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I adopted one rescue dog from here well over a decade ago and had a great experience- they were organized and kind back then. Today I went back to adopt another dog and had an awful experience. I arrived and found a dog that I saw online, and asked if he was available to adopt and do a meet and greet with. Four different staff and volunteers told me yes he's available, just know it's first come first serve whoever signs the paperwork to adopt him (he was a dog that was going to be adopted quickly). A volunteer brought us in a yard to do a meet and greet, but she was rushing us and barely let us interact with him. Then chatter amongst staff started that another family who visited him earlier in the day (and then left the shelter property) was coming back to meet with him again, and the dog was swiped from our meet and greet and allowed to go back to the other family. The story changed from "first come first serve whoever does the paperwork in the office" to "well they were here earlier to meet the dog so we will prioritize them, if it doesn't work out with them you can have a chance". Other shelters do not do this, whoever has the dog in the meet and greet has the "dibs" to adopt the dog first. The other people adopted him, and we explained to an officer who made the decision to let the other family take the dog that this situation was not okay and since we were in a meet and greet with the dog with the intention of walking to the office right then to do the paperwork, we should have been able to. Then that same officer convinced us to meet with another dog. Dog #2 was great but not who we came to see. But the officer kept saying as soon as I put him back in the kennel, he's up for grabs for others to claim. When discussing dog #2, it seemed to go back to the rules I was aware of (rule: you choose to end your meet and greet with a dog, someone else can now adopt him), but not for dog #1. He was not going to allow us the same grace to end a meet and greet and still be prioritized later, like he did for the family with dog #1. The team completely make up rules as they went today, and we got screwed over. After the other family decided to adopt dog #1, I saw the volunteers who gave us bad information staring at us and whispering about us, and it was so uncomfortable. I told them I was hurt that they gave us misinformation, they had the audacity to act surprised. I've adopted from here, I've donated here over the years, but I cannot believe how arbitrary and unprofessional it was to try to adopt here today. We didn't get a true apology from anyone, no real accountability for bending the rules for someone else in a way they would not have done for us. I have previously volunteered at a shelter myself as a teenager, and I can tell you this was such a rookie mistake, it's truly not that hard to learn shelter rules. If a 14 year old can learn the policies, a group of 5+ adults should have it figured out.
We were so exited to visit a new shelter, we came at 10:50 (maps and google said they open at 10) & as we were walking a volunteer quite rudely said “10 minutes” & my wife replied “oh sorry google said you open at 10” & she replied with attitude “come back in 10 minutes”. We then waited in our car and came in at 11. We saw the central part of the kennels doors were propped open so we walked in. After like 2 minutes some crazed older woman started saying “you can’t be here you have to leave”, We were confused (naturally) & explained that the doors were propped open and we saw several people inside (not just volunteers). She said there were signs saying do not enter (there were not) and we had to leave immediately. Honestly so disappointed by the energy of the volunteers, your job is to provide a positive environment for adopters not to tell them to leave.
Serious Health Concerns at Agoura Hills Animal Shelter – Puppies and Dogs Extremely Sick. I’m posting this review because I’m deeply concerned about the pneumonia outbreak affecting puppies and dogs at the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter. During my visit, I saw multiple dogs who were visibly ill—coughing, lethargic, and struggling to breathe. It was heartbreaking and alarming. What’s even more troubling is that there seemed to be no clear communication to visitors or adopters about the severity of the illness spreading through the shelter. Anyone coming in to adopt a puppy or dog deserves to know if there is a contagious respiratory outbreak happening. Transparency is essential for the safety of the animals and the public. The puppies looked extremely sick, and it didn’t feel like the situation was being handled with the urgency it requires. A shelter should be a place of care, not a place where preventable illness spreads unchecked. I truly hope the management takes immediate action to address the pneumonia cases, improve sanitation, isolate sick animals, and communicate honestly with the community. These dogs deserve better, and adopters deserve accurate information before taking an animal home. Until these issues are addressed, I cannot recommend adopting from the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter.
