My fiancé and I adopted one of our dogs, Chulo, from HPA in 2019. As someone who is now actively involved in the rescue community and has worked with many rescues, I felt the need to write this review about Kristen, our adoption coordinator. Kristen was so well organized, which is rare for most rescues we have encountered. She took the time to make conversation with us, ask us about our life and life plans. I knew she was vetting us to see if we were a good fit to adopt a dog, and I appreciated that because I knew that she would not adopt dogs out irresponsibly and had the dogs best interests in mind AND at the same time we never felt wrongly judged. We played with Chulo in a secure room while she called our vet, landlord and references. When she returned we talked more and eventually signed adoption papers for our new family member. He had not been neutered yet so it was a few days later that I was actually able to bring him home. Kristen kept in contact with me the whole time and prepared me for what I needed to do once he was home. When I was carrying Chulo to my car (he had just had surgery), Kristen and I were both crying happy tears. Chulo was so frightened and anxious, but we both knew that he was going to his forever home and would become a happy and healthy pup. She reminded me to register his microchip, suggested pet insurance, and followed up with me to see how he was adjusting. She was there with us through the whole process, which I am SO grateful for. Kristen is someone who deeply cares about the dogs at HPA and for that I have the highest appreciation for what she does for Houston’s rescue community. I cannot think of a better fit for someone in the rescue/adoption industry than someone like her. Thank you for everything you do, and introducing me to my best friend, Chulo (who is not thriving and conquering his anxiety like a champ!) I cannot be more grateful.

I appreciate what they do here. They take care of their animals and they set up the foster parents of the pets really well it seems. The staff makes sure when there’s an application for an animal, that they are going to a very good home. They take the steps to ensure that and I’m grateful for that. They also have a thrift store too located at another area of Houston. My friend and I visited there and brought some items and some money to donate to them. They’re looking for volunteers also if you have some free time and want to volunteer to a good cause.

I have nothing but positive things to say about HPA. Thanks to HPA and Kristen, in particular, I found my perfect canine friend.After rescuing Callie I was so encouraged by my vet’s positive reaction to the quality and detail of HPA’s documentation of Callie’s health and heartworm situation. Having never dealt with that before, I felt safe and supported, and Callie is now happy and heartworm free after finishing their prescribed treatment.This is a rescue organization that you can trust. I’m so grateful to everyone Houston Pets Alive, especially Kristen.

I am very grateful I found my beautiful baby in this place, since me and my boyfriend meet her we knew that she was already part of our family, she loves cuddling with us and is so adorable she’s more than I ask for a dog, Also the adoption process was really easy

Im not sure how these other reviews are honest when they keep saying they adopted the best dog ever...when it was me who adopted the best dog ever. I went in to their adoption event and I made the mistake of not filling out my app before showing up. They were so kind and accommodating despite my error. They are quite clear in their request that this is done BEFORE showing up. We were helped by Kristen (I probably messed that up) and she took my family make-up and our future needs and walked me right to our girl. I went in to possibly adopt a family dog and I really just adopted my bestie. She likes going shopping at the local pet shop, getting puppuccinos at Starbucks, and finds a friend in every animal and human we encounter. The adoption process was so simple and their resources have been shocking to me. I have never been handed so many direct communication links, training resources, social media/network resources, or behavioral outreach resources by any other organization - large or small. More than anything, I cant believe the sweet girl we got to add to our family. I highly recommend giving them a try. Youll find knowledgeable, honest, kind people, tons of sweet pups (and cats it seems too), a clean facility, and a lot of really useful resources and continued support for you and your new family members transition.

Save lives. WONDERFUL People, thank you all Volunteers and Fosters, true angels.

Our sweet Mabel (fka Lizzo) all tucked in for the night. She’s had a big day of fun! We are so grateful to HPA and Kristen Collins Nolen for matching us with our precious Mabel. She is more than we ever hoped for and we couldn’t be happier with our sweet girl. Thank you HPA and specifically thank you to Kristen for knowing we were a match made in heaven. Apparently Kristen is a quick read of people and dogs. When we described the dog we wished for she said, “Hold on, I have the perfect dog for you.” She could not have been more correct. A million thank yous is not even enough.💕💞

It was all very clean and organized and very noisy. Very professional and helpful staff. And I adopted my new best friend

It’s been 5 months since I adopted the best dog in the whole wide world- I’m so thankful for HPA! They were super responsive via email, the fosters I spoke to were extremely helpful, and the whole process was a breeze. They’re very organized. Even post adoption, they’ve been a huge help when I’ve had any questions or concerns.

We had two 18 year old cats thst died within a short period of time. We were grieving. I found a young cat living on our property and convinced him finally to become part of our family. One day I stopped at the pet store to buy him a toy and saw these two adorable kittens. I went home that night and told my husband that I had almost brought home two more kittens. He said, Why didnt you? The next day I couldnt wait to see if they were still there. It was meant to be. Their names are Izzy and Lizzie. They love their brother Archie and the three of them make us laugh every day with their antics. Thank you to Houston Pets Alive for all you do to save lives.

My respects for every single person who works here. Thank you all for what you do.

The staff is awesome and are willing to answer any questions you may have, even after the adoption. They have a ton of resources to help you with training, if needed. Due to the pandemic, they are open for adoptions only on Saturdays and its first come, first pick. Adoption price includes vaccines, spay/neuter, microchip, and heart worm test/treatment. We got Daisy about 3 months ago. Highly recommended place. But, even if you dont come here, please consider adopting from a shelter before going to a breeder.

Adopted the most perfect boy! The shelter was very clean, and the staff was amazing. Animals all seem well cared for!

The volunteers are great and go out of their way to help you in the process. Adopted my cat three months ago and the foster did such an amazing job, Im so thankful for this organization.

Foster for HPA.All I can say is awesome and caring!

We adopted spunky girl Eve who is now Gypsie. Everyone who was there was so polite n helpful 💜 Thank you for putting a smile on my moms face for Christmas!!!

Very helpful. Felt a little rushed to make a decision but it was understandable others were waiting to see the dogs too. we adopted a beautiful puppy

I love being a bottle baby foster for them. They are very professional and quick to respond when in need.

Very friendly and patient staff, but be warned- if you attend a Saturday adoption event, be prepared to wait several hours. Theres an ikea 5 minutes away if youre looking for somewhere to kill time 😆.

I am going to be moving away for graduate school in the fall and I needed a companion. I came across the HPA website and saw a picture of the cutest little puppy, Sleepyhead. I put an inquiry in about him mid-afternoon and only a couple hours later I had filled out an application and was on my way to meet the little guy, and next thing I know hes coming home with me that same night. His foster parents and HPA were so kind and efficient throughout the process. They made the adoption so smooth and allowed me to focus on what was really important, bringing home my new best friend! Here we are 2 days after adoption and I couldnt be more in love. I will definitely be adopting from them again and referring all of my friends.

I just adopted a 3 month old kitty from HPA. I love that they place their cats at various pet stores around Houston so you can meet them. I spent a week trying to get in touch with other shelters to meet their cats to no avail, so it was great to be able to get in my car as soon as I saw my kitten on the HPA website and go to the Galleria Pet Supermarket to meet her. I ended up taking her home that same morning! They had all of the paperwork about the shots shed gotten and would need soon, and I was given information about the food she was eating. I can tell that she has been taken good care of and socialized well by the foster parent, because she is very friendly and curious and felt at home with me immediately. Thank you HPA!

I found a puppy I was visually interested in in the wee hours of Friday night. Upon waking up Saturday morning I had an email explaining the entire process of adoption, and the details on that days adoption event. I may have been a little late on the checking of my emails, thus getting across Houston, to get the puppy that had visually caught my eye; but, boy, do those who wait get great things!! I ended finding and falling for this sweet guy we renamed Hudson, and man, its not even been a week, and we cant imagine life without him! The process was smooth, and very well laid out prior to getting to the adoption location. Everyone at HPA!, from check-in volunteer, to adoption manager, were superb, and truly, only have the animals best interest at heart. I learned HPA! rescues dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens off death rows all over Htown. I wanted to cry when I thought about my perfect puppy on death row, or any of the perfect dogs I met that day, we just needed puppy energy to quail the energy of my 3 year old dog that still acts like a puppy. Overall, we will continue to support HPA! with our gifts throughout Hudsons life, as a thank you!

Dedicated to animals in rusk of euthanasia.

Very helpful, got my gorgeous puppy here. The dogs are already chipped, and spayed/neutered.

We adopted an awesome pet here. The service is outstanding. They really care about the animals getting a good home and being healthy.

I needed to find a home for my pitbull, but they couldnt help or refer me to anyone. How do you rescue only from private sources only. I feel most rescues are needed from individuals.

Great organization doing excellent work for their community. Thank you HPA for rescuing so many animals. Go adopt a kitty or a doggie today!

I recently adopted my dog about 2 months ago, was very excited to go through what seemed to be a great rescue. When I got to the adoption event I found the now best friend and companion I had been looking for, but soon became very upset and disappointed with Houston Pets Alive and the person that fostered him. The Foster person works at Houston Pets Alive and processed my adoption but little did I know that she was not up front and honest with me when I asked questions and believe me I asked quite a few nor did she monitor the dogs very well that she was fostering my dog had severe fleas, kennel cough and shortly after I got him home he was pooping blood. I emailed the rescue and was passed onto her and shortly after asking questions she asked me to never email her again and I asked for the manager. The manager responded once but I was unable to talk due to being at work. I have yet to get ahold of her and made several attempts especially now that my dog spent a few days at the vet and had HGE and now I’ve a bill of 800.00. Moral of the story don’t trust them... they will not help you and they do not care!!

Thanks to Friends For Life. My grandma got her best friend. After losing her old boy to old age, she has been so lonely. Ace has filled a spot that Milo left behind.

We selected a kitten online and went through the full application process . Got an approval email that said you can have your selected kitten only to find out that they gave the kitten away to someone else. My daughter is completely heartbroken because of this place !!

I adopted my brown tabby from Houston Pets Alive! at the Memorial City PetSmart located off of I-10.. He was 10 months old when we got him and knew he was the guy for us. Its been over a year and were spending thousands of dollars on his healthcare/diagnostics since adoption - I will never adopt from this organization again. Its not so much the fact that we unknowingly adopted our baby and he ended up getting very sick (anemia, periodontal disease, stomatitis, all due to an underlying disease that were still trying to track down.) But it leads me to question sourcing, proper testing, and precautions in place for kittens that are brought in. Hes been an indoor cat and weve been on the ball with all treatments/vet visits - I hope that the other cats he was placed with during all three of his PetSmart rotations were not exposed and more precautions are put in place in the future. Its heartbreaking to go through this with your cat baby. If volunteers tell you we dont know his history be prepared to face possible health issues.

The staff are so passionate about their animals! They were so helpful and easy to work with throughout our adoption process and helped us pick the perfect pup for our family. After adoption, they have resources available to help you with behavioral or training concerns you might have as you and your new baby adjust. Ive highly recommended them to family and friends and Ill continue to do so. Next dog or cat we get, well definitely go through HPA!

Last year we adopted 2 quarantine kittens from Houston Pets Alive! It was a great experience.

If you are looking to adopt a cat or dog, Houston Pets Alive is the place to go. Youcan see bios of the animals and apply to adopt on-line. The staff is professional and helpful. Your furever friend is waiting for you!

I love doing service here!

An awesome spot. Everything your looking for.

Super loving people who rescue animals that the pound are about to put down.Got a very sweet lab mix.

I took my daughter out here to get a pet for Christmas and the experience was horrible. No one answers the phone and when we went to the back to talk to someone the guy was very rude to my daughter saying you can get on the list or not, but you have to wait. I got out the car to talk to him and his attitude changed after I confronted him. People like that give businesses a bad name

Dog adoption process was very easy ! Didn’t get the pup we were originally going for but fell in love with our puppy we renamed Kobe. He is full of energy and loves to sleep ! Ran into an issue with registering his microchip but even outside of business hours, I got a response and got the issue taken Care of. Would definitely recommend HPA. 10/10

We got our furbaby Jedi from here. Great rescue, you can really tell that they care about their rescues.

They took great care of my Dad

Adopted a dog from them I requested or was looking for a puppy. My daughter fell in love with a dog and he was listed as being 3yrs old and I wasn’t comfortable really but my daughter wanted it so we went along with it. When we sat to fill out paperwork I was told the dog was 7 months old. I did not believe the lie when it was told because the dog clearly displayed behavior of an older dog. Got the dog home not even two days later the dog began to cough as if he had something stuck in his throat. We rushed him to the vet to find out he had doggy bronchitis. Which is because he got kennel cough from being at Houston pets alive and they allowed it to go unnoticed and of course the Vet assured me he was older than 7 months. Be careful

Dont tell them you will ever let your dog outside alone ever, not for one minute. You will be denied the ability to adopt. Despite being a dog owner for 4 decades and adopting multiple dogs, all living 10+ HAPPY years. What a joke.

Future potential fosters be aware. You’re basically on your own here.

I have fostered for and volunteered with Houston Pets Alive since February. They only take animals from the euthanasia lists of local shelters. This is a great organization and a wonderful team to volunteer with. Thats one of the things that has impressed me the most: the support and teamwork of this group! I am so excited to see the future for HPA! And I love getting to be a part of helping these pets find forever homes rather than a needle.

My family picked the newest member Rue who we love so dearly

We had such a great experience with Houston Pets Alive! We are thankful that Houston has such a caring and impressive organization to advocate for potential pets in need of homes. Thanks to their organization (and their no-kill policy, which we are so appreciative of in itself), we now have a wonderful little dog in our lives. From beginning to end of our adoption process, Houston Pets Alive provided outstanding communication and ensured that our adoption experience was a positive one. Kristen Nolen, in particular, was most impressive - she was so professional, genuine and kind-hearted to us every step of the way. We cant recommend Houston Pets Alive enough!

They were so supportive and checked in to see how the adoption was going. Sadly we were not able to integrate our cat with the other pets in our home but tried to do so for a couple of weeks. HPA was understanding and took back our cat so she could have a proper home as the only pet in the house. Really great people at HPA

I inquired about a rescue....never heard back

Great visit with friends and volunteers. Dropped off some donations.Fills your heart. Adopt dont shop. Bored then volunteer. Something for everyone.

We didnt get to adopt the dog we wanted but this organization runs like a machine....very well managed!

Great place to adopt a cat or dog, support them any way you can.

My Wife and I heard about HPA from a friend. Wed lost our 12 year old Shepherd Lab mix to cancer. That particular mix isnt easy to find because of its good qualities. Our friend tipped us off that an entire litter of them would be there soon. We called and found out when the litter would be adoptable. One of the young guys there told us to be there at least 2 hours in advance to have a good chance to get the one we liked. I wish I could remember his name but maybe he will read this. Thank you so much! You helped us get past a very sad time.We named her Hannah.

They dont seem to care about providing proper care for animals. Theyre all about pushing them out the door to be adopted.

Got my sweet baby from here and it was incredible!

Great organization. I recommend visiting their website and donating to their cause.

Beautiful kittens, but don’t let them schedule you an “appointment”. They will let someone adopt the kitten before you even show up, rather than saying, “someone has an appointment to see this kitten, but if they don’t adopt she’s yours.” It would be better to tell people the kitten will be at this location from 9-3, first come first serve. If that was the case I could have avoided a really stressful situation that really upset my children today. Luckily, the other lady let us adopt the kitten we went there to adopt, but that was out of her kindness, not the center’s policy. If you really have your heart set on a certain kitten do not let them make you an appointment! Ask when the kitten will be available to visit. Good luck!

ZERO stars should be an option. I’m not sure that an organization that can’t be bothered to answer the phone is really doing everything possible to save animals. A generic vm recording and an email that probably goes unchecked shouldn’t be business as usual for an organization that is intended to be a “rescue”

Good experience, but some of the vets on hand didnt really care to be helpful. We found and adopted Nebula in under an hour. Shes a great dog that just needed a home.

HPA is a wonderful rescue agency!! We adopted our cat from them 1 1/2 yrs ago and started fostering for them last Summer.

The staff is great here, and they let us take a pup home to see if he will do well with our cats! But in all if you want dog, or a cat, go to a rescue center! These animals are in need of a loving home. So if youre reading this, and want a pet, check out this rescue center or one near you. So a big thank you to this rescue center and the nice volunteers that volunteer here!! Thank you!!!

Happy I went I love my piegon so much 😊

Currently fostering neonatal (newborn) kittens through this rescue!Staff are very friendly and quick to assist!

We adopted our little Abby here! Great to work with, donate if you cant adopt!

Adopted Peppermint Patty, everyone is so nice

My sister and I dropped in today and was greeted immediately as we walked in the front door and he showed us around and was very helpful. We also met a volunteer by the name of Flack and was very helpful also and we enjoyed talking to him. Nice guy!!!! The volunteers and staff seemed friendly and the facility was clean and the animals seem happy while they wait for their furever homes. I definitely recommend!!!

HELP SAVE a great amount of animals in kill situations .

We adopted our little girl from HPA just last week. The process was very smooth and everyone who we worked with throughout that process was so friendly! The reason I am giving HPA 3/5 stars is because our puppy is only a 2-3 months old and yet she’s already been spayed. Spaying this early can cause many problems, including the incontinence that we are dealing with right now. She can’t hold her pee for more than 10-20min. Dogs need to be at least 5 months if not older before undergoing this major surgery. Please, HPA, stop spaying so young! Also, they used old school staples that our vet had to remove instead of absorbable stitches.

Awesome... they took my pet in 10 mins before they were even suppose to be open which guaranteed me getting to work on time!

This aaa

By far one of the best organizations out there helping pets avoid being euthanized and finding them forever homes. They truly care and you can see the passion they have for what they do!! Please foster, adopt or donate if you can.

Go to Friends for Life.I wanted to donate a case of food, a new bed and some sheets. Arrow at the street to turn into Pets Alive lot, directed to a door I wasn’t allowed to enter. Drive around and found the door that had no sign. The door was locked during business hours. Rang the bell and woman came to the door with her hand on her hip - not knowing why I was there but clearly looking like I was an imposition. I returned to the car and found Friends For Life. The experience was like night and day, y’all.

Excellent Place, Good Attention

We had a nice experience with Houston Pets Alive! We adopted a cute kitten from them. I would strongly recommend this place.

Great service and plenty of help on 1st time pet owners.

Wonderful people with great heart and morals to help rescue animals. Love them .

This is a no kill animal shelter. If you are in need of a pet I would highly recommend coming here. The staff are very kind and knowledgeable on all the dogs/cats here. There are so many loving animals here who are in need of homes. If you go inside they have a list of all the donations you can make. This is a nonprofit organization so they do not get any assistance from the government. Everything they do is run on donations and from the help of volunteers.

We had to wait over 10 minutes at the counter before anyone spoke to us. Multiple employees walked right passed the counter and dont even acknowledge the line. Lucky for me there are 2 other Popeyes on the way home. This location will never get my money again.

Great adoption center. Great care put into each dog.

I’m pretty sure they lied and told me they were selling a black Labrador retriever, but the more I look at her and look up pit bulls and lab and pit bull mixed puppies the more I see that she is most like either full pit or half. I don’t mind it but I wish they did not falsely advertise the puppy just to see them. I would not recommend.

This organization is doing amazing things for animals and playing a crucial role with so many shelters closed.

Great group of people doing everything they can to help keep animals from being euthanized.Ive had the joy of fostering kittens with them, and now Teeny (formerly Lux) has officially joined our family.Thanks for all you do!

I dont remember being told that Ive caused destrucción but negativity NO por favor, im loving helping fix pain 😔

The people working there are amazing, and their love for animals shows! Cant recommend this place enough!

Awesome adoption opportunity place!!! Adopt a pet today!

Always so helpful and have happy dogs. Great company!

Houston Pets Alive does awesome work to rescue animals. It was a little difficult to find their new location because the door looks like it has a lockbox on it which is actually for employees. But if you walk up to the door theres a doorbell. Very nice people

We just adopted and could not be happier with the addition to our family. They truly care about the animals. The animals at Houston Pets Alive are given a second chance and are fostered if needed to get them to a healthy level before they are placed for adoption.

Fantastic organization. Considering they run on a dime, its amazing what they accomplish for Houstons most needy animals. We recently went through the adoption process and I was really impressed at the organization. Keep up the good work!

Absolutely love them. Shane helped me out through the whole adoption process and it went super smooth! will definitely adopt here in the future! Thank you!

I contacted them 5 days ago for the purpose of volunteering and have not heard back from them. They maybe doing good things for pets but I only gave them 2 stars because l truly dont know because l have not been able to contact them via email or over the phone. I dont know how it is for people who are interested in adopting.

Tried to visit. Door was locked and it says to ring bell. Rang bell twice and stood outside for 15 minutes, but no one came to the door. Place was open per posted hours of operation and I saw people inside through the window. If you cant answer a doorbell then unlock the door. We want to adopt a dog.Thanks for wasting my time (and gas).

We adopted our fur baby from here, and the staff was wonderful about listening to our needs as we already had a cat, and made every effort to help pair us with an appropriate companion. We fell in love with our sweet girl and brought her home the same day. Thank you HPA!

When I discovered Houston Pets Alive was so close to home I knew I had to stop by with some donations. I ended up volunteering and even bringing a sweet puppy into my home as a foster! He needed a place to recover from an illness he picked up in another shelter. The volunteers and staff have been great to work with, and the puppy is doing well because of their great care and my willingness to get involved. I tell all my friends about Houston Pets Alive, and if you are thinking about adopting or fostering you should check them out!

I adopted my little angel, Dino from here. Theyre great truly! Very nice and accommodating! Thinking about getting a second dog soon from here.

Excellent organization with the hardest working and most loving animal advocates I have ever met. The love for these shelter pets is palpable. I was so impressed I fostered for the first time a year ago and now I help in as many ways as I can. I am grateful that there are people in this world who selflessly volunteer so much of their time to get Houston to be no-kill. I wish I had the ability to do more, especially with the tremendous growth the organization has seen in the last 2 months. If you are looking to interact with loving and compassionate like-minded people and want to make a real difference in the city of Houston, volunteer at HPA or adopt one of their pups.

There are 2 separate buildings for the cats and the dogs. I visited both sections. You must like dogs to be able to appreciate the work they do here. The other section for cats is great. Volunteers are super busy every day. They do great work. Just make sure to ask for help before approaching the cages.

Very friendly staff and caring too. Volunteered and everyone was sweet, you can tell they respect and love the dogs.

Volunteered at their temporary shelter a few times. Giving 2 stars because I think they can do better, but need a lot of work. I came to help after seeing a sad story posted on Next Door, basically begging for people to come out and help with hundreds of dogs. That is not false they do have a lot of animals and only a few people. I have a good guess why. The staff is rude and the place is chaos. The staff wear Austin shirts, not sure why, but they are unprofessional and are unable to run things. Some sit around while the 3-4 people they begged for walk dozens of dogs. I go because of the animals. They do need the help and that shouldnt be overlooked. But treat people who donate time well. Have things organized. I want to continue to support and will update if things improve.

I enjoying working with everyone they made this an awesome experience finding my new fury baby. I loved the meet and greets and all the detail giving on the dogs. I tried 2 other organizations before Houston Pet Alive, one was so rude I never went back and the other never contacted me back about the dogs I was interested in. I’m glad I found HPA. Dallas is an awesome addition to my home.