What is the goal of fee waived adoptions?

At the MSPCA, we are committed to finding homes for as many animals as possible.  The main goal of having a fee waived adoption program is to quickly send adoptable pets home that otherwise may have lingered at the adoption center for months.  Often times, when a fee waived program is in place, the animal’s length of stay at the center is much shorter, which reduces their stress level, decreases the chances of them becoming sick, and uses less of the facility’s resources to care for them.

Are you worried that a free event will attract the wrong type of adopters?

Some people have a concern that if there is not a fee associated with an adoption it will mean that the adopter may not provide a qualified home.  During these events, all of our adoption polices remain in effect, and potential adopters work with staff to determine if any of the animals in our care are a match for their family in order to adopt.  We also provide excellent education to our adopters by thoroughly going over basic pet care and providing ongoing support if issues crop up once the animal is in their new home.

The MSPCA recognizes that in this economy, people have to be careful with their expenditures and often people may not be able to afford the cost of adoption as well as ongoing medical care and pet supply expenses. Often this may discourage potentially great adopters from coming in to take a pet home. By waiving the adoption fee, our hope is that people will be inspired to adopt a homeless pet.

How do fee waived adoptions benefit the community?

Fee waived adoption programs alert the public to the reality that pet overpopulation is a major problem in our communities. Research has indicated that the public responds to fee waived adoptions not because they are looking for a deal, but because they genuinely want to help pets in need.

How can the MSPCA afford to give animals away for free?

The MSPCA is a non-profit organization, with donations and adoption fees making up a major part of our income. We have carefully considered how we can recuperate the loss of income through waived adoption fees, by asking for donations at the time of adoption that will go towards helping other pets still looking for homes, as well as fully stocking our retail areas and encouraging our adopters to continue to support the MSPCA by purchasing supplies for their new pet at the shelter.

Additionally, we have had incredible support from some of our very generous donors who have helped subsidize the reduced adoption fees and fee waived programs.  Their support means that we can both reduce fees for potential adopters and still maintain our operating budget.