Nevada SPCA — Local services in Paradise

I've been to the NSPCA twice, once to try to adopt a cat, and the second time to adopt my bunny. For a no-kill shelter that actually boards the animals and does not rely solely on fosters I was not surprised with the conditions. Of course conditions could have been better, but I thought they were decent considering the number of animals the facility holds.

When I adopted my bunny I was very happy with the lady who helped me in the small animal room. She answered all of my questions and set up a run area so I could sit and socialize with my bunny before adopting him. I thought they did a good job of keeping the bunnies together in pairs as much as possible (bunnies are social creatures and do best with a companion), and they really did a good job of keeping the litter boxes cleaned and providing a lot of hay. The lady who helped me even offered to trim my bunny's nails for me for free if I brought him to the shelter. She was very nice and very knowledgeable, and I had a really great experience overall on that visit.

When I went to try to adopt a cat I was looking for a particular cat who had been on the site for a very long time. At the shelter I was informed that the cat had medical needs that required daily shots (which unfortunately would kill her over time but were necessary to control her disease), and that her foster mom had decided to keep her. I was glad that the cat had a loving home, I just wish that her information had been updated on the website. My husband and I looked for another cat instead. I was not very happy with the condition of the cat rooms, each were very crowded with cats that all looked sick to some degree, and all litter boxes did not seem to have been cleaned recently as there was a very strong ammonia smell. However, I had visited in the summer when the A/C in the small animal room was broken, and they told me they needed to put the rabbits where some of the cats usually were kept, so I think the conditions were crowded more for those reasons instead. It also seemed to be understaffed with volunteers so I think that contributed to the dirty conditions too. There were a LOT of cats, it would be hard to manage all of the rooms with just a couple of volunteers.

I give the NSPCA a rating of 4/5 stars solely because the conditions could be better (with more funding and volunteers) and because their website isn't always up to date.

I would like to add that the reviewers who had bad experiences due to the staff being upset when you drop off an animal with no appointment or disclose that you don't plan to keep the animal indoors...what did you expect? I for one am happy that the NSPCA screens their applicants so well, I cannot say the same about the Animal Foundation. Of course the shelter would not want you to adopt a cat if you're keeping it outdoors, even if it is an indoor/outdoor cat. You are putting your cat in danger by letting it outside, where it can get sick (if not kept up to date on shots) or run over or attacked by another cat or even disrupt the natural ecosystem (cats can detrimentally affect song bird and small mammal populations). You have to remember to think about their perspective, they are trying to do best for the animal and if you disclose troubling answers then you should expect to get denied, not EVERYONE is qualified to have an animal!

Secondly if you just stop by to drop off your animal unannounced don't expect to get superior customer service. By surrendering your animal you are placing a strain on the shelter that already seems financially strained. They're not there to take in your animal because you move and didn't think to find a place that allows animals (they're out there you just have to look!) even though YOU made the commitment to your animal to love and care for it all its life.

I think the NSPCA is a good shelter that is doing its best, and I would suggest people consider adopting an animal from...

The facility isn't bad at all - I adore that the cats get their own rooms to hang out in and mingle together. I went into several to love on their big cute faces and give them some attention.

What I didn't like - the staff.

If you're going to hire people to work in a shelter environment, you need to hire people that are going to be both knowledgeable, kindhearted, and understanding. All three need to be present because if one is lacking, it just completely falls apart.

I've worked in various shelters, vets offices, and boarding kennels. Pet stores. I've dealt with dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, small animals. Everything under the sun. I have never been to a shelter in which animals aren't at least presented with medication if they're knowingly sick. I understand URI in kittens is common, but I was told that this "usually happens" in shelter environments because of stress and no, not in any of them I've worked in.

For the animals to be that stressed says something - We always managed to get discount medication to provide to our kittens if they were sick and always offered a round on us to the parent taking them home. What a way to discourage proper animal health care and people actually taking home these animals.

Moving on - My friend picked up a kitten that we thought would be a good fit - long story short, turned out she wasn't so we brought her back to eliminate stress on her from an environment which would not suit her.

The front desk associate told us that "We're dealing with a life here, this isn't walmart" when presented with the idea of a swap.

Alright. Yeah.

First of all, how absolutely rude. We're well aware we're dealing with a life here, both having worked extensively with animals for years. You have NO idea of the situation and you're going to get barbed automatically without calmly asking for the situation to be explained?

Situations like that are the reasons people dump animals instead of bringing them in. If you care about the animal, care about the person too. Not everyone is a total jackass looking to abandon animals for fun. You don't know an animal until you get them home. I don't care how much you want to tell me that's not true.

Especially if they're in the, you know, stressful situation as the staff themselves mentioned before. And sick. The Kitten didn't work out - and it's not about the money. It's about the animal being in a place where they'll thrive and it didn't work out like that this time.

To blacklist someone aware and knowledgeable from adopting another animal that would work is ridiculous. You're punishing both the potentials by holding all return customers to the same standard and also treating them like they're criminals for realizing the animal would not thrive in the future and needs a family as needy as it is.

Staff needs to step it up and not be so rude in the end - what a disappointing experience in a company I thought was supposed...

It troubles me to see all the poor reviews because the SPCA provides such a wonderful service. As for the lady with the red hair, she has been written up on numerous websites as a very rude person and probably should not be there.

I had a good experience there. One of my dogs passed away recently and I wanted to adopt another dog. I was actually scared to go to the SPCA because of all horrible reviews I read.

I looked on the website and wrote down the names of 3 dogs that I wanted to see.

The Good: I went on a Sunday and it was not too crowded when I arrived.. A guy named Duane helped me. He was super nice and brought the first dogs name I had written down, Fonzi, out to meet me. Fonzi was very scared and Duane let me spend as much time as I needed. I did not bring treats with me (bad move) and asked Duane for treats and he found some. I ended up adopting Fonzi and the entire staff was very friendly. Price was a very reasonable $100 for a young mini schnauzer mix and they provided a free wellness visit and food coupons as well as other discounts. This dog would have been euthanized at Lied for no other reason than because he was petrified and the SPCA adopted him!

The bad: Although the place was not too crowded when I arrived, it was very crowded when I left because Sunday is also shot clinic day. My dog was petrified at all the big dogs around. Some were there for shots and others were being turned in so you really do not know their temperament. I think it would be better if they had a divider.

Also, I did not think the place was too clean. We were in an outside get acquainted area that had a dog water bowl and it was so dingy and dirty and dirty that I would not allow my dog to drink from it.

The biggest thing that I did not like was that you did not get to see the kennel area. Other have complained of it so I don't think it's a one time thing. I'd like to see the conditions of the kennels and it makes me wonder what the conditions are if you are not allowed in the kennel area.

I got a great healthy dog and was pleased with the SPCA. They may have their issues but overall they provide a fantastic service and all of the employees were great. If you do go, I'd suggest visiting the website first and writing down the names of the dogs you want to spend time with. Trust me, you visit will be much smoother. Don't forget a bottle of water, a disposable cup and treats!

Note: I know that they always need donations and I had a number of boxes of treats in my home that my dogs did not like so I figured I'd bring them to the SPCA to donate them and they graciously accepted it. I noticed that right outside before you walk in there was a dog bowl and it was dirty and dingy. I know it's hard with all the dogs in and out but it was...