How much did you pay?

[lyndix]

After reading several posts on the ethics of paying for/rescuing a dog, it got me thinking.

I`m not saying whats right or wrong because obviously there are different opinions on this one.

But how many of you actually paid for your animals?

How much did you pay?

How much would you be willing to pay?

 

I`ll go first, I paid nothing, Ambers owners were trying to find a loving home for her and we were that loving home.

But because we didn`t pay anything does that mean that we won`t love her and care for her properly?

No, Amber is loved very much by all of us, and anyone she meets.

[LitleMermaid]

Ginger, my old cat, was offered free from Thornberry because her age meant no-one was willing to take her in, but I gave them £70, partly beaucse I felt I should offer what I could and partly because she had had extensive dental treatment whilst in their care, and it wasn't cheap!

 

April cost me £130, but she was a kitten when she came to me.

 

Two of my guinea pigs (the brothers) were ten pounds each, whilst the third was free.

 

I donated £10 to adopt/rescue Isobel the hamster.

 

I love them all equally.

 

I don't think there is a straightforward answer to the "pay or not to pay" debate. Both sides have good arguments for and against. I think you have to look at each case individually before you can make that judgement.

[pinklady]

I paid £12.50 for my first dog from macies pet shop in sheffield over 20 years ago (r.i.p. old friend) .. my current dog came to me free, i was 'lookng after her' whilst a couple seperated ... then no-one wanted her back (that was 7 years ago ... shes all mine now) ... my cat came from rotherham cat protection (adult cat), i think i gave a 'donation' of £30 .... again about 16 years ago.

[Tricky]

I'm glad you're raising this issue. I tried to once and got accused of all sorts of nastiness. But I would really like to know what justification people have for trying to charge for a non-pedigree animal that they claim to love but can no longer keep for whatever reason. If it was me, the only question would be to try and ensure that the animal was homed somewhere they would be happy and loved.

 

Anyway we paid a £125 for our two cats, part of that being for equipment and part for injections and part a donation to the shelter.

[Claireo]

I rescued a hamster from the rspca and he cost me £5 and i have rescued about 9 guinea pigs (not from rescue centers) and ive paid £3 for one, £10 for another and the rest have been free to a good home, i have 11 piggies now and love them all, it doesn't matter that some were free.

[willman]

I have had 8 pedigree cocker spaniels over the last twenty years. I have paid £150 for one because he was a young male,the breeder wanted enough to cover one of his fees for "standing" and the wife had fell in love with him whilst we were fostering him.The rest were all rescued from breed specific centres.

However the amount of money i have paid for medical bills, speying, neutering, vaccines, holiday costs etc far outweighs the costs of purchasing them at the ridiculous "breeders" prices.

 

I could be accused of being hypocritical because when we "accidentally" had pups i did sell 2 of them for £150 each. Which covered the vet bills for the mum and other costs (one had to be raised by us by hand) all the vaccinations,kennel club fees and insurance and we also "board" them and feed them free every year when the owners go on holiday - as they're 7 years old now I think i could have made a loss on boarding fees alone.

[Moonbird]

I have quite a few animals so will stick to the dogs (although if anyones interested I don't have anything to hide where the others are concerned).

Meg is 14 the result of an accidental litter, I got her free to good home as a puppy.

Durham is 7/8 he was a rescued dog though not in a rescue and I didn't pay anything for him, money was never discussed although I did ask on the final meeting and any money was refused, they were more bothered about finding the right home for him.

Kira is a puppy from the pound, she cost me £68, with that she gets a free microchip and a voucher for spaying (I just pay £25 towards it).

All of my dogs are cross breeds and I don't care at all, I am not bothered what type they are so much as they will fit in with the rest of us.

The issue of money if I was to part with a dog (which I am not) would be more around the dog getting what it needs from the new home and less about me getting money for it, I would concentrate on making sure that the dog just got the very best possible home.

[keely]

emily was kindly given to us by kittenta when her cat had kittens

I would still pay for a cat/kitten, but not a ridiculous price (they sell domestic cats/kittens for $200 in a petstore in canada)

 

with regards to doggies, id definatly pay alot for a pedigree, I think my mums chihuahas were around £400 each when we got them 6 years ago (tiny was discounted on account of him having a jaw defect, but hes beautiful!) and if rescuing from a centre id definatly make a "donation"

[willman]

Oh goodness other pets - i won't go into the others we've had 36 guinea pigs( a colony of 20 at one time)numerous rabbits,which started out as rehoming little childrens unwanted pets, a cat that the daughter bought from a pet shop(there's a mug in every family).I did once have chipmunks which i actually bought - but only because i couldn't get them for free.

[keely]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/_bobster_/emily/09092007235.jpg

 

the best "freebie" ever

 

with regards to rehoming animals I think I would ask for money, if only to be sure someone wasnt just taking the animal because they were free.

 

Id never ever rehome my emily though