Rescue Adoption Fees

[PrimalMU]

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So, I'm in a bit of a predicament. The hospital I work at has been boarding two Great Danes that were rescued from a hoarder for the past week. They were mangy and very underweight. However, I fell in love with the female, and was considering looking into adopting her.

That is, until I found out the rescue's adoption fee. $350. Now, granted, I know they don't make a profit. I personally saw their bill for over $1000 for both dogs, and they were headed to another clinic. But, even though I loved her, I can't see myself spending $350 on a dog when I can go to the shelter and get one for $75 that has already been spayed.

I don't want this to turn into a "this rescue adoption fee is outrageous" sort of thread. Mainly I'm interested in what you all personally feel is too much for an adoption fee.

 

[VeganSoprano]

I don't have a problem with $350 for a large dog who is already sterilized and fully vaccinated. Rescue fees will usually be higher than a shelter's and that's fine with me. I don't believe a rescue should be adopting out unaltered animals (except in a very, very few isolated circumstances), so I can't really say what I think a reasonable fee would be.

 

[PrimalMU]

Oh, yes, you make a good point. This rescue's website is a bit unclear as to whether the adoption fee includes spay/neuter. If it does, then that makes it MUCH more reasonable, especially for a large breed.

 

[BlacKAT33]

i usually base mine off of how much would it cost me to get them spayed/neutered myself? vaccines? etc. i just add up what they have already done for the pet. if money is an issue though, its not worth putting yourself into potential debt or even a risky situation, like making your checking/savings go close to 0. I personally dont like to live check to check so i make sure i have a certain amount of cushion. if you can't afford it, just hope they find a nice owner and help get the word out that they need good homes!

 

[lei325]

I fostered a rescue dog from an organization that charged $400 for an adoption fee. She had come into the clinic I worked at for an osteotomy on her elbows (very expensive) and needed a home while she healed, so I took her in. The fee was initially what was keeping me from spending the money to adopt, because I fell in love with her the first time she was brought in for an appointment. Her sister had come in earlier that month for the same procedure but had already been adopted out. I ended up contacting the rescue and the woman who ran it actually let me adopt for free, since I had been paying out of pocket for food and pain medication. Mine was a happy circumstance, but looking back at that moment when I realized that I really REALLY wanted her and didn't want to give her up...I think I could've shelled out $400 for her. But I'm a sap and a total sucker, soo...yeah.

The money you pay DOES go to a good cause. But it still is a lot of money. $350 is a lot for a dog, and the shelter DOES look like a good idea...but you already know that you get along with the dog and you know what she is like. It's a tough decision. A pros and cons list is never a bad idea. 😀

 

[luvgoldens482]

I think it cost me 450 to spay my dog, so 350 is a good deal, IMO, even without considering the expensive hospitalization. Is she altered?

 

[Minnerbelle]

So, I'm in a bit of a predicament. The hospital I work at has been boarding two Great Danes that were rescued from a hoarder for the past week. They were mangy and very underweight. However, I fell in love with the female, and was considering looking into adopting her.

That is, until I found out the rescue's adoption fee. $350. Now, granted, I know they don't make a profit. I personally saw their bill for over $1000 for both dogs, and they were headed to another clinic. But, even though I loved her, I can't see myself spending $350 on a dog when I can go to the shelter and get one for $75 that has already been spayed.

I don't want this to turn into a "this rescue adoption fee is outrageous" sort of thread. Mainly I'm interested in what you all personally feel is too much for an adoption fee.

I would contact the rescue and see if they can reduce the fee for you. It's pretty usual that a rescue's adoption fee is much higher than a shelter's, but also, it's generally much easier to get leniency on the adoption fee for a rescue too. Especially if it's a situation where your clinic's been helpful to the org, I have a feeling they'll lower it for you. Do you know if they're keeping those two dogs as bonded pairs?

If this org doesn't spay/neuter... what is that high adoption fee for??? In this case, there were other vet bills that needed to be taken care of, but I don't see this being acceptable for normal healthy dogs that just need a couple of vaccinations and dewormer. If they don't spay/neuter I doubt it includes a microchip either.

 

[PrimalMU]

Okay, just got off the phone with the leader of the WV division of the rescue. The $350 does in fact include alteration (which is great, because a spay on a 100+ lb dog would easily be $400+ at my clinic), as well as heartworm test and all other miscellaneous treatments she's undergoing right now. I was really afraid that the fee wouldn't include the spay. Looks like I may be going for it assuming I can get permission from my parents to keep her here for a month before I move, haha.

 

[UM2014]

Okay, just got off the phone with the leader of the WV division of the rescue. The $350 does in fact include alteration (which is great, because a spay on a 100+ lb dog would easily be $400+ at my clinic), as well as heartworm test and all other miscellaneous treatments she's undergoing right now. I was really afraid that the fee wouldn't include the spay. Looks like I may be going for it assuming I can get permission from my parents to keep her here for a month before I move, haha.

Sounds like a good deal to me! I paid $300 for my most recent rescue...and then another $2.5K in vet bills the first month I had her. 🙄 She was worth every penny though and is a great dog. Nothing beats a rescue!

 

[luvgoldens482]

Also, since she will be a big dog, make sure your living arrangements allow for large dogs next year.

 

[PrimalMU]

Also, since she will be a big dog, make sure your living arrangements allow for large dogs next year.

She's actually a small Great Dane, probably because she was malnourished. Of course, even a small Great Dane is still a big dog! The apartment I'll be moving in does allow pets, and my roommates already have two dogs. I'll still make sure I can bring her before adopting her, though.

 

[rileydog]

Since it seems like most schools have a deal to get food, you'll really be saving with a big dog. It's been said, but rescues do have to cover costs. Some purebreds from rescues cost $600, which I feel is too much, but it's still less than what the original owner paid a breeder/petstore/puppy mill. I paid $150 for Riley from Alachua Humane (Gator dog from Gainesville). This included neuter, microchip, and exams. Worth every cent. Hope it works out and we can see her on the awesome pix thread🙂

 

[zoogirl88]

My fiance and I just got a puppy from a rescue last weekend. She is a 3 month old Australian Shepherd. We payed 250 for her. She came with microchip and 2/3 puppy shot rounds. We also received a spay certificate for $90. I feel like we got a pretty good deal....
They are very strict on their spay/neuter policy. You have to fax in a copy of records indicating that she/he was spayed/neutered, or you have to fax in a note that says your dog is too young (if it is) and it will get spayed/neutered on ____ date. You have to send this info in within 30 days, otherwise they sue you and confiscate the dog....

a little over the top, but i'd rather have that then unspayed/neutered puppies running around!
hahaha

And of course, I HAD to put her picture up!! 😀

 

[luplodw]

I can't wait to meet her!

 

[NStarz]

Considering that most dogs from pet stores/breeders/puppy mills can cost upwards of $1000, I don't think that is too much at all to ask for a rescue dog, considering most rescues are non-profit and you are getting a package deal (spay/neuter, microchip, shots, possibly some basic obedience training, etc.), which a $1000 morkie puppy won't even have.

 

[WannaBeVet]

That's a pretty reasonable price especially if the dog is fully vaccinated and altered.

The shelter I volunteer with ranges from 200-300 for dogs; depending on breed, size, and age. Even though this is 'pricey' for a shelter, every dog that leaves the shelter is fully vaccinated, altered, microchipped, and you recieve 48 hrs of free vet care from the day of adoption. The shelter also sends you home with the bare necesities; crate, food, leash, etc.

So it depends on what the price includes. Like everyone mentioned, find out what the price includes and debate your financial situation.

I personally have a soft spot for great danes and hope for owning one eventually. 😛 So I say go for it!

 

[GreennWhite]

I paid $40 for my first rescue dog - she was unspayed, needed all her shots, HW test, etc. and around 9mo and boy was it nervewracking hoping she didn't go into heat before I got her back home to my boss to spay her.
My amputee cat I only paid like $70 adoption fee for from the SPCA and I know his discounted vet bill was well over $1400. And my other dog from the SPCA was $100 I think, but my boss paid for her adoption fee because he was so happy I was adopting her. I feel bad in the last two instances about not paying enough for them - because they are trully worth it! But I tell myself that in 4 years I will be in the position to give back for both cases and I look forward to it.
So it really comes down to what you can afford and what you feel is worth it!

 

[ReadyBeVet]

It sounds like a great deal to me, and think about how much the dog will repay you throughout your life together!

I volunteer for a breed-rescue. You have to keep in mind that the fees really do go to making sure all of the dogs get medical care, whatever that may be from simple vax updates to TPO surgery. Just because one dog's medical bill isn't very much doesn't mean that another dog's won't be way more than average. I personally don't think that it is fair to ask for a 'reduced' rate because that money really is necessary to keep the wheels turning and help rescue more dogs from terrible situations. Every cent really does count, at least in my experiences.

Something to think about, I hope you don't think this is harsh: If you think the adoption fee is high, consider the cost of feeding an adult Great Dane! My golden retriever (puppy) eats Innova LBP and goes through a bag every 5/6 weeks costing about $60. I am sure that a Dane would consume more than that considering the size difference and nutritional needs. Not to mention, double boxes of Heartgard, Frontline, the cost of the spay and vaccines if they aren't done. You will have quite a doozy of a first bill! (even with an employee discount!) 😉 Good luck!

 

[PrimalMU]

Oh gosh, its not that I think $350 is high, it's just that compared to the $75 adoption fee at the shelter (where I can get a dog that is just as sweet and fulfilling) it seems like a lot. Even the local rescue/no kill shelter only charges a $100 adoption fee, and they do the exact same thing that the Great Dane rescue does for its dogs.

 

[NStarz]

Oh gosh, its not that I think $350 is high, it's just that compared to the $75 adoption fee at the shelter (where I can get a dog that is just as sweet and fulfilling) it seems like a lot. Even the local rescue/no kill shelter only charges a $100 adoption fee, and they do the exact same thing that the Great Dane rescue does for its dogs.

There are some important differences between local breed rescues and animal shelters that may be causing this difference. Some (not all, and even not the one I personally work at) animal shelters receive state funding. Therefore, they can charge a bit less money for adoption fees. Also, breed rescues are usually contacted as a last resort (they may take in puppy mill dogs, dogs from hoarders, dogs that would've been PTS at the shelter, dogs with medical or behavioral issues, etc.). Therefore, they need to spend lots of $$$ to take care of the animals that no one wants 🙁. Even if this doesn't pertain to the dog your are interested in adopting, they need to make up the difference for costly surgeries and training necessary for other dogs that come into the rescue. Unfortunately, dogs like amputees often cost less than the usual adoption price, but the surgery that went into giving that dog quality of life is usually costly, and the rescues need to make it up somewhere.

Edit: Also, most shelters have facilities that can be visited by the public (for good or worse). These visits generally lead to donation dollars coming in. Most rescue groups (that I'm aware of, at least), don't usually have standing facilities and rely on foster homes to care for the animals. In that case, they're bringing in less revenue because they aren't as viewed by the public, leading to higher adoption fees.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Oh gosh, its not that I think $350 is high, it's just that compared to the $75 adoption fee at the shelter (where I can get a dog that is just as sweet and fulfilling) it seems like a lot. Even the local rescue/no kill shelter only charges a $100 adoption fee, and they do the exact same thing that the Great Dane rescue does for its dogs.

I guess the question is how much you want this particular dog over another one and how much that matters for you.

My personal policy now is that I will only adopt animals that no one else will take. Good thing about that is that I doubt I will ever actually spend anything on acquiring my animals, but that's just me. 😛

 

[Minnerbelle]

Also, most shelters have facilities that can be visited by the public (for good or worse). These visits generally lead to donation dollars coming in. Most rescue groups (that I'm aware of, at least), don't usually have standing facilities and rely on foster homes to care for the animals. In that case, they're bringing in less revenue because they aren't as viewed by the public, leading to higher adoption fees.

I'm not sure that donations from the public just walking into the shelter is enough to factor into adoption fee prices. Sure, many shelters have a much higher amounts of private donation than a small rescue, but I think that has much more to do with the number of animals they serve, the role they play in the community, etc... I doubt the reason why rescues generally don't get as much donations is due to the fact that they don't have a standing facility. Also, I have a feeling that a huge portion of a shelter's "wealth" come from a relatively small number of very high end donors, not the $5 donations in the donation box that needs to be spread among thousands of animals.

Actually, the fact that foster based rescues don't have a standing facility usually means that the rescue itself is not financially responsible for the daily care of the animals (at least to a certain degree). The amount of money it takes to hire enough people to take care of the animals is pretty insane. Sure, a lot of them get subsidies from local gov't... but generally it's the bare minimum (enough to cover just the hold period and not much vet care is at least what I was told at the shelter I worked at). Anything beyond that comes from private donations.

I actually think one of the biggest reasons why some rescues need to charge a higher adoption fee is the inefficiencies involved in running something on a smaller scale. Vet care is much cheaper when you have an in-house clinic and have your own vet employees, rather than utilizing a private practice vet. Supplies (including vaccines and tests) are much cheaper when you order in bulk. In a larger org, you have the capacity to hire someone focused solely on fundraising/managing financials. When you have hundreds of animals in your care at once, it's easier to make each dollar stretch more than if you only had 20 or so. At the end of the day, in any kind of org, you'll have to provide a certain amount of services for each animal you take in, and money has to come from somewhere. And I think shelters have more options in terms of where that money is coming from (donations, cutting back services, adoption fees, euthanizing more animals, etc...).

A lot of shelters decide to lower their adoption fees just to attract more adopters, because for each day that an animal is not adopted, the more the shelter has to pay to keep that animal at the shelter AND the more animals they'll have to euthanize for space. And because of the number of animals they have to process, they have to come up with the lowest adoption fee that will maximize money and adoption rate. On the flip side, if an animal at a rescue is not adopted for one more day, that's just one more day that the rescue cannot take in a new animal. It doesn't really cost the rescue any money to do that. Therefore, they have the luxury to wait for the perfect adopter (not saying there's anything wrong with that either).

That being said though, it's not like any rescue or shelter has their adoption fee for the intention of making money. It's just a matter of trying to recoup as much money as they can for the services they've provided for the animals they're saving. They all have animals that need and deserve to be adopted. As long as someone is capable of being a good pet owner, I think it's totally up to them to decide which type of org to adopt from for whatever reason. And sometimes, money is a factor.

 

[BriannaWV]

That seems kind of pricey to me, personally. I adopted my dog from an animal shelter I volunteered at and it cost $130 and I thought that was sort of crazy because I can go to the pound and get one for $80 who has the exact same medical treatment and procedures done. I probably wouldn't adopt that dog as long as it was going to a no kill shelter and I would find another dog at the pound to adopt... I fall in love with pretty much any dog at animal shelters so it wouldn't be hard for me to find another one.

 

[bunnity]

There are some important differences between local breed rescues and animal shelters that may be causing this difference. Some (not all, and even not the one I personally work at) animal shelters receive state funding. Therefore, they can charge a bit less money for adoption fees. Also, breed rescues are usually contacted as a last resort (they may take in puppy mill dogs, dogs from hoarders, dogs that would've been PTS at the shelter, dogs with medical or behavioral issues, etc.). Therefore, they need to spend lots of $$$ to take care of the animals that no one wants 🙁. Even if this doesn't pertain to the dog your are interested in adopting, they need to make up the difference for costly surgeries and training necessary for other dogs that come into the rescue. Unfortunately, dogs like amputees often cost less than the usual adoption price, but the surgery that went into giving that dog quality of life is usually costly, and the rescues need to make it up somewhere.

Edit: Also, most shelters have facilities that can be visited by the public (for good or worse). These visits generally lead to donation dollars coming in. Most rescue groups (that I'm aware of, at least), don't usually have standing facilities and rely on foster homes to care for the animals. In that case, they're bringing in less revenue because they aren't as viewed by the public, leading to higher adoption fees.

Actually around here rescues get the most "adoptable" dogs a lot of the time. They pick through the dogs at the city shelter, leaving all the pits and mutts to stay at the city shelter or come to my shelter (which is 90% pits already). It is commonplace to bargain with rescues: we'll give you this maltese if you take a pit bull, or you take this older sick Malamute and we'll send you the next batch of Malamute puppies, etc. So depending on the arrangement and politics you have rescues pulling everything adoptable automatically, or you have setups where the shelter "owes" the rescue for taking that less adoptable dog so they are obligated to give them the next adoptable dog. And then you have duplicate breed rescues (like two shepherd rescues) fighting over certain dogs. Needless to say, it gets complicated, and while I appreciate everything the rescues do for our shelter, the breed-ism is frustrating. You have pits with amazing temperament getting PTS while semi-dangerous purebreds get pulled by rescues.

In other words, rescues and shelters have a difficult relationship even though they are all trying to accomplish the same thing.

 

[NStarz]

That's so interesting. Matters appear to be almost completely opposite at my shelter. Minnerbelle, we almost double our donations (from foot traffic!) after we renovated. Granted, it was almost a $2 million renovation, but the change in our image (from the unfortunately typical cages and dog runs, cats in cages, lots of URI, to a progressive, modern facility. OUr adoption rates have almost doubled and our we have virtually no URI anymore.

Also, in dealing with rescues, we generally call the breed rescues if we have a dog that is difficult to adopt out. We take dogs from PR, from the South, and from a PetsMart program called Rescue Waggin (these dogs are highly adoptable and need to pass a TT before being transported to any cooperating facility). We also work with Best Friends in Utah. Generally, if we have, say, a GSD that is not doing well at the shelter, maybe older and has some arthritis or has some kind of negative history associated with him, we will call a local GSD rescue and they usually come and move him into their care.

We do adopt most of our pitties ourselves, because there aren't really breed rescues for these dogs. The highly adoptable dogs (and mostly pitties and terrier mixes) remain at our shelter and are eventually adopted out,while the more difficult purebreeds are whisked away by breed rescues.

This is, again, from a very progressive shelter. Things may be different at my place than at most, but I'd like to think that's how it usually happens. Maybe I'm blinded by our seemingly good fortune.

 

[bunnity]

That's so interesting. Matters appear to be almost completely opposite at my shelter. Minnerbelle, we almost double our donations (from foot traffic!) after we renovated. Granted, it was almost a $2 million renovation, but the change in our image (from the unfortunately typical cages and dog runs, cats in cages, lots of URI, to a progressive, modern facility. OUr adoption rates have almost doubled and our we have virtually no URI anymore.

Also, in dealing with rescues, we generally call the breed rescues if we have a dog that is difficult to adopt out. We take dogs from PR, from the South, and from a PetsMart program called Rescue Waggin (these dogs are highly adoptable and need to pass a TT before being transported to any cooperating facility). We also work with Best Friends in Utah. Generally, if we have, say, a GSD that is not doing well at the shelter, maybe older and has some arthritis or has some kind of negative history associated with him, we will call a local GSD rescue and they usually come and move him into their care.

We do adopt most of our pitties ourselves, because there aren't really breed rescues for these dogs. The highly adoptable dogs (and mostly pitties and terrier mixes) remain at our shelter and are eventually adopted out,while the more difficult purebreeds are whisked away by breed rescues.

This is, again, from a very progressive shelter. Things may be different at my place than at most, but I'd like to think that's how it usually happens. Maybe I'm blinded by our seemingly good fortune.

Yeah, I think it just really depends on the region, the breeds at the shelter, the types of rescues around, and the individual people involved. I'd love to hear more about the setup of your shelter - I am very interested in learning about environments and designs that reduce disease in shelters. I would also love to study how the volume of animals, source of animals, quarantine or not, length of stay etc affects disease. If I get to do research in vet school, that's what I would do.

If I sounded down on rescue groups I didn't mean to. A life saved is a life saved, and pitties are my favorite and I'd rather work with them than most other breeds anyway. I'm just dealing with a recent favorite-pit-euthanasia that wouldn't have happened if she had been another breed.

 

[MonkeyLove]

When we were looking for a rescue or shelter great dane last year all the prices were ridiculous! The rescue dogs were all over $600 dollars, and there weren't any danes at the shelter. It probably has something to do with prices in california being higher than other states, but $350 for an altered dane whose personality you know sounds like a great deal. Danes are such amazing dogs too, after owning one my fiance and I have decided that all our future dogs will be danes as well (though I am a bit biased 🙄). One other thing to consider is that danes live perfectly in really small homes as long as they get a daily walk. We have two people, one dane, and one chihuahua in a 400sq ft. house and she is happy as a clam 😛, so don't worry about trying to find a big house for her.

 

[Minnerbelle]

That's so interesting. Matters appear to be almost completely opposite at my shelter. Minnerbelle, we almost double our donations (from foot traffic!) after we renovated. Granted, it was almost a $2 million renovation, but the change in our image (from the unfortunately typical cages and dog runs, cats in cages, lots of URI, to a progressive, modern facility. OUr adoption rates have almost doubled and our we have virtually no URI anymore.

Oh I totally didn't mean to say that shelters don't get donations from foot traffic, and I totally believe that your donations from foot traffic would double after a nice renovation. What I was trying to say was that these donations end up being like a drop in the bucket (or maybe a pint or two) compared to what it actually costs to run the shelter.

The total cost for a year at the shelter I worked at was over $8 million, where I believe $5 million was made from their services (adoption fees, behavior dpt, spay/neuter, + subsidy). That leaves a good $3 million that they NEED from contributions, though I believe they actually get well over $4 million. Even if you were to get $1000 in donation from foot traffic a day (which I think is highly unlikely at ANY shelter), you won't even make $400k. Though hey, if your shelter does, lemme know how they work their magic!

I guess the only real point I was trying to makes was that comparing finances for a shelter and a foster-based rescue is like comparing apples and oranges, and that I don't think it's valid to say that donations from foot traffic in shelters is a major factor in setting adoption fees. Like bunnity says, I don't think it's necessarily valid to say that rescues get the least adoptable animals either, but I don't really want to get into that.

 

[ColoradoDVM]

So, I'm in a bit of a predicament. The hospital I work at has been boarding two Great Danes that were rescued from a hoarder for the past week. They were mangy and very underweight. However, I fell in love with the female, and was considering looking into adopting her.

That is, until I found out the rescue's adoption fee. $350. Now, granted, I know they don't make a profit. I personally saw their bill for over $1000 for both dogs, and they were headed to another clinic. But, even though I loved her, I can't see myself spending $350 on a dog when I can go to the shelter and get one for $75 that has already been spayed.

I don't want this to turn into a "this rescue adoption fee is outrageous" sort of thread. Mainly I'm interested in what you all personally feel is too much for an adoption fee.

I volunteer with a Great Dane Rescue-that adoption fee is more than fair. The adoption fee generally pays a small portion of the rescue's cost, and that does not include all of the free unpaid labor that volunteers with the nonprofit contribute. The adoption fee will go towards the next dog that needs help finding a forever home. In general, (not always) most shelters cannot spend the $ on medical care that rescues are willing to spend on individual animals. Many shelters call rescues for help when they know they cannot devote the funds towards a dog with serious medical problems. More are saved that way, but that is why the fee is higher than shelters, which are often subsidized by government.