Adoption fee in shelters

Orla K

I'm just wondering what people think of them.

While I agree that it is a good way of getting money to pay for things like vet fees the other side of it is why would some people get a dog for €90 or a cat for €60* when they could get a puppy or a kitten for free. I suppose for me this is more for the cats. I have adopted a cat before the other one came to me and never payed to get them, I wouldn't really expect to unless it was a purebreed.

I'm in too minds about this and don't really know what to think.







*prices from an animal shelter website

mymo

Well worth every penny in our case,
A little back story:
I adopted a cat from ASH in Wicklow a year ago next week, he was adult, vet checked and treated for bout of cat flu, then had been vac'd, wormed and flea'd before they let me take him. He was already neutered when he was surrendered to them.
They were wonderful, I usually only took in kittens and never paid for a cat, but as we had a young pup I wanted and adult that was used to dogs and other cats. They asked me a few questions about the pets we had and how we looked after them, then showed us 3 "suitable" cats, the one they recommended we took home a week later. They obviously spent time with him as everything they told us about him was true, he's a friendly lively cat who fitted in perfectly with the dogs and cat. I'm so glad I went there.
When I asked how much I was told they ask for a donation of about €30, I gave them €50, some bedding and some bags of food. I have pets and know how much this vet treatment must have cost, and have since made 2 more small donations. He is worth every penny.

ISDW

I run a rescue for dogs and I neuter/spay, microchip, vaccinate (including kennel cough), deflea and worm all of the dogs prior to rehoming. How can I cover that cost if I didn't ask for a donation? The donation I ask for doesn't pay for all of that, but it helps.

The shelter you are talking about has animals to feed and vets bills to pay, how would you suggest they do that unless they ask for a rehoming fee? The kittens and puppies that don't cost the rescues and shelters much money help to cover the costs of the other animals that do, the older ones with health issues, or the ones that may not be rehomed for a long time, but still need looking after. Then there is the cost of transport, picking animals up etc.

Orla K

ISDW wrote: »

I run a rescue for dogs and I neuter/spay, microchip, vaccinate (including kennel cough), deflea and worm all of the dogs prior to rehoming. How can I cover that cost if I didn't ask for a donation? The donation I ask for doesn't pay for all of that, but it helps.

The shelter you are talking about has animals to feed and vets bills to pay, how would you suggest they do that unless they ask for a rehoming fee? The kittens and puppies that don't cost the rescues and shelters much money help to cover the costs of the other animals that do, the older ones with health issues, or the ones that may not be rehomed for a long time, but still need looking after. Then there is the cost of transport, picking animals up etc.

I understand you completely and agree but, I just started thinking of it from a point of view of someone who just wanted a pet, didn't matter if it was a rescue or not. When I got my cat, they never asked for money, and I had plenty of people asking me why did I go to a shelter and get an adult cat when I could have gone to x and get a kitten. Having to pay this will put some people off getting a rescue pet and I do think there needs to be more converts to rescue pets.

I'm going to start volenteering at the shelter where I adopted my cat, there was one cat which had fiv or felv (it's a no kill shelter) the vet bills for that one cat would be larger than most others and as well as that she had to get neutered. If an adoption fee is brought in that will make the kittens they have less likely to be adopted this sick cat would have no chance.

Magenta

Orla K wrote: »

why would some people get a dog for €90 or a cat for €60* when they could get a puppy or a kitten for free.

If you got a puppy or kitten for free, and had it vet checked, that alone would cost roughly €40. That doesn't include vaccinations, de-worming, de-fleaing, neutering (depending on the kitten/puppy's age) or microchipping.
Plus some people like to help animals in need rather than take them from random people who didn't bother getting their pets neutered.

andreac

Orla K wrote: »

I'm just wondering what people think of them.

While I agree that it is a good way of getting money to pay for things like vet fees the other side of it is why would some people get a dog for €90 or a cat for €60* when they could get a puppy or a kitten for free. I suppose for me this is more for the cats. I have adopted a cat before the other one came to me and never payed to get them, I wouldn't really expect to unless it was a purebreed.

I'm in too minds about this and don't really know what to think.

Orla, how do you think the shelters fund the running of the place if they dont get donations? It costs money to look after these animals while they are in their care which can be sometimes weeks, even months.

The vet bills alone are sky high and sometimes cruelty cases cost a lot of money to get the dog back to good health.

Most people running these shelters are doing it on their own time and not getting any payment for it and are just there to help these poor animals out.

Id say the money they get from donations doesnt even come close to covering their costs so they are always relying on donations and sponsorship from the public to help out.

Surely you know how much it costs to feed, house, vaccinate and care for an animal on a weekly basis, its far from free so i think animal shelters are well within their rights to ask for a donation.

lorebringer

Even if someone gets a pup or kitten for free they will still have to pay for vaxing, chipping and neuter (when they are old enough). One of my own dogs came to me as a rescue, and was intended to be a foster but ended up over staying his welcome. It cost me the best part of €300 to get all the bits and bobs done for him (vaxing - two primary and KC about €35 each, chip - €35, neuter €120, worming and de-flea) not to mention the hernia he needed removed about 6 months after we initially got him, the numerous infections he has picked up along the way (he is prone to eye infections), food etc. The costs for a "free" pup add up very quickly.

Rescues around the country do great work getting dogs and cats back to full health and getting them the vet care they need. It costs a fortune to do this and an adoption fee only covers a very small portion of the cost they incur. It doesn't matter whether the dog/cat is a pure breed or not, they still cost money to get sorted, The new owners are getting a dog that is on the right path to good health and has been treated for, in some cases, very serious and/or painful health problems so the least the new owner can do is pay a donation considering how much money, time and effort the rescue has spent on the animal before they get to their new home.

Also, a donation or fee for an animal really weed out the people who genuinly want the pet and those who want it for the hell of it. If everyone had "free" animals there would be far more given back to rescues or just dumped when times got bad. Rescues serve a very valuable purpose in educating people and neutering cats/dogs, without this many people would not neuter their pets and there would be far more unwanted animals (like there isn't enough already!). I think by taking the "bother" out of it (and paying someone else to do it in the form of donation) many people are far more likely to have neutered pets than would if they have to deal with getting it done themselves.

andreac

Orla K wrote: »

I understand you completely and agree but, I just started thinking of it from a point of view of someone who just wanted a pet, didn't matter if it was a rescue or not. When I got my cat, they never asked for money, and I had plenty of people asking me why did I go to a shelter and get an adult cat when I could have gone to x and get a kitten. Having to pay this will put some people off getting a rescue pet and I do think there needs to be more converts to rescue pets.

I'm going to start volenteering at the shelter where I adopted my cat, there was one cat which had fiv or felv (it's a no kill shelter) the vet bills for that one cat would be larger than most others and as well as that she had to get neutered. If an adoption fee is brought in that will make the kittens they have less likely to be adopted this sick cat would have no chance.

Sorry, but if you cant afford to give a donation of some sort then you def cannot afford to get a pet full stop!!

I think its only fair to give some sort of a donation to a rescue whether they ask for money or not. I would never expect anything for free, esp not an animal that has been in a rescue centre or animal shelter.

They dont live on fresh air so how do you suppose people are paying to feed and take care of the animals until they go to their new homes??

As i said, some of these dogs/cats are in rescue for weeks even months, so take for instance a large breed like a rottie, it would cost at least 40/50 euro per month on food alone, and if they need to be vaccinated, neutered etc that will cost another couple of hundred, so where do you think rescue get their money from to carry out these procedures?

Most of them get no help from the government so are relying on the general public to help out in any way they can, so if thats a small donation when you take the animal then thats what they have to do.

I would actually question someone seriously if they werent willing to give some sort of donation when rehoming an animal from a shelter or rescue.

Orla K

Magenta wrote: »

If you got a puppy or kitten for free, and had it vet checked, that alone would cost roughly €40. That doesn't include vaccinations, de-worming, de-fleaing, neutering (depending on the kitten/puppy's age) or microchipping.
Plus some people like to help animals in need rather than take them from random people who didn't bother getting their pets neutered.

The thing is the majority of people around where I live (don't know about the rest of the country) would not think about adopting a pet before getting one of x's pups or kittens, even with the vet costs one.

andreac wrote: »

Orla, how do you think the shelters fund the running of the place if they dont get donations? It costs money to look after these animals while they are in their care which can be sometimes weeks, even months.

The vet bills alone are sky high and sometimes cruelty cases cost a lot of money to get the dog back to good health.

Most people running these shelters are doing it on their own time and not getting any payment for it and are just there to help these poor animals out.

Id say the money they get from donations doesnt even come close to covering their costs so they are always relying on donations and sponsorship from the public to help out.

Surely you know how much it costs to feed, house, vaccinate and care for an animal on a weekly basis, its far from free so i think animal shelters are well within their rights to ask for a donation.

No the money doesn't come close, they do have to do alot of fund raising throughout the year. I was just thinking about it from a perspective of alot of people I know that would be hesitent to get a rescue pet and the adoption fees would put them off completly. They would also be no less capable of providing care for an animal then people who would pay this money.

lorebringer wrote: »

Even if someone gets a pup or kitten for free they will still have to pay for vaxing, chipping and neuter (when they are old enough). One of my own dogs came to me as a rescue, and was intended to be a foster but ended up over staying his welcome. It cost me the best part of €300 to get all the bits and bobs done for him (vaxing - two primary and KC about €35 each, chip - €35, neuter €120, worming and de-flea) not to mention the hernia he needed removed about 6 months after we initially got him, the numerous infections he has picked up along the way (he is prone to eye infections), food etc. The costs for a "free" pup add up very quickly.

Rescues around the country do great work getting dogs and cats back to full health and getting them the vet care they need. It costs a fortune to do this and an adoption fee only covers a very small portion of the cost they incur. It doesn't matter whether the dog/cat is a pure breed or not, they still cost money to get sorted, The new owners are getting a dog that is on the right path to good health and has been treated for, in some cases, very serious and/or painful health problems so the least the new owner can do is pay a donation considering how much money, time and effort the rescue has spent on the animal before they get to their new home.

Also, a donation or fee for an animal really weed out the people who genuinly want the pet and those who want it for the hell of it. If everyone had "free" animals there would be far more given back to rescues or just dumped when times got bad. Rescues serve a very valuable purpose in educating people and neutering cats/dogs, without this many people would not neuter their pets and there would be far more unwanted animals (like there isn't enough already!). I think by taking the "bother" out of it (and paying someone else to do it in the form of donation) many people are far more likely to have neutered pets than would if they have to deal with getting it done themselves.

They have plenty of other ways to weed out someone who really wanted a pet, I know when I adopted my cat I couldn't just take her home straight away, and with the dogs they often do home checks to make sure it is suitable and check to see how the pet is doing. Again I was thinking from a certain peoples perspective.

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but if you cant afford to give a donation of some sort then you def cannot afford to get a pet full stop!!

I think its only fair to give some sort of a donation to a rescue whether they ask for money or not. I would never expect anything for free, esp not an animal that has been in a rescue centre or animal shelter.

They dont live on fresh air so how do you suppose people are paying to feed and take care of the animals until they go to their new homes??

As i said, some of these dogs/cats are in rescue for weeks even months, so take for instance a large breed like a rottie, it would cost at least 40/50 euro per month on food alone, and if they need to be vaccinated, neutered etc that will cost another couple of hundred, so where do you think rescue get their money from to carry out these procedures?

Most of them get no help from the government so are relying on the general public to help out in any way they can, so if thats a small donation when you take the animal then thats what they have to do.

I would actually question someone seriously if they werent willing to give some sort of donation when rehoming an animal from a shelter or rescue.

It's not about not being able to afford it, it's about why should I get an animal that has been regected for some reason that I have to pay for when I can get a pup/kitten off of x for free. The vet costs of it yet don't come into the equation.


Again I was just wondering what people thought and thank you for your comments. The replies I made were because I felt the need to explain why I thought about the negitive side of it, the views aren't mine but of alot of people I know.


Just to let people know I when I adopted my cat, I didn't give a donation at the time, my plan was to volenteer for them and when the flora mini marathon came around I would raise money for them. For different reasons I'm only getting around to volenteering now. I'm probably going to do the marathon for another few years as well. I also adopted one that was lovely and just wanted out of there, to go home with someone but because of her three legs no body wanted her. (she also had the operation for the leg before she came into the shelter)

December

Simply put, and i think many will agree, that there just isn't enough education out there about animal welfare in this country, tbh its abismal! - and the animal themselves are paying the toll. -.-

The point is that wouldn't it be better if people wanting a pet go to a rescue first, in the knowledge that it would most likely work out cheaper (and better for them) if they were to rescue an older pet and paying the donation/fee. Instead of getting a "free" kitten/puppy and either, while being neglectful, dont pay for their vacinations, neuturing etc (which would probably lead to problematic problems requiring money in the future) or paying them which would surely be more expensive than the rescue's donation cost.


Therefor, in order to get more people into the rescue centres, somehow people have to be educated (whether it be through advertising campaigns etc) about the costs involved in purchasing or getting a "free" animal vs the costs and benefits of adopting from a rescue.

Or even..just a thought.. having a lot stricter laws in terms of animal welfare. Make it obligatory to vaccinate your pet - and by doing this people will more like go to a rescue, pay the donation fee and be receive a pet thats already healthy. \o/

boomerang

It's very simple - if the shelters didn't ask for donations when adopting out their animals, they would quickly go under. Without those donations, the shelters would simply cease to exist.

Our own rescue rehomes literally hundreds of dogs and cats every year. Thank god the animals are not short of homes and we get great local support. Yes we do get people ringing us who are ASTOUNDED at our audacity in asking for a donation, but we just stay polite and explain the costs involved in rehoming the animal responsibly. If they're still rude and angry with us, well then we are left wondering is that someone we would have wanted to give an animal to in the first place, if they don't put any meas on having an animal vaccinated, neutered, etc.

Word of mouth is great for converting people to the idea of rescuing an animal rather than buying one from a breeder - having our dogs out there in the community, happily settled in their new homes spreads the message that our shelter is a good place to come and visit when you're looking for a new pet.

andreac

Orla, when you say "getting one off x", what do you mean by that?

How and why would people be getting free animals off "x" in the first place?

If by "x" you mean someone who happens to have an accidental litter or just breeding their pets, then its these people that are contributing to the huge problem of so many unwanted, accidental litters that end up in rescue and not getting properly vetted homes for their pups.:mad:

Animals shouldnt be free in the first place and if they are then theres something wrong, it shouldnt be so easy to just get a free dog off "x" because they happen to have a litter.

Im not getting at you Orla by the way, just the way some people think in general about animals.

Orla K

andreac wrote: »

Orla, when you say "getting one off x", what do you mean by that?

How and why would people be getting free animals off "x" in the first place?

If by "x" you mean someone who happens to have an accidental litter or just breeding their pets, then its these people that are contributing to the huge problem of so many unwanted, accidental litters that end up in rescue and not getting properly vetted homes for their pups.:mad:

Animals shouldnt be free in the first place and if they are then theres something wrong, it shouldnt be so easy to just get a free dog off "x" because they happen to have a litter.

Im not getting at you Orla by the way, just the way some people think in general about animals.

By x I mean a person I just chose not to use a name, a few examples of animals would be my friend has two stray cats living in her garden, they sometimes have kittens she feels she needs to care for (and she does alot to care for them) but so far because the cats are semi feral she hasn't been able to get them to the vet(and she has tried). Another example I know of is a guy likewise who as cats on his land having kittens, but this guy isn't taking proper care of the animals, he's old and it's one of those things where he sees them for catching mice(I think his wife might feed the cats) and then of course there is the accedental litter in dogs were a purebreed got mated with an unknown dog. I actually rehomed a kitten, couldn't find the owner, couldn't keep it and found a family that cared for cats before(they had got my number from the vets too)(I think they actually offered to give me something for it but I told them to spend it on the kitten.) I'm sure there's plenty of ways people end up with pups or kittens but these examples are true ones that I know about all of which have happened in the past few years.

I do agree with you that I don't think animals should be free but the reality is they are! (a bit of a sideline but even paying for an animal doesn't mean that the owner will then continue onto pay for vet stuff, I know someone that payed €600 for a dog which they then ignored and gave out about because it dug up the garden, that dog went to someone who had already got a dog off x for free and is in a much better home. Sadly she still has some behavoural problems from being left alone in a garden all the time)

I understand nobody is getting at me, I'm more on your side than there's but I'm trying to look at this from all points and i feel that most people will continue to ignore rescue pets.

Whispered

Good subject to talk about and a lot of people do feel that way. But I think once you begin to think logically about it then you begin to understand why it's so important to donate and why it's important that the rescues ask for donations.

Magenta wrote: »

some people like to help animals in need rather than take them from random people who didn't bother getting their pets neutered.

+1 people like to feel like they're helping.

The reality is the donation often does not cover the cost of the dog/cat. My dog was a foster who cost a few hundred euro due to a sickness, even when I decided to hold onto him, the rescue just asked for the usual donation of €80!! Obviously I covered all of the vets bills, he was my dog then so my responsibility, but that is the type of thing a (good) rescue will do. That is just one case where, had I accepted the money, the rescue would have lost out at least €200 on one dog.

lorebringer wrote: »

Also, a donation or fee for an animal really weed out the people who genuinly want the pet and those who want it for the hell of it. If everyone had "free" animals there would be far more given back to rescues or just dumped when times got bad..

for me, this is the most important part of the donation tbh. I know the rescues need the money to survive but I think someones reaction to being asked for a donation says a lot about their commitment to their pet

EGAR

When I started rescue well over a decade ago, I had no set adoption fee. I told people to give what they can afford. After a year I had to change it to a set adoption fee or go under.

I am really annoyed when people call looking for free dogs. My adoption fees are not high and don't even cover one third of what I would have to spend on an adult dog provided it didn't arrive here sick, then costs quickly shoot up. Yet people look for something for free..

Blueprint

My dog cost me an adoption fee of 150 Euro, he came vaccinated, neutered and microchipped and was in the rescue for 3 or 4 weeks before getting rehomed. (And Is worth a hundred times that to me!)

At the same time, I took in a stray female cat and kept her and two of her kittens. Vaccinations and worming etc.(each): 90 Euro. Neutering: 60 Euro for the male, 90 Euro each for the female. I didn't even go with microchips at the time, as I was just getting all the really essential bits out of the way. So I'd consider 60 Euro for a vaccinated and neutered cat a real bargain!

Of course, if you just want to get an animal for free and not give it any health care, you can, but you wouldn't be considered a suitable home by any self respecting rescue...

I chose a rescue because I wanted to help a dog and now I know even more about rescuing I'd definitely never get a dog any other way.

boomerang

Orla K wrote: »

i feel that most people will continue to ignore rescue pets.

I honestly feel that you can afford to be a bit more optimistic, Orla! There seems to be a pretty constant demand for rescue dogs, cats, kittens and puppies. Some might take longer to rehome than others (the plain ones, the older ones, etc.) but in the end they all get a home. You've just got to have faith and be patient.

Tomorrow is Saturday - our busiest day. The sanctuary will be up the walls with visitors applying to adopt our current residents - all subject to homecheck of course. We don't just want any homes for our animals - we want good homes and we're not afraid to (gently) turn people down if we don't think they have the right home to offer.

Deadpool

I see it from both sides,the rescue has to surive cause if it stops the dog/cat dont,but i know people that can afford the 60/70 a month because its spread over the month but cant fork out 70/80 in one go.Have you ever conciderd dirct debit and to allow the person to keep getting the vet bills through you and spreeding the payments.That way you make sure the dog/cat keeps getting looked after and maybe a small charge for the center every month helping out.Also home checks scare some people off,yes sometimes for the right reson and sometimes wrong.I know one older lady that would never let anyone near her home,i got her a cat that has the best life ever.Also i know for a man that used to breed gsd and would let people come to his nice house everything you want to see take the dog and later move to to kennel down the road...he DONT do this anymore.Also spelling is not my strong point SORRY