Coco's Heart Dog Rescue

STAY AWAY FROM THIS RESCUE.

I've had a few experiences with this rescue, all of them poor.

Years ago applied to adopt a puppy. They reached out, said the puppy was already adopted (why was it still on their site?) and suggested an adult instead. They did not disclose that the adult had eye issues. We adopted the dog and found out after the fact that he could barely see. Our home at the time was not a good option for a nearly blind dog. This rescue shamed us for having to give him back despite the fact that they lied by omission.

Also have a friend that fostered with them. Their handbook for fosters is very vague, and there is a huge lack of communication between the rescue and fosters. They fostered one time but were so frustrated with the lack of communication that they switched to a different rescue.

Another friend adopted from them. Once again, Coco's lied by omission. They did not disclose that the dog had been returned several times and had a bite history. When the adopter started having problems with aggression, they sought Coco's Heart for help and were told that they would not help and refused to take the dog back. The dog was euthanized due to aggression.

Coco's Heart loves to pretend that they're wonderful. They take on too many animals and then shame their followers when they don't have enough foster homes. They lie to fosters and adopters. Their lies put animals in danger.

Don't be fooled by their "success stories". They're incredibly good at spinning stories in their favor. And if you dare to post a public complaint, they attack.

Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue claims to be loving & put dogs first, but that’s not what I experienced. They want to euthanize a puppy for mouthing & showing some aggressive habits. Even their Behavioral Specialist confirmed that the habits were a result of poor training from adopters, but that’s no reason to kill a dog!

I was a foster for Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue, but NEVER AGAIN! I have concerns with the following:

1. They bring in more dogs than they have fosters who are available to help. Then they send out passive aggressive messages to the fosters pleading for help. They also tell the fosters that they are putting too much burden on the paid office staff when dogs are in the “garage”. The garage is part of their building where they have kennels in back. This winter, they were bringing in 40-80 dogs a week even though they knew the fosters were maxed out. Some of the dogs were pregnant mama’s who had 4-15 puppies. So there were over 250 puppies at one time.

2. It has taken up to 2 months for the office team to post the dog’s profile on their website after it arrives at the rescue. That means that the fosters are caring for dogs for 2 months before anyone can see that the pup is even up for adoption. Way to take advantage of the fosters, CHDR.

4. They insist that all foster dogs see the same vet. As a result, it can take over a month to get an appointment. Taking advantage of the fosters again & needlessly forcing the dogs to stay with the fosters longer than needed.

4. They do not have any training available for the fosters/dogs who need behavioral training. Their surrender rate is high as a result. Surrender means that the adopters returned the dog to Coco’s. Not only are the adopters out the adoption fee, but they also have to pay a surrender fee.

5. I had two dogs who were surrendered. The reason for surrender was nearly identical for the two dogs. Coco’s adopted the one that was really cute back out. However, they made a comment that they recommend euthanasia for dogs if they are aggressive. The second dog received bad training advice (bop it on the nose and fish hook in the mouth). The bad training advice caused the dog to be aggressive. I had the dog for 2.5 months & she was a total sweetheart while she was with me (1.5 months before adoption and 1 month after her adoption). They originally told me I could adopt her. But then said no. They also said a behavioral specialist would review her in person and meet me at CHDR. Then they said that they don’t want my feedback and the dog would be greeted by office staff. I got the impression that they have no intention of doing the face to face assessment; they are just going to put her down.

As Coco’s has gotten bigger, they seem more concerned with making money than doing what is right for the animals.

If you want to adopt from this rescue, understand that they have a staunch policy that, if the dog that you adopt goes outside, you must accompany that dog outside. The dog cannot be left unattended outside, even if you have a fenced in yard.

I have a fully fenced-in yard (wrought iron fence) and a dog door. This rescue wanted me to agree to sequester the dog in a room away from my other two, small dogs, and provide her with puppy pads to use to go to the bathroom on, rather than allowing her access to the dog door and the backyard. What kind of rescue wants a dog to live a sequestered life away from the other dogs in the house? Away from sunshine and grass and running?

I take excellent care of my dogs, with them living long, healthy lives. I simply cannot understand their logic on this.

It’s really hard to feel sympathy for these rescues when they cry that they’re overwhelmed with dogs when it is easier to fit through the eye of a needle than it is to adopt a dog through a rescue.

Hi Revdex.com, Thank you for this information. Spanky was adopted in October and the adopter reached out to us recently (in March) stating he was diagnosed with orthopedic problems and they would like us to pay for his veterinary care. We were sad to hear that, but we are very clear that we...

cannot make medical guarantees and that adopters are responsible for veterinary care once a dog is adopted. During Spanky's time in rescue he was seen at 2 different veterinary clinics and neither clinic diagnosed the condition he has recently been diagnosed with.We do our best to ensure adopters are prepared for the responsibility of pet ownership as unexpected veterinary bills do happen throughout the life of pets.We provide all veterinary records on each dog at the time of adoption.  I have included our adoption agreement to this email- we are very transparent and clear about the terms of our agreement and that adopters are responsible for all care once a dog is adopted. Spanky was adopted 5 months ago. We do not pay for veterinary bills for dogs that have already been adopted. If the family is unable to provide care for Spanky we are happy to welcome him back to our organization and provide for him, we really love him. Please let me know if I can help answer any other questions. Look forward to hearing from you, -Ashley