Humane Society Of Chittenden County — Local services in South Burlington

We came to this shelter with open hearts and an open home, ready to adopt a puppy and offer a safe, supportive environment with structure, training, and love. What we experienced instead was a process that felt disorganized, unprofessional, and frankly, the opposite of humane — for both the dogs and the adopters.

We were told — only after paying a non refundable deposit — that the expectation is for all dogs to be off-leash and playing happily during the first meeting. Anything less, we were told, would be a sign that the adoption wouldn’t work out. That is a deeply flawed and unrealistic standard, especially when dealing with shelter dogs who are often under-socialized, under-exercised, or recovering from trauma.

The first meeting was rushed and poorly handled:

A nose-to-nose fence greeting (already stressful), Immediate face-to-face leashed interaction in a small space, And instructions to unleash our dog within 2 minutes, before either dog had decompressed or acclimated.

The puppy was understandably overexcited, and began mouthing and climbing on our dog’s face — completely normal puppy behavior, but totally unsupported by staff. Our dog gave a single air snap and growl, which the puppy responded to by rolling over and de-escalating. The interaction resolved on its own — appropriately and peacefully.

Instead of recognizing this as a normal part of dog communication, the shelter staff immediately ended the interaction and told us the match was off, citing a zero-tolerance policy on "snapping" — again, something never disclosed to us beforehand. And we were told our deposit would not be refunded.

We pushed for a second meeting, which was allowed — and staff even admitted during the session that they “don’t have time” to properly facilitate dog introductions. That alone raises serious questions about the quality and fairness of their assessments.

At that second meeting, the puppy ran up from behind and startled our dog. Our dog responded with a more intense correction — and again, the match was immediately dismissed.

Later, we were sent a video of the second meeting — and what we saw did not match the shelter’s written notes or summary at all.

The video clearly showed our dog behaving appropriately the vast majority of the time. The moment of intensity was directly caused by the shelter puppy running up behind her, unsupervised and untrained — a moment the staff failed to redirect or acknowledge.

Nowhere in the staff report was there any admission of their role in facilitating the interaction poorly.

We were stunned. Not only was our dog’s behavior misrepresented, but the shelter refused to take any responsibility for their role in creating an unnecessarily tense and unsupported scenario. Instead of helping set both dogs up for success, they forced an avoidable incident, then used it as justification to shut down the entire opportunity. Our deposit was begrudgingly refunded only after escalation to the CEO.

We expressed a willingness throughout to:

Do structured intros Work with behaviorists Create a safe, gradual plan Foster-to-adopt with oversight Accept feedback and do the work

We were told that “you can tell everything you need to know in the first 15 minutes of a dog meeting.” That is not true. That’s a shortcut. And it’s a dangerous one.

And if the shelter is truly so concerned about safety and “boomerang pets,” why are they not requiring meet-and-greets with children or other pets — only resident dogs? That inconsistency undermines their rationale and further exposes how arbitrary the process really is.

We’re no longer seeking to adopt this dog. But we are sharing our experience publicly because it’s clear that many adopters are being set up with unrealistic expectations, and many animals are being denied loving homes based on a system that prioritizes rigid policy over common sense, compassion, and context.

This shelter claims to advocate for animals — but in practice, they’re pushing away dedicated adopters and failing the very dogs they...

We went to see a ferret because we wanted to adopt her. She's adorable... but appears old. I asked for the full info packet... it took over 90 minutes for them to get to us. They claimed they were busy, but all I saw was them bringing vet checked cats from downstairs up to the cages. I know it needs to get done but youd think an adoption cou seling would take precedence.

We were then told the info, which is absolutely nothing. Everything they knew about her had been shared and waiting for the profile was an absolute waste of time.

I tell them I know she's a marshalls ferret-- they all have tattoos in their ears. I inform thrm that their adoption fee states it covers a spay, but Marshall's spays all their ferrets before they are sold. Why would we pay the $100 fee to the humane society for the spaying of the animal when they didn't do it. I was fine with an adoption fee, but not ok with them charging for a procedure they didn't perform.

I asked them about doing ferret playdates to make sure my boys liked her before we adopted. They said yes, but when they asked their manager she said no.... they only offer that service for dogs. I asked what options I had and they said I could adopt for $100, bring her home and see if it works. I said, but what if it doesn't, will a refund be given? They told me no refunds ever.

So at this point they want to charge for a surgery they didn't do, wasted over an hour of my time, and won't allow us to trial our ferrets to see if they get along. It felt very business like instead of for the animals.

I told them I needed time to discuss it with my husband and they guilted me! They said "oh someone is waiting to adopt that ferret right now and if you don't take her she won't be available tomorrow". I left because of the way I was treated and that they aren't pro animal, they...

Compassionate, safe, humane, no-kill shelter for furry friends. Adoption is easy and relatively inexpensive. They accept pets who can no longer live with their current families, and only for a suggested donation. If you're looking for a place to donate time or money, you can feel confident that this is a worthy charity. The staff are warm and caring defenders of these precious creatures and work hard to ensure that each animal is healthy, loved, and happy during their stay, which in many cases is the animal's full natural life span because they go unadopted for various reasons. They also diligently check out all the details of possible adoptions to be sure the pets are going to safe, loving homes with humans that have the means and desire to give their new family member the best possible love-filled life. Shelters as wonderful as the CCHS are expensive to run. They are deserving and worthy of being on everyone's charity holiday giving list. They're appreciative of every gift, no matter the size, and are able to accept automatic recurring monthly donations by credit card or bank account. PLEASE consider sending them a gift this holiday season, and for as long after as your heart is...