HSCI - Adoption Fee Changes

HSCI Pets Adoption Fee Changes
After careful consideration, HSCI has found it necessary to change our adoption fees. Prior to the change, our adoption fees had been in place since May 2004. Since that time we have experienced higher costs in just about every area, including medical expenses, utilities, payroll, and more. Our adoption fees have always been lower than our pet care costs. This is an intentional decision as the Board of Directors realize adoption fees need to be reasonable to adopters. The adoption fee change is effective March 17, 2008.
Our new fee structure establishes different fees for senior pets. Senior pets traditionally have been overlooked often by adopters. It is our hope for more pets to find their lifetime home sooner. The new adoption fees are as follows:

$150
$100
$75
- Dog
- Cat, Kitten, or Senior Dog (determined by staff based on breed, health)
- Senior Cat, 7+ years old

Please consider that despite the higher costs, a pet from HSCI is indeed well-cared for. All dogs and cats are seen by a veterinarian for a wellness check, are sterilized, receive appropriate vaccinations, undergo heartworm or feline leukemia testing, are microchipped, and receive flea preventative. A "free" cat or dog from a friend, neighbor, or the paper is likely to result in expenses for similar vet care greatly exceeding our adoption fee.
At HSCI, we are committed to a higher standard of care. Our dogs are walked three times a day, our cats have play groups, cages are cleaned daily, socialization is built-in to each pet's day, and vet care not normally provided by other shelters is routine at HSCI. We hope you support our efforts and will adopt and encourage others to adopt from HSCI first.
Through adoptions, we can help more pets to have a second chance and find their lifetime home. We still remain aggressive in our spay/neuter efforts. As pet overpopulation is addressed, we can one day, hopefully soon, meet the incredible need of pets for our services.