My German Shepard puppy Jordan was sick from the start. We bought her from someone that said she had all her shots and that her brothers and sisters were healthy and strong. That turned out to be untrue. Jordan was lethargic from day 1. I happened to meet Christina from Ruff Patches at Petsmart one day and as soon as she found out what was going on she jumped into action. In addition to donating from her organization, she immediately contacted all of her supporters and got Jordan into a veterinarian hospital Although Jordan didn't survive, she gave her a fighting chance when I could not afford to do anything for Jordan. I am so thankful to Christina, Ruff Patches, and to all those that donated to help a total stranger. Ruff Patches is truly an honest, legitimate organization that truly exists out of love for animals.
Great people. I wasn't interested in adopting, but they were so nice I asked some questions about my dog. They gave me a place to go to get her spayeded cheap, but it was still a good place. I wanted to get it done, I just didn't have $$. I didn't know about the place they told me about. Very helpful.
I can't believe how great these guys are! I adopted 2 cats from them and even after a few months, one wasn't doing well. She seemed scared all the time. Christina came over, saw what was going on, figured it out right away and gave us "homework" to help the cat settle in better. She was right! Once we learned to speak "cat", we learned what scared her and how to help her when she got startled. Within a few weeks, she and the other cat were best buds. I couldn't recommend them enough!
I was at Petsmart cause I found some kittens and didn't know what to do. These guys took the time to not only show me how to feed and take care of them but then emailed me a guide on what to do. I've come back and asked questions and they help every time. Thank you!
I've been volunteering with this group for over 4 years. I love that they put educating the public first instead of judging them. When someone wants to adopt a pet, they don't just try to get the pet adopted to anyone. They make sure it's the right pet for the right family/person. This is easily the most professional group I have volunteered for and I've volunteered for a few in the area.
Christina and her volunteers are amazing! I was having trouble finding a way to help my dog who has had chronic issues with her ears for years. They connected me with someone that could help. They like to support other businesses and rescues, which you don't see a lot. Thank you for all of your help!
The leader is so open and honest and able to talk to people. She is very dynamic and approachable. Also very appreciative. She does whatever it takes to keep things going to try to give animals a chance.
Christina is tireless and dedicated and kind and wonderful. Thanks to her and her wonderful personality, she has saved countless animals with her open heart and loving care for them all.
Wonderful group of people giving friendly helpful advice with pet adoption
Christina1147 11/29/2017
Glad we could help!
This nonprofit is amazing and care greatly for their animals. The board members are professional and do everything in their power to keep the organization running at its best.
Christina1147 11/29/2017
Thank you for the kind words! We do our best...
Helped me to find GREAT homes for 2 strays I was fostering. They are now pampered pooches! :)
Christina1147 11/29/2017
I'm glad we could help! Bowser and Bella are sweethearts!
I got a cat from ruff patch and she was having trouble getting use to my dog. Christina from ruff patches came to my home worked with my cat, dog and me until they learned to acclimate to each other. I would recommend ruff patches to any interested in a dog or cat. I was told that when I got an animal from them it was like becoming part of the family and it's true there are always there to help in anyway.
Christina1147 11/29/2017
I'm so glad we were able to make it work! You guys are great owners! HUGS!
After 2 months of seeing Aslan the cat in a Petsmart glass cage depressed,we decided to adopt him. We filled out an application to which we were told by a volunteer that it was perfect. We were told to come back at a later time to meet with the president of the Ruff Patches organization. When I returned I was told that due to illness that the lady would not be in that day(they had our phone number to call instead of letting me drive the half hour back). After review of my application the president whom only contacted me through text which most of the time was late at night 9-11pm told me my app was great. We tried setting up a home visit several times but due to each other's prior engagements took a week to accomplish, did I mention that this was all through text which I answered in the mornings and only received texts back late at night. The day of the home visit I was told the cat would be with her and if all went well we could adopt him. When she finally showed up 2 hours late, the cat was not with her. During the home visit she praised at how well we treated our pets and told us we were excellent animal lovers and pet owners. She saw that one of our dogs was not neutered and told us that might be a problem. Really? We explained he has epilepsy and that putting him under anesthesia might kill him and under our vet's advise we have not neutered him. She then brought up our other cats and said that she would have to ask her personal friend,the vet, to see if our cats could transfer feline leukemia or feline AIDS to Aslan. We told her our cats had not been tested but have been vaccinated. 2 days of waiting for an answer to at which time we contacted vets to see if there would be some kind of problem, we were told that as long as all cats even the new one were vaccinated all would be fine. 10:45 pm 2 days after the home visit we were told we would not be able to adopt Aslan because her vet told her that our cats could spread disease for a long time after, after what? Our cats and Azlan have been vaccinated, so? We were also told we have more than the legal number of cats allowed under our county code, which is 5 and we have 4. We were told that a new board member with a legal background said that there would be a problems with us adopting him per county code. Not anywhere on their application was anything explained as to what would or would not allow adoption. We felt as though these policies were made up as we went along.
While going through this process the president told us this cat was her soulmate and she was going to keep him until she saw our application which she said was perfect and she thought we would make a good home for Aslan. Which I personally believe she had no intention of allowing us to adopt him. If Aslan were her soulmate why then was he in a glass box for 2 months. Just a question. We were strung along for a week hoping we would adopt him, but we had the feeling her intentions were to just string us along and find any reason she could not to allow the adoption. We feel her reasons were unjustifiable. We did our research and with our findings according to vets and county code, the reasons are bogus! If she just wanted to keep Aslan herself, that reason would be very acceptable! MY PERSONAL OPINION IS TO NOT SUPPRORT Ruff Patches. There are plenty of proffessional animal rescues other than them.
Christina1147 09/21/2015
I’m sorry that your experience with our organization did not move forward in the way you hoped. Aslan is still up for adoption, despite your assumption that I am keeping him. The cats that live at Petsmart are visited by staff and volunteers regularly and they get out and play daily. Aslan was and is far from depressed. As for the timing of communications, we are an all-volunteer organization. We devote our extra time, including weekends, to saving animals lives. We communicate when we can and as soon as we can. We don’t have paid staff to take on that task. On your adoption application, you misrepresented that all 6 of your dogs had been sterilized. Therefore, when I saw one dog that was not neutered, I inquired as to why. Your husband responded that you wanted to breed him. Then you stated that he had epilepsy and I responded that obviously, that was a legitimate reason and that was fine. We never stated that you were denied due to being over the limit for cats. We stated that you were over the legal pet limit and that could have ramifications for all of your pets. The pet limit statute for Los Angeles County states “Limits – Up to three (3) licensed and altered dogs may be kept at any residence. Up to five (5) licensed, altered, and indoor cats may be kept at any residence. Keeping animals in excess of these amounts requires an animal facility license. (Los Angeles County Code Sec. 10.20.038)” You have 6 dogs in residence at your home. It doesn’t matter who owns what dog. The statute is per property, not per person. Secondly, the person we consulted was a licensed veterinarian who also happened to be a friend and would give me an answer during non-work hours. Otherwise I would have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to reach the vets we work with. I hoped she would be able to answer me the same day, but she couldn’t. Your blanket statement that “We told her our cats had not been tested but have been vaccinated” is exactly why we couldn’t place Aslan with you. It’s more complicated than that. And at that time I did say you could test each cat before adopting Aslan, but it would be expensive. The core feline vaccinations that are given, according to the The American Association of Feline Practitioners, covers the following diseases: feline distemper (panleukopenia), feline calici virus, feline herpes virus type I (rhinotracheitis) and rabies. As you can see, FELV and FIV are not covered in standard vaccinations and are separate. Therefore, the fact that your cats were vaccinated had no relevance to the issue at hand – that during the time they lived outside, your cats could have been exposed to FELV and/or FIV. Therefore, they would need to be tested to assure they were negative for FELV and FIV before any new cat should come into your home. When you stated that your cats all started off as outdoor cats and you converted them to indoor cats is when I became concerned and asked if you had them tested. According to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, the test for FIV should be done “If your cat is exposed to cats that may be infected (for example, if your cat goes outdoors unsupervised or lives with other cats that might be infected).” Even if you had your cats vaccinated for FIV, the College states “As for FIV, a vaccine has been developed, but its efficacy against all strains of the virus is yet to be determined. The key to combating the spread of these infections, therefore, is to identify infected cats and to prevent their coming into contact with uninfected animals.” Regarding FELV, the College states that it can be contracted by “Cats allowed outdoors unsupervised, where they may be bitten by an infected cat.” Since your cats had been outdoors previously and had not been specifically tested for these two diseases, it would be irresponsible of us to place any cat known to be negative into that environment. The Board’s decision was not personal and I absolutely meant it when I said you seemed to take excellent care of your pets and were great pet owners. However, the fact that you appear to be a good pet owner doesn’t counter the science of disease or the LA County law regarding pet limits that we must abide by for the health and safety of the animals in our care.
I have and am currently fostering for Ruff Patches. Ruff Patches is an awesome organization. They have helped many dogs, puppies, cat and kitten!
Christina1147 11/29/2017
Thank you! You are so dedicated! We are lucky to have you!
I fostered and volunteers a few times for ruff patches. They are an amazing organization in our community they help many many dogs and cats in this community. They are awesome!
Christina1147 11/29/2017
Thank you! We need volunteers like you to keep saving lives!
Obviously, since I am a Board member, I believe the work we do is very important! We hold adoptions to find homes for homeless pets. We also provide free or low-cost dog and cat behavioral counseling to assist pet owners in keeping their pets! One major part of our mission is to keep pets from entering the shelter system to begin with, so we provide as many support services as possible - behavioral counseling, through Grace Resources we donate pet food to owners who need assistance and when we have the resources, we assist with veterinary costs.
This group helps those in need of placement for their animals, those in need of training for their animals in order to keep them in their home and can also help with food for animals for a short time in times of emergency. They work with Grace Resources to provide food for homeless dogs and cats and with other rescues for animal placement. They are AWESOME!
Christina1147 11/29/2017
Thank you! Hugs!
Comments ( 1 )
Christina1147 11/29/2017 I'm so sorry that Jordan didn't make it. But I'm glad we met! And if you need any help with your new dog, you know where to find us!