Many of our rescues come in with health problems. We are not funded by outside sources. All of our funding is through adoption fees and help from people like you. Are we a non profit organization? NO...we are not. Do we make a profit?........absolutely not. We are usually running in the red.
Becoming non profit is a very lengthy and expensive process. Most small rescues like ours cannot afford the large filing fee associated with filing non profit. Most of us feel that money is better spent saving dogs.
Most people don't realize that non profit organizations may not actually show that they "make money", but being a non profit allows you to factor salaries for the director and staff into their allowable deductions. Where small rescues don't get paid to work(all are strictly volunteer), the people who run larger, non profit ones, can and many do. This is their job. Remember this when you are considering which rescue to send your donations to.
Non Profit organizations can apply for and receive large grants to fund their programs. This is one of the reasons many have a lower adoption fee. They can afford to "write off" the expense of having their own vet, or vets will donate their time since they can write off services on their taxes. Because they cannot write off services to smaller rescues, they usually don't offer help or discounts to them. Some vets will, but many will not.
Here is a list of our average costs for any particular dog coming in to our rescue:
Pull fee: average $25......some pounds are less many are more. Summit County charges $40 pull fee
Vet visit: This is just to walk in the door $35
Fecal test: $13
Worming: We buy puppy wormer to keep on hand($6 a bottle), but many times dogs/puppies have worms that require a stronger medication which is about $4 a dose.
Disposable syringes for wormer $12 for a box of 100
Shots: $31
Rabies: $19.50
Heatworm testing: $26
Pre surgery bloodwork: $72
Neuter/Spay $118-$130 (price of bloodwork comes off this total if it is done for the spay/neuter)
Heartworm/flea meds: $10 for a dose of Revolution
Grooming: Free if I pull on Monday or Tuesday and can get in to see the one groomer. $45 if I pull any other day or Kim is booked and have to go to a different groomer
The above items are the very basic things required for each dog. Below are other common health issues.
Dentals start at $80. We don't give them for cosmetic reasons, but many dogs come in with gum infections and have to have a dental before they can be adopted
If the dog/puppy has mange. Mange medication is $12 a bottle.
Medications such as antibiotics, eye drops, skin cream, etc. can add up quickly.....example.......antibiotics for a gum infection are $13 a bottle. Each dog has to have his own bottle since it is given by mouth
Cough medication and antibiotics for Kennel cough are apx. $14 per dog/puppy
We purchase a product from Richard's organics that is an immune system booster. Each puppy has it's own bottle and they are $10 a bottle, but are well worth it.
Some dogs come in so sick they have to be admitted to the hospital. Depending on the problem, that can be very costly and many times is in vain because the dog can't be saved. Even if the dog doesn't come home with you, the bill still does.
The cheapest place for toys is the Dollar Store, but when dogs/puppies destroy toys, they don't last long. We periodically have to replentish the stash. It is also nice to be able to send puppy home with his/her favorite toy if we can.
We do rescue runs to get dogs from other shelters and also help transport dogs from kill shelters to rescues and forever homes. It is over $30 to fill a gas tank these days which is good for about a 5 hour trip.
We don't make long distance phone calls to those we can make email contact with, but we do call references and many are long distance. Those fees can add up quickly.....especially if the vet leaves you on hold for a while.
Cleaning products can add up when you use them as much as we do. We go through bleach, carpet cleaner, paper towels, etc like crazy.
Another thing we use a lot of with puppies is pine shavings. It is softer and easier to clean up if you have tiny puppies. That is $7 for a large bag that lasts about a week.
We use a lot of newspapers but have plenty of them donated to us.
Crates, cages, leashes, collars, food dishes, etc......all have to be replaced often. We send dogs home with a collar and leash if we have them.
We receive periodic donations of things like flea medication, heartworm medication, Capstar (for fleas), food donations, and treats. Let me tell you, these certainly help. Dog food is $16 for a 20# bag and can last anywhere from 3 days to a week depending on how many dogs the foster has.
If you are considering adoption, I hope you now understand our fees. Some people think rescued dogs should be free or cheap. Since we have not recently won the lotto and nobody in this rescue is independently wealthy, we do have to cover our expenses by charging a fee.
If we don't have what you are looking for or you are just not quite ready to adopt, please consider making a donation. We could certainly use the help and would be happy to list your name or the name of the person/pet you would like to make a donation in honor of on our sponsor page. If you include a photo of your family or pet, we would be glad to post that as well. We have a pay pal account for credit card donations or they can be sent via snail mail to our shelter. Donations of pet or cleaning supplies are also greatly appreciated.
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