Shortly after we moved to Fresno, I lost one of my long time pet dogs. I was not going to get another, but when taking some donations to VAC, I casually asked if a small female fluffy dog might be available. The nice lady said not yet, but we did get get one in that will be available in a few days. When I asked if I could see her, she was very happy to show her to me. Right then I decided to adopt the little girl if my wife approved. I then asked the lady, Lauren, if she would reserve the dog for me until I could bring my wife to see her. The next day when my wife saw how much I already liked the little girl she agreed that we should adopt her. The next day when she could be released, I picked her up and we went directly to to groomer. When I got her home, my other dog which had been the alpha tried to get fresh with her and she put him in his place right then and there. Made me so proud of her. We changed her name from Lacy to Lady Bug and she has been just a great little dog. I often wonder, how could someone have put such a great little animal in a shelter? Actually, she had already been put on the kill list at another shelter when Valley Animal Center rescued her and I am very thankful they did.
I have acted in the capacity of General Legal Counsel to VAC for the past several years, I have adopted members of my animal family from VAC and have participated in several fundraisers and other activities sponsored by VAC. I have found this to be one of the most rewarding organizations to be a member of as well as enjoy all interactions with all of the staff and directors of this facility. The new dog park is a most welcome addition and has been the result of much planning and hard work on the part of all of the VAC staff. I highly recommend many of my clients to VAC if they are looking to adopt and try to make pet adoption one of my top priorities whenever speaking with friends, family and clients.
We need the entire Valley to adopt a no kill policy and i hope that one day the influence of this wonderful community of people will have that effect on the rest of the animal care facilities here in the San Joaquin Valley as well as surrounding areas. duroli
I have recently started volunteering at the Valley Animal Center. It is a great non profit no kill animal shelter that gives dogs and cats a temporary home until they can find their forever owner. This is the cleanest and best kept animal shelter that I have ever been to. The animals are provided with a clean and healthy environment that ensures a healthy dog for potential owners. I love volunteering here because I get to clean, help out, and just play with the animals. The animals there are so loving and happy and really appreciate volunteers like myself taking their time just to give them some attention and affection.
The Center is one of the few no-kill shelters that provide continuing care for cats/kittens. Having placed a formerly feral cat here, I have witnessed they provide close scrutiny to be certain the cats have good medical care and interaction with people as well as other cats while awaiting a forever home. I visit this shelter about three times each week and observed that the suites are kept clean and comfortable. The staff is professional but also personable. From my observations, the dogs have a lot of attention and exercise. It's amazing how they are able to carefully extend a limited budget.
Animal Valley Center deserves much recognition for being a top notch facility and safe haven for unwanted animals. They treat the animals as if they were their very own. The facility is clean, beautiful and filled with wonderful staff whom are professional, attentive, sympathetic, and caring. They go above and beyond to help people and animals . Animal Valley Center is a blessing to our community!
This is the premier facility for the region, serving the Central Valley's unwanted dogs and cats in need of care, shelter and rehabilitation with the end goal of adopting these animals to loving families. This facility was thought out in its constructing phases and is staffed with very caring and professional individuals passionate about animal welfare. The premier facility offers state of the art vet care and living quarters to include indoor / outdoor access plus a dog park with fountains and a wading pool for humans and their dogs.
I can not say enough great things about the Valley Animal Center! The people there are amazing. They are so helpful and their caring attitudes shine through with everything they do. The Valley Animal Center truly cares about the animals they provide homes for and the community they serve.
VALLEY ANIMAL CENTER IS ALL ABOUT TAKING CARE OF UNWANTED ANIMALS AND THE PEOPLE WHO DONATE THEIR TIME FOR THAT OBJECTIVE. THIS IS NOT ONLY A STOP OFF FOR THESE ANIMALS BUT ALSO A HOME FOR SOME, A HOME THAT MANY MAY NEVER HAD HAD. ITS ALSO A PLACE FOR VOLUNTEERS TO TO GET INVOLVED AND BRING SOME LOVE INTO THESE LIVES AND IN RETURN GET A LOT OF LOVE BACK. AFTER MY WIFE RETIRED, SHE STARTED VOLUNTEERING ,CHANGED HER LIFE AND IS NOW AS HAPPY AS SHE HAS EVER BEEN. WE BOTH SPEND TIME THERE NOW
I am a professional pet sitter and a volunteer for Valley Animal Center. I have helped raise funds and donated food as a community project and have foster parent to VAC puppies. This organization has its act together, they do an outstanding job of caring for all the animals in their charge, they are organized and get things done, work with the community and have the forsite to continue to grow to make the Central Valley a better place for homeless animals. The low cost spay and neuter clinic is a great resource for the many other non-profit shelters in the valley who are trying to do their part. It is my pleasure to help support this great organization in any way I can.
Every year I have my picture taken with all of the good cats and dogs. This picture is something you will always cherish and makes a great Christmas Card. All of the volunteers and people that work there are the nicest people you will ever meet. They show an amazing kindness and caring spirit for all of the cats and dogs that are just looking for a special home they can go to. Please come by and see me on Saturday November 16th and join in the fun. I'm looking forward to seeing you.
Santa Paws
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Valley Animal Center is the place in the Valley to adopt a cat or dog. All of the staff at Valley Animal Center show so much concern for the dogs and cats at their shelter. The shelter is very clean and professional. I have had the extreme pleasure of volunterring at the shelter and have had the opportunity to see firsthand how all of the staff interacts with the cats and dogs in the shelter. They truly care about the animals and do evrything they can to have them adopted into caring families homes. In fact my dog Mason came from the shelter and is a fantastic dog.
Our company, Island Photography, has partnered with Valley Animal Center by providing some technical services to Valley and by encouraging our customers to donate to the Center. We picked Valley because of their humane, ethical and professional manner in running the no kill shelter. Everyone with whom we have contact in their organization is exceptional. They are knowledgeable, dedicated, hard working folks and just plain fun to be around. Our expectations have been exceeded time and again. We have lots and lots of animal lovers in our company and we are all very grateful the the Valley Animal Center exists for the benefit of the animals in our communities. Ed Jaeger, president/owner, Island Photography
This is a good shelter because the animals are very happy and well taken care of. They have a wide variety of feline and canine companions to choose from and take home to the family. They also have good events that showcase the variety of outreach programs they have established. There is also a top notch dog park that is state of the art and very cool for a low low cost to use.
I have been a volunteer for at least 20 years and this is the best shelter every, they are best on helping all of our animals. Thank you Valley Animal Center for all your help in our community.
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I like the fact there is a no-kill shelter in Fresno that is helping to save animals and also provide lo-cost spaying and neutering. I do wish the kennel staff was more professional and friendlier though, which is why I gave them 3 stars instead of 4.
i have been a volunteer for about a year and love every minute. the animals are kept in great condition the place is so clean no odors lots of room. The dogs are always being walked and the cats are always being cuddled and the staff are just such special people, i cannot say enough good things about this wounderful place. maggie
A few years back, it was time to update the beneficiaries I had designated "just in case". I picked a few animal charities that I was aware of. The Valley Animal Center I was unfamiliar with. With one phone call, I was invited to their annual Christmas party for the animals and received a tour of their facilities. I was very impressed by the care, and the love by the staff and volunteers, the animals received. It was very clear that at the Valley Animal Center, it is all about the animals. The staff and the volunteers are there for one reason, to find a cat or a dog a forever home and help them live a wonderful life until then. I decided to make the Valley Animal Center my #1 beneficiary and both myself and my daughter are glad to volunteer and participate in events. Last, but not least, I adopted two wonderful dogs from them. Thank you Valley Animal Center !!!
Valley Animal Center is a top notch shelter. The staff is amazing and the animals are able to live in a very nice environment until they find their forever homes. I am proud to be a volunteer with Valley Animal Center!
On Saturday, my daughter and I went to Valley Animal Center to look at adoptable dogs. Immediately, I was impressed by the cleanliness of the facility and the professionalism of the staff. The animals and the pens were clean and did not smell like a typical shelter. We wound up adopting a puppy--she had already been given shots, was spayed, had been treated with frontline, etc. I have adopted both dogs and cats from the ASPCA in the past. Fresno's ASPCA does not even compare to VAC. While there, I saw many volunteers exercising and playing with the animals. Thank God for such an awesome organization!
The Valley Animal Center is such a clean and state-of-the-art facility! The animals are well-cared for, the staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and I am very excited about their expansion plans! I have also had several of my animals spayed, neutered, and vaccinated in their clinic and was very impressed with their professionalism and organization. I have also had the opportunity to see them out with their mobile adoption unit at the Home and Garden show and at Clovis Fest, and was again very impressed with the cleanliness of the animal enclosures and the fact that their adoption unit was heated and air conditioned for the comfort of the animals. I would highly recommend this shelter for anyone looking to adopt, as the animals are healthy, well-cared for, and have been rescued from animal control agencies to try to lower the incredibly high euthanasia rate we have here in our Valley. I have also donated to this shelter and will do so again. Thank you, Valley Animal Center, for the wonderful work that you do in helping save homeless animals! Hopefully they will all find a forever home!!
I have been involved with VAC for more than 11 yrs and it has been a very rewarding experience. I have watched it grow from a no kill shelter for cats in a small run-down building to a beautiful no kill shelter for cats and dogs. My main role has been to be foster mommie for kittens. I cannot express the enjoyment and fulfillment this has broght me. The facility is expanding every day and is currently completing fenced in areas for shelter dogs to run and play that will also be open to the public at specified times. The cats have fenced in areas outside their rooms and the dogs are walked many times daily. This is a valuable assest to our community as Fresno County has the highest euthenasia rate in California so we providea valuable alternative and give our furry friends another chance at finding a forever home! I have been blessed to be a part of this shelter's growth and functions. This facility definitely deserves to be one of the 2012 Top-Rated Nonprofits List!! Thank you, Jan Mahar
I have observed this organization transition from a grass roots small organization to an empowered and cutting edge facility for our valleys pets. Very impressive and much needed
Valley Animal Center is a no kill shelter that has been around for over 26 years, first being a shelter for cats and then expanding to include both cats and dogs. Their work comes from the heart and they are the best of the best, saving the lives thousands of an abandoned animals. Valley Animal Center finds them a loving home and gives them a clean, warm, safe and loving environment to live in in the mean time. Valley Animal Center is a little piece of animal Heaven in Fresno, CA.
This is my favorite nonprofit organization. They have come a long ways from a small shelter to being able to help a greater number of both cats and dogs. Because they treat their animals very well, I have supported them with donations and silent auction items for many years.
I recently spent the summer in Fresno and was saddened by the large numbers of abondaned pets, due to foreclosures and high unemployment. A neighbor was contemplating "giving up" her beloved dog as she could not afford the spaying fees and was concerned about her dog not having current vaccinations. The Valley Animal Center worked out a discounted, payment plan................allowing this pet to stay with it's family.........................and NOT contributing to the ever growing pet population problem. The Valley Animal Center had a caring, compassionate staff. They were eager to work with this family, for the health of the animal and workable solutions for the family. While visiting Fresno, I must say the facility was "state of the art"............. clean & efficient, with a knowledgable and friendly staff. The organization is so deserving of the BEST nonprofit!
The Valley Animal Center is one of the best animal shelters I have ever visited. They have a wonderful adoption area for the cats that include a large open area surrounded by windows, with many climbing areas and cubby holes. There are also large outside areas that the cats can hang out all day. I have never seen such happy animals in a shelter. Their dogs have large kennels with an outside area and they are housed with a buddy if possible. Their spay and netuer clinic has the lowest prices in the area and provide services for all sizes of dogs, feral cats and kittens. They also provide very low-cost vaccinations and other medical services. The animals are cared for by a very loving, knowledgeable and committed staff. I can't say enough about the Valley Animal Center. It is truly an amazing shelter for animals.
What this center does for the animals in the Valley is absolutely wonderful. So many abandoned and mistreated animals come through and are given the medical care they need to make them adoptable. Keep up the good work, we need more organizations like the Valley Animal Center.
I have been to, and supported, a large number of animal shelters and the Valley Animal Center is the most impressive facility I have been to. The housing facilities are top notch, with cats sharing large rooms instead of being in individual cages and large runs for the dogs in which they are double housed when possible. The staff and volunteers I have encountered are extremely knowledgeable and both very passionate and compassionate. I will continue to fully support this facility due to the impressive care, staff and facilities.
My 13 year old heard about the Valley Animal Center needing volunteers and signed up. She also got me to sign up, we have walked the dogs and volunteered at different events to raise awareness and funds for the No Kill shelter. They do wonderful work for the animals (cats and dogs) that are waiting for their forever homes. The facility is kept clean, the animals are well cared for, the staff and volunteers are so caring and wonderful.
I first visited the Valley Animal Center to get one of my cats fixed. They had the lowest prices in town for spay/neutering cats. Also had all the vaccines for a low cost too. I think this provides an extremely valuable service to the community, with the huge pet over population problem we need to have these services offered at a price most people can afford. My favorite part of the Valley Animal Center, however, is the cat adoption building. Its looks nothing like the typical shelter in there. Cats are housed in rooms, not cages. They have shelves and cubbys to sleep on. There are cat doors leading out to a play area outside. The cats look so much happier than the ones at the SPCA... and you know that they arent on 'death row' either!
As an animal lover, this is one of the best charities you can support. They are loving & kind to the animals and their reputation is outstanding. They truly care about the animals. Please support them so they continue their special work on behalf of these loving creatures that just want a home and someone to love. (=^_^=)
I have tried everything to get my 8 year old engaged and keep her busy. She's tried gymnastics, soccer, t-ball, you name it, but nothing really spoke to her until I found the volunteer program at Valley Animal Center. She has really come out of her shell and loves going to "socialize" the kittys.
I love Valley Animal so much- that when I got married (9/22/12) in lieu of table favors I made a donation to them in the name of my wedding guests. Their staff, facilities and volunteers are all so amazing- I wish I could be there all the time.
When we adopted our cat a few years ago we took him to another facility to be fixed. I was disappointed with the lack of customer service. Last year we adopted a new puppy and took him to the Valley Animal Center to be fixed. I was amazed as I watched them check in animals and went over details with the "pet parents" , and asked/answered questions. They made me and our Jax feel comfortable with the process and just showed genuine care and compassion. I have since recommend the Valley Animal Center to anyone I know that is thinking adopting or needs the same type of care we recieved.
I adopted my cat from here and could not have had a better experience! She is my first cat and the staff and volunteers were so nice and so helpful! They encouraged us to find the cat that was right for us and they were so knowledgeable in answering all of our questions. I would highly reccomend anyone who is looking for a furry friend to check out this wonderful place!
