Shelter Pets Aren't Free

They shouldn't be free. If someone isn't willing to pay money for a pet upfront, then perhaps they shouldn't get one because there will always to expenses.

At these shelter's is the animal fixed or do they offer a low cost spay/neuter coupon?

When I got my cats free off Craig's List, I gave the woman, who I met at a Walmart parking lot, some money as it's suggested to do so. They went to the vet within a few days. This is not cheap. Exam, immunizations, fixed at 6 months. It all costs. People need to realize it's not a free deal. I've not regretted one penny spent on my pets and I had a cat that was diabetic for 11+ years.

Nothing wrong with those fees IMO. Animals may come in with skin issues, severe flea infestations, colds. They require treatment, food. Staff are paid. The building costs. People spend money on all kinds of crap. Spend it on a living creature first.
 

Della said:
My monthly social security check is something like $860. Thank God I don't have to live on it. Some people do.

A woman I know who works for the county humane society told me they estimate 3000 stray cats in this county.

So if some poor and lonely person wanted one of those cats, some of you're saying she shouldn't have one (and it shouldn't have her) just because she couldn't afford to pay $100 dollars for it. Apparently, because she's poor she wouldn't appreciate it enough, the humane society wouldn't make enough money off the transaction, and she might have too much clutter in the kitchen to pass the home inspection. So we should just leave those 3000 cats to freeze and starve next winter. I don't agree.
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The question is whether the potential adopter will be able to take care of their new pet -- vet bills, quality food, all the stuff one has to buy for the pet, etc. Another question is whether the home is a safe place for the pet to live.

At the rescue I worked for, we rarely had anyone fail the home inspection. That's because we adoption coordinators checked out the people who applied very thoroughly. Google Earth was my friend! At least I did -- too thoroughly, some thought. I wasn't looking for anything other than the dogs had the best families to join that were possible (within reason) to find. I'm still friends with several of the adopters I handled, and enough of them call me just to update me on how wonderful their dog is, or to tell me that it died. At the deaths are from illness or old age.
 
Della said:
My monthly social security check is something like $860. Thank God I don't have to live on it. Some people do.

A woman I know who works for the county humane society told me they estimate 3000 stray cats in this county.

So if some poor and lonely person wanted one of those cats, some of you're saying she shouldn't have one (and it shouldn't have her) just because she couldn't afford to pay $100 dollars for it. Apparently, because she's poor she wouldn't appreciate it enough, the humane society wouldn't make enough money off the transaction, and she might have too much clutter in the kitchen to pass the home inspection. So we should just leave those 3000 cats to freeze and starve next winter. I don't agree.
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Della, I would agree there should be help for those low income to afford a pet. But like many things, it's not a priority. And a pet can bring much joy to a person. They can even be life saving IMO. I don't know if some shelters offer a lower income rate. Our PAWS thrift rakes in good money (I know the woman who started it but is no longer involved) They fund spay/neuter and will help with some vet bills for low income people. Their spay/neuter funding is for both housed pets and feral colonies.

Unfortunately everything is a business and when someone could use a bit of help it may not be available. It never hurts to ask an organization if they have discounts for low income. I know I had only one cat before graduating from college in my 30's. Her needs were met.
 

Remy said:
They shouldn't be free. If someone isn't willing to pay money for a pet upfront, then perhaps they shouldn't get one because there will always to expenses.

At these shelter's is the animal fixed or do they offer a low cost spay/neuter coupon?

When I got my cats free off Craig's List, I gave the woman, who I met at a Walmart parking lot, some money as it's suggested to do so. They went to the vet within a few days. This is not cheap. Exam, immunizations, fixed at 6 months. It all costs. People need to realize it's not a free deal. I've not regretted one penny spent on my pets and I had a cat that was diabetic for 11+ years.

Nothing wrong with those fees IMO. Animals may come in with skin issues, severe flea infestations, colds. They require treatment, food. Staff are paid. The building costs. People spend money on all kinds of crap. Spend it on a living creature first.
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Pets have come into my life through various avenues - some were given to me for free, a couple were found, some were adopted from a public shelter for a minimal fee. All received good food, great vet care, and were "fixed" so they wouldn't procreate. A couple of my dogs, including the one who recently passed, cost nothing to obtain but we paid between $5K-$10K in vet fees during the last couple of years of their lives.

My parents and grandparents always had pets that were well cared for and to my recollection they didn't pay a cent to get those animals.

Charging people higher prices for pets won't eliminate cruel people, just poor people.

Until very recently, getting a pet from "the pound" was a relatively easy, inexpensive process. Now that secondary rescues have turned their love for animals into a business (non-profit perhaps, but nevertheless a business where they are compensated), prices have skyrocketed. Public shelters remain awash in dogs very unlikely to be adopted, while the young, healthy dogs of popular breeds are immediately snapped up by rescues who resell them for dramatically more than they paid for them.

That's not a coincidence, it's a business model.
 
@StarSong, you seem know more about rescue organizations than I do. I agree that people with less money should not be eliminated. Believe me, I've been very broke and could have been considered one of those people not worthy. Though I got my cats from avenues where my income didn't matter. Free kittens at the flea market, stray.

People with money can tire of a pet or find that their couch and carpet is more worthy to them than a living creature. During the housing mess where they were giving house loans to people they should not have, people got pets, lost the house and then what happened to the animal? Often nothing good. I'm sure some kept the animals but I read the shelters were filling up with them.

My post wasn't meant to say lower income people are not worthy of pets, I've been there and will again if I can ever retire but all people need realize they may have to spend money on an animal instead of something for themselves. And I'll say it again, good thing I shop at thrift stores. :)
 
Remy said:
@StarSong, you seem know more about rescue organizations than I do.
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DH & I scoured public and private shelters/rescues for the past couple of years. Our precious pup's time was drawing near and we were considering adopting another dog while he was still alive. Though we ultimately decided against that plan, during the process we became well versed in what kinds of animals were available where, and for how much.

Public shelters were picked clean of desirable dogs by rescue organizations. I know that because when the rescues were asked for a history of the dog, most openly admitted having "rescued" it from a public (no-kill) shelter.

So a highly adoptable dog that a family could have adopted for $100 or less out the door from a public shelter was now priced at $500 and up from private rescues. Many of these rescues encouraged bidding, as well. Quite a few charged a fee just to inquire about an animal (many of which as it turned out, were already adopted and gone, but were kept on the websites to continue drawing people in and presumably to generating inquiry fees).

All this research opened our eyes about non-profit rescues, and I don't mean that in a good way. Obviously some are wonderful, but that's definitely not true of all.

Private rescues are businesses incorporated under a charitable umbrella, but they're businesses nevertheless.
Make no mistake.
 
It's understandable that it costs shelters to take care of animals- food, vaccines, spay/neuter, etc.- but what I've seen they charge to adopt is beyond reasonable. It seems to me the goal should be to help animals find permanent homes- even with people who can't afford multiple hundreds of dollars.
 
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