Pasadena Humane

Amazing, grateful, compassionate, ahhhhh thank you so much.
I did not intend to meet my best friend but I came out with the kind of dog you read about in books.

SUMMARY:
- Make appointments online, appt times are released 2 times per week
- A 10-day adoption trial is a genius idea to test compatibility but also not push a commitment without testing the waters (you're supplied food, toys, a harness, a Pasadena Humane Society collar, emergency support should something happen, a 24-hr hotline)
- You can meet and greet the dog in a playpen during your appt
- The staff returns calls within a day & is always informative

Appts can be made online & are 45-min visits with an animal (you can choose more than one) that you see online. I have been interested in fostering a large dog to get them out of the shelter. I saw online that 'Morticia' was a border collie mix & I was just curious if I could handle a border collie mix. I also made an appt to meet Raymundo, a large Labrador retriever.

I met Raymundo and he was HUGE, like MASSIVE. My only critique for this place is to list weights instead of small, medium, large because the dog I thought was smaller (Raymundo) turned out to be a fricking dinosaur, and the dog I thought was bigger (now named 'Gemma') was waaaaaay smaller than she appeared in the photograph.

Then... I saw Gemma. Oh my. My mother said "she's absolutely breathtaking." She would tune in to dogs barking in their kennels but come back to me repeatedly. We were in awe of her elegance & beauty.

Another critique which I don't think can be solved bc it's part of the nature of animal shelters is contradicting stories on why she was in the shelter. The handler said she was surrendered pregnant & her puppies were adopted out immediately (obv, puppy privilege) & the owner had given her the dark name - but the woman in the office said Gemma was found with her "boyfriend" as strays and they named her for the Halloween vibes since this was in October. It doesn't specify in my paperwork, so I'm still confused. However, there are a lot of dogs that come in and out of here, & you can't expect every employee to know the details of every single dog.

STORY TIME:
I met Gem before leaving for a 10-day trip to Chicago & would have adopted her on the spot but a trip would be so stressful for her. My mother said, "leave it to fate" & I held onto that.

While in Chicago, I checked her profile almost daily. I had to stop myself from looking some days in case she was adopted. Half of me wanted her to find a home, but the other half felt this intrinsic bond to her. One day I noticed she was listed as "foster" and they called me back & said it's just a fostering situation. I was relieved that Gemma (I named her before I even got her) was in a real home for the holidays.

I then called and said hey, I want to make an adoption appointment for when I return. They cannot hold any dog (which is good for the dogs; you want to give them the opportunity to be adopted). We made the appointment, and they said if anything changes we will call. I confirmed the appt the day before & the same thing was said to me.

Then!!!! Came the day!!! I came to pick up Gemma & it's amazing how many resources they give you:

1. Free VCA vet visit
2. Free 30-days pet insurance that we activated
3. All paperwork including rabies vaccine and spay/neuter proof
4. Information on crate-training, introducing a dog to a cat, the 3 day (nervous wreck) - 3 weeks (assimilating) - 3 months (real personality emerges) info sheet
5. A discount for training classes offered at Pasadena Humane (I live in Long Beach but otherwise I would go)
6. A free bag of Hill's pet food they feed them at the shelter (good for weaning off the food to another brand since you have to do it gradually)
7. Get to keep the easy walk harness
8. Get to keep the shelter number tag attached to her neck (I put it in my memory box)
9. Get an adoption certificate with your name & the new name of the pet

I am so, so, so, so, so happy with Gemma. She is the most intelligent, most playful, most inquisitive creature I've ever come across. I didn't think I could get a dog after my late senior terrier passed away 8 months ago, but when I met Gemma, I had that same feeling I had when I met my Belle. This wonder & thought of "why do I just want to know everything about you." I cannot for the life of me believe she was at the shelter October - January. Everyone tells me, "it's so clear that she genuinely loves and adores you," and that is all I could have asked for in a companion.

Thank u so much Pasadena Humane Society for caring for Gemma & for tolerating my phone calls wondering if she was still available. I'm so lucky

Elle & Gemma

I am extremely disappointed with the Humane Society after my recent experience with them. I found a stray dog and did everything in my power to find the owner. After contacting them, I was informed that the owners had relinquished their rights and no longer wanted the dog. Despite having all the proof in the form of texts and a phone call confirming this information, the Humane Society still turned me away and told me to take the dog to the shelter.

It is appalling that an organization that asks for donations constantly to rescue animals would turn down a dog in need of help. It is heartbreaking to know that they prioritize money over the welfare of animals. I urge them to do better and actually live up to their mission of rescuing and caring for animals.

I will not be supporting the Humane Society any longer and would advise others to think twice before donating to them. Animals deserve better than being turned away when they are in need of help.

Great facility, I've always taken my fur baby's for vaccines their chip and spay and neuters. They are very great and communicative. Very much recommended.

I love this Humane Society! I adopted my girl, Moka, from here a few days ago and the entire process was flawless. They really do care about their animals and make sure new owners have a solid knowledge base about their new pet. They sat with us and helped us understand puppy care as well as the responsibility of being a pet owner. They were very prompt and quick, and transparent about my girls past history and medical needs.

this is for Docupet pet licensing.

this only way to register my pet is through DOCUPET, an online agency that represents Pasadena humane Society. I've done it twice through them and both times, they took my money but i still have not received the license.
when you email them, it's so difficult as they ask to type above the line and it does not work.

why does Pasadena Humane Society ask for registration through Docupet?
Sherene de la Motte

@NIKKI B is a Fairy God Mother!
She is the Godmother of Saffy & Angelina; a crucial part of the adoption of my babies thanks to her diligent connection with Pasadena Humane Team/ Site and updates. I would not have these babies in my life if not for her! LOVE LOVE her forever

Pasadena Humane has always been such a fantastic shelter that maintains its integrity as an adoption source~ the entire staff is ALWAYS so kind and compassione during my adoption process.

I have adopted three (3) Kittens from them; Chauncey is 19 now (yes, 19 years old!!), Angelina is almost 1 year and Saffy is 6 months.

I am beyond grateful for ALL the ladies that make my life so enchanting and filled with unconditional love with my furbabies.

This facility is amazing! Clean and inviting for visitors.
You can tell there is great care for the animals and facilities compared to other's facilities. The staff is friendly, whether they are staff or volunteers. They have retail shop which is great.
A few things to remember-
You need to go on line and make an appointment to visit the animals for adoption, Monday thru Friday.
The facilities are large so make sure you look at the map on the website.

Booking your birthday party here benefits animals AND is something totally different and fun. This is the area's best kept secret when it comes to Bday party venues, and it's reasonably priced. The staff members are so attentive and great with the kids. They helped me so much. I felt like I had my own built-in party planner/coordinator. They really facilitate most of the party and provide fun learning opportunities. The 1.5-hour party was a bit quick ... You get 30 mins at the end to do food/cake and free time, so make sure to have everything ready to go. The kids loved making blankets for the enrichment activity. There weren't many animals there (actually a good thing for animal welfare) so just be aware of that. We weren't able to play with cats outside of their cages like some of the promo phots suggest, but I think the kids were still on cloud nine. It's a beautiful facility and a genius bday venue.

Visited this place before the remodel when I adopted Sparky many years ago. I definitely intend to adopt from this place again. I'm hoping my mom will as well. They have a program here where you can adopt a senior dog for free if you are 60 and over!! How great is that?!?!

Since my last visit many years ago, this place has definitely gotten bigger. They have more parking spaces now that can be found underground since the remodel. There's still the few parking spots near the entrance, but there's also street parking.

The containment area outside for the dogs are a good size and they all looked clean. I saw a few volunteers reading to a few dogs which I thought was interesting. There's also an outside play area where I saw a dog with one of the employees playing.

The indoor containment area for the cats is also a good size and clean looking. Saw this really neat play area where a cat or two can play around in.

Saw a few cute bunnies. They had room to hop in and their areas were also clean.

If you want to donate some stuff like unopened regular dog food or dog toys, you can place them in a container located in the underground parking or in a container near the store. If you want a donation receipt, go into the Shelter Shop and they will write one out for you. They don't dispose of unused pet medicine. Those need to go to those medicine containers that you can find at CVS or Albertsons.

Thank you all for allowing me to find Chalupa (prior name Boy)

After having the dental work that all dogs need, he has gained weight since I adopted him. He no longer has teeth, but I wanted to make sure at his 14 yrs of age, that he has the best going forward. He is a wonderful older big dog brother to my 1st rescue Charlie, that I know needed a friend. :)

Sharing pictures of them currently and i swear it looks like he is smiling lol