You can read the comments all you want, but you need to understand that this is a government facility. They can’t just give animals out to anyone. They are trying to match a good family with the animals personalities or past history. Most of the reviews are bad because people get mad when they are told no or when they do something they aren’t supposed to be doing. You also need to understand that they cover the entire Rutherford county, so yes phone calls may take awhile. But that does not mean they aren’t working hard for the WHOLE RUTHERFORD COUNTY AREA. These group of men and women are extremely hard working and go through so much mentally and emotionally. Please treat them with respect and understand that sometimes just because you want a specific dog doesn’t mean you are the right fit. They do this for the safety of the public as well as the animals. Keep up the hard work PAWS, you’re doing great. I don’t work here, but I look up to these employees with the highest respect.

I took a baby dear that had been hit by a car and had a broken leg, I was a little upset and a resource officer came right out to help me get her out of my truck, dont know if shell make it,I volunteered to take care of it but she said they would probably have to put it to sleep. Better than leaving her there to suffer or be eaten by a coyote. I tried 😥😭. Awesome people there!

My Rabbit passed away Saturday the 10th and we called them latter on in the day about donating her supplies and it so happened that a Rabbit named Lucky was there for adoption. They dont get many Rabbits in we brought over all her supplies to help them out with Lucky or any other small animals that come in on Sunday the 11th. We found out that he was adopted Saturday. That made me happy to hear. Our Rabbit came from a shelter as well. The facility was very nice and the receptionists were very friendly.

Horrible place I have called several times about severe dog neglect next door. Dog is in a kennel 24 7 no food no fresh drinking water feces everywhere. They simply dont care

Our dog was dropped off by someone that found her a couple of miles from our home. We came to pick her up. Because we didnt have her rabies certificate with us we had to pay for her to get them again. I offered to call my vet to verify but that wasnt good enough. Ok fine. What Im upset about is the fact that she had on a $60 flea collar that was on her when she was picked up and was shown in the picture. When we asked them about it, they said it was the slip leash in the picture. It was clearly a flea collar and a slip leash in the picture. They had the nerve to say she didnt have it on when she was dropped off even though the picture was taken at their facility. I verified she had the collar when she was dropped off by the person who took her in. I normally dont leave negative reviews but I dont appreciate being lied to. Maybe it was an accident but the proof was discounted and thats not right.

Adopted a dog this past Friday and thought he would be a great addition to my little family! Its now been 5 days and I am confined to the living room with him because he will not leave my cat alone and chews on everything. He will not listen and has snapped and both myself and my boyfriend on multiple occasions. I know he thinks its playing, but he will not listen when we attempt to correct him and has been steadily getting worse as the days go by. I contacted the PAWS Surrender number, figuring that they would be able to take him back and be able to find him a better home with a family that has more time and patience and space than we do, and it took four (4) phone calls to even get a call back. They say they are booked 3 weeks out and that my hands are tied and I have to just wait until my appointment time. What I do not understand is why I have to wait another 3 weeks and have the situation get worse when I just got him not even a week ago. I know they have plenty of space (which is a good thing), and the lady I talked to seemed like she didnt even care to try and help. I promise I am not one of those people who berate people over the phone, all I wanted is some help so that my home can go back to normal and this puppy can get a home better suited for him so that he may thrive.

I love going here! i haven’t gotten one of the animals yet but im planing on it soon. just seeing the dogs and cats and any other animal there is so heart warming. there so cute and hurts me to see them there.

I will NEVER recommend taking your dog here. my dog was returned to me after being spayed absolutely covered in her own feces and urine and couldnt be given a bath for several days. I could barely even sleep in the same room with her because she smelled like a barn animal from all the pee and poop matted into her coat. not to mentioned I left her leash with them and never got it returned to me. just spend the extra money to get your dog fixed at a low cost clinic

My husband needed to take his fathers dog there because his Dad passed away. He had to wait 3 weeks to get appt and was told he needed to bring a death certificate and to bring vet records if he had any. It was a mistake to take the records because the records showed where his sister had payed for something so they said SHE had to be there to sign. He got his sister on the phone and she gave verbal consent, offered to send over via fax or email her signature AND driver license and they said NO she HAD to be there. She was working in Hermitage and couldnt get there. These people just dont want to help you.

Last week I brought my dog in to get spayed. She recovered well. They gave me complete instructions on how to take care of her. The workers were so kind and even though covid is happening the system of keeping everyone safe was right on the mark. Thank you to all the wonder people at paws

Got bit by a neighbors dog, called sheriff who routed the call to Paws, Paws called me at 9:48 am to say they were sending someone. It is currently 12:15 pm and I havent heard from anyone since that call. I called the sheriff back to check if someone was coming, dispatch was very short/rude with me and said she would page someone from Paws, she refused to give me a contact number for anyone. I can’t call anyone from Paws because it’s Sunday and the number they called me from initially is blocked. Very unhappy with how this situation has been handled.

Found a wonderful girl our new baby girl

Went in to adopt and I ask if someone could walk with me to tell me how each one has been so far a d they told me to just go pick one out. I found one I fell in love with took him to the front and they ask if I had kids. I said yes my son is 8 they refused him to me because they said they wanted to see how my so would treat him. The lady standing next to me adopted too and they ask how old her kids was and she said 3 and 6 but they let her continue her adoption. I’m not sure why this happen to me but it was wrong to discriminate against me!

My brothers dog bite someone and the paws officer that responded was absolutely wonderful, she worked with us to be able to keep him at home with my brother, she also gave me info on the spay/nuter program they have got my dog. I always thought that you had to be on government assistance to get it done for free. But thats not true they do it for everyone who lives in Rutherford co. For FREE!!! There also doing her rabies shot and trimming her nails for us. So if your in need they are there to help. They also have a lot of fur babies who need good homes. Every Friday they wave adoption fees. So you can adopt a pet who needs a forever home.

I want to believe that this place truly cares about animals..but Im not sure anymore. I adopted a kitten a few weeks ago from here, she was about 4 weeks old. She was sick, and they spayed her. Within the next 2 weeks her health declined. I took her to the vet and was told that she really should not have been spayed that young, and she wasnt healthy enough to have that surgery done in the first place. They suggested that she had lost too much blood during that surgery, and thats why she was so weak. We tried vitamins with iron supplements to help her, but it was too late. She died about 2 weeks after I had gotten her. I have been emailing them for about a week telling them about my situation. I got a response at first, but now nothing. My heart is broken. I have a feeling had she not been spayed, she wouldve made it.

We called in order to help save a cat. Called at 1:45 pm, December 28th. Got a quick call back from a RUDE GIRL at 1:58pm. My sister answered/called as well about the same cat. She got the call back while I didnt.The point is...A neighbor of ours ( lets call her Female B) isnt that nice and we with others witnessed (Female B) toss this cat out and leave it to starve and freeze. Her son once kicked the cat and treats it the same as she does. THIS ANIMAL DID NOTHING BUT WANT A HOME..Leave the cat be if you dont want it! This cat isnt the smartest, so I worry.PAWS REP BASICALLY SAID THE CAT CAN SURVIVE ON ITS OWN. NOT ALL CATS CAN, MAINLY IF THEY ARE KITTENS!!!!!! GET EDUCATED. I work as a vet tech, I know what can and cannot survive. I TREAT THESE ANIMALS!PAWS IS NO HELP. Whoever answered the phone at this time needs to be FIRED. YOU DO NOT GET SMART WITH PEOPLE AND CHANGE YOUR STORY AND POLICIES ON A WHIM. I will get this animal myself if I have to. I only did as the POLICE said, call paws.Never again. BEWARE.

Its been great to find a friend needing each other and just a wonderful place to find a friend

I wish they spent more time with the animals, to get a clear view on their temperament. Rather than just saying pit bull, usually aggressive, not good around young kids. Too generic and not helpful at all, and most of the time, not correct either

Never answer the phone so don’t try calling

I adopted a dog that was stated as a stray, so I expected there to be some issues when adopting - but nothing I could not handle! I was told that the animal had been given proper medical treatment, and nothing should have been wrong with her. In less than 2 hours of having her, I noticed she could not hold in pee. And she was crying and scratching at her ears all the time. I immediately thought, she is not as healthy as I was told. I called my vet and made sure to get her in because I was worried. Turns out, she had one of the worst yeast infections in both of her ears that the doctor has ever seen. She also had crystals in her urine, a UTI. Her glue from the spay they gave her the day before I took her home, came open on the second night I had her.It took me less than 2 hours to know she was not as healthy as they stated, and I feel like I was lied to when adopting this dog. I love her and she has been so great, but now I feel as if I was not prepared and given the proper heads up. I have now spent $600+ on medical bills that I should not of even had to pay for, if they would have done a proper check-up. I do not have the money because of these medical issues, and was not prepared enough by the staff to adopt this beautiful girl.I have never made a google review, but I could not hold this back because this has been quite an awful experience. I do not appreciate how the adoption was handled, and I feel like I was lied to about her medical information. I also feel that PAWS just tries to push families to quickly adopt, instead of nursing the animal to health and giving them a proper check-up. It took me less than 1 minute to lift her ears up and see how swollen they were, and to know she was not okay. I should not have been given this dog, nor should have anyone else, without a proper vetting beforehand. They also do not answer the phone at all, so do not even try calling.How can a shelter be open and not properly give their animals a check up before an adoption? They had to of known she was not healthy before giving her to me.

They never answer the phone. The person who runs the place cant even be bothered to Update their automated phone messages with correct information. PetHarbor.com isnt a valid website PAWS! Hasnt been for years.

I took my 7 month old perfectly healthy kitten aura for a simple neuter on the 10th of February along with his siblings and they told me when I went back to pick them up that they tried to contact me but they didnt and that my baby didnt make it through the surgery 😔 they never even said they were sorry and the vet was very negative and cold they should not be allowed to work with animals. They are very negligent and gave my cat ketamine the vet was Debrina Dills and she should not be allowed to work with animals. He had no heart or health issues. And they need to be closed down or get better doctors and vets and staff this place needs to be investigated

They tried to sell my dog without even trying to find the owner

How can a dog for adoption have three different names at Paws???? One on the cage, one when you ask at the desk and another one when you look on their web site??? Is it the same dog all three the same breed????? So unorganized and understaffed

I tried to call to ask about a dog couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone. So I just went up there tried to take a dog home and they kept saying no. I will not be back to this place EVER

Very friendly it was a pleasant experience and they took great care of my dog.

My heart is in the middle on this review. PAWS has given me 2 amazing animals so I am thankful for their services. I adopted a kitten and a dog a couple years in between adoptions. I say this because when I did adopt them there wasnt any improvement... Both neuter and spay surgeries looked very poorly executed and on both took a longer recovery time than what Ive ever experienced. They were also pretty dirty... I know its an animal shelter but jeeeezzzz. Dont go expecting good customer service. Need to update their website - often it does not reflect the animals there. Maybe an app would help? Ive only experienced the adoption process so I cant fully comment on surrendering or having animal control come out, I have heard it takes animal control days if not impossible for them to come out, though.

I adopted a beagle at Paws 4 years ago. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the place and love how they let you take each dog youre interested in outside on a leash to actually get to know him/her. RABBIT is 10 years old now and I love him more than ever!

So we went in there to adopt a cat and the girl helping us was being mean the whole time we were there and we told them the person who was putting in the adoption was moving but I asked if I could adopt it instead she just walked away came back and said no then basically yelled at me and my family that she had to take the cat back she even threatened to throw away our other application for a dog because apparently our story kept changing we definitely will not be coming back to this facility

I love this place I always go to check on the dogs I have 2 dogs from there but three years ago I got my dog there they gave him to us scared and wounded his paw was cut open they said it was not their problem because they found him in the woods overall most of the stuff is great I love the dogs if your looking for a dog go here but do not expect perfection.

Went in to adopt Gus. Was told I had to bring my dog in to meet him first so I ran home and came back. My dog gets along with EVERYONE. He loves dog parks and meeting news dogs. Has never had an issue with any dog before. When she brought Gus in the room she stood there holding his leash so they couldn’t sniff each other. Then she let Gus eat some food off of the floor. At that point my dog was not having it and started to growl so she said “um yeah ok we will have someone walk you out”. She didn’t even try to calm the situation and did nothing to help my dog feel at ease. All he wanted was to sniff Gus and eat food too. I don’t know her name but she had some tacky piercings in her face. She obviously doesn’t know how to introduce dogs who have never met and was very rude. Didn’t welcome me when I came in. Acted annoying that she had to do her job and when she left she didn’t say bye or offer to let us meet another dog. It’s sad that she is just there for a paycheck and not to find animals homes. If anyone is looking for a sweet puppy Gus is still there!

Do not adopt from here!!!! I adopted a kitten on 6/4/2020. I had put my dog down back in April and my boyfriend and I wanted to get a cat. I was told he was 5 weeks old and I asked the girl who was helping us if there was anything else we needed to know since we were first time kitten owners. We had other cats in our home but this was our first time adopting a kitten that young. All they told us was to not bathe him as he had just been neutered and they provided a dry food for us. My friend who raised kittens informed us to mix wet kitten food with the dry food and watch his weight. We noticed the kitten was very matted, covered in dead fleas and very thin. We brushed out as much as we could and tried making him as clean as we could without a bath. We noticed he was not eating however but he was playing and using the bathroom regularly. On 6/7/2020 we put him up in our bathroom with a litter box, bed and food as we had done when with our other cats until they got use to the house. We came home and found the kitten breathing but basically lifeless. I rushed him to the emergency vet who informed me that he was too small to save. The kitten was way too young to be neutered and way to malnourished to even be adopted. The emergency vet said he had failure to thrive and was so tiny (it was hard for us to tell because he was fluffy and were not professionals) he didn’t even have the muscle mass for them to even try and save him. We are very upset that they would adopt out an animal that was not healthy enough to thrive.

Wonderful, found our new fur baby!

There so sweet! These bad reviews are not all true. I have not got an animal yet but im still looking. I come in every Saturday to look around. The workers are nice and the animals are amazing! I cant wait to actually get one.☺️❤️

You guys never up date your photos or web sight.Bev HarrisWalter hill area

Called ahead to see if they were open for business they said yes till 3 so my family drove an hour to adopt a dog to only be told at the door by appointment only update yourf reaking website and hire nicer employees unprofessional staff

This shelter is an outstanding facility that has showing how a successful shelter should function. Great work PAWS. Everyone else, go adopt a shelter pet!

My grandparents and I got a cat there and she is very silly and she is still healthy and very playful and she loves playing with markers and pop bottle caps

Visited Paws yesterday 01/25/2020. Been looking for a puppy or small breed dog. Receptionist there asked has. Anyone helped us. I said, no maam they havent. She kindly showed us the door to where we could visit the dogs and gave us information about a few small breed dogs they had. I hope I get the call tomorrow that I can pickup the doggy I set eyes on.

I was a little nervous because of all the negative reviews however, we had a great experience. We went on a Saturday morning and it was busy but all three of the ladies at the front desk were nice and helpful, and the animal control officer was really great. We adopted a beautiful mixed breed with the sweetest temperament . All of the cages were clean, and the adoption process was super simple. I do suggest bringing your existing pet with you because you will need to do a meet and greet with any prospective pet

These people MURDER animals! How is it that these people rescue all these dogs for this county and when I go in there theres like 4 dogs available for adoption. Its because they euthanize!!!! Theyre like our numbers are down and its because people finally know not to take animals there. Read the story about Jax! Aggression issues are you kidding? Of course a dog is scared in the pound especially with you people that have no sympathy!!!! Yall have a volunteer whos over 60 who shouldnt even be handling anything bigger then a Chihuahua. She acts like all the dogs that are big and jump are aggressive. Someone needs to shut this place down or get new management!!!!! #JusticeforJax

I am never going back there again. We found a good dog their and we were ready to adopt it but then they said that we would have to adopt it a few days later and we didnt have a problem with that until they said we cant adopt a dog their because we had already adopted a dog and brought it back and we couldnt adopt another dog until a year has passed since we brought our other dog back. They could have told us that beforehand so we wouldnt give our hopes up.

This place is a joke they are extremely rude ppl working here . I found a cat I feel bad take her inside mi house 2 month later she have 5 kittens.you know I can’t afford all of them I am trying to surrender 4 cat they gave 2 months appointment and they can’t do it unless they fix the mama.i bring the mom to get fixed on the way going to pick my cat there was a big traffic. I called the no one bather to pick the phone .they call me and says are you coming to pick the cat when I started to explain my problem .she said ok come tomorrow between 8 and 9 am pick the cat pay 15 dollar for staying overnight I was like what the government should pay me ta carting they cat.it’s not done when I show up 9 am the next day they told me they open 12 pm .I have to seat on my car 3 hours unbelievable

PAWS is a pretty great shelter. They are pretty honest about what they know about these beautiful animals. The adoption process is easy and fast. And they are really great at answering all of your questions. The only thing I didnt care for is that they hardly ever answer their phone.

If I could give zero stars I would. This is the absolute worst organization I have every encountered! The staff is rude and offered no information regarding the dog I was interested in. They simply stated they were holding the dog for application approval. I was under the impression this wasn’t allowed in within the county. However, apparently I was wrong and these individuals would rather see the animal remain in a cage instead of going to a loving home.

Ive always had good experiences here. Ive had a few pets fixed thru the free clinic they provide. The staff Ive dealt with have all been caring and professional.

My daughter and I adopted a husky and lab mix she is the best dog!!

3 years ago, I adopted my best friend here. She was found by one of their animal control officers off of a Smyrna highway abandoned with her right eye literally hanging out. Though she was scared and in a lot of pain, they patiently worked with her and coaxed her to come with them. From there, they removed her badly injured eye. She was then put onto the adoption floor where I found her. She was still scared and recovering from her surgery, but I could not resist her. I took her home with me that day. The adoption process was inexpensive and very straightforward. I would happily adopt an animal from PAWS again.

Our kittens got loose and were turned into PAWS. They wanted almost $200 to release them back to us. They would not budge on any of the fees. It felt like a repo place trying to get your car back after being towed. I would have thought they would be glad to do anything to reunite the scared kittens with their owners, but the PAWS manager was only concerned with fees being paid.

The staff here is amazing !!!!!Its so apparent how much they care for all these animals !!!!!

Love little Carmine, he is really growing adopted him in July, 2020! Great staff !

Ive rescued two pitbull mixes and theyre like part of my family now. Great place to adopt from and theyre very thorough.

They have a 3 month old puppy listed as not adoptable because it bites. Puppies bite as they play, its part of being a puppy. If a rescue doesnt take this 3 month old puppy it will be killed.

We found our fur child at PAWS just yesterday. We were able to go in and look at the dogs. We were able to take the dogs outside on a leash so we could get to know them. She seems to have a wonderful personality although needs some training. We love her already. I loved how we could take them out to the fenced in yard. The only thing I suggest is something that happened at another animal shelter we went to years ago. A person volunteering showed us around and helped us find a perfect match. I wish we were able to have that experience at PAWS. Overall its a good place with great intentions. BTW wonderful pictures of the dogs online and kudos to the photographer!

Took my minature Poodle this Thursday to the neuter clinic, my dog came back home happy, awake and in good attitude. The process was simple and staff was nice and playful with my baby girl. Overall a great experience.

Wonderful staff and customer service at the front desk. Having my cat spaded so to cut down on too many kittens

Im a younger guy, and I love dogs! I just came to play with The dogs and walk around outside with them. The staff and volunteers were extremely helpful and the dogs were very playful and cute! Personally, this was an amazing experience. Forget what all the other reviews say, if you like dogs, this is the place to go.

Great organization with a great staff as well. Clean and you can tell how well the animals are cared for ❤🐶

They make it borderline impossible to adopt unless the circumstances 100% meet their expectations. If anything is slightly off then they cut you off (where you live, other animals, etc). They do not know how dogs work in any way. They refused to let me adopt because the dog that does not live with me did not like him. The dog is 15 years old. Its like having a little kid run around an 80 year old man. Of course they wont click right off the bat. They focus more on keeping dogs there than getting them loving homes. Never trying to adopt there again.

Well I’ve never owned a pet in my life, and I knew for my first I wanted to adopt from a shelter. I just searched up the nearest one, and Paws was recommended for me. Being a new owner I wanted to call to ask a few questions, so I called ... and called... and every time got sent to voicemail. I don’t know if it’s a policy for them to not pick up the phone, but I think it’s a little ridiculous that I have to leave a voicemail for just wanting to ask a few questions? Then fast forward I decided to go in person because no one was picking up the phone nor replying to my voicemails. At the time due to COVID they only had a limited amount of animals. I QUICKLY noticed how dirty their cages were. I get it if there’s so many of them sometimes it’s hard to clean up after them, but when there’s only 5 dogs and I notice they’re cages aren’t even clean? No excuses. Especially because I saw so many employees all in the front talking. I ended up adopting a cute little Havanese. He was EXTREMELY matted, and clearly hasn’t been groomed for at least a year minimum. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just cut the matted hair off at least to relieve this dog of all the stress he’s under. All they did was neuter him which uhm? Thanks I guess but now I have to wait 10 days for him to bathe..I don’t know much about dog shelters, but I do know this shelter needs to reevaluate and update some of their policy’s.

Went in earlier this month interested in adopting a dog for my family and I. The girl who helped us was very rude and unprofessional. Not sure her name but those horrendous facial piercings are hard to forget. She was rude and very negative towards us from the start of our conversation. Seems like she hates anything thats remotely a pitbull and just kept telling us everything that was WRONG with the dog. Nothing positive. Its like everything I said about my family and I and our home was not good enough or to her standards. Kept questioning us. I hope these poor dogs get a home. However, this girl is keeping them there longer. Unfortunate. Ill take myself and my family elsewhere to find a dog.

Went yesterday to adopt our precious lab mix. She had been there since 10|16. She was spayed clean and had seen a vet. The staff were very kind and considerate. The lady that helped us was very efficient taking care of two adoptions at once. They dont have enough staff to take care of all the customers and answer the phones. They probably dont have much time to return phone calls. Remember these are all volunteers. I found it very busy but efficient. We love our new dog from PAWS. The workers there are great.

I volunteered here a long time ago. I watched a woman that worked here decide to put a cat down just because it was scared to death when she tried to put a loop around its neck with a metal pole. Absolutely disgusting. The vets that worked here were good, but the main staff were largely horrid.

These people are incredibly rude and condescending. I had fear of rabies in a feral cat in the neighborhood. The girl at PAWS spoke to me as if she were speaking to a child. She wouldnt hush and let me explain the details of my very valid fear of rabies. Indeed she told me she couldnt speak because I wouldnt stop talking. I am 61 years old. Im pretty sure I know all skunks arent rabid and I told her I understood that and she repeated it as if she hadnt heard me. I suspect she want listening. . I believe she was the rudest person I have e ever encountered when calling a place of business. Bar none. Management either needs to get a grip on their employees or we need new management in this very public place of business.

Very nice pet adoption facility. Nice staff. Clean.

Incompetent place!

THEY DO NOT CARE!! I had no money at the moment, in between jobs, and my cat just started having siezures. Im freaking out because thats my baby and I rush her to PAWS because I couldnt afford to take her to a vet. The reception lady was so rude and tried to take my cat from me. I threw a fit and she finally brought a vet in to look at her. Im sobbing and clutching her because Im scared and they tell me they cant treat her unless I sign this paperwork, refused to give her back to me so I sign the paper. Then as soon as I did, they informed me that they where putting her down and I couldnt even be there to hold her because I just signed her over to them. The receptionist had no compassion and even scoffed when I was sobbing and saying goodbye to my animal. They are cruel, cold people and deserve to be shut down or better management. Youd be better off taking your animal out back with a gun and tossing the beloved animal in a pile because thats exactly what they do. There is no compassion or care at P.A.W.S. dont set foot in there.

I called their business many times for them not to answer so I decided to drive from Nashville to their office and the second I entered the room they were so rude to me with not only thier words but the way these ladies were looking at me was so rude and uncomfortable I told them I had found this dog outiside of my home late last night around 10 pm and she cut me off and was very rude and seemed as if she was going to say something inappropriate then corrected herself and asked why didn’t I do something about it last night then I told her I called around everywhere even thier business which I called many times right before interning the office and it was not busy at all the ladies were just sitting around hanging out I couldn’t reach out to anybody and then she proceeded to tell me well if you found it In Nashville we can’t help you and it was just so disrespectful and rude the way these ladies spoke and made me feel as a dying dog is in my arms .

Im a truck driver and went by the place and found my new copilot. Thank you so much for my dog.

Don’t admit to using food to lure any emaciated strays for rescue. They will deny the stray rescue and hide behind a callous policy that assert your empathy constitutes ownership. What an absolutely despicable policy for a tax funded organization that exists to help these exact animals.

Great service. They take care of my dog really well.

Tiffany, the animal care specialist, who assisted with a friend of mines adoption, was nothing short of rude and quite frankly less than professional. Because of her behavior I will no longer recommend this adoption agency to any of my friends or family. I am beyond confused by how someone of her capacity is able to work with not only the general public but with animal welfare and adoptions. She is not the right fit for this job!

Called multiple times and left voice messages about adopting a dog and never received a call back. Sad to come on here to see so many other reviews with the same issue when the dogs need to be adopted and find loving homes

Love that place. Amazing employees.

Weve had a domestic rabbit show up at our home. An officer tried to catch it but to no avail. He left a trap, which I had to set myself. The rabbit was smart enough not to fall for it. The officer came back out and claimed to leave another trap closer to where the rabbit hides. I checked when I got home and there was no trap. I called yesterday and no one called me back. We found out from a community Facebook that the rabbit belongs to my neighbor who lets it, and his other rabbit, run free which is against the law. I also informed the officer that my neighbor has a puppy mill and lets his chickens run free. He could not have cared less. I called PAWS again today and Im still waiting for a return call. I pay taxes and I am not getting the service I should expect from a county organization!

The people here are so rude. One of our cats passed away and we wanted to adopt a kitten. They let my son play with the kitten. Then told us it was too soon after our cat dieing for us to get another cat. And refused to let us adopt the kitten. We love our animals we have 2 other cats that are well taken care of. One is 15 the other is 9 and Ive kept them up to date on shots thier whole life. They made my 9 year old son cry because they had already let him play with the kitten. Ill never go back DO NOT SERENDER ANIMALS HERE! There are other rescues that will help.

Went here the past weekend with my sister to adopt a kitten ended up leaving with two because they were siblings and were very close so we gladly got them both I noticed they had issues breathing and one eye on both of them was half closed with a mucus glaze when I asked about it they told me it was an upper respiratory infection and I was told they had given meds prior I was also given papers stated they were perfectly healthy other than the infection no big deal so I decided to take them to a vet and have them checked out and get some antibiotics and I was told that they have not received any treatment at all and had the infection for quite some time and they told me there is no guarantee their eyes will go back to normal also the female cat I adopted has heart murmur and they both had ear mites and the paper work for their medical stuff the shelter had given me stated they did not I’m am furious that a shelter can take in animals and provide no medical treatment and lie to my face and on top of that my kitten may not make it with her heart murmur PAWS should be ashamed I don’t know how you can possibly work with animals and not care get a new job or change the way you do things because this is ridiculous and to lie to people is disgusting will never be back and will be sure to spread the word hope they get sued or shut down!!!

We had a great experience adopting our dog here.

They offer vet assistance for all their animals. Even my dog at home had to get a rabies shot before I could bring home my new kitten, and they allowed me to get it through them for only 15 dollars. They’re cleaner than most places I’ve been too, and the volunteers walk the dogs multiple times a day. They have private rooms for seeing new potential pets! Which was really nice, and if there is something wrong and you cannot take care of the animal, they allow you to return it so they can give you proper care. They even gave me a free bag of cat food to begin with!

Definitely the rudest staff ever. Dealt with a girl named Hailey and she was one of the ill-mannered people I have ever come across in my life. I dont know how she got this job or how she keeps it. She needs to be fired. From reading all the other reviews though, it doesnt sound like this place hires friendly people though. Those poor animals!

Refused a stray kitten. Said I had to wait TWO weeks before I could bring it to PAWS!! When you go out of your way to stop a stray from getting killed by a car or starve in the freezing cold and youre told the reason PAWS wont accept it is because theyre trying to slow down taking in strays so they can become a No Kill shelter.In other words, instead of humanly putting animals to sleep that cannot be adopted out....lets allow them to die a slow traumatic death of starvation or abuse. Good going PAWS....youre actually allowing more animals to die with your so called NO KILL shelter....

This place essentially steals animals and holds them for a ransom.

Saw them serve a misdemeanor notice to my neighbor saying she didn’t have vaccinations for her cats. Some random person reported her and she doesn’t even take the cats outside. Had up to date vaccines but still tried to get money out of her.

The staff here are caring professionals that have public and animal welfare as the top priority! They do an oftentimes dirty, sometimes dangerous, job that is critical to our entire community.

You people judging the people that work there really need to get a grip on reality and grow up. At least these folks have the goodness, graciousness, kindness and loveliness TO work and VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME there. It is NOT THEIR fault that a lot of people are incredibly irresponsible pet owners and FAIL to properly care for their animals. This includes GETTING YOUR PETS SPAYED AND NEUTERED !! How CRUEL is it to have your animals give birth to a litter of innocent little babies that they can NOT take care or RESPONSIBLY ? That is on you ! The irresponsible pet owner ! Animals would not end up there is you took proper care of them. There are a severely limited amount of resources (MONEY) to go around and care for ALL of Gods animals that are NOT properly cared for. The answer is to SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS !! NO EXCUSES ! GOD SEES AND KNOWS EVERYTHING ! - GOD BLESS YOU !

Looking in to getting a dog, I came in on a Tuesday at noon when they open. I explained I wasnt planning to adopt that day. The staff still allowed me to go see the dogs available for adoption. There was a small selection at the time. Ages puppy to senior, mostly pit mixes.They then walked me through their adoption process, discussed vaccines, adoption policies, and fees. I spoke with about 3 different staff members total; all were professional and informative. Answered all my questions and offered good advice for helping a new dog adjust. For what it is and all they have to do, PAWS seems like a reasonable place to pick up a new pet. Ill be back to keep looking for a new friend!

Great place. They did a pro job on the neutering. But He came home with fleas. Ive never had to battle those critters before. Still on going challenge 2 months later. So tired of this.

Worthless excuse for a shelter. Turns out feral cats that arent feral hurt and soon after surgery to fend for themselves. Gave out my number as a complainant to the one I was turning in to get harassment phone calls and threats against a breed specific dog to keep my mouth shut. I will not be threatened and I will stand up for the 14 plus cats dumped at my property because of the unethical practices of this facility. What place turns out an injured under a year old cat then refuses to feed it? Sad pathetic excuse for a humane society and animal welfare organization.If I wanted barn cats I would gotten them local. Shameful the practices done here by employees.

I came in today with my wife and daughter possibly looking for a playmate for my 3 month old kitten. Everybody was extremely nice and quick to help. We found a 7 week old kitten we instantly fell in love with. The application process was simple, and I didnt realize there was a special where the adoption fee was free for cats. They were very informative and he had already been spayed, dewormed, and given a flea preventative (he was flea free). We are all very happy with the experience and the new addition to our family!

13 years ago we adopted two puppies from PAWS. Unfortunately they both pasted away. So we went out to see about adopting two more puppies.When we walked in nobody even asked if they could help us. Finally I said excuse me, were here about adopting two puppies. At that time they said you can only adopt one. Then they inform us that any dog we adopt would have to say inside.I honestly dont know why they have these rules.

I have worked for PAWS for over four years, and let me tell you why I love it:I have never in my life met a group of people more dedicated to helping these animals. The compassion and pure love shown from every single person working at PAWS is astounding. Ive seen with my own eyes staff members working with our dogs and cats, even if they come in frightened or aggressive, trying to get them the perfect home. Ive seen them put in the extra effort to try and find the dog that accidently got out of your fence. Ive seen them contact every rescue is Rutherford County trying to find someone to take the aggressive/terrified dog or cat who cant go up for adoption. I, personally, have spent days trying to gain the trust of terrified dogs and cats so we can place them up for adoption and find them the loving home they deserve. Its exhausting, but oh so rewarding.I am proud to say that PAWS has not had to euthanize for space in over 3 years! The euthanasia rate has gone down 20% since I began four years ago and now is in the single digits! The only animals being euthanized are the severely aggressive, severely injured, or a public euthanasia request.Heres another thing: Our vet staff is the most hard working in all of TN. Our awesome Vet has to do about 30 surgeries a day (we do it free for the public) and provide vet care to every single animal in our care with limited resources. Shes basically a rock star.This is a hard and thankless job. Please get the facts. Thanks.

Adopted my cat from them in June and my experience was flawless. Shocked that a shelter taking in all the animals from the Rutherford County area showed me so much patience and kindness. My cats name is Pawly D, hes a year old, happy and healthy. I got him for ONLY $5

These people never answer their phone and they stole the MTSU Student Bodys cat. They took joy from an entire community of students. The morality is appalling. The worst part is they renamed the cat some crackpot ridiculous name.

Professional, polite, very pleased with the service.

Employees were friendly and helpful.

I wanted to adopt a dog, a great Pyrenese that is a year old. She had a note that said “I’m not an outside dog nor a farm dog, i like to be inside...” and I thought that is perfect for me, Me living in an apartment that is fairly big enough for her. I asked about the adoption process and what not. The lady with the eyebrow piercing was rude to begin with and not very welcoming of a character (The volunteers were nicer than her). She answered my questions and then she asked if I lived in an apartment or a house. I answered truthfully, an apartment. She declined the whole adoption and told me to look for another dog because a great Pyrenese does not belong in an apartment. Yet they keep her in a small cage... in a kill shelter. There are Great danes that i see at my apartment complex all the time. But you are denying me the right to give this dog a home due to the fact of space whilst they keep this dog in a small cage, confined and not allowing to have a home. It’s gross and sickening to me. I know they haven’t put a dog down in a few years or so but the fact they are a kill shelter and that if this poor pyrenese won’t find a home. What happens next. Why deny homes for your animals. The fact she told me to look for another dog, if you were a true dog lover. You would know which one is for you and where your heart is set.Overall: Some employees are not friendly and I have depleted my value of the judgment, character, and mission of this shelter

My husband and daughter went in hopes of adopting a dog. Very rude staff and after coming back home to pick up our dog for a meet and greet with the dog we had at home they were told the dog we were interested in had to be an inside dog, when we told them our dog was an inside dog they acted like we were lying. Will not go there again, very rude.

I know they have a lot of people that donate their time but they need more that know whats going on at the Rutherford county Paws when asked questions

If I could I would give a negative rating. This place says they care about these precious babies getting a home or getting back to their loving homes; but honestly, they only want your money and to judge you. They judged us for wanting to get our fur baby back and not having the amount of money they thought they deserved. I dont have an arm and a leg to pay, no one does. This place only cares about a profit, they dont care about those precious babies. The lady at the front desk saw us upset and didnt care, she told us that we were wrong about her breed, age, and name; when we know all of those things. They judged us for caring about our baby but not having the money. But who would? We are so upset and worried about our baby but we cant get her and it breaks our hearts. They wouldnt even let us set up a payment plan or anything. We miss our baby and love her but that greedy, money hungry business doesnt care about that. They just want to judge and make a profit. They want to break apart our fur family and they dont care about it. The more animals to them, the more profit. When she disappeared, we searched for her; we posted her on the pet harbor website; we searched more. It wasnt until one day we saw her under a different breed, age, and everything. We knew it was her, the lady behind the desk said we were wrong about her everything, even though we had her since she was young, the woman behind the desk got hostile and told us we were wrong (Im a vet tech, I know my breeds and ages). We just want our baby back and we know all they care about is the money they make. This is a greedy company with evil employees.

We took our dogs to get rabies shots and it went very smoothly and recently when I lost my dog they were very helpful and informative !