Craig Daily Press / Jennifer Riley: Adoption fee not meant to discriminate

Jennifer Riley

July 4, 2008

I am writing in support of the adoption fees charged by the animal shelter. Recently, my family adopted a cat from the animal shelter, and we were not surprised that the adoption fee for our cat was $90. This fee included her spaying and vaccinations. For those who adopt a pet from the shelter, they are paying for spaying or neutering, vaccinations, as well as the adoption fee.

It costs the animal shelter a lot of money to board dogs and cats that are in need of good homes. After 10 days of residence in our animal shelter, volunteers from the Human Society begin looking to transfer animals to other shelters that have available space. Since our shelter began transferring animals, the number of animals euthanized annually has decreased significantly.

As a point of clarification, the fundraiser last weekend was held to support the Humane Society of Moffat County. The Humane Society and the animal shelter are financially separate entities. The adoption fee is paid to the animal shelter, not the Humane Society.

The fee for adopting a dog or a cat is not meant to discriminate. Pet ownership is expensive, and the expense doesn’t stop at an adoption fee.

Jennifer Riley

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4 July 2008 at 1:30 a.m.

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Marvin (Anonymous) says…

BULL! what about those lower income familys that have viable space, and plenty of love for a new pet? Most of us middle class dont have the cash to fork over, but have welcomeing homes to offer. If they are so expensive to house why not drop the price to $45? as a result they would find homes faster and cost the shelter less.And all the pets would find happy loving homes…. But sadly those homeless critters are a mealticket, and if they drop the price their wallets get a little lighter…. but isnt their main goal ultimately to find good homes rather than uthanizing them or shipping them off to be another county's 'Problem'?

4 July 2008 at 10:06 a.m.

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GlacierDragon (Anonymous) says…

Then who do you expect to pay for the costs of vaccinations and spay/neuter? All that stuff comes with a cost, even if the Veterinarian donates all their time.
Where I used to live, they had a program to sponsor animals. So let's say I'm already maxed out on the number of animals in my home, but there is an animal at the shelter that I just really like. I could then pay part or all of the adoption fees to help him get a home.
If people here have loving homes and can't cover the adoption fees, perhaps a sponsorship program should be put in place.
I do harbor concerns, though, that if you can't afford the adoption fees, how do you expect to pay medical expenses if something happens to them? That's certainly not cheap, either.