Breakdown of Fees: (unless otherwise mentioned by ACZ for specific cases)
United States adoption fees: $275 USD per dog, transportation fee will be extra
Canada adoption fees: $400 CAD per dog, transportation fee will be extra
Please note: A spay/neuter deposit may apply in some cases. Please read about the spay/neuter deposit below.
What Are Adoption Fees?
Adoption fees are paid to the organization where you adopt the dog from. Animal Care Zone is a completely volunteer-run not-for-profit organization. When we rescue a dog or a cat from the high kill shelter, we pay for a lot of things such as the government shelter's fee to pull the animal out, transportation, medical, training and essential items for the animal. The adoption fee helps us cover a small portion of the costs that we incurred for the animal. Essentially, it allows us to continue our work. You will notice that all animal rescue organizations have adoption fees (some are higher than ours) - this is because rescue work is indeed expensive! Also, by paying an adoption fee, it shows that you are committed to the animal you are interested in and gives us an indication that you have the financial means to take care of the dog in the future as well. Who ever said 'money can't buy happiness' - probably never paid an adoption fee.
What is Included in the Adoption Fee?
General Health Exam
Deworming, if due
Rabies Vaccine, if due
DHLPP Vaccine, first & booster, if due for dogs and FVRCP for cats
Microchip
Spay/Neuter, if needed
Medicine for any other health problem if detected (like antibiotics, etc).
We get our dogs at least 1 professional training session/evaluation when we get them out of the shelter
If a dog or cat is adopted prior to the above care being completed, ACZ will cover the costs of the above procedures if done through the ACZ approved vet. Should the adopter choose not to use an ACZ approved vet, the costs for the care will be covered by the adopter. Once the animal is adopted, it is the owners’ responsibility to start covering the costs of any vetting not mentioned above or in the contract. We highly recommend you take your new dog or cat to your vet within the first week after adopting him/her.
Spay/Neuter Deposit
Animal Care Zone has done significant work to reduce over population. Spay and neuter is an essential part of our work. In order to make sure we are not contributing to over population, we have added the spay/neuter deposit. If an adopter takes home a dog or cat who is younger than 6 months and cannot be spayed/neutered before going home, or cannot be spayed/neutered for any other reason before going home, the adopter will have to pay an additional $150 as a deposit. The adopter will have 1 month after the dog turns of age (6 months old), or when medically appropriate, to schedule the animal's spay/neuter, and get the operation done, Upon successful completion of the dog or cat's sterilization surgery in an appropriate time span, Animal Care Zone will return the deposit fee.
Failure to do this will result in ACZ considering the $150 deposit a non-refundable donation and gives us the right to remove the dog or cat from your care.
Really? Why so serious?
Yes, we are very serious, and we take over population very seriously. We commit a large amount of resources to spay/neuter, so we cannot take a risk of pregnancy with our rescued animals. We hope you understand. The spay/neuter deposit is taken so you will remember to schedule the spay/neuter ASAP.