Rita B. Huff Humane Society

I lived in Huntsville for 5 years because I was an undergraduate student at Sam Houston State University. I frequently volunteered at Rita B. Huff for community service hours, or sometimes just because I felt like it. The process for volunteering here was very laid back and only consisted of about a 15 – 20 minute talk and walk-​through. I’m a competent person and I’ve been around animals all my life, but I know the process that I’m going through for the Nevada Humane Society is much more rigorous. I had to fill out a volunteer application and attend a 2 ½ hour training just to become a basic volunteer. Needless to say, it’s pretty relaxed here, which I guess allows lots of college students to come volunteer without much of a hassle.
The people who work the front desk are nice, but again, pretty laid back. You’re going to get that in Huntsville at a small shelter. Regardless, I do believe the workers do their best with what they’ve got. They don’t have a ton of money or support from what I gather. They have a cat room where most of the cats are able to roam free, which I like, and there are cages inside and outside for the dogs. Sometimes you might even find a pot belly pig or two! They do take in a variety of animals.
When I volunteered here, the basic things I would do would be to bathe the dogs/​puppies or play/​walk them. You could always see in the dogs eyes how much they appreciated you spending time with them! I could spend hours here playing with them because time just flies by. I don’t have any dogs myself, so this was how I got my doggy-​fix for a few weeks at a time.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t a «no-​kill» shelter because there are simply too many animals that just come through here, and it’s pretty small. It’s unfortunate, but it should motivate everyone to get animals from shelters! There are always a variety of dogs and cats coming through here and, although it may not be the most clean or wonderful shelter out there, I truly think they are doing their best.

This place gets 5 stars for introducing me to my Lilly Cupcake (refer to blonde hairy thing in profile picture), 1 star for literally everything else, and that averages out to 3 stars, folks.
Animal shelters are poor– I get it. However, this was no excuse for my experience there. We had our hearts set on adopting a Golden Retriever baby for forever… but then we came across Lilly Bear on Rita B. Huff’s site.
Description: «Golden Retriever Mix»…aka yellow ball of FLUFFFF! Oohh she was schooo fwlufffy.
Her info had just been posted that day, and we made the drive to Huntsville the very next day as soon as the place opened. The people who worked there obviously did not want to be there and all sounded like they had been smoking for 100 years. As we were walking around the dog kennels, I had to tell a tech that there was another puppy that tore up his toy and there was stuffing everywhere. Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows that you don’t leave them alone with loose stuffing! They’ll eat the stuffing (as dogs like to do), get compacted, and wham you’ve got yourself a dead dog or a $ 800 surgery if you’re lucky. Ugh, incompetence.
But thenn… we saw our Lils McGills. She was with her 1.5 year old Golden Retriever mommy (I think Mom was full Goldie? Well she looked like it anyway). I really wish we could’ve adopted them both :/​Our eyes locked, and that little 5 lb. ball of golden fur and fleas (and jeez, the fleas were bad) smiled at me with her little pink and purple spotted tongue sticking out. It was fate.
I held her for as long as I could before I started getting itchy (possibly psychologically) from fleas. We filled out paperwork for her that day, and they told us that we could come back in 5 days to pick her up after her holding grace period was over. No problem, standard shelter procedures. They also went over everything that was supposed to be included in her adoption fee including shots– yup, still normal stuff. But then, I was a little weirded out when they told us that they had to spay her before we could take her home. Spaying’s great, you may say… but not on a 6 – 8 week old puppy! I had no choice but to agree, but immediately called my vet tech friend and my current vet when I got to my car. The vet said he had never heard of a puppy getting spayed so young; typically, you spay between 4 – 6 months! Vet tech friend agreed. Lilly Pumpkinpoodle had only just started eating solid food!
I called the shelter back as soon as I got off the phone with my vet, and the lady rudely told me, «That’s our policy unless you don’t want her anymore.» Ugh. Poor Lilly Burrito.
5 days passed, and it was time to pick up our little cut up baby. When we arrived, we were shocked to see her frolicking around the front area instead of being knocked out from meds.
Disgruntled smoke woman: «She had diarrhea, and we can’t operate on her until she’s completely healthy. She rolled around in it too. You can take her today, but bring her back in a few weeks to get her spayed.»
YES, LILLY, YESSS! DIARRHEA!
Disgruntled smoke woman: «Here’s her paperwork. She can go.»
YES paperwork! LET’S GO… wait a minute… I thought the adoption fee was supposed to take care of her first round of puppy shots and de-​wormer? How come it says she hasn’t gotten ANYTHING?!
Disgruntled smoke woman: «We don’t give them their shots until after their surgery. If you really want, you can take the wormer with you.»
*Blink* Your policy says that dogs are supposed to get their first round of de-​wormer within the first couple of days at the shelter. She’s been there for SEVEN days. Whatever, not worth the fight. I’ll take the stupid de-​wormer and take her immediately to my vet for the shots that she was already supposed to have gotten. Let’s get outta there, Lilly Muffin! You will be FREEEE with meeee!
Later that day at my awesome vet (no, I’m not being sarcastic. our vet was awe.some.) in College Station: «Well, your Lilly’s belly is full of worms, she’s got Kennel Cough, and she’s anemic, but we’ll get her fixed up for you.» Ouch, that bill hurt. But oh, Lilly Bear, you were well worth it: D
Spaying ended up being pushed back even more because of a scheduling mix-​up thanks to Rita B. Huff, and Lillykins ended up getting spayed at around 4 months. At an even 30 lbs, Lilly is just a little over 2 years now. She pushes her mom and dad (but mostly dad haha) into a corner of the bed every night while she sprawls out, and her best friend is a 4 year old kittycat named Joey.
Our vet said that Lilly having diarrhea was super lucky that day: P
For the record, this review is not intended to discourage anyone from adopting from this shelter (or any shelter for that matter). I believe in ADOPTION, ADOPTION, ADOPTION! Just be aware that you might have to interact with some not-​so-​awesome people in order to get to your super awesome life-​long friend.