Last Hope, Inc. Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation — Attraction in Town of Hempstead

Last Hope was the most helpful and professional animal adoption center I visited on Long Island (and I visited A LOT during my search for a cat companion). After a very poor experience with Ruff House Rescue (10/10 do not recommend), I later went back to look at some cats at Last Hope. Something very helpful about Last Hope is the big room they use specifically for showing cats, which is filled with toys so you can really see their personality. Something not all the rescues/shelters I visited had.

Eileen primarily helped with my adoption and she was very good at showing me cats that would fit my needs. Eileen knew their cats personality's inside and out and she (along with other volunteers) takes the time to work with cats before they are adopted. I told Eileen I was looking for a mushy cat that would sit with me, liked to be pet, and would let me pick it up. I went on a Saturday and Eileen told me they had just gotten a handful of very friendly cats. I met with 2. One was a 7 month old tabby and the other a 1 year old grey tabby.

I spent time petting and playing with both cats, but decided that I would come back the next day right when they opened and make my choice. I came back the next day and decided on the grey tabby because it was a little bit older and set in his personality. (He also loves to be pet and cuddled!!) I was already approved which meant I was able to have Eileen drop him off to me that same night!

Eileen came to my apartment and brought his bed, his blanket, toys, and some food. She helped me get settled in with him and made sure we were both comfortable and answered/went over the paper work with me before she left. It's so nice this shelter brings you supplies for your cat and items that help make your cat more comfortable in their new furever home. With these items especially, their adoption fee is more than reasonable.

He spent a little time periodically hiding under my bed, but would come out when you talked to him. That same night my brother and his wife came over to meet my new cat and even with more people around he still came out from his hiding to enjoy some pets and attention.

My cat's name is now Mochi and he has been with me for a couple weeks now. He stopped hiding under my bed two days after coming home and now follows me around everywhere I go in my apartment. He recently has discovered he can sit on the window sill and watch what's going on outside.

If you are looking for a shelter who is going to take the time to find out what YOU need in a companion, I encourage you to go visit Last Hope in Wantagh. Eileen matched me with the purrfect cat and I am confident one of the volunteers will help you find the purrfect fur baby too! And if you're not a cat person, they also have some very cute dogs and I had a short conversation with the receptionist on that side of the shelter and she was also very polite!

Thank you Last Hope and Eileen for all your help! When I am able to adopt another cat in a couple years I will...

What a heartbreaking experience this was. My daughter and I went to this shelter to see if we could adopt a dog. I myself am an attorney who works part time and has a great house in a lovely part of Long Island with lots of parks. 16 years ago I adopted a dog from North Shore Animal League. She died two years ago and I was finally ready for another adoption. We went to this shelter since NSAL is under construction and have limited animals and staff to show them. When I walked in the volunteer was very professional. She greeted us, showed us all the dogs, and answered questions. We asked to see two dogs and spent some time with each. I settled on one amazing 5 year old male. The volunteer asked me to fill out an application. It asked for two personal references, a vet reference, and a home visit. I thought this was a bit over the top but no problem. The volunteer said we’d hear from them shortly. The next day the director of the shelter called back. First she stated I left off my application that I had a dog in the past. I don’t remember that part of the application but maybe I missed it. I was getting the impression that I was being interrogated as if I was some criminal looking to adopt a dog for nefarious reasons. She said she’d call my references and get back to me. (My references both contacted her with glowing statements on my ability to take care of a dog. I’ll assume our vet of 14 years did the same ) The next day she texts me a video of the dog interacting with a cat. He was playing and the cat was having none of it. The text said that he wasn’t good with cats. I saw the opposite. That cat was not good with him. I told her my cats were not like that and got along with my other dog. She then sent not one but two volunteers out for a home visit. They were fixated about the lack of a fully fenced yard. I explained to them that I would be taking the dog on walks. He wouldn’t be in the back yard but to relieve himself and I would be there the whole time. They left after that interrogation. The director texted me and said I was rejected because of no fence and two cats. It seems they would rather have the dogs to themselves living in cages and not have them in a loving home. They treat people who want to do the right thing and adopt a stray as if they were criminals. They truly are pushing people to puppy mills and breeders with this type of attitude. Don’t go to this shelter unless you want to have your...

My review is about the service we received, not the treatment of the animals - we never got that far. We went there last night to view dogs in hopes of finding a new family member. When we arrived there was no one there to greet us or give us direction so we simply followed the writing on the wall that lead us to the dogs. The door was open and an older woman with glasses was standing in between the entry. I asked if we just walked in and she No! (starring at me up and down, also starred at my sons shirt, clearly uncomfortable moment). She continues and asked “what are you looking for?” I said we would like to adopt a dog. She pointed at my husband and my son and said “how old are they!” I said well that’s my husband and my son is 13 (who by the way is taller then me and a solid 170). She said “he can’t come in you have to be 18!” I said oh ok well is there any way we can see the dogs? She said yes and proceeded to walk us over to a window with photos of a couple of dogs. My son has vocal tourrets that pretty much activate when he’s anxious and I could hear him trying his hardest to hide his tics because I know he was upset; it was pretty heartbreaking for us cause he was super excited and we knew that we could give a dog in a kennel a great home and companionship. Even though we look young and our appearance to her was clearly profiled - we are both professionals, financially established, we own our own home with a large gated yard. I have also been a previous pet owner (which I told her) and my last dog of almost 15 years I adopted from the Wantagh animal shelter; he came to us full of fleas and immaciated but we gave him the best possible life until his final days. I was clearly disappointed not only for my family and a pretty sad car ride home but for a dog in a shelter that could have had a new forever home and also opening the space in the shelter to another dog that could have had the same opportunity. Luckily, Long Island has many shelters and I’ve also connected with some groups on Social that were very welcoming and expecting our arrival today. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck finding our new...