I have seen first hand the dedication of the staff and volunteers at Lost Dog and am continually impressed by this organization. Everyone here genuinely cares about the animals and the adopters. Staff/volunteers are kind and accommodating. I couldn’t recommend this organization more!
This is one of the best rescues, I have been volunteering for them since 2014 and have seen first hand how happy dogs, cats and their new families are. Until adoption, these animals are well-cared for!
My mom and I fostered with them when I was younger and then I volunteered as I got older. Finally got my own pup from them back in January. Such a great group!
I had volunteered for this organization for several years. Very rewarding to spend time with the pups and try to get them adopted. Then, when the timing was right, adopted "The Spoiled Prince", the love and savior of my family!! Wonderful experience.
We adopted our dog 3 years ago. The 2 week trial period was great to see if everything was working out between us. The volunteers at the adoption event were very helpful and answered all of our questions. Thank you so much Lost Dog for what you are doing!
I've been volunteering, fostering, and adopting for several years now. I've fostered many wonderful dogs and puppies in addition to adopting many myself all the while enjoying every minute of it. The process to adopt is painless and timely. Also the two week trial period with full refund provided with every adoption is a relief for those adopters that decided they were not a good fit. All in all the rescue's main goal is to place homeless animals into loving homes and have been succeeding for many years now.
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I’ve been a dog handler volunteer for LDCR since June 2011. In my observation, the dedication and compassion of the volunteers is outstanding. The volunteers spend their free time every weekend being ambassadors for these homeless animals. Having fostered /adopted a dog from LDCR I’ve benefitted from the fantastic support system they offer to everyone.
I love this organization so much. I volunteer here and am able witness the tremendous volunteers and directors care for these animals like they are their own. They are all so well taken care of and so loved and everyone is fiercely dedicated to their wellbeing. I fell in love with a beautiful German Shepherd here while volunteering, and my mom drove over 8 hours to come adopt him. The adoption process was quick and efficient. This is such a wonderful organization!!!
Such a wonderful organization. I adopted my best friend from here and now I volunteer here. They treat their animals and their volunteers so well!
My favorite rescue group! I have worksed with several and appreciate the efforts of each group...
Disclaimer: I am an active foster and donor.
But Why is Lost dog the best?
Animals are fully vetted and they don’t say no to a need; expense; follow up appointment (I have had to argue/fight and pay out of pocket with other groups
I love LDCRF, I've fostered over 15 animals with them and adopted one directly. Every foster I had went to a vet, had full medical exams, and was required to have their shots updated. I often cared for special needs, sickly, and/or elderly fosters whose medical bills were significant and costly and handled by LDCRF for months, waiting for an all-clear before they could even be posted to the website as a potential adoptee. All but one (whose congenital illness claimed her life after lots of loving care) were made as healthy as possible and adopted to loving homes who fully knew their medical needs.
I feel like they constantly try to walk a line between being accessible and positive to potential adopters (much more so than many groups in the area) and not treating animals like they are toys to be sold to the first buyer. Yes, they carefully interview potential adopters and discuss lifestyle, expectations, plans, and other pets and kids. They follow national guidelines on appropriate times to spay and neuter, and due to well-documented risks of developing serious behavioral problems don't adopt out very young kittens without a friend to learn how to be a cat. I will point out then when people fly off the handle about following basic guidelines for a new pet's well-being as you've seen in some of these reviews, that was a potential adopter whose convenience and desires were more important than a pet's basic needs. As a pet lover, I'm proud that LDCRF takes those red flags seriously, even though those cases are rare. I'm SO grateful that thousands of thrilled pet parents have found pets of all bloodlines (sourced from high-kill shelters, and shelters that have been impacted by natural disasters as well as local shelters) and stand for a lifetime commitment to any animal they adopt out. If you want to support a rescue that deeply cares about all dogs and cats and their welfare, but also supports great pet owners LDCRF is the place!
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When I came to the DC area I tried to sign up with the local Humane Society, among others, but found them to be less visible and less responsive than LDCRF. Everywhere I went, from local pet supply stores to social media, LDCRF was there and looking to get responsible and happy homes for their rescues. I became a foster and have found staff respond generally within 3 hours and first and foremost think about an animal's well-being. In fact, I've watched less than ideal homes be turned down after careful thought. No breed or age restrictions make this group open to all, and without diminishing other groups' work LCDRF is the best in the area.
I've been donating to Lost Dog Rescue since we worked with them to adopt a puppy years ago and have been volunteering at their shelter in Falls Church for several months now. The almost-all volunteer team is amazingly dedicated to saving the lives of thousands of dogs and cats. They just purchased the kennel they've been renting so they can continue to take care of these precious animals until they're adopted, including the ones they rescue from high kill shelters in neighboring states and even ones saved from dog meat farms in Korea. I highly recommend this organization - donate, volunteer, and adopt!
For my birthday this year (2018), I raised funds for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation of Washington DC, a local nonprofit because their mission means a lot to my family and several of our friends. I had over 40 friends contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit helped me reach my goal and helped support this wonderful organization that gave us - Suzie, Barry and Lucky. Pictures includes other dogs our friends have adopted from LDRF.
Review from Guidestar
We adopted our first dog, Jazzy, from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation in 2006. We are celebrating 11 wonderful years with Jazzy this winter. In January of 2017, we adopted our another dog, Baby Winter, from Lost Dog. Having these wonderful dogs in our lives has helped us to get more exercise walking, we've met neighbors we never would have known, and they are wonderful companions for our family. This rescue organization is well known and loved within our community, there are hundreds of fans. Give a Lost Dog or Cat a chance in your home, and you'll be glad you did.
Hi,
I noticed this NFP name on our cats history of adoption papers. We adopted Matty last November. She was given up twice in 6 years. When I saw her I fell in love with her! When we went to meet her the attendant seemed surprised we asked for her. All the other cats were at an adoption event. She was left behind. As soon as my husband called her name she popped up out of her box..we had to have her! She is the sweetest cat. We loved her into wholeness on her terms...we will never give up our Matty! She has a home for life!
Cat mom
Horrible experience with these people- don't even waste your time with them! they didn't tell us about the dog that he is big bitter and aggressive! and when we reach out to them they didn't respond until two weeks trial was passed!
I found the perfect cat for myself at one of their adoption projects at PetSmart in Falls Church to say is been the best decision in many years is an understatement. Thanks Lost Does and Cat rescue!!!!
On July 10, 2016 Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation put a dog up for adoption that a) had kennel cough; b) had a mouthful of rotten teeth; and c) was grossly malnourished. They represented her as healthy, saying she was only 5 years old and weighted 16 pounds. As soon as I got her home I smelled her rotten breath and heard her cough. I hadn't had a dog in about 30 years and yet I knew immediately that something was wrong. I took her to my local vets, and they were horrified that a dog in her condition had been placed for adoption. I did my best to rescue this dog, trying to give her as many days of sweetness and health as possible. Unfortunately and tragically, she died on July 23. I spent almost $5,000 to rescue her. You'd think that when i contacted lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation they would have been hugely apologetic, appreciative, financially supportive, and committed to never letting something like this happen again. No, they weren't. They excused themselves by saying they didn't know the dog was sick. They invited me to submit my bills for their consideration, but they NEVER responded back. I suggest you never adopt through them.
Horrible experience with these people- don't even waste your time with them. Today, we drove an hour to the Petsmart in Falls Church to adopt one of their puppies. We recently lost our beloved 17 year old dog who had been ill for over a year and our children were ready for another dog. We got there promptly at 12:00 when they began the event and after finding the dog we bonded with, we signed our name to be interviewed. Even though we came prepared with our application already filled out, the volunteers would not interview me until my husband, who was volunteering as a coach in a game, showed up. This is NOT part of their requirements, yet I said that that was no problem and that I could wait. I told 3 of the volunteers, including the nasty woman making the interviews which dog we were interested in. After an 1 1/2 hours of waiting, this couple comes in and also shows interest in the same dog we were interested in. As they are filling out the application, my husband comes into the store. Before I was able to tell the interviewer that we were ready, she goes to the back with the new couple to do their interview. When she comes out, we found out that she had already given the dog away to the people who came 1 1/2 hours AFTER us! When I politely tried to remind her that we were also waiting for that dog, she completely blows up like a madwoman yelling and telling us that the other couple was ready first and that if we want a dog we would have to pick one of the others. We were taken aback by her incredibly unprofessional behavior and tried to explain to her that we had, indeed been there first and waiting for her to finish the interview, assuming that we would be next. She would not even let us talk, much less listen to us; clearly she was never going to admit that this was her mistake and that she had not read the list AT ALL. Our children were miserable, especially our daughter who had been bonding with the dog for over an hour. We were so upset by the horrible treatment that we just walked out, vowing to never again waste our time with a rescue group. From now on, it will be a shelter or a breeder for us.
Compared to other "closed admission" (aka no kill) 501c3 rescues, Lost Dog and Cat is far and away the easiest to deal with. No 2-3 week waits and overwhelming scrutiny, only to be told that (despite the fact that you have successfully owned, cared for and loved animals) you are not qualified for "their" animal. A strong, volunteer run organization with almost 10 "same day adoption" events in the course of a weekend is what you will find.
I began my experience with LDCRF by adopting a dog from them in 2009/2010. Duke and I had a rocky start (puppies can be that way and pet ownership is tricky), but Lost Dog had done their due diligence to ensure that I was prepared for the weight of caring for a high energy puppy. He became the love of my life. I would go on to volunteer, foster and adopt 3 more dogs from them. One of those dogs was adopted long after I had left the Metro DC area for another part of VA. (The tri color hound pictured here with her sister, also an alum) Why? Because the rescue and foster of that dog were willing to be open and work with me to find the right fur kid. There are shelters and rescues in this area, but some make it harder to adopt than it needs to be. I am very blessed to have started not only my pet ownership but also my animal welfare volunteer journey with them.
