I got my first dog Harry as an adult from Animal Friends when they were still in the strip. He was so adorable he is published in a book called Unforgettable Mutts. Every morning he barked through the whole ride to nearby Riverview Park. Everyone knew Harry was coming. He was with me 16 wonderful years.
Harry and his friend Buddy❣️
I love the play yard that Animal Friends has for rent. I adopted a dog from another non-profit about a year and a half ago. He is wonderful but sometimes a little anxious so regular dog parks just don't work for us. I love the ability to rent a safe large fenced area with agility equipment to give my dog the chance to run free. We sometimes bring my daughter's dog to and they go crazy running around. It is such a good resource.
We also attended a workshop that helped us understand how to better avoid reactivity triggers. We used the low cost spay program for my mother's cat and also for a sweet stray that was expected to be a temporary stay but ended up becoming part of the family. They provide so many different services beyond adoptions!
I have been volunteering, fostering, and adopting from AF for the past six years. The dogs I adopted were dogs that many other shelters would have given up on. Earl was 14, hard of hearing, had terrible teeth, hardly any fur, and bad sight. I brought him home as my first foster and quickly foster failed! Curley was going to be euthanized by his previous family because he had no use of his back legs. I brought him home as a foster while AF paid for me to take him to PT and laser therapy. Curley began walking in the next couple of months and he is still going strong!
Every organization has its issues and I am so disheartened when I read bad reviews of AF. Sometimes someone is having a bad day. Sometimes the work is incredibly frustrating and sad. Sometimes we confiscate a dog from a bad home just to have a judge send him back. Sometimes dogs come in so emaciated that we don’t know if they will survive. Sometimes we cannot save a life and we take it out on others. Rescue work is hard. Harder than anyone knows. If you had a bad experience, try to imagine what could have possibly be going on. Have compassion and forgive. We have all been there. None of us are there for the money or glory. We are there because we love our residents.
I volunteered at Animal Friends initially as a dog handler and met my best friend there. I adopted Dingle who was formerly Amarillo at 2 years old and I've had him 9 years now and I can't imagine my life without him. Thank you to Animal friends for saving his life and bringing us together!
I am both an Animal Friends volunteer and consumer. My pet therapy, dog, Inca, and I volunteer through the Therapets program at Animal Friends, and we’ve also taken many classes there over the years. They are a wonderful nonprofit. They live their mission, vision and values every day. Everyone we have encountered has the best interests of the animals at heart. They also work really hard to incorporate their volunteers into the various programs. This is my go-to organization when I want to make a donation for a friend who has lost a beloved pet.
We got our dog from Animal Friends 2 years ago this December. This year my husband and I had an unforseen situation and we had to temporary Emergency Board our dog. Animal Friends went above and beyond to help us during this diffcult time. We didnt want to surrender our dog and with the help of Animal Friends and their admissions and EB staff we were able to temp board our dog. I'm happy to say after 2 weeks we curreblty have our dog back with us. Thank you Animal Friends for helping us and our Furbaby. We apperciate everything you all do.
On 3/29/19 my husband and I received one of the greatest gifts ever when we adopted a dog named Titus from Animal Friends. Titus had been at a "high-kill" shelter "for years", and was rescued from there by Animal Friends, where he then resided for another year and a half by the time we met him. Due to Titus's sweet and loving personality, and his long tenure at Animal Friends, the staff truly adored him and showed him endless love and attention. Titus was about 9 years old, mostly blind, mostly deaf and had terrible skin allergies, requiring multiple prescriptions, surgeries, injections, frequent baths with special shampoo, and prescription food. Despite all of that work and great expense, they never gave up on him.
We were truly blessed to find him and make him part of our family. Titus was smart, funny, affectionate well-mannered and a cuddle-bunny. His many special needs paled in comparison to how truly exceptional he was, and how much he had to give. The 3-plus years we shared with Titus were an absolute joy. Thank you so much for saving and caring for this wonderful boy for us.
Jim and Claire Ahearn
They’re flexible , take time out to help people with their animals and do their best to make sure the animals are taken care of . It makes my day everytime i’m here. You work with so many different types of people just for helping the greater good and doing something helpful for the community.
I've adopted two senior pets from animal friends, a dog, Strudel and a cat, Ezekial. They are very thorough with their adoption application to ensure that pets are going to a good home. Their facility is beautiful and you can tell they take pride in taking the best care of their animals.
I have been fostering geriatric/special needs cats for over 10 years for Animal Friends. Not all shelters and rescues are willing to take on the time and expense involved in allowing these precious old cats to live out their senior years. They value them and are always concerned about providing them with all they need to
give them a good quality of life. The staff is wonderful and caring -not only toward the animals, but to the volunteers caring for them.
You know a nonprofit is special when they spend time and energy on educating children and involving them in their mission. While we have not adopted an animal from the organization (yet!), we have been so impressed by the quality of the summer camp my son attended. The focus is on education about the facility, the mission, the unique needs of the animals, and some hands on experiences. The children in Animal Friends programs are cultivating compassion, understanding and knowledge about animals that is unmatched. This organization is helping raise a generation of animal rescue ambassadors who can spread the word and get involved in volunteering their time and adopting animals of their own one day. A nonprofit who sets up children for success with the unique needs of rescue animals is one that is worthy of recognition and more support!
I adopted a German Shepherd and a year later a Coon Hound. Great people to work with. Got the dogs together for a meet and greet and everything worked out fine.
I adopted two kitties from animal friends. I was so impressed. I went back and started fostering kittens and and mama cats. It is truly been one of the most rewarding experiences. Just getting to love those little kitties and see them grow up and know in my heart that Animal Friends is going to adopt them out to wonderful families is such a good feeling. It’s a wonderful organization!!
I have always loved Animal Friends' publications which reflect such a devotion to and caring of/for animals, primarily the dogs I love so as well cats, which I used to enjoy having as pets before getting a dog that wants us to share our home only with her. We got our dog, now an older dog who has gotten more precious with every passing year, from another person that had loved her previously or I'm sure we would have chosen Animal Friends to look for a canine companion after our prior dogs had passed away. It really is time for all of us to be aware of how our furry friends are treated, e.g. on farms, in rodeos, as part of research projects, out in the wild, and really everywhere.
Animal Friends' staff and volunteers works tirelessly to provide emotional and medical support to all the animals at the shelter. In addition to serving the animals at the shelter, they provide resources to the local community such as vaccination drive, animal training, etc. Kudos to the Animal Friends community for providing shelter (and forever homes) to all the animals and keeping them safe.
I moved from Texas, where I had done volunteer work - and adopted - from shelters in the Austin-Round Rock area for years. I know they work hard to do the right thing for their animals, but the atmosphere at Animal Friends is night and day for anything I've been involved with. It's clean and inviting - the dogs (and the cats and bunnies) are kept in enclosures out of the elements. And I can attest that they care - and a lot - for their furry charges because I went through the volunteer orientation. Compared to an hour-long orientation I took in Williamson County, theirs involves several sessions of training followed by a gradual apprenticeship. This speaks volumes about how the welfare of the animals at Animal Friends is king. Not to mention which: they do outreach to help keep pets with their owners. I have never seen that in a shelter before. Sadly, my volunteer plans were sidetracked when we had to take in my ailing mother-in-law, but it gave me a taste of the quality of their organization. So, for now, I'm just a proud supporter. But I am indeed proud to call myself one.
One day out of the blue, I received a voicemail from Animal Friends in Pittsburgh PA. When I listened to it, I could not believe what I was hearing!
I had taken care of a feral cat, that I named Angel, by getting her shots, spayed and micro chipped. I brought Angel back with me, but she was used to being outside, so I let her roam and fed and took care of her daily. Then one day she just stopped coming to eat. I was heartbroken and went looking for her and posted on Facebook and other websites. I never received one tip.
It had been 9 years that passed and I always had hope she would appear at my door one day. I had adopted other pets through all those years, but always remembered Angel.
The Animal Friends voicemail indicated that someone had brought in a cat that belonged to a family member that had passed away unexpectedly, and they brought her to the shelter, hoping to get her adopted. When the staff scanned her, they realized she had been microchipped, but the phone number was not available. The animal friends staff worked tirelessly trying to find me. Little did they realize that I had adopted a puppy within the year and my information happened to be right under their noses! But that’s not how they got in touch with me. I believe the records were pulled from the animal rescue league located in East liberty PA, which is where I had initially taken her years ago for shots, spaying and microchipping.
When I called them back, they asked me if I still wanted her and I was absolutely ecstatic and said, of course!
I drove out there that day to pick her up. They informed me she had not been doing too well in the shelter because she had not been eating drinking or using the litter box since she had been there and that was about three days. Angel was very stressed.
I wasn’t sure if Angel would remember me. She had been renamed Samantha and probably responded to that, but I insisted to keep calling her Angel. As I drove her home, I opened the carrier that she was in and was able to hold her in my arms as I was driving, and she immediately started to purr. When I brought her home, she was a little hesitant at first, but within an hour, she started eating and drinking!!
I will never know for certain, but I believe that she did start to remember me and the surroundings when I had her in my house. She now stays inside my house.
I’m so appreciative of the staff, their dedication and hard work and trying to find me. I just can’t believe after nine years that my Angel was still alive and well. She is still with me today and couldn’t be happier, not to mention she does respond to her name, Angel. She truly is my angel, but the staff at Animal Friends are also my angels!
Thank you for reuniting me with Angel after 9 years!!! You never gave up on finding me to get Angel back to her mom!
First of all, I would like to commend the Animal Friends small dog social. A group of caring volunteers run the program so that small dogs of many different breeds can learn socialization in a safe manner. I attend weekly for a minimal donation.
Next and unfortunately, I tripped on my exit from the program. My dog got loose on the campus. Immediately, 20 people and staff spanned the campus and performed
a search and rescue for my dog. Located under my car and not coming out, an administrative person layed flat on the ground, coaxed my dog onto a towel, and successfully pulled her out on the towel without a scratch. So thankful for their knowledge and training in retrieving loose dogs.
A wealth of resources for the community and surrounding areas of Pittsburgh.
They offer everything from Affordable Vet care to the public at the Animal Wellness Center to 100% covered adoptions for Veterans through Animal Friends for Veterans program. Chow Wagon Pet Food Pantry assists over 35 food banks to help people keep their pets fed. Animal Friends is a much needed resource in this community. They do so much amazing work. You simply can't learn everything that they do by looking at them on the internet.
Take some time to volunteer and ask questions and you will learn how Animal Friends has changed many lives of animals and even the people.
All Animal Friends departments play a vital role in the care of our residents. It would be impossible for one or more departments to function by themselves without the input from other areas of Animal Friends! Through teamwork and the love of animals they are guided together to make a difference in the lives of all animals.
I have volunteered at Animal Friends for 15 years. Most of my work is fostering kittens. The staff have gone above and beyond to give the kittens I foster a chance to survive. They answer everyone of my questions and respect what I have to say. Because of their support, I have been able to foster over 500 kittens, along with several mom cats and 3 puppies. Most have made it to forever homes and when one of my foster kittens does not make it, the staff have been caring and supportive.
all of the staff are very kind, generous and care so much about the animals. their comfort and cleanliness is a top priority. the staff are constantly uplifting each other and expressing their gratitude and support in many ways- it really is a rewarding environment to be in!
I friended a stray female cat TNR her but couldn't keep her. She did not want to go back out in the cold. HAR took her in, oh my I cryed like a baby feeling like I betrayed her. She was so scared and they took the time to treat her infected eyes. Said she found a home. I sure home she's happy.
We have adopted two dogs from animal friends. Our dinozo was with us from 8 months to almost the age of 12. We still have Abby who is 10 years old. Dinozo was brought back twice to animal friends and they loved him until we found him and brought him into our lives. Abby was reached at 4 months and was in bad shape with mange and malnourished. Thankfully she was saved by animal friends and is such a wonderful, loyal dog. We are greatdul for the love we found there. We also volunteered for a couple of years. We should walk the dogs. They were so happy to be out and to have our attention. Animal friends is an amazing organization. They have saved so many animals and we are so forever greatdul to them.
Through the years we have adopted 3 amazing Dogs from Animal Friends.
We also have always brought our dogs to get their yearly vaccinations. Everyone here from the Staff & Volunteers are so kind caring and compassionate.
This is a Photo of our sweet dog Max (formerly Grimm) he found his Fur-ever Home with us over 4 years ago.
We would never Adopt a dog from anywhere else.
Best Animal Rescue/Shelter in Southwestern PA. They have spayed/neutered multiple animals (including bunnies) and not one ever had any type of complication. They are always helping the community to keep their animals when they fall into hard times - with their Chuckwagon Program.
They extend a caring hand to any animal/owner who needs help. Isn't that what animal rescue is all about?
Animal takes the best care of the animals that they have. I am grateful that Animal Friends took amazing care of Willow. She is the best dog anyone could EVER wish for.
I adopted my dog Angelo from Animal Friends five years ago, and I’m grateful that their Humane Investigations Officers rescued him from a bad situation. I’ve also volunteered as a dog walker at Animal Friends for over 12 years, and I’m appreciative for all I’ve learned and the wonderful dogs I’ve loved. The volunteers are incredibly committed to helping the animals, and this is the most beautiful facility with gorgeous wooded grounds. Animal Friends definitely gives the animals with challenges, both medical and behavioral, a better chance than other facilities. My dog has also thoroughly enjoyed training classes at Animal Friends, especially nose work! The instructors are phenomenal, kind, and skilled.I appreciate that they only use positive reinforcement too!
I haven't adopted from here, but frequently participate in their community outreach programs. I have two rabbits and I love bringing them in for grooming sessions. It’s very cost effective, but more importantly, I don’t have to do it all myself for two stubborn bunnies. The volunteers are so nice and love all the bunnies that come in.
I volunteer there, have adopted from them and fostered too. The level of medical and behavioral care provided to the animals is second to none. Not only do they care for homeless animals they also help out the community with low cost spay and neuters, vaccines and food for low income families.
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Shows exceptional care to every animal they house. I am proud to volunteer there and help them continue caring for and rehoming these animals.
I LOVE Animal Friends! I adopted 2 of my pets from here and will not go anywhere else. I adopted my cat Luna from here first. Luna is a special cat. She came to animal friends as a stray with a severe skin condition. She was shy and very scared. She needed special medications and a special diet, and she needed multiple teeth removed and part of her upper lip. Because of her health needs, the vet and staff at Animal Friends talked to my husband and I extensively about her needs and spent lots of time with us to answer all of our questions. They could not have been more friendly, and they really wanted to make sure we were a good fit. Animal Friends is committed to finding every animal the right home so it can be their forever home. Luna is the best cat I could ask for. It took some time for her to come out of her shell and warm up to us and even more time to warm up to others, but she has come a long way. She is playful and the most loving cat I have ever met. She loves her people and belly runs. Her skin and fur is also completely beautiful now. I am so thankful to Animal Friends for helping this sweet girl. My second animal from Animal Friends is my dog Max. He was 3 months old when we adopted him. Originally, we wanted to look at his sister but the adopting counselors helped us to realize that she would not be the best match for us but Max would. Again, everyone was friendly and really took the time to talk to us about Max and his history and his needs. They also have puppy and dog training classes that have been so super helpful in training Max to be the best he can be. Max is a fantastic dog and Animal Friends really made a great match for us. This organization is so amazing and does so many amazing things such as giving supplies to other shelters, helping the homeless by donating a ton of pet food to help them feed their pets, rescuing 117 dogs from a hoarding situation, and so much more. I love this organization so much that I now volunteer. This organization does so many great things and gets involved in so many ways. Our community and animals are so lucky to have this organization. It has truly changed my life.
Great experience 2 years ago, almost to the day. Found and adopted Abbe. Probably the best pet we have ever had. Good service from everyone involved. Could not be happier in any way.
My son and I started volunteering at Animal Friends about 6 months ago and this experience has changed our lives. Not only have we gained so much knowledge and love for bunnies but our relationship has grown closer. Animal Friends is an amazing place with so much love and support for the not only the animals but for the staff and volunteers.
i adopted boo in june of 2016 a few weeks after my mom passed away and she’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me! she was extremely shy and skittish for the first year i had her but i refused to give up on her. 3 years later and she runs up onto my bed (i bought her pet steps) and jumps onto me when she realizes i’m awake. i can’t thank animal friends enough for allowing me to adopt boo!
I adopted Pongo (then Freckles) in 2015 and have been a volunteer ever since. Animal Friends makes it a point to share every animal’s personal story to make sure the adopter is the right fit. I absolutely love this organization especially since it feels like family.
I first became acquainted with Animal Friends when I adopted my dog, Jake. At the time, I was struck by their dedication, passion, and mission.
Now, years later, my teenage son and I volunteer. And the longer we're there, the more I'm completely awestruck at this organization. They are forever growing/changing/adapting to meet the community's needs, while still staying true to their core beliefs.
I have been a proud volunteer for 6 years and also joined the ranks of adopter. My cat flurry was at the shelter for 2 years before I adopted him. This is the best place to adopt and volunteer
I have been using Animal Friends’ spay neuter program for 20+ years. I live in the country, so we have a problem with stray and feral cats. Thanks to AF, I have been able to help control the stray cat population in my neighborhood. I was also able to help one of my strays by using their medical services as well. Butters had a serious infection in both eyes and thanks to their affordable services, I was able to get him healthy again. Unfortunately, one of his eyes needed removed, but the other one was saved and he is back to his old self. They are an asset to all the communities they serve.
We got our two wonderful rabbits from Animal Friends. They really care about connecting animals with great families and it shows. We have also enjoyed going to several classes and events since then at their facilities and we continue to donate and support l this great animal rescue organization.
All three of our Dogs have found their Fur-ever homes with us when we Adopted Duchess, Evie & recently Max from Animal Friends.
All three times the Amazing Adoption Counselors have helped us find the right dog for our Family. I highly recommend them when you want to Adopt a Dog, Cat or Bunny.
They also have amazing Programs like Pets for Vets, Therapets, Low cost Vaccinations & even Dog & Bunny Grooming.
We not only Adopt our Dogs from Animal Friends but also Volunteer here .
Everyone is so kind & compassionate to all the Animals in their care at Animal Friends. I highly recommend them.
Animal Friends is all smoke and mirrors. They care only about their image and money...not the animals. They take in so many large donations, but feed the cats there horrible food. If you donate good food to the shelter, they'll send it to another smaller shelter. Sounds nice, right? It's all about their image. While they're scoring points with those other smaller shelters, the cats at their own shelter are fed such horrible food that half of them are now on 'special' diets because they either vomit or get diarrhea from the crap they're given. They have an incredible rate of turnover for staff and volunteers because they don't treat people well. If you volunteer there, be ready to be treated as a child or an employee. They'll tell you how to breathe & reprimand you if they can. Can you imagine being reprimanded, or suspended, when you're donating your time and labor? They're just a bunch of phonies. The people who love them don't know what goes on behind the glass doors.
This is a horrible organization built on lies and fantasy. The people who support them because they buy into their “no kill” rhetoric should take a moment to educate themselves as to what “no kill” truly means. In my experience “no kill” means that if you find a litter of kittens and take them to Animal Friends you will be told that they are full and to take them to another shelter. They will even give you a map to another shelter!
This is a wonderful organization full of great people that all put the animals first. Yes, they have a rigorous application process, but it is to insure the future welfare of their charges. I love volunteering for them and have great respect for everyone there. And be assured your donations go to the animals, not to frivolous expenses.
AF is a fantastic organization that truly cares about every animal in their care. Every animal receives excellent medical care as well as respect and dignity in a clean, loving environment while waiting for his/her forever home. AF is a no-kill shelter so although they can't take every animal in need, they do their best to take in as many as possible, using programs like foster homes to maximize the number of animals they can care for. AF does everything from investigating and housing horribly neglected and abused humane rescues to taking in the family pet who is no longer wanted, making every orphaned animal long for shelter at AF.
Review from The Pittsburgh Foundation
It was hard to select my role since I have been a client - when I was adopted by my beautiful kitty. A donor when I support with my money. and a general member of society. You can tell the people who work with Animal Friends truly care about each and every animal who pass through their doors. The facility is clean, freindly and welcoming. Please visit the next time you are interested in adding a companion animal to the family. Consider donating to this wonderful facility. Consider visiting for one of their many public awareness activities or even their next fun event. Recently went to 'Bunny Yoga' - it was too much fun.
Review from The Pittsburgh Foundation
Animal Friends is a wonderful shelter. It is a lovely spacious clean facility and the animals all seem very comfortable. They really go through a lot of effort to learn each animal's background, personality and quirks in order to find a good match for them. Consequently, they ALSO check out potential adopters to make sure they're a good fit for the animal. I daresay that the negative reviewers are just angry because they weren't able to just waltz in and take an animal. My experience was very positive: I went in, told them what I was looking for (a cat who could handle having a very active young male sibling) and they IMMEDIATELY knew which cat would be a perfect fit for me. Charlie was very, very shy when I first met him and I never would have picked him on my own; but he has turned out to be an absolutely wonderful match for my household.
Elitist, Snobby, Wasteful. $7 MILLION Facility. August 2009 went in for a kitten event - 20 kittens in a room to be adopted. We brought our whole family plus our dog. It felt like an interrogation and in the end, chubby Barb rejected us (always put NO to declawing). The neighbors across the street had adopted a dog, which AF had supposedly assessed to be "family friendly" for their 3 kids who were within the range of age of our 4, but this dog bit their oldest kid in the face who had to be taken to the hospital for stitches, and the dog returned to AF (Columbus Day 2008). We got our cat from WESTERN PA HUMANE SOCIETY - OPEN DOOR SHELTER. Big difference: no kill=no take.
How to help others with a happy time in their life is to help assist with adopting a pet and great customer service. Let's not forget understanding, being mature, delicate to customer needs, being prompt, answering questions, and do what ever it takes to go beyond to help find the animals a good home. Well this is not what I experience on March 10, 2012 around 1:00pm from the back desk who takes applications just to see an animals. I felt like I was being interview by the FBI. Seriously and let's not forget how rude a tall lady with short brown hair women was so unfriendly and talk to me like I did not have a brain. She ask me the same questions over and over again until I finally said " I understand three time back to her" only then I had to wait about 20 more minutes to speak with an adoption rep just to see two cats I was interested in. Only to be put in a room and told every reason under the roof why the cat would not be good fit for me. I am an adult I can read and write, let's not forget I have a business degree, have a terrific job, and a cat of many years, children and so forth. Only to feel ashamed of my zip code, renter, and to be talk down to like an idiot. This is very upsetting. I hope your staff learns new values and the importance of how to be respectful to the general public. I will never ever everrrrrr, step foot back on your animal shelter. If anything you owe people and apology. I was not the only one there that day when I see a guy being treated the same way. Learn from your mistakes and fix the problem. I tried to give your zero rating but your system force me to pick so I gave you a one.
Review from CharityNavigator
Animal Friends is a wonderful place for animals without a home to find a loving new family. I have been donating to this organization for several years because I believe in what they do. I also became a volunteer about a year and a half ago and I am very pleased with the cleanliness, how the animals are treated, and the rigor of the adoption process (Animal Friends wants to make sure they find the "right" home the "first" time).
Finally, I have also served as a foster home for a "momma" puppy mill survivor, who I adopted one year ago.
Review from CharityNavigator
Animal Friends came to our low-income school to talk to the students about pet adoptions and how to take care of their pets during the hot summer months. They came several times (the building is K-6) for the different grade levels and brought a different adoptable pet each time. The volunteers were incredibly patient and knowledgeable. The students asked them questions and they read a story. It was a wonderful presentation. My students were really inspired by the puppy they brought and were motivated to collect the most pet food/supplies in the entire school to donate to Animal Friends. They are an amazing group and I am grateful for everything they do.