We adopted our beautiful husky mix dog from Joyful Rescues in February of 2007. I cannot thank Joye & her staff at Joyful Rescues enough for rescueing our beautiful boy & giving us the privilege of giving him his "Forever" home. Not only am I greatful for all their hard work, dedication and true comapssion for animals,but I was truly impressed with the entire Joyful Rescues agency.The dogs are given tons of love & attention & you can truly see how greatful they are by their faces.The agency is at her home so they get 24/7 TLC. I was pleased to see that they were so through with their screening process. They make sure that every dog is going not only to a loving, caring enviroment, but one that is ready to take on the many other responsibilities of being a pet parent.This is a place where dogs can run & play & just be dogs again until they find their permanent homes. The animals care & welfare are first priority at Joyful rescues. I can honestly say that we have had no behavorial, health or other issues with our dog since we adopted him. We greatly attribute this to the love & care he got at Joyful Rescues.The community as well as all the hundreds of animals they have saved are very fortuniate to have Joyful rescues.

Pros: excellent care & "parent" screening process

Cons: none

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Joyful Rescues. Last year, my husband and I fell in love with our Major on Petfinder. We were impressed with the application process - it was the most detailed we had seen, and felt that it would succeed in making applicants better consider their decision to adopt. Questions like "how much do you expect to spend monthly in food/treats/vet bills?" are important, especially for people who may be adopting for the first time.

When we got our approval email from JR, we were so happy we cried. We soon got a follow up call from Major's foster mom, Kari. Kari wanted to talk to us about Major - he had come from a puppy mill and was particularly shy, even scared, of people. Kari wanted to manage our expectations - it was possible that Major may never be very personable. Kari was making sure that he would be moving to his forever home - and that we were not going to return him. We applaud Kari and JR for keeping his interests first. Major came from a horrendous situation and deserves to live a beautiful and happy life. (And, I am happy to report that after a year with JR, and 18 months with us, Major is such a happy boy that he runs up to people on our walks, just begging to be petted! Such a wonderful change that would never have been possible without the work of the volunteers at JR!)

Before traveling to pick up Major, we told the volunteers that we were also considering adopting a second dog, and if they had any recommendations, to let us know. They recommended our Willis. Willis and Major had not only spent time together at the rescue, but also had play dates thanks to their foster moms. The day we picked them up, Major and Willis were curled up together - it was love at first sight! Willis' foster mom, Susan, was wonderful, and parted from her Willis with very little notice. We are constantly amazed with the strength of the foster parents at JR (and every other rescue for that matter) - to give so much to these wonderful pups, and hand them over to their forever families.

In the months after adopting our boys, we heard from so many of the volunteers that had worked with Willis and Major during their time with JR. We've described JR to our family and friends as a rehab facility for dogs (and cats). At Joyful Rescues, the animals come first. Many of them have come from horrible situations, both mental and physical, and deserve all the love in the world. The volunteers give their time, and money, to make a better life for these animals, and to prepare them for life in a normal home. I believe they deserve every right to be judicious in their decisions. The volunteers have a strong bond with all of the animals they work with - we've kept in touch with each other over the past 18 months to let them know how our "Jersey Boys" are doing. We only wish they were closer (we live in southern New Jersey) so that we could bring the boys to visit all of the wonderful people at Joyful Rescues. We consider JR to be the village that raised (and rescued) our boys.

Pros: The animals come first and foremost.

Cons: Too far away to bring our boys back to visit.

THE GOOD NEWS IS...a friend of ours owns a reputable and professional pet store here in the city and also rescues dogs. Why we didn't go to him in the first place is beyond me. He will help us find our new dog - he knows us and our pets and exactly how awesome we are.


When I told a room full of people that I was denied on a dog adoption the reaction was 1) confused looks, 2) an "are you kidding me" and then 3) bursts of laughter b/c Chris and I are considered the best and most devoted dog owners in the world! People can't believe the lengths we go to to give our dogs the good life.


UNFORTUNATELY...I wasn't aware that you need to screen rescues before you take the time to apply - you know, to differentiate the LEGITIMATE rescues from the CRACK-POTS.


What a disservice to your adoptable dogs.

Absolutely hilarious...

From: Joyful Rescues <joyfulrescues2@hughes.net>
To:
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2012 9:31 AM
Subject: Application

Pros: I guess they're keeping animals alive

Cons: lengthy application, definite denial

As far as I am aware, their purpose is to find decent and loving homes for the thousands of abandoned, mistreated, or homeless animals.

So, if willing and capable pet owners are being rejected by workers who do not know nearly enough about perspective owners, the very "purpose" of a shelter is not being fulfilled- animals are not being saved and the organization is not "doing their job."

Animals without homes is sad, but animals denied homes by good people is ever worse.

We were surprised to learn how many people at Pet Smart were talking about being denied by Joyful Rescues, but filled out the application anyway. After all, we have had several dogs over the last 35 years - we thought, what could possibly be a reason for being denied? We were open to several varieties of dog - male or female - puppy or adult. We answered the questions openly and honestly, and provided the necessary references, including the Vet hospital we spent over $3500.00 at when our dog became suddenly ill. We provided our previous pets all the necessary shots, care, and pet safe environment . So we were as surprised as others seemed to be, when we too were denied.
No one spoke to me personally. So far, I know that 2 of the 3 references, or the Vet office we gave were never contacted, no one came to our house.

I do commend people who work in shelters, and I know many of the workers care deeply about the animals, but something isn't right. It is very important to make sure animals aren't just given to anyone, but there has to be something wrong in the selection criteria. How many good people are actually being rejected?

Turning off people who want to adopt, even if they aren't "perfect," just sends them to pet stores that support puppy mills and unnecessary breeding. It increases the chances those animals won't be spayed/neutered. Or, even worse, it stops a good family with a place for a pet from filling that void and giving a lucky animal a home.

There is no such thing as a perfect home for all dogs. There is, however, the right home for the right dog.

We will definitely adopt our next dog when the time comes, but sadly not from one of the many who need homes at Joyful Rescues.

Pros: none

Cons: several

I have fostered many animals for many organizations over the years and this was the WORST experience of my life. These poor animals that live there. The foster I go was loaded with ear mites and fleas. When I called them on it they gave me expired flea meds. That did not work either so I gave it a few baths in Hertz flea shampoo which is what a vet recommended. When I told joy this she was a royal you know what . She also almost turned down someone because they worked full time. Really Joye? people do work. I was told I would never be able to foster with them again - no worries I was not planning on it. I am now with another organization called Another Chance Pet Rescue and love it. Joyful Rescue should be shut down because from what I hear the living conditions for these animals is horrible~ I would give this place zero stars but this site wont let me

Pros: none

Cons: many