Pet adoption fees outrageous!!

Yes they are expinsive in my area too, I feel that some of these shelters/pet shop are charging outrageous fees, and making it nearly impossible for people to adopt an animal, there for denying a animal a chance at a loving home, I understand that these shelters need money to function, but they should find other methods of earning money to keep these shelters running properly instead of charging insane amounts of money to the potential adoptive pet owner, becuse not everyone can afford to pay that kind of cash, to adopt a pet, but that dosent mean that they dont deserve to have the chance to give an animal the chance to have a caring home instead of possibly being euthanized. my point is that these shelters should not charge such high amounts becuse every animal deserves a chance.

I co-founded a non profit animal rescue group sixteen years ago. At that time, our adoption fee was $75.00. That $75.00 covered the exact expense of basic vet care...spaying/neutering, shots, tests for contagious or deadly diseases. This was what the vet charged us and neither my group nor the vet made a penny. Over the years that amount has increased to $125. just because the cost of medication has gone up. Any animal that came to us with an injury, heatworms or any other condition that required more than basic vet care had to be covered by donations from the public and fund raisers. If you can find a "free" animal, are you going to take it to the vet? Are you going to be responsible enough to get it spayed/neutered as to not add to the horrible pet overpopulation problem? If so, good luck getting that done for less than $300.00. Also, you will be lucky to have an adopted/rescue animal. Most likely, they have been very loved and well cared for in a foster home and not over breed by a breeder that is just doing it for money...not love.

It's like $120 here - which I think is way too much. When I got my dog over 10 years ago it was $70, which shocked me then! We can get a full-breed for $500 if we want, but I like mutts better and will most likely go to the pound when I need another dog - or look in the paper for "Free to good home".

Provided that fee means they are vet checked, micro-chipped, and have received their shots....great! I don't have a problem with that...all I need to get then is bedding, a leash and collar, shampoo and flea treatment, dry dog biscuits and wet food, treats for training, toys. You will also need to get the dog registered. I also think its a good idea to have a bank account that you put $2 - $3 in a week to take care of any vet attention your dog may need in the future. It's not much I know but it will build up over time and it's better than nothing. Put more in when you can afford to. Having a pet is expensive. I don't know how people manage to feed and take care of large numbers of pets when they themselves are unemployed.

The fees r high in my area Windsor, Ontario, Canada, because the animal has all shots, micro chipped and neutered. I don't know if other places r the same. REMEMBER ALWAYS LUV/ CARE FOR YOUR DOG/ PET, THEY WILL ALWAYS LUV U..

Go to www.petfinder.com they have a listing of tons of animals in local shelters and rescues all over the US. Most are $50-$300. I hope I helped!

pet adoption have gone crazy i adopted a pup and it caused me 90.00 dollars i think this is outrageous.but you say you was looking and it was 200 wow and iam complainting that is a lot.i hope you can find somewhere cheaper.

Yes, the amounts that the shelters charge for the dogs are outrageous, but take into consideration what the costs cover. There are administrative costs for the people who are tending the dogs and cats in the shelter. They need to feed the animals, clean the runs, give the animals attention, make sure that the animals are healthy and groomed. Also there is the check up when the animal enters the shelter, which includes shots, worming, quarantine in a holding area because they don't usually know where the animal came from, and even bathing the animal to control fleas. When you adopt the animal, usually they aren't spayed or neutered yet. Part of that cost goes for spaying or neutering the animal. In my area the fee for the animal also includes a free vet visit to make sure that the animal is still sound and healthy. As you go through your community, you may see shelter trucks driving around. It costs a lot to keep the trucks on the road. They not only pick up stray animals, but they also are on call for animals that might be "sick" with an unknown ailment (again in my area we have a high incidence of rabies). The truck is equipped with the necessary items for not only the driver's safety but also the animals. It also has medications etc. I would rather adopt from my local shelter and pay the higher price than to go to a breeder. It not only gives an animal a second chance, but the fees help keep the animals in a safe environment. I have adopted a lot of my furry family from the shelter, and currently own four rescued cats and I also have four dogs from a breeder. As much as I love the dogs, I wouldn't go to the breeder again simply because the dogs aren't as healthy as the ones I get from the shelter. The background checks are a good idea, but they would also cost money and would raise the cost of adoption. It boils down to a now win situation when adopting from the local shelter...but it is mostly the fact that you are giving a dog or cat a second chance at a wonderful home.

$200 does seem high. I volunteer at a no kill cat rescue and our fee is $90, which covers vaccinations and spaying/neutering.

I believe their fees are to cover the cost of shot and/ or spay or nueter. Plus maybe some of the food they eat. Im just guessing here. So if you get a free one from somewhere will you serlilize and get shot? Maybe you can compare the cost of adoption to the cost it will be at the vets. Im just saying thats what i would do.

As you can see, there are people on both sides of the fence on this one. I, myself, do not think that it is outrageous. I adopted my last cat from the shelter and paid $60+ almost 15 years ago. It included first shots, spaying, tattoo and a vet check. With my dog however, I was "lucky" enough to find her on Craigslist for free. However, I had to pay for spaying, tattoo, vaccinations and a checkup. I can't recall the exact cost but I think was about $200. If you take into account the shelter would have had to have fed and housed a dog a while before being adopted, I think the $200 is reasonable. Ask the shelter what the $200 includes and then ask your vet/pet shop how much it would cost. I bet you'd be surprised. Anyway, the whole unwanted pet for adoption cycle is really a tough situation for all concerned. Take comfort in knowing that you're doing a good thing and believe that your money has gone to a good cause (if the shelter is reputable).

I am absolutely amazed that adoption fees of that size are being asked for. I know that my local dog home in the UK only asks for a donation. I any case you are saving the home money by adopting a pet. Vet charges are bad enough. It is enough to make you want to keep your ears open and adopt a pet privately when a suitable puppy becomes available.

I never adopted an animal from a shelter myself. I have always found people with pets that either no longer wanted them or they had an animal that had little ones. So I have never went to adopt an animal in that way. I think the whole animal shelter system needs alot of work. It has too much red tape like alot of things today.

i thought that this is a social question.why said like this?because this question i have been met many.although said that the myriad things were the equality.but many matters were not in the imagination such.i am very like animal.i hope that this question can change.

I have heard this same complaint from people I work with as well. I would think shelters would offer a better deal trying to keep these animals from being euthanized as well. Maybe your best bet would be to try craigslist, or ask around and see if you can find a better deal somewhere else. It makes you wonder what they are really thinking especially in this tight economy these days as well.

You sound ideal to get a new puppy that needs a home. It is lovely that you have been to see puppies that need rescuing from a dog's home. I think the dogs home is short of funds because it is charging $200 for a puppy or a dog. They might think that only serious dog lovers will be willing to pay such a high amount of money. The most important thing is a loving home for each dog. I think that a home visit and a character reference show decent people and suitable homes. Wealth has nothing to do with whether a person would be kind to a dog. I had to get non-moulting breed because of my allergies. Rescue homes didn't have any poodles in my local area so I looked to the Internet and got in contact with poodle breeders. Secret cost me £395 and Magic cost me £450. I hope that you soon find a puppy to live with you and have a great life in the country.

Hey tlb! I would definitely have to agree with you that those fees are outrageous! They do the same thing here where I live and I think that it is really unfair to the animals! People who really do want to adopt these animals may just not have that amount of money to put down for the adoption and then that means that the poor dog will end up being euthanized instead! It makes no sense to me! I really get upset that the adoption fees are so steep! You can still have money to take care of a pet even if you can't afford to spend that much for the adoption. I think it is a test to make sure that you can care for the animal and take it to the vet for it's shots and stuff like that. But, to me it is wrong!

Wow, this is at a shelter?! I'm surprised they are charging that much. Sounds to me like they're looking to make a little extra money. Is it a county- or city-run shelter? Is it a private rescue organization? The rescues are the ones that usually charge an arm and a leg. Whenever I am looking for a dog, I can usually find one either in the paper or in a shelter at a reasonable price. Of course, if I ever see a pit bull in the future being given away in the paper, I am definitely taking that one. While pits are awesome dogs, in the wrong hands, they are weapons. Or bait. I'm sure my pittie girl would have either been faught or would have ended up a bait dog had I left her to her fate with her previous owner. Enough of my tangent now. Just keep looking! Surely, there will be someone out there that is willing to part with a pooch for less than $100! I am shocked that a shelter would charge that much! That is insane! If it is run by an organization...which one? I only ask because there are certain animal rights organizations in this country that are completely nuts, and I wouldn't put it past them to make their fees outrageous so less people would adopt and they would have to put more dogs down. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.

Wow I do believe that those adoption fees are outrageous and crazy that is a lot. I know when I had adopted my cat they had a special going for the adoption fee was like $50 and that was the most and then normal adoption fee is not even that much here. Unless it is different for dogs and cats here. Its like I believe were I adopted my cat it was $100. And that's it. But like every few months, they run that special for just $50. Do they do anything like that or maybe you should check. If they are trying to lessen the amount of stray dogs then they probably do do that or should. I hope things work out to were you will be able to adopt a puppy cause there are a lot of them that need a home and a family. Some have been through so much, such as being abused, abandoned and some have just been strays all their lifes.

Our local paper has puppies and kittens all the time in the free for free section. Yes these are almost always mixed breeds but in truth I believe mixed dogs are better anyway. We have two pure breeds right now (both free dogs from paper as people got then realized how big they actually got or that training was needed) and these poor dogs have many issues from over breeding. We had puppies from these two dogs and not only where they very healthy,adorable, and sweet they listen so much better and have been very easy to train. When the pups left us at 8 weeks all would sit on command, go to back door to go out on command and some other various tricks my kids picked out from a puppy training book. Some of the rescue places still equal out though if you go to a good one that gives shots, has animal fixed and or installs tracking chips. We got one of our cats from a local SPCA and they gave first shots and the tracking chip as well as a certificate to get her spade, the $50 we paid as a "donation" was well worth the cost as the shots and certificate ate up that money none to mind the chip.