Animal "Rescue" groups?

Question

I lost my beloved Lhasa Apso dog last year, and am really wanting to adopt a new Lhasa similiar to my baby who was a cream colored Lhasa mix dog. I do not want to go to a pet store,but you can rarely find Lhasas or even Lhasa mix dogs at the animal shelters where I live in Houston because the smaller dogs go so fast. So anyway,to make a long story short, I emailed a Lhasa/Shihtzu rescue group but the adoption fee they charge for a puppy up to 1 year old is like 450 dollars and when you bought the heartguard[for heartworms] like they suggested,and the frontline for flees,plus the dog food,the fee was well over 500 dollars! If their 2 to 4 years old, the fee is like 400 dollars,I think that's ridicolous. The petstores were asking the same prices. I know buying a dog from a petstore is unethical but at the same time if you get a dog from a so called "rescue group", and it's the exact same price how is that any different?

Answer 1

That is why I do not look for pets from rescue groups. They have way to many demands and then want you to pay an arm and a leg for an animal they got for free.

And on the flip side it is good someone is doing this work. My guess the high fees are to weed out the Riff Raff's. But unfortunately poor people take very good care of their pets also.

Answer 2

While local shelters may be inexpensive, they also don't always have the resources to do everything you might want with a dog. A breed rescue operation provides spay/neuter, other needed medical care, training and behavioral evaluation, as well as care in a private foster home. That costs money, and they usually don't have other major sources of income. And, as you might have noticed, unlike the local shelter they can be pretty sure of having the specific breed you want.

If the adoption fee is a major issue, you're pretty much stuck with checking general shelters until one turns up; or hoping some breeder in the area has a 'pet' quality puppy they're willing to let go for cheap. Good luck.

Answer 3

You really need to consider that these groups are paying for transportation and helping with room and board as well as for veterinary services such as spay/neuter and any injuries that the animals may have. The dog you get may not have been injured, but the amount that you pay will help out with that dog that was severely abused and beaten within an inch of their life needing surgery! It's an overall fee to help cover the cost of their whole operation. Not seeking a profit like the pet stores. Not to mention the fact that you are giving a dog who may have ended up in the pound and then euthenized a chance to live a full and happy life. At the pet store once they sell out, they will just go back to the puppy mill for more!!!!

Answer 4

I have never heard of a rescue group charging that much for an adoption fee. But I can understand why they might. Vet costs are VERY high. At the vet clinic where I work, to spay a dog it is around $180. Plus the vaccines, heartworm and flea prevention, deworming and fecal checks for intestinal parasites. That is usually around $200. And if a dog has any other medical needs that will cost even more. Plus the housing and feeding of the animals. But most animal shelters and rescue groups have in house veterinarians who volunteer, or they get discounts from helpful veterinarians. I know we charge less for medical care for rescue groups. And around hear an adoption fee is usually between $100 to $200, and those are dogs who get altered and all their vaccines. At our local pound the adoption fee is $50, but they don't do any medical care at all. The adoption fee is just there to cover costs of food and housing. Anyways, I hope this helps. When I was looking into adopting a dog I set an adoption fee limit of $200 dollars so I had extra money to spend on any medical bills, food costs, things like that. Her adoption fee ended up being $110. Good Luck finding your dog. Try looking on http://www.petfinder.com/ to search for dogs who are in shelters and rescue groups in your area. You can search for a dog based on age, sex, size, and breed. I'm sorry to hear about your last dog. Good luck finding your new family companion.

Answer 5

Pet stores oftentimes get their animals from puppy mills or puppy farms. They are often in bad condition, or have health problems. These health problems can range from bordatella and worms to things that the dog needs to be brought to a specialist or get surgery to fix. I've seen it happen so many times.

Rescues are great because they have the health and welfare of the dog as the most important thing rather than profit. As you said, they have heartguard and flea protection. That shows they are trying to help the animal. Many also have foster families to care for and socialize the dogs, whereas pet shops leave them in cramped cages night and day.

Wouldn't you rather a healthy dog from people who care than a dog that can have potential health problems and a shady background from people only interested in profit?

Also, you can put your name on a list for a certain breed of dog at most shelters.

That price is a little steep, but you are looking for a dog that is a little more rare than others. If you want to save money, go for a mutt.

Or find a different rescue.

Petfinder.com is good, too.

Answer 6

If you get an unhealthy dog from a petstore...it is going to cost you far more then $500...in vet bills...

You are not purchasing the dog per se...but helping pay for the costs of rehoming him and making sure he/she is healthy before they do. If you buy a puppy from a breeder, or pet store...you will have to pay purchase price + initial medical treatments (shots, heartworm prevention etc)

Most rescue groups do full blood work on their animals...and the $450 fee, probably doesn't even cover that + preventative treatments as heartworm.

If you can't afford the $500, you are not in a position to be adopting a dog - from anywhere. Part of being a responsible owner is having the resources to care for the animal (prevention) and if it gets sick or needs medical attention.

I can assure you, the rescue group is not making a profit, infact, the price indicates to me, that you are choosing a good group who will be thorough with their medical assesment of the animal. While there are many who charge less, you will end up paying more for any undetected problems which may arise after adoption.

Answer 7

The reason they charge so much is because they are supporting themselves with the profit made off the dogs. They need to be able to provide shelter, food and health care for dogs that are waiting to be adopted. The good thing about spending the extra dough is that you are giving an abused dog a good loving home, and you are supporting future rescues. Skip buying the food and frontline from them, and get that from the vet, or even petsmart. If you really don't have that kind of money, look for a breeder in your area either online, or in your local paper. Just make sure you see the dogs papers first, as well as the breeders!

Answer 8

the rescue groups are trying to be self supporting, but you are right! some of them do charge too much.
IF you decide to look at pet shops, ask to see the papers. the paper will tell you the breeder's address, so You can quickly see if it is a local person or if this puppy has been through hel_ to get there. Also, if registered anything but AKC or UKC, steer clear of that one, as it is likely a puppy mill.
I see a couple on here that are not the large rescues, and may be more affordable> http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?action=1&pet.Animal=Dog&pet.Breed=lhasa+apso&pet.Age=Young&pet.Size=S&pet.Sex=&location=Houston%2C+TX&preview=1&scope=0&x=19&y=5

Of course some advantages of getting from a rescue, is that the spay/neuter has already been done, and when they say it is vet checked, and vaccinated, it really is..and, you know what you are getting, as far as whether hard to train, aggressive with cats, etc.
this little guy would be worth a drive! > http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8027009

Answer 9

It's different because pet stores buy their dogs from puppy mills who raise dogs in terrible conditions, hurt the breed, and end up killing dogs they cant sell. Rescue operations only offer dogs that were abandoned, mistreated or given up for adoption by previous owners. THATS the difference, and it's worth the cost. $500 for a loved and loving companion that could live a decade or more is a small price to pay.

Answer 10

They use the funds they secure from the adopter to fund their rescue mission, but $500 is astronomical. There are many Lhasa/Shihtzu rescue groups online and I don't know which one you inquired through, but if you Google it, many will come up. Another option would be to put register your name with your local animal shelter, if you haven't already tried that, even an ad in your local paper. So sorry about the loss of your Lhasa.

Answer 11

Doesn't doing the right thing count for something?

By spending the money at the pet shop, you enable puppy mills and backyard breeders to continue breeding crappy unhealthy dogs and essentially abusing them. You create a demand for this immoral behaviour.

I'm looking at a rescue GSD and the adoption fee may be as much as $600 because of the age of the dog. Yes, I know I could get one from a crappy breeder for less money, but I know I'm doing the right thing.