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I have often been asked how I set the adoption fees for my rescues. Having done this for so long, and having 100's of dogs come through my home, I have set standards for myself and my volunteers. When a dog comes to Furbaby Rescue they receive a lot of love, care and devotion until their forever home is found. They are immediately taken to a veterinarian for a full exam, spay or neuter, all shots that are required, and any and all medical treatment that is necessary to assure their health and well being. They are groomed, behaviorally assessed and then the work begins. Many dogs need training and/or retraining, and above all love and security, emotionally and physically. Bottom line, Furbaby Rescue will do all that is necessary to give every dog a chance at a new life. Many of them require extra care. All of our dogs, whether they came from a broken home, puppy mill, shelter or they are just given up, have been affected in some way by unfortunate circumstances. Many times we have to pay to remove animals from shelters and puppy mills. More often than not we pay more in vet bills for these dogs than we recover in their adoption fees. The difference comes out of our pocket, another reason why we are very selective about the homes our dogs go to. The reason I'm involved in rescue, is to save these babies...not just the young, adoptable or to put money in our pockets...it's the dogs, and has always been, and always will be for the dogs...otherwise I quit....

With that in mind, the following is a comparison chart showing the benefits of adopting from rescue. Aside from the obvious (saving a life from misery, neglect, and/or death) there are tremendous advantages to adopting from rescue -vs.- buying from a pet store or backyard breeder. Here are a few:

*	SHELTER	FURBABY RESCUE	PET STORE	PUPPY MILL	BREEDER
COST	$50-$125	$150-$550	$400-$1000	$250-$800	$400-$1500 DEPENDING ON BREED
MICROCHIP	SOME SHELTERS MICROCHIP/SOME DO NOT	ALL DOGS $25-$30	NO	NO	Some reputable Breeders do
MEDICAL
SPAY/NEUTER	CERTIFICATE FOR REDUCED RATE OR CONTRACT ADOPTER PAYS	ALL DOGS $65-$130 FEE BASED ON SEX OF HEALTHY DOG	NO	NO	NO
VACCINATIONS DEWORMING	5-WAY OR RHINOPAN VACCINE	ALL DOGS RABIES VACCINE, DHP-PV, DEWORM ALL SHOTS $30-$50	1ST PUPPY SHOTS (DOES NOT INCLUDE RABIES, DEWORM, ETC.) NOT ALL GET 1ST SHOTS - STORE TAKES THE WORD OF THE BREEDER	NO	1ST PUPPY SHOTS (DOES NOT INCLUDE RABIES, DEWORM, ETC.)
DENTAL	NO	YES (WHEN NEEDED) $90-$130 EXTRACTIONS ADDITIONAL	NO	NO	Some reputable Breeders do, if an Adult dog
GROOMING	NO	ALL DOGS $25-$50	NO	NO	Some reputable breeders do
ADDITIONAL MEDICAL PROBLEMS	NO	ALL DOGS $30-$2000 VETERINARY CARE GIVEN IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES	NO	NO	NO; HOWEVER, REPUTABLE BREEDERS ALLOW RETURN OF ANIMAL
VETERINARY EXAM	SOME PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE FOR REDUCED RATE	ALL DOGS $20-$35	NO	NO	NO
TRAINING	NO	ALL DOGS	NO	NO	NO
TEMPERAMENT	ALMOST ALWAYS UNKNOWN	ALL DOGS EVALUATED AND PROVIDED TRAINING AND REHABILITATION	NO	NO	NO; HOWEVER, REPUTABLE BREEDERS BREED FOR TEMPERAMENT AND SOCIALIZE PUPPIES
KEEP IN MIND THAT DOGS PURCHASED FROM PUPPY MILLS, PET STORES, ETC. HAVE UNKNOWN GENETIC HISTORIES. MANY HAVE UNSEEN DEFECTS THAT CAN DEBILITATE AND OFTEN SHORTEN THEIR LIFE SPANS - AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OWNERS EMOTIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY. BACKYARD BREEDERS DO NOT BREED OUT GENETIC DEFECTS. THEY OFTEN NEGLECT AND/OR ABUSE THEIR BREEDING STOCK AND NEVER SOCIALIZE OR BREED FOR TEMPERAMENT. DOGS PURCHASED FROM THESE ENVIRONMENTS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS PHYSICALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY CHALLENGED. DOGS RESCUED FROM THESE SITUATIONS ARE REHABILITATED, TREATED FOR MEDICAL PROBLEMS, AND ADOPTED ONLY AFTER THEY ARE ABLE TO HANDLE NORMAL LIVES.
*	SHELTER	FURBABY RESCUE	PET STORE	PUPPY MILL	BREEDER
AVERAGE NEW OWNERS COSTS TO PURCHASE OR ADOPT	$50-$125	$150-$550 ALL BREEDS	$400-$1000	$250-$800	$400-$1500 DEPENDING ON BREED
ADOPTING A DOG FROM FURBABY RESCUE INSURES THAT YOUR DOG WILL COME TO YOU WITH ALL SHOTS/SPAYED OR NEUTERED/MICRO CHIPPED AND WITH ANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS TAKEN CARE OF. IF THE DOG HAS AN ONGOING MEDICAL PROBLEM SUCH AS DRY EYE OR ALLERGIES, YOU WILL KNOW IT UP FRONT. FURBABY EVALUATES ALL DOGS BEFORE THEY ARE ADOPTED. AND WE EVALUATE YOU TOO. WE SCREEN APPLICATIONS, INTERVIEW, CHECK REFERENCES, AND DO HOME CHECKS, IN ADDITION TO MAKING KNOWN EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT A DOG. WE WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THE DOG, AND THIS BENEFITS YOU ALSO. YOU CANNOT GET THIS FROM A PET STORE OR PUPPY MILL
AVERAGE NEW OWNERS COSTS AFTER PURCHASE OR ADOPTION	$200-$300	$0 ALL BREEDS	$255-$410	$255-$410	$255-$410 DEPENDING ON BREED
TOTAL COST:	$250-$425	$150-$550	$655-$1410	$505-$1210	$655-$1,910

1. Adoption fee
($150-$550)
2. Home Check
3. References
For more information, email Eleni

There is an Indian legend which says when a human dies there is a bridge they must cross to enter into heaven. At the head of that bridge waits every animal that human encountered during their lifetime. The animals, based upon what they know of this person, decide which humans may cross the bridge.... and which are turned away.