My Nonprofit Reviews

We are writing this review to forewarn all potential dog adopters. Kodi’s Club turns out to not be an “organization” as such is typically understood, nor does it operate in the manner of a respectable animal rescue. As we came to discover, Kodi’s Club consists of its president, a couple of part-time support people, and the “clubbers” that rescue and foster the animals but are not actually part of the organization. The organization's President is functionally an organization of one who in our experience does not act ethically nor responsibly. The best interest of the animals being rescued is not at the forefront of her decision making process, but as we discovered, rather her personal feelings and vengeful manipulation.

As with any rescue organization, there is an application process. We submitted our application for Roscoe, the dog we were interested in, on September 15th. The organization, in the person of its President, responded within a few hours, with questions requiring further elaboration, and with an unexpectedly judgmental tone to them. As previous owners of rescued Rottweilers, we understood caution on the part of the rescue was needed, and were willing to look past the tone of the questions. We answered these additional questions in order to provide what the “organization” felt they needed to know about us so that they could be comfortable that they were placing Roscoe in a proper, forever, loving home. We were informed that a visit of our home would be made by the foster mom, which we scheduled for Saturday, September 19th. As with any home visit, we allowed this person to fully investigate all indoor and outdoor areas of our property. As expected, we were informed later by the organization's President that our home was approved, and we could meet Roscoe at the foster home, on the evening of Tuesday, September 22nd. We anticipated that this meet and greet would be also evaluative for all concerned regarding how Roscoe engaged with us, and how we responded to him. The evening ended up not to be what we anticipated, and what followed turned into a series of disappointing events that led us to the realization that this “organization,” aka the organization's President, was not what it nor she seemed.

At the meet and greet, we met, handled comfortably and walked well with, and were offered on-the-spot to take Roscoe home, which we had unfortunately not been informed was a possibility. During that conversation, we were also first informed of his having had heartworms (not mentioned on his profiles on Petfinder nor kodisclub.org, which we considered a simple oversight that nonetheless left us unprepared, as we've previously only had to provide preventative care for the condition). The organization's President had hardcopy of older veterinary records with her, but not those from the current treating practice that had to do with the heartworm treatment. We also became aware for the first time of a $450 adoption donation, solely because it was written on the contract we were handed (again, not on Petfinder nor kodisclub.org and not mentioned in email nor verbally). Because we were not prepared to take Roscoe home that evening (notwithstanding the new information, since we had not been told that taking him home was a possibility we had not brought a seatbelt tether, harness, etc.), we agreed that we would follow-up the next day with our decision. That same evening, we requested permission with full transparency to speak with Roscoe's vet (which the organization's President reluctantly granted) in order to ensure that we were fully clear and educated about Roscoe's new-to-us condition, specific treatment to date, follow-up, and prognosis, in a manner and at a time that we could process the information, as it was presented in verbal summary but not available to read through during nor after the "meet." As promised, we committed the following evening to being his forever family effectively immediately, well within the mutually agreed timeframe.

Apparently the request to speak to Roscoe’s vet called into question for the organization's President whether we are "a home that understands what rescue is and is not... he's not an item for sale nor does he come with a warranty," and was the basis for a multi-day alleged reconsideration of her comfort with us as adopters. The two dogs we've previously rescued, who each lived well-loved years and died in our home with us after extensive, intensive, and costly treatment - which we funded with the same lack of hesitation as for any member of our family - would not agree that our understanding of rescue is in any way questionable, nor we believe would our vet or additional specialists.

A request to attempt to resolve (via email, phone, or in-person meeting) the viscerally negative personal feelings required to make such comments despite being fully informed about the lives and deaths of our previous rescued dogs was not acknowledged. A full day after the Sunday evening intent stated for the conclusion of revisiting Tuesday's decision/ offer, there continued to be zero response, and despite also outreaching the foster indirectly and then directly as a last resort, we continued to have no idea of Roscoe's status. His Petfinder posting was removed Sunday evening, though his profile on kodisclub.org remained, leaving us with nothing to consider other than the organization's President's comments on *Thursday* evening, a full day after our commitment and only in response to us sending a follow-up email, that "...an onslaught of applications that still continues even as of today... he's truly a catch...."

We offered the trust of our personal information, complete access to our home, and most importantly our full emotional and practical commitment. We extended this trust and commitment through holding our private peace during a multi-day delay not related to any practical concerns whatsoever, not at all serving Roscoe's best interests, and at odds with the organization's stated mission. Throughout, we did not question the organization's President's, nor the foster's, nor Kodi's Club's commitment to rescue. We maintained faith that care for Roscoe's well-being would rise above the unintended offense and disproportionate rancor that followed our very positive in-person (and dog) interaction, as nothing at all had changed about our fitness to provide Roscoe a forever family.

Finally, at 10:14pm on Wednesday, September 30, a few hours more than 7 days after we committed to adopt Roscoe, and more than 3 days since the stated Sunday evening conclusion of the personal reconsideration for asking to speak with his vet, we received an email "Roscoe is no longer available. Best, Beth" That's it. It must also be noted that even that much belated and uninformative single sentence only came after yet more attempts to connect via the public forum in which the "club" actually discusses dogs. Not the organization page, which is focused on fundraising, but rather the page of its president (the only listed team member). That is of course, the organization's President, she of the visceral offense at adopters speaking to veterinarians and repeatedly unanswered emails. Both of us were blocked and our civil, respectful comments wishing well to another dog and adoptive family (whose entire process started and ended while we were being trolled along on the string), and once again restating our commitment to Roscoe, presenting our perspective, and requesting a response were simply deleted.

Meanwhile, Roscoe’s profile remained unchanged on kodisclub.org, so... either he was still in a foster home rather than our forever home due to the organization's President's individual pique, or he was adopted after she shopped for people more to her liking and Roscoe's information on the kodiclub.org website was incomplete in a different manner than it was prior. In both cases, the reconsideration and additional delay was just stringing us along out of spite. We sent a response the same night to the organization's President's much-belated email to which we have still not received a reply. In the absence of any actual information, we continued to observe what little was publicly available. Roscoe’s profile was not removed from the kodisclub.org navigation until the evening of Saturday, October 3th and it appears that he was actually adopted on that date – 3 days after we were told he was “no longer available,” 6 days after the organization's President's unilateral reconsideration process was to have reportedly concluded, and 10 days after we committed to adopt Roscoe immediately.

Again, we are sharing this experience because we are concerned for future adopters who might apply to “Kodi’s Club.” There are plenty of well-intentioned, responsible, potential adopters who, if they happen to fall afoul of the organization's President's self-centered and capricious behavior, may waste energy and effort better spent successfully rescuing an animal via an actual organization focused on or at least able to be reminded of the best interest of the animal or animals, as it has been demonstrated that there is no other decision-maker in this “organization.”