Adoption Fees
Texas Fees (local)
Title | Fee | Fee Includes: | Your Responsibility: |
|---|---|---|---|
8 wks - 12 wks | $400 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; 1 DHPP vaccine; 1-2 DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter | up to 2 DHLP to finish series; rabies vaccine; continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative; schedule spay/neuter (we cover fee) |
12 wks - 10 months | $400 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine | rabies vaccine; continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative; schedule spay/neuter (we cover fee) |
11 months - 6 years | $350 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine | continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative |
7 years+ | $300 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine | continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative |
Out of State Fees (transport)
Animal Age | Fee | Fee Includes: | Your Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
8 wk - 12 wk | $600 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; 1 DHPP vaccine; 1-2 DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; transport | up to 2 DHLP to finish series; rabies vaccine; continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative; schedule spay/neuter (we cover fee) |
12 wk - 8 months | $600 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine; transport | rabies vaccine; continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative; schedule spay/neuter (we cover fee) |
9 months - 6 years | $600 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine; transport | continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative |
7 years+ | $575 | Complete deworming series; bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine; complete DHPP and/or DHLP vaccine series (includes leptospirosis vaccine); up to date flea/tick/heartworm medications; spay/neuter; rabies vaccine | continued monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative |
Why is there an adoption fee?
Rescue groups are often asked, why is it expensive to adopt? Don't you have a plethora of dogs, don't you want the fee to be low so you can adopt as many as possible?
We do our best to keep the adoption fees as low as possible. If we could give dogs away for free, we absolutely would. However, fees are necessary for two reasons:
(1) Our adoption fees reflect the services we put into them - we are not in the business of making money, and not a penny goes into the pockets of leadership or any personal funds. Every cent of donations and fees are funneled directly into animal care, supplies, and medical needs. We require these adoption fees in order to stay afloat- if we are not reimbursed for these animals' vetting and care (many times we lose money on adoptions), we would not be able to save more lives.
(2) A dog is a lifetime commitment, and whether we like it or not- they are expensive! Dogs require doctor's visits just like humans. They have to stay up on to date on their yearly vaccines, require monthly heartworm and flea/tick preventative, food, toys for enrichment, and medical bills can be expensive if/when they inevitably get sick. We do not advocate for "outdoor only" dogs that are left to fend for themselves and are kept outside, away from the family. One important reason to maintain an adoption fee is to discourage adoption of dogs without acknowledgement and acceptance of their financial responsibility. Our animals have all had rough lives to begin with- we refuse to place them in homes that are not ready to commit to their health, well being, and happiness.
We have included a brief breakdown of averaged vet costs to fully vet a 6 month old puppy in order to demonstrate where our adoption fees come from.
We do our best to keep costs at a minimum by providing our own DHPP vaccine series, bordetella vaccines, and deworming series. However, each animal still requires vet visits, vet-administered rabies vaccines, fecal exams, heartworm tests, and, if traveling, a $30-$90 health certificate. In addition, each of our foster animals require basic supplies, including but not limited to:
➣ dog food, averaging ~60/month
➣ puppy pads, averaging $40/month
In order to continue saving animals, we must recoup some of the veterinary and maintenance expenses of these animals. For many dogs/puppies, we are not able to match the expenses we invest them via the adoption fee, which is why we plea for donations!
If you have any further questions/comments/concerns regarding our fees for adoption, please don't hesitate to reach out to us personally at info@destinationrescue.org. We welcome your inquiries and are happy to be transparent in our mission to save homeless animals!
