Received this in my inbox today, SPCA is having an adoption drive with half-price adoption fees for a week.
Email contents:
Which animals are available at reduced fees?
Every single animal in SPCA's care who is available for adoption!
Kittens, cats, puppies and dogs make up the vast majority of animals we care for, but all animals ready for rehoming between 27 Jan - 4 Feb will have the adoption fee halved too.
That means feathered, furred, hooved or clawed including rabbits, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, guinea pigs, and any other animal currently seeking a new home.
No matter the age or species, every adoption at every SPCA will be half-price, so browse animals available today!
What do adoption fees actually cover?
Before being deemed adoption-ready, every SPCA animal is desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, and treated for fleas and worms.
As well as this, many aniamls require other medical aid, specialist assistance, or simply time in foster care, during which we cover all costs.
Your animal's adoption fee contributes towards all the care they receive while with us, at a hugely reduced rate from what that same care would cost otherwise.
Is reducing adoption fees responsible?
We know that many kind-hearted people worry that reducing adoption fees means animals will go into homes not fit to care for them.
Let me assure you this is not the case at all.
The only thing that changes when we reduce adoption fees is just that: the fee people pay.
Everthing else stays the same, from the vetting and consultation SPCA does to ensure animals are going to the right home for them, and the time we put in supporting adopters after taking their new addition home.
Our teams do an amazing job of matching animals to their forever humans, and this discount doesn't change that.
Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest a discount devalues animals in the eyes of those who take them home. Rather a discount can be that final nudge someone was waiting for after being on the fence for a while about adopting an animal.
______, if you saw the plight of the animals in our care up close, like I do, you would try anything to find them homes, too.
Take this beautiful girl, Meah (pictured) for example.
Meah was just one of nine puppies dumped in the recycling bin outside one of our SPCA Centres late last year. At the time, she was only a couple of weeks old.
To the people who chose to dump her, she was just an inconvenience. She was one of nine puppies born unwanted, and her litter is one of hundreds who meet the same fate across New Zealand.
Since coming into our care, Meah's life has been noisy. Constantly surrounded by other puppies and dogs here in the Centre, Meah's eyes tell us she wants a home and a human of her own.
And she deserves one.
Every single animal is an individual with their own journey, and we hope this adoption discount will help animals like her get home sooner, giving them their happy endings.
How much does it cost to adopt?
Adoption fees at every SPCA Centre are the same, and are determined by the age and species of the animal being adopted.
You can find all standard adoption fees broken down on this page of our website. Remember, between 27 Jan - 4 Feb, the fee for adoption will be halved.
I get why Spca do this, especially at the height of kitten season, but can I suggest that if anyone is interested in adopting, pay the full fee.
It only partially covers the cost of desexing, microchipping and vaccination that Spca and all good rescues will do.
It will help them save more animals and how can you put a price on that?