Bobbi and the Strays

I adopted my dog from their Atlas Mall location in May 2014 and couldn’t be happier. However, before that, I stopped at the Freeport location.
My husband and I really wanted to rescue a dog but we were first-​time dog owners. The people working here seemed VERY sweet and to genuinely take care of their dogs, however they kept recommending us an older dog with diabetes. I didn’t mind the fact that the dog was older, especially since we didn’t have the time to wee wee pad train a puppy and because rescues usually aren’t puppies. I told the employee that we’ve never owned a dog before and that a dog with diabetes sounds like it would need more care than we could give. The employee tried to insist that it was easy and that you would just have to give the dog a few shots and watch the food more carefully. After leaving to think about it, my husband and I did some research about how to take care of dogs with diabetes and it turns out that it is A LOT of work for newbie dog owners, not to mention the cost. I understand that they just want a dog to have a good home and be taken care of, the dog was very cute afterall, but I don’t think it was good downplay the task of caring for a dog that needs an owner with a lot more time and money to devote to its medical needs at the moment. Also, I’ve never administered shots, so i kept thinking, what if I miss?

I have to say Bobbi and the strays is a great place that is dedicated to animals and help in finding them new homes Bobbi herself is a great and caring woman I myself had to give up a beagle puppy which was and still is the hardest thing I had to do I terribly miss my puppy but I could no longer care for her due to a busy life and felt it wasn’t fair to her so I brought her here it’s a small clean facility and they really seem to care about the animals I hope and pray that my puppy will be adopted soon cause she was a great pup but I know she is in good hands with Bobbi thank u again the former owner of bailey the beagle

I adopted a cat from here, in August of 2014. I explained that I had a small dog at home. I was assured that the cat was fostered with small dogs and there was no problem. The cat was going to be two, in May 2015.
In the beginning, he swiped at my dog a time or two. I tried to work on getting them to at least tolerate each other. He never really bonded with my teens and spent most of his day, hiding.
The last straw was March of this year when he came over to sit on my lap. My dog was already on my lap. She, not being an Alpha female, wanted to get up. I made her stay and kept reassuring her it was okay. Totally unprovoked, he swiped at her! He came dangerously close to taking out her eye!
I bought him back the next day and explained the situation to the shelter. Surprisingly, he was placed back on their website with no mention of the fact he doesn’t get along with dogs!
The owner and staff are pleasant, for the most part. I did come across a few employees who didn’t have answers to basic questions, I posed to them about how things work there. I think their hearts are in the right place. I would try them again if I decide to adopt.

We brought in a beautiful, very friendly and playful pit bull puppy that was found playing in the street. The woman at this «shelter» turned her away. Apparently they don’t actually help or shelter animals in need at all. This place is a joke. They gave the puppy to the police to rid themselves of any responsibility. Stay away from this disgraceful place.

I began volunteering at Bobbi and the Strays about four years ago. I loved the facility in Freeport. The dogs were so well taken care of and loved. I would walk them, love them, clean and do whatever was needed.
Over the years, I referred people to Bobbi and the strays because I believe Bobbi is all about the animals cats and dogs.
I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Bobbi at a Halloween party and came to realize that she was all about the animals and their well being. I loved this even more about her. She is the real thing and can’t do enough for the animals.
The volunteers are very dedicated and show great compassion. The employees love the animals and are very caring.i. If I had a farm I would adopt all the animal. I would enough people to volunteer. It is very rewarding.
Without hesitation, I have and will continue to adopt all rescue animals at Bobbi and the strays
Thank you Bobbi
Marjorie

I went in with a specific list of qualities we needed in a dog. Friendly with other dogs and children. Because we have children and other dogs who visit our house frequently. I was very clear about that. Then they showed us a dog that supposedly matched this description. We fell in love. However, a few days after we got home we learned he was NOT good with other dogs or children! The animals should have their behaviors/​personalities evaluated by professionals and under no circumstance should you lie about behaviors/​personalities (like they did)! That is reckless and dangerous. Our dog actually got so worked up because he saw another dog that he turned and bit my boyfriends Leg (badly). Then he proceeded to lunge unprovoked (thankfully he didn’t do anything) at a child a few days later! It took a lot of training and he is now a perfect dog… We love him to death… but it was a lot of work that we did not anticipate. And thank god they adopted him to us. Experienced owners. What if they had done this with less experienced owners? It’s a reckless and dangerous way to be running a shelter.
I appreciate that they want to save the animals but they need to be more careful. Maybe they shouldn’t be taking on as many animals? Maybe they are too overwhelmed and don’t have enough volunteers. But better choices need to be made there.

I am so angry!!! I went on Memorial day with my 9 year old daughter to get a dog. We fell in love with one and brought our dog to meet him the next day. They said they had to do a house visit and that someone would call me. They told me that there was free adoption this weekend coming so i said can i pick up the dog on Sunday. Wednesday came and went, on Thursday I called and left a message (with a person). Friday I called again and left another message (with a person). Saturday morning i left a message on the machine and no one called back. I called again in the afternoon and spoke to someone who said the manager would call me back. An hour later i called again to make sure they would not adopted out the dog we picked. An hour later i get a call from the assistant manager that the dog had been adopted!!! I was furious! They broke my daughters heart and now i have to console a hysterical child. They are the most unorganized, poorly run and incompetent organization. I would never adopt from them and i feel bad for the animals.

Heartbreaking.
I visited a dog here I saw online. I instantly fell in love with this dog. They said they needed to set up a home visit so they can inspect the home before releasing the dog. After making TWO more visits (a 45 minute drive from me), I called the next day to see why I hadn’t been contacted to arrange a home visit. They said that someone else had adopted the dog. I asked how this had happened, and they said that this person had put in their application before me. I asked why I hadn’t been informed that there was already a previous application on the dog. They said that they have a lot of people working there and the people who were there during my visits probably didn’t know. WHAT!!! I spoke with no less than FIVE different workers when I was there and NONE of them knew about this? Common sense would tell you that that information should just be in the dog’s file and anyone showing him would know that. Whatever. The point of the story is, after buying a kennel, a leash, a harness, a pet gate, a bed and various toys to welcome this new dog to my family, I’m left with nothing but a broken heart.

I’ve volunteered at BATS several times and was impressed every time with the cleanliness and overall living situation. I play with the cats and drop off donations, and I was there when they were evacuating for Hurricane Sandy. The animals’ safety is definitely the priority, and the staff went to extremes to make sure everyone got out safely. There are so many sweet, beautiful animals at BATS, and all shelters, so check it out if you are ready for a new pet.

I love Bobbi and the Strays. Bobbi is such a dedicated person — she tries to do all she can. Her staff and volunteers truly love these animals and care about them greatly — you can just tell in the way they interract with them and proudly show them off to visitors.
It is such a rough thing to be in — animal rescue — it may seem like a loosing battle — thank goodness people like these wonderful folks are on the side of dogs and cats.
The shelter has definitely shaped up since I first visited after Bobbi and the Strays took it over from another group. It is clean and feels much more homey now.
The flea markets/​garage sales thay have here are fun. I ALWAYS get something.
I know they have other events here too — although I have not gone to any others really — other then a few times to the garage sales!

My first time at the shelter was the night before Hurricane Irene. besides being amazed at how clean everything was (I spent an hour or more in the cat area — I got to see all the cats and their environment up close) I was truly amazed by the dedication of the staff and volunteers. They worked round the clock (literally) to make sure all the animal were safely evacuated. I was so inspired I have kicked up my personal efforts to help animals, and have connected with many local rescue groups, all who have nothing but the highest regards for BATS!
I also foster cats for BATS. and they came to me healthy and in very good spirits.

OK — the shelter needs a bit of a re-​vamp but it is no reflection of Bobbi and the Strays. They literally just took over this shelter from a previous animal shelter group. So it was pre-​exisiting — that is why it needs lots and lots of work.
But still a great place. They also inherited more than 200 animals (in addition to all of the animals that Bobbi and the Strays already had) when they acquired this shelter.
The volunteers that deal with the animals are so dedicated and you can tell they truly love these dogs and cats. They are also working hard and trying to work fast to get the shelter fully operatiional.
So stop by — maybe you will find your new best friend. : —)
I got my two kitties from Bobbi and the Strays — but from their Queens Adoption Center located in Glendale. Now they have two locations — one in Queens and now one on Long Island.
I wish Bobbi and her group all the best with their expansion!