The first thing that a person needs to understand when adopting an animal from the SPCA, is that it remains the SPCA’s animal, and that post home checks are going to get done once or twice a year.
And let me tell you, before getting that animal, a home check will be done to make sure that the animal is going to an appropriate home – an inspector doing the home check reserves the right to decline the home check if they feel that the animal isn’t going to a good home. Please see if you can do research before wanting a specific breed of dog – sometimes a certain breed of dog might not fit your lifestyle or the stage of life you’re at.
Another thing to note is that there are things that are included in the price – the first vaccination, a microchip and sterilization. One thing to note – for those outliers that might be reading this blog post: yes, sterilization is compulsory with the SPCA.
One other thing that is checked – especially with dogs – is compatibility with other dogs for the person wanting to adopt. If the person wants to adopt and has other dogs, one of them is brought in to check if they get along. A lot of the dogs that tend to come in – there is no known history about the dog, where it came from, if it was in a house with other animals, kids, how it was treated, etc.
Also – adoptions aren’t done in one day. No walking in and just taking an animal. There are forms to be filled in, a home check has to be done. Proof of residence and copy of ID has to be provided. Sterilizations have to be booked, and deworming, vaccinations and microchipping has to be done at the vet.
The SPCA prefers that people wanting to adopt are able to afford private vets – so if you’re not able to afford a private vet and their fees, please don’t try to adopt at the SPCA. Please be aware that the owner is expected to be able to afford a private vet at ANY given time during the month – not only when a salary is paid in. Another thing to note is that it is also expected that the person coming to adopt is a responsible owner, meaning that they are the sort who sterilize their own animals as well as take them for their yearly vaccinations.
The costs involved include all the vet fees stated above: sterilization, vaccination, microchipping and deworming. Prices will vary from SPCA to SPCA.
About out of area adoptions: the ONLY time that an SPCA will do an out of area adoption, is if there is an SPCA close to where the potential adoptee is from, or if there is another animal welfare organization in the area. There’s also a longer process in adopting an animal out of area – and the sterilization also has to be done before the animal can go out the area. This also means that no animals under the age of six months can go out the area.
Let’s talk about the reason for wanting an animal. If you want an animal for companionship – great – that is a perfect reason to get a pet. If you only want an animal for guarding purposes, or only want it if you have a child, those aren’t appropriate reasons to get a pet. An animal isn’t just something you have and discard when you no longer need it. If this is your attitude – please work on changing this mindset. Also keep in mind that if you ‘discard’ an animal at the SPCA – you can’t just walk in and expect to adopt an animal from the SPCA.
Two last points before I sign off on this blog post:
If there comes a time where you can’t keep the animal anymore – it needs to come back to the SPCA. You can’t just give it to someone else. Please understand that you’ll be signing adoption contracts – and if any part of that contract is broken, the SPCA reserves the right to come and remove the animal.
If you happen to sign a sterilization contract, be sure that this contract is honored. If you refuse to sterilize the animal you adopted, the SPCA also reserves the right to come and remove the animal from your care. With adoptions not being the core function of the SPCA, they usually tend to fall last on an inspector’s list: cruelties come first. The option of adopting isn’t for everyone unfortunately – sometimes due to the ‘cost’, sometimes due to the fact that the welfare organization expects the people adopting to be responsible pet owners.
And, as always, please always practice responsible pet ownership.
Blog Post By Your Pet Caring Friend,
Carmen Harris.