavatory testing"? I would be interest to learn more about the use of animals in 'lavatory testing'. I just hope no aminals were harmed in the making of my toilet.

Yes, North Shore ANimal league does claim its a no-kill shelter. Fact of the matter is, they routinely ship unwanted dogs & cats to local kill shelters. I worked at the North Hempstead Animal Shelter (a kill shelter) that often received unwanted animals from North Shore Animal league.

Omg that's terrible! Your ex husband is a real jerk for making you give your pets away though, good thing you got rid of him.

This place is a big scam been entering sweeps for three or four years they offer you a prize if your a quick responder.they say they give numerous prizes away so don't you think after that many years of entering and sending donations I should of won 50 dollars or something f_ing joke

This is praise, not a complaint. Regarding all those other complaints, we noticed that MOST of them said they adopted them from MOBILE units, not straight from North Shore.

We adopted a very cool animal from NSAL --from the base, not from the mobile unit. And, so far, we are very happy. Sure the dog has a few problems, but we knew that from the start. Folks, please read the back of the adoption agreement that you signed and read their literature.

From what we remember, they can not guarantee the health of any puppy or dog. And they tell you that up front. So, when they say the dog is healthy, they mean at that moment and they tell you what vaccinations the dog has or does not have.

Everyone might have a legitimate complaint, but we ask you to consider that the dogs in the mobile unit have been exposed to other animals (most mobile units are held outside of pet stores where LOTs of pets go in and out). We saw a mobile unit (not sure what company did it) but there were tons of people checking out cats and dogs.

Who knows what kinds of diseases might be picked up in the mobile adoption? After all they have to walk the dogs outside etc,

Anyway. We looked for a dog for months and months and everytime we were outside of Petco or other stores, we saw folks with great dogs. And we kept asking them, where di d you get your dog? Four separate people told us NORTH shore animal league, ANd we asked how long ago and if they were happy.

Everyone gave praises to North Shore. (Now these were base adoptions, not the mobile adoptions).

The problem might be mobile adoptions, not North Shore. (Mobile pets are exposed to more diseases outdoors).

At north shore itself, every time you go through the front door, you are asked to disinfect your shoes by stepping into a special mat. And they don't allow any other dogs in there, to keep from transferring diseases.

VISIT north shore base to really see how they take care of these animals.

AND they do have puppy mill dogs but that says it right on the cage. So you know if you get a puppy mill dog, you might have some problems.

Not discounting anyone's complaints, but we are saying we think the problem is in
TRANSPORTATION, not in North Shore Animal League.

We love our dog! ANd she came from North Shore.

Just for the record, this was the first time we have ever been to North Shore, but we have heard about them for years and years and finally glad to see the place and to get a great dog there.

I adopted from NSAL 17 yrs ago it was a decent experience. Lacey was a puppy lived to 16, was a wonderful dog, will always miss her. My husband and i went to NSAL 2 yrs ago and adopted Lilly an eight month old hound mix. The woman who took Lilly out of the crate she was stuffed into with another dog, was impatient and mean to several of the dogs (shame on her, I should have gotten her name) unfortunately Lilly was filthy dirty had feces all over her. When we got her home and gave her a bath, she shook all the time and was afraid of everything, took her to our vet she was so sick with so many different things took over a year to get her healthy, she has permanent lung damage from neglect on NSAL part. I donated regularly to them, but will no longer, I know there are some good well meaning people there, but J. John Stevenson with a salary of $360, 000 a year does not deserve my hard earned money 82% of what NSAL takes in goes to him. How this is legal I do not know, I would not recommend donating to them any longer.. It is condoning the greed and selfishness of their CEO, and upper management...

I adopted a puppy from North Shore and within 2 weeks she was dead from Pheumonia. They gave me 30 days free insurance. PetPlan refuses to pay stating that she was prior to them even putting her on the insurance never prior to letting me adopt her. I have complained to the Attorney General and will be complaining to anybody that I can get to answer. My Puppy was also adopted in August on the 13th. I am out $950 and they give me my $100 adoption fee back. Thats just bull. There should be a law against adopting out sick puppies and telling people they have pet insurance when they do not. I am going to keep filing complaints with the Attorney General until I get some results. Was even thinking about going to an adoption event and telling people to beware. Just Heartbreaking!

I was just googling "NSAL told me I was getting a different dog than I got" and I came upon my review of NSAL from 2008. I was complaining about them having adopted me out an aggressive dog and then a puppy that had parvo. I forgot how upset I was, probably because the sick puppy survived and 8 yrs later is like my 4th child! Funny thing is we just adopted a second puppy from NS. We specifically avoided anything from down south (parvo is more prevelant). We wanted a big dog. My husband was told he was getting a 60-80 pound shepherd mix. Well he actually got a 20-30 pound Corgi mix. Asher is a sweet little pup! I'm not complaining exactly, it's more of a buyer beware. If you want what you want you might be better off somewhere else. If you are up for a mystery pup that maaaaaay be sick (they will treat it for free at their vet facility) than NSAL may be for you.

DO NOT VOLUNTEER AT NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE
If you plan to do volunteer work I suggest you select a cause or venue other than North Shore Animal League. The volunteers are out on the floor working their hearts out (with good intentions ) to have dogs and cats adopted and make the adoption process pleasant. Although they are very successful and do anything required or requested from picking up after the animals to completing the, the adoption process from end to end, the volunteers are not appreciated and are often embarrassed. The unit also has some very stringent rules which in some cases need to be more flexible.. For example, a North Shore employee or volunteers not allowed to hold an animal out of the cage (for an adopting family) for more than one minute. In one occasion, a woman and her four children fell in love with a puppy and all agreed they would adopt the dog.She called her husband and he agreed they should adopt the dog. She asked that the volunteer to hold the puppy for one minute while she went to the restroom. Within one minute another couple came in, an employee grabbed the pup out of my hands and gave it to another family who adopted the dog. The woman and her four children left North Shore crying and screaming they would never go there again. A very young inexperienced supervisor reacted insufficiently and quite poorly and the volunteer was openly scolded like a child.. The volunteer (who had over 20 pets adopted within 4 months) was treated as a scapegoatfor this very visible situation and was let go. Again. if the head of volunteers was out of her office and observing what was going on, the situation would have been handled better for the family, the animal and North Shore. By the way the animal was returned to the shelter by the adopting couple.
The person who is in charge of volunteers (who by the way is not a volunteer but is very well paid never answers her phone or makes an effort to see what is going on in the adoption areas.
I also do not understand what the head of the unit does. He has absolutely no presence with employees, volunteers, in the adoption area. He also does not even know the names of many volunteers and some employees. Without getting involved or being present to see what transpires daily, hIs reaction is often knee- jerk and incorrect.
I believe benefactors who support NSAL, (both financially and with their free time), the animals and the public deserve better and someone should take a fresh look at NSAL procedures and the performance of senior ( and extremely well paid)managers.

I have never dealt with them but was looking to make a donation but now I will not after reading all these. This place needs to be shut down and those precious animals taken care of with love so they can be healthy and adopted into good homes like they deserve. I am sorry for everyone's troubles and it is a shame as it is not the animals fault but human.
In Christ,
Kim

My first experience at North Shore was the worst because my fiancé and I were treated like crap. We adopted a 6 month old kitten named Charley. We bought her a lot of food, carrier and other necessities. Before we left we donated some money to you guys. We had Charley for 10 days and my fiancé started having some allergic reactions to her so not knowing what to do we brought her back and said she was perfect but it was just allergies. We donated several cans of food and or cat carrier which was over $100. We were told we could have her back if he went to an allergist to get medication for allergies. We scheduled an appointment with an allergist and he got medication and is going to be receiving allergy shots. The doctor wrote us a note to bring to North Shore because they wanted a note. When we went back they didn't want to give us Charley back yet then wanted to wait. I call back 2 hours after we left to check the status of Charley and see how we can bring her home and the supervisor rudely tells us Charley has been readopted. I cannot tell you how upset I was...we donated to guys and were very generous and you treat us like crap!

It's almost impossible to transfer Giardia to people. Whatever vet you visited, I suggest you change from him or her.

We got a puppy from NSAL adoption truck on Friday 7/25/14. Beautiful dog, but quiet and very skinny-protruding ribs, spine and hind quarters. My daughter and I had gone in just to look but saw the 4 month terrier mix(that is what the label on cage stated) and decided to adopt her. We asked to hold her and she was pretty docile, looked happy to be out of the cage. We had to come back with my husband to adopt the dog. Again we each took a turn holding the puppy. I mentioned to the employees that she looked like a pit bull. Their response was"maybe a tiny bit; she looks more greyhound." We decided to adopt her. They then asked if there was any other dogs in the house (yes, 13 yr old rescue) and for 2 references although they just ended up calling just one. So they call the reference, start to fill out the paperwork and then tell us that she is on medication for conjunctivitis, and parasites. I hesitated at that point but the employee said well just think about it while I finish off the paperwork. So of course, we end up taking her home. Well, she ate like she never eaten before 3xs per day. But I noticed her stomach would get super bloated but her bones were really showing-I figured she maybe had worms. We also noticed she had what seem to be mites on her ears and by her incision (spayed) on her stomach. I also looked closely at her coat and she looked like she had a slight case of mange. I noticed she was scratching a lot and I too had been itching since I had gotten her on Friday and today I woke up what seem like a rash on both side of my nose. (I've have had dogs all my life so I know I'm not allergic to them.) As much as we had already gotten attached to the dog(Harley) we decided that it was best to return her. We returned her this morning. I told the employee that I thought she had mites-her response "yeah, that is possible." I told her that I think she has worms, "yeah, well that happens." She then asked, "didn't they tell you before the adoption?" I responded, "no, they said conjunctivitis and parasites." Her response, "well, worms are parasites." I told her no, that my idea of parasites were bugs not worms. In fact, the paperwork they gave me had only "Coccidia " checked off, none of the worm choices were checked off. She then asked if we wanted to take her to their vet to get her checked out. I responded, "its your vet that cleared this dog for adoption knowing she was sick-how am I supposed to trust his opinion. Why would NSAL allow a puppy to be put on a truck to be adopted knowing that the puppy is sick? Why would employee allow someone who has another dog to adopt a sick puppy that may and can infect it." I also stated that I thought the dog was a Pit-her response "yeah, she is a terrier." I signed the surrender paper and left with a heavy heart. My daughter and I are still crying over the decision but like I keep telling her and reminding myself-do we want to risk getting our other dog sick? Are we going to risk getting sick ourselves. I came home, lysoled the furniture, washed all the linens. Had my husband clean and spray the backyard. I can only hope Harley's conditions gets taken care of before she is put up for adoption again. If anyone comes across this copper coat, soulful green-eyed dog ask the right questions as to her health and if she is healthy adopt her please. She is a pretty dog and smart too. She learned the sit command in 5 minutes. She is also super affectionate. If it wasn't for my older dog, I would have kept her and dealt with her health issues. I do regret giving her back and hate myself for it. I hope she ends up with a great family, that will love her and cherish her forever. She deserves it.