The SPCA will now be charging a processing fee to adopt pets ? in an effort to get the charity out of the red financially, and also encourage people to take pet ownership seriously. Fees now include $100 for a kitten, $50 for an adult cat, $150 for a puppy and $100 for an adult dog.
The SPCA will now be charging a processing fee to adopt pets ? in an effort to get the charity out of the red financially, and also encourage people to take pet ownership seriously. Fees now include $100 for a kitten, $50 for an adult cat, $150 for a puppy and $100 for an adult dog.
The processing fee includes the cost of an initial health check and vaccination, testing (of cats), microchipping and registration, treatment of common medical conditions, application of flea control treatment, worming, bathing and general grooming, a 50 percent discount towards the costs of attending a series of dog obedience classes (with a preferred training club), sterilisation for adult animals (six months and older) and a complimentary six month membership.
If the cost of a kitten or puppy sounds excessive, Heather Kromer, president of the SPCA said imagine what it costs the SPCA to shelter the kitten for several months before adoption.
?These are guideline figures that will help us with the cost of caring for the animals in the shelter,? she said. ?We have a number of expenses associated with it.
?We have our kennel expenses which include feeding the animals, plus medical expenses. On top of that there are the basic costs for running the shelter. We have a professional staff.
?Some people may think all we have to do is buy tins of pet food. There a lot more costs than that.?
She said if a potential owner can?t afford to pay the processing fee, then the shelter would question if they could afford to properly maintain a pet in their home.
?We went online and checked out a lot of other shelters and we are not out of line,? she said. ?Kittens are in demand. We would work with people if they were interested in more than one animal. It is a guideline.
?We recognise that older cats wouldn?t be as much in demand, that is why their processing fee is less. We are still interested in finding them good homes.?
She said the SPCA does not have a guaranteed income, and must find ways to keep the shelter afloat. The SPCA is currently operating at a loss.
?We rely on people?s generosity and on fundraising,? she said. ?Beyond that, nothing is guaranteed. That is why we are at the point where we have to be creative and generate some guaranteed income.
?We want to stay in business. We feel optimistic that we are moving ahead and we will be successful. We have to make some decisions. We are looking at trying to cut expenses as much as we can without affecting our level of service.?
The processing fees are just one of several measures the shelter is taking to change its financial picture.
?The other thing about charging adoptions fees is that we want people to think twice about adopting,? she said. ?We don?t want people to adopt on a whim.
?We want them to be sure of this decision. That is one of the pluses of asking for a charge. Some people don?t realise what it costs to feed an animal once they got it home.?
Last year the SPCA adopted out 140 dogs including puppies, 246 cats including kittens and 32 other animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits.
For more information, please telephone 236-7333.
By Jessie Moniz The Royal Gazette