SPCA of Upstate New York

Jeff Myers

2020-05

We have worked in and with a number of shelters in New England and this one is, by far, the best. Not the prettiest or fanciest... but every cat and dog we saw there was healthy, happy, well nourished and had a great disposition. We recently lost a 21-year old marmalade and we don't do mourning well. It took great willpower to walk out with (only) two kittens.Our two new family members have settled in beautifully and are getting the royal treatment. As they did at the shelter. The staff were wonderfully helpful and well educated. It was not "easy" acquiring these treasures... but in retrospect .. we get it ... as that is exactly as it should be.Thank you, wonderful people, at SPCA upstate NY. You have Brought love and joy into our lives. Not bad!

John Karling

2020-05

Yes, we were just going to go look at some cats at the Saratoga Petsmart a few months after our longtime cat had passed away. But you never can go just look, can you? The Queensbury SPCA was there and were showing off some cats they had rescued from a kill shelter in East Tennessee. We ended up coming home with 2 cats: a gray tiger tabby and a small calico. It's not a simple procedure to adopt cats, there are lots of questions to be answered and paperwork to be filled out. However, you can tell that this is done with care to place these pets in a forever home that will remain "forever". You can tell that the SPCA team loves these animals and work hard to find the right adoptees for each pet. After some months with our new cats, we can't believe the joy these well-adapted and confident creatures have brought to our lives. Thank you SPCA of Upstate NY for the work that you do!

Jesse Chambers

2023-05

We were incredibly pleased with our experience working with the good people at the SPCA of Upstate New York to adopt our little Chihuahua, Billie (formerly Mary).From what I understand, they're the only no-kill shelter in the region, so they do all they can to save as many animals as possible and as a result, they're very busy and probably under-staffed and under-funded ... But the people who work there CLEARLY care deeply about the animals there and finding them good homes. They're by the book and take their responsibility seriously (as they should!) but were incredibly pleasant and helpful.Reading some of the other reviews, the negative comments are surprising to me and were not reflective of my experience. Yes, you have to make an appointment to meet the animals - but even without COVID, that makes sense for an organization with limited staffing trying to save, literally dozens of animals at any given time.We're very grateful to the staff - especially Austin who clearly loved Billie so much - for helping bring Billie into our family!

Tammy Bosford

2020-05

Friendly people and we got a great puppy he is awesome his name is canyon and he is one of a kind. He is for our granddaughter and she loves him to death.

Melissa M

2023-05

This shelter used to be very caring about all the animals. Unfortunately things change. They are making it very difficult for people to adopt or surrender animals. Most adoptions result from the opportunity for people to go into a shelter and meet with the animals. Allowing a connection which facilitates the animal finding a new home. This shelter has continued to use Covid as an excuse not to let people in to meet with the animals. Individuals who have volunteered there say the people in charge should Not be in charge of shelter. The closed door policy is just one serious problem with this shelter. The SPCA should look into what is going on and allow the animals to be seen. I am not looking to adopt and have never surrendered an animal. However, the complaints about this facility have been growing and their closed doors are definitely hiding something.

Jenny Writer

2022-05

Wow. I have been to many dog shelters, and this is among the best. They care for the animals with so much care and compassion. The dogs and cats are well-fed, clean, healthy and safe and given the best medical care by a great local vet.But I was also so impressed by the kind staff who does AMAZING, and frankly exhausting work to find the best homes for these animals in need. They are also very knowledgable and helpful for pet parents.This SPCA really deserves a brand new, bigger shelter so that they can continue their important and wonderful work. I donated what I could, and I hope all adopters give a little extra.If you have a loving "furever" home for an animal in need, this should be your first stop.

Carle Falk

2021-05

This place is extremely unfriendly to potential adopters. My son is just under 21 and as his mother I was not able to adopt a kitten for him even though he had demonstrated significant interest (6 hours in the car back and forth 3 times from Burlington VT), shared all the required paperwork, and I have successfully adopted 3 cats over past 15 years from North Country SPCA in E-town, NY. I am a stellar owner - and have paperwork showing my cats go annually to vet for all shots. My advice is to donate and adopt from North Country SPCA. They are open 6 days a week (not 3) and are much more accommodating matching pets and potential owners. Last I visited Queensbury SPCA on a 97 degree day and dogs were being placed in small outside cages on concrete pads with no shade.

Laurette Loucks

2021-05

Our family has adopted a total of four puppies from the SPCA of Upstate NY. The staff there are the most loving, caring people and the wonderful temperaments of each of our dogs can be attributed to the care they got from their first shelter days. I highly recommend that if you are looking for a new pet, adopt don't shop. You won't be disappointed! Thank you SPCA for all that you do!

Jessica U

2020-05

My husband and I had a wonderful experience adopting our puppy from the SPCA. We saw her posted on their Petfinder account, called ahead to make sure she was still available (and answered a few screening questions), went to the shelter to meet her, filled out a brief application, and picked her up a few days later once she recovered from her spay surgery. It was great to have a dedicated meet and greet room to play with her at the shelter when we went in to see her and decide on adoption. The staff were busy, but were very helpful throughout the process. Everything went really smoothly, and the SPCA of Upstate New York would be my first choice to adopt from again.

ambertreesap

2020-05

We adopted our newest buddy from the SPCA this week after visiting multiple shelters and rescues. I was impressed with how friendly the staff and volunteers were throughout. The adoption process was thorough and took about ten days; it included neutering, a meet and greet with our other dogs, and some follow-up care for the puppy, all of which made me feel like they really care about what happens to their adoptees.

Lorelle Guglielmoni

2023-05

After completing the rigorous pre adoption paperwork necessary to visit the facility to see some of the possibilities - i was told Too old to adopt? In my early sixties I was stunned by such an inappropriate remark- especially as a being a recent widow.which was disclosed .This organization is HIGHLY UNRECOMMENDED.

Taylor Zeppetelli

2021-05

Could give a 0 for a review if I could. Was supposed to adopt a kitten and they had him on hold for us because they needed information from our vet about our other animals to make sure they are up to date and everything. We got them up to date on all vaccinations and once we did all that we got ready to get our kitten and they called us and said we can’t adopt through them because the vet records are inconsistent( when we had all the paperwork)and then we said okay well we hope the kittens find good homes and the manager snapped at us on the phone and was very rude when all we wanted to do was give a kitten a loving home. So now a kitten will be stuck in a tiny cage until someone else comes along which a lot of the time the won’t and it doesn’t help this place has awful reviews on top of this one.

Susan Johnson

2023-05

Excellent facility to support! Our family's first dog and cat came from SPCA and both were with us for many years. Healthy and lovable pets looking to be part of a family.

Rick Korutz

2018-05

Horrible. I wish I read the reviews for this place before I went there and fell in love with a dog I wasn't allowed to adopt. Upon arrival, I was greeted rudely asking if I was 21...I'm 33. Then, as I was looking at dogs I got yelled at not to touch any of the dogs. The dogs were very sad. It was heartbreaking. These dogs were crammed into tiny cages, some pacing back and forth, others without water. It was horrific. And to think this is the SPCA. Anyway, I asked to be able to meet a dog and I was told "You have to be serious about adopting to meet any of the dogs!" I explained that I was definitely serious. I drove more than an hour to get there, and I was hoping to bring a dog home that day. Then they said I couldn't meet that dog because I had never owned that breed before. Then, I asked about a puppy and I was able to meet and bond with him for about an hour. I fell in love and asked to fill out an application. They rejected my application because I didn't have a vet record for my ex-girlfriend's dog who I haven't seen in over a year. There was no way for me to get these records as the dog was never in my name even though I took care of him for 6 years. They were supposed to talk to the Director and give us a call and never did. Extremely unprofessional. When I got home I talked to a friend who got a dog there that died from provo just 5 days after adopting and the shelter wouldn't refund any of the money. This place is a disgrace. I have my own home with a fenced-in yard, I work from home, I pretty much have an ideal situation for a dog and yet these people choose to leave the animals in overcrowded, disgusting conditions. They should be shut down and those people should never be allowed to work with animals again.

Rebecca Cusack

2019-05

We picked out, were approved, and paid the adoption fee for our new baby on 11/16/18. We were told she couldn’t come home until she was spayed in about 7-10 days. After a lot of miscommunication, we were told it would be longer and that she had two hyrnia’s that would need to be surgically repaired. She had surgery on 11/27/18, and we were told she would need to remain at the shelter for another 7 days to help keep her calm while all of her incisions healed. We were allowed to bring her home with us on 12/4/18. For a less than a 12 week old puppy, she is super smart. She did amazing with potty training, got along amazing with our other dog, and we were so happy to finally have a new addition to our family. On 12/7/18, she started acting lethargic. By the next morning she refused to eat, had no desire to play with her toys, our other dog, appeared listless, and just shook from head to toe. We immediately called our veterinarian and took her right in. The vet ran bloodwork to compare it to previous levels, checked her over, and reported that she had a slightly elevated temperature which could have been due to a few different things. He let us take her home but advised us if she started vomiting or having diarrhea to bring her back. Less than 10 minutes after leaving, she threw up several times. We went right back to the vet who took x-rays and didn’t find anything concerning there. They kept her overnight to put her on IV fluids and to keep an eye on her. They called the next morning and reported she had diarrhea, was very low energy, and additional tests came back positive for Parvo. After explaining the virus, care, and potential that if she didn’t respond to the treatment we may not get to bring her back home, we were heartbroken.Due to the SPCA’s hours of operation we sent them an email, but received no response. We called them first thing Tuesday morning to let them know what was happening. At this point they told us our veterinarian was wrong, that our puppy previously had been treated for Coccidia, and she was recently given the second shot of the Parvo vaccine which was causing the false positive. Even after explaining all the tests our vet had been doing and her ongoing stay with them, they advised us that we had no proof it was Parvo and couldn’t be sure it came from the shelter. As of today, 12/12/18, our pup is still at the vet. She appears to be responding to treatment, they are optimistic she will make a full recovery, and we are hoping to bring her back home soon.Despite the financial strain this will cause, that is the least of our concerns, as we love our new pup and will figure that out. I am grateful for the work that the SPCA does to rescue animals from kill shelters, but am disheartened by their lack of response or empathy with the families that walk into their building. Throughout the process to bring our pup home we found some of the shelter staff to be very unapproachable and difficult to work with due to their lack of communication skills. While I understand the budgetary constraints of operating an animal shelter, there should still be a high expectation for how a shelter presents and maintains itself for the best interest of the animals in their care. Yes- we adopted our dog and understood there were no guarantees about anything, but a shelter should stand behind the animals they are adopting into our community, especially when they are made aware of a highly contagious virus that an animal came out of their shelter infected with.

L Scott

2021-05

A horrible experience that I’ll never forget. We were so excited to stop in and look at puppies! My husband baby and I walked through the door hoping to see the one we wanted to adopt. We were unaware the doors were supposed to be locked due to Covid and the minute the nasty lady at the counter saw us she scolded us for coming in like it was our fault. The place seemed chaotic- employees running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Next that same lady interrupted me before i even got two words out saying we needed an appointment. I said I’m interested in a particular puppy.Rudely she said “the collie mix?? GONE!!” I truly feel sorry for the animals there.

Rebecca Thomas

2020-05

If I could have given no stars I would have. I believe that getting a dog is not about the breed or size but a true connection. My son has seen many dogs in the last several months, complete his research and finally found a puppy he had a true connection with. We spoke to the tech at the Petsmart SPCA event. To my knowledge all was for adoption. They did the vet, I filled out the application and soon after I left to get the cash and my other pets for a meet and greet, they called claiming this 13 week old puppy could not go home to a house that had 2 dogs. I begged to allow us to just do the meet and greet before they say no. Not every situation and dog is the same, please give us a chance. They refused. No dog for my son and NEVER will I go there again.

Brooke Passino

2019-05

I went to the SPCA to look at the animals and see if there were any orange cats available. While looking at the puppies I was rudely yelled by a women cleaning cages to not to touch them and then told I cannot take a picture of the dog I was looking at. Even though that picture was going to a potential person wanting to rescue the dog. I then wanted to look at a cat and couldn’t even play with it before they ran a vet check and had to be 21. I was told to look up shelters that had less rules for adoption. Staff was very impolite besides one volunteer. Unpleasant experience and will not rescue from them

Meghan Mercier

2015-05

My husband and I adopted our puppy from here about a month ago. We are very satisfied by the service and the care the people working at the facility demonstrated. Talking with the women behind the desk it was clear that they all enjoyed their work and loved the animals they were working with. They were knowledgable and clearly answered all of our questions about the paperwork and adoption steps. When we returned for a follow up vaccination they remembered our pup and were very excited to spend sometime visiting with her. This is the second pup rescued through this shelter, and we would certainly adopt through them again.Update:Having been 2 years since our first adoption we have recently adopted a second dog through this organization. Once again the adoption process was easy, and the staff was great. Anytime we've been to the petsmart during an adoption clinic they have always recognized us and our pups & have been very friendly. I would, without a doubt, adopt through them in the future.

Cassie Weisburgh

2018-05

Absolutly horrible experience from the momemt we stepped in the front door.We came here to adopt 2 puppies. We found them on their website, they were siblings and the only two left of there litter.We got to the facility, were greeted extremely rudely being told the dogs are in the back. When we got back there, the smell was Terrible! I understand it is a shelter, but this was beyond normal shelter smell. There were so many dogs and some that were in crates to small for them. It was heartbreaking!The girl came out and we told her which two puppies we wanted to adopt. She then took us aside and asked about our current and previous pets.We explained that we were a foster house at one time, for several years, for a cat rescue organization.That over those years we did keep a few of the cats that would have been essentially unadoptable!Their vet care was provided by the rescue organization until we officially adopted them.So we were told, rather rudely, by a teenager, that because we do not have ALL the vet records for our cats that they will not adopt to us!I was just beside myself!This is a horrible place with an extremely rude staff and terrible conditions! Heartbreaking! 😓

Jeremy Spaulding

2020-05

This place is the absolute worst. Called to ask if a puppy was still available. Get told yes. Ask if we can put a hold on one. Get told they don’t do holds. Then when we arrived we get informed that he’s already on hold for a family that’s waiting for approval from their landlord. So we get introduced to another puppy. My four year old and my girlfriend falls in love with. Then on our way to Walmart to get a pet carrier because one is needed or they won’t let you leave without one. But no one says anything about it until we’ve agreed to do the paperwork. We get a phone call telling us we can have him still. But we wouldn’t be able to take him tonight. So now I have a very upset four year old. And a very upset girlfriend. They have ruined the whole puppy getting experience for me and my family. Never will I ever let anyone I know walk through the doors here

Tracy Patton

2016-05

I came in looking for a cat. I had my daughter and husband with me, instantly they said (not even through the second door yet) if your child is under 5years old. You may not look at any animals under 1year old. Finally, I found something that would be perfect for me, filled out an application (pretty much begging for the application) was promised a call back the next day to discuss, and never received a call at all.Also, there was a couple in there that came in at the same time we did. They were from out of town. Looked at 2 kittens and were immediately approved. They put an adoption sticker right on their cages.They are very reluctant to even consider adopting to anyone. Who looks young. My husband and I were treated like we were just some kids out of high school. I am 28, he is 32. We both have very respectable jobs and we both have high educations. I feel they were very discriminatory.

Karen Gaidasz

2016-05

We went to PetSmart Wilton in January 2016 to a Saturday adoption clinic. We saw a small breed puppy that we were interested in and the very nice and friendly volunteer asked us all of the pre-screening questions, including our children's ages (both over 6). We met the puppy and we all fell in love - seemed like a perfect fit for our family, after searching for a couple of months. The friendly volunteer asked if we wanted to adopt the puppy and we decided we did so we filled out the paperwork. Just as I was handing in our application, the SPCA director comes over to me and immediately starts verbally attacking me about our intentions with a small dog (since we have farm animals) and then she tells me that my school age children were going to break the dog. She refused to let us adopt the dog despite knowing nothing about our family and our lifestyle. I had to tell our children that the director wouldn't let us adopt the puppy. A warning to families- even if your children are older than 5, be cautious if you go to the adoption clinica. The Director is rude and discriminatory. She assumes she knows what is best for you yet doesn't take the time to talk to you in a civilized manner to find out who you really are. Very disappointed with this "rescue" organization.

Troy Kuveikis

2019-05

This place should be shut down and reported to the proper authorities. The people working here are not good people and do not treat animals or humans with any respect. Came here to adopt a dog and witnessed that many were cramped in cages with two poor dogs covered in feces. I mentioned this to one of the employees who just yelled don't get so close to them. When I picked out a dog at the age of 19, I was told that I was too young to have a dog? Ok, so I come back with my father the next day... The rude woman behind the desk then states that it doesn't matter I brought him, because they already know that I'm with him?! They do not want to adopt to anyone, and take their jollies in denying good homes. Makes me wonder if they are making money off of the number of dogs in their so called rescue? (7 years later and having read others reviews, I felt compelled to tell my experience at this dump).

Nada Nada

2017-05

I have been to both their main "shelter" and their Petsmart adoption center. Both were extremely disappointing experiences.Our first attempt to adopt we went to Petsmart only to find the adoption center was closed, no big deal. We drove to the Queensbury shelter with high hopes of finding a dog. Upon entering the poorly maintained building we were greeted a rude staff member who immediately interrogated us and acted generally univiting. After answer her slew of questions she pointed us to the dog holding area . Most of the dogs were cramped in tiny crates and anxiously pacing. I understand it's a shelter but it was heartbreaking to see. The staff seemed uninterested and annoyed by our presence. We ended up leaving after a staff member barked at me about a puppy licking my hand. I know why she was upset bit again, she was down right rude. A very common theme there.We also visited their adoption event at Petsmart Saratoga. We fell in love in with a dog and wanted to visit with him. The staff member told us all about the dog, gave me an authorization form so they could call our vet and even turned the dogs name tag over on the crate so people knew we were filling out paperwork. Our hopes were very high and we were very exicited to meet/adpot our dog. After waiting for about 15 minutes the staff member came out informed me that the dog was already "spoken for" by two other people who were interested in him. If the dog wasn't available they should not have led us on. The staff never apologized and were again rude and uncaring.

Jo-Ann Douglas

2014-05

On 9/27/13 went with my husband and son to look at a puppy to adopt. The people who work there were extremely friendly and helpful. I am so greatful for all they do for those little and big dogs. The people were welcoming and looking forward to teaching us about making the perfect match with dog and family. We adopted an adorable little puppy name Sara and we are so greatful for the smooth process. Definitely worth checking the place out for adorable dogs.

Audrey Zullo

2019-05

Why is this place still open. Since they deemed us "too old" to adopt a dog we adopted one elsewhere. Like the other reviews I see here, the woman really seemed to enjoy insulting us and refusing to let us adopt. The other humane societies we went to after that could not believe how we were treated. We have a wonderful dog that we adopted from another humane society in Vermont and the difference in the people there and in this one in New York is like night and day. This place should be shut down.

Justine Nigro

2018-05

I adopted a puppy via the Wilton Petsmart. I had to pick him up a at the Queensbury SPCA a few days later (he'd been neutered too recently to just take home from Petsmart). While the building itself leaves a lot to be desired, it's evident that the people really care about the animals there. When I went back for a distemper shot, I mentioned some behavioral concerns and they had their behaviorist call me that very evening to discuss norms and strategies. I can't imagine my life without this pup and I would adopt from them again in a heartbeat.

Kevin Blomfield

2018-05

After relocating for my job and purchasing our home here in Glens Falls, me and my wife decided it was time to get a dog. Instead of going to a breeder we thought it may be a nice thing to "rescue" an animal from the shelter. We went to the SPCA where they had my wife fill out a pet vet history because she acknowledged she had owned a dog before. The form asks for your veterinarian's info so that they can verify that you took your dog to get routine medical care.However my wife's dog (who died at 14 years of age several years ago) was seen by different vets as my wife lived on a ranch in Texas. In Texas the vets come to the ranch and vaccinate all of the animals at different times. The dog was vaccinated some 17 years ago for initial shots. So anyway the vet information that she did have verified that the dog was seen several times but my wife was unable to go back all the way to verify her puppy's "initial" shot records from the late 90's and on this basis was rejected from adopting a puppy.While I can appreciate the fact that the shelter screens potential owners and declines to adopt out puppies to people who can't verify they properly provided medical care for dogs that they owned, what I can't understand was the absolute condescension and glee the individual worker took in telling my wife she was unfit to care for an animal.My wife has a wonderful way with animals. I am certain my wife provided all medical care for this dog (even as a young teenager) as she believes in responsible pet ownership and sees it as no small thing to adopt an animal. Not only would my wife and myself provide more than adequate medical care for the dog, she stays at home and would have provided exceptional love to the animal.Again, I don't have a problem with them declining to sell us an animal (even though its a stretch to expect records from almost 20 years ago from different veterinarians) the girl who rejected my wife was unkind. She literally made my wife start crying. We believe in forgiveness so we aren't here to run this person down, but just word of caution, you may have a teenager verbally attack and enjoy telling you that you are unfit to care for an animal. This place needs to train their workers to not be unkind.Funny how one can treat animals with utmost care but treat a wonderful human being like a pile of trash. Me and my wife own our own home, I have a college education, stable employment, a fenced in yard, my wife passionately loves animals. I hope they manage to find enough suitable homes for their orphaned pets, however, me and my wife will be sure to go to the pet store or a breeder from here on out. Would rather pay 2-3k for a dog than have my wife in tears.- we thought we would be doing an animal a favor. Instead my wife was belittled and insulted and a dog got robbed of an ideal home. The dogs in the place all look really sad, I wouldn't be surprised if they were abused as well.

B Ivey

2016-05

I went in today (drove over 1 hour) to look at kittens and potentially a puppy that I had seen on the website. I had a crate with me, papers from my vet to prove that I regularly bring my cat for check ups, etc. One lady was very pleasant (a mid aged woman who showed me the cats and even took one out for me to play with). There was a younger girl working with the dogs who was short and dismissive of me as soon as I showed interest in adopting. She kept asking if I was over 21 (I'm 28), but she looked at me like yeah, sure you are... then she asked if I rent or own.. I let her know I own.. then she asked if I had children and almost seemed excited to tell me that they don't let puppies go home with anyone who has children under 5 years old. There seem to be no exceptions to this rule (even if your child will be 5 in a few months). She wouldnt even let me look at the puppies or get too close to the cages. She kept telling me I would have to come back another time and that there would be more animals coming.. despite the fact that I had shown interest in even a middle aged dog. I felt like I was being pushed out of the door from the beginning and I decided not to adopt from their shelter because I felt like I was being interrogated/ discriminated against. On one hand I appreciate that they are "so protective" with their animals, but it is really a turn off/discouraging especially for someone who whole heartedly is looking for a new animal to love. She wasn't too interested in getting to know me or about me.. and could care less that I had driven so far to adopt and was willing to pay the $390 fee plus potentially another $100 for a cat. On my way out another lady tells me I will find what I'm looking for somewhere else and tells me they will have other animals next week (despite the fact that I had seen several animals I was interested in). The facility has some beautiful animals, but I was so turned off that I am certain that I will go somewhere else and save my gas, my time, and my energy. I read several reviews about this adoption location, prior to visiting, and didn't believe that I would have anything close to a similar experience as the other people. Unfortunately, I was wrong and I was really disappointed.