WHAT ARE YOUR ADOPTION FEES?
The adoption fee for most dogs is $350. If a dog/pup is a rare or a high in
demand breed (such a Pug), our fees are often $400+. Sometimes they are higher than that. If a dog needed a great deal of extra vet work their adoption fee is slightly
higher than normal, but of course not the amount of the vet bill (which is good, as many dogs require well over $600 in vet care).
If a lot of dogs come in heartworm positive, our fees have to be raised to help pay for those treatments. Every year we have to spend
at least $15,000 on treatments (please, please give your dog heartworm preventative)! Most places
simply euthanize heartworm positive dogs but there is no way we would ever dream of doing that - no dog should have to die due to
human ignorance. You may read in several places about our higher fees for some of our "more adoptable" dogs.
These fees often reflect between $400-500ish, but please remember you are adopting a completely vetted dog (the spay/neuter,
heartworm and lymes test, all shots, and a known behavior history from the foster home). Yes, you can find a purebred puppy in the
paper for the same price (from a backyard breeder, as no truly reputable breeder would ever need to advertise in the paper), but then
you also incur the hundreds of dollars of vet costs within the first year... so it all balances nicely out! You also have the
satisfaction of donating to a cause that is known as taking in special needs dogs - heartworm positive dogs, surgery dogs, dogs in need
of rehab - that the adoption fees help pay. Trust us when we say on a great week we break even, and more often lose money, but to us
we are repaid with the thanks in these dogs eyes. Almost every week we rescue dog who turns out to be heartworm positive, sometimes it is
just 2 in a week, other times it is 5! That might not sound like much at first until you consider the cost of treatment. Heartworm treatment
costs at least $250-500 to treat per dog. Support rescue with your dollars instead of the backyard breeders who contribute to
the problem. Homeward Bound will not turn our backs on Special Needs Dogs. True, our fees are
higher than other rescues/shelters but please keep in mind that we also take in the "true rescues of rescue," not just the
perfectly healthy dogs. Our adoption fees vary, depending on the breed, gender, age of a dog, and so on. Since we are a nonprofit
organization and receive NO government support, we depend solely on adoption fees and donations to operate. Although we do receive a
slight discount from our vet, we do not receive free vet services. Dogs 6 months of age and older are spayed/neutered,
vaccinated, and heartworm and lyme tested. Some dogs also require dentals, surgeries, heartworm/lymes treatment, etc.
To give you an idea of the costs for the medical treatment, equipment, food, etc. that an animal requires, the list below
outlines the average costs Homeward Bound must pay. Operating expenses are also included. Things in bold print are our most common
expenses.
- Food: The dogs eat 200 - 250 pounds of dog food per day
- Weekly Vet Bills: $1,500 - $4,000 (on average, the bill is between $3,000-$4,000 each week due to so many
heartworm positive dogs who need treatment)
- Vaccinations (Rabies, Distemper Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, ParvoVirus, & CoronaVirus) for dogs 6 months of age and older: $30-45 (per dog)
- Heartworm/Lymes Test: $18 each (per dog)
- Spay/Neuter (weight of dog enters into the cost): $165 and up for spays, $150 and up for neuters (per dog)
- Revolution & Panacaur — $25 (per dog)
- Heartgard: In spring and summer, we spend at least $200 a month
- Impound Fees: $50-100 (depending on how many days the animal was at the pound) (per dog)
- Crates/Kennels: $30-150 (varies by brand and size. We use the wire crates, which cost much more than the plastic ones but we've found
that they last much, much longer and work better for adoptions. We have more large dogs than small, so often have to buy the large
or extra large crates. With crates you get what you pay for, so we buy the better brands because they are sturdier. If you know
anything about wire crates, you know how expensive the large and extra large crates cost!)
- Leashes: $6-25 per leash (depending on the length and material)
- Collars: $5-15 per collar (depending on size and material)
- Harnesses: $8-16 (depending on size)
- Rawhides: $25-40 per month
- Hauling Expenses: $300 a week (besides bringing our animals to the pet adoptions, we also have to drive to the vet and various pounds
several times a week. The vans go through a lot of gas.)
- Advertising In the Newspaper: $400-500 a month (depending on the number of Saturdays each month)
- Printing Costs: $1,200 per year (printing costs include contracts, info sheets, Homeward Bound brochures, etc.)
- Transport Costs: $150-600 per transport
- Miscellaneous: $100 per month
Special Costs:
- Antibiotics — $20-56 (per dog)
- Dental: $200 + $25 per tooth. A majority of the puppy mill survivors require $300+ dentals (per dog).
- Heartworm Treatment: Anywhere from $250 - $500 per dog, the average cost is $350.
Each year, we have to spend $15,000 - $18,000
on heartworm treatments! This is because we will not euthanize a heartworm positive dog, like many places do.
- Invasive Spay/Neuters (such as spaying during a heat cycle or removing undescended testicles): up to $300
- Mange Treatment: $35-250 (depending on the type of mange, what medications the dog needs, and the extent of the mange)
- Remove/Biopsy Tumors: $150-300 (depending on the size of the tumor, location, and other circumstances)
- Surgeries: Hundreds - thousands of dollars
- Groomers: $15-75 (price depends on the size of the dog and the how extreme the cases are. Sometimes the dogs that come from the pounds or puppy
mills are in such filthy conditions and their fur is so matted that it is literally impossible for us to properly groom the dogs ourselves)
Why Are Your Adoption Fees so High?
Please keep in mind that rescue dogs are not "bargain" dogs. Here at Homeward Bound, we have a space in our hearts for
everyone of every breed/mix, size, age, health, etc. Because of this, we have extremely high vet bills. Although we do receive a slight
discount from our vet, we do not receive free vet services. On average, our weekly vet bills range from $1,500 - 4,000! When ill dogs have
recovered, we feel it is unfair to them if we put their adoption fee at the cost of the vet bills (many times the vet bills are over $800
for treatment, dentals, spay/neuter, heartworm and lymes test). So, we try to balance out all of these vet
bills by asking for a higher adoption fee, especially on the small, very "in-demand" dog. We are the last chance for many of
our dogs because they are deemed "unadoptable" because of health. Many animal care facilities opt to euthanize pets that have
health problems that are quite easy to fix (heartworm, lymes disease, tumors, etc.). Homeward Bound, however, will not turn our backs
on these dogs who need us most. Our mission is to help these poor victims onto a better life, by providing necessary vet care and
placement into a permanent home who is 100% committed to caring for these animal(s) for the rest of their lives.
But What if I Can't Afford the Adoption Fee?
It is not our mission to provide the public with low-cost pets. We understand that sometimes money is an issue, especially for
seniors on budgets, but we cannot reduce our adoption fees. Our adoption fees are put in place for assuring that the pets new owner is
not only serious about caring for it, but as well as helping to pay for these items (as well as its care before finding a new home). Too
many times, a family doesn't take into account the real cost of owning a dog. Many dogs end up in shelters because of medical or
obedience problems resulting from the family not factoring these costs into the monthly budget. We do not feel that they are unsuitable
homes, but please keep in mind that any pet (just like any person) can become ill at any time for any reason. If you cannot pay the
adoption fee chances are you won't be able to afford proper vet care (especially emergency vet care which can be very expensive), for
example. It would be tragic for both the owner and the pet, if the pet could not receive care or treatment because of money. We are more
than happy to arrange payment plans (through post-dated checks) and will try to be as flexible as possible. There are many Humane
Societies and rescues that receive a lot of funding which allows them to have lower adoption fees. Please remember that all adoption
fees/donations are tax deductible.
What Forms of Payment does Homeward Bound Accept?
We accept either cash or personal checks. |
|
