Okay, rant warning. I’m really big on adopting shelter dogs. And in the past it made good sense. And still does, depending on where you live. Financially speaking. My last dog cost $20. Spaying included. Of course that was many years ago. Recently, my son has been looking for a dog. Naturally he started with the local shelters. First he went to the local SPCA. Adopting a puppy would be $245. Unfortunately, the woman there treated him like dirt. Wasn’t going to let him adopt a pet. Sweet guy. Loves animals. Can well support an animal. Nice house. Big yard. The dog would even have someone around during the day when my son was at work. What? Was she nuts? I filed a complaint about her and discovered there had been many others. I have heard she is gone, or not dealing with the humans, but my son had a bad taste in his mouth and started looking at other shelters. The prices around here (for puppies) and other states in New England ranged from $240 at The Animal Rescue League up to $600. Sheesh, I can buy a puppy at the pet store for that. Not always, but they have sales when they want to move the ‘stock’ as it ages and can’t compete for cuteness with the younger puppies. I paid much less for a toy poodle and a Scottish terrier that way. But I figured I was out of touch. So I checked a couple of pet stores and sure enough, I could do better than $600 on sale. So I checked the shelter in Florida where I got my last shelter dog. As I said, it has been a while. Prices have gone up. A whopping $70 and that includes a microchip. Plus coupons for very discounted vet services – everything you need done and you still come in at way under $245. Under $150 for that matter. Meanwhile, a friend of my son’s was selling puppies for $150. I talked him out of it. The breed isn’t good around small children and my son loves children around. Plus, I figure when the guy runs out of friends, he might stop bringing more puppies into this world just to make a few bucks. But what is wrong with the shelters up here? No wonder so many dogs end up being put down. At those prices, even I would look elsewhere. They aren’t making money putting the dogs down. Why not price them reasonably and get them into good homes? Concentrate more on fundraising. Do something. Because this is insane.
Kate Eileen Shannon 
Kudos for giving many dogs who need it a home! Thanks for sharing, glad to connect with a fellow dog lover!
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