Animal Welfare Society of Howard County
3.8 from 55 reviews
Address 8556 Davis Rd, Columbia, MD 21045
Phone Number +14437411280
Description AWSHC is a multi-service organization catering principally to the needs of homeless canines and their eventual adopters. Services include rescue and sheltering, medical treatment, vaccine clinics, training and behavior, and rehoming. We are the oldest rescue in Howard County, Maryland, established in 1944.
Website https://awshc.org/
Courtney P
I had a wonderful experience adopting from this facility. Scott was very honest about the dogs I inquired about and accommodated me very nicely as I had over an hour drive. The dogs are outside, but only when it's nice/daylight out. The breed I adopted has poor heat tolerance, so that was especially important for them. The owner has a good heart, loves the animals, and treats his employees/volunteers like family. The prices are reasonable and it is 100% donation to keep the facilities lights on, the dogs fed, and the like. I would adopt from here again in a heartbeat and I would recommend others to check out this shelter if you plan on adopting.
Katelyn Bushwick
Despite having a very inviting sign, as soon as we drove in, we could see how poorly this place is maintained. The dogs are kept in outdoor cages, covered in flies, and the place just feels dirty. However, we were looking to add another rescue dog to our home and looked around anyway. The dog we were introduced to got loose, no big deal-it happens. The staff quickly got the dog who seemed scared out of his mind. What really angered us about this shelter is the director. He was incredibly unprofessional, yelling and cussing at his staff (in front of other potential customers and my 6 year old), including a young woman employee who looked like she was about to cry. I tried to defend her and he completely dismissed me. We left immediately. I recommend going next door to the animal control shelter. They are awesome.
Debra Konopka
I have been searching for a puppy/dog to adopt for the past 6-7 months. I finally found my furever friend at Animal Welfare Society in Howard County, run by Scott and company. I adopted Mandy, 7 month old female Chihuahua, from a Chihuahua family of 13 total. She is everything I ever wanted in a pet/companion. She was a bit shy at first, but warmed up to me and my husband right away. She is full of life, loves to play and run in her new big yard and has adjusted very well. I have to thank Scott for how well he and his staff cared for my Mandy, her brothers and sisters, and all the other homeless pets. Scott was absolutely wonderful throughout my adoption process, which only took about an hour total. Scott and his staff run a very warm and loving shelter for animals. I felt right at home with them. If I am ever looking for another pet to adopt, I will definitely come back to Animal Welfare Society and Scott and company. And I might also mention that I live 3 hours away in the Northern Neck of Virginia. I HIGHLY recommend Animal Welfare Society to anyone looking to adopt a pet. Just ask for Scott and tell him Mandy's mom, Debra (huge Redskins Fan) recommended him. Thank you Scott, and company!!
Danielle
An amazing shelter that has been run to the ground due to new management. A con artist who made his way onto the board and managed to run everyone out. He then stacked his board with his buddies so that he would never get kicked out. Watch out- don't question him or he will be quick to ban you from the premises. He has managed to also run out all loyal volunteers who were there for YEARS. He has little to no knowledge about basic animal health care. What use to be a low cost clinic no longer exists because it wasn't profitable for him. He also favors rescuing smaller dogs because he makes a quicker profit off of them. Nico, a sweet and gentle giant, will never get to experience the love he deserves because Scott decided he would keep him as a "shelter dog". Many people have asked to adopt Nico and he runs them off the property. The horror stories I have heard from volunteers and donators would blow your mind. With all of the citations against him, it's only a matter of time until he runs the place to the ground. For anyone who currently volunteers there, God bless you.
Mariah Belden
My overall experience with adopting from this facility wasn't unpleasant. It was quick and the volunteers were nice. Although, after adopting my cat I quickly realized she needed to be taken to a vet. There we found she had fleas, tapeworms, ear mites (ears were caked with mites), an ear infection, and extreme anxiety; probably due to her neglect in the shelter. For anyone who wants to adopt an animal from this place, I implore you to reconsider. You might be putting time and effort into an animal who you may not be able to help in a mental or physical aspect (could end up being very costly). I recently found out that my cat will need dental work that could cost over a thousand dollars. I'm just simply informing anyone who reads this that if you're going to adopt an animal you might as well know what you're getting into. The Howard County Animal Control & Adoption Center right next door offers animals who are in great health mentally and physically, and they have no affiliation with the Welfare Society whatsoever. My family and I have adopted from there twice and we've never had an issue with our animals. Their conditions in the shelter are also sanitary, unlike the Welfare Society. The Welfare Society's conditions for those cats are, as you can imagine, pretty terrible. Cats were roaming around, inside and outside, and there was a severe lingering smell of cat urine. Again, I urge people to avoid this place and please don't condone their neglect. Please. **It's interesting that their response was to blame me. Of course I was happy I had gotten her. I don't regret that at all. I took her to the vet a couple days after I had gotten her. I noticed she was scratching her ears and in pain. There's no way she could have gotten the amount of ear mites and fleas from my care in a matter of a couple days. She also had tape worms, which appear because of fleas. Which means the cats around her also have fleas. Tape worms don't just develop over night. As for her teeth, the vet had mentioned several times that her gums were bright red. There was an obvious lack in care on your part. You can't really argue that... So, why would I ask you for help when she obviously wasn't taken care of in the first place? Take her back to the place where she had obviously gotten the fleas, worms, and mites?... I don't think so. The cats were roaming inside and outside when I got there. I remember it clearly. Period. If your way of responding to a bad review is to come up with excuses and false accusations, then you may want to reconsider how you run your business. When people write reviews it isn't because they want to humiliate you. It's to give you an idea of what you should be doing to better your business, and in this case, how you can take care of your animals that would result in your customers being genuinely pleased. You obviously can't take the criticism, which says a lot about your character.
M Dunbar
I called many No kill shelters this week in order to find a home for a stray kitten living around my home. I called this institution on Monday. I was told the owner would call me back on Tuesday which he did. I made an appointment for the following Sunday at 12pm. When I arrived, the gates were locked, no one answered the phone and the answering machine said they were closed on Sunday. Eventually someone did come to the gate and I introduced myself. This gentleman introduced himself as the owner but said he didn't recall making an appointment or speaking to me last week. I repeated our whole conversation but he still did not remember. I also told him that there were pit bulls running around my neighborhood and I did not want the cat to get hurt however he seemed more concerned about the dogs instead of the cat that was in his presence. Eventually he said he would check to see if he had room for the cat however after 15 minutes waiting outside behind the gate he never came back. I eventually left. No one bothered calling me back and now I have to find another shelter for this kitten. This was a total waste of time and money being as though I traveled from Baltimore City to Howard County. I will never suggest this place to anyone.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Categories
Services
Serves Jessup and nearby areas
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