Stray From The Heart

SFTH is one of the best animal rescues out there! I got Marcy, my best friend, from the them and they really do an exceptional job pairing the right dog to the perfect family. I know the application process can seem daunting but it really is for the best for both the adopting family and the dog. They were completely up front about everything in the adoption process, as well as behaviors I can expect when a dog is first adopted. They were super supportive with all of my questions about nutrition, trainers, and how to be the best dog guardian possible. I cannot recommend this organization highly enough, so much so that I continue to support it both via donations and outreach events. I cannot recommend this organization more highly!

I emailed this organization and I wanted one of their dogs. I was told there were twelve applications for this dog and they would pick the best home they could for dog. Toni then went on to tell me she had a lot of other dogs. Sadly, my daughter and I wanted the one dog that I guess everyone else wanted. I could respect that but then I was questioned and I provided her with all the information. I sent photos of my home and offered them a home visit if needed. My husband stated that he was uncomfortable with all the questions and information Toni wanted. He was annoyed that I was taking pictures of my home for Toni and stated that I should tell Toni to come to my house with the dog we wanted and she could see for herself, but other then that if the dog I wanted was not available then I would have to wait for another dog because I didn’t want the other dogs she offered me.
I explained to Toni that I was uncomfortable with all the information she wanted and i never heard from her again. I think they run a good rescue and I am glad they are saving dogs! I know they fly a lot of dogs in from other countries which is great, but I also hope they are going to the NYC Kill Shelter too! I get list of dogs on death row and I would hope they are helping NYC animals first and then going to other countries.
My family did fall in love with a beautiful dog from another place. I visit Pet Alive A lot and SPCA Shelters, they have a lot of animals and are up front if they don’t have an animal you want. They will show you others and tell you to keep looking until you find another dog that catches your eyes. In all honesty, I had the feeling that Toni wanted me to just take another dog off her.

I loved working with SFTH from beginning to end. Toni here in New York was great and the woman who was fostering my little Peanut (formally Tania) in PR was wonderful, as well. I think that once you work with this organization you want to convert everyone you know. I’ve been telling anyone who will listen the tale of how I wound up with the sweetest little puppy in the world.

I would recommend Stray from the Heart to anyone looking to adopt a dog. We have now rescued two dogs from this wonderful organization and I tell everyone I meet who is considering adopting a dog about them and the wonderful things they do.
We decided we wanted to rescue a dog two years ago and begin searching Petfinder for dogs we thought would be a good fit. Petfinder led us to Stray from the Heart, an organization in New York. We live in rural Rhode Island, but were so impressed with the organization that we reached out to them for more information about their adoptable dogs and filled out an application. We received a call from Erik, a volunteer for SftH, that afternoon. He took his time explaining everything about Stray from the Heart and the process of adopting a dog from them. During our conversation, the volunteer mentioned that they had recently rescued a puppy from the streets of Puerto Rico and I requested more info on the dog. Eric looked into it and after he sent us some pictures of the little guy at the vet, we fell in love. The process after went so smoothly and quickly. We talked to Erik extensively several times after that as he made sure we were the best fit for the puppy and we made sure he was the best fit for our household. Three weeks later, we met Erik at the airport with other families who were adopting from Stray from the Heart (including the mayor of Bethlehem, PA!) and picked up our dog Bode (he was named Yael before). Bode, has been the best addition to our family. He is so sweet, so loving, so gentle. We can’t imagine how he ever lived on the streets. Everywhere we go, people stop us to ask us what kind of dog he is because he has such a unique look and an amazing personality.
Bode has enriched our lives so much that when we recently decided to adopt a second dog, we immediately knew we had to go through Stray from the Heart. We worked with Toni this time and she has been so caring and thorough in pairing us with another good fit for our household. After several interviews, we decided to move ahead with applying for a little munchkin called Reuben. Reuben had been found hiding from «some very bad people» under a car in Puerto Rico, but immediately took to a leash. Toni and Stray from the Heart are very good at posting many pictures, updates, and videos of their dogs online. We felt that between this info on Reuben and the extensive info the foster mom provided us about Reuben’s demeanor. we had a really good idea of the little guy we were adopting. Toni arranged to fly him to our local airport, where we picked him up and brought him home.
Both boys arrived here healthy, albeit a bit undernourshed and timid, which you would expect from any rescue dog. They had quite a rough start to life, but have adapted so well to our household and family. They are so thankful and the two have formed quite a bond. We can’t thank Toni and Stray from the Heart enough. I would recommend Stray from the Heart and their dogs to anyone thinking of adopting. They are very honest about their dogs and really ensure a good fit for your family.

I rescued my dog, Marley, a black lab/​border collie mix through Stray from the Heart in February. I had originally applied for a different dog. After speaking extensively with Toni, we determined that the dog I had applied for wasn’t a good fit for me and my lifestyle. However, Toni wanted to help me find the right dog for me. She had me look on SFTH’s Petfinder page but I didn’t see what I was looking for. Then Toni remembered a dog that was newly rescued with their partner rescue in Quito, Ecuador and sent me a picture of this sweet, adorable black dog. From the minute Toni sent me a picture of Marley, I knew she was my dog. She had such a beautiful face and these sad eyes that made me fall in love with her. I was nervous and skeptical about getting a dog from Ecuador but Toni was so fantastic and helpful, answering all of my questions. She also gave me explicit instructions about what to get before her arrival and prepared me for everything I needed to do when I got her and even gave me a welcome kit with toys and treats.
Despite several delays in her arrival due to such a snowy winter, she finally came home on February 25^th (almost a month to the day after I was approved). Everything went so smoothly! I was so impressed with how easy it all was. And Toni checked in every step of the way and offered her support. She was unbelievable!!! And she doesn’t even get paid to do this. She has a regular full-​time job. Everything she does for SFTH is solely VOLUNTEER!!! I was very impressed by Toni and SFTH!!!
Only 4 months later, Marley is doing fantastic. I jokingly call her the Princess of 85^th Street. It is truly amazing how she has grown into her own. The sad eyes that made me fall in love with her aren’t sad anymore. Marley is making friends everywhere she goes! She loves everyone and every dog she meets. All of the doggies in the neighborhood know her and love her and, even though she has her favorites, she loves playing with all dogs, big and small, and gets along well with all of them. She is also AMAZING with kids from the little 1 year old across the hall to random kids in the park that ask to pet her. She just sits and let’s them pet her (and even hug and kiss her) and is as gentle as can be. It’s like she knows instinctively to be gentle.
She is so smart too and already knows sit, down, stay, paw, leave it, slow and wait. Each command took her less than 5 minutes to figure out.
I’m an endurance athlete (marathon runner and triathlete) and Marley is the best training buddy I’ve ever had. She has gone on training runs with me up to 8.5 miles! And boy can those little legs move! She keeps me on pace (until she sees a bird or a squirrel that is).
She is really a ball of energy. When we go to the dog park she loves playing Chase Marley with the other dogs. No one can ever catch her! When I went up to Connecticut for a couple of days for a race, she went on her first overnight at doggie daycare. The report that I got is she went from dog to dog tiring each dog out leaving sleeping dogs in her wake. The first time I ever saw her thoroughly exhausted was that night when she came home. She lay down on my bed after she gobbled up her food and had a good drink of water and passed out for 3 hrs straight. She was totally motionless and I actually checked to see if she was still breathing because I’d never seen her like that before!
Bottom line she is an amazing dog and I am so lucky to have her in my life!!! I saved her but she definitely saved me. She makes me soooo happy!!! I can’t thank Toni and SFTH enough for bringing Marley to me. I can’t imagine my life without her!!!

Can I give Stray from the Heart an infinity star rating?! Because I would.
Our little Lainey came from Puerto Rico and because of SFTH, our lives are forever changed. And hers too.
My husband and I adopted Lainey (Valerie was her SFTH name) last spring without ever meeting her. I originally saw her and her sister on Petfinder and fell in love with both of them. I applied for her and stalked the Stray from the Heart Facebook until I got a response — sorry if I was annoying guys!
Once Toni (the founder) and I spoke (a little phone interview), she put me in touch with Lainey’s foster mom in PR as I wanted to speak to her before I signed the adoption papers. We have two kitties and I had to make sure the puppy would be okay with them. Her PR mom took more than an hour on the phone to calm my nerves and told me everything about the puppy’s personality, health, size, weight, etc.
All my nerves about adopting a puppy before ever meeting her were gone after I spoke to the foster mom and Toni. SFTH also assured me that if the new dog ever had behavior problems that they would help out with training recommendations, gave me a name of a book to read about rescue puppies, etc.
A couple of days later, a volunteer was able fly the puppy sisters with her to JFK and we picked her up from the airport. It was true love at first sight.
Our Lainey is by far the best dog we could have asked for. I know that all dogs are not the same and we got very lucky, but I believe Stray from the Heart truly cares about their rescue pups and does everything they can to help them find the RIGHT FIT for their forever homes.
XOXO K&D

I don’t feel great writing a bad review for an animal rescue/​shelter organization, but aside from their noble mission, there’s also an organization’s effectiveness and how good they are at human interactions. The better they interact with humans, the more animals they’ll save.
My experience with this place was basically getting yelled at by an animal rights snob.
I’m a vegan, non-​leather-​wearing, spay/​neuter and anti-​breeders activist who’s rescued many strays. Never thought I’d get talked down to by a shelter volunteer.
I found some dogs on Petfinder and emailed Toni, saying that I’m interested in any suggestions she might have for other dogs. I also filled in an application with care & detail. I got an email scheduling a call for Saturday and replied that Saturday would work. Then, I got a call from an Unknown number in the middle of the workday. I picked up and talked with Toni.
Her first comment: None of the dogs I mentioned in my email would work because I live in an apartment and work 8 – 10 hours a day. «Are you *familiar* with the husky breed?» she asked. Yes, I am familiar with this breed, and none of the dogs I mentioned in my email were real huskies (much smaller, different ear/​head proportions, etc.) Well, Toni proceeded to lecture me that all huskies suffer from separation anxiety (breed-​ism much?) and that the dogs I mentioned were meant for someone who works from home.
I told Toni that I work full-​time. She said this means I’d need a dog walker, no matter what dog I adopt. When I said that I know many dogs who wait for their humans around 8 hours/​day, and sleep most of the time, Toni said that all *responsible* dog owners have dog walkers. Then, more lecturing: Dogs «have the same blood, the same organs, and the same emotions that we do.» As if I’d treat a dog like furniture.
There were no questions about whether I planned to provide a wee-​wee pad, how big my apartment was, how many walks I planned to give, what dog experience I had. Note that while she monologued, Toni still called this my «adoption interview.»
The call concluded with Toni saying she’d keep my application open, and offering me two chihuahuas. Given that I walk a lot, two chihuahuas is the opposite of what I need.
If you do some research, you’ll see that SFTH rescues many dogs from Ecuador and Puerto Rico. I’ve often wondered how we could help the lovely strays on foreign streets find a better life. It’s great that SFTH pays for expensive medical procedures and then flies the recovered strays to NYC. However, given how many unwanted dogs are put down in NYC and the tristate area every day, it’s a strange allocation of SFTH’s resources. And it’s definitely not serving their mission (which should be, rescuing more pets) to alienate adoption applicants.
I’m moving on to the many other shelters we have in NYC, where I can find the mid-​size, walk-​loving, non-​separation-​anxiety dog I need (and provide it a wee-​wee pad).

I cannot say enough good things about Stray from the Heart, especially after dealing with less a less than reputable animal shelter before this. Initially I found my puppy on Petfinder and contacted Toni. She got in touch with me very quickly and we had extensive conversations about the puppy prior to her approving the adoption. I also had the opportunity to get information about the puppy from the woman who was fostering her.
Toni had excellent judgement and we got an incredibly well-​behaved dog that quickly learned the house rules. Because she was not separated from her mother too young, our puppy has no separation anxiety nor did she develop other issues that can commonly be found in rescue animals that spend a prolonged period of time in shelters. In addition, the adoption fee is both reasonable and I am confident that it is well-​spent on animal care. It’s important to support rescue organizations run by caring individuals and it is clear that everyone at this organization is very committed. When we want to adopt another dog, we will definitely go through them again!

Fantastic

My girlfriend and I recently adopted through SFTH and it has been a terrific experience. This organization is extremely well-​run by friendly, caring prople. Our happy, healthy and well-​mannered puppy came to SFTH from Ecuador and he is such a well-​behaved sweetheart.
Before we got our adoption, our dog had been staying at a loving foster home for a few weeks and was already housebroken and knew how to sit and fetch.
One of the reasons our new addition has been a terrific fit for our home is because of SFTH’s very thorough matching process. It may seem like a long process but it is because SFTH wants to make sure their dogs go to good homes.
We can’t say enough about SFTH and our awesome dog, he is already a neighborhood favorite!

I cannot say enough to praise Stray from the Heart.
I am a proud owner of a former sato (Puerto Rican street dog) named Barney. Even though I didn’t get to meet Barney before I adopted him, he and I are a perfect pair! Stray from the Heart gave me a very clear understanding of his temperament and made the adoption process clear. I had some bad experiences with other rescue organizations in the New York area — many aggressive dogs or difficult paperwork — and Stray from the Heart was reliable and honest.
I would recommend Stray from the Heart for all people looking to adopt an animal! Don’t be scared that you may not get to meet your pal before you adopt him — trust that Stray from the Heart finds the most sociable, sweet, loving animals for people! Couldn’t be happier!

I adopted Pepe through Stray From The Heart after seeing his picture on their facebook page (
) and absolutely falling in love with him. He had been hit by a car in Ecuador and was living there with a foster mom, and even though we would not get the opportunity to meet before I adopted him, my experience couldn’t have been better.
Toni was very communicative throughout the entire adoption process with Pepe. She told me exactly what to expect, gave me tips on caring for Pepe, explained when and how he would be shipped here (they cover the cost of the dog’s flight to NYC), and she even arranged for one of their volunteers to bring me to and from the airport to pick Pepe up when he flew in. We are still in touch even after Pepe’s arrival.
I can’t compliment this organization enough on the amazing work they’re doing and how seamless they make the process of adopting your new best friend. I would urge anyone who is wanting to adopt a dog not to be hesitant about adopting one of SFTH’s international pups. It is their goal to match your needs with the dog’s needs to ensure you that it will be a good fit for both of you; they will not just have you adopt any dog if they feel that it isn’t a match. I know this because prior to seeing Pepe’s picture, I had been talking to one of their other foster moms about one of their dogs in Puerto Rico, whom we collectively decided would not be a good match for me (i.e. he needs a yard and other dogs to play with and I have neither). Then Toni called me a couple of nights later and told me about Pepe, I saw his picture, read his story, and the rest is history!
He’s the most wonderful, spirited, and loving dog that you could ever have the pleasure of meeting, and I hope that anyone who is reading this and considering adopting through SFTH will heed the excellent reviews and go for it!

I adopted my dog through SFTH and I have been so happy. Even though its been a while since i adopted my dog, they always answer any questions i have about dog food, training, etc. They are so helpful and happy to assist owners. Other organizations seemed to ignore me, but SFTH was so great and I got a dog that is absolutely perfect!