How much is that doggie in the window????

Don't get me wrong, I love where we have taken the adoption center, but It makes me crazy that the words "rescue" and "non-profit" mean we should provide a service for FREE.  Last time I checked "rescue" meant to save and "non-profit" meant an organization is formed for the purpose of serving a public or mutual benefit other than gaining profit for owners or investors.  Guess what folks, one of the richest people in the world has a non-profit called the Bill Gates Foundation?  Do you think that foundation is poor and provides all of it's services free of charge?  NOT!

Anyway, we have some of the highest adoption fees around (yes, there are higher than our $400 puppies and $250 adults) and I wanted to share an email about just that and hope it sheds some light and maybe can be shared with others. 

Here is an email I received today, word for word:

Why are you so expensive compared to the other places? It doesn’t seem like you are doing a justice for the animals by making it hard to adopt?  I saw two dogs on there that I probably would’ve picked up Saturday, had the cost been $85.  I do not know who your clientele is, but I am sure they have DEEP pockets.

Here is my response, word for word:

For starters, all animals here would be dead had we not taken them in.  We also invest in spay/neuter as well as vaccinations.  We also do not euthenize animals that require medical attention such as broken legs, heartworm treatment, parvo, among other things.  Do you realize that a parvo positive dog costs at least  $500 to treat?  That's prior to spay/neuter, vaccinations and care.  We also have rent, utilities, food (50 pounds per day), not to mention staff to care for the animals because although everyone claims they love animals and want to volunteer, there is rarely follow through.  Finally, we receive ZERO funding from any source, state, federal, etc.  The ONLY income received is from adoptions and donations.  That being said, our costs to operate and continue saving lives for one month is minimum $11,000.  So, we could kill animals as many public and private shelters do, or we can continue to make a difference.  We place NO time limit to finding homes.   Not to mention every day people go to petstores for Shih-poos, Cockapoos, etc.,  esentially mutts, and pay upwards of $1,000 to keep puppy mills in business.  While we appreciate you coming to our facility and considering adoption, if you feel saving a life that comes nearly fully vetted is not worth our fees, we encourage you to go to another shelter where you feel fees are more acceptable.  Those animals are just as deserving as ours. 

I hope that this helps you understand why we do things the way we do and we successfully place over 1,000 pets per year and I can assure you our adoptors are of average income. 

Good luck in your search.    

Happy rescuing folks!!!!