? for rescuers

I just wanted to know why some rescue groups are so expensive when it comes to adopting dogs? There are so many dogs out there that needs homes that sometimes I think the fees should be a little more reasonable. I have noticed fees of 300-600 to adopt a dog(some of these on petfinder). I can understand that sometimes dogs have to be spayed or neutered and need their shots but are there other fees, of course outside of feeding them(but for some dogs none of this is included and they are still asking these prices)? But I also know that most vets will work with fosters on costs for this stuff. What do you guys feels is a reasonable amount to pay for a rescue dog?

The reason I ask this is because my MIL is looking for a bichon or a maltese but to get one from a breeder-HOLY SMOKES they are just outrageously expensive. So I started looking on petfinder and other rescues for our area for her but there are only 1 or 2 in our area. There are certain specifics, has to get along with children, dogs, and I think she would prefer a younger dog(probably under 1). The one I inquired on is 300.00. Now I think one is actually reasonble, she is pure bred bichon, UTD on shots and spayed. But I think my FIL thinks he is going to find one for 50-100 as we found a purebred 9 week old pup for 300.00 also(of course without all the extras like spaying) but then you at least get to pick a pup.

How do I research to find a good organization to rescue from and to know what they are asking is a fair price or if they are just trying to make a buck.

I hope no one will take any of what I said in the wrong way. I know that rescuers are out there to save these babies from being put to sleep and I commend you for what you do but please give me some advice on what to look for and a reasonable adoption fee.

I got my wonderful Mickey, a border collie mix, from a great place called Old Dog Haven who try to find homes for older dogs. Mickey was 8 when I got her. Some of the dogs they just keep until they die and have a great life there. She fosters some of the dogs out until they are adopted. She only asks for donations which I do every year. I agree w/you, that it shouldn't be so expensive but yet they still have to pay for food, vet care, etc.

http://www.olddoghaven.org/

Purebreds form a reputable breeder will cost over $1000 easy. So a purebred from a rescue for $300 could be considered a bargain.

Really if you break it down $300 can be justified. Like you said the dog will be spayed or neutered and have his shots. Some of the dogs that they get may be sick and need vet care- possibly surgeries and medications. Some of the dogs need a great deal of grooming. They also have to feed the dogs. They have bills to pay too- rent, power, phone, etc.

We got Star for a few hundred dollars.

The rescue paid over two thousand dollars for her to have heart surgery. They paid for a week of hospitalization, and kept her in recovery for two months after the operation. Where does that money come from? It certainly wasn't covered my the few hundred we gave them.

There are many dogs that come into rescues with other medical needs beside spay/neutering. In the two years that I worked with Eskie rescue they had two stray Eskies that came in pregnant, and two other strays that had heartworms and required three months of treatment. In addition some dogs are so nervous and scared that they need to be retrained (or just trained) so that they can fit into a household again. My area coordinator had a trainer and a vet who worked for reduced rates for her and made themselves available to her whenever needed. And, as stated above some dogs that are rescued never find a forever home and spend their lives in foster care. Plus, many of the people who pick up their new dogs don't come with things like leashes or crates for transport, so the rescue may end up providing these for the safety of the dog. But these are things that most people don't see or think of. She didn't keep a running tab of three weeks at two sessions a week at a personal trainer for this dog, or one two trips to the vet for that dog. She just asked for a flat fee of $250.00 per adoption (that was almost three years ago, it has probably gone up since then). I think that $300.00 or $350.00 for a new family member is a fair price to pay.

See I have thought of a lot of these things too and I agree there is more expense than the average person probably realizes. When I explain to him why the rescued dog is "so much money" I will use some of these reasons. I hope that he understands. I guess back when they got their other dog(a beautiful collie/spaniel mix) she was free and that is what I think he has his mind set as, if it is a mutt you should not have to pay for it(or very little) and pure breds should not cost and arm and a leg if you are just wanting a pet.

If your area has state or county run shelters they probably don't charge as high a fee for adoption. That is because they don't spend the money to train dogs with problems or correct things like heartworm (they will just euthanize dogs that cannot be adopted-I am not saying that as a put down, unfortunately it is just a financial necessity). There is nothing wrong with getting a dog from a government shelter, as a matter of fact those dogs are just as worthy of rescuing and a loving home as a dog in a privately run rescue. So you may want to do a search of state-run shelters. The ones up here I think charge something like $50.00 for dogs.

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Originally Posted by Ginger's Mom

If your area has state or county run shelters they probably don't charge as high a fee for adoption. That is because they don't spend the money to train dogs with problems or correct things like heartworm (they will just euthanize dogs that cannot be adopted-I am not saying that as a put down, unfortunately it is just a financial necessity). There is nothing wrong with getting a dog from a government shelter, as a matter of fact those dogs are just as worthy of rescuing and a loving home as a dog in a privately run rescue. So you may want to do a search of state-run shelters. The ones up here I think charge something like $50.00 for dogs.

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I got Ripley from such a shelter almost 5 years ago. He was $39.00. (The prices have no doubt gone up some since then). They did not spay/neuter. It was the prospective owners responsibility to do that. Once you have your pet spayed/neutered you take the form from the vet to the shelter as proof and it is submitted to the state. The state them reimburses you $20. Soooo, Ripley was my $19 dog!!!! Honestly, he was the best purchase I ever made for many many reasons!!

We were actually at the shelter that day turning in the proof of spaying papers for my daughter's cat. After doing that we walked through the kennel area "just to look around." HA! Next thing I knew I was filling out an application for Ripley! :)

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Originally Posted by Ginger's Mom

If your area has state or county run shelters they probably don't charge as high a fee for adoption. That is because they don't spend the money to train dogs with problems or correct things like heartworm (they will just euthanize dogs that cannot be adopted-I am not saying that as a put down, unfortunately it is just a financial necessity). There is nothing wrong with getting a dog from a government shelter, as a matter of fact those dogs are just as worthy of rescuing and a loving home as a dog in a privately run rescue. So you may want to do a search of state-run shelters. The ones up here I think charge something like $50.00 for dogs.

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I agree with looking for pups on the local level. Those fees from pet finder do seem high to me, but I was never looking for one particular breed when
I wanted to adopt. I was particular about the dog, but never the breed .

I got Lacey from the animal control. They pick up strays on the street. $10 adoption fee. NO vetting. NO grooming. If he wants a mix, or wants to hold out for what may appear to be a pure breed, that is one route. (I believe Lacey is a purebred but you never know when a dog comes this route.)

If you want a pure breed, then go through that breed's rescue groups. They set the fees based on quite a few things. Obviously they can't charge based on what they spent on the dog. So the fees have to average out. Many dogs coming in to rescue have issues, health, behavioural or both. Most breed rescues are also pulling their dogs from puppy mills to a greater or lesser extent. And that cost varies based on whcih breed in "in" at the moment.

I sent you a PM about Sugar and Small Paws Rescue. That may be something of interest to you.

If he doesn't mind a mix, scan craigslist; here in RI, we have loads of wonderful dogs on there at reasonable prices; and some at ridiculous fees.
Sandie

One thing that most people don't realize is how much money is spent on vet care. Our group's adoption donation is $150 for dogs, $175 for puppies, $85 for kittens and $65 for adult cats - all our animals are spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed, heartworm tested, on heartworm preventative and treated for fleas as a standard protocol. Then you get the ones that need heartworm treatment, antibiotics for upper respiratory, xrays for limps, biopsy for lumps, surgery for bladder stones. All of which comes out of the adoption fees, donations and fundraising events. 95% of our money is spent on animal care.

Many vets will not give discounts to rescues, some will, but it is usually pretty minimal (usually only 10%-20%). With the smaller breed dogs, especially those that have come from puppy mill situations, the medical care they need can be very high. Dental cleanings or extractions, surgery to repair kneecaps, etc. Remember also that even if the dog you choose hasn't needed any of that kind of surgery - another might and they don't change their adoption fee for the dog that needed surgery.

Here is a breakdown on what one dog costs in vet care.

• Spay/Neuter - between $150 & $250 depending on gender and size

• Vaccinations - $35 + $45 for the vet visit

• Microchip - $15 (we supply the chip)

• Flea Treatment - $12

• Worming - $12

• Heartworm test - $50

• Heartworm meds - $10 per month

So even at the lower end of the spectrum, vetting one dog costs $340. Shelters have a little different cost as many have vets on staff so they don't have to pay retail like the rescues do and many are subsidized by the government. Finding small dogs (at least in our area) is nearly impossible at shelters, smaller dogs are not surrendered nearly as much as larger dogs and when they are - they get snapped up pretty quickly. They also don't do a lot of extra vetting - just spay/neuter, rabies and dhlpp vac, worming and flea preventative - no heartworm testing, microchipping, etc. Also since the dogs aren't housed in homes, they aren't usually housebroken, nor do you have as much information about their personality once they are in a home.

There are also situations where we waive the adoption fee, especially with the older dogs to help make them a little more attractive. Unfortunately, it is the older dogs that cost the most to vet as they need more blood work to make sure they don't have any underlying illnesses.

Hopefully I don't sound preachy - I'm just a little sensitive when people think rescue adoption fees are too high, since most people don't understand all the costs that go into rescuing animals.

I noticed that "what to look for in a decent rescue" wasn't covered much in the replies so i went and looked up an old thread on the group's page that i'm involved with.

In addition to what is said in the following, a decent rescue will probably ask you about a zillion questions until your head is ready to explode. They should also usually be willing to answer a barrage of questions that you may ask.

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What is a good Rescue?
As rescue is getting more popular, unscrupulous people are trying to disguise themselves as rescue to as always make a buck off a dog. So how can adopters know that they are working with a good rescue?

First and foremost spaying and neutering is the goal of every good rescue. Because rescues know that spaying and neutering is the only defense against the overpopulation that results in the death of thousands of companion animals, most will not adopt out an animal not spayed or neutered. Even puppies and kittens are spayed and neutered by good rescues.

Good rescues have wonderful veterinary clinics that discount their services in order to help the homeless animals. Good rescues should be able to provide their adopters with the veterinary clinic they work with. Veterinary Clinic should be able to provide references for the rescues they work with. It because of the veterinarians generosity that rescues are able to do the work they do.. Please remember this, and ask your veterinary if they are helping rescued animals, and support these special Veterinary Clinics with your business.

A good rescue cares about the animals in their custody. They strive to make good lifetime placements. This entails finding out information on the prospective adopter with applications, interviews, vet reference and home visits. Remember to the good rescue the animal is their number one concern not necessarily the prospective adopter. They are not selling the animals, but instead looking for the best possible match for the homeless animal in their care. Animals are not a piece of property but a living breathing life that all the money on earth cannot replace.

They also have a contract and accept dogs back into there program should the adopter not be able or choose not to keep the animal. They usually provide a lifetime of support and advice for the animals and the adopters. They want to know what is going on in the dogs life his success and failures.

Rescues are not trying to make a profit, and rely on donations from the general public. But in order to continue with their mission they need to be able to cover their cost. Even with discounted veterinary cost, there are at times unexpected medical needs and expensive treatments not to mention the cost of food, animal control fees, training fees, crates, leashes, collars, and transportation cost.

Adopters looking to adopt from a rescue should be careful in choosing the right rescue to work with. Extremely high adoptions fees (that can not be documented by vet costs), lack of veterinary care provided by the rescue, lack of appropriate screening, no contract for protection of the animal, no return policies are just some of the things that should warrant further investigation from the adopter.

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Thanks everyone. Some of this I already knew but I guess I needed to hear it from people with experience.

Crow_Noir Thank you thank you. This answered a lot of my questions, especially about the spay and neuter. I thought it should be mandatory for a rescue to fix the pets before adoption but to tell you the truth I have come across some that don't(it is the purchasers job and they are still asking upwards of 300.00). See to me that means the person is out to make a buck. She only ever has puppies so there could not be to many behavioral issues, she does not get any of their shots, does not fix them, so what is all that money going towards? I will be avoiding that WARNING sign.

clara 4457 Wow--you need to look for another vet at those costs. I just got a new puppy and did not spend half of what you say is spent on "regular vet care". I actually have three dogs and it does not cost that to have them all seen all year(including back when I had them fixed). But then again maybe that is cheap up there? Maybe because the cost of living is much more?

Freedom I am going to check my PM now. Thank you.

Oh just to clarify, I have been looking at the regular county facilities too, just no luck. I have been checking randomly over the last couple of years. The problem is the rescues here are pretty good about pulling dogs, especially the pure breds and one of our no-kill shelters pulls from the pound too when they have room. I think our adoption fee is somewhere around $70(at least that is what it was about 5 years ago).

Well guys, thanks a lot for all your help. I will be hoping to speak with my FIL and see if he will understand all this :) I think the little cutie is worth the $300 but that is just me.

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Originally Posted by WELOVESPUPPIES

clara 4457 Wow--you need to look for another vet at those costs. I just got a new puppy and did not spend half of what you say is spent on "regular vet care". I actually have three dogs and it does not cost that to have them all seen all year(including back when I had them fixed). But then again maybe that is cheap up there? Maybe because the cost of living is much more?

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The costs that I quoted are standard here - you can't get a dog spayed for under $200 unless you are on public assistance. Then you can get a voucher for a s/n for $20. The problem is that it takes forever to get the voucher and you have to jump through hoops to get it, nor does it take into consideration the "working poor". Frustrating to say the least.

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Originally Posted by WELOVESPUPPIES

clara 4457 Wow--you need to look for another vet at those costs. I just got a new puppy and did not spend half of what you say is spent on "regular vet care". I actually have three dogs and it does not cost that to have them all seen all year(including back when I had them fixed). But then again maybe that is cheap up there? Maybe because the cost of living is much more?

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Wow, really? Those are about the same prices I pay.