well can you point them out to me, because we have vets that charge us that amount, our vet bill at nessr on average is around 3k a month and most of that is on routine stuff, we get a discount at the vets, but not that much to make a difference, this is why a lot of rescues stopped neutering when the dogs trust £25 vouchers for rescues stopped.

My vet who we use for the rescues charges £105 for bitches and £90 for dogs and they're one of our cheaper ones

Yes CAVAN Vets, they have several places. Cavan stands for "companion animal vaccination and neutering"

In this area also there are "pet save" or "Value Vets" who also do much reduced neutering and vaccines. These are public prices, most Vets give discounts for rescues anyway. Id have a hunt round if I were you.

Dawn we squeeze every penny we can out of our vets,and regularly negotiate deals, we're not a new rescue have been at it 30 years, but then again I forgot Dawn knows everything

rune

All the vets here charge over £100 for neutering and most charge more.

I have often taken on rescues privately and decided to go for the cheap option and then copped out and gone for a vet I trust.

rescues don't make money!

rune

COMPLETELY agree here. Rescue is the best value hands down. Rescues barely make ends meet as it is, they can't afford to do all they do AND just give the dogs away for a song. I also agree that free=valueless and people will put more thought into getting something if it costs them something.

Lets not forget that as well as being speutered/vax'd/chipped/wormed/deflead your dog should also have been temperament tested. The rescue I foster for will adult/kid/dog/cat/horse/chicken test the dogs and find out how they are at travelling. All this for a mere £150. Bargain!!

I think a good, sound rescue set-up, where new owners are advised on their choice of dog and supported once the dog comes home too are absolutely entitled to make a charge that goes some way to cover the work put in by the rescue.

The rescue I was involved with asked for a discretionary ammount and usually got between £150 and £200.

However, I personally don't pay for my dogs - end of! I'm happy to bide my time and the right dog always comes along. This does not make me a 'bad' owner, nor is it proof that I am not prepared to pay for my dog's upkeep properly: it just means I live within my means and have the confidence to pick which dog is going to suit me and what is within my capability to work with.

In doing so, I am actually saving some poor rescue a few bob - or alternatively, saving a dog from being knocked on the head.

People have a choice and most have the means to make an informed choice about what's best for them.

Rescues are not a single organisation. They vary from the single person with a field and a caravan to an international organisation. It can also include commercial Pounds and breeders who home on `returns`.
Each Rescue has their own aims / policies / way of managing their business.

I really don`t think that people who criticise `Rescues` understand this. Or that the primary aim of most Rescues is simply the welfare of the dogs. This means a lot of them have learned the hard way that some members of the General Public are liars and opportunists. Working in Rescue gives you a very jaundiced view of the human race.
In addition, most people in Rescue are volunteers. That means they may well be working full time and simply not be either able or willing to answer your email in the time you would wish, and also cannot afford to call you back on your mobile.
Rescues are not there to get you a dog - cheap or otherwise. They are there because people cannot bear seeing an animal suffer.

Amen to that, to all the rescue bashers, how are you spending your Sunday?? because i'm making dog coats to sell to pay the vets bills, and yesterday i picked one springer up and rehomed another so thats my weekend gone yet again, i'm not looking for medals or a pat on the back, i do it because i love springers (and cockers a bit ) and i want to help as many as i can, without a reasonable donation we would be unable to carry on.