Humane Society of Eastern Carolina Greenville, North Carolina

I’ve had my sweet beautiful boy, Virgil, for a little over a year now. When I adopted him, we were only a month or two into COVID-19, so most places were shutting down or having a hard time handling it. The humane society, however, allowed me to fill out an application online. It was very accessible, and it wasn’t a confusing process, although I wasn’t able to come in an visit him before adopting due to the pandemic. Everyone I talked to during the adoption was very helpful, and the pickup took less than half an hour. Adoption for an adult cat is moderately priced, for me, coming in at just over $100. But this fee does mean your animal will be neutered or spayed and chipped, as well as up to date on all vaccines. I recommend HSEC for sure.

I made the mistake of reading some of the negative reviews, which infuriated me. I guess there is a Princess born every minute, which is what it must take to complain about folks running a No Kill shelter on a shoestring budget. A thankless job, indeed. I, for one, am forever grateful for the HSEC and the job they do. But then, I've never been much of a whiner.

What happened to this place?

The only good thing that came out of our experience with the Humane Society is our sweet German Shepherd mix. When our adoption papers were approved we agreed to meet a Humane Society representative at a local event that they were going to be at. Once we arrived at the event no one from the Humane Society was there, so we waited until past the meeting time to discover that they had called me three times, 15 minutes before our meeting time, to let us know that they would not be at the event and that we would need to go to their office to pick up the dog. To be approved for this dog we had to agree to put him on heart worm and flea prevention which wasn't a problem considering that we had already been doing that for our other dog since we got her (from Pitt Friends, that was a great experience). Fast forward to present day we just found out the dog has heart worms, assumably from his time in shelters considering he has been on his pills ever since we've had him. We want to have grace on this particular issue because our vet informed us that the heart worm eggs were most likely unhatched making them hard to detect on a heart worm test, so the Humane Society most likely was unaware of his condition. However it bothers me that the dogs in their shelter are not on the same medications that they require the adopters to put them on. If you are thinking about adopting from the Humane Society, proceed with caution. They do not provide the same level of care to these dogs that they expect from the adopter. They also had no problem lying to us when we asked various questions about our dog's behavior before adopting. Ultimately I'm thankful for the Humane Society in the sense that they saved our furry best friend, but my husband and I have been extremely unimpressed about the professionalism of this organization. Thankfully our story has a happy ending because our dog has been trained and is now going through the process of eliminating his heart worms, but I fear that other owners wouldn't have been prepared to help this dog through the issues that we were told by the Humane Society that he didn't have.

If you want to adopt a pet 1. Need an appointment and 2 need to do pre paperwork online before can even get an appointment to even look at animals to adopt. Meaning they have to vet you even before you decide you want an animal. So no I do not need you learning my life history before I even decide you have anything I might want to adopt. You don't even do this to get a driver's license so why would iwanttodo this to possibly adopt? Hmmm seems a bit too complicated?

Just adopted a 5 year old little mixed breed dog. Place was clean and organized. All the ladies were sweet and helpful. If you need a pet, check here first, an animal that will love you is here.

After reading the google reviews, I was a little concerned about going to HSEC. However, we fell in love with a kitten in their care and could not do anything else but go. Completely amazing experience!! We submitted our application on Wednesday, got a response on Friday, and became happy kitten parents on Saturday! The staff is friendly and helpful. They love the animals they give care to. We left with our fluffy baby, a bag of food, all necessary documents, and a bunch of useful information and coupons! We are so happy with our Binx. Thank you!

I'm not sure how anyone else's experience will be, but we had a negative experience while adopting a beautiful maltese/poodle mix. The shelter responded to us within a couple of days which we appreciated. Upon entering the shelter the cashier was not friendly with us during both visits unlike the other staff. The facility was clean and the adoption was completed fairly quickly. We were enjoying getting to know our new pup, until he started showing signs of aggression that I witnessed at times. He was nice as long as you are petting him and showing love but as soon as they asked him to get down from the couch because he was wet from running out of the bathtub, he changed. He became aggressive and bit at my daughter while also snarling at she and my 8 year old granddaughter. We understood that the change of coming home could be difficult for him, but he kept being aggressive a couple of more times. Maybe someone qualified, can better train him with his behavior, but his actions really upset my granddaughter so much that she called me in tears. We called the shelter the next day to return him, but they would NOT make an exception by giving us a refund or partial refund, even when we only had him one day and he was aggressive. I sent a copy of the application showing the director that we would not tolerate biting as we stated on the application, and she then referred us to the contract we signed stating that these pets can be "unpredictable". We wish "Bailey" would have been a fit for us. My granddaughter was really disappointed with the whole experience. We also wish him well in the next home he will live in, and hopefully they will not encounter the same problems as we did.

Have tried several times to get help and they will not even return my phone call. What a scam

I was asking 4 help with finding homes 4 some kittens n having my 2 girl cats fixed

Amazing experience! Have been fostering dogs with HSEC for over a year and always have the best experience with the animals and the staff. They are always useful resources for any concerns that arise and truly care about their animals. So grateful to have found an amazing no-kill shelter like this one - I recommend it to anyone I know looking for a pet.

I'm pretty sure they aren't open here anymore because I have been calling them for months and have never gotten through to anyone.

i signed up to volunteer here and i havent gotten a text or call back and yes i know im a teen but a text or call would mean so much!! i just want to volunteer to help the animals!!

The most unprofessional place I’ve ever dealt with! They won’t return calls and they never answer the phone!! HOWEVER, that’s not the worst part! My family and I went and met with a puppy and paid for her. They said she’d be ready by Atleast April 1st due to being on antibiotics for kennel cough. Never called or returned messages. When I finally got them on the phone, girl said it would be Atleast another 3-4 weeks because she was being treated for allergies instead of kennel cough now. I said I wanted to speak to a supervisor because I wanted my dog or I wanted my money back. Had to wait a full week for “supervisor” to finally answer the phone because they never called, only for her to tell me they had adopted my dog out to another family after I paid for her. Never told me she was ready, never asked if I still wanted the dog I paid for, NOTHING! Most unprofessional place EVER! I feel bad for the animals that could have had wonderful homes and the workers there ruin it for them! Do better and be better!

Unprofessional and unorganized. Had a dog I was fostering that needed to go to a specialist so I dropped him off at the humane society because the appointment was about 35 minutes away. They never even communicated back with me to let me know how it went or if I was getting him back. I still have all his toys that he came with too.

Here’s a picture of my kitten Olivia whom I adopted from the ROCKY MOUNT animal shelter because they don’t judge another’s appearance based on skin colour. The women who work at the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina are unprofessional, unorganised, and unkind.

They really love and care for all of the animals at the shelter. They save as many cats and dogs as they can and they do what they can to find the best home for each animal.

The dogs there are amazing. The staff there...not so much. It is unorganized, unprofessional, and every single time I have delt with them, it has been an unpleasant experience. They have lied about the health of certain dogs, brushed off warning signs, and actually went out of their way to make my experience fostering dogs unpleasant. I was fostering until I could adopt, and once I was able to I was constantly attempting to reach out to them. No dice. They clearly give certain people precedence over others, and it’s really disappointing.

Staff was kind and knowledgeable. We fell in love and took home Cassius. they made the process quick and we are so happy with our experience

Great animal shelter here! They really care about their animals and take care of them. They’ll definitely let you adopt if you have so much love to give to a pet. I adopted my first cat/pet here and it went very smoothly and was very informative! Definitely would recommend :)

Took some blankets and food. These folks do an amazing job especially through this challenging year. They are always so kind and appreciative!!

I have fostered, rescued, volunteered and donated to HSEC. Great team making a huge difference.

A wonderful organization all around! They truly care about their animals and try their best to make sure each goes to their forever home. Fostering: Their fostering program is well-run and they look out for their volunteers as well as the animals. If you’re not ready to adopt, I urge you to consider fostering! I assume the negative review is not the whole story of that experience because I have fostered many times here without any issues, just repeated gratitude from the staff who has always been professional and kind to me and fellow volunteers. Other organizations I have fostered with have pressured volunteers to buy their own supplies or ignored my contacts but HSEC has never done that. Volunteering: Staff is always grateful for helpful volunteers so all the pets can get socialization and attention. You don’t necessarily have to do all tasks (another shelter in the area gives only grunt work) but you can help in many ways such as socializing/ walking dogs or socializing with the cats or even just wash the dishes if hands-on work with the animals isn’t your thing. They’re truly grateful for the help and treat each volunteer with respect - I have never seen anyone treated in a negative way. Their volunteer scheduling is very easy to use. When I volunteered there were plenty POC and as far as I’m aware it wasn’t an issue. Adoption: Their adoption process is thorough and their staff is very friendly. They actually call your previous vet and landlord to make sure your new pet won’t wind up being returned (which is bad for the pet and the shelter). They absolutely vet their pets before adopting them out, they’re fixed, checked out, tested, and given their monthly meds before being adopted. Some people may be discouraged when a more popular animal gets many applications and they are not chosen, but HSEC makes the decision that is best for the animal. No, dogs shouldn’t be living outside when the temps get past the 100s and down to the 20s sometimes. Cats shouldn’t be outside at all. Of course they’re going to make sure the animals aren’t left alone outside when someone else will come along to be their companion indoors. If you can’t have your dog inside, don’t adopt a dog. Most people wouldn’t stay outside all day alone in bad weather, it’s not an unreasonable policy. The adoption fees are more than reasonable considering you’re getting unconditional love and a lifelong partner in return! HSEC has changed my life as well as the lives of many people on my family. My sister loved our new family member so much that she became open to adoption herself. Thank you HSEC for wonderful volunteer experiences and for two loves of my life!

We were treated by people who didnt seem to care and after waiting without response for 3 days i guess it means we're getting a fur baby somewhere else. We could not reach them by phone and i just fear for the animals under their supposed care. The atmosphere was one reeking of minimum wage and i imagine them lazing off in the back rooms instead of answering the phone. I don't think this facility should be allowed to stay open.

Awesome place and great staff. :)

Was out walking the dog last night and found a stray kitten running in the road. Scooped it up with the intention of dropping it off at the other shelter in Pitt County today but was told by them to just put it back where I found it. It will be ok. WTH. Took this kitten here and was told they couldn't take her. They suggested we find someone who will foster it. Who? Everyone I know don't own or like cats. Thought these facilities were in the business of saving animals. Thought they would be more helpful. This is a 6-8 week old kitten with what looks like an upper respitory infection. I can't introduce this beautiful kitten to my animals without risking their health. Right now she's in the spare bathroom and I'm trying to divide my time between her and my other pets. Unfortunatetly at this time in my life I can't afford another pet. I feel so bad for this baby. I don't know what to do.

I wish I could take them all! There's one dog that will actually smile really wide and show you his teeth..so precious

As a new volunteer I feel well accepted, directed, involved and informed. Each time I enter there is a friendly greeting, information about available adoptees and folks very conscious of good morale and interaction.

I understand why they don't adopt out many. Staff is not friendly and they make it almost impossible to adopt an animal. I bought a house with less paperwork then trying to adopt a dog through them. So I adopted a dog from Pitt county animal shelter where the staff is friendly, caring and want their animals to have good homes rather than be put down!! Not to mention their prices are much higher than any other shelter.

I love animals. It's obvious the staff does as well.