Cressie Animal Refuge & Enrichment Center

We tried to adopt a puppy from this organization. I sent them 995 dollars. The "lady in charge" called and told me the puppy had parvo. He did not make it. I was heartbroken. I never got a refund, which she promised. She took a picture of an envelope with my address on it and told me she sent the check. I never received it. She said "it must have been lost in the mail." I asked her to reverse payment with paypal and that never happened. This organization is not trustworthy in my opinion. One of the worst experiences I've ever had. I hope this never happens again. Terrible loss of the puppy and our money.

Simon
I was looking for a sweet boy to train as a therapy dog. I saw Simon on the website and had to meet him. I fell in love and took him home with me on the spot. He has been with me for almost two weeks and he is a love! Completely housetrained, sweet natured, and gets along very well with my other dogs. Adopting from CARE was efficient and stress free. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and responsive. I recommend this organization to anyone looking to adopt.

I've fostered for care it's been one of the best experiences I've ever had with a rescue. They really work hard to find these wonderful dogs furever homes. Most people don't realize it's a 24 hour job and I completely respect them for that. Thank you C.A.R.E. for standing up for those who can't do it themselves.

It's such a special thing to see so many wonderful people who are so passionate about animals in need. The dedication put in to CARE is outstanding.

CARE is one of the best rescues in town! I wouldn't adopt from anyone else

I tried to donate but the sight seems to have some problems. I know several friends who would make very large donations for this cause, but the sight, again, seems to have some problems in that regard. Probably will channel our funds to another sight.

I don't understand the negative reviews at the top of the site. I adopted a rescue dog from CARE and knew it was my responsibility to properly introduce that dog to our other dog as well as our cats. A dog takes all of its emotional cues from the one in "charge", so a foster may say they never had an issue with a dog because their attitude and emotional cues were different than the adopters. It ultimately falls to the adopter to train their dog, and as far as saying it's CARE's JOB? We should be grateful for organizations that are run by volunteers, because they are that. Volunteers who do the absolute best they can. A dog's life is expensive to save, and CARE is unfailingly meticulous in giving their dogs the absolute best medical care and ensuring they are microchipped and have a clean bill of health before adopting.

I knew my adoption fee went to cover those costs, and I was happy to pay it, and they were very upfront about those costs. In fact family members out of state have also adopted from CARE, and were always told about additional transport costs which must be added to the regular adoption fee.

I couldn't be more happy with the treatment I received, and the dog that is now part of our family. Thank you CARE, for all that you do, and all the volunteers of the organization.

I found a mixed lab on adopt-a-pet that I thought would be a good fit for my family. She happened to be in San Antonio, TX, which I initially did not realize. Since all I could find to adopt in Pittsburgh were mixed pit bulls, and I am a lab person, I decided to pay the high cost of having her shipped up to us (total cost with adoption $550). Before receiving this dog I REPEATEDLY asked them if she was good with cats and was told that she had no prey drive, but that they would test her. This happened several times. After she arrived I realized that she was not going to do well with my cat so I hired a trainer to see if this could be remedied. During this time the cat was living in my bedroom only. Well, after having the dog for three weeks the cat accidentally got out of the bedroom and the dog killed her. I feel that all I am receiving from Cressie is excuses about the situation and denial that they should know the temperament of the animal. This is their job. They are to test the dogs with other dogs, cats, and humans. They lied to me repeatedly about having tested her. Their excuse to me was that at the time there was no foster family that had cats to test her with. They told me they HAD tested her. I would never get a pet from Cressie Animal Refuge!

I had a bad experience fostering for them. CARE has charming sales persons but in my experience they showed little regard for the foster pets’ best interest. Although CARE appears to be a cool deal on the surface, after further examination, I didn’t see long term commitment to the pets. Luckily by virtue of the northern markets they advertise in many of them get good homes. Two stars for that. Their hearts are not in the same place as mine. It made me wary to foster for other groups but turns out most other groups are a lot more caring and committed to the pets. This group was not a good fit for me and what I expect from a nonprofit type group, I felt it was operated like a for profit business.

CARE is the WORST organization that I have ever worked with. As a foster I had the worst experience... This organization is just in it for the money! They charge $550.00 for an adoption fee and use fosters to take care of their pets and all the do is pocket the money. They are very unprofessional and extremely rude! If you are thinking about fostering/ adopting do it with another organization that is actually in it to help the animals and one that isn't in it for the money.

Cressie Animal Refuge and Enrichment, d.b.a. CARE, has saved hundreds of dogs this year alone! San Antonio is probably the worst place to be a stray dog as hundreds of dogs are euthanized monthly here. CARE saves dogs from euthanasia from the city shelter and places them in homes for foster and adoption. CARE founders and volunteers are committed to saving lives and making San Antonio a better place for those who cannot help or speak for themselves.

My involvement with CARE started when I saw an advertisement on my employer’s buy/sell site; and there was Cleo, looking for a forever home. That was about five years ago and the rest is history. My wife and I welcomed Cleo into our family. Soon after that, my wife joined the CARE board and I recently joined. CARE truly makes a difference in the lives dogs in our community.

I volunteer for CARE and I adopted a dog from them. Peggy Brink and her team are very compassionate, caring, and they are doing a great job in helping San Antonio's pet overpopulation problem. As an adopter I can say that the adoption process was very smooth and the communication was exceptional. I am proud to volunteer for them and I recommend them to anyone looking to adopt a pet.

We adopted our dog through CARE and had a wonderful experience! I was concerned about adopting a dog long distance (Texas to Oregon) but Alex (Lightening) was exactly what we'd been looking for so I took a chance. Vickie's communication was excellent, she even sent us videos because we couldn't meet the dog in person, which made us feel at ease about long distance adoption. I was so excited to meet our little guy at the airport and bring him home with us! We have remained in contact with Vickie, sending her photos and videos as Alex settles in to his new family because she truly cares about the dogs and wants to make sure her foster dogs are happy and settled into the right home.

I adopted my dog through CARE and couldn't be more pleased with the service that was provided. The fee was reasonable and communication was excellent. Vickie was amazing throughout the whole process and it ended with me finding my perfect dog. Thanks so much!!!

I moved to San Antonio and knew exactly 2 people. My sister suggested I become a foster to get to know people. I started looking at organizations in the area and was quickly overwhelmed by the pet over population problem! When I decided to call CARE about becoming a foster, I had no idea how my life would change, and all for the better! Within days I had my first foster, and within days of meeting him, I had found an adopter! The joy of putting Petey in his forever home was something I didn't even know existed until that moment. Soon after, Peggy invited me to lunch and one idea progressed to the next. I am now an active board member who has served in just about every area of the organization from fostering to business expansion! The pride I feel in being tied to a local 501c3 that is volunteer run, has a solid business foundation and works to save lives and complete families is unsurpassed!

I am a foster for CARE. Peggy and her team are selfless warriors in their quest to save the lives of countless creatures who have been discarded or misplaced. They truly CARE about each and every animal and continue to shine a light of hope into heartbreaking situations. Thank you for your hard work and continued dedication to this important mission.

I was looking for a specific breed and I had a friend refer me to CARE. I emailed them and within a few hours they called me with a match! I live in Canada and it took some extra work for them to get him across the border, but they had an option for me to pick my new pup up just a few hours away from where I lived. Within a week I had my amazing new dog. All the girls I dealt with at CARE were extremely helpful, quick to respond, and very nice. I have had my dog for over 6 months now and he is amazing, polite, and extremely gentle with my daughter. I could not have asked for a better experience. THANKS CARE!!!

I have worked with Peggy since she started CARE. She is one of the most inspirational people I have met. She works endlessly to help the dogs of San Antonio. I have fostered hundreds of puppies that have found their forever homes all across the country. Without Peggy and CARE these precious little souls would have been put down. It was her vision and now her mission through CARE that hundreds of beautiful dogs and puppies are being loved and saved each year. I have volunteered for many different non-profit organizations, both animal and non animal related but this is the ONE and only non-profit that gets all of my time and funding now. KL, Boerne

I foster for CARE and they are very professional and make sure pets get the medical and marketing they need to be ready for adoption! They have saved so many lives over the last 6 years and united rescued dogs with adopters all over the US and Canada.

great organization! Staff work to place dogs/cats without homes with temporary foster homes until they can be adopted. Care is taken to make sure there is a good match between the animals and foster/adoptive homes. Staff is very supportive of volunteers who foster the animals.

Peggy and the other CRESSIE volunteers always have the best interest of the animals at heart. They try to save ones off of "Death Row" that could be good companions. In early January 2012, one of my friends who is a volunteer sent me an e-mail and I saw an older Golder Retriever (Henry) that I had to have since I have a soft spot for the older dogs. Peggy put him on hold for me and we "sprung him" after he was neutered at the shelter. He is a great guy who had had a rough time and now he is in the hands of folks who really love him and will give him a great forever home.

I found Molly on the Internet at ACS. I saw this poor little sad soul that needed a loving home. I called Mrs Brink and we went down to ACS together. Mrs. Brink was superb in securing and helping me get our new family member. Molly was covered in fleas and ticks and after a some TLC she has been an absolute joy, loving , and a wonderful addition to our family. I am very indebted to Mrs Brink for helping me find my Molly. Mrs Brink is a wonderful person and is deeply committed to saving as many poor lost little souls as possible.

I am a volunteer and adoptee. This organization works tirelessly to save dogs and cats scheduled for euthanasia at our local animal control kill shelter. Peggy, the founder, puts in countless hours pulling out animals and finding them foster homes to ready them for adoption. Their basic medical needs are met. With a small group of fosters and internet networking she has saved 300 dogs in 2011. Her goal is to save many more. We have been lucky enough to adopt one of her shelter dogs and give her a permanent home. It is beyond me, how Peggy manages to pull and save this many lives almost single handedly. She is a remarkable, compassionate person and it would be wonderful for her to have the help she needs to save more lives!! Helping her save dogs has been a great highlight of my life! Please endorse Cressie animal refuge!

I have assisted the Cresie Animal Refuge in their fundraising efforts and supported their mission to save as many animals as possible. The organization is truly one who speaks for those who can't and who is determined to make San Antonio a no-kill city. I applaud the efforts of Peggy and her small grop of dedicated volunteers. They are part of what we all should be doing - making sure there are no more homeless pets.

Peggy saves animals from ACS, almost exclusively, on a daily basis. She is also spending a lot of her personal money to bail out as many animals as she can, then finding homes and fosters. She works very hard and leverages all the social networking that she can to find these animal foster and forever homes. It is obvious that this cause is very dear to her.