Should I ask to just be given this rescue dog?

[Need2morehands]

I have been browsing rescue pages looking for a dog for my mil and came across one that was 16 years old and instantly fell in love. Went to see him and he is in good health apart from having had kennel cough and only having half his teeth. I already have a dog whose 9 so they would have to get along before a decision could be made but my dp thinks that at his age they should be happy to just refine him for a donation not the fee that they are asking for due to his age and that we would be taking him to basically make him comfortably. Is this unreasonable? I really just want to bring him home and spoil him he was so sad sat in that noisy place.

They have costs to meet in order to rescue and look after other similar dogs. Just pay the fee.

Is he vaccinated, microchipped, neutered, Heath checked?
These things all cost the CHARITY money, plus the costs involved in housing and feeding the dog.
It’s usually a small cost related to what they would have spent on the dog.

He sounds lovely, bring him home immediately.

Just pay the fee. The charity have been feeding him, keeping him warm, taking him to the vets, taking him for walks all of which costs money.

Can you swap this lovely old dog for your miserable tight-fisted DH? They give you the lovely dog to bring home and, in return, they get your DH to do odd-jobs, clean out kennels, make everyone tea etc.

When we adopted our dog, the charity didn't ask us for a fee because we'd had a bad experience last time with another adopted dog. Obviously we paid anyway. We actually paid double their fee.

Please give them the full fee. I do understand your DP's point but it does seem a little bit sad that he would begrudge them money because he isn't 'perfect'. It may well mean the rescue cannot afford to help other dogs in your potential dog's predicament, which would be a huge shame.

Iv probably not explained properly his argument is about all dogs in the charity he thinks they should have their fee based on the dog individually so a young pedigree dog was more then an older staff which seems to be the breed that’s most commonly in this rescue. In this really old dogs case he thinks a donation should be asked for instead of a fee given his age. He already came in neutered and only got the kennel cough from the rescue. To me he seems like he was someone’s pet who’s just been thrown out. I know someone else has been to see him today so il phone back tomorrow and see if he’s still there. I hate the thought of any dog not having a home but this old man really does just need a nice bed home and family.

I do understand the rescue needs a lot of money to run and I don’t begrudge a donation but to me I can’t see how this guy will get a home when he has the same fee as most of the other dogs I’m just hoping either we can take him or a similar minded person who just wants to make him comfortable and happy will.

I can’t see how this guy will get a home when he has the same fee as most of the other dogs

I think most people go to rescues to look for the right dog that would fit in their home rather than ones that cost less or seem a better bargain. My mil deliberately rescued a very old dog as the exercise requirements were low and it had a good temperament.

If you can't afford the fee, you can't afford to own the dog. If your dh wants to make him comfortable, pay for his costs and allow them to rescue more dogs, he needs to cough up. He's wrong imo.

No dog is a bargain in the long run but there are definitely a lot of people out there who get a rescue because they want a certain breed but don’t want to pay their usual cost.

Also surely if you just ask for a donation, the rescue would be implying that that dogs life is worth less. I think the required fee also helps to protect the dog from people who won't treat it properly and havent thought the purchase through.

You can ask the rescue to have him for a small donation but honestly if you can afford it why wouldn't you want to pay the normal fee to let them continue to rescue more dogs?

I definitely think money is needed but to maybe level the field so the less popular dogs are given a second look they could alter the donation.

That dog is worth just as much as the other dogs. Older dogs might be in rescue longer but they get their forever homes eventually. Usually less mobile people prefer older dogs. It's a bit unfair to write him off because of his age.

less popular dogs are given a second look they could alter the donation

It's about finding the right home not matching the dog to budget. If somebody gets a dog just because it is cheap then that is the wrong motivation.

I'm not sure it is levelling the field as some older people prefer older dogs like my MIL did and were very happy to pay the fee.

I'd try to negotiate some kind of reduction, too. He's on cusp of needing expensive medical care, too. They can't do worse than say No!

If I ran a rescue and someone started bartering on the relatively small price of a dog I would be worried about why they wanted the dog and whether they would pay for its future care.

This rescue is also the local pound so dogs they don’t have the capacity to keep all the dogs till they get their forever home. I think il see if he’s still there tomorrow and if he is il take him.

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You don’t sound like you instantly fell in love at all. I hope they don’t negotiate with you on the price.

To play devil's advocate - can I ask how much the fee is for a rescue dog? I was astounded to learn that a colleague had re-homed a rescue cat - and it had cost her £150. When I was younger people gave cats away 'free to a good home' and I couldn't conceive of paying that kind of money. We would like another dog after losing our old spaniel - but can't honestly afford to shell out £600 - 800 on one. We could afford to keep one and feed it, but that's about it.

I kind of feel sympathy for the OP - and surely taking a rescue dog in means the charity don't have to continue to incur costs of looking after it. It does seem as though only the rich can afford a pet these days. I imagine there are several couples/elderly people/families who would love and care for a dog but would struggle to buy one - even from a rescue home -- even though they could provide it with a loving home.

Why don't you offer to foster him? Some animal shelters do that with elderly animals or those with long-term medical conditions, which would otherwise be difficult to re-home. It's worth asking.
They sometimes prefer an animal to be looked after in a domestic home instead of spending the rest of their life in the shelter, and they will continue to be responsible for vets fees etc, you just look after the animal on their behalf.

Rescue relies on fees to pay for dogs' vet treatments and their food, kennels' heating, rates etc so although an oldie may not have as much life ahead as a youngster, the rescue may already have shelled out hundreds on him. If people ask for discounts, how is the rescue meant to meet its running costs?
The rescue I volunteer at gets a discount at the vets but still owes them money. Rescue has to pay for vaccinations unless the dog is gifted to them with a vaccination card and pay for microchipping if dog doesn't already have one. Loads of money before dog is rehomed even if healthy.

I have asked them about their fee policy puppies are more because they are young and oldies are less because they are old was the answer. So they obviously don’t think all lives are worth the same.

If you take an oldie, then it is likely to require more vet visits and treatments- will you be happy to pay for them or just have him till he needs to see vet and then PTS rather than treat him? I took on a 12 year old dog and had him 2 years and he needed quite a bit of vet treatment - I did insure him at about £100 a month but it was worth it as his kidneys started failing and he was successfully treated and had another year of happiness and relatively good health.