Lakeshore PAWS — Local services in Valparaiso

Over the matter of 5 years my family has adopted from this shelter. 4 dogs in a row with something medically wrong. Summer of 2017 we adopted a puppy she is now on a multiple daily Prozac spay. We adopted another puppy in 2018. She ended up having congenital heart defect called lakeshore paws to see if they knew anything and they said she was fine when their vet checked her out. Every vet we went to could hear the murmurs. Ended up going to Purdue to get her treatment and her heart was 14 sizes bigger than it should’ve been. How do you miss that? Ended up having to put her down at 3 months old because her quality of life wasn't there anymore. Another they said came from the hurricane in florida back in 2018. He was very calm and sweet at the shelter. Took him to the vet he ended up being sick they said nothing. Got him treatment ended up being very aggressive with random outbursts of aggression but we work with our dogs and refuse to return them. This is my last time coming to the shelter ever. I recently adopted in January and he is the sweetest boy ever. When we went to meet him the first time he was fine, goes to see him the next week he has pneumonia. It was not able to hide the fact that he was sick so of course they had to say something this time. THIS DOG WAS THE ONLY REASON I WENT THERE EVEN AGAINST MY GUT FEELING. We adopted him and gave him the medication that was prescribed, although it didn’t seem like there was enough given only 3 days worth. His medical records from lakeshore paws say he’s negative for heart worms, we took him to my local vet and he has heart worms; we’ve kept up on the preventative. It takes 6 months for heart worms to become adult heart worms. Would still pop on a test though. So why did they never treat him for it?? On they're adoption paper it says they won't cover it it's after he's been adopted even though he definitely had it while he was there. I've had him 3 months, I had called around trying to figure out who did his neuter because lake shore paws took him in. Not one vet they go through has any record of seeing him for a neuter or vaccines. Seems a bit sketchy. They got him from Gary animal control, a very poor area. They’re charging $250 for an adoption $350 for puppies, in a wealthier area where people are going to get attached to their animals and make sure they get the care they need. But lying on medical records is a bit far. It has seemed like more and more of a business than actually caring about how the animals are actually doing. It seems like every time something worse and worse happens. I am honestly disgusted with the way their track record has gone and I'm livid because this all could have been prevented if they had cared a...

Denied adoption because we keep our animals outside while at work instead of inside in a kennel. They think, after a dog has slept all night in a kennel and then is waken up for breakfast and put right back into the kennel all day, is better than having a nice big pen outside with a custom built dog house, specifically made so that they are out of the elements. They way they spoke to my father made us both feel like we are abusive or neglect animals. So a dogs life would be better to be locked in a kennel all night and all day and having a few hours to explore and exercise just to be put back in the kennel for bedtime. When we get off of work we would let our previous dogs out of the nice big pen and let them roam the 1 acre yard until they wanted to come inside or , guess what? Go back into their pen because it's a comfortable place for them. All our previous dogs lived this way and never had any major problems and all died due to old age.

UPDATE: Adopted a 3 and 1/2 year old cattle dog (obviously not from LakeShore because they think a dog wouldn't want to be outside) who loves to be outside in our yard. She would rather go into the pen, outside, than to go inside and be in her kennel all day. She is helping our puppy with her separation anxiety as well. Thanks for absolutely nothing...

As a general rule, I almost never give a 5 star because I feel there can always be room for improvements. However, I'm giving Lakeshore Paws a 5 star for the incredible work they do, the caring and helpful staff and the 'Pet Pantry' they offer to pet owners who are having economic difficulties. Because of their pantry, many people are able to keep their beloved pets and care for them properly. Like a food pantry, their pet pantry is possible because of donations from wonderful people in the community. However, if someone is just no longer able to take care of their furry friend, Lakeshore Paws is a no kill rescue shelter and they are able to care for their rescued or surrendered animals through donations from generous animal lovers in the community. I encourage those people who happen to be blessed with a little extra to donate what you can to keep the animals cared for. They can use cleaning supplies, food, toys, kennels, beds, blankets, collars, leashes, harnesses, leads and anything else that can be used in the care of animals. Don't forget, your donations could also be used by someone in financial hardship that loves their fur baby. If there were more places like Lakeshore Paws, a greater number of pets as well as people would be much...