Laguna Beach Animal Shelter

Jose Quijada

At the beginning of the year, my partner and I decided that it was time to adopt a dog. We have always been lovers of these extraordinary creatures so we began to visit places trying to find the one that would be the right one that would brighten up our home.   We arrived at the shelter from Laguna beach where a group of nice and friendly puppies lived, and one of them caught our attention immediately.  A scared little puppy who had only a few days after arriving at the shelter named Stu with whom we made a connection.  So we asked if he was available to be adopted to which they answered yes. But due to an injury to one of his legs the little Stu had to remain under medical observation.   That did not matter to us and we decided to fill out the application and from that day on every weekend  we went to visit little STU.  We asked about his condition to which they told us that he continued to have problems with his leg and his behavior with  other dogs, but when they told us that we were in the first place to adopt him.  We did not care how long we had to wait for that to happen so we declined other options and for more than three months we visited Stu every weekend.   We became too fond of him and we could feel that he loved us too.  It was frustrating to see him desperate for wanting to get out of his cage and it broke our hearts when we had to leave him with his sad and desolate.   They did not always give us many reports about his condition.  The workers knew us since we were there every weekend. they gave us direct access to the cage where our little friend was because he could not go out to the patio, until recently it turned out that someone else was able to adopt him.  It was very sad and disappointing, we understand that the puppy needs special conditions due to the problem in his leg, but it is not fair to play with the feelings and time of the people and the puppy himself.  We believe they did not the that under consideration.    In short, we feel that we were discriminated against because of our sexual orientation and maybe because I'm Mexican.

Ashley Hutchins

I came in with my family and we were not greeted at the door. We came to look for an addition to our family. Once we were finally acknowledged we were told to just walk back and take a look at the dogs. Staff and/or volunteers were not very nice when we asked questions regarding the dogs. We saw a sweet lab/pit mix that would have made a great addition to our family and asked to see if we could interact with the pup. We were told, “No you need to fill out an application and yard hours close soon.” I found this to be absolutely rude for a staff member to address a family that is looking to add an addition to their family, to help a pet in need. We will be going elsewhere to look for a new addition to our family. Not a very happy and welcoming atmosphere for a family looking to help a pet in need.

jo garcia

Visited this clean friendly shelter and were greeted with polite, helpful people. Not sure the negative reviews but didn't let that prevent us from going in and finding the dogs clean and happy. There was a large area to visit with your possible new family member. We understand that finding the best fit for the dog that they know to new owners is a caring responsibility to that dog. We aren't disappointed about the process or possible decline of our application. Thank you for caring for these animals and taking the time with each family.

S S

Today I adopted a brother and sister from the Laguna Beach Shelter. When I went in the first time, it was so clean and all the dogs looked very well cared for. I put in my application and they chose me! I am so lucky! Every person I spoke with on the phone or in person was absolutely awesome! Professional and very much an advocate for the animals. Thank you for all you do and for trusting me to adopt these awesome puppers!!!!