Are dog charities more interested in donations that dog welfare.

I have recently been doing some research into animal charities and the rehoming of much older dogs.

In general these older dogs usually have some health issues, do not adjust well to kennel life (can become underweight and stressed) and although they receive love and care from the staff they would benefit from a forever home in a quiet warm enviroment.

Most charities have fixed payments for dogs, ranging from £65 to £150.00 THe average is between £85 and £140. Due to these high prices older dogs with health issues are overlooked for a younger ones.

Not many people are willing to pay £140 for a 12 year old dog on its last legs that is on medication for heart problems, bladder problems etc which may cost an additonal £40 per month plus will be very hard to insure.

I have found that 80 % of the charities i approached would not lower the adoption fee under any circumstances, they would rather keep the dog at their kennels, which in the long run costs the charity a lot more and is not really in the dogs interest.

I know these charities pay out quite a lot for castration, worming, chipping etc before sending a dog out to a new home but i still feel their missing the point of what they are there for in the first place.

Please note i think all the staff at all the dog charities do a fantastic job looking after the dogs and i know a lot of them do end up taking these old dogs home because they feel so sorry for them. Its the adminstration that appears to be the problem.

Does anyone else feel the same?

Our breed rescue - SHWA(UK) - recommends a £100 donation for dogs rehomed, but it is very clear that this is a guideline only and our regional co-ordinators have discretion about what they actually charge, depending upon circumstances.

Mick

Some charities let older/dogs with ailments go out on disclaimers.at a reduced rate. I know this for a fact. although its not mentioned in any promotion information, usually the decision is made by the home manager and at the managers discretion, dependant on the health issues the dog has,so when contacting a charity they will not tell you cart blanc they do do reduced rates, because it depends on the individual dog and the issues it has, most charityies can issue a insurance on older dogs, especially if the dog is a stray and no medical history is available, I know the place I work at they issue 6 weeks free insurance, the insurance company accept that we have no medical history and the dogs are given a sort of "clean slate" its then up to the new owners to continue with the insurance to provide help should that dog start to have health problems.

Mo

Which charities have you approached? Are you particularly interested in rehoming an older dog?

I know that Dog's Trust charge £75 for a dog and if a dog has an existing condition they cover the vet fees (no matter what the dog's age is).

I think your research needs to be extended!
The Oldies Club states:
Before adoption all Oldies Club dogs are fully vet checked, neutered (unless this is against veterinary advice in the light of other health issues), vaccinated, microchipped and have received any immediate necessary veterinary treatment such as dental care. We will advise of any known medical conditions and necessary medication to the best of our knowledge and as advised by our vets. We strongly recommend taking out a veterinary insurance policy.

In order to fund our ongoing veterinary costs and allow us to continue our work we ask for a minimum donation of £75 per dog, payable on adoption*.

The Oldies Club offers full backup and support to adopters. If you have any questions or concerns at any time you are welcome to e-mail us or call us for a chat.

*In some cases where the dog requires lifelong medication we may reduce the minimum donation slightly.

Indeed.

Further several rescues put elderly dogs or those requiring long term treatment on permanent foster - essentially an adoption where the rescue continue to cover vetinary costs.

And, lastly, most charities do not have fixed payments for dogs. They may, or may not, ask for a specific donation to the rescue. That is not a fee for a particular dog.

Most dog charities email/post you an adoption form that you need to complete before you view a dog, so they can match a dog in their care to the potential new owner. However most of these adoption forms have a tick box which says something along the lines of
"i agree to pay a donation of £140" Which is ok but then you'd pay the same for a 4 yr old dog as you would a 12 year old. I know a lot of people would be embarassed about asking for a discount if the dog is old or has an illness from an animal charity so just don't bother considering the oldies at all.

I put a cross in this box and stated as i wanted a much older dog i wouldn't be willing to pay this fee but would be willing to pay a smaller one This is one of the actual replys i received..

" Unfortunately our donation for adopting a dog is a minumum of £140. This
donation is used towards the costs of neutering, vaccinating worming etc all of
our dogs and also towards any vetinary treatment that the dogs require which in
some cases can run to hundreds and thousands of pounds.

As you are not in a position to afford this minumum donation right now, we would
not be able to proceed with your application"

So not considered, even though offering a good home to a golden oldie

Also why do the bigger charities not advertise older dogs with ailments for a smaller donation fee? Surely this would help in finding them new homes.

Charities i contacted were RSPCA ( 6 branches), The dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs Home, Labrador Rescue, King Charles spaniel rescue, Friends of the Animals, The Blue Cross, Faith Animal Rescue, Wood Green Animal Shelter, PAWS rescue plus some other individual breed rescues

I have during my research adopted a very very sweet border collie, a very old 9 yr old who hasn't had a very good life and comes with some ailments I did get him from one of the charities mention above and i did ask if i could pay less for him than the required donation, which they agreed to because they did put his welfare first
So they are now a deserving charity in my eyes and i will do my best this year to raise some money for them

I think you answered your own question there!
BTW have you thought of fostering?

Should point out they didn't offer to reduce his donation, they did ask me for the full amount but i asked if they could reconsider the amount because he is a very old for his age and on medication.

When we were considering a family dog, we opted for an oldie as we wanted something less demanding than a puppy/youngster and are quite happy just to have an oldie snoring on the sofa. With 4 kids i don't think fostering could be an option as i know my children would get far to attached and then i'd have 2, then 3 then i'd have to buy another sofa

I can only speak for Nessr, but we have no fixed donation for any of our dogs old or young, we however ask people to consider our costs when homing a young fit dog, in the case of the oldies we do ask for a donation but a home for the dog is more important, If we are aware of health issues where medication is needed we will pay for that medication for the rest of their days, we call it our golden oldie scheme.