Social Tees

Yes, sometimes it's a bit dirty there but you see, Robert WILL accept the blind cat who refuses to use a litter box when nobody else will take it. He can be difficult to get along with and I wish he would work on his people skills but you can't deny that he has saved the lives of hundreds and hundreds of animals - everything from turtles to rabbits to pit bulls to you name it. He needs some help - that's what's happening and I wish more people would volunteer their assistance. more

I give 4 stars but explain for what and why. Yes, the place mostly looked like a mess, yes there is always a feeling that the owner (Robert) is either in rush or super non-friendly guy (and that won't make a 4 star), BUT (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) he really DOES CARE for his animals! He is very selective to whom he gives the pet. He tries to take as many pets as possible and sometimes even more than possible but that is because he really wants to save as many from the killer shelters! and so I admire this men for what he does because he really HELPS the ones that are in need! Last but not least, when there was a huge storm and the flooding warning (2011), people were hiding in their flats,putting tape on windows to protect themselves just in case..the streets were empty, but my husband and I went to check on the shelter because i was worried! thought what's going to happen if the flooding will come (the store was in the basement level).. We came and saw Robert putting sand bags all over to protect the store!!! He also said that he WON'T leave till the storm is over...even joked if we find his body floading, try to help... now the store has moved and i couldn't find where...yet! HE IS A GOOD MAN! and I believe in his good deed! more

We got kittens from here. The process was quick but we felt rushed through. Robert was friendly but made us feel as though he was in a hurry and as though he didn't want to answer any questions. One of the cats was sick (we didn't know). When we called we were told that he was supposed to be on antiboitics and that we should have been sent home with them, but this was totally overlooked. We had to make another trip back downtown to get the medicine. He did say he had a vet we could use for no charge if we needed. We were also told that the kittens had been vaccinated for rabies, which they had not been. No one was able to tell us what they had, in fact, been immunized for. We had to call animal control to find out what the immunization codes on the paperwork stood for. To be fair, Robert said the cats had received the standard five immuizations but he assumed, incorrectly, that the "R" code for the immuizations stood for rabies. Important to know, since I was severely bitten by one of the cats and wound up at the ER after being told by my doctor that I would need to have rabies shots. It turned out that wasn't necessary. The doctor said that because the cats had been at the rescue for at least 10 days, they didn't fit the bill for carrying rabies. Even though I called Robert a number of times trying to get his take on this BEFORE I went to the hospital, when he finally found time to speak with me he never let me know about a 10 day period and did nothing to calm my concerns other that to insinuate that I was making a mountain out of a mole hill by letting us know that he was bitten all the time. When it came time to have the cats fixed, he booked the appointment for us. We got a Sunday appointment for 8:00. Up and out early and Surprise! No Sunday surgeries at Animal Care. His place is a serious mess but again In all fairness, he's overworked. His heart really is in it. Adopt here because these animals need a home but don't expect to have anything done patiently or correctly the first time. more

This place is a disgrace. The place is decrepit and the animals look sickly and scared. The guy keeps cats and dogs altogether, no care in the world for them. The adoption process is worse: no checking references or anything. Just pay your money and you get an animal. This place is a disgrace to real rescues. He cares more about profiting than saving these animals. Truly a disgusting place. more

all i can say is that this man has these poor creatures interest at heart he genuinly cares for these animals other wise why would he go around saving animals that are just about to be euthanized and finding them a good home my son and his freind occasionally volunteer there so i know this to be true more

Along with being a custom t-shirt printing shop (see my other review!), Social Tees houses a grassroots animal rescue organization. Robert, the owner, specializes in rescuing exotic reptiles, has many of them in the shop, and has been in the paper several times with some of his more rare animals. He also, however, has a heart for the furry and takes in more cats and dogs (most brought in by people in the neighborhood) than he can probably handle (he's also had pet rats, mice, birds and goodness knows what else). Even though it's not a big organization, Robert ensures that his animals find good, responsible homes and has a screening process for potential adoptive "parents". If you're not looking for a permanent pet, talk to Robert about lending a hand as a foster parent for a dog or cat (he can't keep the dogs in the store, so he always needs foster homes for them). You can keep them for a weekend or until he (or you) finds them a home. I've fostered 3 dogs and a cage full of mice, and it was great to have some canine companionship for a couple weeks even though I can't get my own dog. Also consider giving a cat a home to scare away mice! Another idea is to stop by with the kids to check out the snakes and lizards. If it's not busy Robert or one of his volunteers can tell them a little about the animals (my personal recommendation is to make a small donation towards their rescue efforts in exchange for their time). more

Social Tees is a great little t-shirt shop and custom printing business that caters to t-shirts (or sweatshirts, aprons, bags, caps) for fund raisers. The owner, or one of his loyal employees or volunteers, is always in the store, so it's a very personal experience. Some of the tees are already printed up with a variety of socially minded sayings (check the website to see them!), things like the words "black, white, red, yellow & brown" crossed out with "human" written in underneath. He also takes large custom orders with any design that you want, and focuses mainly on doing jobs for fund raisers for schools, bands and businesses - he'll even give you the order forms so that you don't need to guess how many shirts you'll need and you can collect the money before you place your order. A friend of mine used him for shirts for her kids' school, and although the shirts were great, a couple of them came out off-center (not sure how this compares to the work of larger printing services). But much of the money goes back into the owner's grassroots animal rescue service (check my review for that under "pets"), I think having a few screw-ups in the batch is worth it. more