Funding animal rescues: Rehoming pets a pricey procedure

Animal rescues are usually set up as nonprofits, but helping animals be rehomed comes at a cost, so they have to be run like businesses. A case in point is the Doberman Rescue of Nevada, founded in December 2009.

"Every time we take in an animal, we take it to the vet for a check-over," said Pat Getter, president of the rescue, which she co-founded with her husband, John. "... Dobermans are prone to thyroid issues, and if it needs a blood panel, that can run several hundred dollars depending on how extensive a panel it needs."

To offset such costs, the Getters charge an adoption fee that is scaled according to the dog's age and characteristics. The fee starts at $250 for senior dogs. Dogs whose ears have been clipped and tails docked garner higher fees.

Pat Getter said the fee helps the rescue spread the cost of seeing sick dogs get the care they need.

"People will say, 'If the dog was already neutered when you got it, why am I paying a $350 adoption fee? All you did was bring it up to date on its shots.' And I go, 'Let's look at the reverse of that,' " she said. " 'Say a dog came in with a major dental issue, and it had to have a tooth removed; should I pass all those costs on to you, then, for this particular dog?' "

One time, a mother dog and her seven 5-week-old puppies were surrendered to the rescue, 6380 Golden Goose Lane. All the puppies needed to be spayed or neutered, dewormed and have their tails docked. It was a cost of more than $3,600.

"It's something I worry about every day," Pat Getter said of costs the rescue incurs.

The rescue is currently facing a $10,000 vet bill. The group has been paying on it regularly, but with each new animal, the amount goes up again. Besides veterinary costs, it pays $15 per day, per animal, for kenneling. The highest number it's had in the boarding facility at any one time is six. As of press time, it had three dogs there.

To help mitigate the vet bill, the rescue plans to host a fundraiser event, "By Ken Levine," from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 2 at Lowden Theater at Las Vegas Academy, 315 S. Seventh St. A television director and producer, Ken Levine has written more than 200 episodes for network television shows such as "Mash," "Cheers," "Frasier" and "Wings." He plans to share anecdotes from his entertainment career during his talk.

The rescue does what it can to keep its costs low, such as relying on volunteers to do personality assessments of dogs at intake and to train the dogs, if needed. Foster parents take on the cost of feeding them.

"We have to operate with a business mentality," Pat Getter said.

Shari Dale heads the Vegas Shepherd Rescue, 2620 Regatta Drive, Suite 102, which mostly sees German shepherds. Since it started three years ago, it has placed more than 300 dogs. Like the Doberman Rescue of Nevada, veterinary costs are its major expense.

"When we started, I don't think we had any idea how much it would cost per dog," Dale said. "We can easily spend $600 on a dog. We pay the full fee at the shelter. We don't get them for free, which I think a lot of people don't realize."

Dale said a lot of the shelter dogs come down with kennel cough (Bordetella), so there's additional costs to treat that, as well as dental issues. She said the dental costs for shepherds, being larger dogs, can be substantial.

"We just had a shepherd; it was $800 (for dental), and we get a substantial discount from our vet," she said.

Another dog, on the verge of dying, recently came in needing $3,200 in medical care.

"It was something we were totally not expecting, so we will be begging for donations to cover that," Dale said.

Boarding is another expense. The group has had as many as 17 dogs boarded at a time. The group's adoption fee is $325.

Several months after establishing the rescue, it became apparent it needed to focus on fundraising. To help bring in donations, Vegas Shepherd Rescue participates in a number of events such as Mondays Dark, a monthly charity event held inside Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel. It also is part of BarkAID, which raises funds for shelters and pet adoption organizations in all 50 states. It also looks to online auctions to raise money. No one in the organization is paid.

Publicity is a no-brainer for the group. One of its board members, Julie Pyle, is the executive producer of Channel 13's "Morning Blend" show. The show has featured a number of dogs, highlighting the rescue's quest to find good homes.

Not every dog is placed just because people say they want a dog.

"We work hard to pair the right dog with the family," Dale said. "People will go, 'That's the dog we want,' when sometimes, it's not the right dog for them. (German shepherds have) a huge 'prey drive,' and the family owns a cat, so it's a lot more than people understand. We truly don't want to get the dog back. It's been bounced at least once, and they go through separation anxiety. We want to make sure they're partnered with the right home."

Another animal rescue, Foreclosed Upon Pets Inc., came about when the housing market nosedived. Since it incorporated in 2008, FUPI has found homes for 4,819 dogs and cats.

Many needed to be spayed or neutered, and many need shots. Founder Everett Croxson is a business management consultant, so he set up the rescue as a business and formed relationships with veterinarians. As a result, its vet bills are 50 percent off.

Still, FUPI pays about $80,000 annually to ensure the animals are healthy. Without that 50 percent discount, it would be $160,000.

"We've always looked at this as a break-even (proposition)," Croxson said. "No one gets a salary; it's all foster-based. Vets give us discounts, so we can keep our fee adoption low."

Adoption fees help cover veterinary costs for spaying and neutering, microchipping and vaccinations. The adoption fee is $175 for dogs and $80 for cats.

FUPI has had its share of unexpected costs: Early in its history, a Cocker Spaniel mix came to them hobbling due to a bad right rear leg. The owner who surrendered the dog had no means to pay for its care. FUPI's vet determined the leg had to be amputated. Another time, a FUPI foster parent witnessed a dog — later named Scooter — hit by a car. The volunteer scooped Scooter up, getting bit in the process, but was undeterred. The vet had to set its broken rear left leg. Scooter did not work out with two families with whom he was placed. He later found a home with the volunteer who saved him.

Croxson did not recall how much those two medical incidents cost FUPI to remedy.

"But when we have an animal with special needs, we (cover the costs) with donations, fundraisers, that kind of thing," he said. "We do pretty good, getting people to donate. We have five locations where we have adoptions every weekend. So we have people contribute food or money, and we have some fundraisers, so we stay in the black pretty much all the time."

General admission tickets for the Sept. 2 Doberman Rescue of Nevada fundraiser are $29 at eventbrite.com/e/by-ken-levine-tickets-8311085681. Tickets that include a meet-and-greet from 6 to 7 p.m. and a reserved talk are $49. For more information about the rescue, visit drnv.org or call 702-672-7204.

For more information about Vegas Shepherd Rescue, visit vegasshepherdrescue.com or call 702-706-7437.

For more information about FUPI, visit forecloseduponpets.org or call 702-272-0010.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.