Shelter Hope Pet Shop

Reviews 4

GE

Genevieve Lovitt-Wood

I recently went to the Janss for the first time in over a year and was surprised to see this shop still here. Today I stumbled upon these reviews and see that nothing has really changed over the last couple years so Ive decided to finally speak up. I met Phyllis a few years ago and she convinced me to volunteer as a dog foster and then as a staff member. Then when her unfortunate passing left this store without the only person in management that knew anything about dogs and canine behavior, I was asked to run the store until they found her replacement. Kims erratic, volatile, paranoid and abusive behavior during that time left me shaken. I found Raquel to be insecure and short tempered with people as well as the dogs. In short, my experiences were traumatic and its taken a while to recover. Ive been working with animals and specifically the rehabilitation of dogs as an avocation for 35 years. Every day is an opportunity to learn about dogs and their behaviors and to educate folks about dogs in general - as well as their own dogs. As a foster volunteer, I was surprised by the total lack of instruction they provided. And each day upon my return, they were not only not interested in any behavioral feedback I could give them on the dogs, but were annoyed when I explained that it may help them find a better fit for placement. As a staff member, I talked to patrons about their lifestyle, home, and desires in a canine companion. I talked to them about various available dogs and what kinds of potential behaviors they may expect and provided them with resources to address potential behavioral issues. I fostered and worked with their most behaviorally troublesome dogs and even met with potential adopters at neutral areas to meet their other dogs. I also made myself available to coach folks after their adoptions. None of the dogs I placed were returned. And in fact, several folks even kept in touch with me over the last couple years. Initially, Kim (the owner) told me I could adopt any dog I wished in exchange for helping them out in the store. On three separate occasions I chose a dog only to have Kim or Raquel tell me they had just found a buyer and I couldnt have the dog. Their choices told me they didnt have the dogs best interest at heart but rather saw them as a commodity, they didnt value my free contributions, and didnt honor their word. I was initially troubled by the negative, gossipy atmosphere Kim engendered about her staff, the volunteers, the dogs and the patrons. But I began to be more disturbed when I saw them deliberately bend the truth in order to make dogs more marketable - e.g., stating dogs were a younger age or mis-identification of breed mix. (I see on their adoption website that this practice has persisted.) And when I discussed the more likely age, breed mixes and temperaments with patrons, I was chastised because they told me I was opening them up to liability for selling undesirable breeds or making their dogs unsellable. Also, as a result of their willful ignorance of general healthy canine behavior, behaviors typical of different breeds, idiosyncrasies of their available dogs and lifestyles of their patrons - they dont ensure a good fit for their dogs or patrons. I witnessed a number of dogs get returned as well as staff arguing with patrons. The final straw was when Phyllis passed... I watched Kim shamelessly use her death as a marketing tool to peddle available dogs. It was gross. This shop preys upon the vulnerabilities and misfortune of dogs to manipulate the public and charge ridiculous prices for mixed breed dogs that require a large investment of time, effort and money to rehabilitate. Kim traffics dogs as a commodity using shameless Hollywood marketing tactics to further her own self-aggrandizement. She really doesnt care about the dogs well-being, but rather her reputation in Hollywood. Do yourself a favor folks... support your local city shelters. At least theyre honest and charge you a lot less.

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JU

Juli Peller

I just wanted to defend the adoption fees that people are considering to be too high. Do you know that the average price for a spaying at a reputable clinic is around 500.00. I know this because I checked around when I needed to have my other dog spayed. Shots and deworming even at a pet store special event still adds up. You are also given certificates for training and boarding your pet. Pet stores do not offer these services. You also have no idea what type of personality or needs a puppy has when they are bought from a pet store. These doggies are like their babies. Would you just let anyone adopt one of your human children? The fact that they are responsible enough to carefully screen each applicant shows how much they truly care about these animals. No one is getting paid to work there. It is a labor of love. Not everyone has the gift of being able to run a shelter. Its a huge commitment. Think about it. Could you do it? By the way, I adopted a puppy last week from there and couldnt be happier. I had no special treatment. I was interviewed and I had to sign releases and other protocols, Big Deal! Theyre put in place to protect everyone. Its not personal. If you really want a pet that is a good fit for your family, than I highly recommend going to Shelter Hope Pet Shop.

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Tamara Tuell

Adopting dogs or SELLING to the highest bidder. You decide. After my familys heartbreaking experience at Shelter Hope, I started researching through their reviews and my community. They have a very bad reputation and it is well deserved! Recently, we filled out paperwork to foster a 6 month old puppy. Our family fell in love with him in the three days we took care of him. When we called before the deadline to adopt, she asked me if we were told what the adoption fee was. I explained that my husband was told $300-500. She conferred with someone and then told me the adoption fee was $600. Are these animals for sale or are they being placed in loving homes? The owner, Kim, then drove over to my house, unlawfully entered my home, and ripped away our puppy while my daughter and I were hysterical! We are still devastated. PLEASE do your research before you become a patron, volunteer or donor of Shelter Hope in Thousand Oaks.

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GA

Garrett Allen

Dont buy a dog or animal at this place. Like others writing reviews, all they care about is the money. We bought a dog and had a newborn a year later, the dog was too much to handle, so we had no choice but to bring him back and hope that another family would be better fit. They dont care about your emotional attachment, or how hard it was to do what we had to do. They also strung us out for over a week before we were able to drop it off. Every time they told us over the phone we could bring it in, when we did it was a different sorry. Emotionally taking a toll on my family to have to say goodbye 4 different times. Also, the lady hung up the phone on me. Bad business practices there. I hope before you go there, you read this a choose another facility that truly cares about the animals and the families adopting the animals just as much. This place is not it!

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