Non-Profit or For Profit Rescues?

[Isabella Carter]

My concern are rescue organizations that keep saying after 10 years in "business" they have "applied for" their 401C non profit status. When asked, I was told "its all about the dogs"...well pretty good deal if you ask me..here's an example:

There is one group whose "leader" is adopting out 30 small breed dogs a month @ $350 per dog that adds up to $10,500.00 a month/$126,000 a year.

The volunteers get to feed,house and pay for medical care for the dogs in foster care. When a foster home applies for reimbursement they are made to feel like they should not ask for that.

So....the "pack leader" of this "we do it for the dogs" has got a great scam going...able to recruit good hearted volunteers to provide for the dogs, while raking in $126K per year OK so lets say expenses are $50K a year, that's still a hefty $76K pure profit..not a bad deal selling small dogs huh? :rolleyes:

RUN FROM ALL RESCUES THAT ARE NOT QUALIFIED 401C...that means they don't want the feds to see their real profits!!

[Isabella Carter]

Appreciate all those who read my post, but am surprised there have been no comments.

[greyote]

My concern are rescue organizations that keep saying after 10 years in "business" they have "applied for" their 401C non profit status. When asked, I was told "its all about the dogs"...well pretty good deal if you ask me..here's an example:

There is one group whose "leader" is adopting out 30 small breed dogs a month @ $350 per dog that adds up to $10,500.00 a month/$126,000 a year.

The volunteers get to feed,house and pay for medical care for the dogs in foster care. When a foster home applies for reimbursement they are made to feel like they should not ask for that.

So....the "pack leader" of this "we do it for the dogs" has got a great scam going...able to recruit good hearted volunteers to provide for the dogs, while raking in $126K per year OK so lets say expenses are $50K a year, that's still a hefty $76K pure profit..not a bad deal selling small dogs huh? :rolleyes:

RUN FROM ALL RESCUES THAT ARE NOT QUALIFIED 401C...that means they don't want the feds to see their real profits!!


What profits?
example:
Our adoption fee: $150 for dog.
Cost of neuter: $150
Cost of vaccinations: $50
Cost for heartworm test: $20
total? $220 at LEAST.
And if the dog comes with any health problems, the costs go up from there. Heartworm treatment, deworming, ear mites, skin problems, this costs money to fix.

We don't HAVE profits. What we HAVE are animals that we rescued and need to find homes for. Would you take in an animal, pay to vaccinate it, pay to neuter it, feed it premium food for a month and then give it away? Or would you ask for a fee to make the out of pocket expenses a little bit less? Once or twice, maybe, you could afford to give away hundreds of dollars.

Comments like yours end up hurting the people who actually DO care about the animals.

[TxDog]

$150 to neuter a dog?

[crestie_rsq]

Sorry, I'm with the OP....I tell everyone that if a rescue group is not a 501C corp (not for profit) to run the other way. I'm surprised this place finds people to spend their own money for fully vetting a foster dog with no reimbursement from the rescue group. While I have never asked for reimbursement from my group, that is my choice. All I have to do is submit receipts and I'm fully reimbursed. I, however, choose not to. I can afford the vet care and would rather our group use our limited funds for those we get in with serious medical conditions.

I agree with TXDog too...$150 to neuter a dog (except possibly large breed dogs...not sure what they normally run) seems very steep. I can get 5 toy dogs done for the price at my vet's office. Our city (as with most) also has a spay/neuter clinic that runs $20 regardless of the size of the dog.

I do not believe that anyone one person moving 30 dogs a month at $350/dog is in it for the love of the dogs....he/she's in it for the love of the almight $$. THere are far too many people out there who operate under the guise of rescue who are merely nothing more than brokers.....they're just not breeding them (although I know of several "rescues" who do breed their "rescues" & sell the puppies for outrageous prices).

[greyote]

$150 to neuter a dog?

Yes. In Michigan, it can cost anywhere between $100 and $350. Depending on the vet, the city, and your income.

Planned pethood is great, they advertise $50 spay/neuters for dogs/cats. Then when you go to a participating vet, you are charged outrageous amounts for basic things.

$38 exam fee (basically, a fee to walk through the door)
$40 heartworm test
$30 rabies vaccination
microchipping for $50-$60


We tried a VCA Woodland animal hospital who insisted that we bring our pair of kittens to them for a checkup before we could take advantage of the $50 spay per kitten. We ended up being charged $300 for basic vaccinations, and ear cleaning, and deworming. We left without getting them spayed - not enough money left.

A classmate at college was quoted $300 to get his dog spayed. He never had it done, and she ended up having 7 puppies.

We don't ask for donations, we don't have fundraisers, we don't get discounts on anything. Our adoption fee is usually half of what we've spent on any given animal.

Within the last year, we found homes for two dogs. We've got 4 dogs and 2 cats. We've had them for over a month, and we've had maybe 5 inquiries about them. I guess since we're not a non-profit, our dogs and cats don't deserve a chance. And you're telling everyone to stay away from any group that isn't non-profit isn't helping them.

[Isabella Carter]

501C (non profits) can find medical care including spay/neuter at greatly reduced rates due to their charity status.

All the more reason if you are serious about rescue and adoptions to become a 501C! Although medical care is not free but greatly reduced, you can help more dogs.

[TxDog]

You mean 401C?

[Isabella Carter]

Contact an attorney or accountant, describe what your organization does and have the professional direct you to the correct Corp for tax purposes.

[seraphicia]

One of the shelters I work with here in central ohio, which is a not for profit all breed rescue that adopts out dogs of any age and size for $90, and puts into them about $180 for a healthy dog. The neuter/spay price they pay everytime is exactly $90 at their vet, who will do all dogs, any age, any breed or mix with free overall exam. They recently changed the adoption price of dogs over two years up to $90 as it had been $60. All dogs come microchipped, with frontline, heartgaurd, having had heartworm test, rabies, and basic vaccs. They loose so much money in this process, and that is very much the case at other rescues here too. I'm associated with other rescues too that are and aren't not for profit, and I myself am as I call it an independent foster as in I take in dogs(not many but the few more that I can), and usually put in about $200 vet wise with spay/neuter, vaccs, rabies, heartgaurd, and frontline, not including anything else(typically another $100 in food, other vet care, toys, etc.) and am in no way profiting from it. The only profit I get is satisfaction of making a difference in their life. I'm able to only spend about $200 because I go to a cheaper spay/neuter clinic with my dogs and cats that I take in, but my main rescue I volunteer for that is not for profit can't do that because they have age and weight restrictions of who they'll fix, as do ALL of the other low cost(under $90) vet clinics. I typically take on pups because of this, as older dogs and bigger dogs, whom I'd love to help, I'd have to put atleast $130 into the neuter, more into a spay, and more for vaccs and everything else. I myself adopt the pups I take in out for a fee of $150, so the smaller amount I myself lose financially really doesn't compare to other groups of rescuers especially ones(the many that their are) that aren't not for profit registered. I agree that obviously that one 'rescue' raking in that money is awful, but there are good caring fosters behind it, and maybe it isn't all you're making it out to be, if they are still participating in the rescue. Anyway, the biggest thing I wanted to contribute is that large breed rescues whether for profit or not, put SO much money into each dog, as well as sick dogs, or pregnant dog rescues. It seems your post is making any not 401C(I think its called) out to be a bad, money hungry rescues, which I think is really innacurate, and just hurts the dogs in the end, not whatever small percentage of rescues that are making a profit, who are, I might add, still helping the dogs themselves.

Instead of totally rejecting rescues that aren't not for profit we should take a look at them individually. $350 for a small breed is outrageous considering the lower cost for everything! A great dane, saint bernard rescue here in ohio that is a wonderful rescue, doesn't even ask that much for pups or all of the many dogs they've put thousands of fdollars into. A reasonable priced adoption fee's a good indicator of a good rescue in those terms. Besides, if anything, pushing someone to donate goods rather than money could ease your mind as no one ever got rich by receiving dog bones, except maybe rich in dogs.

[DiggityDogs]

Any time you take your dog to a private vet's office it's going to cost you an arm and a leg for spay/neuter. I tell all of my clients to go to the SPCA. They charge about $30 to neuter a male dog, one of my clients is having his male akita neutered there and I think it's going to cost him about $45. Spays are a bit more but less than $75. You can't find that price at a private vet's office around Dallas. It ranges from at LEAST $150-$300, depending on the area and the size of the dog. I found a great clinic in the farmer's branch area also that does cheap s/n's and yearly vaccines for $30 for the entire set + exam. There are always options for cheaper vet care and most vets will give breaks to non profit groups- if they don't, I would think the group would want to find another vet.

I think the original poster was misunderstood about rescue groups being for profit. She was talking about one specific group, correct?

I also think there's a big difference between rescuing a few dogs here and there on your own and not having non-profit status and 'running a rescue group' and not having a non- profit status. 'Groups' should have that non-profit, especially if they're taking donations of any kind.

[Isabella Carter]

Yes, I was talking about a specific rescue.

This rescue is still able to get volunteers because most of the volunteers have never thought about the dollar amount this rescue is making...

[seraphicia]

I understand what you mean about the one rescue, but there are still hardworking volunteers behind the greedy head of the organization, and it's just a shame that while they are helping those needy dogs, they aren't being supported by the organization, but it's not a typical case by any meansYou're comment at the end, to "run" from all of them is more extreme I think, as not all or even many unregistered not for profits are making money from what they do. Certainly ten years of that is a good indicator, but what if its in the works? I really meant to comment especially on the spay/neuter price comments, as I said, weight limitations and age limitations at least here in ohio, are common amoung low cost spay/neuter clinics, and while there are other moderate($90 isn't bad compared to some other more private/public vets), prices at vet clinics out there, there are still limitations on how low a vet is willing to go at a flat rate per dog and still offer a rescue great quality and care, and not go out of business in the process. The pediatric spay/neuter place I use is the same vet my non profit rescue uses and pays a flat $90 for every fixing, and it runs for me for the last two pups I've had in, between $100-130 under 30#. Finding a pediatric(under 4 months I mean) that'll do a puppy for under that has been impossible for me, so I myself have been paying about $100 for the two ten week old pups when if I could afford to wait until they're four months old, I'd only have to pay $45 for a boy or $60 for a girl at the lower cost vet clinics around here. I've hunted for other deals, but here in central ohio, there just aren't other options. Being associated with a certified not for profit hasn't helped with the pups I've taken in independently, nor would it seeing as how they pay $90 a pop every time. Anyway, this has turned into some venting I think, but I guess its really all about location!