About Adoption Donations

 


We ask the same adoption donation for each of our dogs, as we believe each life we save is equally precious.

*All adoption donations are non-refundable.  Seniors and Special Needs Dogs:  If you are considering adopting a senior or special needs dog and the adoption donation seems daunting, we encourage you to ask us about an adoption donation discount. We often offer post-adoptive care for our special needs dogs and we assess each situation individually. We will never allow an adoption donation to be the barrier to finding the right home for one of our dogs.

SOS adoption donations help offset the expenses we routinely incur, such as transport, vetting (spay/neuter, worming, vaccinations, or other special needs), boarding, and behavioral modification.

We understand that the adoption donation amount can seem daunting, but we ask you to consider the time, effort and financial resources that we invest into each of our dogs and the future expenses for which every adopter should be prepared. The costs of properly caring for a healthy dog add up quickly: high quality food alone can cost upwards of $700/year for a medium-sized dog; annual preventative and wellness vetting can easily top $300; one illness or injury could easily cost more than both of these basic needs combined.

Even though we receive thousands of dollars in generous discounts and in kind donations from our vetting and behavioral partners, we spend more than $70,000 every year on these expenses.  The diagram below shows where we spend our money on healthy dogs.

Dog Diagram Vet

 

 

Although we do not specialize in special needs animals, we regularly intake animals who are later found to have special needs. Once we commit to a dog, we are committed to ensuring that s/he gets the basic care required to lead a healthy, high quality life. The costs associated with caring for a dog with special needs are often much, much more than the adoption donation we ask, both while in our care and after adoption. For example:

  • Heartworm treatment for a 50lb dog – $750 on average
  • Typical dental cleaning – $200-300 on average
  • Diagnostic x-rays – $150
  • ACL repair – $1500
  • Tooth extraction – $150 per tooth plus anesthesia
  • Leg amputation/eye removal – $750 – $1500
  • Patellar surgery – $1200 (per knee)
  • Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) – $1300
  • Entropion repair – $600 on average
  • Serious/complex heartworm treatment – $3,000
  • Supportive care for parvovirus puppy – $4-5,000 per puppy

While their care is expensive, these dogs are some of the most loving, affable, enjoyable companions, who bring tremendous joy to their foster and adoptive families, and deserve to find their own forever homes.

We hope that you are willing to give ALL of our dogs the opportunity for a better life by supporting them through our adoption donations. Without these funds, our rescue efforts would not be possible.

An additional Massachusetts Fee is required for all dogs adopted to Massachusetts residents, and other fees/requirements might apply depending upon the adopter’s state of residence. See here for more information on adopting in Massachusetts.

To pay an adoption donation, please go here.

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