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Pet Adoption Fees


Scottsmum
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Just a general observation / conversation starter.

I noticed that "my pound" has increased the cost of adopting a dog - which is totally OK. I understand they need to cover their cost - it appears they've put the cost of all dogs up from $400 to $415. However I have noticed that they've put the cost of "high value" dogs up significantly more. Pups, and two adolescent Standard poodles are up to $615. They vaccinate the dog (c3), flea and desex (if needed). They also assess, mediate as needed and shelter tip the dog finds a home. They're a no kill shelter.

I think this is outrageous! I fully appreciate being given an incentive or discount on a senior dog but I couldn't justify paying $615 for a bitsa from the pound. I think they're being greedy and hurting these dogs chances or finding homes - Or am I just overreacting

Thoughts?

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People will buy them and I have no problem with it. It cost me a lot of money every time I rescue an animal. And if it has an illness or needs additional surgery, etc that cost increases. If I could charge a bit more for some more desirable animals to recoup some of those costs, why not?

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I'd rather people pay $615 for a bitsa from the pound than $3000 for a designer dog from a website!

I don't think they're hurting the dogs' chances of finding a home at all - they're only 'high value' dogs because they're ones that are highly adoptable, and will be easily adopted. If people wouldn't pay it, they wouldn't put the price up like that. And I agree with kirty, the aim of the shelter is surely to get more dogs adopted, and some will require more money and treatment to get to that point. So getting some dogs' adoption fees to cover the cost of other dogs' treatment is fine to me. I don't have a problem with it at all.

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One of the poodles has been adopted, so can't be too high for some people. Heaps cheaper than a designer dog from a backyard breeder, and the parentage and background is just as known as from those circumstances and people pay thousands for them.

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As a small rescue, I 'mark up' dogs that are more desirable - puppies and small-breed purebreds.

They cover the costs for my less desirables, who routinely see me lose a couple of hundred dollars.

If people are buying dogs at $600+ then that's prerogative.

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To clarify, is it a pound or a shelter?

I'm not 100% sure of the difference?

They are an impound facility (so, pound), not a rescue, if that's what you mean.

http://sydneydogsandcatshome.org/

The difference in this particular example is that scdh is a privately run facility that acts as a shelter for several councils. Pounds, or impound facilities, are local government owned and managed.

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I don't see why more highly sought after dogs shouldn't cost more. Presumably they aren't limiting the chances of rehoming because they know what people will pay. If people stopped paying then I guess they would change the pricing policy pretty quickly.

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Exactly huga, our puppies are significantly more than our adult dogs although they cost us less as medical stuff is cheaper coz they're small and the go quickly BUT the extra money they are able to bring in for us helps pay for the less desirable dogs who need more treatment and are with us for longer. Their sale price nowhere near covers the cost of keeping them so the money from the puppies helps us be able to give them what they need.

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Just a general observation / conversation starter.

I noticed that "my pound" has increased the cost of adopting a dog - which is totally OK. I understand they need to cover their cost - it appears they've put the cost of all dogs up from $400 to $415. However I have noticed that they've put the cost of "high value" dogs up significantly more. Pups, and two adolescent Standard poodles are up to $615. They vaccinate the dog (c3), flea and desex (if needed). They also assess, mediate as needed and shelter tip the dog finds a home. They're a no kill shelter.

I think this is outrageous! I fully appreciate being given an incentive or discount on a senior dog but I couldn't justify paying $615 for a bitsa from the pound. I think they're being greedy and hurting these dogs chances or finding homes - Or am I just overreacting

Thoughts?

That's hardly outrageous.

What's outrageous is that people will pay twice that from a BYB with nothing but a microchip if you're lucky. And the attitude that pound animals and rescue dogs are somewhat devalued by being 'second hand'. You most definitely are over reacting. Dogs cost what they cost. If you think it's a ripoff then don't buy one.

FYI there is also a problem with re-sellers trolling for 'cheap' animals (including those already in rescue) or basically anything they can turn a profit on. Vetworked or not. A standard sold for $300 at the pound can be sold for $600 on the trading post.

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I have no problems with what pounds/shelters/rescue groups charge for dogs, purebred or mixed breed. To be honest quite often the charges from these pounds etc only covers the cost of desexing, immunising and relevant vet work. People that buy these priced up to $650 are IMHO getting an exceptional bargain. If the purchaser of a new puppy got their puppy desexed, its annual injections and 3 months worth of heartworm treatment and that would cost them $650.

I am a breeder of purebred, pedigreed GSD's, I charge at the top end of the market and am very, very selective of my buyers. I discuss with them long term and short term costs, insurance and obedience. The other issue I don't allow impulse purchasing I won't allow a puppy to go home with their new family, even if the puppy is 8 weeks and hasn't been chosen or presold the new owner has to wait a week. This allows the new owner/family to read the information that I have given them and think about what I have discussed with them.

But even though I go to a lot of effort I have over 30 years had 3 dogs come back, 2 due to divorce and one death. I rehomed one and kept the other 2 for various reasons. Additional I had one 11 year old girl end up at the RSCPA due to the neighbour knocking the fence over, her family and I both arrived at the pound at the same time. No matter how much as a responsible breeder I and other breeders are, there are some reasons that some owners/families have to surrender their dogs, these currently appear to be the results of divorce, inability to obtain suitable rental property(often as a result of divorce) and change in economic circumstances such as loss of job.

Until such times as it is made harder for pet shops to sell puppies to impulse buyers and websites like Gumtree offering very inexpensive puppies due to "accidental matings" dogs that however will make good pig dogs, or my dog is good with children and so is my friends dog and we thought that the children should see puppies being born!!!! We will have an excess of puppies, I sometimes wonder if we need to encourage some form of cheaper desexation.

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