Adoption Fees

You may or may not have seen this... but I did... so I will share with you...  on our facebook posting for Snowflake, the hedgehog, someone commented, "I might consider adopting the hedgehog assuming you would give me $100 for taking it off your hands."

My response was, "Pretty sure adoptions work the other way around... the adopter pays the adoption fee.  Why would we pay for someone to adopt?"

Which brings me to a quick chat that we can have about adoption fees.  Adoption fees exist for a reason.  While the animals are here, they cost money.  Whether that's food, water, dust, bedding, vet bills, and so on, it all adds up.  Sure, for some animals, there's less cost than others, but then you watch another animal come in that will cost 10x more than all the rest, due to needing to go to the vet, or take special meds, or a special diet, or whatnot.  So, the money gained from adoption fees that don't go right back into that animal, go into the one that needs more.  Or, go into paying the bills, or that kind of thing.

If you have ever talked to me, or read the posts about, those "clear the shelter" days, you know that I feel strongly against those kinds of things.  If you're unfamiliar, those are where the big humane society-type shelters waive adoption fees for a day and the animals are free to adopt.  Yes, the people still have to fill out the paperwork and whatnot... but my worry is always... for the people who either (1) thought $60 was too much to adopt a dog, or (2) couldn't afford $60 to adopt a dog... is it GOOD that these people get a free dog?  Can they afford vet care?  Can they afford BASIC needs for the dog?  A bag of decent dog food is like $30+.  So, at least here, there will never be "clear the shelter" days, or, for that matter, PAYING anyone to adopt.

I suppose I can sort of vaguely understand the concept where someone might pay to get an animal out of rescue.  Not specifically paying, necessarily, but like... if we have a really health compromised animal that's unlikely to get adopted, we try to get it into a foster home.  There, they'll get more attention, more of a "home environment," and whatnot.  And in a sense, we are "paying" for it to leave... we provide the fosters with the cages, food, treats, bedding, whatever they need... but... BUT... we are only providing what we would use ourselves... we're not giving them a money incentive, on top of that, to take the chin.  So...no, sorry, not ever paying anyone to adopt.

At the end of the day, money has to come in to keep the rescue running.  No money, no rescue.  Pretty sure that's how everything works in life, right?  Money makes the world go around.  And on top of that... if I was so dying to have the animals leave that I would pay people to take them... I wouldn't be taking them in, in the first place.  That is all.