Naperville Area Humane Society

My husband and I adopted our sweet 4 year old Doberman, Joey, from the Naperville Area Humane Society last October. We couldn’t be more pleased with the service from staff members. One staff member in particular listened to our wants and lifestyle, and showed Joey to us. Joey is our perfect match!
We certainly recommend the Naperville Area Humane Society.

We’ve been visiting the Humane Society for a few years, but a lot more frequently in recent times as we are considering adopting a dog. I was afraid that we’d be a pain in the backside as we have been coming in couple of times a week and asking to spend some time with the animals. But the staff have been very accommodating, never making us feel like we’re in the way.
We’ve also called a number of times for help with our current dog and they’ve provided advice and numbers for services that they work with.
The facility is very clean and there is a new play area for pets out back. It’s really come a long way in the last few years.

They really do take good care of the pets. However, when I went in to see a dog I was interested in adopting they flat out told me no because the dog was so shy & nervous & I need to «do more research» on how to deal with those type of pets. They also went on to tell me how the dog I had for 10 years wasn’t really my dog. My mistake on that part was telling them that it was our family dog. At this point I was pissed I grew up with my old dog, house training him, teaching him tricks, walking, feeding, bathing, etc. how are you gonna tell me I need more experience with dogs? Bottom line is they have great pets but the staff is arrogant & they should be more helpful to a family looking forward to rescuing their dogs.

Great pets. Arrogant staff.

I rescued my cat from here about 10yrs ago and they were very kind people.
Speed up to this past April I rescued a Catahoula Leopard dog from here and again, amazing service and friendliness. The woman who showed us our now dog was extremely knowledgable of these breeds.
Always rescue first!!!

The thing about adopting a shelter dog is that there is only so much history about the dog that a shelter may have about him /​her. In my case I came prepared. I came looking for a smaller dog and I found Lucky. He’s a 3 yr old terrier mix; I’m used to hounds. So far so good — he is very loving. I’m so looking forward to sharing our lives together. The adult volunteers for the most part were very nice; there was one woman who was very bossy when I was asking questions about the shelter. I am perfectly aware of why dogs who are just taken in are not ready for adoption. Patience is required for that kind of work. Regardless I adopted a wonderful little companion who came to me already vaccinated, microchipped, examined, and picked up at the hospital after neutering — all for a whopping $ 200. Not bad for a lifelong little friend.

It’s hard to only give this place 3 stars because we adopted our dog here and she is by far the best dog I’ve ever had. Absolutely awesome. Literally the pick of the litter. That having been said, the process for adoption was slightly above nothing. My wife and I asked to see the puppy we wanted and we went to a room for the 3 of us to interact. The staff member was very friendly in allowing us time to spend with both the male and the female puppy we were looking at. When we decided which we wanted it was close to closing time so the staff member told us we could come back tomorrow to fill out the paperwork and pick her up.
Having volunteered at a shelter back in Boston for over a year before moving to Naperville, I thought that sounded pretty standard. When we came in the next day to pick up our pup we were told that we couldn’t take her home until she was spayed. At this point she was 8 weeks old. There was no option of signing to get her spayed by a certain age (4 – 6 months is both preferable and arguably necessary).
I give it 3 stars because we were able to adopt what has turned into an incredible dog, the fee was reasonable ($ 250) and the staff member was friendly when we were choosing.
I don’t give it more than that because there should have been more of a background check into our household, I think there should be some follow up within a month of the puppy being adopted and I strongly disagree with the mandatory spaying of our dog at 8 weeks old.

My parents just adopted an older kitty here through the seniors for seniors program. Older cats are only $ 10 to humans over 60. I was surprised they didn’t do the same personality matching as the Humane Society in DeKalb, but when we told the volunteer the type of kitty we were looking for, and the situation, she was very helpful.

I’ve adopted two dogs in Naperville, one at A.D.O.P.T., and our most recent one here. We only adopted our first dog in April, so it is still fresh in my mind the stark contrast between these two places. And though both have serious faults, I have to say I preferred the former to NHS.
I’d been obnoxious in my quest for a 2^nd dog, stalking the websites of local shelters to find the perfect new baby for our home. When I saw Callum’s litter posted, and then quickly disappearing, online, I figured I’d better go in and check to see if he was the one.
The shelter staff and volunteers are wonderful. Very warm, welcoming, and full of information, and I genuinely respect what they do — I would never be strong enough to do it.
So I met the dog and was instantly smitten, so I rushed home to get my fiancé and my OG babe, Hamish, for a little meet and greet. They mostly ignored each other and we had no idea what that meant in dog world — and the staff member observing would not guide us. After 10 mins of weird, dog watching silence, we put the dog on hold and decided to come back the following day to decide.
The next day, the dogs met again and were kind enough to one another that we finally felt comfortable going ahead with the decision. Here’s where a few things happened that made me like this place less than I hoped:
— as we headed up to the counter to check out, I advised that I’d only given her our leasing company’s 1800 number, and that I could get her the management office’s local # for her convenience. She advised me not to bother because THEY DON’T CALL AND CHECK YOUR LEASE. What!!! Yes this made my life easier, but no, this is not a good policy. How many pitbulls get sent right back to that shelter because they’re being hidden in a breed restricted building? How can they possibly verify that the people they’re doling LIVING THINGS out to are in any way legit, upstanding people?! I get that their job is to get these animals out of the shelter and into homes, but shouldn’t quality come into play also?!
— the instructions they gave us for acclimating the puppy to our new household were completely insane. «Keep the dogs in separate rooms for several weeks, allowing leashed interactions 10 mins a time a few times a day.» Um, ok. Except my fiancé and I spend most of our time predominantly in the living room until it is time to sleep, and our original dog is always with us. So the new puppy was what, just gonna hang out in our bedroom for a month or so? We tried their plan for two hours, and after a few google searches, two crying dogs, and two human arguments, we kept them in the same room under close watch and poof: we all survived. Not an issue since then, either.
— since he had to go get neutered, we had to sign off on his medical form and the agreement we’d pick him up the following day. We had to check yes or no if he was to get pain medicine and pay for it if we wanted it. The girl helping us even tried to dissuade us from it, noting that boy dogs don’t need it. Ok, call me a regular softy, but if any organs are removed from me or a member of my family, pain medicine is not optional. Our last shelter experience didn’t even make this an option — it simply came with the dog.
— finally, and most annoying, the day his neuter was supposed to go down, the vet called to say they would not be operating on him because he had kennel cough. Neato. Especially since he was coming into a home with an existing dog. Since the vet charged per day for him to stay, we HAD to bring him home and just hope our original babe didn’t catch it (he didn’t). The new dog is on antibiotics and gets neutered next week. But how long did he have it? Did the shelter even notice? And what would have come of him if they had?
Now NHS does LOTS of good things, too. They advised us in great medical detail of the congenital knee defect the dog had upfront, explained that he’d need surgery in a year to correct it (they foot the bill, too!) and told us how it would affect our lives — limited walks, easy on the stairs, watch for pain or limping, etc. also I really did love all of the staff and volunteers, who truly seem to want what is best for the dogs, even if they are at times a bit misguided. And they never once pushed us into adopting when we explained how worried we were about bringing a 2^nd dog home, even though I’d read that they can be pushy.
All in all, I’m grateful to this place because they are the reason why we have our new babe, but they do run a flawed organization, as well.
Edit: the dog we adopted has now officially has kennel cough and roundworms. Preventable stuff. I know kennel cough is very common in shelters but this dog is old enough for deworming treatment. Use caution at this shelter.

At the time of our visit, they didn’t really have any dogs similar to what we were looking for, but you can’t knock a shelter for their inventory since it’s beyond their control.
I appreciated the friendliness of the volunteer, since we told her we were looking for a basset hound, beagle, a medium-​sized dog, and she allowed us to look at the dogs anyway. At the moment, it was mostly rottweilers, coonhounds, and pitbulls occupying the shelter. There isn’t much room for many dogs here though.
I’ll check back on the website or drop in sometime again.
Also, Neuqua Valley High School has coordinated their special education work program here, and students come during the day for an hour of «work» where they help out. Extra star for community involvement.

What a great place. I adopted 2 kittens there last year and I’ve been back to donate items. They are wonderful people and take good care of the animals