Thanks for the various links to the transcripts etc.
Death rates are very high in most shelters -- on average in the US, 70% of dogs and cats are put down. In Ireland, some pounds have a 95%+ pts rate and do not allow rescues to help rehome dogs!
For more info on the Irish situation, here is pound info from lobby group ANVIL:
http://www.anvilireland.ie/fulcrum.html?ep=36
Here's a table for some destruction rates -- note that Limerick Pound destroyed 100% of dogs that came in in 1995!! And over 95% in previous years. This is truly nauseating.
This table shows the scandal of the situation we are in. Limerick City leads the way in the destruction stakes with a 97% destruction rate! They are closely followed by Mayo 96%, Tipperary South 95%, Tipperary North 90%, Galway County 89%, and Kerry on 88%. What this means, in the case of Limerick City is, almost every dog that comes through the pound door, does not make it out alive.
On Petfinder rescues -- there are definitely some rescue that are merely fronts for mills and sell off excess puppies as 'rescues'.
That said, there are legit rescues and $350-650 is NOT an excessive amount for a rescue to charge for a rescue cavalier that may have needed considerable vet care before it is rehomed. Lucky Star charges at least around $600-700 per cavalier, last I checked. And why shouldn't a rescue raise its operating costs be rehoming purebred dogs at close to the going 'market' rate? I would really like to change the perception that a rescue is a bargain bin pet (because often, that dog will be seen as disposable in future as it didn't cost much to begin with
). I charge on average, €200 for a cavalier -- which is around $350 -- and I still operate at a loss (which comes out of my pocket) -- and that's a lot more than many other Irish rescues and UK rescues charge, but I don't get state funding or many donations outside of board members and homing fees are what enable me to do rescue at all (journalists are not particularly well paid! :lol
. My costs on Sam, currently in foster, are over $600 for his basic vet check, a complicated neuter to remove his retained, cancerous testicle, a lab biopsy to determine if it was cancerous, etc. In other words, I will lose $400-500 when he is homed as a new home will not be likely to offer to cover his full expenses. The choice was to pay, or to have him put down. Rescue costs money, usually more than is taken in in grants or donations. I charge the regular price on cavaliers that don't cost me as much to give vet care to, so that I can offset costs for a needy cavalier like Sam. This would be the norm for rescue.
