Santa Barbara Humane-Santa Maria Campus

"I had the worst experience with this shelter after I adopted our little one. I was told to return on that Saturday for a teeth cleaning that our fur baby needed and was even given instructions on what to do before the appointment. I emailed the clinic the next day to confirm the appointment a few days before, as I live 40 minutes away. The clinic had emailed me back stating that they don't have any appointments for her. I then called the shelter and the staff member once again stated that in the dogs chart it did state a teeth cleaning was scheduled however she will need to return my call for verification. I received a call from Aubrey the manager within the shelter stating that there was a miscommunication. In her chart it stated she did need a cleaning and they would of gone ahead and got it done but only if she was still in their care. She then proceeded to rudely say, "Do you want to return her? Either way she'll be adopted with or without a cleaning". Moreover, I asked whether she was part of the Santa Barbara County Shelter as I've never been treated in such a disrespectful manner. When asked this question, she said "Well, we are in Santa Barbara County" completely ignoring the fact I was inquiring about their connection to the County shelters. Being a first time pet owner and first time adoption parent, I thought this experience overall would have been wonderful and fulfilling. I love our new pet and love that she has been given a new home; however, it is still very frustrating to have to deal with this experience, especially given this negatively affects our pet's dental health. I'd also like to add this review in no way pertains to the services provided at the clinic. They've been really helpful in answering my questions and following up with me. A completely different experience than what I've endured with the shelter."

"I have been considering getting a new pet dog after my last one passed away and was very hesitant to go to the humane society because I was afraid I was going to fall in love with every single dog there and feel very sad. That was not the case at all the staff was very very helpful they told me about each of the dogs and the kennels were very clean. I did do a meet greet with one dog and even though she was a sweet girl, she was not the one for me. I have not found my forever friend yet but it was definitely some place that I will go back to. I am now ready and I'll keep looking until I find the right Forever friend!"

"I wasn’t going to make this post but I feel that it is important to voice my experience with the services through this organization. I enrolled my puppy in the puppy classes here a couple months ago. I am also a disabled veteran so I informed the staff prior to enrolling in hopes that’s this class would be easy for me and my puppy to follow along with. I attended the first couple classes and had a horrible experience with not only the class but the man who ran the class, Joe. Another male dog in the class was in heat and kept trying to mount my 4 month old puppy. My puppy did not understand what was going on and instead of trying to ease the dogs behavior or the situation, the instructor made a disgusting comment “stop being a tease….” while smirking at me like he was pleased with himself. Not only did this cause further issues between me and the owner of the male dog but the owner tried to say that my dog wanted it, even though her dog kept trying to aggressively bite and mount my puppy. The whole situation eventually escalated to a hostile environment for me and my puppy. I eventually stopped going after three classes not only because of the other dog but because the instructors behavior towards the whole situation was unprofessional and disgusting. He made me feel very uncomfortable and unsafe around him and in his class, I personally would not recommend these puppy courses to anyone. I’m pretty sure anyone in my situation would have reacted the same if not worse. Additionally, my puppy started picking up negative behaviors from the other puppies, making it harder for me to train her:"

"I LoVe taking my dogs here for all vet related needs. Spay service is cheap, safe, fast, and gentle. I took my $2,500 purebred Lab here to be spayed for under $150. My regular vet quoted me over $1,200!!! I take my 14 yr old Heinz 57 ultra sensitive senior mutt here too. They are always very gentle with her. This is the ONLY place I trust to take my senior dog to for vet needs. Every other place has hurt her. Save money and use Santa Maria Humane Society as your vet."

"We recently adopted our sweet Lucy from the SM Humane Society. She is an amazing little girl and we feel so blessed to have her as part of our family. The staff is extremely helpful and professional at the shelter and made the adoption process very easy."