Lewis & Clark Humane Society — Local services in Helena

Very difficult to deal with! I have two stars because most of the staff were very nice and helpful. EXCEPT Christine who approvals all the adoptions. I was shown my dog before she was cleared through their process and able to be adopted. I tried to call numerous times to speak with her about my application but never received a call back. Finally we got a call back she was so rude and didn't care to talk about the adoption we were told she isn't ready and they didn't know when she would be. She kept saying "he" when it's a girl. Very vague and flat rude. my husband hadn't met the dog yet so we went there and again she was very snippy with us. My husband only had a short time to look at her because he was in uniform and had to get back to drill. She refused to let us see her when we were told by other staff she would be ready. after a week of back and forth and barely any info I was told she would get her evaluation and to call see how she is with cats kids etc. I called back to see how it went and Chris told me that I hadn't spoke to anyone but her and she in so many words told me I was lying about who I had talked to. Later that evening my husband wanted to go in to meet the dog and see if she was a fit for him as well. We were told she would have to approve us taking her for a walk in the parking lot, which she did. After that she was super nice and asked us if we need anything to transport her home for adopting her tomorrow. We were shocked after the rude conversation, vague information, and dates constantly changing. Then all the sudden we can adopt her. Thank god we played the game long enough to get our sweet dog! Later my sister had the same issues and they adopted the dog out with out even calling her or giving her a chance to meet the dog when she tried to call...

After deciding to adopt another dog and add to our animal family, my fiance and I visited this place several times. We fell in love with nearly all the dogs each visit. We filled out an application on the first visit and came back a week later for a second visit to check in on our status and meet potentials. We were told someone would meet us in the dog pen area to do a walk-through and answer questions we may have about each dog. After (slowly) walking through once we found that no one had come to meet us so we decided to check with the front in case they were tied up with other customers. I was told that the employees had just gone on break. I tried asking the one available employee about a few of the dogs but did not get very clear answers since she primarily dealt with the cats, so I wrote down my questions in hopes to get answers when they were able. I understand managing a dog shelter can be quite a demanding and sometimes stressful job, but I also feel as though getting the dogs adopted to a comfortable permanent home is number one priority. I was disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm and help we received especially after showing great interest. I was told we would receive a follow up call after our last visit, which was several months ago. I haven't even heard if it is possibly due to our application being denied or not. We exercise on a daily basis, have no children and plan on spending as much money as it takes to keep our pups in good health, I am not sure what kind of pet owners they are looking for but apparently we are not it. I will be traveling to Bozeman to adopt as I have worked with that shelter before. I give three stars despite our poor service because the dogs (and cats) in the facility seem to be well taken care of and the employees...

I had a stray cat show up at my place, just at the end of a -40 cold snap. She was about four months old, give or take and very hungry. One of her ears had been frozen. I let her in to my house and fed her but she was really wild and after eating, ran and hid under my bed. the attempts I made to catch her were disastrous and she wound up living under one or the other of our beds for three weeks before I borrowed a live-trap and caught her. By then, she was also in heat. L&C "Humane" Society personnel told me to just turn her loose to fend for herself! Ok. Put her BACK out on the winter streets so that, if she actually DID survive, she could spit out a few litters of kittens to start the whole cycle all over again! Probably the most INhumane advice I think I've ever heard! Essentially, since we weren't able to catch her and she was in the house, L&C says she's "my" cat now and they can put me on the long list for Owner Surrender but they had no other advice or suggestions. Turn her Loose on...