North Shore Animal League America , Inc.

I could not disagree more with some of the negative reviews I have read. I voluteer at NSAL and I have adopted a dog. I working along side their kennel employees, and I have used the Medical center and pharmacy. I have help off load terrified dogs coming from the South or Puppy Mills, and I have with other voluteers and staff, made sure each one was comforited, given care and pets, fed, and giving a clean bed. Every day all the dogs get 3 walks a day and very often get a fun supervised playdate - often including a baby pool on hot days. The staff and the volunteers care and do everything they can to make sure every animal there has a good day everyday.
Many of the vets are Ivy league trained and are absolutely wonderful.
If you are looking for plush waiting rooms with no wait times you might be disappointed, ,but if you are looking for services offered inside their scope of work they do a great job at a great price.
It takes a lot to run an animal shelter, and if you want to give to a place that does life saving work - this is a great place to give.

Today my wife and I went to the North Shore Animal League in hopes of adopting a forever fur friend a little cat. We are heartbroken former owners of the Maine coon that we love for 8 years well today we went through the third degree unfortunately for whatever the reason they said that they weren't able to contact any of our references yet when I picked up the phone and called one of them they answered immediately.

The staff even didn't bother to call us and tell us they couldn't get through the phone with our references. We were waiting there like idiots. I suggest you go somewhere else for pet adoption. The culture running in this organization is toxic.

Today I drove 17 miles to say hello to my favorite Red Nosed Pit/ "Hound Mix," Fiona:

I am currently not financially settled enough to take her home with me but I had hoped to be soon. I have lived with and walked every type and size of dog from Dobermans to Teacup-Chihuahuas. I have worked with Dog Walking Agencies as well and frequently volunteered in Freeport at another shelter, so I broke off half of an extremely healthy dog treat called a "Bully Bite," (to those who are familiar) and took a picture of the bag so I could give it to her. She would be in a cage all day anyways, so I figured why not.

I thought she'd appreciate spending some time with me because she's basically incarcerated until her adoption and it would be good for both of us-I just lost my dog of 16 years last week and I am still grieving his loss. I had such a strong connection with Fiona she offered me her paw (which means she was trying to pet me too) kept kissing my face and was such a good girl all around I could not believe no one had adopted her yet.

I had come there previously and a younger employee was kind enough to let me sit with another puppy so I could lend some affection even though I could not go home with it that day before I made a significant connection with Fiona.

However today, after explaining my situation to another employee (an older woman who reeked of cigarettes), told me that since I could not adopt her she absolutely cannot come out of the cage. She absolutely cannot have the "Bully Bite," (probably healthiest snack she'll ever have before she gets adopted) although she had no medical issue(s) preventing her from eating it. When she said "no," Fiona the dog started barking at her and she told me I should come back when I am ready to, "fill the void in my heart," if I wasn't fighting back tears I would've replied, "excuse me, the void in MY heart???" but all I could muster was "I appreciate it anyways." In the 25th hour they grew a conscience and told me "there must have been some mistake," so I just walked right out and started crying in my car. Giving that dog a treat I was kind enough to bring (17 miles to her) is way healthier than letting her be around cigarette smoke anyways but that seems to not be a priority here at North Shore Animal League. They take donations but I guess not today and not for Fiona.

AND it is literally 9/11. But I need to fill the void in my heart?

Would've given this place one star if it wasn't for the more empathetic younger employee with a heart of gold.

Never thought I'd find apathy at an animal shelter.

No shelter is perfect, no company is perfect, no worker is perfect, and no manager is perfect. The negative reviews from other volunteers are extremely disheartening, because they neglect the overall picture.

There are absolutely zero incentives to being a volunteer, and for associates the salary is only $1 above minimum wage. Not to mention, the work is extremely difficult. It goes to show that almost every single volunteer and associate loves animals, and that’s all that matters. We bust our asses for these animals. We give it our all, we try out absolute best. You’re completely delusional if you think otherwise. It’s so easy to judge and whine from behind a phone screen.

The mere fact that North Shore has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals means that they are significant and doing extremely important work, because I’m sorry, but being dead is worse than having poop in your cage or not having toys 24/7. Be realistic. Everyone is trying their best, but we can’t be perfect. And we do make mistakes, but that shouldn’t undermine all the amazing things we do for these animals.

It’s funny, because if you go on google reviews, some of the biggest complaints from customers is the strict adoption policy, yet people on here have the audacity to say the animals are mistreated. If only you knew how much love the volunteers and associates had for these animals, my goodness. All we care about is the well being for our animals and putting them in the right homes, and there are still lunatics on here with completely unrealistic expectations. It’s not the end of the world if volunteers are chatting with each other. It’s not the end of the world when a dog has feces in its decently large cage for 30 minutes. It’s not the end of the world when we can’t give every single one of them toys and blankets. Simply look at the numbers, and if you’re not grateful by the amount of animals that are saved, you’re just downright neurotic.

And to go back to my biggest, most important point here. Almost everyone there is trying their best, and almost everyone loves these animals more than you could ever imagine. So stop whining just because you don’t see dogs with toys, or because you see volunteers being human and talking with each other, or because because they charge adopters more for puppy mill dogs. Be realistic and be grateful. This isn’t a fantasy land.

If you think the animals get mistreated, overall you’re simply wrong. Yes, it does happen sometimes. It happens everywhere in the world. But that shouldn’t take away from all the other amazing things that the shelter does. Sometimes, by no one’s fault, the wrong person is hired. And that’s just that. It’s life, it happens, it’s unavoidable.

Lastly, to address the “no-kill” policy, yes I agree it is a bit misleading. But while you do have to dig deep for it, on North Shore’s website they literally admit to putting down animals that are suffering. It’s extremely, extremely rare, but it does happen. Some dogs are simply a danger to society and cannot be handled, and you need to be realistic, because these dogs are probably not happy with life either. It’s a very sensitive topic, but sometimes there’s not much you can do. And it’s not like it just happens. Many people, knowledgable people, get together and have very deep discussions about it. It’s not like it’s one person making the calls. And it only rarely happens when an animal is suffering, either behaviorally or medically, because there’s simply no other option.


Backstory:
I don’t wish to reveal my identity in the slightest, but I was motivated to make this post after reading three negative reviews from other volunteers. Shame on you all for discrediting the dedication so many others put into this shelter. Be realistic and be grateful, we are all trying our best.

No-kill policy is misleading! I went to the TONH shelter to adopt a dog. We asked why certain dogs did not have adoption details on the cage. We were told that they were from NSAL. Apparently the TONH can do their dirty work for them.
They also release animals that have been abandoned at their doorstep either left in boxes or tied to their fence. I lived in that neighborhood and they are irresponsible and not true to their mission.

They don’t want you to adopt.
I adopted a wonderful cat from here 12 years ago
that passed way last year. I went Friday to adopt a new one. I was open to an older cat, but the woman that helped me kept only pushing cats with serious illnesses that needed constant care and/or
behavioral issues.
When I said I preferred a healthy cat (my last one had many health issues and it was super draining), she told me, well, all cats could have health issues
and you'd have to bring them to a vet anyway. Maybe you shouldn't adopt then. Wow, I guess you're ah awful person who doesn't deserve a cat if you ask for a healthy one. Go elsewhere.

I am heartsick at the practices I witnessed at North Shore Animal League recently. I have always thought of this organization as a stellar example of an animal shelter and was shocked by what I experienced yesterday. And I am not a potential adopter nor do I live in the area. My only involvement is that I served as a reference for someone hoping to adopt a cat. I write this as someone who is an animal lover and who has had animals all her life and as someone who has volunteered at two very well known, comparable organizations to North Shore Animal League. I foster cats at one place and was an adoption counselor at the other. In both places, the adoption emphasis is on education and making a match. There are resources for helping adopters post-adoption and the counselors try to steer the potential adopters to finding the right pet for their situation. Obviously, the organizations do have applications and they do check people out carefully before finalizing the adoption. But at no time is anyone made to feel inferior or bad and the emphasis is always, always on humane education.

I applaud NSAL for doing a thorough job vetting potential adopters and I appreciate the application process. I want each animal to live a long and happy life. I applaud them for asking for references and checking people out to determine that the adopted animal will be safe and well cared for. But there are ways to do it. I had to apply to foster, watch a video, attend a class, and have a home visit before being allowed to foster cats or dogs and it was HELPFUL. No one criticized me or told me why something was lacking or bad. I asked questions-how to make the foster area safe and how to cover carpet if need be (to protect from spreading panleuk or ringworm or fleas). The foster department advised me how to set up my area. They were supportive and reassuring.

I served as a reference recently at NSAL for someone who has cared for cats all her life and who has nurtured every. single. one. of them. into old age--the cats lived to 16 and 17 and were the center of the family's life. No one and I mean no one is a more conscientious adopter. So when I got the call and answered the questions, I was astonished and I mean flat out astonished that the staff person or volunteer contradicted me about feral cats and seemed to question the adopter's ability to care for cats. Listen, I have raised a feral cat. I recently fostered a feral cat. My organization adopts out feral cats specifically to be "worker cats." I don't pretend to be an expert but I'm not without any knowledge. There are feral cats who will never fully adjust to life with humans in a house, there are some who will-but only on their terms- and there are some who will and never look back. Kittens largely fall into the last category but it's not a given. And telling someone that a catio outdoors is simply a "tease" is just plain wrong. Is looking out a window or door a tease? The organization I work with has big windows looking outside with perches inside to enjoy the view. Is that a tease? May Sarton described cats looking outside as "reading the newspapers." Allowing a cat an enriched, safe space outdoors is something that's endorsed by every animal advocate I know. In addition NSAL distorted the question from is it ok to let the cat be outside in a catio to is it ok to let the cat sit outside in a cage.

The person I recommended was rejected. They claim that the vet who saw the cats could not confirm that she regularly vaccinated the cats. This is a true failure of NSAL's systems. When you reject someone who has raised 4 cats to old, old age, whose cats have been the center of her life, who managed to trap, neuter, and release a family of ferals-with no experience before that-who has rescued cats she found on her way to work in New York, who has (in my presence) paged a person in a supermarket to come outside and open the windows of her car for her dog, this is a failure of NSAL. If it's true that she did not vaccinate her cats on a regular schedule, EDUCATE HER that this is necessary and REQUIRE it as a condition of adoption. This is a person who only wants what's best for the animal and who is open to education. And to provide misinformation to the public-this is also a failure. The judgmental, narrow, rigid approach is a failure. Do they have so few unwanted cats in their shelter that they can afford this narrow approval process? Are they unaware of how badly some cats fare when left in a shelter? (Hello, that's when we fosters are called to help!)

I'm outraged and heartsick.

Do not give to or adopt from this place , their workers are rude and condescending! Go anywhere else. I believe they have dealt with animals so much, they have forgotten how to treat humans!

They are not friendly and put you through the third degree. They are negative and not helpful at all. Opening up a cage to look at a kitten is not even what they want to do at all so you can see which one you would like. You get one wrong answer on your application then they put you through hell and make you feel awful and make you wait around for nothing because they never intended for you to adopt one of their kittens. Very negative vibe at the facility. I have many opportunities to go somewhere else and get a kitten and I would never go there ever again.

They interview you for an hour and then expect you to wait in your car for a determinant of your eligibility to adopt. Even if they know they are going to reject you. They forget that you are committing to the time and expense of raising a and caring for a pet and behave as if THEY are doing YOU a favor. Don't they know there are a billion cats looking for a home? They deny good homes unnecessarily. Disgraceful

The women who work at the North Shore Animal League/Cat Adoption Center, in Glens Falls, NY, are all really dedicated. What's more is, the cat that I have adopted, who is said to be 11yrs old they have done everything to help get healthy and they have not asked me for a penny. They keep medical records on each cat and they make sure that they get the cats healthy that are brought to them as strays. They do great work and in this world where not many people care about stray cats, it is obvious how much the women at the shelter do care, and I cannot sing them enough praise. Thank you so very much, ladies. I love my Hudson so very much and I love you all too.

This place is a glorified pet shop..Their puppies come from the mills.. How many rescues do you know make a profit, and give their workers health insurance..They go all over the world looking for puppies and kittens, because they sell..They should be looking for homes for the average shelter dog that no one wants, but of course no money to be made on them.. Once they adopt their animals out, they want nothing to do with them.. They never take them back like Rescues do..Some of their dogs end up at the kill shelter in NYC. I know this as fact, because when one of their dogs ended up there, we contacted numerous times to come and get him out, because he was to be euthanized the next day.. It fell on deaf ears, and the dog was murdered by the shelter..Everyone is under the impression they actually care, but it's all about profits.. Look up what the executives make. It's a business that profits on misery.. Please contribute donations to actual shelters, and rescues that care..The ones who use their own money to support the animals when donations run out...Adopt from them..They can set you up with the right pet, and if it doesn't work out, they always take them back, under all circumstances, because when they save a life, they will always be responsible for that life.

1) we rescued a dog from an abusive home. He had NSAL tag so we called. NSAL said they don’t take the dogs back . Requested they out the owners name on a “do not adopt to” list. NSAL doesn’t have one.
2) hoarder house in New Hyde Park (NSAL ‘s “area”), they will not lend assistance.
WHAT DO THEY DO?? They only show up when they can get publicity. They DO NOT help the community. They help keep puppy mills in business by “showing up” and taking pure breed puppies.

A strong commitment to transport and place puppies and dogs from Appalachia into the shelter and then into homes. All medical care and needs are met by the shelter’s medical system as needed.

The commitment of rescue can fall apart when a puppy or dog is returned for biting or unwanted behavior. The same adoption mistakes are often repeated with these dogs until the animal is no longer desirable as a pet. Some dogs are not “ pet quality “ at all due to unpredictable behavior. Many dogs are not taken back that display aggressive behavior or that have bitten. To be fair many dogs are taken back years later if they are not aggressive. This all makes sense since space is not a luxury at the facility.

The very sad part is that they house dogs with behavior issues for years at this facility in small dark places. These are rooms the public never sees. The enclosures are small with glass gates they can’t see out of. These are rooms with no windows and lights shut off in the day. Many are also sedated, they are alive, just not living. Most days they are kept like this for 23 hours. Two or possibly three short relief walks are what they get. If they are lucky one of their favorite volunteers will be on duty and take them for a longer walk and/or to the park. The shelter is upholding their no-kill status, but killing the spirit of each dog at the same time.

I was a volunteer for nearly 7 years that kept waiting for things to get better for these hard case dogs. What is needed is a more efficient renovation of the property, the purchase of a sanctuary/ adoption center for large dogs. A better training program with teams for each dog in need of help. A protocol for placing dogs that have bitten before and more.

I always was wondering why they never set up free spay/neuter programs in the regions they pull puppies and dogs from weekly. I think the public would open up their hearts and wallets for more than just the gorgeous puppies they display on TV shows and ads. I think society is ready for real rescue not just a business plan.

The health center and also pharmacy are so unprofessional, uneducated, and just plain out rude and money hungry that it should be illegal and shutdown. Why hasn’t NYS done a check up ??? And the staff that work in there (answering phones making appointments etc) are just as bad if not worse.. forget I said answering phones, that’s a joke. Over hour wait most of the times on hold!!! However, take your money ,(which thought this was supposed to be a little cheaper ..HA!!) no problem though. Really need to be reviewed again. NorthShore is a joke. And can’t believe Beth stern supports this cruel shelter!!!!

I’m very disappointed in this company. I applied for a full time kennel associate job here and I got accepted. I had a strange childhood growing up and my mother didn’t want to give me my original documents. I only had copies. Once I moved out, she shredded my documents. I told this to both hr representatives here and the first one would not work with me at all. I was referred to this job. And they told me that they were able to give there original documents as it came in the mail bc she too didn’t have hers. When I called today as a follow up and to get my position back. This rude hr lady wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say. She rushed me off the phone as I was talking and then hung up. I shouldn’t have been treated like this. I’m a hard working individual and I would have loved to work here. Just sad. This place is terrible.

Employees are rude and engage in age discrimination. They would not adopt a cat to my grandmother, despite the fact that she would have provided a loving home to the cat and she has an amazing support system of family. They claimed the reason was because several years ago my grandmother surrendered a cat they adopted to her that literally urinated everywhere except in his litter box (although he defecated in his litter box). My grandmother tried for more than a year to work with that cat, and her vet ultimately suggested that she return it, which she did. Christian at first claimed they couldn't adopt to her because kitten behavior can be unpredictable, suggesting it might lead to a similar situation as before. However, when we explained to Christian that the cat we selected was an adult and has a very calm and relaxed demeanor, then he changed his story claiming my grandmother is on a "do not adopt" list. However, we made an appointment ahead of time under my grandmother's name and were never contacted about her being on a "do not adopt" list. Then Christian said she kept the other cat too long and should have surrendered him earlier. But later said that behavior correction can take a long time. Several times, Christian mentioned that cats can live 15-20 years. I wish we had read the reviews before going here because we would have seen all of the negative reviews. Don't go here to adopt pets. Contact a local rescue instead. My poor grandmother was very excited to be adopting a cat, and had to walk away empty-handed.

For decades my mother and her sisters have donated and adopted from nsal. And I adopted 2 cats from them. The last adoption being 2005. Never had a problem and were always happy with the pets we got. We've always used our own vets never used their vet services so I can't speak to that. But all the pets we adopted were healthy.

Our beloved 15.5 year old cat, had him since he was a kitten passed away. My first choice is to go back to nsal for another fur baby in July of 2020.

I fill out the 7 page application. The woman who called us to say we were approved and set up the appt was rude. We figure she's just having a bad day and thats why she has an attitude. We find out from our references that they were not contacted. We think it's odd. A week later we show up on time and they keep us waiting an hour in the lobby.

The place looks great, totally different from 16 years ago. Everyone there is very nice. We look at cats but don't fall in love so we make an appt for another time and leave empty handed.

A week later our references are contacted and they call us saying how rude and what a nasty tone the woman had with them, asking them tons of questions and kept them on the phone to long. Keep in mind they are at work. My references suggest I give up on nsal and go else where as who needs to deal with such a toxic person.

I think...uht oh..let me see if she was rude to the vets office. Yup she was.

Next day I get a call from miss rude complaining about my vet because they didn't bend over backwards for her. I tell her that I find her attitude offensive and unneccesary...she then hung up on me.

I'm so embaressed by her obnoxious behavior. She acted like her name was on the bottom of their paychecks and it's not. I had to apologize for her bad behavior. Those are my friends and my vet that I unleashed miss toxic unto..ugh...much to my chagrin.

I told my family what happened they were appauled and shocked. They won't be donating any more money to them.

Meanwhile my vet gave me the name of someone else who I can adopt from and assured me that person is normal and nice.

IMO any one who behaves that way to all those people has some serious issues and nsal should never tolerate an employee to be nasty. It's a shame because all the people we meet in the adoption center were very nice. But the one employee ruined it all.

We know we can't be the only ones who have been on the receiving end of miss toxics bad attitude. I seriously doubt nsal will do anything about it. It's a shame, because one bad apple can spoil the whole damn bunch.

I have to give it one star or else it won't let me post. Other wise I'd give it a bug fat zero.

I had to give one star to be able to post this. I’ve just had a horrible experience due to the lack of care my poor cat got. I applied to adopted a senior cat, I wanted to give an older pet a great home for life. I was given a 10 year old male cat who had recent ear surgery and was in a cone. He was sweet and I loved him right away. But I was not told the date he had his surgery. I had this cat 9 days. He never ate, never made, and seemed unable to walk. He was very very ill. I took him in for a vet visit after 3 days and the vet said he took a culture from his ear and will call me in 3 days. He didn’t. I called about 25 times, I sent 25 emails asking him to call me as I watched this cat get sicker each day. He was dying in front of my eyes and nobody at NSAL would give me another appt or tell this vet to call me. I was helpless. After 9 days I brought the cat back to the adoption center. It broke my heart but I knew that he would Probably get care at the adoption center, but not once I had adopted him. They are horrible. Don’t go there for anything.

Trying to spam people's mailbox with sweep take cash in the name of colleting so called "donation". I wonder how much of the money people donate actually went to the animals instead of someone's personal greed. Please Google how non-profit organization works and you will see the dark secret behind them.

I get your $25000.00
Mailings when I send a check it ok but when I send no check and click just enter me
I keep getting mail that says waiting for your reply you just want money your a scam outfit

I read the reviews here, and all with one star ratings o cover themes and frustrations that I have had experienced many times with other adoption agencies...I see a socioeconomic profiling process, with some elements of medical judgementalism thrown in. For example we were accused of 'letting out cats outside' because we took one of our cats in for a bite -done by another cat-, which is inevitable if you own a couple of cats. Did they really read the medical report? Did they only want to see that the cat was bitten and not the fact that we brought it in for treatment...? The real eyebrow raisers come from those pet shelters that want to visit other people's home...just like DCF...

I have never been so embarrassed in my life! Went here to get a 3rd cat from this place after having amazing experiences with my first two and was treated horribly. I wanted to adopt a beautiful baby boy with no tail. He had been there for a while with no one wanting him. Not only was my adoption denied. when I went to here the explanation in person not over the phone I was met in the lobby At reception infront of staff and visiters and was scolded! My previous cat passed away at 14 years old from being old! First I was told 14 was not old for a cat.. which is ridiculous! She told me average age is 22. Which is completely incorrect. Then she pulls out a vet printout and says u had options too give her MULTIPLE blood transfusions and u chose not to u chose to kill her.. can u imagine this? Yes we choose to put her to sleep bc she was old and suffering and those "transfusions" wouldnt have don't anything but torture her further according to the doctor himself!... how dare she judge us for such a hard painful choice we had to made... And make us feel like cat killers in front of everyone! I just feel bad for the cat that was left there alone with no home. They think they r holier than thou. I will never step foot in there again in and urge you to not go here! This is not a rescue it's a pageant parade! All they care about is their famous donations!!! They should be ashamed of themselves!!!

After adopting a dog over 20 years ago and a good experience I decided to adopt a cat. Overall the process was ok but i thought both myself and wife were being interrogated about a past pet she had. After explaining the situation and waiting 2 hours we were asked to come inside after calling us by phone..They said that we were not fit to be owners of a new cat treating us like we were criminals!
North shore animal league gets all 0’s from us. Terrible experience and process making us wait rather then telling us right then and there. I will never recommend north shore animal league to anyone. Avoid if possible!!

I have adopted two dogs from NSAL, the first many years ago went smoothly, this last one not so much- the cages were dirty-absolutely no comforts for the animals at all, some of the people there were mean and impatient with the animals. Our dog was so sick we took her to our vet 3 weeks after getting her, she had hookworm so bad and had it so long she has breathing problems, it took several months to get rid of. I used to donate all the time, I will find somewhere else to send my donations, I think the salaries of their management is disgusting.

My husband and I decided to get a dog for little girls, they've been dreaming about one.
So when we heard about the clear the shelters we thought that will be a good idea to drive there and get them one, we went there found a beautiful female dog was so so gorgeous , then they said that we have to do an application and wait a few hours to get the dog.
We went outside to eat by the time they will call us to pick the dog, but when we went back they called my name and told me that couldn't get in touch with my landlord which she was away at the time and I told them that she will be back after 2 months.
They said that they were sorry but they have to get he approve from the landlord.
I feel that they ask too many personal questions, how much we are making a year?
From what time to what time we work?
Who is going to be with the dog when we go to work?.............
By the end they told that the application wasn't approve!!! I was like I was applying for a loan . I just felt they were too much they made my girls cry , they broke there hearts, and everybody was complaining about all that waist of time , we have been there for 7 hours then left empty handed , a lady was there almost 9 hours for a cat.
They have to make it easy for us , we just were trying to adopt an animal not a baby.

I had a horrible experience adopting my dog two years ago. I went with my two adult daughters and husband. A volunteer let each of my daughters hold a puppy and because I didn't want to choose between them I decided to get both puppies. The volunteer went to get a manager and that is when the nightmare began. From the moment she entered the scene we were treated like crap on her shoe. She yelled at us and brow beat us. She yelled at us that we were not allowed to have two dogs out of the cage and we had to give one back. I preferred the dog my younger daughter held so she snatched the dog my older daughter was holding. My daughter got so upset she started to cry. Then she gave me a ridiculous story about why we couldn't adopt two dogs. Something about stress she said. Ridiculous nonsense because being shoved in and out of cages surely is more stressful. My husband wanted me to put the dog we chose back because he was appalled by the managers behavior. I wanted the pup we had so he and my older daughter went into the car and waited for four hours while my younger daughter and I went through the process. I filled out forms about past pets and my job and then endured ridiculous questions about what happened to my past lets. I wanted to ask her if she could read but didn't want to be thrown out. Instead I started to cry because I adored my last dog and couldn't bear talking about her. My younger daughter answered the questions. Then she yelled at me about all the ways they would take the dog back from me if I did this or that. I wouldn't have done any of the things she said. They did call my mother n law for a reference and we finally got to take our dog home. He was younger than they said according to my vet and is horribly socialized because he was never with other dogs. We now have two labs as well and he does not know how to interact with them. We purchased our labs because my husband would never go back to NSAL. It's a shame because these dogs need homes. I understand they are trying to make sure these dogs go to good homes but they were too much. Some people are nervous because they never had a dog and some like me lost a beloved pet! You don't have to treat people like crap to get an answer. Was she testing my patience? Doesn't matter because she was out of line. I read awful reviews before I went but I didn't think it could be possible. I have since spoken to many people who had horrible experiences there including relatives. I should have known better because 20 years ago my brother adopted a cat and was told it was a girl. I had to inform him it was not. I do want to say that the veterinary staff there are wonderful!! My dog was neutered there and they couldn't have been kinder.

For Leslie Whineberg....I am a volunteer foster parent for North Shore Animal League. I have fostered over one dozen dogs & cats over the past two years. In addition, I have volunteered in the shelter for the past six years. I can honestly say that I have never met a more dedicated group of volunteers and staff. The shelter is clean & the animals are well cared for. Every year, we save almost 20,000 animals from being killed! Leslie, maybe if you spent more time actually helping the animals rather than spending your time vindictively trying to hurt them with your lies, you wouldn't have time to submit your lies. In all the time I've spent walking dogs, assisting potential adopters & helping out wherever I was needed, i RARELY saw you!

Sharon

I adopted one of my most beloved cats from here many years ago. Because of him I even donated a car. What I subsequently discovered was that they would not take I stray kittens that were born in my yard or any other strays that I came across. Not too impressed with NSAL.

For ginniel - my personal opinion is just as warranted as yours, despite the fact that you do not agree with it. There are more people who agree with me than with you, both volunteers and staff who have left, and people who have gone there to adopt. Many people have asked me how I could have spent any time there at all. Obviously I have negative feelings about that place, which is why I left. An opinion is not a "vendetta". Perhaps you should look up the dictionary definition of that word. I don't know how you spend your time there, but when I was there, dogs spent an inordinate amount of time sitting near their own waste, while staff chatted with each other. Toys were just about absent, and certainly there were no beds or blankets. When you stand there and see dogs sitting on bare floors without even one toy, and then are told by management that they all have toys and beds, you have to question whether they even leave their offices. Twice, when I was walking around with a puppy, someone said I should leave them in their cages. Despite being told that the staff and volunteers were urged to spend time with these dogs, socializing them, I rarely saw anyone doing so, and I found it was actually discouraged.

The management is sullen, and authoritarian. I don't think I ever saw even one of them with a smile. They love to have publicity, and rely on their poster girl to claim their fame. Their main goal is to raise money. Just because a shelter is non-kill ( and I won't even go into that), does not make it a good shelter. I have been in many shelters where the atmosphere, and the personalities of all of the people there, were warm and loving. Certainly not at North Shore. I used to feel relaxed and free when I finally left for the day. It should have been just the opposite. The love and dedication to animals does not exist on the part of those who are responsible for the administration of the place. It is just a "job". There is a difference between wanting to have a "reputation", and actually deserving it.

Disgruntled? About what? Hardly. Disliking the place and the way it is run does not make one "disgruntled". Disappointed, yes. Disillusioned, yes. Obviously I left because I had negative feelings about the shelter, but that hardly translates to "disgruntled". I don't know how you spend your time there, but it was very disheartening to see groups of volunteers standing around chatting and laughing, having a nice little social get together, rather than spending their time with those poor dogs and puppies. They seemed to go there to get together with each other, but not to contribute much to those animals who needed them. Only one volunteer spent all her time really paying attention to those dogs, and you could see the love she had for them. It was very absent in the others. I used to watch some of the staff treating the dogs and puppies very badly, teasing them, pushing them into their cages, and slamming the doors of the cages so fast that the dogs were almost hit with those doors. I used to leave feeling I was abandoning those dogs to an existence of lack of attention and care.

You love it there? Good for you. Some day, you may spend some time at another shelter, and realize what a good shelter actually is. You may even meet people, as I have, who are in rescue, whose devotion to animals puts North Shore to shame. This is a forum for experiences and opinions about North Shore, whether positive or negative. It is not meant to applaud the shelter, and to whitewash any of its shortcomings. You will note the words above, which read "The most useful reviews are candid and personal"

Not that I mind if people earn a decent living, but according to their 2011 Form 990, the 3 senior vps and 7 of the 8 regular vps make more money than the sr. vets! The CFO makes over $166,000 a year while the Sr. VP of marketing makes over $173,000. The medical services director makes much less at $110,000, and the three sr. vets make just over $100,000. I don't live in NY so I am not aware of their cost of living, but I was surprised how much administration employees make in relation to the medical staff.

I have volunteered for over five years and LOVE our mission. We have a great group of folks that really care about the animals & we are truly a no-kill organization. I really don'y understand Leslie Weinberg's unjust analysis. She is a disgruntled former volunteer and should not be allowed to use this forum as a sounding board for her own personal vendetta.Shame on you Leslie....how can you try to hurt the animals? You know darn well the great work this organization does!!!

DO NOT adopt/buy/donate to NSAL. They are a FRAUD. Animal protection groups protested there in 1986, when I was there. nsal made 31million $$$, their expensese 30million. Their president gets paid $350,000. NON PROFIT??? I DO NOT THINK SO. They bought PRIVATE JETS!!! They ARE NOT helping homeless and abandoned animals.
Linda 212-676-7842
I was forced to give NSAL one star in order to get my comment printed. They get 0000 stars from any animal rescuer

I love the Help me Heal program and that they give updates on how the animals are doing. It's nice to see the pet whose story made me want to contribute be well & ready for adoption or be in their new home. I like that they care for animals who would probably not be given a chance in other agencies.

they refused to answer requests for information on how donations are spent and when i stopped donating they have continued mailings several months after i asked them to stop

I adopted a 6 month old cat in 2006 that had a heart murmur. He had been at NSAL since he was 2 months old, cute as a button, but I suspect no one wanted to adopt a less than perfect cat. I agreed to take him and much to my surprise, NSAL said that they would monitor and treat his heart condition for life free of charge. Since then, for the past 6 years, my cat received the best care with echocardiograms and medication with a caring veterinarian - the same one each time - and wonderful staff members at the hospital. I continue to donate to NSAL whenever I can for the wonderful work they do. I read a few criticisms of the president's compensation which I feel is totally unfair. I worked for nonprofits for over 25 years and you need to compensate talent fairly in order to attract excellent candidates. I am sure that the president of NSAL would make more money in the for profit world.

I've seen poor reviews for NSALA here on CN, and everyone is entitled to their opinions. But CN does not address anything relating to how they (charities) operate their "services". They give the ASPCA 4 stars, and we know they have the highest kill rate in the country. I personally don't find having total admin expenses less than 4% and fundraising expenses less than 17% outrageous, when you consider they do not euthanize ONE animal that can be saved. The same cannot be said for many of the "4 star" animal charities/shelters out there.

When I was young I worked directly with Mrs. Lewyt. We started the save a pet vans together..I was the vet tech that traveled to the high kill shelters and rescued the abandoned dogs, cats, pups and kittens. Mrs. Lewyt is the heart and soul of NSAL.Later in my career, I trained older dogs to asst. handicapped and seniors. The program was Helping Paws.We rescued 1000's of animals and gave them a new leash on life.I am now a prof. trainer,vet tech and a nurse.I rescue animals from high kill shelters, spay and neuter them and place them in forever homes.I learned from the best! I only wish I could still be working with Mrs. Lewyt.She is a true saint, dog lover and a friend of all creatures great and small. Donna Barry Foley,Redding,CT.

It's a shame that this organization pays so much to the CEO. That alone will keep me from donating to them. Other CEO's who make this much are bringing in 4 times the donations, so maybe they're worth it, but this CEO should be ashamed of him or herself.

As a former employee of NSALA, I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I do believe that NSALA could be a truly fantastic organization, but unfortunately it's currently run by a group of administrators that could care less about the animals they claim to protect. There are many good people that work there and who take excellent care of the animals, but the management has some serious problems that do trickle down to the level of the animals. The Medical Center is a full animal hospital on site where any sick cats or dogs are hospitalized until healthy enough for adoption. This area of NSALA is absurdly understaffed, leaving a skeleton crew of good-hearted, hard-working employees with far too many responsibilities to be able to take good care of the sick animals. And unfortunately, due to the # of animals in any shelter that are in close contact with one another, it's inevitable that most dogs and cats coming through the shelter end up with at least a minor infectious disease, which leads to a very busy hospital. The people who run NSALA do not devote any amount of effort to fixing the huge problems in the medical center, presumably because adopters are restricted to the clean, well-staffed main "kennel" building and never set foot in the hospital area. No amount of protest from the staff regarding these problems gets through to the administrators of NSALA, and they would much rather fire someone who is a potential whistle-blower than actually deal with the problems at hand. Aside from the poorly managed medical center, NSALA also has a reputation for bad customer service that is well deserved. Until this organization is run by a different group of administrators who truly care about the mission statement of the organization and who can better distribute the millions of dollars they bring in every year and who can provide an appropriate level of respect for their animals, employees and clients, NSALA will continue to have an extremely high employee turnover rate and many unhappy clients. I witnessed a number of terrible things that happened to animals there that were a direct result of incompetent people were running the organization. If you want your donations to go toward helping animals, I urge you to do your research and find a different charity that truly stands by its mission statement.

I used to donate to this group, but after reviewing their financial data, it seems that they spend a fortune on management salaries, almost 350K for the president...I feel that the money I donate should be used for animal welfare, and not to pay such exorbitant salaries.

This organization is completely run by a self serving, over paid individual whose main concern is image and not quality of the mission at hand. Working limited hours per week with little to no input or progressive thinking he puts NSALA in a bad place. The organization is known in the industry as bullies and labeled the "puppy mill pet store" because of their aggressive tactics to monopolize available animals.

The volunteers and a few key people really do care because it really is about saving lives..but this organization lays off anyone who may disagree or make a suggestion that goes against the grain.

Again, it's a shame because it really could be the National Brand they claim to be.....but unfortunately with the current management will never succeed.

For several years I donated to this charity because it advertises 'the largest no-kill shelter'. I am not in their area so I assumed their facility was as their beautiful website portrays it. Eventually I got a chance to visit and was very upset to find out what the place is actually like. I gave hundreds of dollars to these people and the animals and environment aren't even kept clean. Most of the workers don't seem to know what they are doing. For the amount of $ that I donated to my sponsor animal every month, he should have been living in the Taj Mahal!

I cancelled my sponsorship but they kept sending me mailings and emails. I finally had to change my email to get them to stop even though I asked them to take me off their email and mailing list. Once you give anything to this organization they will NEVER leave you alone and NEVER stop asking for more money. They probably look at all donors as "suckers" or "cash cows" to be milked for every possible dime, to finance their glossy mailings and high-tech websites.

Dog poop on the floor, dog poop on the ceiling, flaming dog poop on my front porch after I complained about the dog poop on my dog. They should call this place "North Shore Animal Feces", because that's all you get when you step foot/animal foot into the building. Also, not that it's their fault or anything, but they are in the sketchiest part of Port Washington, and although I can't prove it, I'm pretty sure they keep releasing rogue feline agents in an attempt to build a guerilla stray cat army to topple the North Hempstead regime. Scary doog poop. I stepped on a broken bottle walking down that street in flip-flops, and none of the animals lifted a paw to help me.

I recently made a donation to honor a family member's anniversary. Staff members handling the donation were rude, dismissive and unhelpful. I received no response to written or telephone communication. If this is how they operate when dealing with donors, how are they treating animals in their care?

this charity is not efficiently using donation income. Overpaying fundraising and overpaying salaries