It all depends on what kind of shelter you are buying from. Where I live the "pounds" ask for a reasonable adoption fee. We have bought dogs from the pound before. They have never lived a long life because they were what you call "seniors". However we have rescue groups here that charge outrageous amounts of money. For dogs that aren't purebred they are asking anywhere from 300 and up. They usually ask more for dogs that are purebred. As for pups.. Man they ask even more. I had called about a puppy one time that was like a chihu/terrier mix. They wanted 300 for those pups. So after I got my baby I went back to check and see if the pups were gone. I wasn't shocked to see that they were still there and were almost a year old at the time. I really believe this is a business to some. If they were really concerned about finding good homes then they would lower their standards. By that I mean saying who can and who can't have a pup. Some of the questions they ask are just crazy and way to personal IMO. Now I can see paying a high fee for a dog to cover vet expenses if I choose to take him home. But they charge crazy fees for dogs that are healthy. Our local SPCA doesn't charge outrageous fees and they do just fine. JMHO. |