DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! RUDE RUDE staff, ZERO communication, left us waiting a week for any word, checked all of our references, which were glowing. Spoke with our landlord, who gave full approval. We have a large home with a fully fenced large back yard. After bugging everyone, they just ghosted us....no call, no explanation. We wasted a week of our lives, missed out on another puppy we would have adopted, and just had the MOST negative experience. RUN DONT WALK to work with any other rescue!!!!
I recently adopted my sweet pup from Bonnies Animal Rescue Kingdom and couldn't be happier! Bonnie was extremely helpful throughout the process, spent about an hour during the adoption going over important information about caring for my new dog, and followed up soon after the adoption. I am very impressed with the care and consideration Bonnie takes in ensuring the best possible match for the dog/family. The dogs are cared for by foster families until adopted so they really know the dogs and what their needs are. I am so thankful to Bonnie and her team as I adopted a beautiful, loving, healthy dog who will forever be a beloved member of our family.
Please don’t use these people. They are so difficult to work with. It’s like they do you a favor to get their dog. I was at the dentist today and they had the same problem with them. They didn’t get the dog they wanted because they didn’t have a fenced yard. They gave me a hard time amount of times my newer vet saw us. My dog lived 14.5 years.. how do you think I took care of him? Then she tells me the dog I wanted can only be crated for 3 hours a day so I can’t have her. So why did you waste my time and all my references time. This people are horrific to deal with.. use someone else. I’d rather get a dog from a pet store then use this group.
I adopted a dog from Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom. I met with the dog I was interested in, completed the adoption process, and was excited to be approved. I found out the night I picked up my new dog that she had never been seen by a vet and never received parvo/distemper vaccines despite her Petfinder profile saying she was up to date. She was never tested for heartworm and was not given heartworm prevention while with the rescue and had no vet records from her prior owner.
The first day I brought her home it was clear she had a limp. In the few weeks I had her I worked with my vet to crate rest her and ultimately got her x-rays that showed congenital elbow dysplasia. I made the decision, with guidance from my vet, to return her to the rescue so that she could find a quiet home without other dogs where she wouldn't be hurting herself by being too active. I was absolutely heartbroken to have to send her back to the rescue, but felt it was the right decision for her. My vet said that she might benefit from seeing a specialist and potentially getting surgery and I passed that info along to BARK.
The very next day after returning her she had a listing on Petfinder that had no mention of her elbow dysplasia.
This wasn't about the money for me, but I feel like it's necessary to point out that the rescue spent very little on this dog while collecting two adoption fees ($325 from me and an additional $325 from the next person that adopted her). In addition to the adoption fee I spent over $500 on basic vetting and x-rays.
I am not new to rescues, I've fosters several dogs and cats and volunteered with rescues and shelters. Based on my experience, I would not recommend BARK to anyone.
I had a similar experience with all the negative reviews. Bonnie was rude and it was like pulling teeth just to answer simple questions about the dog. All the dogs were kept in cages and in order to see the dogs you had to just sit on a chair with the dog on your lap. (No walking, playing, going outside etc. ) Went back the following day and they were late and not even set up. Stopped there again later that day and just got the cold shoulder so we left. After rescuing from another group it made me realize just how bad Bonnie was. The other rescue group took care of all the vet care prior to adoption, do a home visit, have a foster family that follows up with you, and everyone was friendly. For the sake of the dogs BARK needs to change the way they do things.
We have adopted twice from Bark - once 11 years ago and once this two years ago early during COVid .
Both experiences were fantastic and different.
We were well vetted - as we should have been as we were adopting a living puppy.
Our initial adoption includes a home visit where a great couple who had fostered our pup came to the house and watched our dogs and families interact. That was awesome because they helped with the intro - and made sure that our pup would safe in his environment- clearly no one wants a failed adoption where a forever home isn’t found. Traumatic for everyone especially the life they have taken responsibility for!
During COVID it was very different. There were many more people looking to adopt with a 10:1 application. Vetting processes had to change to provide safe interactions for both humans and pups. There were long lines and people brought their pups to meet eachother.
Bonnie and team made the best decisions they could - ps to the poster above we are a same-sex biracial family - this was never an issue.
Our pups met - and we were redirected towards a second dog - who was a great fit.
Two years (and three couches) later we are all still a happy family and couldn’t thank Bonnie more for saving and securing both of our fur babies!
Not sure if it's because we are a young biracial couple or just an issue with Bonnie.
We are trying to work with them about adopting a puppy. After reading some of these reviews, i can see it's something like that.
She keeps pointing out that my other puppy isn't fixed yet and that no other adoption place would give us a puppy because she isn't fixed. Her words. The puppy is 7 months old and we spoke to the vet and got her operation set for earlier and it'll happen during the adoption process.
Close to 30 years old and I've taken care of 3 dogs in my lifetime and have taken care of my dad's 2 dogs and grandparents dogs over the years. Current number is 5 that are alive all together. I've never seen a 3 month old male puppy try to mount a 7 month old female puppy, who doesnt let anyone mount her.
We even settled and switch to a female puppy and again that wouldn't work with Bonnie. She really doesn't like us for the 5 seconds she met us. Should send her the $1000(quoted) spay bill since she pushed us to get it done so early.
I don’t know why this got all these negative reviews here. we had a very good experience adopting our dog, as did our friend who adopted a dog here.
dog is doing great.
We couldn’t be happier and donate to Bonnie every year.
I think equating this with a puppy mill is way out of line.
Anyway that’s my opinion.
For the humans who had a less than perfect experience with BARK I am sorry for that. For the countless animals who have been fortunate enough to cross paths with Bonnie and her organization?….purely a life saving, joyful blessing. I came together 13 years ago under the careful guidance of BARK with my marvelous dog who recently passed away at age 14. Five years ago my beautiful male dog joined our family through BARK. The adoptions were seamlessly choreographed. Recently I have begun looking to add a dog to our family. Once again BARK has proven to be supportive and knowledgeable beyond my expectations. I am humbled by all that Bonnie and her organization accomplish tirelessly. I for one am forever grateful.
I can’t believe these negative reviews. We had a wonderful experience with Bonnie’s Animal Rescue Kingdom. We adopted a beautiful, sweet beagle girl in 2016. She was spayed just before we adopted her, but had very bad teeth, and she was going to be euthanized at the shelter in NC because of it. I’m so thankful to Bonnie for rescuing her. The rescue even paid to have our girl’s teeth cleaned a few days after adoption. I would absolutely recommend this rescue to those looking to adopt. In addition, we don’t have a fenced in yard, so those claiming Bonnie doesn’t approve adoptions to those without one is NOT true.
I think people need to understand that taking care of an animal, TAKING GOOD CARE OF AN ANIMAL, costs money, takes time, and must be reasonable to think they will get taken care of. Yes, you ARE competing for the sick puppy, but thats so they can get the best possible home environment. Dogs, and all other animals, aren't gifts, they aren't objects either. Dogs are animals that need the proper care and attention to give them a happy life! No, you weren't denied a dog because of any reason other than that you would not be able to take adequate care of the animal. No, they aren't in it for the money, I've talked to Bonnie and other volunteers and they've said that all the money goes to getting these animals and making sure they are rehomed, not the pockets of Bonnie. You can't just show up and expect a dog, you need to wait until they've decided you can get the dog and that your home and environment would be good for the dog. Stop taking it personally. I've adopted from Bonnie multiple times and other adoptions and this adoption shows more care than all others. They take true consideration into who is the best candidate for these animals, they truly care.
Not sure what all these negative comments are about. Bonnie is one of the greatest people I have ever known, and she puts her heart and soul into rescuing these animals. I have been a volunteer with these rescue for five years now, and we always take exceptional care of the animals. They mean the world to us, and we make sure they are placed in wonderful homes, and we have a standard of what that means. No offense, but if your dog growled at one of our puppies... its no shock we didn't let you have the puppy LOL. These negative comments are all that is wrong with society today. Bonnie is an honest woman with nothing but good intentions. We do not do same day adoptions for the best interest of the dogs themselves. They are coming from being abused and neglected, so we need to make sure each potential adopter is properly vetted to avoid any further abuse or trauma to our rescues. They are ALL up to date on shots and their medical records. I even got my own dog from BARK and it was the best decision I ever made. You cannot hate on us for having a rigorous adoption process, it is all for the safety of our puppies. Also, we mention that we do not do same day adoptions everywhere!!!! If you see a dog on petfinder that you are not willing to wait for, then don't bother coming from far away! boo hoo. Bonnie is an outstanding person, and so are every single one of the volunteers at bark. Volunteering alongside bonnie has changed my life, BARK is an amazing organization, and we pride ourselves by taking top notch care of every single soul that we rescue.
I agree with the horrible reviews written about this rescue. My experience has been they kept everyone waiting an hour past their posted appointment schedule. Once they arrived, they were rude and would not let anyone near their dogs. Really! How would they expect anyone to adopt under these circumstances? Very disorganized. Dogs were not spayed or neutered, nor were they vet checked. They had no knowledge of the dogs they brought. This organization is strictly in the business of “selling dogs”. With all the reputable rescues around, I’d recommend finding a dog elsewhere. These people are nasty and just don’t care.
BUYERS BEWARE... a lot of these "adoption" agencies are operating as puppy mills or help puppy mills that cannot unload their puppies. I tried several times to get a puppy from this and other places but found the people rude and puppies will ticks in their ears and dehydrated, to a point that they were barely able to stand at PetSmart during adoption day.
DO YOUR RESEARCH before paying $550 to adopt a puppy from unknown breeders!!!
I looked at a puppy at an adoption event with this rescue. This woman made me jump thru hoops - go home bring my current dog back to meet the puppy. Had one of her volunteers check my references - called my landlord and my vet's office then she proceeded to give the puppy I was trying to adopt to someone else. I really want to adopt rather than buy from a breeder but I have to say for $200.00 more than her fee I can get the puppy our family wants without the hassle. Not to mention she is one of the nastiest women I've ever met. Downright mean to the high school girls who were working with her the day I was there. If the puppy wasn't so cute we would have walked out.
What Bonnie does to help dogs that would otherwise be euthanized is a selfless and merciful undertaking. She should be commended for her labor of love towards animals.
This aside, my family’s experience at the BARK facility in Hillsdale, NJ was completely disappointing and the worst attempted adoption process I have ever experienced.
Without question, Bonnie tries to play “god” with her subjective and unbalanced methods of dog/family placement. It’s evident that Bonnie feels that since she rescued the animals, she therefore has the divine mandate to decide which family is suitable (I.e., worthy of) for adopting and owning a pet.
Bonnie employs a discriminatory, subjective and absolutely biased process.
If you work, if your spouse works, or worse yet, if you work outside of your home like most of us,be prepared for a litany of evil-eyed, head-tilted questions about your ability to own a pet.
I grew up with a dog as a child. I have raised 4 children and one other pet already. I currently have a large yard (fenced) and the financial means for a mid-day dog walker.
It doesn’t matter.
If Bonnie decides, because she is the divine ruler whose sole purpose it is to determine, after meeting you and your gleeful children for five minutes, that you are a human unworthy of pethood, it’s all over with for you.
End of story. Period. You’re done.
Take your love of and interest in pets someplace else. Bonnie does something noble with her time but once she has rescued the animal she’s a tyrannical, prejudiced and unpleasant woman.
RV
Glen Ridge
I drove over 4 hours round trip on a Saturday to meet with an Australian cattle dog puppy that we were interested in. We were approved for adoption the following Wednesday when I spoke with Bonnie on the phone and drove back up on Friday to pick him up. The volunteers that we spoke with all clearly had the best interests of the dogs in mind and the pup is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted little guy. Bonnie and her team are thorough and honestly a little strict, but that seems to be true of all rescues that we've dealt with. My references were called and our vet was contacted. We came prepared with a filled out application and also brought our current Aussie for the meet & greet that they encourage.
There's a lot of disinformation and entitlement in these reviews. A fence is not required, as we were approved without having one. They also stress that they don't do same day adoptions. I respected this policy and put in the time and mileage (almost 500 total) to show that we were serious and genuinely interested. Bonnie replied to a text at 3 AM because that's how much time she dedicates to this operation. Anyone saying that they're doing it for themselves or money are truly ignorant to the amount of time needed or the cost.
All in all, it was a quick, painless process. We can't stress enough how much we love Bonnie, her team, and everything that they do.
WASTE OF TIME AND IS AWFUL!!! DO NOT GO OR VISIT
ALSO LIES!!!!
I went to visit all the way in Paramus NJ in a pet supply store June 28. 2019 , put in an application to puppies i had thought i was gonna get “online” but in person , it was crowded, basically people forming a line about 20-40+ just to see the exact 12/14 puppies and dogs they had there in total. Which was stupid to drive there thinking it wasn’t gonna be exactly everyone was basically applying for the dog you wanted exact and the other options.
. Since they do not , Take home adoption on first day, They basically “Want the entire Household.” there to see if “You’re a Good Fit.” for the dog and it’s being, which makes no sense if it’s a gift to a family of your house or a surprise ! . Secondly, reading on Petfinder the dogs say YES “Spay and Neutered .” which on, their adoption information in person says “Not spayed or Neutered.” which is another lie from them, Basically out of 40- + people there, you’re not gonna get the dog. and their simply wasting your time. you’re better off buying a dog and not wasting time with these people, and to top it off, their rude . The lady acted as if i had no knowledge of dogs , and acted as if i wasn’t smart. I had dogs previously. I have no idea if it was because of my race i am. But she also kept side eyeing me along with my friend. I came with a friend to see if the dog was an actual match and ran into a hot mess full of people picking up puppies , smooching them as if they was “theirs “ and people already claiming the dog you wanted was” their’s” just go better to another Shelter or whatever . Their Animal Adoption is also a fee for the dog. Just incase if you didn’t get it. BS i was not about to also pay a fee for something i wasn’t gonna get regardless. Don’t go to them ! there are plenty of shelters that will give you what you want .
I can't believe these negative reviews-first, it's stated all over Bonnie's web site, they don't do same day adoptions-really, your dog growled at a puppy and you're wondering why they wouldn't let you adopt?? Just adopted a beautiful pup, healthy. Bonnie spent over an hour with us after we got approved, to go over everything! What her and her organizations does is beyond amazing. Yes, at the adoption day, it did get a little crazy, but everyone, including Bonnie, was patient and trying their best. What do you expect when you have a crowd of people and close to 20 puppies. I highly recommend this organization!
horrible horrible adoption. so rude to everyone. not allowed to even pet the dogs. people are rude and snobby. animals are amazing but cry because they aren’t getting any attention. got yelled at for allowing a puppy to kiss me. would not recommend. i have been to plenty of adoptions and this is by far. animals are supposed to be therapeutic but i left there almost in tears. don’t waste your money.
Let me preface this by saying I have over 4 acres, a 6-foot stockade fence, all of my 4 cats and 2 dogs are rescues and are spoiled and taken care of like FAMILY.
We found a puppy on petfinder and fell in love. Drove over an hour only to find "Bonnie doesn't do same day adoptions". First of all, we are talking abt HOMELESS dogs not handguns... I pleaded with the volunteer to see if Bonnie would be willing to make an exception for the distance we travelled and a really great home. Bonnie would not even take a minute to speak to me. We stood there forever watching these puppies be dragged in and out of cages and placed into multiple ppls hands, passed around with hardly any supervision. The puppy we were interested in was extremely lethargic, possibly ill and still not spayed... She needed some TLC, not to be shoved back into a cage only to to pulled out again for the next family. This went on the entire time we were there. Added to the fact that the animals were crammed into cages sometimes 4 at a time where they were piled on top of each other and could barely even turn around. I care passionately for my animals and I would never allow them to be treated like that... All we wanted to do was take that poor puppy out of that horrible situation and give her a good home.
If Bonnie cares about her dogs so much she would not stage repeated "adoption events" at pet stores. The older dogs especially were clearly under duress, there was absolutely no organization, volunteers had no idea what they were doing, puppies were being passed around like toys and Bonnie would not even take a second to speak to me. I knew just based on the sheer amount of people that were there that we were going to be competing with other applicants and probably didnt stand a chance due to the distance. I left with my children in tears and my husband and I are heartbroken.
I will never, ever entertain the thought of adopting from B.A.R.K. again.
I'd like to close this by saying that I am positive that while Bonnie may *think* her heart is in the right place and she may have other ppl fooled I'm pretty sure she is running a racket and she's making a profit off of these dogs. There is no way shes paying $350 for them in NC and there is nothing to show she did anything for them beyond get them up here. The pup we looked at could have been picked up from NC 2 days ago for all we know. Dogs are not guaranteed to be healthy, they are NOT spayed and the adoption fee is $350!! After the adoption fee and spaying you're looking at over $500. You may as well call a breeder. Beware of these so called "rescues". Would be interesting to do a home visit on her and see exactly how they're being kept outside of this pet store B.S. With all the homeless animals out there she should be ashamed of herself for making people "compete" for a sick little puppy.
BARK is a very generous rescue. They are a small rescue and their screening process may seem strict but they have the animals best interest in mind. Bonnie may come across as abrupt but she LOVES her rescue dogs and spends every waking minute taking care of these animals. It's disappointing to see bad reviews. All of her volunteers work very hard as well to help these animals. They are a very dedicated rescue.
So Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom, who we found on Facebook, has decided that our family is not worthy to raise a new pup. Even though we have raised other well adjusted rescue dogs over the years. We waited until now to adopt becauysexwe were so heart broken about losing Rosie in October but Bonnie's "assistant" didn't like that Shelby growled at the puppy. Regardless of the fact that Shelby was in a tight space, with a lot of people around, she was anxious and out of sorts. We encountered this when we brought Shelby home as a pup to Rosie.
The "assistant" was rude from the start and I got the idea she wasn't in favor of a gay couple adopting anyway. It's especially heartbreaking because another assistant thought we would be great parents to adopt. Bonnie herself couldn't even take the time to call us personally. I told the woman who called for her that I wanted to speak to Bonnie and I was told she'll "try" and get back to me by the end of the week. By that time Haley will be adopted. We are so livid and heartbroken that this one nasty "assistant" has taken away a puppy that we fell in love with. Rude seems to be the ongoing theme with Bonnie's.
We will think twice before supporting or recommending Bonnie's Animal Rescue Kingdom.
We adopted an amazing dog from this organization and I disagree with another reviewer because we do not have a fenced in yard. However, the woman in charge of the organization can be rude and once you adopt from her, she dismisses you.
The pup we adopted through BARK is terrific! She is healthy, and well started on her way to being an easy transition into our home. Thank YOU to the volunteers who make the adoption process easy. Check out the BARK dogs/ our's is a gem.
Don't bother trying to adopt if you don't have a fenced in yard because they will not allow it. So if you have an apartment house etc don't bother unless you have a fence. It's ridiculous that there are people out there with wonderful homes for pups in need but because of a little detail of a fence your out of the running! Will never go threw a rescue group again. So many animals out there need homes and your being picky about a fence.
I love this organization and what they do. The fact that they go down to a kill shelter in North Carolina and are able to save countless dogs lives makes me really happy. I adopted my dog from BARK and fell in love immediately. The process was quick, easy, and efficient. Holly, the dog we adopted, assimilated seamlessly with our family and she loves going back to the store and visiting the volunteers. They even remember her after she grew up! The puppies brought up are adorable and loving. I would definitely go back and adopt 100 more puppies if i could :).
These people seem to have no knowledge of the dogs they have or even know their names. We came in to "adopt" a dog, we have a great home and already own a dog that is pampered and extremely well cared for. These people made judgements about us without even getting to know us or even meet our dog. Lady was super rude even making some comment to me about never coming back, I would never anyway LOL. One other lady told us a story how they adopted 2 puppies that were brother sister to a couple who had a young baby and thought that it "might not be a good fit" and lo and behold a week later they brought the puppies back.......how r they doing their due diligence. Seems more like they just want the money by adopting puppies out to people who will bring them back, keep some of that money and do it again. Guy we were talking to about male puppy kept calling him a "she", we even corrected him a few times, DUH! If dogs r mix they r not sure of what types. One puppy had a twitch and they had not even had him checked out by a vet yet so how r they up to date on shots. Puppy 6 months had not even been neutered yet, comment made to us was "if he is not adopted within the week I guess we will have to have him neutered", uh yes that is your JOB when u have a shelter/kennel.