Does your rescue/shelter offer sales?

[Amie]

Do you offer special prices on certain animals to try to draw in business? how do you think it works?

[NewOrleansSaint]

We don't, but we're a pretty small scale rescue with about 6 dogs at a time.

I've heard of it before at large shelters . . . I'd be curious to hear how some shelter workers say it works (or doesn't work).

[Ilovethepits]

I know our Humane Society here sometimes has a 2 for 1 on cats but I don't know if it brings in more people or not. It almost (almost) got me to adopt 2 cats (but I realized I couldn't afford them).

If it would help you out I'd be willing to call and ask them any questions you'd like me to ask.

[PITtsburgher]

The adoption center I worked at did periodic "sales" ... usually things like a certain color animal or a certain age. I don't think those ones were particularly effective.

We did do the 2-for-1 cats which worked out really well. We got way more cats adopted that way and I think cats in general like to have other cats around so I think they were happier as well.

[PITtsburgher]

Forgot to add they did dollar cats last summer.
I am not sure how I felt about that, on the one hand this city puts down probably 10k cats a year, but on the other hand I think people tend to not value things they don't pay ANYTHING for.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

When I went to the Harrisonburg shelter, pitbulls and pit-mixes were on "sale" for $45 for the month of February.

The shelter where I used to work would offer 2-for-1 type sales on cats when we were over-flowing (especially during kitten season) or on bonded pairs of dogs.

[buckaroo]

We occasionally lower adoption fees, sometimes very drastically. Applicants are still screened like normal though. Just because the price is lower doesn't mean our standards are. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. In general I don't think you see big boosts in adoption rates during a sale unless you were to quit screening thoroughly as well.

[Amie]

My shelter offers several deals all the time -
The adoption fee is waived on any animal over 5 years old
The adoption fee is waived if you adopt two cats that came in together and are adopted together (over 6 months)
Adopting two cats over 6 months who did not come in together costs you one adoption fee, one is waived.
Special consideration will be given for adopting multiple dogs (frequently two for one)

Beyond that, we run a special each month. This month is the first I've really been behind - we're celebrating St. Patty's Day with St. Pitty's Day - with the adoption of any pit bull you get a gift bag and a free microchip. Usually select animals are free or $1 - generally it's anyone who's been in the shelter for longer than two weeks. I do feel adoptions increase slightly during these specials, but I also believe returns increase about two weeks after....

[mypuppyJack]

There was a news story this week that said our local pound was full and dogs were in danger of being euth'd. That is worrisome because some awesome local rescues pull from the pound. I wonder if they are completely full or the dogs are sketchy. Adopting from the pound is practically free. Its $50 for in state adopters and comes with speuter vouchers and a bunch of coupons.
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[Mya&theSiebenDackels]

At our Humane Society they usually lower the adoption fee during the Fall and Spring time to around $50. Our adoption is only $96 though.

We also have a program to try and get the dogs that have been here for 2 or more years adopted. One of our volunteers sponsor a dog up for adoption and pay for their adoption fee. So, they are free to the person adopting them. They still have to fill out an adoption application and go though the same process the people who pay the adoption fee do of course. We have had a lot more adoptions and some of are long time residents(have been at the Humane Society for 2-4 years) adopted because of this program.

The only problem is that people are more interested in the free dogs than the ones that you have to pay their adoption fee. We have a lot of great dogs that have not been sponsored yet who are just as wonderful or even better than the dogs with no adoption fee.

[Celesteandthebullies]

The shelter I volunteer at will lower the prices on elderly dogs, and have a discount for elderly people. But that's about it.

[dogs4jen]

The rescue Austin is from had him and several other dogs that had been in foster homes for a while, over six months on "special" for a while. I said I knew he was special, now he's on special. I think it did generate some extra interest, but not an actual adoption in his case.
My "blue light special."

[Amy Hendrickson]

I have reduced adoption fees on mixed breed puppies if that counts as a sale. I have also started offering a rebate on our mastiffs that we take (which is really rare to get them anyway). We adopt them out for 250.00 with 50.00 rebate if they get their CGC within a year of adoption.

[Otis]

It makes me uncomfortable. Honestly when adopting an animal from a shelter (where I assume the average rate is from $50 to under $150, I feel like the adoption fee should be an almost non-issue. That's not much to spend on a pet at all-if people are getting animals because they are free that's a scary thought. No better then setting a box of free puppies outside of walmart. I can get down with the 2 for 1 cats and reduced fee's on elderly or special needs animals.

[buckaroo]

That's not much to spend on a pet at all-if people are getting animals because they are free that's a scary thought. No better then setting a box of free puppies outside of walmart.

Except the person giving away puppies outside Walmart doesn't check with your landlord, call your vet for references and do a home visit.

If the adoption fee should be a non-issue, why not get rid of it? It's proven over and over again that the money people spend on an animal has no bearing on how well they care for it. Why would it be scary to give animals away for free? The scary part is not doing any screening.

Reducing/eliminating adoption fees doesn't generally get people to adopt who weren't already considering it. Most of the people will tell you that they were thinking about it anyway and the reduced fees made it seem like now was a good time. This is exactly the kind of adopter you want to attract: Someone who was already considering it and needed a little push to get them in the door at an opportune time for your rescue.