# Discount Adoption Fees ?



## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

About one week ago I saw(for lack of a better word) an advertisement on TV that one of the shelters within 25 miles of me was offering "discount" adoption fees of $25.00 and then yesterday evening at the end of the 6 o'clock news.....a short story about another shelter that for a few days had a $5.00 fee.....I understand that many shelters depending on where you live are at full capacity 99% of the time-- I get that I really do......but I wonder for how many animals... it ends up being like a revolving door when they end up back on the streets or returned to the shelter....I really wonder how well it works in today's world.. with cost of Vet care and decent food... OR ..am I way off base and most folks (adopters) figure out a way to make it work....I'd like to believe it's the later.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I always wonder too. If you can't afford the $50 adoption fee, how do you afford to feed the animal? I should ask my two friends who are kennel managers at two different shelters if they have issues with this. But...but....it's also up to them to conduct reference checks on the adopters to ensure they are good homes.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

My take on it: No kill shelters are limited by how many they can accept. Other shelters are often at capacity, too. Discounted adoption fees may result in some tragedies but may prevent others. Dog and cat over-population is something most of us are aware of. Neglected or abused animals, likewise. I guess what we can hope is that discounted fees encourage the "right" people to add an animal or two and that few of the "wrong" people get animals. After all, do the shelters lower their adoption standards at the same time they lower their fees?


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## DaBai (Aug 13, 2017)

$5??!...wow... When the cost of adopting a dog can be cheaper than a meal at a fast food restaurant, we know there is a real overpopulation issue going on...


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## Pytheis (Sep 23, 2016)

The shelter in my town just had free cat adoption month for cats over 6 months. I have a friend that is extremely responsible, just got her masters degree, owns her own home, has amazing credit, etc. She had never even considered getting a pet before because she didn't think she had the time. But the shelter waving the adoption fee for a month made her seriously think about it, and now that she is out of school and in a stable job, she decided she's ready for a pet. She wouldn't have taken that jump if they had not lowered the prices and put the thought in her head. She can clearly afford a full price animal, but she never even thought about it before now.


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## RoseW (Feb 18, 2016)

Discounted and free adoptions seem to slowly be increasing in popularity. It was and still is commonly thought that if someone could not afford a regular adoption fee then they would not be able to afford care of would not value the animal as much, however I believe there have been a few studies that suggest that is not the case. The one that immediately jumps to mind is from the ASPCA https://www.aspcapro.org/research/feewaived-adoptions The linked page briefly mentions it, but also has some subcategories that go into more detail.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

There are several organizations / events where I live that have waived adoption fee day/s.... the catch is that you have to be previously approved. This limits the amount of ppl just showing up for a free pet.

The argument of if you can’t afford this how can you afford that gets old really quickly. I know where it stems from but as someone who chooses not to pay / save up for an expensive pet - it’s seriously apples to oranges when it comes to the standard of living and care I provide my animals. Tilden is the best $32 I’ve spent (shelter was holding an adoption special and the rescue honored the same price basically to cover his neuter) and I’m a million % committed to this kid.

I also think back to being a poor 18yr old when I rescued Gia.... I never ended up having to rely on them but it’s easier to ask your parents for $3000 to cover a vet bill then to buy a puppy.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s something. I support discount days.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

And then there is the flip side
This is supposed to an example of "free to a good home" and what can happen. The caption is that the kittens are coloured so they can be bet on as to which (dog fighting dog) will shred which one fastest


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Well just for the record, my son colored the cat when he was 3. The cat must have really loved him to let him rub crayon all over his head.


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## andywhite (Dec 18, 2017)

Maybe they could try "no stupid nonsense day".

Like signing legal papers that you will neuter/spray adopted dog. Background check going deeper than in an FBI & CIA thing. Stupid nosey things like you have to have a fenced garden and somebody from shelter visiting your home. Idiotic that you can't leave house for longer than 4 hours a day. Etc. etc. etc. 

Only so you can get a dog, that is on a death list and will be euthanased next morning.

Although I would meet criteria, I would probably never go for a shelter dog,. Just because of these stupid things. Paying $20 or $25 adoptikn fee wouldn't play a role in it.


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## Katsugsd (Jul 7, 2018)

Maryland's ASPCA/Animal Control has all cats free for the month of July. They do low cost/free adoptions for military too. I can see it as a good thing and a bad thing. Good because they do some sort of background check. I've been tempted to go and get a kitten from the shelter, but I'm holding back since I've got enough on my plate with 2 dogs and 2 cats. Rescues here, or the ones I've seen, have ridiculous prices ($375-500 a puppy/dog) and I'd rather fork out slightly more (okay...A LOT more) on a dog I know for a fact comes from good parents with stable temperament. But to each their own.


Bad because I have seen a lady who had one dog with issues, go and get a another free dog from the shelter rather than addressing the current dogs problems. She ended up with her two dogs attacking another dog and causing $2k in damages. I'm fairly certain she lost both dogs as I have not seen her since the incident and the family who's dog was attacked did press charges. IMO, careless people will be careless. Shelters/Rescues just need to do their best to minimize the occurrences of situations like that. 


I also have my qualms about rescue groups themselves, but I'll leave it at that.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

I have also wondered what happens when your adopted dog costs less than a bag of dogfood or less than his leash.

Does it attract the wrong kind of adopters?

But, as long as they are screening/vetting the adopters, I suppose it's a good thing because it increases the amount of folks who come in and look at the animals.

The perception that pets are "free and cheap", easily gotten (and easily disposed of) however, is not a good one to promote...


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

What I meant to say is, I think it creates an "Impulse Buying" kind of mentality with the adopters...it's a little risky because some people regret their Impulse Buys later.

Vs. getting a pet after careful research/study.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

Some of the adoption feesare crazy high.


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## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

When I worked in a dog shelter 25+ years ago the fee was a donation and minimum accepted was £3.75 and yes those dogs always came back.

Made me very angry but eventually the owner raised the minimum fee to to £25-+, still small but a heck of a lot better than £3.75.


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

I don't know - when I was in grad school, I didn't really have disposable income, but the local shelter had a special event and I adopted my cat for $25. 

The shelter spayed her, administered her shots, and microchipped her, so it was an amazing deal. I couldn't have afforded a high adoption fee like many rescues (understandably!) charge, but she was well cared for and if anything had happened, I had a CareCredit card and could've made payments on any unexpected vet bills. 

I'm sure it's a mixed bag, but it worked out really well for me and Suki. I still make jokes about my bargain bin kitty.


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