# Adopting Puppies from a Shelter - problems finding them!



## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

First, a quick rundown:

My husband and I are 30 years old, I work from home and he works rather long hours as a repair technician. We've talked about getting a puppy for quite some time and have slowly been preparing - we have a crate and some of the basic essentials, and are accumulating more bit by bit. Since I'm going to be home, I'm well aware that the bulk of training and care will fall to me - and that's fine. I raised our 3 rescue cats from a very early age and have more experience with dogs than he does anyway.I grew up with dogs (and cats), in fact, but have not had a chance to own one of my own yet.

Our three cats, one of which is a 5 year old American Bobtail and two are general "mutt" 8 year old domestic shorthair, are not going anywhere. So it's very important for me to find a puppy young enough that can learn to accept and get along with cats, especially since one of the male cats is very shy around other animals (loves people though). I know some older dogs in shelters are said to be "ok around cats", but typically that always comes from an owner who has given them up saying "oh, they're good with cats..." ...well, good with the cats they were raised with, yes. Because they thought of those cats as their pack. Not usually so good with strange cats, and much more intimidating to a shy cat than a puppy. Plus, I'll admit I want to train from scratch rather than try to correct years of bad habits and bad training. Nothing against older shelter dogs, if I didn't have cats I would be much more open to the idea... but it's important to me that the puppy grows up with these particular cats and is socialized from an early age with them.

The problem is... most of the shelters in Michigan only have pit bull puppies for adoption. I know pit bulls are misunderstood and can be very good dogs, but between my house insurance having a clause against "pit bull types" of dogs, this is out of the question in my situation.

I've checked multiple websites, including petfinder, but there just seems to be no puppies for adoption in the area that aren't pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Can anyone suggest other ways to go about finding puppies for adoption, mixed or purebred, that I may be overlooking? I guess I'm just sort of baffled. The last time I had a dog (my mom's) about 15 years ago, finding a puppy to adopt was a pretty easy thing... now it seems to be rather difficult. I've been looking almost every day for a month and no luck...


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## a7dk (Mar 30, 2011)

It may be worth your while to find a rescue in your area. Rather than housing dogs in crates in a shelter, rescue dogs are fostered in family homes. These family homes often have cats, and so the foster family would be able to tell you if a particular dog or puppy was good with cats. There are also many breed-specific rescues, so you can easily avoid pit-bull types by looking at rescues that take in goldens, for example. Btw, I know you want a puppy but because you say the reason is your cats, I would still look into older dogs from rescues. The fosters would be able to give you lots of information on how a dog reacts around cats.


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## Canaqua (Sep 27, 2011)

I agree, try rescues. Puppies are in very short supply in shelters around here too (yay for Mass being pretty on top of spaying and neutering!). If you live in an area that does a good job on this too and doesn't have a lot of strays, you may need to go out of state to get a homeless puppy. Our puppy came from rural Ohio, my brother's came from TN. The rescue my brother worked with had him commit to the dog before they would ship it, the one I worked with did not, they brought the puppy to New England and THEN had us (including older dog) meet her and rescue workers before we finalized everything.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I agree that rescues may have more of a selection. . .a lot of them will pull puppies from the kill shelters. Or ship them in from high-kill areas (but I don't think MI is like MA and there's probably less of this)

You can also check craigslist, the newspaper ads, and posters at the grocery store, laundromat, etc. and ask at the vet's office. Vets usually know of at least a few needing homes.


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## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

If you are looking for a rescue that has been fostered (so they know whether or not its good with kids, cats, other dogs, etc.) I highly recommend http://www.shihtzuandfurbabyrescue.com/index.html . 

Its where I got Pepper. They have members that hand transport just about anywhere. They have a 98% success rate when it comes to placements because they get to know their dogs and the potential forever homes so well. They have everything from puppies to seniors.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Where are you in Michigan? You can PM me if you want, but I work for a shelter and volunteer for a rescue. We have, available for adoption, at my work several puppies (I'm talking 2-4 months old) and my rescue frequently has puppies. At work we have the Rescue Waggin' from down south bring us new puppies frequently- last time bringing us 26.


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## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

I should mention, also, we're looking for a larger breed dog. In any case, ThoseWordsAtBest, I am in Traverse City, which is up by the "pinky finger". I certainly don't mind a little bit of a drive to find the right puppy, though, so long as it's within the state of Michigan, especially with all this mild "winter" weather we're having. 

Everyone else: thanks for the replies. I'm going to keep looking around at rescue sites, too. It could be just the time of year - I know many female dogs come into heat in the spring, so finding a young pup in a few months might be easier.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Willowy said:


> I agree that rescues may have more of a selection. . .a lot of them will pull puppies from the kill shelters. Or ship them in from high-kill areas (but I don't think MI is like MA and there's probably less of this)
> 
> You can also check craigslist, the newspaper ads, and posters at the grocery store, laundromat, etc. and ask at the vet's office. Vets usually know of at least a few needing homes.


I would make absolutely certain those aren't BYBs or puppy mills first. (Not the vet's office, of course.)

I would try a breed specific rescue. The rescue I went through gets most of their dogs from Kentucky, and they do get puppies on occasion.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Amaryllis said:


> I would make absolutely certain those aren't BYBs or puppy mills first. (Not the vet's office, of course.)


Well, I guess they would be "BYBs", even if it was accidental, technically. But yeah, a lot of really crummy breeders will pose as innocent pet owners in order to sell their pups. But you can usually tell by how much they're charging. I was talking about accidental litters. I would offer to pay for the mother dog to be spayed as "payment" for the pup. If they turn that down they probably did it on purpose and I wouldn't support them.

(And sometimes vet's offices are the worst place when it comes to BYBing/puppymills, unfortunately. I know of a vet who runs a puppymill himself!)


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## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

Yeah I agree with the BYB thing. I actually -just- had a run in with one a few days ago, trying to pass off puppies as "purebred" shepherds, when they were clearly not. They wanted 400 bucks per puppy and when I asked if I could see the parents, I got a story about how the male dog had just died... uh huh. That was a little too shady for me to buy into, and I didn't want to continue to fund such practices so I turned down the puppy.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Golden/hound mixes

And if you are interested in a pit or pit-looking dog and the only reason not to get one is your home owners insurance, I'd look around at other companies. Not sure about MI, but State Farm in KY doesn't have any breed restrictions. They suggest carrying a large amount of liability insurance for ANY dog owner.


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## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

Thanks for the link Shell, and no it's not the only reason I'm avoiding pitts, but it is the main one. On the other hand, I am very good with dogs, cats, most animals blah-blah...however, while I won't tolerate biting in -any- dog and am going to do everything possible to socialize the new puppy with other animals and people, I also have to take into consideration that every dog has the -potential- to bite. No animal is 100% predictable, and that includes cats, dogs, horses...anything. Because of the bite -damage- pitts can inflict on other animals and people, I'm just not willing to take that risk. It's not that I think pitts are overly aggressive or bite -more-, but when they do bite, it's some nasty business. My frank opinion is people who own pitts should be pitt-experts, and I'm not a pitt expert beyond the basics.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Willowy said:


> Well, I guess they would be "BYBs", even if it was accidental, technically.


Yeah, I wish we had a word to use for "oopsie!" litter BYBs as opposed to people who breed their dogs for extra cash. It is a different mindset altogether.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

TheAmir said:


> I should mention, also, we're looking for a larger breed dog. In any case, ThoseWordsAtBest, I am in Traverse City, which is up by the "pinky finger". I certainly don't mind a little bit of a drive to find the right puppy, though, so long as it's within the state of Michigan, especially with all this mild "winter" weather we're having.
> 
> Everyone else: thanks for the replies. I'm going to keep looking around at rescue sites, too. It could be just the time of year - I know many female dogs come into heat in the spring, so finding a young pup in a few months might be easier.


I got your message and sent one back.  Check out the link for LDDR. The DE litter looks promising.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

You might ask the local Vets for suggestions about adoptable dogs. They may know about families who have good dogs/pup that they can't keep. Also, I imagine that there are breed specific Rescues - Labrador, Golden, German Shepherd, etc. within driving distance...

The training for reducing the chance of a damaging bite is called Bite Inhibition. A well socialized dog with good Bite Inhibition training will not break the skin with near 100% certainty. He may bite, but won't do damage.


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## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

Well it's been a few months since I posted this and we -still- can't seem to find a puppy. All the puppies available in the shelters seem to be pit bulls or the postings are outdated on the shelter websites and the pups long gone. Craigslist isn't much help either, as it seems 90% of it is scams each time I post I'm looking for a young puppy.

I'm so frustrated. I never thought it was going to be so hard to find a lab mix or GSD mix or retriever or even basset hound mix puppy in a rescue shelter in Michigan that has a reasonable adoption fee and puppies available. In my opinion I don't think 300 bucks is a reasonable adoption fee, 150? fine. 300? I understand shelters have to buy supplies and food but I have to doubt they've spent 300 dollars on any 8-12 week old puppy unless it had some serious health issues... wouldn't that money be better spent on the puppy by its new owner? I could just save another 100-200 and get a purebred with papers... just seems unreasonable for adoption fee.

I suppose I just feel like this is looking for a needle in a haystack. And shelters seem very bad at returning calls or emails... what is up with that?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

If the pup is spayed/neutered $300 isn't too bad. . .have you priced spay/neuter and other vet care so you have a perspective?

Also, have you checked with vets? I know my vet always has puppy ads up on his bulletin board.


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## Brydean (Apr 3, 2008)

I had the same problem in my area. I looked at shelters and rescues for several months and couldn't find the kind of dog I wanted. I wasn't being extremely picky either. All I could find was pits/pit mixes or larger size dogs such as labs. Any smaller size dogs that came in went out just as fast. Most of the small breed rescues also wanted more than the breeders. I know many people on here wouldn't approve of the breeder I got my puppy from. But after months of searching and researching, I'm quite happy with my puppy. I think he is the best fit for my family. I don't care about other peoples judgments and I feel I made the best decision for my family.


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## TheAmir (Feb 2, 2012)

Willowy said:


> If the pup is spayed/neutered $300 isn't too bad. . .have you priced spay/neuter and other vet care so you have a perspective?
> 
> Also, have you checked with vets? I know my vet always has puppy ads up on his bulletin board.


I have checked with my vet, no such luck. And no, 90% of these shelter puppies are not spayed and the asking price is usually 250-300 dollars even without spaying. That's part of why I'm so frustrated. They've not had shots and they aren't spayed, why is the adoption fee so high? *shakes head*


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

You could also look north of the border - there are lots of dogs in rescue in Ontario, and they might be able to help with transport. 

As for the fee, $300 should cover spaying and neutering as well as shots, worming and parasites. Also some of the rescued dogs aren't perfectly healthy, they often get dogs in with injuries and they don't charge more to adopt those dogs out, so if there is something left over from the fee it's used to help more animals (make sure the rescue you support has a non-profit status). A purebred, healthy pup from a responsible breeder is not going to cost you $500 in almost all cases, more like $1000 or more is typical, so it is a good deal and a good cause.

Have you filled out applications with any of the local rescue groups, or just emailed to ask? It might be worth it to fill out some applications so they have an idea of who you are and that you are a good home, vs. someone who will go onto kijiji by the end of the day if they haven't responded and get the first free pup they see. They are usually all volunteers, not paid staff, so they don't have a lot of time to answer every email.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

It can take a while to find the right dog. I spent a good 6 months going to my local shelter before I found my puppy on Petfinder, from a rescue. And I had been casually looking for about 2 years before that.

But, yeah, I was in a very similar situation as you are, since I have two cats and wanted to get a puppy to raise it with the cats. My requirements were pretty basic - young (under 2 years old), small- to medium-sized, easy grooming, low- to moderate-energy - and I still had trouble finding that in my local shelter. Do you actually go visit the shelter? I'd find out if they have certain days when they have new dogs on the floor rather than waiting to see if the dogs make it to the website. Also, some shelters will let you leave your name along with what type of dog you're interested in, and will call you if a dog like that comes in (though, in my experience, I think they're too busy to really do this since I never got any calls).

I also think that $300 is reasonable for an adoption fee, especially for the rescue. They may not have spent that much on a small puppy, but I'm sure they've spent way more on some other dogs that are also in need of help.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

TheAmir said:


> I have checked with my vet, no such luck. And no, 90% of these shelter puppies are not spayed and the asking price is usually 250-300 dollars even without spaying. That's part of why I'm so frustrated. They've not had shots and they aren't spayed, why is the adoption fee so high? *shakes head*


That pricing sounds about right for a rescue puppy. Granted I'm in a more expensive area, but the rescue where we got Biscuit charges $350 for puppies under 6 months and that doesn't include spay/neuter. Many rescues charge more for puppies than for older dogs because there is so much more demand for puppies. The puppy fees then help defray the cost of running the rescue and paying for vet treatment for older dogs.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

I'd be pretty shocked if they are adopting out puppies without spay/neuter as that is standard practice in most shelters/rescues for all animals. I paid $250 when I adopted my mutt at two years old just over two years ago. The fee had actually just gone from $225 the week I applied to adopt him to $250 by the next weekend after I'd been approved and able to go pick him up. Didn't bother me a bit. He came into the rescue already neutered so they didn't have to pay for that but he was there for 10 months. So that was 10 months of food, flea/tick and heartworm preventative, and vet care (he had a respiratory issue that required meds sometime during his stay) all of which I'm sure totaled more than $250. 

Some dogs come in and get adopted out straight out of their quarantine period and some dogs have been at this rescue for over 3 years, they all have the same adoption fee which is now $325. So don't think of it as just $300 for THAT puppy but a fee for your new puppy and money for those they've spent more on. Though if you are getting a spayed/neutered puppy that's up to date on shots $300 isn't unreasonable. 

Hell I'm going to be getting a long term foster from the rescue I volunteer for and will be paying for all but their medical expenses while they stay with me. If I decide to adopt the foster it'll still cost me the $325 adoption fee even if I've spent the last say 6 months paying for all their food, toys, and accessories. I'm okay with that, even on top of the monthly donation I give to the rescue. Don't think of it as "more money than they spent on this puppy" but as money to help the other dogs who aren't going to a loving home just yet.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I had no problem finding the breed of puppy I wanted in a shelter in my area (dachshund mix - 1 hr away). The SPCA gets them from kill shelters in the south. We paid $300 for him, which I think is reasonable. He came dewormed, neutered, and with his first Distemper shot. The adoption fee isn't just to cover the literal expense of them caring for the dog, but also for paying the staff, buying housekeeping supplies, paying rent or mortgage on the building, paying for fuel and vehicles to transport animals, etc... 

You might want to branch your search out a little bit. It's nice and springy now, not a bad time for a road trip! People I know with purebred dogs from reputable breeders have driven 12+ hrs to get them, or had to fly to pick them up. It's not outside the realm of ordinary to get the right dog for your family.


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## LenaCara (May 11, 2011)

My bf and I tried to find a dog through pet finder and didn’t have much luck either. We also live in Michigan but in the Grand Rapids area. I don’t know if you have any Petsmarts or PetCo’s around you but that’s where we got both of our dogs. Both places have adoption agencies that come in on Saturdays a couple of times a month. They usually have puppies but there is no telling what kind of dogs will be available until you arrive at the store. Also they usually will know what the mom is but rarely will they know the breed of the dad. I know that Josie was shipped in from out of state because they didn’t have puppies so they pulled her pregnant mom from a shelter and adopted them all out. We got her when she was 8 weeks old and signed a contract plus received a waiver for her spay. Rory was already 11 months old and neutered. He was found around your area and was pulled into the agency after a month or so of puppy jail. We did look at a few puppies at PetCo but they were already spayed/neutered by 8 weeks and that really worried me. I don’t know if all places that do events at Petco do this, I only went to play with the puppies that one time. So far I’m two for two on going to play with puppies and bringing one home. I don’t think I’m allowed to go to anymore adoption events  If you do see a dog that is a few months old, the adoptive family is usually there so you can talk to them about the dogs temperament. Also there were usually a few different litters and none that I saw were pits. The cost ranged from $150 - $200.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Most shelters that adopt out puppies that are not fixed yet have a clause in the paperwork requiring spay/neuter by age of 6 months and at least around here, typically give a rebate of $50 of the adoption fee after the S/N proof is submitted.

But like the others have said, it isn't $300 for YOUR puppy; it is $300 towards the cost of running a shelter and caring for the dogs in general. In exchange for supporting them to the tune of $300, you get to adopt one of the dogs. I think that is a reasonable price, especially if the shelter is well run and spends the money to care for the tougher cases (injured animals etc) and of course, even though puppies may only be there 8-12 weeks before adoption, that momma dog might be there another several months before adoption. So you have to figure they are balancing some of the expenses of whelping and caring for the momma dog via the pups' fees.

Most shelters and rescues need significant sources of income outside of the adoption fees just to stay afloat. The rescue I foster for does fundraisers of all sorts from partnering with a pizza place to get 20% of the bill donated when someone uses the rescue's name to hosting music and events at a brewpub etc. They charge $150 but some dogs might enter the rescue already fixed and up-to-date on shots and spend a month or two with a foster, costing little more than HW and flea treatment while others, like my last foster, will spend 6+ months or even a year+ there for medical treatment, behavior training, or simply because they aren't young puppies and get overlooked again and again. So they might cost the rescue $500+ but of course, it would be counter-productive to charge so much more for a dog that is essentially the same as any of the others once they are ready for adoption. 

Get ready to drive, contact more rescues, fill out more applications and be flexible. $300 or so is a very small amount of money over the life of a dog. I figure I spend about $600/year easily not including any unusual vet fees or such. And that's not doing any dog sports or training classes! 

If you go the breeder route, to get a *responsible* breeder you're very likely going to be looking at $700-800+ since the cost of health exams and testing for the parents, the cost of care for the pups, first vaccinations, and the money set aside for potential medical complications during whelping etc adds up quickly.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Shell said:


> Most shelters that adopt out puppies that are not fixed yet have a clause in the paperwork requiring spay/neuter by age of 6 months and at least around here, typically give a rebate of $50 of the adoption fee after the S/N proof is submitted.


That's how it was when I got Buffy from a rescue. I forget whether the adoption fee was $300 or $350, but they would've spayed her for free at the age of 6 months (I got her at 9 weeks old). I opted to have my own vet do it, and got $100 refunded when I submitted proof. I would've liked to have waited until after her first heat to get her spayed, but I signed a contract, so I stuck to it and got it done as close to 6 months as I could. I think I paid $160 to have her spayed, but was glad to have it done at a vet that was closer to home. I was also glad that it wasn't done at 8-9 weeks instead.

Edit: Oh she also had been de-wormed and had her first set of shots when I got her.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

I see I last posted in here recommending LDDR. They generally charge $250 for puppies, but the have no shelter head quarters and all of their animals are in foster homes. 

Lake Haven rescue has some stinking cute puppies right now, lots of hounds, and their fees are $150. I don't know if these guys strike your fancy or not..


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## KaywinnitLee (Jan 1, 2012)

My dog had a $225 adoption fee plus a $110 transport fee from Alabama to Pennsylvania totaling $335 and she was already a year old when I adopted her. Those fees included spaying, shots and full vet care which included heartworm treatment. I would highly recommend trying to go through a rescue rather than a shelter as they are often more thorough and specialized. You will find your pup...just be patient (I know it's hard!). Good luck!


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

IMO, the adoption fee should be seen as a donation to a good cause, not as payment for a puppy. In most cases, a shelter/rescue won't have $300 invested in an 8wk old puppy. But your donation goes to help the dogs that have been there for longer, who have health issues, and who are old enough for s/n. It pays for decent food, toys, and the salaries of shelter employees to clean up after the animals and provide socialization. It pays for the cost of whelping those pups and health care for the dam. It pays the power bill, the water bill, and building maintenance. Most shelters are severely underfunded and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better animal-related cause to which to donate. IMO, if you're quibbling over a $150 difference in adoption fees, you might want to examine whether you're financially ready for a dog.

FYI: I paid $250 for my 7mo old dog. Best deal I ever made, and a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of having her for a lifetime.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

also go TO the shelters not just on the websites, it is not even remotely uncommon for shelters to just not put half the puppies they have up on the websites(despite their instance that ALL animals for up on the sites) at the moment my shelter has only 4 puppies up on petfinder, but they actually have several litters up for adoption.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Miss Bugs said:


> also go TO the shelters not just on the websites, it is not even remotely uncommon for shelters to just not put half the puppies they have up on the websites(despite their instance that ALL animals for up on the sites) at the moment my shelter has only 4 puppies up on petfinder, but they actually have several litters up for adoption.


Definitely the case where I work. We will have lots of dogs that just haven't made it up yet because volunteers update the site and aren't always there updating. That and they need stuff to put up, so whoever does the pictures, whoever does the write up, etc. has to get THAT done first.


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## LazyZoe (Apr 8, 2012)

TheAmir said:


> Well it's been a few months since I posted this and we -still- can't seem to find a puppy. All the puppies available in the shelters seem to be pit bulls or the postings are outdated on the shelter websites and the pups long gone. Craigslist isn't much help either, as it seems 90% of it is scams each time I post I'm looking for a young puppy.
> 
> I'm so frustrated. I never thought it was going to be so hard to find a lab mix or GSD mix or retriever or even basset hound mix puppy in a rescue shelter in Michigan that has a reasonable adoption fee and puppies available. In my opinion I don't think 300 bucks is a reasonable adoption fee, 150? fine. 300? I understand shelters have to buy supplies and food but I have to doubt they've spent 300 dollars on any 8-12 week old puppy unless it had some serious health issues... wouldn't that money be better spent on the puppy by its new owner? I could just save another 100-200 and get a purebred with papers... just seems unreasonable for adoption fee.
> 
> I suppose I just feel like this is looking for a needle in a haystack. And shelters seem very bad at returning calls or emails... what is up with that?


I just wanted to pop in and say $300 doesn't seem unreasonable to me as an adoption fee. We found Zoe on Craigslist. She wasn't spayed, and the man who was giving her away had no vet records, so her initial vet visit (including spay, all vaccines, treatment for an ear infection, nail trimming, numerous screening tests, as well as heart worm preventative and flea/tick preventative) was well over $500. She also had a wound on her shoulder which required some serious attention. Please don't be put off by a larger adoption fee, because in the grand scheme of things you may well pay that much out of pocket by going the "cheaper" route. The adoption fee isn't just what the shelter/rescue is paying for room and board, but most likely a wide range of veterinary services as well.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Lake Haven rescue has some stinking cute puppies right now, lots of hounds, and their fees are $150. I don't know if these guys strike your fancy or not..


o.m.g. I am totally in love with that first one. SOMEONE GO GET IT!!


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## LenaCara (May 11, 2011)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Lake Haven rescue has some stinking cute puppies right now, lots of hounds, and their fees are $150. I don't know if these guys strike your fancy or not..


That's the place we rescued Josie from and they provided a $75.00 voucher to fix her at my own vet included in the $150.00 fee.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> o.m.g. I am totally in love with that first one. SOMEONE GO GET IT!!


And he has a brother! 












LenaCara said:


> That's the place we rescued Josie from and they provided a $75.00 voucher to fix her at my own vet included in the $150.00 fee.


That's awesome. Don't tell me awesome things like that when they have puppies like this available!


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

There are too many cute puppies in this thread! I am already suffering from puppy fever and I KNOW I can't get another one for a few more years yet so knock it off!


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

I never want a puppy again, so it's safe for me to look.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

Unfortunately for me, I love puppies despite all their horribleness.


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## a7dk (Mar 30, 2011)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> And he has a brother!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those puppies are entirely too cute! You are clearly trying to trick me into adopting one right now on this very spot.


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## juliemule (Dec 10, 2011)

Seriously take a road trip! The local rabies control is a high kill shelter, once a week, puppies are $10, adults are like $25. They are full every week. Almost every breed imaginable. Then there are humane societies, which stay full, adoption is like $100, that includes all vaccinations, hw test, and spay/neuter. Again do many dogs down south, you literally walk in sign.a paper, and walk out with your dog.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

a7dk said:


> Those puppies are entirely too cute! You are clearly trying to trick me into adopting one right now on this very spot.


I have never been known to do such a thing in my life.


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## LenaCara (May 11, 2011)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


>


I was just on the New Haven site looking at those puppies. I can’t believe that someone would leave them in a tub out in the woods to die. I want to adopt them all right now just because they deserve to be loved and squeezed and pampered all day long! It really is the stories that make me get all mushy.


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## rhflan (May 20, 2012)

GottaLuvMutts said:


> IMO, the adoption fee should be seen as a donation to a good cause, not as payment for a puppy. In most cases, a shelter/rescue won't have $300 invested in an 8wk old puppy. But your donation goes to help the dogs that have been there for longer, who have health issues, and who are old enough for s/n. It pays for decent food, toys, and the salaries of shelter employees to clean up after the animals and provide socialization. It pays for the cost of whelping those pups and health care for the dam. It pays the power bill, the water bill, and building maintenance. Most shelters are severely underfunded and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better animal-related cause to which to donate. *IMO, if you're quibbling over a $150 difference in adoption fees, you might want to examine whether you're financially ready for a dog.*


This right here.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

LenaCara said:


> I was just on the New Haven site looking at those puppies. I can’t believe that someone would leave them in a tub out in the woods to die. I want to adopt them all right now just because they deserve to be loved and squeezed and pampered all day long! It really is the stories that make me get all mushy.


Super sad. I think puppies are heinous, vile creatures that only deserve love.


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