# Shelter Adoption Fees



## debodun (Oct 19, 2020)

Have gone up since the last time I looked. Dogs used to be $50 and cats $30. You'd think with so many people in financial distress these days, they would lower adoption fees instead of raising them. They are always on TV saying how many animals they have looking for good homes. This goes against the law of supply and demand. In the local paper this week thay run ads for another shelter and a cat I noticed was $150 to adopt.


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## Judycat (Oct 19, 2020)

Just put some dry cat food out and a number of stray cats will come looking for a home. Maybe even a dog or two.


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## debodun (Oct 19, 2020)

I know - many free kittens and puppies in the classifieds. Why don't people get their pets "fixed"? Taking in strays was how my mom acquired most of her collection.


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## Judycat (Oct 19, 2020)

Drives me nuts too. The cat population just keeps exploding. People here move in and because they move into a new place for some reason they need a cat. The cat lasts indoors about a year or less then it is outside breeding. People then move out and leave the cat behind. Ugh!


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## debodun (Oct 19, 2020)

People treat pets like throw-away things. When you get tired of it, just let it go.


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## debodun (Oct 19, 2020)

I shudder to think of the puppies and kittens given as Christmas gifts in families that aren't prepared to deal with pet care and the cost, care and responsibility it will entail. When the kids get tired of the novelty or it has an indoor accident, it's thrown outdoors just when the coldest part of winter is setting in. It either starves or freezes to death, or becomes a neighborhood nuisance. *PLEASE DON'T GIVE ANIMALS AS CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!*


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## Pepper (Oct 19, 2020)

I got my last two, a brother & sister, free through my vet.  Vets know people who have animals who need homes.


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## debodun (Oct 19, 2020)

Vets know who is a good and responsible pet owner, too.


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## win231 (Oct 19, 2020)

One reason I would never adopt from a shelter is the requirement to microchip (at least in this county).
If it was a choice, that's OK.  If it's a requirement, forget it.  My property is secure & any dog can't get out. 
Besides, I watched a dog being micro chipped & was very painful.


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## Aunt Bea (Oct 19, 2020)

debodun said:


> People treat pets like throw-away things. When you get tired of it, just let it go.


IMO that's an excellent reason to keep the adoption fees high enough to make people think seriously before adopting a pet.


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## Pinky (Oct 19, 2020)

I have a good friend in Arkansas who does TNR with many stray cats. She has 4 that she has kept, yet more continue to show up at her doorstep. I don't understand people who move, and just leave their pet behind and homeless - at the very least, take them to a no-kill shelter.


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## Pinky (Oct 19, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> IMO that's an excellent reason to keep the adoption fees high enough to make people think seriously before adopting a pet.


That's what so many people don't do before adopting a cute puppy or kitten.


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## jerry old (Oct 19, 2020)

In the rural, city folks  drop off their pets  on country roads because 'she gets pregnant.'


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## peramangkelder (Oct 19, 2020)

@debodun you know it is similar here in Oz
We have The Animal Welfare League and The Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals
but I have never had much luck with either of these when looking for a pet in need of rehoming
I realise the animals are best neutered and Vet checked but their fees are so excessive I usually look 
in the local newspaper or online newspapers for a better selection especially if adopting an older animal


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## Judycat (Oct 19, 2020)

I took in a stray last fall. You can tell he was used to being inside because he has a routine. One involves opening any cabinet in the afternoon means time for a treat. Morning coffee means time to hang out together.  He's a really nice cat.


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## jujube (Oct 19, 2020)

They charge for the pets because that endows the animal with some semblance of "value". 

Give something away for free and it's easier for the recipient to toss it out without a thought.

Charge for it, and the recipient has an "investment" in it and is more likely to care for it.


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## Pinky (Oct 19, 2020)

jujube said:


> They charge for the pets because that endows the animal with some semblance of "value".
> 
> Give something away for free and it's easier for the recipient to toss it out without a thought.
> 
> Charge for it, and the recipient has an "investment" in it and is more likely to care for it.


True.

It would also be beneficial to the adopted animal and adoptive family if they had to take a class on what it entails to be a pet owner before being allowed to adopt. Possibly, it would cut down on the animals being returned to the shelter.


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## Pepper (Oct 19, 2020)

jujube said:


> They charge for the pets because that endows the animal with some semblance of "value".
> 
> Give something away for free and it's easier for the recipient to toss it out without a thought.
> 
> Charge for it, and the recipient has an "investment" in it and is more likely to care for it.


That's Exactly what All Therapists of any Degree say about charging you a fee.


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## Kadee (Oct 19, 2020)

jujube said:


> They charge for the pets because that endows the animal with some semblance of "value".
> 
> Give something away for free and it's easier for the recipient to toss it out without a thought.
> 
> Charge for it, and the recipient has an "investment" in it and is more likely to care for it.


I couldn’t agree more    @jujube


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## Don M. (Oct 19, 2020)

We live in a rural area, and it is not unusual to see cats or dogs that people have "dumped" in the woods....especially cats.  Most of them wind up as either "road kill" or "buzzard food".


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## Autumn (Oct 19, 2020)

My sister has volunteered for many years at a no-kill cat shelter, and is now on their board of directors.  First of all, that $150. fee includes spay or neuter, and immunizations, which are pretty expensive at a vet.  Also, it costs a lot to run a shelter, not only all the expenses of running the building (I'm talking about a small, independent shelter) but providing food, medical care, etc. to all the cats.  They survive on fund raising events and adoption fees.  Most of the staff are volunteers.  The shelter my sister works at houses several cats with chronic illnesses who are not adoptable and require a lot of medical care.   Believe me, they're NOT making a profit.

They screen potential adopters very carefully.  Sorry for running on, but we're both very passionate about caring for animals.  The shelter is the Ellen Gifford Sheltering Home for Cats, in Brighton, MA --- old fashioned name, but it was started about 100 years ago.


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## Butterfly (Oct 21, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> IMO that's an excellent reason to keep the adoption fees high enough to make people think seriously before adopting a pet.



At the shelter where I adopted my Henry, the fees also covered the vaccinations and any medical care the pet needs when he/she comes in.  I think its a good thing.


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## Nathan (Oct 21, 2020)

Vet expenses eat up the funds that a pet rescue has, especially if they have a strong "no kill" ethic.  A good friend of mine runs a small dog rescue, she has spent upwards of $10,000 on a single medical issue for a rescue dog. SASD Inc. For this she has my utmost love and respect.


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## Aneeda72 (Nov 2, 2020)

In most counties in our state feral cats are caught, sterilized, and released back to where they were caught.  This attitude towards feral cat colonies is more and more popular.  it cuts down on the kittens, and the size of the colonies.

Yet the colonies continue to exist and keep the mice population under control in the areas they are in; people are free to leave out food and water for them without claiming ownership.  I am surprised @Don M. comment.  Cats usually adjust very well, not so with most dogs that really need people.

I have found that stupid people, who live everywhere, will deliberately run down stray animals.  Perhaps one of the many pluses of the virus is the possible culling of stupid people by Mother Nature, while stupid people refuse to wear masks.


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## SilentSoul (Nov 2, 2020)

debodun said:


> Have gone up since the last time I looked. Dogs used to be $50 and cats $30. You'd think with so many people in financial distress these days, they would lower adoption fees instead of raising them. They are always on TV saying how many animals they have looking for good homes. This goes against the law of supply and demand. In the local paper this week thay run ads for another shelter and a cat I noticed was $150 to adopt.
> 
> View attachment 129045


_The costs in food and care and housing them have gone up considerably I'm sure. They have to do something in order to earn enough to take care of these animals so people can get them. Places like this are usually not for profit. They need that income in order to try to avoid putting all these animals down. They can't do all this with no money. _


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## Pinky (Nov 2, 2020)

SilentSoul said:


> _The costs in food and care and housing them have gone up considerably I'm sure. They have to do something in order to earn enough to take care of these animals so people can get them. Places like this are usually not for profit. They need that income in order to try to avoid putting all these animals down. They can't do all this with no money. _


Please, if you can afford to at this time, donate to your local animal shelter. I prefer the "no-kill" shelters myself, but that's a personal preference.


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