how much do rescue centres normally sell dogs/pups for?

[Shriek]

... I waas shocked the other day to discover the costs of buying a dog or pup from a rescue centre where the poor loves had been farmed and in such poor condition.

Um confused. Rescue centres don't farm dogs. They do charge to cover costs and enable them to help more animals. They also charge to ensure idiots don't take on a cute puppy or kitten with no sense of forethought, planning or consideration of how it might impact their life/cost them over the next 20 years.

Our last rescue was about £150. Helps to stop people getting dogs on a whim and contributes towards running the centre. I don't think of it as 'selling'.

If people can't afford to pay that, they probably can't afford to look after a dog properly.

All the ones around here require a donation of £200-300. Although I'm critical of many of their rehoming policies, this one I do agree with.

People value what they pay for and it reinforces that an animal should not be taken on a whim.

It also funds the cost of care and medical treatment of the other animals they are caring for.

Any decent rescue will make a loss on each dog that comes through their doors. Adoption fees are just a small contribution towards the expenses a rescue has paid out, on each dog, on accommodating, worming, vaccinating, neutering, having behavourists work with each dog, kennels cleaned and any other health costs in nursing a dog back to health. Then there are admin costs. They rely on other donations to be able to afford to rescue dogs, because adoption fees nowhere near cover their expenses.

Also a rescue dog is incredibly cheap for a dog - if somebody couldn't afford it, then I think they are highly unlikely to afford the on going expenses of actually having a dog. Even non-pedigree, puppy farmed or byb bred pups get sold for considerably more (usually upwards of 4-6x more), without the health looked after and with people actually supporting the horrific trade.

I paid £150 for mine from a rescue.

If someone can't afford £200 they can't afford a dog in my opinion.

I don't think you were at a rescue centre if they were breeding dogs in poor conditions there.

I paid £200 for mine. She was an ex breeding dog and had been transported from Ireland, spayed, vaccinated and groomed by the rescue...I think that's good value. She's bloody gorgeous too, and turned from a terrified dog who hid under the sofa, into a confident, affectionate lap dog.

My big dog was £150 from a reputable rescue and he arrived neutered, vaccinated, health-checked and microchipped with a comprehensive behaviour assessment after spending 3 weeks in a fosterer's home with other dogs and babies.

My little dog was free from Gumtree and within a day I had spent nearly the same getting her vaccinations and microchip, a vet visit and a collar, lead and bed. A few months later she cost the same again to have her spayed.

Good rescues are worth every penny and more.

I paid £100 for my rescue Greyhound, best money I've ever spent, if you can't afford the donation you can't afford the dog!!

I don't think you were at a rescue centre if they were breeding dogs in poor conditions there.

I assumed the op had worded her post badly and she was referring to a centre that rescued dogs from puppy farms (and therefore because they'd had such rotten lives the centre should let them go 'free' to good homes). But who knows.

We paid £80 for a rescue puppy from Dogs Trust 5 years ago but he'd been health checked etc and when he was old enough they arranged for him to be neutered. Absolute bargain.

Ours was €50 she had been groomed and wormed and chipped. We paid to have the chip details changed and last June paid €210 for spaying (she was 11mo when we got her, so waited 2 periods).

We got her from a charity that works through fostering, so they don't have a building/centre you walk through to see all the dogs together. For example, if we find a dog on the street we can foster her/him, tell the charity we found her and they go about looking for a home for her/him. I think they would pay us for food and collar/lead etc, but fosterers usually just pay for it out of their own pocket, i know we would.

The charity run training classes and have stalls etc at various events, we always buy things and donate food, i also donate dog/cat themed crafts.

Anyhoo... As pp have already said, the price you pay to adopt your dog often barely covers its own treatment they have paid out for themselves.

It seems a common belief that rescue dogs should be handed out free. If that was the case how on earth could rescues be expected to keep operating?
I have a foster pup here at the moment who has cost £70 to vaccinate and microchip. That is the very least I can spend, not taking account of food, transport, toys, bedding, harness et al, and hope that she has no other unpredicted health issues or accidents. I have had foster dogs in the past who have needed £300+ of veterinary treatment. The rescue asks for £180 rehoming fee.
Around here people are paying between £400 and £2000 for a puppy farm pup.

Paid £100 for ours. Worth every penny.

These rescue centres have to run why wouldn't there be a fee they can't just hand out dogs, ours was £80 6 years ago.

I paid (or donated, more accurately) £90 for mine. Considering that the rescue centre had paid to have him neutered on top of feeding and housing him, I got the better financial end of the deal there.

People do value what they pay for more than something they're given, sadly, which is why the vast, vast majority of rescues require a donation on adopting an animal. The equine charity I worked for gave the average cost of rehabbing a horse as something like £2.5k, but never charged more than a couple of hundred pounds to rehome one, and that was for a horse capable of competing and all sorts. The donation could have been as little as £20. But it was the principle of paying that was important. It wasn't about recouping costs.

The rescue I foster for has a minimum donation of £70. Current foster has been vaccinated, wormed, deflead, chipped, passported, had a vet trip for an infection, and so far, 2 weeks of food, treats etc. She's also spayed. £70 doesn't even touch what has been spent on her, and she's one of the easier dogs

Just under £200 around here. I think it's good to charge a decent amount for the dogs as it keeps the rescue charity in operation and it stops idiots thinking "oooo free puppies, might as well get one!".

If someone can't afford the adoption fee / donation amount, then they can't afford to look after the dog so they shouldn't get one.

We paid £150 for ours and they must be making a huge loss as she came neutered (which they'd done when she came to them) vaccinated, chipped, and with a month's insurance, a lead and a collar.

So cheap for a pedigree if you look at it monetary terms. She hasn't stayed so cheap though, who knew about the wardrobe that goes with a greyhound?!

good concensus here that it was a charge pretty in line with average charges.

I havent had any dealings with trying to adopt a rescue but do hear lots from others about, most recently a lady who had always rescued and always encountered considerable health problems.

and.. yes.... i did badly word this, as in the pup 'originally' came from pup farm, not that the rescue was one.

i had been concerned about a couple of issues, namely the sorry state of the very underweight pup and no pup feeding instructions given and i have been helping them to dry up the diarrheoa, but i think they foster briefly and pass on as quickly as poss, and was unaware of fees generally so asked.

pup has been vetted has kennel cough, vaccinated, deflea'dand so on.

... also had vetted the home and new owners with recommendations for remedial fixes around garden/house.. so was impressed with that.

thanks all for replies.
i think they do amazing work and would never dis their value.