Adoption Donation
Rescue groups charge adoption donations in order to operate. All of our volunteers are not paid for their efforts and without them, we would not be able to save the many lives we do. Our adoption donations, ranging from $200 to $375, cover expenses that we incur from rescuing puppies and dogs from high kill shelters, shelters that euthanize healthy, adoptable pets on a daily basis due to lack of space.
Some of the costs that our adoption donations cover include shelter pull fees, transportation (gas, tolls, etc), veterinary care, food, vaccinations, surgical, heartworm and flea and tick preventative, shampoo, dental bills. grooming, wormer, insurance, telephone calls, office supplies, website upkeep, advertising for adoption days and to recruit new foster homes etc.
Our volunteers have a special attachment to the dogs we rescue. We have received dogs and puppies into our rescue that have been infested with fleas, emaciated, sick, abused, etc and we often shed countless tears from the conditions some of these animals have come from. We have been to the emergency vet more times than we would care to count in the middle of the night and have cared for sick puppies that require around the clock care, running up vet bills trying to save as many we can. All of our rescued animals hold a special place in our hearts and we strive to find them the best home possible so they do not end up in the same situation again. We want their new home to be forever! Although the adoption fee is a way to subsidize costs of caring for the numerous animals we rescue on an annual basis, it also serves one greater function. If potential applicants are not willing to pay a nominal adoption donation, they are most likely not going to spend money on routine care for their dog or when an emergency may arise. The average cost of owning a dog is approximately $800 per year. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1671&aid=1543. If you can not afford the cost of adoption, then you are unlikely to be able to afford care for your pet when he falls ill or has an accident.
Purchasing a puppy at a pet store, a puppy that normally came from a puppy mill http://stoppuppymills.org/, is about $600 to $1800. In addition to the purchase price, you would also have to pay for vaccinations and spaying or neutering on top of that. Rescue dogs are a good deal compared to purchasing a puppy. Also note, when you purchase a puppy from a pet store, you are supporting puppy mills. The inhumane breeding facility that sells puppies to pet stores. Puppies are often sick when sold or other genetic problems will become apparent later in the puppies life. These problems are caused by lack of medical care, no exercise and poor diets. These facilities that breed puppies for profit, preying upon unsuspecting families that love and lose their beloved pets because of such greed. From start to finish rescuing is a very tedious, heart wrenching and costly job that takes the type of dedication not many people have the courage to take on
Please consider all of the costs associated with owning a companion animal prior to making the commitment. The friend you adopt will be your lifetime companion and will love you unconditionally. As a rescue dog, deserves to sense love and security in the family that has been so lucky to have been chosen to be rewarded with such devotion!