A Little Disillusioned

When we were looking for a dog before we adopted Gromit our little Jack Russell/Poodle mix mutt, I searched Petfinder.com. We looked for a while and then Gromit was posted on the site by a nearby county shelter. We paid $60.00 for him and then the cost of the vet expenses and supplies afterward. He was a fantastic investment.

Mr. Clean and I have decided that we might like to adopt another dog. I have always wanted two dogs and I think that Gromit would benefit from having another canine in the house. So again I began the search on Petfinder and came up with a dog that may be a great match. We took the offspring and Gromit to meet the dog at his foster family's house (the dog is a rescue) and thought he would be great. The two dogs seemed to like one another and although skittish, the little pooch looking for a home responded well to us. I found out today that his adoption "donation" would be $300.00. It broke my heart. I simply have no desire to shell out $300.00 for a little mutt no matter how cute and perfect he seems. The only reason I have not hit the same pound we got Gromit from is that because of my mother's allergies we need to stick with certain breeds or mutts mixed with certain breeds so she can still visit without her allergies bothering her. So the easiest thing to do was search Petfinder by breed and location.

I know that the rescue organizations that are trying to place the animals have expenses. I do not fault them for trying to recoup some of the expense, but the part that I do not get is how one dog whose adoption"donation" at one rescue organization would have been $150.00 turned into $300.00 when he was transferred to another organization (due to space) just days after we inquired after him.

This sparked my curiosity. I took a look at a lot of the rescues that post on Petfinder, curious as to what they are asking for a "donation". Cute little fuzzy puppies? Close to $400.00 according to some rescues. Older dogs, not as much but close. Some rescues had very low adoption fees and some were large. What I find ironic is that one of the mottoes of Petfinder.com is, "Don't buy a pet for sale. Adopt." What's the difference really?