

WAR - Woodrock animal rescue
Replied to 33% of negative reviews
Reply time on negative reviews: 55 min
TrustIndex
0
Ranking
#2
in Other
Avg Reply
55m
NPS Score
0
Recommended: Unlikely
Replied to 33% of negative reviews
Reply time on negative reviews: 55 min
Jun '25 - May '26
WAR - Woodrock animal rescue has a TrustIndex of 0 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 3 reviews in the last 12 months. They reply to 33% of negative reviews, typically within 55 min. Hellopeter has tracked WAR - Woodrock animal rescue across 44 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I was at Woodrock this past weekend looking for a puppy for my sister. We filled out the necessary forms prior to viewing the dogs - which included questions on what breed, size and temperament we are looking for in a dog. My sister was then allowed to view, and choose one of the available puppies. Once the puppy was chosen, we were given the adoption forms to fill out, which we read through and discussed with the person at reception. AFTER being given these forms, on our way out, we were told we cannot adopt the puppy unless a second puppy/dog is adopted. We have always been a single pet household and multiple dogs is not on the cards for us, at the moment. This two-dog requirement is not stated on the website, nor is in included in any of the terms in the adoption forms. My sister absolutely adored the puppy she picked out and we are extremely disappointed. After consultating other reviews, there seems to be a pattern of withholding this multiple adoption rule until the very last minute.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I was at Woodrock this past weekend looking for a puppy for my sister. We filled out the necessary forms prior to viewing the dogs - which included questions on what breed, size and temperament we are looking for in a dog. My sister was then allowed to view, and choose one of the available puppies. Once the puppy was chosen, we were given the adoption forms to fill out, which we read through and discussed with the person at reception. AFTER being given these forms, on our way out, we were told we cannot adopt the puppy unless a second puppy/dog is adopted. We have always been a single pet household and multiple dogs is not on the cards for us, at the moment. This two-dog requirement is not stated on the website, nor is in included in any of the terms in the adoption forms. My sister absolutely adored the puppy she picked out and we are extremely disappointed. After consultating other reviews, there seems to be a pattern of withholding this multiple adoption rule until the very last minute.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Adoption of a reserved kitten insensitively handled. The foster person and the manager of the cattery division were not on the same page. One kitten was identified and requested way back in October and at the last minute the adoption panel decided that two kittens had to be taken! This seems to be a money making scheme. It was a known fact that two cats were part of our family we only wanted a kitten specifically a ****** kitten. I felt I was strung along at the outset - never was there any kitten available! Supp**** a glorious picture of a very sweet kitten which the foster person advised she was keeping awaiting the outcome of her landlord granting permission. Please take care when dealing with Woodrock Animal Rescue.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Adoption of a reserved kitten insensitively handled. The foster person and the manager of the cattery division were not on the same page. One kitten was identified and requested way back in October and at the last minute the adoption panel decided that two kittens had to be taken! This seems to be a money making scheme. It was a known fact that two cats were part of our family we only wanted a kitten specifically a ****** kitten. I felt I was strung along at the outset - never was there any kitten available! Supp**** a glorious picture of a very sweet kitten which the foster person advised she was keeping awaiting the outcome of her landlord granting permission. Please take care when dealing with Woodrock Animal Rescue.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Very strange. I enquired about a puppy we had rescued and surrendered. My questions were dodged, being ignored for days. Then sent pics of a completely different animal. Luckily I have all proof. One lady says in quarantine another says homed.....seems the process here is not very clear or transparent and seems a bit dishonest and underhanded to me. If he was sent to a foster today but also homed....but also in quarantine and I also have been waiting for an answer since last week....what is happening? For my own sanity I have blocked them. I will just make sure not to make the same mistake again. And reading from reviews on google even staff have issues with management attitude and behaviour.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Very strange. I enquired about a puppy we had rescued and surrendered. My questions were dodged, being ignored for days. Then sent pics of a completely different animal. Luckily I have all proof. One lady says in quarantine another says homed.....seems the process here is not very clear or transparent and seems a bit dishonest and underhanded to me. If he was sent to a foster today but also homed....but also in quarantine and I also have been waiting for an answer since last week....what is happening? For my own sanity I have blocked them. I will just make sure not to make the same mistake again. And reading from reviews on google even staff have issues with management attitude and behaviour.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Woodrock is an amazing animal rescue facility. It is well designed, clean and orderly. The animals are all well cared for by staff who throughout are friendly and love the animals in their care. I enjoy the peaceful happy atmosphere and go there on Sundays to walk the dogs awaiting adoption.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Woodrock is an amazing animal rescue facility. It is well designed, clean and orderly. The animals are all well cared for by staff who throughout are friendly and love the animals in their care. I enjoy the peaceful happy atmosphere and go there on Sundays to walk the dogs awaiting adoption.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
This is in reply to Unknown U's very disgruntled and vindictive "review" of Woodrock Animal Rescue I am not on Woodrock's payroll, but I do volunteer my services to them. Whilst I, as individual, fully support the concept of free speech, said free speech should be founded in the seeds of truth. I am fully Cognizant of the individual who wrote this reviews position and the history and evolution of the facts resulting in the acerbic tone of their review. Woodrock does not believe in airing dirty laundry in public, it is unbecoming and unprofessional, but we wish to assure our loyal supporters that what started as a small project more than 3 decades ago, had to expand and evolve to make accommodations to ensure the deluge of animals requiring care, all received the best of care. Due to this expansion, no person involved in a single specialized area within the NPO are conversant with the requirements of the entire operation in its entirety. This results in various defective and untrue statements being made in said review Woodrock acts in the interests of our animals and we cannot stop our mission due to allegations made by disgruntled ex-employees and/or volunteers. Too many animals will suffer whilst Woodrock takes the appropriate steps to address this issue To our loyal supporters, please do not be deceived by a single individual's opinions, as that is all they are, opinions We trust that our supporters can pierce the veil to see that Unknown U's account has, apparently, been created with the sole purpose of vengeance against individuals, not bearing in mind 3 decades of work and the impact such untruths will have on our animals. You are free to reach out to the individuals mentioned, whether by name or association, to address this issue. Woodrock is an open book We trust the legal process, and we trust our supporters Thank you
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
This is in reply to Unknown U's very disgruntled and vindictive "review" of Woodrock Animal Rescue I am not on Woodrock's payroll, but I do volunteer my services to them. Whilst I, as individual, fully support the concept of free speech, said free speech should be founded in the seeds of truth. I am fully Cognizant of the individual who wrote this reviews position and the history and evolution of the facts resulting in the acerbic tone of their review. Woodrock does not believe in airing dirty laundry in public, it is unbecoming and unprofessional, but we wish to assure our loyal supporters that what started as a small project more than 3 decades ago, had to expand and evolve to make accommodations to ensure the deluge of animals requiring care, all received the best of care. Due to this expansion, no person involved in a single specialized area within the NPO are conversant with the requirements of the entire operation in its entirety. This results in various defective and untrue statements being made in said review Woodrock acts in the interests of our animals and we cannot stop our mission due to allegations made by disgruntled ex-employees and/or volunteers. Too many animals will suffer whilst Woodrock takes the appropriate steps to address this issue To our loyal supporters, please do not be deceived by a single individual's opinions, as that is all they are, opinions We trust that our supporters can pierce the veil to see that Unknown U's account has, apparently, been created with the sole purpose of vengeance against individuals, not bearing in mind 3 decades of work and the impact such untruths will have on our animals. You are free to reach out to the individuals mentioned, whether by name or association, to address this issue. Woodrock is an open book We trust the legal process, and we trust our supporters Thank you
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
This is a tell all, which Woodrock will reply to as being "false", but I will leave you to make up your own mind. Firstly, I would like to say that SARS really needs to start doing a thorough audit of this "Animal Welfare Organization" speak to any employee in confidence, and they will tell you their suspicions of Woodrock being a front for money laundering, I will get into that a bit later. Additionally, I would like to mention the conditions of being an employee. Never in my life have I worked at a place that is so toxic. And this toxicity is caused by Estelle, the co-founder. She has zero respect for any of the employees, no, for any human being to be honest. Regardless of being an employee or visitor to Woodrock, you can expect to be treated as someone who is beneath her as she sees herself as a celebrity. Most employees at Woodrock are African immigrants, who have no unions to fall back on for support, so they are treated like the lowest of the low, working long hours, earning the bare minimum, barely surviving and accused of theft and treated like ********s on a daily basis. Knowing full well that Woodrock will never face any repercussions from Government organizations, because of their "take it or leave it" attitude towards the staff. White staff are not treated much better, mental and verbal abuse from Estelle on a daily basis is the norm, the way she treats and talks to people is honestly disgusting. Telling you to your face that you are a failure is just one of many examples. The Adoptions team are very biased. If you are african (black) your chances of adopting decrease by half just by walking through the gate, you are profiled upon entry. Almost every employee will tell you in confidence that Woodrock is a boutique rescue, if it's a medium sized brown dog that you found on the side of the road and need help with, Estelle and Jacqui will tell you there is no space and refer you to other rescues if they even give you the time of day. But call in with a small fluffy dog, i.e. a Yorkie. And they will instantly take it, and they will even ask you "don't you have more?" The reason for this is that small cute dogs get adopted quickly, meaning they can find the dog a home quickly, and get the adoption fee of R1600. Medium sized brown dogs don't find homes as quickly, and they don't want to have dogs that are going to sit around for a few months, so they are very selective with what animals they take in as Woodrock is run like a financial institution, and it's all about the number of adoptions, not the rehabilitation and rehoming of animals that truly need it. The reason for saying that SARS should audit Woodrock, is not something I say out of spite, it's something I truly feel is necessary especially seeing as the one co-founder is a chartered accountant... Nick & Estelle, the co-founders of Woodrock have set up a very well executed operation, in which they benefit from almost all aspects of the Rescue. Woodrock is an NPO, meaning it's not owned by a specific person, but run through a board which consists of 5 people. Nick, Estelle & their son are on this board, so as a family, they have the majority of the votes. Now because Woodrock is an NPO, the Rescue does not belong to Nick & Estelle, but they do own the land on which the rescue is built, which they lease out to Woodrock. Numerous posts were put onto social media asking their followers to help secure the property by building a wall around this property at a cost of R3.5 million. Meaning that money donated to Woodrock, was used to build a wall around Nick & Estelle's propery, pushing the value of this privately owned piece of land up, which does not belong to Woodrock, but to Nick & Estelle. Nick and Estelle are also the owners of African Experience, which is a Doggie Hotel located on the property. This is a service aimed at people going on holiday and not wanting to leave their pets at home. You can book your pet into this hotel at a cost of between R250-R350 per day. This sounds normal right? Here is where it gets interesting... Not all the dogs at this hotel are privately owned, around 50% of these dogs are Woodrock dogs which are moved from the main kennels, into the hotel (for months, years and for some, indefinitely). What does this mean? This means that Nick and Estelle's company (AER) can bill Woodrock for every day the animal is in the hotel. Conflict of interest? You decide. Where it gets really ugly. Woodrock (Jacqui) started a new campaign called "Paws @ Work". This campaign is portrayed as a "mental wellness" programme, how it works is as follows: They have a contract with copprates, to take 10 - 15 dogs (small cute dogs) on a weekly basis to a conference room. Employees can go to this conference room on their break, and spend time with these dogs. Which is said to cost some corporates R15 000 a month each. Sounds great right? Not so much, especially if you are one of these dogs used for the program. This means that these animals have officially become circus performers. They are not up for adoption, they never have a chance at finding a forever home, they are now condemned to being performers. And where do these performers stay, you might ask? At the pet hotel, which Nick and Estelle owns. Meaning that they earn money every single day these dogs stay there. Another interesting fact, for a rescue who is against back yard breeding and so vocal about sterilisation, most of these dogs are sourced from breeders... Recently the same creator of the "Paws @ Work" program, created the "Cat Cafe" located at Kayalami Corner. Again, the most homable and lovable cats are condemned to living in a store front, forced to interact with customers paying R120 7 days a week. How is this different from a petting zoo? Another issue with this is that cats are very sensitive, on a weekly basis cats return to Woodrock having become sick at the cafe, but like a conveyor, a new fluffy cat is sent to replace the sick one. Visit Woodrock and you will be blown away, but work there and you will be broken down into nothing. Try mentioning "Mental health" to Estelle, and her words will be "We don't give a F*** about mental health". Which is funny given the "Paws @ Work" initiative. The adoption process is extremely biased, if you're african (black) you are profiled on entry. It's as if the adoption team look for reasons to deny applications. Unless you are one of Estelles or Jacquis friends, then you can adopt even if the dog is going to sleep outside. Extremely toxic work environment, constant verbal and mental abuse from Estelle, followed by stories of their extravagant holidays and purchases, was a normal conversation with her. Where it also gets interesting is Nick & Estelle's son (Dean). He owns the company that harvests all your info once you have adopted a pet from Woodrock. When adopting, you fill in an application. If your application is approved, a few days after you have picked up the animal, you will receive a call from Dean's call centre, guilting you into signing up for a monthly debit order. Try saying no, then you will be harassed until you eventually just give in. These debit orders are huge for Woodrock. They sign on average 300 people per month, at an average of R300 per person. This is an annual agreement, meaning you will be debited R3600 throughout the year. R3600 x 300 people = R1 080 000 for one months sales. The next month an average of 300 people will be signed up again, repeating the cycle every month. And please try canceling this debit order or even getting your 18A tax certificate from them, I wish you luck. Not to even mention large corporate donations, food donations, sellable goods and cash donations from the public. There is always a plea for more food, but on multiple occasions food goes off because of the surplus being stored in various containers on the property. All the 5 star reviews on Hellopeter were left on the same day and were done by staff. Estelle prides herself in letting you know she owns you because she pays your salary. Your social media, your private time, your off days, nothing is off limits to her. You are labelled as a traitor shoud you support any other animal welfare organisation, because, she owns you. She makes a point of harassing staff especially on their days off. Not to even mention trying to request leave. You will be labelled as someone that does not have integrity, a failure, disappointment etc. I'm sure Woodrock was started with good intentions, unfortunately it has turned into a money making machine, preying on peoples emotions and benefiting the co-founders, their children and their grandchildren, who own numerous properties in the most expensive suburbs in Johannesburg and Cape-Town. How does an ex teacher, who now runs an animal rescue, own numerous multi-million rand properties? You do the math. In conclusion, this review is not a biased or a bitter one, but rather a first hand account of the behind the scenes happenings at Woodrock Animal Rescue.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
This is a tell all, which Woodrock will reply to as being "false", but I will leave you to make up your own mind. Firstly, I would like to say that SARS really needs to start doing a thorough audit of this "Animal Welfare Organization" speak to any employee in confidence, and they will tell you their suspicions of Woodrock being a front for money laundering, I will get into that a bit later. Additionally, I would like to mention the conditions of being an employee. Never in my life have I worked at a place that is so toxic. And this toxicity is caused by Estelle, the co-founder. She has zero respect for any of the employees, no, for any human being to be honest. Regardless of being an employee or visitor to Woodrock, you can expect to be treated as someone who is beneath her as she sees herself as a celebrity. Most employees at Woodrock are African immigrants, who have no unions to fall back on for support, so they are treated like the lowest of the low, working long hours, earning the bare minimum, barely surviving and accused of theft and treated like ********s on a daily basis. Knowing full well that Woodrock will never face any repercussions from Government organizations, because of their "take it or leave it" attitude towards the staff. White staff are not treated much better, mental and verbal abuse from Estelle on a daily basis is the norm, the way she treats and talks to people is honestly disgusting. Telling you to your face that you are a failure is just one of many examples. The Adoptions team are very biased. If you are african (black) your chances of adopting decrease by half just by walking through the gate, you are profiled upon entry. Almost every employee will tell you in confidence that Woodrock is a boutique rescue, if it's a medium sized brown dog that you found on the side of the road and need help with, Estelle and Jacqui will tell you there is no space and refer you to other rescues if they even give you the time of day. But call in with a small fluffy dog, i.e. a Yorkie. And they will instantly take it, and they will even ask you "don't you have more?" The reason for this is that small cute dogs get adopted quickly, meaning they can find the dog a home quickly, and get the adoption fee of R1600. Medium sized brown dogs don't find homes as quickly, and they don't want to have dogs that are going to sit around for a few months, so they are very selective with what animals they take in as Woodrock is run like a financial institution, and it's all about the number of adoptions, not the rehabilitation and rehoming of animals that truly need it. The reason for saying that SARS should audit Woodrock, is not something I say out of spite, it's something I truly feel is necessary especially seeing as the one co-founder is a chartered accountant... Nick & Estelle, the co-founders of Woodrock have set up a very well executed operation, in which they benefit from almost all aspects of the Rescue. Woodrock is an NPO, meaning it's not owned by a specific person, but run through a board which consists of 5 people. Nick, Estelle & their son are on this board, so as a family, they have the majority of the votes. Now because Woodrock is an NPO, the Rescue does not belong to Nick & Estelle, but they do own the land on which the rescue is built, which they lease out to Woodrock. Numerous posts were put onto social media asking their followers to help secure the property by building a wall around this property at a cost of R3.5 million. Meaning that money donated to Woodrock, was used to build a wall around Nick & Estelle's propery, pushing the value of this privately owned piece of land up, which does not belong to Woodrock, but to Nick & Estelle. Nick and Estelle are also the owners of African Experience, which is a Doggie Hotel located on the property. This is a service aimed at people going on holiday and not wanting to leave their pets at home. You can book your pet into this hotel at a cost of between R250-R350 per day. This sounds normal right? Here is where it gets interesting... Not all the dogs at this hotel are privately owned, around 50% of these dogs are Woodrock dogs which are moved from the main kennels, into the hotel (for months, years and for some, indefinitely). What does this mean? This means that Nick and Estelle's company (AER) can bill Woodrock for every day the animal is in the hotel. Conflict of interest? You decide. Where it gets really ugly. Woodrock (Jacqui) started a new campaign called "Paws @ Work". This campaign is portrayed as a "mental wellness" programme, how it works is as follows: They have a contract with copprates, to take 10 - 15 dogs (small cute dogs) on a weekly basis to a conference room. Employees can go to this conference room on their break, and spend time with these dogs. Which is said to cost some corporates R15 000 a month each. Sounds great right? Not so much, especially if you are one of these dogs used for the program. This means that these animals have officially become circus performers. They are not up for adoption, they never have a chance at finding a forever home, they are now condemned to being performers. And where do these performers stay, you might ask? At the pet hotel, which Nick and Estelle owns. Meaning that they earn money every single day these dogs stay there. Another interesting fact, for a rescue who is against back yard breeding and so vocal about sterilisation, most of these dogs are sourced from breeders... Recently the same creator of the "Paws @ Work" program, created the "Cat Cafe" located at Kayalami Corner. Again, the most homable and lovable cats are condemned to living in a store front, forced to interact with customers paying R120 7 days a week. How is this different from a petting zoo? Another issue with this is that cats are very sensitive, on a weekly basis cats return to Woodrock having become sick at the cafe, but like a conveyor, a new fluffy cat is sent to replace the sick one. Visit Woodrock and you will be blown away, but work there and you will be broken down into nothing. Try mentioning "Mental health" to Estelle, and her words will be "We don't give a F*** about mental health". Which is funny given the "Paws @ Work" initiative. The adoption process is extremely biased, if you're african (black) you are profiled on entry. It's as if the adoption team look for reasons to deny applications. Unless you are one of Estelles or Jacquis friends, then you can adopt even if the dog is going to sleep outside. Extremely toxic work environment, constant verbal and mental abuse from Estelle, followed by stories of their extravagant holidays and purchases, was a normal conversation with her. Where it also gets interesting is Nick & Estelle's son (Dean). He owns the company that harvests all your info once you have adopted a pet from Woodrock. When adopting, you fill in an application. If your application is approved, a few days after you have picked up the animal, you will receive a call from Dean's call centre, guilting you into signing up for a monthly debit order. Try saying no, then you will be harassed until you eventually just give in. These debit orders are huge for Woodrock. They sign on average 300 people per month, at an average of R300 per person. This is an annual agreement, meaning you will be debited R3600 throughout the year. R3600 x 300 people = R1 080 000 for one months sales. The next month an average of 300 people will be signed up again, repeating the cycle every month. And please try canceling this debit order or even getting your 18A tax certificate from them, I wish you luck. Not to even mention large corporate donations, food donations, sellable goods and cash donations from the public. There is always a plea for more food, but on multiple occasions food goes off because of the surplus being stored in various containers on the property. All the 5 star reviews on Hellopeter were left on the same day and were done by staff. Estelle prides herself in letting you know she owns you because she pays your salary. Your social media, your private time, your off days, nothing is off limits to her. You are labelled as a traitor shoud you support any other animal welfare organisation, because, she owns you. She makes a point of harassing staff especially on their days off. Not to even mention trying to request leave. You will be labelled as someone that does not have integrity, a failure, disappointment etc. I'm sure Woodrock was started with good intentions, unfortunately it has turned into a money making machine, preying on peoples emotions and benefiting the co-founders, their children and their grandchildren, who own numerous properties in the most expensive suburbs in Johannesburg and Cape-Town. How does an ex teacher, who now runs an animal rescue, own numerous multi-million rand properties? You do the math. In conclusion, this review is not a biased or a bitter one, but rather a first hand account of the behind the scenes happenings at Woodrock Animal Rescue.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I'm extremely disappointed with Woodrock Animal Rescue's handling of my donations. Despite canceling my debit order THREE TIMES, they continue to withdraw funds from my account every month. I've made repeated attempts to communicate with their team, but they've failed to: 1. Honor my cancellation requests 2. Provide clear explanations for the ongoing withdrawals 3. Offer refunds for unauthorized payments This lack of transparency and disregard for donor preferences is alarming. I've lost trust in Woodrock Animal Rescue's financial management and ethics. *Warning to potential donors:* Verify payment arrangements carefully and monitor your accounts closely. *Recommendation:* Improve communication, respect donor wishes, and rectify unauthorized payment issues promptly. *Update:* I'll consider revising this review if Woodrock Animal Rescue addresses these concerns and provides a satisfactory resolution.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I'm extremely disappointed with Woodrock Animal Rescue's handling of my donations. Despite canceling my debit order THREE TIMES, they continue to withdraw funds from my account every month. I've made repeated attempts to communicate with their team, but they've failed to: 1. Honor my cancellation requests 2. Provide clear explanations for the ongoing withdrawals 3. Offer refunds for unauthorized payments This lack of transparency and disregard for donor preferences is alarming. I've lost trust in Woodrock Animal Rescue's financial management and ethics. *Warning to potential donors:* Verify payment arrangements carefully and monitor your accounts closely. *Recommendation:* Improve communication, respect donor wishes, and rectify unauthorized payment issues promptly. *Update:* I'll consider revising this review if Woodrock Animal Rescue addresses these concerns and provides a satisfactory resolution.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It's amazing. The love the environment the people. I truly was taken aback and the peace and love that fills this place.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
It's amazing. The love the environment the people. I truly was taken aback and the peace and love that fills this place.
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