My ridiculously over-taxed sister always has time to share a great idea for Bargainbabe.com, which makes me very grateful for her. Here is one of her recent gems:
“Here’s an idea – how to get a pet on the cheap through adoption agencies. Sometimes they will even agree to pay the vet bills (as our rat adoption agency did.)”
First of all, fab idea sis. Second of all, rats have vet bills?! And there are agencies that tend to their adoption??? Ha! Not that I have anything against rats. I had many rat-pets growing up, including one that built a home-away-from-home in our upright piano. But that’s another story.
To find out if adopting a pet through an agency is a good deal (and a good deed) I emailed Betsy Rosenfeld, author of The Complete Singles Guide to Being a Dog Owner. Here’s what she said:
I wouldn’t say rescuing from an agency is a cheap way to get a pet, but rather it’s a safer, more predictable and budget-friendly way to get a pet because reputable agencies take responsibility for the pets they adopt out. They have paid for the shots, spay neuter and medical problems the dog came with and many rescuers will help you through the sometimes expensive process of integrating your dog into your new home. Moreover many rescues will know a dog’s behaviors so they can help you avoid common, sometimes expensive problems.
So, even if the adoption fee from an agency is more than you would pay at the shelter, it’s a safer bet.
Then when you compare rescuing a dog to buying a dog, yes of course it’s a savings. However realize that the trade-off is that rescuers will ask questions and ask for home checks. They want to make sure the dog is going to a good home where whatever brought them into rescue in the first place won’t happen again.
It’s also important to know that when you buy a dog from a breeder or god forbid a pet store or online (which you should never do because they are most likely puppy mill dogs) even after you’ve already spent all that money there is no guarantee that dog will be healthy either. Breeders and particularly pet stores and online dog stores are notorious for walking away from unwell dogs, and leaving new dog owners to care for their sick puppies.
Per your sister’s situation, many rescues will subsidize a new dog owner who may be a dedicated dog owner, but who couldn’t otherwise afford a dog’s prescription or even a procedure. Rescues can pay hundreds of dollars a month to board their dogs until they find homes. It would be better to find a loving owner and help with a 40 dollar a month prescription than let the dog waste away in a boarding facility.
So yes rescuing a dog from an agency and remember many have purebreds as well – I just rescued a very sought after Labrador from a rescue – is both a cost conscious and good-karma way of bringing home a dog.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Julia, is that a pic of your sister’s dog? If so, I am sure she meant rat terrier adoption not rat. Then again, I do think the little critters are pretty darn cute, whiskers, claws and all!
April 30th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
We adopted two rats at $7.50 each. When one turned out to be a “special needs”rat after just a week, the adoption agency took the rat back, paid for its surgery, medications, and convalesence, and then when the rat was totally healthy, offered to give us the rat back. Pretty good deal! And yes, it is an adorable, beautiful, and very active black and white rodent!
April 30th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I say get your dog/cat/rabbit/rat at the city or county animal shelter.
I haven’t seen a rescue group that could beat the city as far as cost to you out the door.
And the city shelter doesn’t put you through the ringer like a lot of these private groups.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
“Special needs” rat! You’re killing me.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
No, she does not have a dog. She truly adopted a rat. Lower maintenance than a dog, and I bed the kids enjoy it almost as much.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I advise checking out newspaper/classified ads, the county shelter and local adoption agencies. I got my cat from a local shelter and have not been disappointed.
The people at the shelter were interested in what my home situation was like (kids, space, time away from home, etc) and what I was looking for in a cat. They then showed me a few and let me spend time with them. Eventually I adopted one.
There are so many animals at shelters who need homes.
I also advise everyone to get an adult animal rather than focusing on getting a puppy or a kitten. So many people are obsessed with getting a baby animal that they go out and buy one rather than looking into getting a far less expensive (but just as awesome) adult animal.