Rescue Groups Charge Too Much for Adoption Fees

Some of you think this is true.   They charge way too much.  Anywhere from $150 to $350.  It’s Outrageous.

Ok, we know you have other choices when selecting your dog.

You can go directly to the shelter.   Or you can *buy* a dog from the guy on craigslist or the back-yard breeder who won’t let you come to their house to check out the conditions*.  The same “breeder” that has no experience breeding for betterment of the breed, but rather just thought puppies would be a great experience for their kids to have.

Before you take that route, there are a few things you should consider:

1.      There will be an adoption fee from the shelter, and we know it’s no where near the cost of the rescue fee.   The dog may be spayed and neutered and have a rabies shot.

2.      The dog in the ad will certainly have a for profit fee of a couple of hundred dollars and will most assuredly not be spayed/neutered, and may not be current on vaccinations.   He may not have received any of the developmental care needed for his age or even his breed.

3.      When you get your dog home, you probably know nothing about his medical needs.  What if you find he has one of the following.  

a.      Heart Worms Treatment --

b.      Torn ACL / Luxated Patella etc

c.      Hip Displaysia

d.      Wobblers Disease

e.      Parvo?

f.       Distemper

g.      ….Other?  

 Yes, those treatments will be really expensive.

4.      What if you find that the dog has (is)

a.      Mammary Tumors

b.      Demodex Mange

c.      Matted so severely that his skin is infected

d.      Toenails so long they have grown into his paws

e.      Cherry Eye

f.       A leg that needs amputation

g.      Kidney Failure

h.      Cancer

i.       Pregnant

j.     Infection

l.     other issues you have never even considered possible.

Oh wait – that's right, most people going into the shelter or responding to an ad will skip over dogs with those issues  and leave them for a rescue group to deal with, or for him to be left alone to die.

Do you have any  idea what the volume of death is in our area?  Its significant.   Even if they don't die, shelter dogs may suffer just from the stress of being in the shelter.

5.      What if you find that the dog has

a.      Resource Guarding Issues

b.      Hates your cat

c.      Hates your kids

d.      Isn’t house trained

e.      Has severe separation anxiety

f.       Can’t be walked on a leash without reacting aggressively

Now what – do you take him back to the shelter?  Call the rescue to take him off your hands? Give him to a friend?  Put another ad on the internet?

Rescue groups work with the cute and cuddly love muffin you’re about to adopt for weeks to work on house training, crate training, basic skills training and socialization.   Rescue homes volunteer their time and resources to save a life.   It’s not likely your dog will be 100% trained when you adopt the typical foster dog – BUT – you will receive a ton of insight from the foster home on where he is in his learning.   You’ll know whether he gets along with cats, other dogs, kids, men, etc.  You’ll know if he has fear and anxiety issues in the current foster home.    You'll have some expectations of where to begin in integrating him into your home and lifestyle.  In short, you have knowledge to help you select a dog suitable for your family.

Yea, but what about all that money rescues charge -- where does it go?

Rescues pull dogs of all ages, varying degrees of medical needs, and sometimes of unknown issues.   Breed specific rescues especially take special needs dogs to care for, even if it’s just to give them sanctuary or to be held in the arms of love when they cross the Rainbow Bridge.

A rescue group deals with dozens of dogs each year.  Sometimes it’s hundreds.   And it's not even close to ALL the dogs that don't get pulled into rescue.  Hundreds of dogs die daily in our area because of  our neighbors do not do their part to address over-population, failure to train, failure to spay/neuter, failure to care for medically.  It's a community problem.

Let’s think about cost of rescue for a minute for those dogs they can take in.   Let's assume Rescue "A"  brings in 100 dogs shall we say for round numbers.  

100 x $250 (an average) adoption fee is $25,000.   Wow! That’s a lot of money.  

Now let's see where that money is spent
Let’s make some conservative assumptions:  

·        25% of those dogs will have Heartworms at approximately $800 each – there went $20,000

·        90% will need to be spayed and neutered – rescue just went into the red

·        100% of them will need HW prevention for the # of months they are with the rescue - overspent

·        99% of them will need vaccinations  (some owner surrenders may have proof of vaccination)

·        And more often than not, even the rescue has a pull fee from the shelter.

Surely someone else donated money to all those fundraisers they hold --  right….

On the conservative side let’s assume:

·        Some dogs will need special food and nutritional supplements to get them healthy when they have been malnourished.

·        Some dogs will have significant medical issues that may cost upwards of $5000 for a single dog.     (About 3-5% exceed $5000, about 3% exceed 2500 and about 20% exceed $1000! per dog)

·        Some dogs will have anxiety issues requiring medication

·        Some dogs will have behavioral issues requiring training

·        Some dogs will have no foster home to go to and require boarding

·        Some dogs will never be adopted due to medical issues and will be in sanctuary

·        Some dogs may need to be humanely euthanized due to severity of their medical issues

Yes, it’s a lot of money the rescue has to spend.  – but what are they to do?  Not treat a dog’s medical needs?   Not train to overcome their issues of fear and anxiety?  Rescue groups don’t give up on the special needs.

The money runs out quickly and often volunteers continue to dip into their own finances to keep the rescue going or to care for the dog in their home so that you will want to adopt him. 

Your adoption fee doesn’t even cover the cost of vetting the dog you adopt and in a majority of cases has saved you a tremendous amount of medical costs, training, and time to get your little cutie ready to go home.   The fee is nominal compared to the cost of expenses in the rescue.  Even if the dog you selected had perfect health and no issues when he came it, your fees contribute to the overall big picture of saving as many lives as possible.

Can’t afford the fee – then you really should rethink adopting in the first place.   You are going to incur expenses with your dog.  Adopting from a rescue means you don’t have the other up front cost of spay neuter, vaccinations, and unexpected medical that you might incur with a shelter pull or buying from an add on craigslist*

Rescues cannot operate without income and without dozens of people volunteering time and donating money or offering discounts on vet, grooming, training services. 

So you are mistaken if you think Rescue Groups Charge Too Much for Adoption Fees.  They really don't.  They don't charge enough.   But there goal is never about profit, its about saving as many lives as they can -- and sadly, they cannot save them all.

So pay the fee without giving the rescue group a lot of flak about how much it is.   Instead, tell the rescue thank you for saving that life you will love so much and getting him as healthy as possible so that you can take him home.  Tell the rescue thank you for loving a dog as it took its last breath in their arms after someone dumped them in the shelter because they were too old or to sick.   Tell them thank you for working tirelessly to try and change the world around us with efforts to educate on spay/neuter, efforts to education on how training can prevent the need to surrender the dog, efforts to eliminate abuse, breed specific legislation, and over-population.  

Tell the Rescue -- Thank you!  And in the name of the furry bundle you just adopted who now has a 2nd chance at life -- write your check to include a donation to help others.

And know that we Thank You for supporting your local rescues. 

 *Please help us end the cycle.  Thousands of dogs die every single day around us and yet our neighbors keep breeding and selling for profit.  Don’t buy dogs off of craigslist, the guy on the street corner, or other back-yard breeders.  You are part of the problem not part of the solution if you support these people.  

Spay Neuter all Pets.  Educate friends and family on the importance of spay/neuter and training.    Volunteer if you can.  Foster if you are able.   Donate when possible.    

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Not all dogs fit all families. Not all families need a dog.

 

 Not all dogs fit all families.   Not all families need a dog.

Don't get me wrong, I think dogs are one of the greatest creatures on the planet.  I think they can bring a lot of joy and companionship to a home.     I, along with many of my friends and peers, work really hard to save dogs from a miserable lonely death in a gas chamber, and try to find them good homes.   We hardly make a dent in the over population of dogs and the number of dogs dying daily.   And yet, breeders (if you can call a backyard breeder than) continue to churn our puppies for profit, and to see the cute factor to the uneducated public.

This is Poppy -- She is NOT the dog in this story.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a client who had just brought home an adorable puppy.  The breed won't be named here, but suffice it to say, it was a working breed.   Before that puppy was 4 months old, this family was overwhelmed.  

Potty training takes work.   He pulls on his leash.    He gets into everything.   He drools water on the floor when he drinks.   He chases my "kid".   He chases the cat.   He jumps.  He nips.   He barks at the neighbors. 

He's a puppy.   What did you expect?  He's like a toddler that you have to teach how to live in your home.  You have to teach him life skills and manners.  He's smart and he needs interaction and activity.  He's bored.   

We think he's aggressive.    He nips at us all the time.   He's afraid to be on the sidewalk.    He's afraid to ride in car?  Well, the only time he ever rode in the car was the day we brought him home -- we haven't taken him to ride because he's afraid.  He never sits down.   The only way we can control him is to crate him.    I don't want a crate in my house.    I don't want to have to have him on a leash in the house.   My husband isn't helping much.   And the excuses continued....

After a few weeks of private training and a series of Group Training, the owner was just not satisifed with his progress.   I explained often, they had to participate -- daily, as a way of life.  I finally took the dog in for "free" board and train / observation.   The dog was darn near perfect.  Beautifully trained in his obedience skills.   Playful with other puppies.   Happy go lucky.   Relaxed. 

They never claimed him to come back home.   With him out of the house, they decided they didn't want him.  He was too much work and caused too much stress when he was there  Instead, he was returned to his breeder (per their contract) who will resell him for another profit.  After all, he's well trained, well-balanced and healthy.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Despite my repeated attempts to coach the owners on being consistent with the dog, practicing his obedience skills, the need to socialize the dog, and the need to demonstrate some consistent leadership with him -- they didn't.   They didn't have time.  They didn't make time. Training lessons were often interrupted to attend to the questions and needs of the child in the home.  Clearly the dog was not a priority.  

We wanted a dog that would just be part of the family.     Why did you get this breed of dog?  This size?   This working breed?  This energy level?   

They simply did not do their research.  They adopted an image of a dog and an adorable factor.  They wanted a perfectd dog from day one.  They did not expect the level of work it takes to teach a dog how to be part ofo othe family -- and this dog was SMART!

They would send him outside  and wonder why he only wanted to come back in the house.   They wondered why he was getting into "papers" on the kids play table instead of chewing his toys.

He was bored.  No one was playing with him.  A short walk everyday was not enough physical exercise and he was getting no mental stimulation.

As a reminder -- this is a working breed dog.  He needed a job.  He needed to be challenged, exercised and to play everyday.   Not for hours on end, but certainly more than a few minutes a day.

THE LESSON:

Don't buy or adopt a dog because it's cute or because your friend has such a great dog.  Don't adopt the breed you had as a kid if you don't understand what it took to create that well-balanced dog.  Do your home work.  Know what the dog was bred to do and how they will fit into your lifestyle and if you can accommodate their developmental needs, training needs, exercise needs, as well as their medical and grooming needs.  

A dog is a commitment for their lifetime.  They are not exchangeable like a pair of pants.  

Adopt/Rescue -- don't support backyard breeders and puppy mills.

Spay/Neuter -- 10,000 dogs a day die due to overpopulation

Foster, Volunteer, Donate, Educate.   Do Something!