Question for other shelter managers/directors....

Once the paperwork is signed it is the adopter's responsibility to pay all incurred costs and to keep the animal on a regular schedule at the vet. If we had money to guarantee a pet's health for life a whole lot more people would feel comfortable adopting, however as i'm sure you are aware, that is impossible for many reasons. There will always be a few people who complain and expect more than we can give. We do the best we can and most of the time the community we live in is appreciativer and

Part of our contract is the following and we make sure folks read it with us. Plus we have another paper folks have to read and sign and it states about the same thing as below but in more detail.

Medical
6. I will take this pet to a veterinarian of my choice within 10 days of the contract date for a general checkup.
7. I will provide this pet with annual veterinary care and keep its vaccinations current.
8. I will not hold the HSMC responsible for the physical health of this pet. If this pet should exhibit signs of
illness, I have the option of taking the pet to a veterinarian at my expense or return the pet to the HSMC. If I return the pet within 14 days of the adoption, I may ask for a refund of the adoption fee only or a possible replacement. The decision to allow a replacement is that of the HSMC.
9. I understand that the HSMC has done all it can to provide medical care for this animal.

We have had a few folks call us if the animal gets sick after a couple days home. We will work with them if they call us. But if it is a major problem, we make them sign it back over so we can use our vets who give us a discount. Then once it is better, we readopt it to them.

If you want the info on the other contract, email me privately.

This is frustrating for all of us who work in the rescue field. People can't understand why our adoption fee is 200 for a dog and 80 for a cat! We do all of the medical work that needs to be done and our adoption fees are LESS than what we pay for the vet bill and yet there are a certain percentage of people who do come back to us and say "my animal is sick - pay us back".

For us it's all in the time frame and the situation.

So each situation is looked at individually. Sometimes we will reimburse them IF THEY GO TO OUR VET which we hvaqe a contract with for lower prices.

Since we do not have a vet on staff, we do the best we can. If an animal gets sick and an adopter wants him/her, we keep the animal until the medication is done and then the adopter can adopt. This way if we have to treat more than once, the cost is on us. We explain (as you do) that all costs incurred after adoption are the customer's responsiblity. We do not reimburse for medical costs. We also can not give out medication since we do not have a vet on staff. We will reimburse for adoption costs if the animal is found to have something life-threatening (cancer, heartworm, etc.). I agree that it is very frustrating because customers always think they are getting a "perfect" animal. We do the best we can, but can not promise an animal with an unknown history won't get sick, however, customers hear what they want to hear. We have on occasion reimbursed for something extreme, but that is up to our Executive Director. Good luck and remember, you are doing the best you can!

Thankfully this doesn't happen at our shelter very often. We do have it in our contract that we make no guarantees on the animal and we also give a certificate for a free exam at our vet which is good for 3 weeks. Most peoeple take advantage of that and so if there is some small issue they don't mind footing the bill. If some larger issue arises we would look at each one on a case by case basis.

Our contract clearly states that we do not guarantee the health or temperment of the animal. We do require a vet visit within 7 days of adoption and give out a free vet exam. We do not pay for medicine prescribed by a vet at that time because the disease/illness was not evident at the time of adoption. Because the vet visit is free, and only medicines need to be paid we don't usually have a problem. There is always the one in ten or so that does have a problem and we just refer them back to the contract. They don't necessarily like it but we can't afford medical bills. Once they own the animal, it is their responsibility.

I am not a manager of a shelter. But I would suggest working with a local vet to get not only a free physical for newly adopted pets, but a discount on treatment if needed for any medical conditions..make it very clear to new adopters that the shelter simply can not afford to cover the expnses after the adoption and the animals are adopted out in fair to good health..That you have worked out a deal with Dr. So and so for a discount within 14days of adoption. I know from experiance that the vet I take my newly adopted animal to the first time is generally who I will stay with for the life of that pet (even if it means taking my older animals to a different vet). Good luck!