Rescue Organizations & Adoption Fees

[CoquiMom]

Most rescue organizations charge an adoption fee. These fees barely if ever cover the organizations costs in caring for the animal. Costs such as food, bedding, caging, accesories, and vet visits. I also know some organizations charge extra on top of their regular fees to cover astronomical vet bills. Even with all this the fees usually do NOT cover the investment made into the animal. Also the fee helps pay for the paperwork and overhead. In some cases it also helps to weed out the adopters that potentially will have the free animal attitude. You know the one, where people say well it was free so it's not like I am losing anything by letting it go or feeding it crap food, and so on.

I am wondering how people feel about rescues charging adoption fees.

[Ododad]

I was more than willing to pay one for Buddy, and will pay one for Marco. Dosen't matter if it is $50.00 or $500.00. I can't put a cost on giving a lost and lonely animal a home. All shelters that I know ( and I have been to many in the past years) charge an adoption fee. That fee helps pay for food and shelter and the cost of caring. I also donate twice a year to the shelter here in Cookeville. Whatever I can afford to give at that time. I donate blankets, newspapers, anything I can find that a shelter might need. I also save soda and beer cans because the shelter here collects them and uses the money to buy food. Shelters need our help. They don't exactly have money to burn and more and more unwanted pets come in every day.
This post is in no way meant as a reply to any other thread than this one.
This is how I feel about shelters asking for a donation fee. Nothing more, nothing less. It is not directed at anyone or any other thread.
Billy

[CoquiMom]

Ododad,
That is great that you donate all that for your local shelter. I wish more people could be like you!

[bear]

i support the adoption fees, and happily would give more, just to support the shelter! heaven knows they need the money :)

[Ododad]

Ododad,
That is great that you donate all that for your local shelter. I wish more people could be like you!Thank you for your kind words. I have to say, that I don't volenteer at shelters. The reason is that I did once. I washed dogs, cleaned cages that sort of thing. I couldn't do it anymore because I couldn't take looking at all of those lost and lonely eyes. I know that sometimes situations ditcate that someone can't keep their pet, they don't have anywhere else to leave it and I am glad that they bring it to a shelter instead of just turning it loose where it might starve. But what I don't understand is people who just don't want a pet anymore and just dump it off. I have seen people come in and dump off a dog or cat just because they don't want it anymore. That animal has no way to understand why it dosen't have a home anymore, why it is not loved anymore. Dosen't understand what it may have done wrong that it's not wanted anymore. The lost and lonely look in an unwanted pets eyes. Just about the saddest thing I have ever seen. I have helped place 15 dogs and cats in the last year, but that's just a drop in the bucket. Five times that many arrived at the shelter in the same amount of time.
Animal shelters provide at least some kind of home for these unwanted guys and gals and their adoption fees allow them to do that.

[Schmuzzle's Mom]

That is just so sad Odo's Dad. I teared up just reading about your experience. I know I could never do it for the same reasons, but your story about the cans and newspapers etc needed made me want to contact my local SPCA which is not too far from me. about 1/2 hr drive. I'm gonna call and see what can be donated etc.....thanks for the inspiration! :D

[Ododad]

That is just so sad Odo's Dad. I teared up just reading about your experience. I know I could never do it for the same reasons, but your story about the cans and newspapers etc needed made me want to contact my local SPCA which is not too far from me. about 1/2 hr drive. I'm gonna call and see what can be donated etc.....thanks for the inspiration! :D
That's just great!! Shelters need all the help they can get! Thank you from shelter pets everywhere!!

[horse_chic89]

I work at a vet clinic, and i know that my vet sometimes waves the fees for the animals at the shelter, or puts the costs to a minimum.

[horse_chic89]

i still believe in donating, but i do care for the shaid animals at the vets, and thats alot of fun.

[paris26]

What a great thread! As a employee at a humane society, the adoption fee of the animal does not even come close to what it takes to care for the indivual animal! At my shelter for example, to adopt a cat, it is $36.75. That includes everything except a rabies vaccination. That animal has been spayed/neutered, flea bathed, nails trimmed, ears cleaned and treated for mites, vaccinated for distemper, tested for feline leukemia and dewormed. That is easily $250 worth of services that we took care of for you. It cost my shelter ~$157 per day to care for 1 animal. This includes overhead, utilities, advertising, medical expenses, utilities, rent for the building, etc.
Thank goodness for generous monetary and inkind donations. We would not be able to keep our doors open with those!!!!