Rescue & the economy

[Lauri & The Gang]

Just curious - is anyone adjusting their adoption fees due to the economy?

I know there has been an influx of pets being given up - both to shelters and on places like Craigslist. Has you seen this in your rescue?

What other ways has the ecomony affected your rescue efforts?

[pupresq]

We are seeing a lot more dogs being given up and a decrease in what is getting adopted/accepted to rescue. Including dogs that would have been snapped up just a few years ago. We have not reduced our adoption fees though because our costs haven't gone down any - if anything they've increased, as more and more people are competing for every donation dollar. Our adoption fees cover our vet work, so we can't really charge any less than we do.

[Jazy's mom]

I am not doing as many transports as I use to. Last year I was doing 2-3 a month during the summer and usually at least one a month the rest of the year. This year I can count on my hands the number of transports I have done.

[Pascha]

This might seem like a silly question, but doesn't your cost of keeping the rescued dogs increase the longer you have them?

E.g., if you keep a dog six weeks, the cost is only X amount of dollars, versus if you keep a dog six months?

So if you let a dog go for less than X amount, and actually find a home for it, might you be better off than if you kept the dog indefinitely?

I recently saw on the board a working line GSD for adoption at $200. Let's see....that is a free dog, and maybe $75 for vaccines and deworming. I still say someone somewhere is making some $$.

[ninhar]

Quote:I recently saw on the board a working line GSD for adoption at $200. Let's see....that is a free dog, and maybe $75 for vaccines and deworming. I still say someone somewhere is making some $$.

Trust me, rescue is NOT about making money. As a rule, rescues generally lose money on every dog. Even with discounts that SOME veterinarians give to rescues, which is usually about 20%, it costs a **** of a lot more than $75 to spay/neuter and vaccinate a dog. I suggest you volunteer with a rescue for awhile to see the reality of how rescue works.

[Myamom]

No....there is spay/neuter which has to be done on almost EVERY dog we take into rescue (a dog already spayed/neutered is a pleasant surprise). In my area that runs $150-$300. In addition there is a vet appt. (in my area $45) PLUS cost of shots, microchipping.....FOR A HEALTHY DOG. Of course...MANY also come with other health issues...parasites, kennel cough. And those are the easy cases. Considering our adoption fee is $225...you do the math. And that is for a HEALTHY dog.

Of course...you get your more difficult cases. Let's see...we have a dog right now that has severe hip dysplasia and ununited elbows. Just to start both elbows will need surgery at over $2000 PER elbow. Take a look at some of the cases in "where they are now" and "follow up".........Apollo.....Phoenix.....Samantha....jus t to name a few...........

(oh...and there are many times pull fees, boarding fees, transport fees)

I can't believe anyone would think rescues make money...it's a struggle to keep your head above water.......thus our NEED to get out there and DONATE our time TO FUNDRAISE so we can SAVE LIVES.

[Prinzsalpha]

LOL I am in agreement Mary Ann. Transports are definately harder. It has slowed down in terms of adoption but we do have at least 6 applications on dogs right now. It is normal to slow down closer to the holidays and we do not adopt at that period also, very selective, we do not want our dogs as presents, some unwanted.

[Myamom]

geez...forgot HW test......HW Preventative and Frontline/Advantix provided to all our fosters...FOOD.........CRATES....

whew...I'm getting rather flushed here...lololol.......

[Jazy's mom]

On top of the vetting, you still have to pay for food, flea preventative and heartworm preventative. Here in the south that is year round. So after all the vetting is done, you are paying around $50 a month just for basic care. I foster mostly seniors and they typically take longer to find homes for. I had one of my fosters for over a year (that means two rounds of shots). There is no way rescues make a profit. You may make money on one dog, but then you loose money on another.

[Borrelli21]

geez...forgot HW test......HW Preventative and Frontline/Advantix provided to all our fosters...FOOD.........CRATES....

whew...I'm getting rather flushed here...lololol.......
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