No matter what the cost of adopting the dog is, you’ll know if they are the right pet for you. So I’ll help you understand why the shelters charge what they do for you to go home with a cuddly pup.
Most people believe that adopting a dog from a shelter should be cheap or even free but what they don’t think about is what the shelter had to do for that dog. Adopting from a breeder may cost you anywhere from $500 to $1000, but to adopt from a shelter you have to pay for different reasons. you have to pay for the cost of the care that was provided by the shelter. There are a few things that any good animal shelter would have done to take care of your new pup.
Most shelters require that their animals be microchipped. The cost of the shelter to microchip a dog is about $20, so really not very much. However, if you get them microchipped on your own it will cost anywhere from $45 to $65. A lot of pet owners insist that their dog will never get out or run away but shelters see it all the time. It could be the result of a bad storm or any other unforeseen circumstance but it still happens.
Every area has its own laws and procedures regarding the spay and neuter of a dog. This means that the price can vary but at a shelter, it will probably be somewhere between $45 and $175. If you get your pet spayed or neutered on your own it can actually be very expensive, ranging from $200 to $500. Spaying and neutering is an expensive process but it is very important to help reduce the number of animals that nobody can care for.
The treatments that are administered to dogs for illnesses such as heartworm are a monthly expense for the shelter. Shelters often distribute the preventative form of medication rather than waiting for the problem to present itself. This can end up saving a lot of money and your dog’s health because removing heartworm is an extremely long and expensive process. As long as your dog never had any unexpected problems with this process it will cost about $20.
The cost of providing food and shelter varies greatly depending on the size and breed of your dog. Some dogs require extra food and a larger living space while others require much less of both. Depending on the shelter they may ask you to pay for some of the toys and bedding.
Something to keep in mind is that most of the non-profit shelters do not receive federal or state funding. The fees that you pay for your dog help them stay in business and take care of more dogs in the future.
By geoffrey|Wed, Jan 11, 2017
