Does the SPCA realize they are making it too hard?

every shelter has its own policies, so while one shelter may be able to absorb the costs of what it takes to keep an animal housed there, another may not...and reflect that cost in the adoption fees.

so while my own shelter does indeed have two different prices for altered & unaltered animals, keep in mind that the adoption fee is supposed to help care for the housing of the animals in general and any other costs involved in running the place. my own costs around $20,000 per MONTH to keep open...and we are fairly small. this shelter may have larger costs, and that money has to come from somewhere. it really is too bad, though, that they don't see how they are limiting the animals' potential by such high adoption fees.

writing a letter to the board of directors may help. (especially if you can get others to do the same.) tell them the reasons you feel this isn't in their best interest and ask them to consider lowering the fees for animals that are already neuter. if they see that they are cutting their own throats with the fees of such animals - pets that are already difficult to adopt out because of age - they may change their mind. maybe they simply haven't realized that their costs are prohibitive and because of that, animals are walked away from. (if the shelter euthanizes, that is another thing to mention...since it is in the animal's best interest to find a quality home as quickly as possible to avoid the possibility of being put down.) give them a more reasonable fee in the letter. if it is a good board, they should be open to suggestions. (or at the very least, write you back and let you know why they have it set up like they do.) maybe your letters could change things for the animals there!

I guess, for me, I'm more than willing to pay $150 because I know that the money is paying for the care that all of the animals are getting - not just the one I want to adopt.

l know that the cost of running a shelter is much more than what is charged for adoption - they most certainly aren't pulling a profit here. If I can get a cat or dog that is already fixed, dewormed, microchipped, distemper vaccinated, and healthy - I guess I figure it's like getting a dog for free because all that care would cost me much more than the $150.

I understand feeling bad that you have to leave the pet there, but the reality is that there are no guarantees - pets can be incredibly expensive if something happens to them. It is necessary to have far more than $150 set aside when getting one.

Maybe part of the reason I don't see it as a big issue is because if I were to go buy a dog from a good breeder I would be prepared to pay upwards of $1000 so if I can adopt a healthy dog that's pretty much "taken care of" I feel like I'm getting a hell of a deal.

As for the older pets, I guess the way I look at it is that the money is still going to the shelter and with an older pet you really should be prepared for far more than $150. My 10 year old dog will be going in for a check-up soon and because he is older he should have a full blood panel done among an array of other regular yearly health care - I expect this annual visit alone to cost me more than $150.

Good question. I can only guess that the majority of the cost isn't for the neutering or the spaying but rather it is for the upkeep of the animals over-all. This would include the testing done to make sure the pets are adoptable, the vet fees for whatever needs there are, from shots or check ups etc.

I think also the price is up a little as a barrier to "just anyone" getting a pet. I'm going to check with our animal shelter and see what I can find out. I'll get back later.

I am in the same boat as you some what. 14 years ago i adopted a fox terrier mix she was 6 months old I paid $45, and they just had me fill out a piece of paper about my family and household anad things like that, I took her home the same day. In feburary she passed away from cancer , but she was such a sweetheart, and my little chihuahua mix needed a friend because like us they get depressed. I tried to rescue another dog from the MSPCA out here in massachusetts and you have no idea what I went threw, I filled out tons and tons of applications never heard back. They are asking $250 for some dogs and I find this ridiculous. But i've come to the conclusion that the reason for the price increase is people are not donating. Years ago when shelters first opened they had alot of support from the state and the towns/cities in the states now, these shelters are running from little to no money from the state and people in living there that they are running strictly from donations. This is sad because people like you and me jsut want to rescue these poor animals but can't afford these ridiculous fees. Most of the people that work at shelters are volunteers so obviously the money isn't going to them to give them a paycheck. Animal health costs go up every couple of years, and now with all this animal cruelty and the awareness of puppy mills shelters are getting packed! and they don't have the money or the help to care for these animals. I am surprised cats are so much money, because there are so many helpless cats out there! Where my home is located we have hundreds of stray cats they we aren't even allowed to bring to the shelter because they are so overwhelmed with cats. I try my best to buy kitten and cat food to feed the strays because they cry at night because they are so hungry. There is only so much we can do though. i hope I answered your question to why prices have gone up so much. Good luck in your search. . . .look in the local paper or craigslist you will be surprise how many people are getting rid of their kittens and cats.

I can't speak for that rescue specifically, but around here most rescues have a fee that applies to all animals of a certain type (cats $100, dogs $150, etc). I asked someone about it and she said it helps "balance" out their expenses.

If they had a cat that was surrendered up-to-date on shots and already altered, they have very little vet expenses for that cat. But they also get cats that need to be spayed, be vaccinated, etc, and that cat need $200+ dollars in vet care. Instead of raising the adoption rates on the cats that need special attention, they keep the rates the same for every animal, and they hope it all balances out.

edited: Often there are private rescues that would love for someone to adopt one of their older cats in foster care. Check out Petfinder.com for your area. I used to foster cats, and everyone wanted a kitten. As a result, I'd have kittens for weeks, and an adult cat for months. One of my adults was never adopted, so he adopted me. Good on you for wanting an adult.

i do think if they are already spayed they should lower the price however age i do not. I adopted my female boxer from the local shelter and was going to have her spayed when i found out she was pregnant .

it is unfair. go to any pet store. sure, the puppies are adorable but the older ones... well you can already see if they have a nice personality or not

same for kitties