Almost every single rescue group and every shelter charges an adoption fee, and each group sets their own fee. Rescuing pets is expensive work! The rescuer often pays to have the pets spayed or neutered, if they aren’t already, provides vaccines, and pays for all medical care needed while the pets are in their rescue. Some rescuers don’t have a facility and run out of foster homes, so they must pay to have the pets boarded while they try to find them homes. Food, beds, leashes, collars, tags, grooming…it all adds up.

If the rescuer took a pet out of the animal shelter, they have paid the shelter’s adoption fees. Even with adoption fees, rescuers are often thousands of dollars in debt to veterinarians. So, please don’t feel like you’re being taken advantage of if you’re asked for an adoption fee. Nobody (at least nobody reputable) is making money off these pets!

Most rescue groups’ fees tend to be higher than the fees public shelters charge, due to the vast amount of money these groups spend on caring for the orphaned animals. At Florida Rottweiler Rescue Ranch, we strive to keep adoption costs to a minimum.  However, it is important to note that once we welcome a new dog into our family, the process of caring for all their needs (medical, physical, and behavioral), begins immediately and does not end until the adoption is completed.  Our residents receive a very high level of care, and all their needs are attended to by resident staff, living 24/7 on the ranch, with the dogs, and a dedicated group of volunteers.  We must try to recoup some of our investment into each dog, as this allows us to save the next dog … and so on.