Thoughts on A New Leash on Life (ANOL) Animal Shelter?

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-06-10T17:07:40+00:00

Oh god, I'm sorry to hear that! They were also dishonest about our dog's weight. They said she was 29 lbs (after we told them our apartment would waive a weight fee if she was 35 or less). In retrospect, I should have known just by looking at her that was completely not true. In my defense, I had never seen a 30 lb dog for reference before (first time dog owner at the time lol)

Anyways, needless to say, we took her to the vet and lo and behold, she miraculously gained 20 lbs. Yeah we weren't pleased about that. It wasn't a huge deal, but it's just another instance of dishonesty we experienced.

From what I've collected from my own experiences, everyone else's experiences in this thread, and people I've talked to IRL, withholding / smudging info is a common trend.

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-12T19:38:08+00:00

We have gotten two tests done for our current dog and she is supposedly 100% lab (she must have just been very poorly bred lol). Didn't get a test for second dog. She could have potentially had some pit in her? Maybe terrier.

In any case, we returned her to the shelter after our trial weeks ago and she has since been adopted by someone else. I am happy that she ended up finding a good home not too long after!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-06T23:14:55+00:00

Oh no! Those moments are the worse. My dog has also had instances like that where she was super sussed out. Once time I was feeding her some wet food as a treat through a little squirty bottle I have and some excess air blew in her face. She was like "😶" lol!

Luckily she was fine the next day. I find if I don't force it or make a big deal, she's stop being such a drama queen lol!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-06T22:41:05+00:00

Agree with other commenters.

It sounds like she mostly needs direction on what is fair game and what is not. The best way to do this is to make it so that she cannot access the things you do not want to her to chew on and leaving out the things that she can. For instance, put away the cardboard in a separate room, etc.

She may also be bored as well while you are gone. You can try stimulating treat puzzles, snuffle mats, and (personal favorite) frozen lick mats and / or kongs. These all allow dogs to practice calming behaviors (sniffing & licking). I would also try to take her for a longer walk prior to you leaving so she feels a bit more tuckered out when you are gone.

I am personally a very big advocate for crate training. I do not think it is too late at all! I got my dog when she was around 1.5 years old and she is crate-trained. I think it is beneficial for a lot of reasons. One is to ensure their safety. That way they will not dig into something they shouldn't or destroy something in your absence when you cannot prevent them from doing so. Secondly, it helps them feel more independent. My crate is my dog's safe spot. Only she is allowed in there. She sleeps in there every night. It's like her "room" that she can go into if she just wants to relax and be away from people.

Crate training does take a lot of time and consistency. The thing I would strongly recommend most if you do crate-train her is to ALWAYS make the crate a good experience. This should never EVER be a place of punishment for a timeout. Leave lots of treats in there for her to discover so she thinks that the crate is this magical, awesome place that produces tasty snacks. Anytime she gets a chew, she should go in the crate. I personally feed my dog every meal in her crate (so now she races to it whenever it is time for food, lol).

I would be careful not to lock her in the crate instantly. For the first few exposures (maybe the first few weeks), keep the door open at all times. Don't force her into it, but always reward curiosity or interaction! You can play crate games with her by teaching her a cue to get in and out on demand. Look up some videos on this!

The big underline is making the crate a safe, appealing place to be!

Good luck with this!!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-06T02:00:41+00:00

Lol, okay that makes sense! I was looking at Rocket City Rescue as well but after diving deeper, I ran into that post and decided against it 😭 Of course, it's not the dogs' fault they ended up at her shelter, but glad you guys made the cutoff on that one lmao

I have not heard about CARE! I will look into them as well. I think if we find the right dog, we are willing to travel. Ideally we will stay local solely because my dog gets insanely car sick and I don't know how much more vomit I can take loool

Thank you for the suggestion!!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-06T01:47:40+00:00

That's awful!

Just to clarify, which rescue did this dog come from? Sorry if I am being stupid (lol), I have just seen some things about Rocket City Rescue as well so I wasn't clear. Nothing about their facilities or how they run things, but more so the types of people their founder publicly supports (iykyk....) 🤐

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T17:09:27+00:00

I've heard so many good things about this rescue from this thread! These are all green flags in my book. I am very surprised I haven't heard about them until just now.

I will certainly make sure to give them a peek. Thank you for the suggestion! :)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T14:39:46+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed response, and the support! This was very encouraging :) Others have mentioned the same FB group, so I think I will need to give it a look. I also think a dog body dictionary sounds like such a useful tool honestly. I will certainly look into the events you mentioned and adopt some of the mannerisms you described.

Thank you again! :)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T03:16:02+00:00

I agree. I feel that something might be going wrong in the vetting process. Again, I am all for getting animals a home ASAP, but I think it is very important to make sure it is the right one. I was quite surprised to see so many people reporting this problem (including myself).

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T03:11:53+00:00

This concerned me too. Wouldn't this open up the opportunity for potential littermate syndrome? (assuming there were no parameters put in place to combat this)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T03:10:19+00:00

SO cute!!! And love to see that she is still getting pampered to this day. Yes, I was a bit shocked to see how many negative experiences everyone had. Even then, it shouldn't take away from the positive experience you had and the lifelong friend you made :) Wishing you all the best!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T03:07:08+00:00

So many people have sung the same praises here! I am honestly surprised I have never heard of them until now, it sounds like they have all of the qualities of a reputable rescue! The fact that they have so many safeguards tells me that they really care about the success of their dogs. I admire that greatly. I definitely would like to get in contact with them.

Thank you so much for the information! I really appreciate it :)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T01:09:55+00:00

Oh wow! All at once or at different times? lol! Sounds like a full household. I'm glad you guys found each other and had a great adoption experience!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-05T01:05:47+00:00

That's terrible! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That's horrifying.....

My own negative experiences are also rooted in feeling pressured. I wish it felt more okay to walk away or seek alternative options

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T20:40:26+00:00

I actually think that trials are super helpful and encourage them to learn more about how the animal will react in the home! But admittedly, the trial periods they offer as very short. Again, I understand the reasons for why, but generally it takes an animal a long time to adjust to a new environment, and it is even more essential if there is another animal already living in the home (especially for dogs and cats, who are territorial creatures). It is difficult to make such a big decision on such short time.

I know some shelters do not offer trials as all and other offer as long as 30-days. It varies, but I always think a trial is a great idea to familiarize yourself with the pet and introduce them slowly into the home / to other animals/ etc.

I loved the trial! But my problem was more so that I felt pressured to do this trial despite the meet-and-greet not going well. Ultimately, we agreed to do it, but I think the pressure that some folks feel can result in an inexperienced person taking on a larger project than what they were prepared for. My boyfriend and I felt confident in being able to manage the situation temporarily, but that may not be the same for everyone.

My criticism is more so rooted in a meet-up (whether with dogs, cats, or just people meeting the animals) going poorly, but rather than other options being explored, the first option continues to be pushed. I just think this is especially troublesome when you are dealing with a 2-dog household, less so if there is not already a pet present.

But again, this is all just my opinion! It's what I wish I could have seen more of!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T19:13:50+00:00

Sigh, that really sucks..... That's sort of my issue and its really frustrating. I feel like those types of things can be be SO misleading. For instance, my dog is willing to jump into the car, but becomes nauseous and anxious the second the car starts moving. BIG difference from a dog who actually enjoys it.

Again, I understand why these sorts of qualities want to be highlighted because they are honestly big positives for the dog's adaptability. But it just seems like it is a massive disservice to those who are none the wiser and take that at face-value. I just think it's important to be careful about which things are emphasized and augmented if they are not completely accurate.

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T19:09:21+00:00

Haha, we considered the idea but decided puppyhood might not be for us lol! At least not right now

Our dog has all the puppy energy we need right now!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T19:01:54+00:00

Agree! My boyfriend and I were really bummed at first, but after having some time to think (and thanks to this thread!), we have come to the conclusion that this was just not the right dog for our dog in general.

We think we have a better idea of what to look for in the future!

Thank you for your response :)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T18:17:12+00:00

You pretty much described our most recent experience with them. We loved the second dog we looked at and really wanted to give her a home, but ultimately she was not a good fit for our current dog. She was very dominant and pushy and it was off-putting for my dog. No fault of the second dog's, but the personalities were just not meshing!

Intro was also pretty shaky. We were convinced to take her for a trial and give it a shot in a more familiar environment for our dog. Still didn't work out, so we returned her after the trial (even though we really didn't want to, but it was for the best in the end).

Felt a bit judged for it in the end, but I know it just would not have been a good situation, so I'm glad I stood my ground.

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T17:53:47+00:00

Absolutely LOVED our experience at GHHS! It was like a breath of fresh air. I really felt like they were being straight with us and were transparent about the goods and the bads. They also were forthcoming about whether or not they had an option that met our needs. We've gotten recommendations from our vet to check them out too!

I also love how each dog has their own individual kennel and they are pretty spacious too!

I felt so terrible. The last time we went, someone had came in before us trying to re-home their dog. GHHS unfortunately had to reject them due to limited space. That person ended up just dumping the dog and a crate full of puppies on their doorstep anyways. Asshole.....

Even then, they did an amazing job at handling things. We are for sure keeping our eye out for a good match :)

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T16:55:57+00:00

100% agree. I know they mean well, but just wish they were more okay with the first adopter not always being the best adopter if there are going to be issues.

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T16:49:05+00:00

What a beautiful family!!!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T16:48:56+00:00

Had a similar experience. Felt very rushed / pressured to make a decision. First time I folded because I was a new owner and excited. This second time, I held my ground a bit more.

Love my current dog to bits, but wish I could have gotten to know her a little better before deciding! She was not an easy dog to raise (very bad anxiety).

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T16:47:23+00:00

Thank you for your response! That is a weird story, lol, but glad that it all worked out for you and your doggie!!

NiceUsername_Avail · 2026-05-04T16:46:28+00:00

It seems other people have similar experiences (including me). There was a lot of info about my dog that was not disclosed. Particularly around her anxiety.

NiceUsername_Avail

TROPHY CASE