The first email on this page is that last response I got from pet finders.

From: R escued <*******@hotmail.com>
Date: December 5,2022 at 09:09:16 MST
To xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Signed document 2022 Pre-AdoptionQuestionnaire (1) (2).pdf attached.


What a nasty person! You sound like one of katrina vidaurre's (aka karr) trolls! If not, you should be. Check out her rescue. They'll surely adopt to you!

Any further contact from you will be deleted unread.

On Dec 4,2022 at 6:10 PM xxxxxxxx wrote:

After reading your reply how I am not approved to adopt from you, I want to say in the past twenty years we have adopted six dogs. We have spent thousands of dollars on these dogs to keep them as healthy as possible. We have loved them, taken them on trips and considered them a part of our family. Never once has a dog been hurt because of our fences. I am appalled by your message on crating an animal! We are both retired and have never seen a reason to crate an animal, yet you implied I would not be a good pet owner. I will never recommend you agency for adoption as you belittle dog lovers who could have given loving homes dogs to needy dogs.

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 4,2022, at 08:13, R escued <*******@hotmail.com> wrote:


Thank you for filling out and returning our questionnaire. We're going to decline to consider you for adoption for a couple reasons.

You stated "other" for your fencing, so we're going to assume it's field fence. 4' field fence is not secure fencing for any of our rescue dogs. Also, we are looking for knowledgeable adopters who understand the benefits of crating active, curious, shy dogs and how/when to do so properly.

Thank you for your time and good luck in your search.

Now that I have your attention. Did you come here to write a bad review because you didn't get that cute animal you found on Petfinder? Then this is for you, because you clearly do not understand what petfinder is and how it works.

Petfinder is a third-party go between for shelters and people looking to adopt. Petfinder does not choose who gets the adoptable animal or if/when an interested party gets a response from the shelter. Giving Petfinder bad reviews because you didn't get the animal you wanted or a response from the shelter, is like blaming Facebook because you sent someone a friend request and that person denied it. It isn't Facebooks fault the other person rejected your friend request.

Also, don't inquire about an animal through Petfinder, most shelters don't actually see Petfinder inquiries, again, not Petfinders fault. If you are interested in an animal go to the shelter details, pull up that shelters website, find the adopt section on their website, and fill out the shelters adoption application. Once you see an animal you're interested in on Petfinder, go directly to the source (the shelter), cut out the middle man (Petfinder). Your application will be guaranteed to be looked at and get seen by shelters much quicker this way.

In 2013 Petfinder wasn't around, and shelters didn't really post their adoptable animals online (It would have saved me a lot of time and gas if it was around back then). If Petfinder still weren't around today, you'd have to spend months looking at a long list of individual shelter websites and all their adoptable animals for a chance to find even one animal that matched your search criteria, especially if you're looking for a specific species, breed mix, and/or age group (for example, a husky mix puppy). Then if someone else beat you to it, you'd have to repeat the process.

Thanks to technological advances like Petfinder, finding a puppy is much easier. However, along with the wider reach of technology also comes more people aware of that puppy's existence and more competition to adopt that puppy. Lets not forget about the fact that during the pandemic, demand for adoption sky rocketed.

Petfinder is only a virtual centralized location service, used by hundreds of shelters across the USA & Canada as a platform to share the animals in their care and hopefully expedite the adoption process for their adoptable animals. Stop blaming Petfinder because you were turned down by a shelter. You would have very unlikely known that animal existed in the first place, if it weren't for Petfinder.

I am not affiliated with Petfinder. I did however adopt a puppy in 2016 and in 2021. They are my everything and i would never have known about them if they weren't listed on Petfinder. Instead of wasting my time and energy searching through animals I wasn't interested in, I was able to put in my criteria and have it immediately narrowed down to strictly what I was looking for, and from many more shelters than I would have found by myself.

I have been trying to adopt rather than shop for a puppy for almost 2 months now. I have a long list of favorites on the Petfinder who is a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity, who is supposed to help organizations throughout North America increase adoptions, respond to and recover from disaster, and become more sustainable.- (WHAT A LINE OF BS- THEY SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE AND WHAT THEY DO IS BORDERLINE CRIMINAL)

I have filld out several mini adoption applications and received nothing but the standard rubber-stamp response that they have my info. My largest complaint is a foster home woman named Vickie (*******@msn.com). I reached out to her by email several times and called her 3 times. The calls were because of no response to emails. She actually talked me out of adopting because in her opinion I was not suitable because I haven't had a pet in 10 years and that puppies need better than that, people who have animals and know how to take care of them. She assumed that I did not know how to take care of a puppy or it's needs and went as far as saying that I would "ruin" the puppy. When I tried to explain who I was and what I do but was abruptly cut off on both calls. I listened to this blast of character from someone who didn't even know about ESA. She knows nothing of me, which was difficult to take and when I tried to open up to her to explain my situation which is stage 4 cancer and the amount of love and pampering that me and my family would share she told she needed to go eat or was at work.
She has told me that she has had 20 applications for Artichoke but he is still online and she hasn't gone through those same 20 in the 3 weeks I was trying to adopt. It is clear why so many people can't adopt from here with foster homes like this one. I cc'd the company on every email hoping that someone would step in but that never happened. I think this not for profit is a scam and should be investigated.
I have since decided to purchase a puppy that I will have in late November (so excited) from a reputable breeder but this experience has really impacted me. I want to share this story in hopes to make things better for the animals. People are looking to adopt, to love and share their lives with these animals and we are just being toyed with and dragged around.
After reading all these negative reviews I am shocked that they are not already under some sort of investigation. I am sure they the donations out weigh their inventory. I hope they really look into the adoption rate by the request rates and there should be some additional communication informing people of status, request denials or acceptances. This has been a horrible experience but it directed me in a different direction where I have found my fur-ever friend.

Investigation complete! Do NOT use this site!...

STAY AWAY FROM KITTYKARE, KITTY SHOCKWAVE (RUN BY STEVEN JOSEPH HOCK https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/pets/cat-hoarder-jailbird-runs-animal-rescue-group-60-days-rikers-article-1.*******)
I contacted Kittykare and they put me in contact with a guy named "steve". We talked a couple times over the phone, seemed like a good man. I did have some red flags pop up early on and honestly should have done more research. He showed me some of the cats he had (that fit the age/personality of what I thought would go best with my current adult cat). Here's what I went through:
1) One of the pictures showed a rather ill-looking kitty but the picture had flash and was kind of blurry. I went with another kitty but that one did concern my family and I.
2) Over the phone, he was telling me how it was fine to not get cats vaccinated because there has been some proof that cancer developed at the injection sites. Yikes.
3) When he came to do a house inspection and a meet and greet, he didn't really check for much (loose wires, meshed windows, etc.) and SMELLED an awful lot like saliva. Sour, pungent, and just... yuck. The stench lingered even when he left and I thought maybe it was the kitty (I didn't know he was a hoarder then).
4) I left the kitty alone for a whole day but realized on day 2 that something was wrong. Took her to the vet and she had ear mites, giardia, was abnormally sensitive to light (hence a lot of squinting), AND severe gingivitis.
-Since it was her first visit, the vet couldn't rule out whether she developed this overnight or it got more severe overnight or was given to me like this.
-They THINK the gingivitis was attributed to a poor diet (Steve was feeding her some cheap fancy feast)
-the giardia/ear mites might have been from drinking water/living with multiple cats (hoarding?)
-her color wasn't all that intensely orange and she was actually pee stained/having trouble cleaning. He couldn't even bath her? I did it the second day in and the more I rubbed, the more the smell hit me! She looked so much better health-wise and appearance-wise after the bath. A simple bath!
5) I had to pay for a ton of bills two days into getting her and he would refute every claim I made. I had pictures and proof but his explanations would be something like "how come you didn't see the itching/bald spots when I showed her to you (which he didn't really and I didn't push because she was shy)? It obviously wasn't there when I had her". Ridiculous.
6) He said I signed a contract and that I was liable for everything after. I understand that but it doesn't if you give someone a cat with pre-existing conditions, CLAIM for them to be clean and up to date, and then for it to not be true even AFTER adopting.
7) He started trying to play the woe-is-me card by saying he did so much for me by traveling to another borough and bringing her to me. He said he does it out of the good of his heart because there's no profit to these services. He OFFERED to transport the animal to me and said that it was a part of the service. Also, I was a full time student working a part time job, volunteering, and doing an unpaid internship at the time. I did not hesitate to pay the bills and did not even mention this until he started whining about how much he did for me.
8) There is a mandatory "donation" but the price at RECOMMENDED. I just gave in full since it would be the same I would pay for a younger cat in ASPCA. He kept saying it was optional but if it really was, does that mean these cats could be given out even if someone gave a measly $50?
9) He also made it seem like it wasn't his fault because he's "just" a foster, but turns out he OWNS the kittyshockwave company. I did NOT know KittyKare referred me to someone OUTSIDE of their company and this Steven guy wasn't working under them.
10) KittyKare replied saying they personally know Steven and that he's going back to court "to recover damages for false arrest and false imprisonment". I read articles on his case and he had 69 (official reports say 62) cats in a U-Haul van after the landlord threatened to evict him due to his neighbors reporting a stench coming from his apartment (I would know...). He served 60 days in Rikers and had probation for 3 years restricting him from owning any more animals. I don't care what he was trying to appeal or believes was misunderstood. I think he retrialed in 2015 for whatever he wanted to be rectified... but 60-something cats in a u-haul van parked outside, exposed to the elements, and inadequately fed? Lord jesus. He told me not to believe everything being written out there but... at this point, I don't know why he'd think I'd STILL believe him.
https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/pets/cat-hoarder-jailbird-runs-animal-rescue-group-60-days-rikers-article-1.*******
11) He said the kitten was adopted out before me and in the contract, it states that if you do not want him/her anymore, you HAVE to give it back to kitty shockwave. He told me that the previous owner refused to give her back to him and relinquished her to ACC instead (which Steve got custody back from). My guess is she wasn't in great condition and if they couldn't provide for her (they didn't sign up to own a sick cat anyway), I'd say that was a better choice than giving the cat back to Steve since he did nothing for her or CLAIMED to have not noticed anything awry.

She is THRIVING now. Everything was taken care of and the only thing left is her dental health which I have water additives, gel, toothpaste, and treats to address. We're making slow but steady progress with her gingivitis.

I realize that foster parents and rescue places want to find the best homes for their animals, but I totally lost all faith in humanity today when we were turned down for kittens (and advised that we need an older animal by someone who has no clue what theyre talking about). During the phone conversation with the foster parent of two kittens, I shared that our cat who passed a month ago was a calming force for my 12 year old son whos on the autism spectrum. We loved Tux like there was no tomorrow and were heartbroken when we had to say goodbye due to a urinary blockage that couldnt be repaired (his second in a few months even with special food and meds). My response to her email informing me that wed be better suited with an older cat is below. I wont name the place as I dont want to hinder pets having a safe place to be until they find their forever home. But, if youre making decisions, please dont be a jerk. You dont know my family and our needs. I do.

As the mom of a twelve year old child with special needs, I am the best judge of what my son needs and doesnt need. If I didnt feel like he (and our family) could handle a kitten (or two), I wouldnt even remotely entertain the idea. Weve spent the last three days looking which should tell you its not a rash decision.

Were experienced pet owners and former owners of a farm in Union County with horses rescued off the racetrack, unwanted goats, etc.

Im actually incredibly offended that you came to the conclusion that my son needs a calm animal that will sit with him thinking you know best. You dont and I feel youre being discriminatory with your decision. What you dont know about my son (but were quick to judge based on a very limited conversation) is that hes incredibly active and would not be interested in an older cat thats already set in its ways who would be less likely to bond with him. He wants a cat that can grow up with him (like our other pets). But, taking into account the fact that you never even considered allowing us to meet the kittens, you wouldnt know that.

You should probably rethink your communication to families with special needs. We face plenty of discrimination, unfair judgement, snide comments and looks daily and have to fight for things others take for granted like education, inclusion, healthcare... even something as simple as getting a kitten. Its exhausting, disheartening and infuriating at times.

We will continue looking and visiting shelters and will find the right pet for our family. I can promise you this, though... you wont find a better family for your animals than ours.

Best of luck to you.

I have gotten two dogs with petfinder with good resulta

Excellent

We found our Rotti here and have had him for almost 8 years now! I totally recommend this site!

Nice and clean shop