The Animal Foundation

I fostered a dog for Best In Show. Charles helped me a lot w tips and he was constantly in communication. The AF is clean and the front desk staff is polite. Please foster or take a dog on aday field trip somewhere with some cool a c- this helps them exercise and grt a break from the shelter environment. The shelter is to capacity, please consider giving a pet a loving home indoors FOREVER ������������������Youll save a life & be eternally thanked by that pet

These people don't care about the pets. Almost half of the facility was empty and they said it was at capacity so they were turning away animals just because they didn't want to work

Had the most disgusting experience with the Animal Foundation the other night.
I had found this sweet dog roaming around my neighborhood for a few days. I asked around the neighborhood, but no one would claim him, so finally I was able to coax him into my home.
I was unable to keep the poor baby overnight because my dog was being aggressive with our guest, and I had no way to safely keep the dogs separated. Animal control and all the vets were closed. The 24 hour vet couldn’t take him so they suggested the Animal Foundation. The animal Foundation told me they could take him in.
I rush over to the facility right under the wire of closing time. I fill out the paperwork only to be told that they couldn’t take the dog because of my home zip code. I explained the situation on how I had exhausted all resources and I was unable to safely house the dog till the next day, they were my last resort. They refused to take him. They suggested animal control, but as an animal rescue, shouldn’t you know the hours of operation of animal control? Animal control was closed. I know I’m not the first person to take a lost dog in from a neighboring sip code. For the staff to have no suggestions or resources on hand for situations like these shows how little they care about the actual animals. After much arguing back and forth, I told the lady behind the counter that I was leaving him for his safety, and that I was leaving without him. I was told I could leave if I wanted, by that they had my address on file and that they would site me for abandonment if I didn’t leave with the dog. The total disregard for the animal’s safety and well being, along with the threat of legal action for doing the right thing of rescuing a dog off the street so he wouldn’t be hit by a car or worse, was absolutely appalling.
The facility is coldhearted, they lack resources for the people who come to them for help. They lack empathy and truly don’t care about the animal’s wellbeing. Disgusted.
Would leave no stars if I could.

I went in today to adopt a dog, I asked if I could be put on the waitlist and this worker name Dakota (red hair, eyebrow piercing, female) straight up told me no and that I have to come in tomorrow. What is funny is that right after I was told no, my friend goes in and asks to be put on the waitlist and without any questions at all they put her in the waitlist. Not only did she have an attitude, but after she found out that I was with my friend, she started getting treated different as well. I have never met her before this or have said or done anything ill will towards her, but I was being judged without even knowing me. All I wanted was a dog to bring home. I think for this institution to be better, they need to realize that it’s the people that makes the place better, so instead of treating the people that actually wants to adopt the dog like sh!t, treat them with respect, this shelter would operate much better. Thanks.

We arrived before opening on Tuesday, the 7th and were among the first let in. It was impossible to find the dogs we were interested in as there is no order to kennels and no one to help. We finally found a cage with 3 small dogs with one being out to be photographed. There was no one to help us take the 2 remaining dogs to a play area as there is no help. After getting acquainted through the cage my husband went to the main building to tell them we would take the dogs. He was told the wait was 3 to 5 hours and there were 19 people ahead of us. There were probably less than 19 people when it opened and this was less than an hour later. I believe these people were from the day or days before a d had to come back to wait some more as they could do "maybe 5 an hour." Needless to say we left without the dogs.
Ten years ago almost exactly we adopted 2 little dogs there with no problem. The young volunteers helped to bring our chosen dogs to a play area. One was obviously sick (a chihuahua) but we still wanted her. The other a yorkie mix. At the picnic tables there were workers with computers to take our information to send to main check out. We went to the front and there was no wait, they took id's and all information, we paid and came back the next afternoon to pick them up after their spay and neuter.
Both dogs were perfect and got along with our other 2 older dogs. We have an acre of land so there is plenty of room. Unfortunately, this last January our little baby chihuahua passed away and everyone misses her. That's why we of course thought to go back to the shelter where we found her. It has changed greatly, unfortunately for the worse and we will never go back. Somebody is making money off this place but it is not going to help the animals.
Two dogs lost forever homes because of lack of priorities at this shelter. If you are looking to adopt, try someplace else. We are still looking.

Cannot accept waiting long time then finally having my name called only to be told that I should have done something else which then was explained that I'd have to go on the wait list again. The issue is not the process but failed communications. I expressed my concerns with being out further down the list and received no apologies no optimism about the process but rather a lady tell me that I'm being a bully.. .really because I though it was called communications and you are failing miserably at accepting that I was misinformed and misdirected. I was there to adopt and the workers attitudes led to leave along with them accusing me of being whom I'm not...you wanna help dogs you have to first help the workers who are not effectively liste ING or accepting responsibilities

Very unorganized and the wait times are ridiculous. If I had known I would have not come here. Even though they give you a specific time to pick up your animal expect to wait several hours when you arrive. Won’t be doing this again for sure!

I took a beautiful, sweet, well-behaved, and loving boy on a two-day/night foster field trip to a hotel. I can't have another dog in my home due to my own pets. We had a wonderful time, all of which I documented with a long report of our time together and photos and videos. This pup deserved a chance at a loving home without question. When I called to check on him the day after his field trip ended, I was told he was being euthanized due to aggressive behavior with a dog and staff member. I was told no one was hurt, and despite being told that research shows that field trips decrease stress for the dogs and never increase it, I believe in my heart that he acted out due to reacclimating to being at the shelter after having a mom and home for two days. Based on being with him 24/7 for two days, he was NOT an aggressive dog, just the opposite. I was told that he was being euthanized due to this one event after just getting back to the shelter. I begged to give him a chance, to pay to take him to an overnight training facility, found a rescue willing to take him, and tried to get him back. I was refused and told they were killing him that day. I felt and still feel so helpless and guilty that I ever brought him back him there. He was a beautiful, lovely boy, who was an exceptionally friendly and sweet dog. He did not deserve to die, and I was unable to stop it. I am still sick about this, and wish I could go back in time and keep him out of there. He deserved a chance and instead, lost his life.

The foundation was at pets mart in Henderson today the line went out the door and come to find out they only brought 3 dogs and 3 cats. People left very upset I was told petsmart paid them a grant to them to be there for a week and was also told after today they prob won’t be back. One of the small dogs had a growth on his side we was told if we adopted him it would be our responsibility to take him to our vet and have it taken care of. Seriously you break some child’s heart because the parents can’t take this poor baby there child might have fallen in love with.
Shame on you animal foundation!

My dog got out due to the wind blowing open a gate and was taken to the Animal Foundation. They told me I could not come in and look at dogs but instead needed to look online. A month passed and I found her on a facebook post done by an animal group. I contacted them and they told me to contact the Animal Foundation. The Animal Foundation told me since I never claimed her, she was given away. I didn't claim her because they categorized her as a male so when they forced me to search their website and I searched for females, she never was in the results. How do people not understand male or female?! This place is horrible.

I had to euthanize my little Dachshund, who was almost 15 years of age, in November 2020. For two months now, I have been trying to adopt a shelter/rescue pet in Las Vegas. I found this very challenging and disappointing. I contacted 6 different places and filled out online adoption forms. Unfortunately, not one of these places ever contacted me on their own. When I contacted them again, I went through a phone interview and sent photos of my home to them as requested. They told me that if I didn't hear back on the dog in which I was interested, to contact them again. I never heard back from any of them. I decided that I was not going to be at their mercy anymore, so I found a breeder in Las Vegas, NV, and purchased a little long-haired Dachshund. As much as I wanted to adopt a shelter/rescue pet, the facilities did not at all make it easy. I really tried, but gave up. My new little puppy will be given a forever happy, loving, and safe home for the rest of his life.

I would stay far away from AF. They alter animals while they are still on stray hold, won’t release animals, and try lining adopters up for animals that are being claimed by their true owners. This place is a poor excuse for a “rescue”.

I was at the shelter teen age telling me your not supposed to Stern with a 2yr old pit lot of these dogs you have to be the first dog among the pack is you !I wish they not be so Racial over a pet I would avoid animal foundation because by not having good judgment on how they talk to the public you can relate with these animals better than you can relate with these young staff of girls with attitudes and racial issues

I am amazed every day by the numbers of animal lives saved at The Animal Foundation. This shelter is contracted with 3 jurisdictions to receive all animals picked up by animal control officers. As well, the admissions department has an 'open admissions' policy which means they take in any animal brought to them by anyone seeking shelter for a lost stray or their own pet that can no longer stay in the owner's home. We intake over 70 additional animals on average every day.
The shelter houses, provides medical care when needed, and spays/neuters, microchips and vaccinates every shelter pet before sending them to their forever homes or returning them to their owners. The campus also contains a low-cost clinic that offers spay/neuter surgery, microchips and vaccinations to our Las Vegas community.
170 employees and hundreds of volunteers keep the 8-acre campus running while providing a safe, happy environment for the shelter pets coming into our care through no fault of their own. The Animal Foundation's mission is to save the lives of all healthy and treatable animals in the Las Vegas valley.

The Animal Foundation is a terrific organization and they do fantastic work for our community! Please consider volunteering at this organization or contributing in any way you are able. They are incredibly deserving of any assistance you can offer. I volunteered with another shelter in the past who had about 40 animals in their care at any given time. I was very surprised when I saw the enormity of this shelter and the large amount of animals and community they are able to reach. They offer an abundance of outreach programs to assist animals and families with animals in need of assistance such as Pets For Life, Keeping Every Person and Pet Together (KEPPT), Low Cost Spay Neuter, Low Cost Vaccines, Community Cats Program, etc. This organization is truly dedicated to their cause and has helped so many. Please help them continue to serve our community and the animals within it.

The Animal Foundation does amazing work for pets without homes, pets within our community that need care and assisting pet owners with their needs. I have had the wonderful experience of helping The Animal Foundation in their mission by fostering and then adopting a kitten who has become a beloved family member. I have truly had an amazing experience working with them and am awed and humbled by the volume of animals and guests they are able to help every day. I highly recommend working with and supporting this organization in any way possible.

I love The Animal Foundation. They're constantly working to save more lives and reach different parts of the community. My parents adopted two dogs from there and we couldn't be happier. Thanks to the amazing staff and volunteers at The Animal Foundation, our pups were loved and well taken care while waiting for their home with us.

I have continued to support The Animal Foundation through donation supply drives and by helping other animals get adopted.

Best selection of animals in town, and great play spaces for getting to know them. Staff is friendly, helpful and committed to their mission.

If you can't adopt, The Animal Foundation will set you up to foster for a just a few hours or for several weeks - whatever suits your schedule.

The Animal Foundation offers a broad spectrum of volunteer opportunities for a broad spectrum of volunteers. People not wanting to work directly with animals can help with administrative tasks or helping clean enrichment toys like 'Kongs' for dogs. Younger volunteers can quickly gain 'life experience' by building confidence working with timid or boisterous dogs -- maintaining a calm, leadership demeanor with them and using positive-reinforcement to promote desired behavior. Communication skills experience can be gained by performing public 'outreach' tasks like staffing an information booth at off-site events or helping members of the public on campus.

As a non-profit, open-admission shelter, TAF is required to take any domestic animal, and thanks to a variety of community programs, the daily intake number is decreasing, but the *reality* remains that The Animal Foundation is the one bearing the burden of what is a rather prolific community problem. Most other area shelters and rescue groups are 'no-kill' operations because they have a luxury that The Animal Foundation does not -- the ability to turn-away a pet in-need, due to limited available resources. Notice how those who claim The Animal Foundation kills way too many animals, and those who operate the couple 'no-kill' shelters in the area never say "Hey, DON'T surrender your aggressive dog or turn-in that stray cat to TAF -- bring it to us instead!" There's a reason for that -- they do not want, and cannot handle -- that sort of traffic load. The Animal Foundation provides that necessary service to the community, and does the best it can, while always striving to do better. In my four years of volunteering, I have yet to deal with a potential adopter who says "Hey, I want to adopt a dog with major issues!" Yet I have been there when many people have surrendered dogs with major issues. Even in the case of a calm, young & healthy dog, it may take weeks or months before that dog is adopted (as I write this, there are a handful of dogs at TAF who've been up for adoption for about a year...), meanwhile more dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. arrive each day, some of them with behavioral issues. Dogs that have issues beyond TAF's limited resources to treat at the shelter could be placed into foster homes, and are certainly made available to rescue groups prior to euthanasia being considered, but some individuals & rescue groups seem to recognize their right to claim 'limited resources,' yet by criticizing The Animal Foundation's use of euthanasia, try to deny the reality of TAF also having limited resources. One of the hardest parts of volunteering at an open-admission shelter like TAF is occasionally having to hear the vitriol from idiots who are incapable or unwilling to deal with reality, yet by actively volunteering at an open-admission shelter, you're actually going to help save more lives of animals than you will by sitting at home posting anti-TAF rants on-line.

The Animal Foundation's contract with local governments is greatly misunderstood, and is used as misinformation/disinformation by TAF's few but vocal detractors. The tax dollars mostly go to care for animals during their legal 'hold' period (in most cases, that's just a few days). After that, the expenses to house & care for the animal --and all animals up for adoption-- is funded by the non-profit side of The Animal Foundation, which despite being a 501(c)(3), last year lowered adoption fees in an effort to get more animals adopted out. That demonstrates their priorities. The Animal Foundation makes good use of their limited funds by incorporating volunteers as much as possible, and trained/experienced volunteers can be in-position occasionally to perform some highly important and high-visibility tasks, should they show the ability to do so. One day you may be walking a dog, getting some slobber on you and picking-up it's poop, but the next evening, you may be representing The Animal Foundation at a fundraiser gala, casually talking about TAF programs with people the Mayor of Las Vegas, Chairman of the Board of Clark County Commissioners, CEO of MGM Resorts, etc. (all examples are people that I've gotten to speak with while representing TAF), as well as members of the public. Feeling tired or recovering from minor surgery? You could sit at a desk, helping fill envelopes, or calmly sit in a kennel socializing with a timid dog. Wanting to get some exercise? You can easily get a couple miles of walking in by walking dogs up for adoption, or running around, playing with dogs in the off-leash play yards. Working with somewhat 'rowdy' dogs can be mostly a mental exercise ("The more of a mind-game you make it, the less of a physical challenge it will be") and it's wonderful to see how it works. The psychology is applicable to many interpersonal situations as-well!


The Animal Foundation provides a multitude of personally-enriching opportunities for volunteers to help animals in-need. While first and foremost, you should volunteer out of an altruistic desire to help animals & your community, doing so will provide you with many tangible & intangible rewards.

[I have 20+ years experience as an active volunteer with a variety of local & national rescue-groups and non-profit shelters in several states, performing a variety of roles from cleaning kennels to training/supervising other volunteers & even staff]

I have been to two Shelters in Vegas. One shelter charges too much and has horrible hours for the public to adopt their future "kids".
The Animal Foundation is open 7 days and until 1900 which gives plenty of time for a lot of people to rescue a very deserving animal. I have been volunteering for 6 months and every time I come here I see that the pens, play area, and walk area are kept clean.
The cats are kept in a separate area and their pens are clean as well.
I rescued my cat who recently passed away at age 21 from this place and we both give it two thumbs up.

The Animal Foundation is a stellar organization, from its dedicated volunteers to its hardworking and nurturing staff. They truly care about the animals who are entrusted to them and work diligently to find all of them loving homes. I donate each month to support their efforts and couldn't be happier with the work that they do!

I have volunteered for a number of nonprofit organizations in Las Vegas over the years and these are the hardest working, most dedicated people I have ever seen, working with what appears to be a very lean budget. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that an organization could save as many lives as they do on the budget they have. Their volume is mind-boggling. They are one of the largest volume animal shelters in the United States and during them summer they take in as many as 100 animals a day! Yet they seem to care for each and every animal equally and a lot. Every dollar the organization gets, it spends well and focuses on its core mission, saving as many pets as possible.

Not impressed, makes it difficult for other rescues to get animals out. With stellar organizations, such as Nevada Humane Society, in such close proximity, this group fails miserably at getting healthy and fixable animals out. Nevada Humane Society became no-kill with one remarkable person, who simply said "no more killing" and followed through.

Great charity helping animals in need. Yes, they are a kill shelter. They HAVE to be under contract with the government. They do not want to kill healthy animals. Every year their numbers go down. The more help they get, the less they will have to kill.

The only reason I give the Animal Foundation two stars is because, despite all the killing, they do adopt out animals so some good is being done here. I agree with another reviewer that this 'shelter' is not a humane shelter. They needlessly kill animals and blame the County Commission for their regulations. They are a glorified animal control pound that kills perfectly adoptable animals because they are 'required to do so' under their contract with the County. If they are held to certain laws/regulations that are beyond their control, then call a spade a spade and stop touting themselves as a humane organization. They mislead the Las Vegas community and should be ashamed of that. The Volunteer Orientation Coordinator (a paid staff member of the Animal Foundation) blatantly lied to me and a room of at least 60 other would-be volunteers about the circumstances that require them to euthanize dogs. I only walked dogs at the Animal Foundation twice before I learned that a dog I had walked was killed. I know from personal experience that the dog wasn't vicious and didn't deserve to die. In my opinion, the Animal Foundation isn't a charitable organization and it doesn't deserve your hard-earned dollars.

I've volunteered at many events with The Animal Foundation and it is always a great time. The health and happiness of the animals and the families they are going to, is the priority of everyone involved. Making sure each animal has a good forever home, that the process is speedy, and that the animals feel loved, is what guides the foundation. I am so happy it exists.

I love volunnteering there! They make it fun and easy to volunteer and become active in finding homes for these furry friends!

If you want to feel good by helping abused,neglected or surrended animals looking for love and be with wonderful people.....come here with me and volunteer.

I attended my first training session and I just want to commend the Animal Foundation for their skilled and well informed volunteer trainers in providing me with the knowledge I needed to learn to be an
integral part of such a wonderful organization!

I was also impressed with the cleanliness and attention to the security, well-being and safety of all
the animals in their care.

I left with the feeling that this is a compassionate and professionally run facility that truly inspires one to want to save a life whether its a dog, cat or other exotic animal.

I can't wait to return and get started with volunteering here and also taking as many training classes as I
can to improve my knowledge and feed my interest in understanding and caring for as many animals as possible to achieve the ultimate goal of getting them adopted out to good and loving homes.

Sincerely,

Cheryl O'Brien
Volunteer

The Animal Foundation claims here on this page to have transparency, but in reality they are anything but transparent. They hide information from the public and won't answer questions about what happened to certain animals that "disappear" . They also fool the general public with overpopulation myth.. this is a proven myth. They kill healthy adoptable dogs daily. They profit plenty and won't even make simple repairs in the dog kennels that are safety hazards. This non profit is ALL ABOUT profit. Its despicable how they operate.

What AF doesnt tell you is that they euthanize 63% - or over 24,000 animals - annually, despite a surplus of over 4.7 million dollars in 2011. Pet overpopulation is a myth. Seventeen million households add a pet every year, and 4 million healthy, adoptable animals are euthanized every year. The issue is not overpopulation or community failure to step up. The issue is that it is easier and more profitable for AF to kill than it is to work their butts off to find homes for the animals that end up in their facility.