what's a rehoming fee?
[never had furry pets, am hugely allergic.]

A rehoming fee is the price the new owners pay the shelter for the pet. It's designed to deter people adopting pets on a whim.

My two cats cost me £60 each from the RSPCA. A bargain, because they came microchipped, spayed and vaccinated against cat flu, leukaemia and feline aids, and with a month's free health insurance. At my vets it costs £75 to spay just one cat.

Do the markings on that little pup's face remind me of KISS in makeup, or is it just me?

God I want a dog. I need to get out of silicon valley, to some place I can afford a yard.

See?
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what's a rehoming fee?

I'm really sad to say, but it's a positive/negative thing. Lately, at least here in the States, backyard breeders or folks that have been irresponsible and not fixed their dogs are using those terms as keywords to get money and get rid of puppies they don't want.

Typically, you'll only see these fees in breed-specific rescue groups. They have a much higher adoption fee because they actually foster the dogs for a bit, and have further requirements to let a dog go out to a new place.

My mom's dog, who got rescued from a Shit-Tzu rescue org required three references and a thorough process, but given that they were ~250 miles away, they didn't do a home inspection. That said, I've known several breed-specific rescue groups that will come check out the home, fence, dog-history, vet-records, etc. before they'll adopt out a dog.

However, a portion of irresponsible idiots have figured out that putting the buying fee under the notion of "re-homing" has become a better way to make cash. It's sad as hell, and just another reason to check out the facility that you adopt your animal from.

I got my Border Collie/Lab mix from a shelter I used to volunteer at (the Dallas SPCA) on the cusp of them going no-kill. Her adoption fee was a mere $40, and when she turned up heartworm positive, they provided her treatment for free.

Best $40 I've ever spent, obviously, but I'd be cautious when it comes to CraigsList or other classifieds that promise "rescue animals" with expensive adoption or re-homing fees.

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"It's 4 AM! You've been drinking again haven't you?"

Aresy's right. That's stern disapproval rather than anger.

Hah! GeckoDundee you have it right! That puppy reminds me of Betty Ann, a high school friends mom, every time we ran of the rails and went to his house.