Stonecliffe Animal Rescue

Stonecliffe gave my husband and I a chance when another rescue would not, and I am extremely appreciative of that! We applied for a pup at the beginning of the week and we got a call back 2 days later, saying we were pre-​approved. I am only giving a 4 star rating because I had asked if we could put a deposit down on the pup we wanted (their website said we could put a deposit down, thus «saving» the pup for us at the event), but I was told that it would be better to just go and meet the pup to see if we were a match. I also asked if it was a first come first serve kind of deal, and was told that it was NOT, and that they pick the best match themselves. So we get there early, and right as the pup we wanted was taken out of the van, BOOM another couple went to meet him and were told they could adopt him. SO disappointed because it actually WAS first come first serve. Ok, so that rant is over. We DID end up getting our second choice pup and he is just the sweetest, chillest pup. It’s only day 2 but he is coming out of his shell and his personality is shining through. We love him so, and are happy with the outcome so I can’t stay mad. Stonecliffe really gets the job done when it comes to finding these pups forever homes!
PS. I also want to add that they wait until puppies are 3 – 3.5 months old to put them up for adoption. To me that seems like the perfect age for beginning owners (such as myself). Still a baby, but can understand more than you think!

We adopted our dog Buddy (his name at Stonecliff was Ziti) on July 1, 2014. My wife had seen him at Dublin when adoptable dogs were brought to a pet store a few days earlier. She texted a picture of Buddy and her together but I didn’t see it until Buddy and others were already headed back to Lemoore. For me it was love at first sight. We made a deposit and drove the four hour drive from Danville to Lemoore to complete the adoption and bring him home. We really didn’t know much about Buddy but that didn’t matter and as it turned out he is the sweetest, happiest boy and we love him. When we got to Lemoore Buddy was ready to be picked up. He had been neutered and all of his shots and papers were in order. He was a happy boy and obviously well taken care of. Thank you Stonecliff Animal Rescue.

We adopted a German Shepherd (?) mix pup at 3 months old. That is, Stonecliffe listed him as a GSD mix, which is certainly what he looks like; his previous paperwork had him listed as a Cattle Dog /​Kelpie.
Good:
— Lots of dogs and puppies to choose from.
— They were fairly helpful at the adoption event, though it was too busy and chaotic to really get to know our pup.
— Our pup (now one year old) has a lovely temperament. He’s a handsome devil, loving, smart as a whip, and the funniest dog I’ve ever known.
Less good:
— He was infested with ear mites and tapeworms.
— For some months after adoption we had issues with incontinence and various phobias, which the rescue didn’t warn us about. We’ve been able to work through all these issues, but a novice dog owner might not.
— We chose to foster-​to-​adopt to ensure compatibility with our child and other dog, but during our foster period the staff pressured us to adopt as quickly as possible. They were not awfully polite about it. To be fair, it’s in the best interests of pups to get forever homes quickly, so it’s understandable that they don’t want to prolong the fostering period.
— Expensive! For the extra money we paid, I would have expected a bit more support and courtesy. Our other pup came from a nearby SPCA, where we paid ¼ the price for her. The staff there were friendlier and more helpful with our situation, they never pressured us (in fact, they talked us out of adopting an inappropriate pup). And she was healthy and problem-​free from the start.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad experience, and we adore our dog. But there may be better options out there for you.

We just recently got a 3 month old shepherd mix puppy at one of the adoption events at Petsmart in Dublin, ca. The process for adopting her was extremely long, a good 2 – 3 hours. You have to fill out your application than it has to be looked at and than you pay for the puppy. There were only 2 people working that department and people were getting extremely frustrated including myself. It was hot and there was a huge line. The owner or operator of the rescue was informative but not very friendly. The trainer tony however was great! He works with you and answers any questions you may have! He also was very helpful by giving us his card and telling us to email him if we have any questions. I would recommend rescuing from this place to anyone!

My partner and I have an older dog and wanted to get her a companion for her last years that would play with her and be her friend. We contacted Stonecliffe about a dog we wanted to see however Deanne (staff member/​foster) informed us that the dog we were interested in was not yet ready which was at first a let down, however she right away informed us of another dog. We were hesitant however the next day we had our dog meet the Stonecliffe dog and we fell in love and got her the same day. Before getting her Deanne gave us all the information about the dog and thankfully all the information was accurate!- Good with cats– check, house trained– check and the list went on and everything was right. Despite being a 2 year old thats full of energy our new dog is just amazing with older dogs, she is playful but gentle at the same time. Already they have created a bond and so have we. It is crazy to think that thanks to Deanne informing us about another dog that we didnt even know about we now have a new loving family member!
Side note when you adopt a dog from Stonecliffe you have the option to sign up for a FREE reimbursement vet program. So if (knock on wood) something happens to the dog in the first 30 days they reimburse you which is nice to know.

Great foundation served by great people. Adopted an amazing and healthy shepherd mix dog that has served a valuable role in helping our family overcome a recent family loss.

I adopted my beautiful, sweet and smart as a whip puppy from SCR in Oct. I’m a San Franciscan and have worked at the SPCA and also volunteer at a well known dog rescue group, this April I fostered 2 pitbull mix puppies from the rescue group, and after finding out first hand how unprofessional the staff were and how the dogs were not well taken care of left a very bad taste in my month. When it was time for me to adopt I started look elsewhere. When I connected with SCR the application they sent me was detailed yet easy to understand, they let me put a small deposit to hold the puppy for the next adoption event which I thought was a great idea-​since there was no way I could have made a 4 hr drive to Lemoore. The whole process was done in a timely and professional manner and they always got back to my emails within 24 hr. The only thing I didn’t like was they advertised him as 5 months old Mini Aussie mix and the birthday they had it down on paper made him only 4 months, and when I took him to the vet I was told he was around 6 months. I also had a very hard time finding any back ground info about him from the staff. The worst part was one of the staff told me he was going to be 50 pounds (I knew that wasn’t true because I worked with enough dogs to know better but that could have very well scared other adopter away!) However he seemed very happy and well taken care of, he is also the most well behaved and well adjusted puppy I’ve ever met and consider he lived in a shelter and rescue group all his life I was impressed! So I’m very appreciative for what SCR have done for my puppy and I hope they continue the good work.

About a month ago, we got our little pup from one of Stonecliff’s events in front of Petsmart in Dublin when she was about 4 months old. She is a black and tan Australian Cattle Dog Mutt, though I think she is actually more Kelpie based on her coloring. I am not sure what the difference is. She was fostered with a family I guess and they did a great job preparing her for a house with kids. She was already fully house trained, doesn’t jump up on people’s legs, does not get up on furniture and is just a very polite dog, especially for a puppy. I might have the DNA test done just so I can see exactly what she is. She was pretty lethargic the first couple of days and then she woke up and now has tons of energy and keeps my kids busy all day long. She listens very well and picks up on training super quick. I guess these are a very intelligent breed, I had never really heard of them before. From what I can tell Stonecliffe must be a nice place!

As I write this, I’m looking at the sweet puppy my husband and I adopted from Stonecliffe about a month ago… and I would give this group a thousand stars if I could.
Here’s why I wish I could give Stonecliffe a thousand stars: the Tulare shelter called them and said that they had four mama dogs and their litters of 6 – 8 puppies each, and they were going to put them ALL down unless they were pulled by the rescue within a couple of hours. ALL of them — four adult dogs and somewhere between 24 and 32 puppies. Stonecliffe took them all in. Maddie’s litter was fostered by a wonderful family who had other dogs, cats, four kids and obviously a lot of love and time to socialize the puppies.
Maddie is an incredible puppy. She has slept through the night from the first night home, she was housetrained within a couple of weeks (she was already using pee pads but now she does all her business outside), she doesn’t bark (seriously, not even once), she’s great with other dogs, and she loves every person she’s met. Oh, and she’s freaking adorable.
Because of our work schedules, we couldn’t make it to the adoption event in Dublin so we made the 8-​hour round trip drive from SF to Lemoore. Michelle from Stonecliffe and Crystal the foster mom told us all about Maddie and her history, and gave us her full vet records, her microchip tag, a big bag of the puppy food she had been eating, and two brand new dog toys. Maddie had already been spayed, too.
I read some of the negative reviews of this place and I had to add my positive two cents. Yes, like some other reviewers we took Maddie to the vet and found out she had worms and also giardia. Kind of a bummer. She had already been de-​wormed a couple of times but the vet said puppies in any kind of shelter/​rescue/​large-​group-​of-​animals situation can get worms and giardia very easily. Could I get angry at Stonecliffe about it? Sure, if I were petty and couldn’t see the bigger picture that a rescued puppy with worms and giardia is WAY better than a dead puppy.
Without Stonecliffe, our sweet Maddie, her seven siblings and their mom would all be dead. Saving these dogs makes Stonecliffe worth five stars to me.

After numerous back and forth emails we finally got out refund. And hope to put this whole ordeal behind us.

Wow! After my experience with these hypocrites, I’m surprised that they have any stars. I have 50 years of experience with, and 40 years care, training, parenting small dogs. I can admit that along the way I made mistakes that I’m grateful now to know better than to repeat, like the fact that dogs are poisoned by grapes, which was news to the woman from Stonecliffe THAT CAME TO INSPECT MY HOUSE. She had the pleasure of meeting my fantastic rescue Chihuahua mix, who is among the happiest, healthiest, most loved dog on Earth. Geri has doting humans that care for her, and she has pet health insurance, and a .6 acre fenced tri level yard to play in.
The only thing missing is another canine pack member for her to play with.
This was the motive that brought me the misfortune of seeking to adopt a puppy from Stonecliffe. I’m seeking a Dachshund/​Chihuahua mix rescue, and ask around. That’s when I learned that Stonecliffe purportedly had a liter of them, needing homes. Willing to pay the highest adoption fee that I know of, in The Bay Area, $ 300. It’s a lot but I was willing to even take two of them after they told me they were very attached to each other.
I was presented with a large, but manageable application, which I promptly filled out and returned to them. Then I was informed that they would require a home inspection. Something told me this was over the top, but I was willing.
In fact because we’re doing home improvements, and my bedroom has doubled as art studio, I hired a cleaning crew the night before to prepare for the inspection. The next morning I was informed that the one I had been texting with had the flu and wouldn’t be coming. So I wished her well and relaxed. Then 20 minutes after the scheduled appt. the doorbell rings. Then a woman came in, visited, seemed to be nice, and when she left I was sure things were great. Then I got an eMail telling me I was unfit. Now I’m grateful to be done with this Harper Valley PTA. They claim I would have endangered the puppy because there was window cleaner within a foot of the floor and the puppy would chew into the bottle and drink the ammonia cleaner and die. I then clarified that since there were no puppies with her, or present, I had not puppy-​proofed the environment yet. This was unacceptable to these nitwits.
I would like to know when I can come inspect their environment, except I wouldn’t want to bring home Giardiasis to infect my healthy, happy, rescue.

We adopted a puppy from this shelter a few weeks ago. He has had a serious diarrhea problem for as long as we have known him. It is so bad that he could not even stay in our house as he couldn’t even get outside before he had horrible foul stool on our bedroom carpet. We had to crate him overnight and even then he has messed his crate many times. At first we thought it was diet related, tried a few suggestions that kind of worked to stop the diarrhea, but after it was apparent we took a sample to the vet. Turns out he has a bad case of Giardia too! Now we have him on meds and hopefully within 2 weeks we can actually have the puppy live with us in the house :(
I don’t know how this place runs their business, but it certainly seems like they need to start addressing the rampant parasitic infections that plague their animals. Very disappointed that they are selling «healthy» animals only to find out you will be cleaning up diarrhea filled carpets and crates and having to run expensive vet tests within days of taking him home. :(

We stopped at Petsmart a week ago today and adopted Sage, a female dachshund mix puppy, and fostered Ian, a male 4-​yr. old beagle mix, who had been confiscated by Tulare Co. Animal Control.
I’m quite certain both of these dogs would have died had it not been for Stonecliffe. Both had their entire series of vaccinations, had been wormed and microchipped, and had been spayed/​neutered since Stonecliffe rescued them. They even came with a free 30 day $ 750 health insurance policy that covers a ton of common items!
Our vet examined them and gave them both a thumbs up. We’re very pleased.

My boyfriend and I bought our sweet Australian cattle dog almost two weeks ago. When we first met her, she had a small sore on her paw, which we inquired about. Terri told us it could either be an allergy to the plastic bowls used for food/​water or it could just be from playing with other dogs. We also learned our puppy’s sister had demodex, though were told that it was not contagious. Trusting she knew what she was talking about, we adopted our puppy. The following week, we found that our puppy scratched like crazy and also had constant diarrhea. Upon taking her to the vet we learned that a scraping for demodex came up negative, but she had a very good chance of having scabies. Not only that, but after a stool sample was taken, we found out she had traces of cocci, as well another protozoan parasite. Knowing that these ailments, while treatable, are highly contagious among pups, I am quite livid.
After reading reviews, I’m finding that we’re not the only ones who experienced adopting a sick puppy. I understand that there are a lot of animals that this adoption center is taking care of, but the fact that there are several cases of parasites among these animals is not ok by my standards. Especially considering that the symptoms that our puppy showed were quite obvious, would you not think to have the animal checked out? I mean, diarrhea is not a normal thing for a dog, nor is constant scratching and a rash.
The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1 is because the staff we met with during the adoption agency were very friendly and helpful with us; one man even found and personally handed us the puppy we told him we would like to see. In the future, we will definitely be doing more research on the adoption agencies we adopt from and will NOT be returning to Stonecliff.

Wow, I am actually shocked by all the negative reviews. I have to say, Stonecliffe has a very special place in my heart… see story below…
In 2007 my husband and I purchase a male puppy Maltese from a breeder. His name was Frankie and he was a great puppy. At 6 mos old we got him neutered and he died during the surgery. My husbands sister, who is a vet in NC, called the hospital and explained that this was not due to negligence, rather this is very very common with pure bred dogs. In fact, she said this happens so often that she would never purchase or own a pure bred.
Two month later we visited a Stonecliffe event and met Coco, whom we adopted and later named Abby. Abby is a 12 lb scrappy poodle/​terrier mix that looks like Toto but smaller. Our main reason for adopting her was that (1) she was fixed and (2) she had a lot of character. Like most pet owners, we think she is the best dog EVER. We are so grateful for Terri not only for giving us Abby, but for dedicating her life to rescuing amazing souls who would NO JOKE LITERALLY be put to sleep for no reason. She is truly a hero.
Yes Abby had Kennel cough. yes Abby had worms. But her alternative would be to DIE. And a little bit of medicine fixed her right up; so no big deal, especially with the free insurance she came with. These are dog in need, and god bless you and Terri for helping.
PS — Abby rules.

Come on people, these people are amazing! They save dogs in the central valley area that are strays or would otherwise have been put down asap at the shelter. If you are at all educated about worms, you know that tapeworm comes from mosquito bites and giardia from infected standing water or other. I myself who am the best of pet owners (they are my kids), have had 2 dogs in my past who contracted tapeworm.
You can’t always tell the initial signs since they don’t start out as adult worms but white specs. It is very easily treatable with pills.
My adopted dog from Stonecliffe is the sweetest dog on the planet would not be here without Terri. who runs the rescue Shamus aka Seamus was a stray roaming around Coalinga and the animal shelter was full. He would have been put down in short order had he not be rescued. He had a full medical check up but 1 month later he was diagnosed with Giardia. Giardia is also very easy to treat and not always evident from the start. All of the dogs do see their vet (mine was neutered by them) and they are very well cared for. Terri even gave me a personality evaluation on him. If you love your adopted pal, treat him/​her and move on. Dogs contract worms/​parasites no matter how sterile the conditions they live in.
Give this organization the credit it deserves (not 2 stars) and support them. It saves abandoned dogs lives. Big thanks to Terri and team!

My fiancéé and I got a wonderful little 1.5 yr old chihuahua with a charming disposition. We went the foster-​to-​adopt route to make sure she was compatible with our existing dog and had her for two weeks before completing the adoption at the Dublin Petsmart adoption fair. The process was fairly easy, but the problems started when we completed the adoption.
Literally the day after we completed the adoption, I took the new dog to walk and noticed flat, white, squirming, alive things in her poop. Yup, TAPEWORMS. We immediately gave her over-​the-​counter deworming meds and resolved to get both dogs to the vet ASAP. After geting tests back from this examination, the vet informs us that our precious little dog not only had tapeworms, but a Giardia infection as well. She AND my other dog are now completing a two week course of antibiotics.
To add insult to injury, our vet was aware of Stonecliffe because of the sheer number of sick and wormy dogs she’s treated from their shelter. And, she said we were LUCKY. I love my new dog, but I’ve warned my friends and family about my adoption experience with this shelter.

We stopped by Petsmart to see the dogs that were up for adoption. My daughter has volunteered in the past and has mentioned how impressed she is with how well the animals are treated and cared for. I could definitely see that when we visited. We ended up falling in love with one of the puppies but already have two dogs at home. We were able to foster for a couple weeks to make sure she was a good fit with our family. Carol contacted me just shy of the two weeks to check in. I can’t believe how organized and on top of things they are!!! They were able to tell us quite a bit about the puppy and how can you go wrong with an animal that is already spay/​nuetered and has a chip???
I would absolutely recommend Stonecliffe Animal Rescue!!!

Pet adoption event at PetSmart in the Almador Plaza Shopping Center gave me chance to talk with the staff that hosting the event.
Very well organized.
Dogs were being well taken care of on the super hot day I was there.
All my questions were answered.

I was not able to follow through with my adoption because the owner does not have good communication skills. I’ve dealt with rescues in the past and never experienced anything like this before.
After my application was accepted and after paying a deposit, and not being in touch for three weeks, I inquired about my prospective dog, which was part of a litter. I was told the entire litter, except two, had died. I wanted answers as to what happened, and had no idea any of the dogs had been sick. There was no communication from the rescue about anything being wrong before this inquiry, and I’d assumed everything was fine.
None of the four questions I had were answered. A rescue helper did her best to fill me in, but I was really frustrated by the entire process. I was interested in adopting some other dog, but because I insisted someone from the rescue answer my valid concerns, and had told them if they could not give me the answers to the VERY reasonable questions I had, INCLUDING how to pay the rest of my adoption fee for some other dog, then I wanted my deposit back.
By not answering my questions, the rescue upset me and caused me to have even MORE questions, which I did NOT ask. I was told the owner of the rescue was now mad at ME because I said if she did not have time to adequately communicate with potential adopters, then maybe someone else should handle her emails. The helper I’d been in touch with is GREAT, and should probably be the full time representative for this rescue.
It’s about providing good customer care, and like it or not, adoptive families ARE «paying customers».
I understand the owner of this rescue is busy and I have respect for the work she does, which is why I tried not to be a bother, but after not being in touch at all for three full weeks, and to be given a cryptic, terse, two sentence answer about the deaths of my dog’s littermates (they died of a contagious disease) caught me off guard and should have been handled with a bit more delicacy or, at the very least a small blurb cluing me in that something had been wrong, and a solution was going to be provided. I felt as if I were being punished for wondering how my puppy was.
When I finally spoke to the rescue owner, she said she was going to refund my deposit. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I wanted to adopt a dog from her rescue, but did not like the lack of communication, especially since I had made every effort to not be a bothersome client, despite my excitement over meeting my new dog for the first time.
She said she was refunding my deposit because «too much had been said.» the irony here is that not enough had been said in the first place, and that’s what started the whole matter.
What can I do if a rescue can’t even tell me how to pay the remainder of my adoption fee when I ask on four different occasions? What can I do if I have questions about the communicable deaths of several dogs that had been in close proximity to the dog I’d put a deposit on? I’m sorry if that makes me a problem of some type who needs to be sent on her way.
I’ll look to local rescues in the future. I’m sure this one is fine, but the key is probably to live close enough to actually visit it in person because the owner here just does NOT know how to communicate with the people who want to adopt from her rescue.