Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation — Attraction in Falls Church

these people may love animals but their people handling skills need work. I had an absolutely gut-wrenching experience and when I eventually voiced my concerns, did I receive an apology or even a DENIAL of the dismissiveness I endured? after I sadly surrendered their own rescue, who nipped at the wrong crotchety old lady in the hallway of my bougie Falls Church apt building? nope, I was just passive-aggressively booted from all of their little online groups. EVERY SITUATION IS UNIQUE; DO BETTER. this dog sought to protect me and acted out of fear, not aggression. I cried for months. and you did everything in your power to ensure that I never saw her again. I was routinely ignored by pretty much everyone involved. only her virtual foster seemed to respect my position of defeat and genuine concern for the animal I had adopted for what I had naively assumed would be the rest of her life. any other words of gratitude and encouragement were promptly ignored as I did my best to follow along on social media. oh shoot, that's Sophie's first mom; just ignore her, she'll go away. that sort of directive can come from only one place, and that is straight from the top. ultimately, this dog spent an extra 444 days in a kennel and was passed around between strangers. all of whom were absolutely hell bent on having her re-adopted by anyone but me.

I struggled to process the absurdity of this chain of events. and the awful day I took her back, where a staff member announced "SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR MAMA!" while I sobbed uncontrollably in the lobby of the LCDRF facility. followed by pic after pic over more than a year's time of her beautiful face and paws scratched and scarred, and her coat pink and irritated because they likely ignored my dietary advice. well done, captors. anyway, thanks for treating me as if I had CHAINED THIS DOG TO YOUR DOORSTEP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. it really helped me to move on.

pic below shows the callous misfortune of promoting a dog with a bite history. an actual police report was filed in Falls Church City, 27 May, 2023 when this situtation was needlessly escalated by building management and spiraled far beyond my control. but she has a new name now, Daisy, so perhaps the dots can't be connected if it happens again. this type of thing should not be buried since it was deemed "serious enough" (BAND-AID) to result in the immediate removal of my dog? so I did reach out (again, zero response or acknowledgement, as I am merely the fabled monster who gave back her dog). Bozzuto also forced me to pay the "legal fees" that they alone chose to incur when they rounded up a team of lawyers to write me a one-page form letter ousting my Documented. Emotional. Support. Animal. from the premises. you also received a copy. but the person pictured with Sophie is a director level employee. this pic also appeared within Sophie's online adoption profile. her shirt says "life's short, bite hard." I was quite upset by this careless display of poor judgment. such a class act.

I am lifelong animal lover and owner who spent all day, every day for ten months caring for this dog. she came from one of your own fosters yet had no training, was incredibly leash reactive, and was fearful of men. none of this was addressed or disclosed to me. but I happen to be 100 percent WFH and was up to the challenge. I taught her all of the basic commands. socialized her all over town, logging 15-20K steps a day. I even got her through the final isolation stages of heartworm treatment and the 4AM potty breaks of puppyhood. I'm certain they had no qualms about finishing off the rest of the pricey Simparica prescription meds I included. the entirety of this experience was regrettable outside of getting to love a dog, finding out who my friends really were, and realizing I did indeed have the strength and discipline required to raise and care for her. sadly, the hundreds of personal photos and videos I took of MY DOG have since been deleted, as they were too painful to be taking up space in my life. none of this needed to...

I'll start by saying I absolutely love my dog. He is the sweetest and I am so lucky to have him in our family.

My second positive is in regards to the friendly, helpful volunteers that were at the Rockville Petco Adoption event. They were kind, caring and dedicated.

My issue is that I spent $375 to adopt and upon taking my dog for his "routine" vet appointment 2 days later, I was faced with a $600 bill. He had severe kennel cough and diarrhea. After all the tests and IV treatment, I was worried that he wouldn't survive. Luckily things turned around.

However, I contacted the rescue because I felt it appropriate to be partially reimbursed for the vet bill. The adoption fee was was supposed to entail meeting some basic needs and not handing me a severely ill dog.

Upon contacting the rescue I was offered no reimbursement as an immediate response. Then offered to go all the way to Purceville VA for care from their vet. So, you want me to travel that far with my sick dog when you had your event in Rockville??? Then they offered to take him away and give him back when he was healthy. So you want to temporarily remove this poor dog while he's just started adjusting in our home?? Absolutely not. Both of these options were unacceptable. We adore him and wanted him to have the least amount of stress possible.

In good faith they should reimburse me for at least a portion of the vet bill or return the adoption fee. It looks bad on their part that they accept no responsibility. Plus, I now have pre existing conditions through his pet insurance.

No one should use this rescue unless you're ready to shell out at least 1K in the first week with no offer of reimbursement from the rescue. It's a reality.

YOU WILL DISAGREE IF YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS DIFFERENT (ADOPTING A HEALTHY DOG), BUT PLEASE PUT YOURSELF IN MY POSITION BEFORE REACTING.

I will reiterate that we adore our dog. Thank goodness he's ok now.

This needed to be said and I wish...

This is a great organization for rescue and adopting dogs! The adoption fee might seem high but once you meet these animals and see how well cared for they are, you’ll find that it’s a bargain. I attended one of their events at a PetsMart the same day I visited multiple shelters. I am grateful for the work of shelters and kennels but it was an upsetting experience trying to meet dogs there. It was a world of difference at an LDCRF event. Many animals were with foster families who were available to answer questions about individual rescues.

While I walked away from my first event without adopting, I came back the next day and met the same family who were fostering two mountain cur puppies. I decided to adopt then and there. The adoption process was quite smooth and even enjoyable. I got to take home my new puppy not an hour after arriving. I even went ahead and bought food and toys while at PetsMart.

Even if you are not adopting or fostering, this organization well deserves any support you might want to give for...