Anonymous wrote:Shelters by and large charge low fees, and do not do any sort of checks. They usually are subsidized by the government, and depending on the shelter will bring the dog UTD on shots, and alter. Rural shelters especially have extremely low fees (like 40 - 50 bucks), and sometimes no fee at all. This means that anything beyond the basics is the responsibility of the adopter.
Rescues OTOH are not funded by anyone other than supporters and adopters, and the fees charged go towards taking care of the dogs. Most are registered 501c3s (non profits), have mandatory filing requirements, and their financials are available online.
These days, upwards of 50% of the dogs that rescues pull from shelters are HW+. That’s upwards of $500 to treat a dog. They often pull dogs with other problems, anything from mange to entropian, hit by car, tumors, and orthopedic wrecks. Someone has to pay for all this.
When you have invested so much in dogs, it’s not good to see them bounced around or returned. As such, rescues go to the trouble of doing their best to vet the adopters. As someone that has done this, I can tell you that a lot of people should not own a dog, but still apply for them anyway.
In my experience, shelters in Maryland do home checks. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but they put up barriers so that they discourage people from adopting.
I tried adopting a hamster from the county shelter, but I had to make an appointment for several days later to meet with adoption counselor. I didn’t and ended up going to Petsmart the same day and buying one for less than the adoption fee would’ve been. My point is that rescues and shelters are sometimes not adoption friendly.
I don’t think dogs should be free, but adoption fees should not be prohibitive.