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sydneycj · Feb 15, 2008, 06:50 AM

I want to get anothet Boxer but I don't want to have to pay a lot of money. Are there not any places that are free? I searched the internet and all of the adoption agencies want you to pay at least $100-$200. I personally think that is highway robbery. They should just give the dogs away for free. If they don't find homes for them, then they will just be put to sleep.:(

tickle · Feb 15, 2008, 07:19 AM

Visit dog shelters. The adoption fees are minimal, only to support food and shelter for their charges. Anyone who shelters dogs up for adoption will not be free. How do you think they survive ?

bushg · Feb 15, 2008, 08:49 AM

I know a group in Ohio that adopts out any breed of dog for the same price. They have applications and strict guildelines that must be followed. But it sounds to me as though you already have a boxer and that would probably be a plus for you. I'll give you their website if you would like to take a look at it. They only do adoptions if the 150 mile range and they are located in hamilton county, Ohio. Not sure if that would be possible for you.

katrina27 · Feb 15, 2008, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by sydneycj

I want to get anothet Boxer but I don't want to have to pay alot of money. Are there not any places that are free? I searched the internet and all of the adoption agencies want you to pay at least $100-$200. I personally think that is highway robbery. They should just give the dogs away for free. If they don't find homes for them, then they will just be put to sleep.:(

Adoption shelters do not put dogs to sleep. They have to charge fees, how do you think they pay for health care / food / bills etc. not to mention wages. Responsible dog owners would only be too happy to pay these fees. You hardly imagine the shelters pocket the money. Grow up.

tickle · Feb 15, 2008, 04:06 PM

Yes, unfortunately, katrina, they are euthenized if they go past their stay in the shelter. That's why people have to be educated on spaying and neutering. A little drop in the bucket, but it all helps to keep strays off the streets, and people from dumping lovely animals in a shelter because they can't take care of them.

In the Toronto area they have foster homes for animals, like half way houses to take the pressure of the shelters. The foster parents feed them, sometimes out of their own pockets.

tashamarie80 · Feb 15, 2008, 07:56 PM

I think this may be similar to other replies here , but seriously, it scares me that you are looking for a free dog. A breeder charges high fees yes, but if they are good a lot of that money goes into the dogs quality care, food, shelter, vet bills etc. A shelter charges fairly low fees and that money goes into the same things, vet bills especially, food, shelter for way too many unwanted pets. If you cannot afford 100 to 200 to adopt a shelter dog I would reevaluate because my dog costs a bit of money every month for food toys treats and vet. You can look in the paper for free dogs, there are plenty in my area but those litters were most likely accidents and they have not had the proper vet care.

Wondergirl · Feb 15, 2008, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by tickle

Yes, unfortunately, katrina, they are euthenized if they go past their stay in the shelter.

A county animal control site will euthanize animals after a certain length of time, but a no-kill shelter will not. I know of no-kill shelters in the Chicago area that have dogs and cats with medical needs that have never attracted attention by visitors looking to adopt and will probably spend their entire lives at that shelter or in the home of one of the shelter volunteers.

A no-kill shelter may have property insurance to pay in addition to all the food and supplies needed for the animals and shelter, plus vet fees and services for each animal. No volunteer receives any money for the work he does for the shelter. There are frequent fund-raisers to bring in more support money, since the adoption fees are a drop in the bucket. We all cheer when an animal is happily adopted because that means we will have room for another one and the opportunity to find it a good home.

froggy7 · Feb 15, 2008, 09:29 PM

Also, keep in mind that that "free" dog you get will most likely need shots, neutering/spaying, etc. And those costs will quickly add up to be the same (or more) that the 100-200 that the rescues and shelters are asking for.

katrina27 · Feb 16, 2008, 01:02 PM

Hi
Well in ireland there are two systems

Firstly the dog shelter. They keep dogs and never destroy them, that is what I thought u were referring to
Second is the county pound where they destroy dogs after weeks

Regardless if u cannot afford 200 dollars to a shelter you probably can't afford a dog anyway. Vet bills food etc

Fr_Chuck · Feb 16, 2008, 01:40 PM

In most cases the dog from the shelter will have had a physcial, all of its shots. This can easily be a couple of hundred of dollars at your local vet.
Also you will have to get your city dog license, and annual trips to the vet.
If paying or affording an animal is an issue, one does not need to get one . Not sayinng this is your case, but owning a dog is very costly.

bushg · Feb 16, 2008, 05:46 PM

Well not to pee on anyone's leg. But if I had my choice to be adopted out to someone poor that was going to love me and take my chances on that sweeheart doing whatever necessary to get me medical attention if I were to need it, than the option of being put down in 2 or 3 weeks . Guess what I would choose?
Just because the op in this post wanted to get a purebreed dog at a reduced rate from a shelter does not mean she would not provide for it the best of her ability.
I am not rich by any means but I have 4 cats 2 dogs and 3 children and they all get medical attention, food etc... thats what people do to show their love.
So lets not be so hard on the op. *edit* I bought 1 dog at a no kill shelter for 65 dollars, 1 dog was given to me because ehe was untrainable and bad, the 4 cats were all rescues that I picked up off the streets flea ridden, and in need of spaying and neutering.

N0help4u · Feb 16, 2008, 05:54 PM

The animal shelters where I live charge around $75. (last time I checked)
They use to give them away free but to try and cut down on abusive families and cover the spaying/neutering and vaccination fees they started charging.
Before they started charging they didn't do the shots. You could take them back and get shots for a discount but they they saw many people didn't bother taking care of it themselves.
Many shelters claim they are 'no kill' now but I have my suspicions of how trustworthy that is.
I heard that some can make that claim because when they have too many or they have them for too long they pass them onto a kill shelter.

ayashe · Feb 16, 2008, 06:02 PM

I seriously doubt they are making profit. They are helping dogs.. immunizations.. food, vet visits etc... they have to cover their cost some how. Figure out how many years you will have your pet, and divide into the amount... you can't put a price on a best friend!

Alty · Feb 16, 2008, 10:43 PM

Most animals that are placed in a shelter are there for an extended period (only the puppies get adopted quickly). While they are there they require food, immunizations, vet checks and other care. Most people that work at shelters are volunteers that love animals and want to help. $200-$300 doesn't even begin to cover the cost that these animals incur while at the shelter. I don't want to be harsh because I think it's wonderful that you want to adopt an animal from the shelter rather than purchasing a puppy from a pet store (most of which get their puppies from puppy mills), but if you can't afford to pay $200-$300 for a dog how are you going to afford it's upkeep? If you get a puppy it will require the rest of it's immunizations, collar, leash, food, chew toys etc.etc. that will definitely add up, the cost of the dog is much less than the cost it will incur in its lifetime. Maybe you should stick with one dog until you are in a position to afford the purchase and care of another. Good luck .

starbuck8 · Feb 16, 2008, 11:13 PM

I currently have my sweet baby girl that I rescued from possible death. You can tell just by the way she loves me unconditionally that she knows that I saved her life. She brightens every day for me! I was grateful and gracious that her caregivers at the shelter only charged me a few hundred dollars for her basic needs while she was there receiving love and attention from them! Those wonderful people do this because they love animals, and they have to charge to keep their doors open to be able to try and find them a home, and to make sure that they are healthy, and altered before they leave so they are not faced with another litter that someone else can't find a home for!

FallenFromGrace · Feb 19, 2008, 01:55 PM

Animal shelters have a lot of overhead and not all of them are lucky enough to receive sizable donations. The average euthanasia rate for an animal shelter is 10% in North Carolina. The one I was based out of was lower. That also includes feral animals that have no hope of rehabilitation. Good animal shelters are now requiring all animals need to be spayed or neutered prior to leaving the shelter. They also vaccinate and deworm the animal as well as provide routine check-ups (usually done by vet students to save the general public money.). They also have to feed and regulate the temperatures for the animals. All in all, I'd say $120.00 for an animal that has been fixed vaccinated and nurtured is a great deal. Might I also go so far as to say that if you can't afford the $100-200 dollars for the adoption fee, you probably can't afford to have another dog. They are like kids, they have to go to the doctor and it is expensive. I just took mine to the vet for a hot spot, a heartworm test, flea and tick control, blood work and office visit and it cost $360.52. That was with the professional discount.

starbuck8 · Feb 19, 2008, 04:14 PM

If anyone can still catch today's episode of "The Dog Whisperer" please do! It was heartbreaking to watch, but it shows just how much money, care, and work go into keeping, feeding, and care of all of the animals.

The show told of how some shelters were FORCED to euthanize any pet they couldn't adopt out within 72 hrs. They are just so overcrowed. It was so sad to watch. There were all of those sweet faces just willing to give love to anyone who would give it back! :)

So, think about how much you would pay to win unconditional love for life? A couple hundred seems like a deal to me!. they will repay you 100 fold!

FallenFromGrace · Feb 19, 2008, 09:05 PM

It's so true, Starbuck. I don't know about other states because very few animal related laws are federal but in NC, animals surrendered by their owners were ABLE to be euthanized immediately. 72 hours for animals found without a collar and 7 days for animals with a collar. It's a space issue. We try to weed through the animals that are much older or in poor health or have no ability for rehabilition due to either poor training or lifestyle (i.e. dog fighting) but after that, when you run out of space in a shelter you have to pick the animal that has been there the longest. I was an Animal Cruelty Investigator for a large Co. and we did well by the animals. Some of the smaller counties had a more difficult time. It's very hard on the staff as well as the animals.

"No Kill" shelters are wonderful to an extent. First, you probably can't bring an animal there, the shelter has to be VERY selective in the animals it takes because they have to be very sure it will be adopted. Second, animals stuck in confined areas for long periods have severe mental issues. "Cage Crazy". If they don't get adopted it is the same as sentencing them to life imprisoned.. makes the dealth penalty sound kind. Third, most "no kill" shelters still have some degree of euthanasia (i.e. if an animal is very sick or if it cannot be rehabilitated.) They just send them over to a center that does euthanize. That way they can still claim to be no kill.

froggy7 · Feb 19, 2008, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by starbuck8

If anyone can still catch today's episode of "The Dog Whisperer" please do!! It was heartbreaking to watch, but it shows just how much money, care, and work go into keeping, feeding, and care of all of the animals.

The show told of how some shelters were FORCED to euthanize any pet they couldn't adopt out within 72 hrs. They are just so overcrowed. It was so sad to watch. There were all of those sweet faces just willing to give love to anyone who would give it back! :)

So, think about how much you would pay to win unconditional love for life?? A couple hundred seems like a deal to me!!...they will repay you 100 fold!!

One of the shelters near where I grew up had the policy of picking a few of each litter during puppy/kitten season because of a lack of space. Instead of keeping a litter of 8 labs, they would keep 2 rat terrier pups, 2 labs, 2 collies, and 2 doxies, for example. They said that one of the hardest things was to look at a litter of squirmy cute puppies and decide which two got to live and which ones had to be euthanized.

Alty · Feb 19, 2008, 09:12 PM

Check out my post about Boots. Boots is an 8 1/2 year old border collie that has been at my local spca for over a year. If they have space issues they find foster families for some of the pets until they can find permanent homes for them. They do have to euthanize, but only unhealthy or unadoptable pets. They are in the process of building a larger better shelter and volunteers and people who donate help tremendously. If we all pitch in we could change at least a corner of the world for these unwanted but still wonderful animals.