How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog? At Pounds and Shelters

If we're thinking about sharing our life with a dog, adopting is the best option. But, to avoid surprises, it's a good idea to learn how pounds or shelters in our area operate.

Although some people think adoption is a free process, the truth is we'll need to contribute a certain amount of money to adopt a dog. Let's look in detail at how much it costs to adopt a dog.

Isn't Adopting Free?

There's a fairly widespread belief that animal shelters or pounds let you take animals home for free. But the reality is adopting isn't free. First, we should know there are differences in how pounds and shelters operate.

But both have in common that they need to cover a series of expenses related to caring for the dogs they take in, as well as facilities, administration, outreach, and so on.

This justifies them charging an amount for each animal that gets adopted. That said, there are differences in the price to pay depending on the dog's characteristics and how the center where we adopt operates.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog at a Pound?

Generally, pounds are municipally run. This involves a series of obligations, like having to take in every dog within their jurisdiction. But it also means using public facilities.

And receiving annual funding. The amount varies for each pound. It's also common for them to have a vet who, at least, comes in for a few hours and handles basic procedures like sterilizations.

Although the money provided by the city council, provincial government, or regional authority usually doesn't cover all expenses, it allows the financial requirement for adoption to be just paying for the microchip. Its price varies depending on the location, though it generally ranges between €30 and €100.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog at a Shelter?

Animal shelters are usually private entities that, although they may receive public funding or manage municipal intake centers, rely on private funds. These come from members, sponsors, or fundraising activities like flea markets. The vets they work with are also professionals from private practices.

Their services will be more expensive than municipal vets'. It's common for them to handle cases requiring more care, like nursing puppies, chronically ill dogs, or recently operated-on dogs. Shelters have certain adoption requirements. They hand over animals dewormed both internally and externally, vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed/neutered.

You just need to ask for a quote for these procedures at a vet clinic to get an idea of the cost of preparing each dog for adoption. And that's without counting vet expenses for sick or injured animals. Because of all this, shelters charge for the chip plus a variable amount meant to cover a small part of what's been spent on that dog. The average adoption fee can range between €100 and €200.

Why Is There a Fee to Adopt a Dog?

Some people believe that, since there are so many abandoned dogs, adoptions should be free. They argue this would lead to more adoptions. This is a perspective that treats adoption as a favor. It's a mistake. Adoption is a lifelong responsibility toward that dog, and it means taking on its care for years.

This comes with a series of fixed and unexpected expenses. Almost the first commitment the new owner makes to the dog is getting it a microchip. This device, similar to a grain of rice, is placed by the vet in the neck area. It links the dog's and owner's information. If the dog gets lost, is abandoned, or is involved in an incident, its responsible party can be identified.

• What Is a Microchip and Why Is It Mandatory?

The microchip is mandatory in various regions. That's why no dog can be handed over without one. And it makes sense for its caretaker to pay for it. On another note, paying to adopt, besides contributing to shelter expenses, helps confirm the adopter is genuinely interested in the dog and aware that owning it comes with costs.

Where Is It Cheaper to Adopt a Dog?

Generally, at pounds, you can take home a dog just by paying the microchip fee. Also, they usually don't require more than paying that amount. But the dog typically comes unvaccinated, undewormed, and even unsterilized. This means we'll be the ones who have to cover those expenses.

This total amount can end up exceeding what a shelter asks for. It's true some people don't deworm, vaccinate, or sterilize their dogs. These people should perhaps reconsider adopting and inform themselves beforehand. An unvaccinated dog is exposed to serious, potentially fatal illnesses.

Without deworming, it can pick up both internal and external parasites, which can also spread to humans. An intact male or female dog is exposed to hormone-related illnesses tied to the reproductive cycle as serious as pyometra or mammary tumors.