RVAR - River Valley Animal Rescue - Momence, Illinois

Donna Leber

We adopted our puppy this past Saturday. What a wonderful experience. Dawn has been great to work with. She has checked in our puppy also since we got home.

Kristin Mathews

My experience with them was 10/10 recommend. Very sweet staff, clean environment and organized. You can tell these animals are cared for well and loved and next time I'm looking to adopt again I will definitely be coming back. Thank you for giving me my amazing fur baby!

Jessica Moates

How sad, started looking on pet finder for the perfect fit for family member, only to see puppy store prices at a rescue. I've never heard of puppies being "saved and adopted" for upwards of $900 each. At that point, you go to a reputable breeder and know what you're getting. You are only doing these poor puppies a disservice. Making them wait at a "shelter" so you can profit.

Kate Henry

Very pleased with the love and care the staff give to the animals. My ark is full, but I can support them with donations of cash and "goodies" for the resale shop across the street that supports them too. YEs I shop at their resale. Ditto happy there with cleanliness, low prices, variety, and kind staff. CHEWY delivers lots to them, so a good way to help them.

stephen greaves

Does not answer emails and is terrible with communication.

Edit 1/23/2025- So I went on and asked him a few questions which they neglected to answer and then when they got back to me were very snippy and then blocked me from their page very unprofessional

Dawn Davis

We found our pup on Pet Finder. We submitted an application to RVAR and within a couple of days we heard back. Dawn, the Kennel Manager, was very responsive, very professional, and very concern about the welfare of all the pups at their facility. She called our vet and checked up on us, I thought that was great. The place was as clean as you can hope an animal shelter can be. We drove an hour to RVAR in hopes that this cute pup would fit into our family. Dawn brought us into a room and then brought our pup into the room. She sat with us for awhile and watched. Then she gave us as much time as we needed alone with our pup. We absolutely fell in love our new baby. He's the perfect fit for our family and we decided to adopt him. RVAR rescued him, his 2 siblings, and their mom from a kill shelter in Kentucky and we will be forever grateful to RVAR! Dawn took our first family photo and she even checked in with us the next day to see how we were all doing. Thank you Dawn and RVAR..... 5 STARS!!!!

Myron Pedantic

Your experience will be greatly enhanced depending on the staff member that works with you
I don’t want to mention names but one person stands out.
My wife is from a culture that normally does not keep dogs inside the home. We’ve had a 50 lb dog in our home since we met 12 years ago. My wife tolerated her ( the dog) but kept respectful distance
Unfortunately, my precious friend died several months before we ventured in to RVAR.
I explained this to the staff member and that staff member jumped to the conclusion that my wife would not allow a dog in the house.
Not true.
After visiting the shelter with my wife, we met this certain staff member. She introduced us to several larger dogs (that I preferred) and my wife was clearly cautiously afraid.
In a stroke of genius the staff member brought out a tiny (9.6 lbs) furball that was abandoned in the most disgusting part of our County. She was shivering and scared.
My wife’s face lit up and the little creature immediately accepted her and became instant friends.
We still have the little pooch that gets regular professional grooming and lots of love.
I am grateful to this staff member for her thinking outside the box. I would have never considered such a tiny dog.
She’s a great friend.

You’ll know if you’re working with the right staff member. All are well intentioned but it takes someone special to make a match.

Take your time. You’re in the right place.

Lisa S

Great folks to work with. They really care about the animals. We adopted our pup and he's in great health. You can tell that he was well cared for.