[QUOTE=vxf111;8703787]
Me neither. Just saying they’re plentiful here![/QUOTE]
lol, I think they are plentiful everywhere!
I had to re-check, but the animal shelter (NOT humane society) charged me $40 to adopt my Doberman two years ago. I filled out an adoption form, and they called my vet immediately. (They asked if I was a good pet owner, from what I overheard.) Upon being approved, I was given a certificate (provided by a “friends of” group) to cover the cost of spaying for up to $140. (I donated the certificate back after spaying Darcy.) In this case, I believe my dog was given only a rabies shot, but they made sure she wasn’t exhibiting any noticeable health problems.
The local humane society recently had a 10 year old Doberman surrendered to it. (Moving–sigh). I inquired, they said the owners’ said that the shots were up to date (but no proof/papers given over), and they wanted only $185 for her. I checked her teeth–they needed cleaning badly. The humane society mentioned the vet they prefer for teeth problems/removal; they don’t pay for cleaning or have it done. The vet they prefer charges over $500; another charges a little over half that. So, to adopt, license, and be REALLY sure she had all her shots, I would have had to pay around $640. Now, I could reduce this cost by $80 by going to Tractor Supply/Family Farm stores, but the humane society won’t allow that—you have to have an established relationship with a ‘current’ vet.
More on this later, I have to get back to work…
Shelters and rescues are very different things.
Breed rescues tend to be quite expensive; they need the $$ to supplement the care of other animals coming through and most of them are in-home fosters, not an actual institution/shelter. Shelters have less space and time to be picky and tend to adopt at a marginal cost to move the animal on.
For instance, the Ridgeback Rescue (which my family has fostered/adopted many dogs from) is a legitimate rescue that, IIRC, is about $500 to adopt their dogs.
I would say for a breed-specific RESCUE, $500 is about right. For a SHELTER, $500 is ludicrously expensive.
Thanks for all the input guys. It looks like the prices can range quite a bit. It definitely surprised us. All my dogs are random mutts from wherever. Definitely opened my eyes O.O
When I was looking for a dog, I found it difficult to spot even one dog that sounded like I would like to go see it…so many rotatiw-X’s, Pit-Bull-X’s often disguised as Boxer-X’s, Husky type dogs brought down from Indiana reservations from up north…none fit my bill after quite a bit of looking.
The right fit is hard to find.
So I bought my Boxer purebred (not papers) from Kijiji and we are crazy about the little brat.
I would have settled for an older dog, too, which usually are not so easy to adopt out.
[QUOTE=jazz8899;8703573]
I have a friend who loves dobermans. Has a registered puppy but is now looking to adopt from a rescue. They are asking $500 for a unregistered neutered female that she would be rescuing. Is that normal? Or is she getting scammed? What is the normal fee for rescues, I always thought they ran around 150 - 200. Please let me know. Thanks![/QUOTE]
$500 is on the high end of what I see as totally normal for a young, healthy purebred dog from a breed specific rescue that has been very thorough in vetting and fostering the dog in advance of adopting it out. This means significant time spent in good foster homes so that the dog is really well known and represented to appropriate adopters.
So whether this $500 dog is a scam or not totally depends on the rescue organization. A good one has at least that much in the dog in terms of real dollars and can’t even begin to put a price on the time and care that goes into even a healthy, very adoptable dog. And of course the higher fees for the more adoptable dogs do a little to subsidize the costs incurred by the the less adoptable ones also in rescue. But only a little. Even a couple hundred dollars is hard to clear above costs on a healthy dog at a $500 fee. Then very, very occasional “profit” from the few high adoption fee dogs doesn’t go very far at the vet for even the most basic routine care and preventatives that are bare minimum, much less to diagnose and treat any problems, even minor ones. And it pretty much costs that much just to keep a medium or large dog in decent quality dog food over several months while it spends time with fosters, etc. And it is hard to put a price on the support of a good rescue, most of which offer lifetime return options in case the dog doesn’t work out or ever needs to be rehomed. New adopters don’t appreciate that at all, usually, but it is so very important.
FWIW municipal shelter adoption fees are around $100-200 max in my area and are routinely reduced during special promotions even for young healthy animals. Adult and senior dogs are pretty much at very reduced or waived fees pretty much at all times. And all have been vetted by physical exam, vaccinated, dewormed, heart worm tested, and spay/neutered. Retail cost is at least $300-500 for all theses services at a private vet, but are subsidized by grants and otherwise funded by the government. Private rescues are subsidized that way at all.
[QUOTE=freshman;8703901]
$500 is on the high end of what I see as totally normal for a young, healthy purebred dog from a breed specific rescue that has been very thorough in vetting and fostering the dog in advance of adopting it out. This means significant time spent in good foster homes so that the dog is really well known and represented to appropriate adopters.
So whether this $500 dog is a scam or not totally depends on the rescue organization. A good one has at least that much in the dog in terms of real dollars and can’t even begin to put a price on the time and care that goes into even a healthy, very adoptable dog. And of course the higher fees for the more adoptable dogs do a little to subsidize the costs incurred by the the less adoptable ones also in rescue. But only a little. Even a couple hundred dollars is hard to clear above costs on a healthy dog at a $500 fee. Then very, very occasional “profit” from the few high adoption fee dogs doesn’t go very far at the vet for even the most basic routine care and preventatives that are bare minimum, much less to diagnose and treat any problems, even minor ones. And it pretty much costs that much just to keep a medium or large dog in decent quality dog food over several months while it spends time with fosters, etc. And it is hard to put a price on the support of a good rescue, most of which offer lifetime return options in case the dog doesn’t work out or ever needs to be rehomed. New adopters don’t appreciate that at all, usually, but it is so very important.
FWIW municipal shelter adoption fees are around $100-200 max in my area and are routinely reduced during special promotions even for young healthy animals. Adult and senior dogs are pretty much at very reduced or waived fees pretty much at all times. And all have been vetted by physical exam, vaccinated, dewormed, heart worm tested, and spay/neutered. Retail cost is at least $300-500 for all theses services at a private vet, but are subsidized by grants and otherwise funded by the government. Private rescues are subsidized that way at all.[/QUOTE]
ETA: Young, healthy purebred dogs do show up at municipal shelters, but only occasionally and unpredictably. Someone looking for a specific, uncommon pure breed (basically anything other than pit bull, beagle, or a few other hounds) will have wait months or years to see a dog come through their local shelter and check the population constantly. Even then, when a dog does come through it is unlikely to fit the demographic they want…as in it might be older, the wrong sex, the wrong color, etc, that puts it out of the running. Worst of all, chances of being the wrong personality or temperament, too, are very real but many adopted anyway. That’s the way it goes in real life. Turnover is most important to save the most dogs. Most municipal shelters aren’t able to devote weeks and months of experienced foster care, training, and new home evaluation that private rescues can and do for these dogs.
The best situation usually is for the purebred dog to get pulled by a breed rescue and go through their own program to find the best home. This is totally worth a few hundred dollars “extra” in adoption fee premiums to me. I get a dog that has spent a lot of time in foster, so its personalty, temperament, and behavior is known as best as possible, including its quirks and problems. Through their website or adoption event, I get to choose potential dogs to meet and reject other ones within the rescue, etc. A few hundred dollars is such a bargain compared to taking home a dog straight from the shelter that hasn’t been fostered or otherwise had any sort of time spent on ensuring it’s real personality and behavior are accurately represented.
I recently paid $350 for an elderly tiny deaf dog…a bit too high I think. And, they didn’t know she was deaf! Nor did they continue her HW medication, microchip her, or clean her teeth. No guarantee that she was spayed either. Also found out she had an ear infection.
Most rescues in my area charge less than that and include a lot more than what my dog received.
[QUOTE=Marshfield;8703661]
Possibly even a little low for a young adult from breed specific rescue.[/QUOTE]
I agree with Marshfield. Rescue is more expensive than county-run shelter. Purebred rescue is more expensive than all-breed rescue, the rarer the breed the more expensive the rates. Purebred dog is more expensive than mixed breed. Young dog is more expensive than adult. Healthy is more expensive than chronic issue. Get the idea? Young purebred pup from a breed-specific rescue is like shopping at Niemen Marcus instead of Marshall’s :winkgrin:.
[QUOTE=Pep ‘n’ Ann;8703711]WOW! I paid $150 for my shelter puppy in Florida.[/QUOTE] “Shelter” or breed specific rescue? Different orgs with VERY difference funding sources.
We’ve paid almost $500 each for each of our 3 rescues. It’s certainly pricey, but fostering, you learn how much they spend on vet bills. and if for some reason the vet bill + adoption fee from the shelter on that certain dog didn’t cost them that much, then it goes towards paying the vet bills on dogs who have higher vet fees (for example, if the dog is heart worm positive). So I don’t think $500 is unreasonable. But thank you for choosing a rescue dog!! (:
Our rescue charges a $125.00 donation fee for adults, $200.00 for puppies. They are fixed, microchipped and have all age appropriate shots. In addition we treat their health issues which many have which is why they are not adoptable at the shelter.
No, it doesn’t cover the medical costs in the vast majority of cases. Donations, an all volunteer group and fund raising make up the difference. We’re in Texas and there are plenty of dogs who need homes here. I understand that rescues in the NE have a different situation for the most part.
the rescues i know charge about $300 but the dogs are UTD on Vaccinations and already spayed/neutered. they won’t even consider adopting out a dog that is not spayed/neutered. Sounds like the OP’s friend has met a suspicious person…
I’ve never adopted from a breed-specific rescue. I have gotten two of my three from the same shelter (whom I love and will continue to donate and rescue from them… my cat is from there too). First dog was free because someone ditched her at the kennel I worked at. I paid more for her getting shots & spayed than either of my shelter dogs. One shelter dog was a 3mo old mutt and the other was presumably a 4mo non-mutt and both were under $250. The small breed puppies at this rescue are generally around $300. I think they are much lower priced than a breed-specific because they have their own vet.
The age of the dog your friend is looking at will be a factor in cost. Puppies are generally more desirable and easier to adopt out so usually more expensive. I just looked up one of our local Dobie rescues. There are many dogs available and they are clear that none are registered (you will rarely find a shelter dog with papers). Their adoption contract states “our adoption fee is normally $300, however, we ask more for puppies and less for seniors. This covers our cost to get the dog out of the shelter, the spay or neuter, medical bills and advertising costs. Your dog will come fully vaccinated, be on heartworm preventative, have a rabies certificate, be microchipped, have a collar and ID tag - and priceless - for the life of the dog, access to our experience and knowledge for any medical / temperament issues.” I looked at another regional dobie rescue and they are approx $350 adoption fee per their page. Just for grins I clicked on one on the east coast who is also $350. Illinois one I found is $400.
Do I think your friend is getting duped? Maybe, maybe not. Look into the rescue. Is it a legit rescue? Are there recommendations from other adopters/vets? What vetting/chipping/training/etc does the dog come with? How old is the dog? Is the dog good with dogs/kids/cats/other animals/etc? Is there a contract that if the dog is not healthy or there are vet issues within X amount of days that the adopter can bring the dog back? Also, google is your friend. For dog breeds that truly are not common I would definitely expect a higher cost.
As many have already shared, it really depends on the rescue.
Shelters and rescues are completely different things. The shelter where I used to volunteer as an adoption counselor was entirely funded by donations and fundraising. Their adoption fees covered spay/neutering, microchip, and vaccinations. No animal left the facility without those three things. Also, if the dog was HW positive, the dog was treated before it was available for adoption. The fees for dogs were: $175/puppies, $175/small breed, $150/medium breed, $125/large breed. I did, oftentimes, adjust the adoption fee (with permission from the board) for a dog that was a senior or had been a long time resident (it was a no-kill facility).
Rescues with specific purposes or that adopt out only certain breeds have different adoption fees that are generally much higher. Some examples:
Beagle Freedom Project–rescues Beagles (and other animals) after they have been utilized in labs for animal testing. Usually these animals would be euthanized, but BFP is making arrangements with labs to accept the animals, no questions asked, so they can live out the rest of the lives in homes. Many end up with medical issues from the testing. Adoption fee (stated on website) $300-$500.
Above & Beyond English Setter rescue’s fees are $395 for dogs under 1 year, $300 for dogs over 1 year. They have a sliding scale for dogs over 7 years of age.
Carolina Coonhound Rescue’s adoption fee is $250.
Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta charges:
12 months or younger - $500
12 months to less than 10 years - $375
10 years and older - $125
Also, they will ONLY adopt within the state of Georgia unless the dog is special needs or over the age of 9. Then it will be considered.
So, to answer your question, IMO, $500 isn’t out of line. It’s a rescue that is breed specific, they must not have any issues finding homes for dogs, and the $500 fee probably helps “weed out” those individuals who go looking for dogs that they think they can use for protection, as ‘attack dogs,’ etc.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;8705789]
I agree with Marshfield. Rescue is more expensive than county-run shelter. Purebred rescue is more expensive than all-breed rescue, the rarer the breed the more expensive the rates. Purebred dog is more expensive than mixed breed. Young dog is more expensive than adult. Healthy is more expensive than chronic issue. Get the idea? Young purebred pup from a breed-specific rescue is like shopping at Niemen Marcus instead of Marshall’s :winkgrin:.
“Shelter” or breed specific rescue? Different orgs with VERY difference funding sources.[/QUOTE]
Shelter, Pinellas County to be exact.
Definitely depends on your area. In Canada I would said average rescue fees are around $3-400, a breed specific rescue would be more like $500.
A purebred doberman would easily be over $1000 from a breeder, closer to $2000 if they were registered.
I got my current dog off Kijiji (like craigslist), I paid $300 to cover her spay but I know at 1yo the previous owner had way more into her than that.
We paid $250 for our 3 yr old Chi-mini Pin in December. They had him in a foster for a year and had shipped him up from Kentucky. They can’t have made any money on him and they did a wonderful job socializing him for kids. he is turning into the best farm dog. He goes to the barn with me now and is comfortable being off leash while I feed, he piddles around the barn investigating smells and is always close, but never near the horses. He’s sort of perfect. Then we come inside and he sleeps beside me while I work. he’s right there snoring now. Love him and my 2 little boys adore him!
I would expect to pay more for a purebred puppy without any issues. My guy has some a few health issues (allergies, crooked/high maintenance teeth) but his personality more than makes up for them.
Of course you can go to a shelter and get something a bit cheaper, thought that will run you $100 here and you don’t really know much about the animal. I wanted something that was a known quantity since I have kids and boarders to worry about. I couldn’t take a risk that the dog was not good with kids and other people.
I agree that that price is not necessarily out of line with other pure breed rescues. All our dogs have had either no adoption fee (bully type dogs, one has serious baggage and the other is a high energy handful) or a low adoption fee (purebred adult with some baggage from family that could not match his energy level and emotional needs). In this case, that seems like a fair fee for a fixed puppy up to date on shots and no baggage if the rescue checks out.
I do have one question though, if they do not have papers, how do they know this puppy is a purebred? Did they foster the female before she gave birth and see the sire? Some puppies may be mixed, and you are unable to tell until they get older… Would that be a problem if it proved to be the case?
Yep, depends on the area of the country. I’m in Fairfax County (northern Virginia) which equals extremely wealthy families. The local Golden Retriever rescue fees:
•Less than 4 years of age – $750 ($350 is tax deductible)
•4 through 7 years of age – $600 ($250 is tax deductible)
•8 years and older – $500 ($275 is tax deductible)
Yep, $750 for a rescue.
I also foster for Big Fluffy, and their adoption fee is around $500. (could be more, I can’t remember). However, they also transport dogs across the country, arrange for boarding when their foster homes are full, and have to cure a large number of intake dogs who have heartworm. I fostered a heartworm+ dog a while back and the vet bill for the heartworm treatment alone was around $700.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8703614]
I know that prices vary from breed to breed but just for comparison…
My last two dogs came from a breeder. Both parents are champions, sire is a top producer. Parents and grandparents had all their genetic testing done (and I saw the certificates). I got to meet the parents of the litter, the grandparents and several other relatives. I also saw the entire litter several times as they grew up and had input into which puppy would be mine. I got a healthy, well-socialized puppy that didn’t come with any previous baggage from earlier experiences. And I paid $800.00.
I would have to be utterly in love with the dog to pay $500. to a rescue.[/QUOTE]
All rescued dogs should be vaccinated, dewormed, treated for heartworm and other common ailments and illnesses, put on a flea/tick regimen, and spayed/neutered as age appropriate. If too young at the time of adoption, many rescues I’ve dealt with will either spay/neuter the puppy for you when it’s of age or work with you to find a lower cost option for the spay/neuter through their connections.
My dog’s adoption fee was $300 and I saved scads of money - her spay alone would have been in the $700 range in my city. Core vaccs run another $300+ (My “free” kitten, on the other hand, cost well over $1000 in the first few weeks I had her - ear infection, flea treatment, worms, a million rounds of kitten vaccines, spay.)
My understanding is that shelters can often charge less for the same neutered, vaccinated animal than a rescue because they receive funding and other resources.
When you adopt a healthy, altered adult dog from a city shelter for $50 someone or something else is subsidizing all of those costs - that isn’t just what a dog “should” cost if it’s not a purebred.
