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February 2024 by Stephanie P.
adopted a cat. week later he is really sick. Had him mat the vets for a week $$ and he died. The Ark would not talk to the vet and got nasty with them. His first cat had eye infections. when I got my dog she was starving. They do not take very good care of the animals!
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January 2024 by Madisyn Yarger
They gave someone a dog with giardia without telling them and when notified about it all they had to say was “thanks for letting us know”.
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January 2024 by Jess Hart
I don't think this shelter deserves ANY star, but I had to give it something so I could post this. The owner, Sherri, PUNCHED the dog I was looking at adopting in the face! He was very hyper and just couldn't calm down and kept jumping on her. It was as if she wanted him to behave so he would be adopted- she told me I was the only one who had expressed interest in this dog for the last 5 months, something I do not find believeable at all, since he is a rare and beautiful dog. Regardless, NO animal should ever, EVER, EVER be hit in any way, ESPECIALLY ones who have ended up in a shelter! I wanted to punch her and see how she would like it! I almost walked out if it hadn't been for me wanting to see if I could rescue this dog from her.Animals pick up on the energy around people and other animals, and he was so spastic, as were others I looked at there. It is a horrible and stressful place for them, and I know why- her energy with them was terrible- frantic, hostile, and loud. He acted just as any dog would around something like this. I have well-trained therapy dogs and understand that a calm and gentle, firm but loving demeanor is what was needed here. Again, resorting to hitting a dog means YOU are out of control- and she was all over the place. Her staff, minus the rude woman who does paperwork, were more than willing to help her, but she seemed like a control freak and they were afraid to move without her barking orders at them. She made more work for herself by being this way instead of instructing them on her expectations and training them so they could do their jobs without her controlling every move they made.I have worked with animals my whole life, and even ran a county shelter for awhile, so please believe me when I say this was the WORST shelter I have seen in a long time. You could smell the place from outside, and most of the staff (not all) were aloof and rude. Some staff seemed afraid of the owner, and I don't blame them. She yelled, cussed, and accused me of not calling her when I arrived, when in fact, I had. I drove hours to see this dog TWICE, and left empty handed, ONLY because the dog scared my dog and it didn't work well between them. I tried to make it work with them, giving him calm energy and walking with him for a long time- I wanted to rescue this dog from this terrible place very much! I left so upset that I couldn't save him and others from this hell hole. She tried to push off a shy, dirty, mangy dog on me, who clearly had medical issues, when she knew this dog wouldn't work. I was so insulted by this and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It truly was a miserable, smelly, horrible place with (mostly) rude people.Before anyone responds with something like, "It's a shelter, what did you expect", or "Shelters smell bad anyway", let me tell you- you're wrong. I went to Friends Forever shelter in Freeport, IL and they were AMAZING!! You couldn't smell a thing- it was hospital clean, the dogs had THREE dog parks around the facility, and the staff were knowledgeable and you could see they truly loved the animals there. I was truly impressed! So....it very much IS possible to run an efficient, clean, CALM, and loving shelter. The A.R.K. clearly isn't one of them! I had to strip my clothes off to wash them, leave my shoes outside, and take a shower directly after I got home from The A.R.K.- not true with Freeport, and it wasn't true when I helped run a shelter either. I had the stench of this place in my nose for 3 days.If you want to adopt, please do- it's the best thing for a dog or cat. IN FACT- put this woman out of business by adopting every animal there so she has to close- somehow, I think it's the only way she will go close and do something different with her life. If you think this is harsh, it may be, but nothing was as harsh as what my family and I witnessed there. If I could have adopted every animal there and found homes for them, I would have. No animal deserves what this place has to o
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January 2024 by Trudy Ripka
Friendly staff
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December 2023 by Barbara Bohm-osborn
Clearly the ppl who run this place love and take care of the animals that are up4 adoption.they don't take in more than they can take care of.they check references and make sure the adopter understands that they are agreeing when they sign the contract
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November 2023 by connie Burt
Cute pets..
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October 2023 by JK Outdoors
I will definitely be taking my business elsewhere, The owner is very rude... I had a bad feeling since the moment I walked in. I don't want this review to affect the staff they were very nice and they know everything about the animals in here, we were very interested in a dog that had special needs, yes we understand we need some training on how to properly take care of a animal like this, before we could say we are willing to take all needed training to obtain this dog that we fell in love with she said she would absolutely not let us get this dog and shut us down.... so we will go somewhere where we are talked to with respect and with someone who will give us a chance
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October 2023 by alexcia pemble
The staff was very nice the owner on the other hand was very rude ad disrespectful the place reeked of urine as soon as you walked in the door yes I get it’s an animal shelter but it can be cleaner then that would not recommend this place
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October 2023 by The Wonderwall’s
We absolutely love the ARK.Not only did we have a wonderful experience, We gained a wonderful four legged family member. Owner and staff are awesome. Went in with an opened mind, told volunteer it didn’t matter what dog we wanted to see, just that the pup’s personality must do well with cats. Volunteer asked the owner what pup would be good for us. She brought out Sally Anne.It was love at first sight. Owner and staff sure know how to make a perfect match.
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October 2023 by Frances Hanshaw
Very nice place, animals are so cute and a great place to take kids to volunteer
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October 2023 by JMAE
I had a truly disappointing experience at this animal shelter. My family and I made the trip, along with our dog, to meet a dog we saw on Facebook, a dog they were actively seeking to rehome.Despite arriving during adoption hours, the owner appeared disinterested and aloof, barely acknowledging our presence. It felt like every decision had to be cleared with the owner, which made the process needlessly complicated.While the other staff members were more helpful, the owner remained glued to her phone and didn't engage with us. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally allowed to meet the dog we had come for, a dog I instantly fell in love with.However, my excitement was short-lived when the owner casually mentioned that two other families were scheduled to see the dog the next day. Despite my immediate willingness to adopt the dog if it got along with my own, the owner seemed uninterested in our genuine interest.We were left hanging, with no callbacks and no explanations. It felt like we were not wanted here, and my kids were heartbroken, as they had already formed a bond with the dog.The inconsistency between the website's description of the dog's behavior and our experience added to the frustration. In the end, we were left with no choice but to look elsewhere for a new furry family member.Overall, our visit was marked by indifference, lack of communication, and a sense that our interest was not valued. Sadly, we'll be taking our business elsewhere.
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September 2023 by b y
A couple months ago I contacted this shelter regarding a beautiful cat. I was sure I wanted to adopt but was told I could only adopt in pairs. which I understand to an extent but it’s in the animals best interest to go to a loving home rather than wait another month or even years for a family whom can adopt both. The woman on the phone was highly unprofessional & said they would call me back regarding my application & I never received a call back or an email. I was very disappointed. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else who falls in love with one of their fur babies!
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September 2023 by Helen Sammons-Hamilton
Sheri knows a lot about dogs and is careful who she puts them with. Poor woman needs help!
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August 2023 by patrick Hietpas
We picked up a heeler from the ARK in the past. We should have picked up his brother too. They were very good people. Please support no kill shelters before breeders.
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August 2023 by Michael
A great place for adopting a dog or cat. These people really care about the pets.
