City Of Columbia Animal Services

Went to the shelter to find a dog to adopt and instantly bonded with one that still needed to be neutered and had one more day before he was available since he had only been at the shelter for 13 days. The staff informed me that the soonest possible pick up day was two days later because of the scheduling for surgery. The following day I was contacted by the animal shelter in the afternoon with the message that the owner had called and wished to reclaim his dog after two weeks of no contact from the owner. They stated that they extended the dog’s hold for the owner to come and pick him up, but to follow up in case he did not show. I came to the shelter the following day at 3:30pm as recommended by the staff. The staff informed me that the dog’s owner had still not picked up the dog and that I could spend time with the dog. After walking the dog to the kennel I noticed the dog had still been neutered that morning despite the claims that the owner was coming to pick up the dog. Two of the staff members came outside and informed me that they had spoken with their manager and that “because of your dedication to Buddy we're going to release him to you at 5:01pm if the owner doesn’t show up”. This was great news to me. After spending a few more minutes with the dog I went to get dog food and arrived back at approximately 4:40pm and filled out the necessary paperwork. After having filled out the paperwork, the phone rings at 4:51pm and the staff says that the owner had just called and was on the way. According to the staff, while I was playing with Buddy in the designated kennels, the owner allegedly arrived at 4:59pm, completed all necessary paperwork, positively identified himself and the dog, and then made payment all within 1 minute as I walked in excited to take home my new dog immediately at 5pm. This all strikes me as odd. There’s nothing I can do other than share what happened to me. Hopefully whoever has Buddy now, whether it be his original owner, one of the staff members, or a friend of theirs I just hope he is taken care of. I’m looking forward to going elsewhere to adopt an animal in need and never having to deal with the inexplicably inconvenient timing of City of Columbia’s Animal Shelter.

Brought home this sweet girl. Sadly the shelter did not mention she was just finishing antibiotics for cough (pneumonia )and for tapeworms. I noticed that night several coughs and nose mucus. Next day I noticed worms in her poop. I took her to my vet and starting treatment but this is information that should have been disclosed before adoption. My vet diagnosed her with pneumonia and tape worms. She should have been sent home with meds. I consider the shelter to be unethical. Our sweet new girl is loving and well behaved. We are thrilled to have her as a new addition to our family just wish shelter would have been transparent. Looking forward to her feeling better soon.

Recently my beloved pet dog passed away after 15 years. I decided that I would like to get another companion being in my senior years. I looked at various places and visited several locations but did not find the right pet for the family. I decided to visit the City of Columbia Animal Shelter. I went to the City of Columbia Animal Services on a Friday afternoon. My wife and I were treated very nice. The staff helped guide us in the entire process of making sure that we got right animal for us. We found a dog that we were interested in. We decided to foster the dog for two weeks to determine if this was the right pet for our family. Over the weekend we discovered how incredible this dog fit into our family. The next Monday I returned and adopted this wonderful family companion. We had found the perfect animal for our family. The staff working at this location are great. They were patient, kind and really care about the animials and their welfare. Thank you for help guiding us and giving us a wonderful addition to our family.

I volunteer at shelters and for rescue groups. I was asked to pick up a dog for transport at this shelter. Upon arrival, I let the ladies at the front desk know which dog I was there for and why. They immediately let me know that the person I needed to coordinate with would be right with me but she stepped away from the desk for a minute. While I waited, I noticed dogs in the lobby, each in their own cage, and I took the opportunity to show them attention. One in particular piqued my interest so after coordinating pickup for the pup I was transporting, I asked to see her. I see and deal with a variety of dogs so it didn't take me long to know she was coming home with me. I took her back inside and a very nice gentleman found just the right collar for her to go home in. I signed her paperwork and I signed the transport paperwork, paid and we were out of there. To anyone who has anything negative to say about this shelter, I encourage you to volunteer for even a day. Try that and see if your feedback changes. To anyone who has anything negative to say about the staff, try to have a little empathy for what they do. They aren't customer service representatives. They're doing their best to care for animals that others have neglected to care for and until you've done it, you'll never know how truly taxing it is. Be kind. And if you can't help, be grateful for the ones that do.

My family and I picked up our new puppy from the shelter. We had been up there a couple of times and I got to speak with members of the staff about some of their long term animals. They've helped him move to a new shelter in Canada. There's one man in particular that spends his time volunteering and posting cute photos of the animals (especially long term residents). This shelter really does care about the animals. It's sad to see how full the shelter is. I wish I could bring them all home. 💜 But we got our new addition about a month ago and he is the sweetest little pup. He picked our family for sure. He came right up to us while the others were afraid. He's been an amazing addition to our home and family.