Humane Society of Westchester — Local services in City of New Rochelle

After I donated thousands of dollars to this shelter (both in money and supplies- as I live locally and adopted from them once when it was still Pet Rescue of Larchmont-- they REFUSED to take in a kitten I trapped after I rented a trap from them. The person I dealt with was Sara Etkin- who in addition to being rude, nasty and condescending, told me I should not trap the kitten until I know who would take him. I told her the kitten is by my workplace, and the other kitten- most likely from the same mother was recently found DEAD. I said I was afraid this little one is going to die. She specifically said "He is not going to die. Cats don't die like that.." The next day, it was getting increasingly cold and it was SNOWING!. And I was not going to leave the kitten there. I trapped him, and when I called, Sara AGAIN said "did not we have this conversation? You have to find a place for him." I was saying: Are not you a humane society????? Sara is ANYTHING BUT HUMANE. I also told her that years ago we trapped an older cat and had issues bringing him in. Sara said: "And were not you TOLD that you need to have a place for it?" And I said "NO. Of course not!" When I went to return the crate, I confronted Sara and the other really nasty manager whose name I believe is Tiffany Rivera, Tiffany, told me "Keep Your Attitude in Valhalla". She said that because ONLY TODAY they actually asked where I trapped the kitty who they were willing to leave out for DEAD. I NEVER told them the cat was not from this area. NOW they were looking for an excuse to brush me off.

The bottom line is if I was one of those low lives who just leave their pets outside their doors, they would HAVE NO CHOICE but to take the kitten. BUT because I was honest and wanted to do the right thing, they treated me LIKE GABARGE. And I am not exaggerating. On my phone call with Sara, she was talking to me like I was a little kid: "Did not we have this conversation??? What did I tell you???"

From now on this shelter will get NO PENNY from me until BOTH TIFFANY and SARA are FIRED. I hope the board president sees this review:

Please immediately get rid of Sara Etkin and Tiffany Ramirez. THEY MUST NOT WORK AT A HUMANE SOCIETY. IF I listened to the Sara, the kitten I saved would have been dead by now.

Oh, and when I told Sara my neighbor was trying to help me, she had the AUDACITY to tell me: " Why don't your neighbor take him!" This is truly DESPICABLE. Sara...

It’s honestly a shame what happened. My fiancé and I the night prior had a stray older kitten who seemingly was pregnant approach us meowing desperately for help. We took her into our apartment and bathed her as well as checked for fleas and fed her a combination of wet and dry food. She scoffed down 3 entire cans of fancy feast paté as well as the entire dish of dry food. We had then isolated her away from our other cats in case she had any parasites. The next morning we called the Humane Society of Westchester to see if they were accepting any furry friends in need of care. They gave us a phone number to another location in fordham which was not active and they were closed until Wednesday. They further explained that they only take animals found in westchester county (we live in the bronx but not even 5 minutes from westchester county). We were desperate and decided to bring the poor stray kitten over anyway because there was no way we could continue to look after her and that this shelter was the closest location to us and seemed to have a lot of supplies to care for animals unlike the locations in Manhattan. The poor baby peed in the carrier we took her in and they turned us away since we lied. Yes we did lie, but for the greater good because this older kitten was pregnant, hungry, and in need of care. This was completely heartless and inhumane for people who call themselves the humane society. Especially the woman who spoke to us who was condescending and told us to learn from this. All we have learned was that this location is selective of animals that should receive care solely based on where they were found. An animal in need is an animal in need and if we have the power to help then we should. It’s basic human courtesy. I hope the lady who decided to try and demoralize...

Just a super place, beyond what would seem simple, but seldom is. Animal kingdoms all require a certain healthy level of understanding. But in a realistic sense the mark is often mixed, a sense of love and commitment, but the Humane Society is held to a higher calling, the many ways that the Humane Society operates stays within a narrow guideline of what is seen, as well as other gray areas, that are anything from break ups that neither person has the means to support or care for an animal. Animal care experts are aware, but have their own struggles to maintain an environment that will give all the animals a second or maybe third chance to be adopted into a loving home. As many have walked into The New Rochelle Humane Society and seen the look of animals, begging to be taken home, one can only wonder if after the initial new pet high wears off, the continual care, love, cleaning, walking in all weather, pick up after dog mess, and making sure your new pet is a welcome guest to all family members. Pet ownership has been an area of high neglect, but if it not with certain criminal activities other gray areas are met with force, to not really want the responsibility. Especially as a pet starts to age and requires more vet care. Pet owners may resent additional costs, not having available funds, or pet insurance that will not exclude pre-existing conditions. We can do a better job of organizing pet resources, not just dos and don't s, but a responsive desk top document as part of the legitimate paper work that comes when the new owner pays the fees to adopt...