Giving these beautiful animals a second chance at life. For more info check out www.rockysk9rescue.org.au

Giving animals a second chance at life! Save a life, adopt a pound pet!!
Rehome, Rehabilitate, Relove!!

Not for profit organisation rescuing and rehoming unwanted pets.
To make a donation to our animals please go to our website www.rockysk9rescue.org.au


ADOPTION FEES - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Every rescuer has heard it. "If you really cared about finding the dogs a good home, you would charge less or give them away."

This section is an attempt to explain more fully the adoption fees charged by Rockys K9 Rescue.

Rockys takes in any dogs that we have room for in our shelter or foster homes and provide them with anything that is needed. We rescue dogs from pounds, Gumtree and we take in private surrenders.

We are a not for profit organisation that receives no outside government funding and is supported by private donations and our own fund raising efforts. Monies received goes directly towards the care of the dogs in our rescue.

We set our fees on a scale that is much like most rescues. One look at many of our dogs on our website will tell you that we could not possibly recoup all of our veterinary expenses on adoption
fees alone.

Although the adoption fee is one way we use to subsidize the cost of caring for our rescued dogs, it also serves one other function. The adoption fee will put off anyone who is not willing to spend money on properly caring for his or her companion dog. If you cannot afford an adoption fee, then you are unlikely to be able to afford care for your companion throughout its lifetime when it falls ill or has an accident.
It is a harsh world out there for dogs, and making sure the dogs go to a good, responsible home that will care for them for the rest of their life is the number one concern of most rescue groups.

WHERE DOES MY ADOPTION FEE GO?

Every penny of an adoption fee goes towards the dogs' expenses. In fact, in almost all cases, the adoption fee falls far short of the actual expenses spent on the dogs so we rely on public donations
We receive and the many fund raising efforts of our volunteers. Most of our volunteers are also out of pocket for what they spend on petrol, food and other rescue related expenses. The adoption fees are used to cover the cost of expenses incurred while the dog is in the
possession of Rockys prior to adoption. The dogs need to be transported from the shelters ( some are hundreds of kms away), be provided with food, shelter, blankets, beds, toys, treats,
collars, leashes, tags, flea treatments baths, grooming and other supplies. Dogs may need veterinary care, surgery to be altered or to correct physical problems, prescription medications, treatment of skin conditions or injuries, etc. We may pull a dog from a shelter that is relatively healthy and we may only have to spend a small amount of money on veterinary care to have that dog ready for adoption. In this case, the minimal profit from that dog's adoption fee is applied to the vetting costs of the many others who are not so fortunate. There are times the adoption fee for a dog that is not healthy starts as low as $300 when it could easily cost our rescue as much as $3000or more to vet this dog depending on the medical issues.

WHY ARE RESCUE ADOPTION FEES ARE SO HIGH?

The assumption that rescue is a business, or that rescuer's make a profit on the dogs in their rescue could not be further from the truth.
Take the list of services above to a veterinarian, pet supply store, groomer and boarding facility and ask them what they would charge you to provide everything that rescue provides. Some items no one can give you a price quote on is the time spent rescuing, transporting, caring for, teaching, feeding, bathing and loving these dogs while they are waiting to be adopted, sometimes co-existing with our own families and pets, just so they can finally find a family to call
their own. Those of us who do rescue truly do it for our love of the animals, because there is no money to be made in rescue work. Only a pat on the back every now and then from a fellow rescuer and the joy felt when you see the strides made by a dog who is now happy and healthy and finally joining their forever family.


IF YOU REALLY CARE SO MUCH ABOUT FINDING THE DOGS A GOOD HOME, WHY DON'T YOU CHARGE LESS OR GIVE THEM AWAY?

Rescuers care enough to provide for these dogs when their original owners did not, to screen homes, to invest their hearts, time, and personal funds. Rescuers care enough to know that if someone cannot afford an adoption fee, it is likely that person would also be unable to provide proper veterinary care for the animal. Rescuers care enough to have researched and know what happens to those "free to good home" pets - the neglect, abuse and abandonment that these
animals, deemed of no value, will suffer. We care enough that we cannot be governed by expenses. Rescuers will take in these animals and sometimes foster these animals in their homes, making them part of their family while providing care and training. The animals will be screened for behavioral and health problems and have those issues addressed. Every attempt is made to make the best possible match with prospective adopting families. Rescuers spend hours on the phone and computer each day seeking the perfect home, help for a dog, or transport for a dog needing to be saved. Setting up transports for these animals may take weeks to arrange, and require
hundreds of e-mails. Additional time is spent photographing, promoting and otherwise presenting the adoptable dogs to potential adopters. Phone bills are frequently outrageous, as rescuers still
find it necessary to call shelters and vets, to interview prospective adopters and check their references. Rescuers devote a lot of energy trying to make people aware of the pet overpopulation problem
and what becomes of dogs from puppy mills and back yard breeders. Unscrupulous breeding victimizes the animals and the poor unsuspecting families that love, and sometimes lose, their
beloved pets because of greed.

WHY DO RESCUE GROUPS CHARGE MORE THAN ANIMAL SHELTERS?

Animal Shelters receive city, council, state or federal funding, or any combination of these government entities. Rescue groups do not.
Animal Shelters are temporary safe houses for dogs in immediate need. A lot of public shelters in Australia resort to euthanasia after a certain period of time. Public shelters do not provide long term housing, extended vet care, or training. Rescue groups do this, and it is pricey. Most of the time rescue groups get their dogs from shelters, as shelters often have relationships with the rescue groups and will call upon them when needed to take in a pup that they cannot afford to pay for the vetting cost and know that it will get adopted to the home that best fitsits personality and needs. The sad truth is since we are living in a material world, pets without value are considered
disposable. This is in no way intended to convince someone to adopt a dog from a rescue rather than a shelter. It is to simply let you know the difference in cost between the two. In our eyes, an adopted dog, from any organization, is a rescued dog. Rockys volunteers and foster homes are not paid a salary and usually have full-time jobs, family,
commitments and dogs of their own to care for. This kind of sacrifice takes away a substantial amount of time and energy from their personal lives and is the hugest donation on their part. We at Rockys K9 Rescue hope this helps you understand "why" there are adoption fees and "why" they are what they are; but if you are still upset or confused, then adopting a rescue dog is clearly not for you.