The cost of pet adoption in Wagga has been brought to light following a state-wide RSPCA campaign but council staff insist fees are charged appropriately at the Glenfield Road Animal Shelter.
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The RSPCA NSW ‘Clear the Shelters’ initiative is gaining traction with its $29 adoptions offer inclusive of desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, vet checks and up to date parasite control.
The state-wide program will run from Friday, February 23 to Sunday, February 25 with a view to rehoming as many domestic animals as possible.
However, Wagga facility has no affiliation with the RSPCA and as such will not be offering discounted adoptions.
Council environment and city compliance manager Mark Gardiner said it was difficult to draw comparisons and match prices given the ‘vast’ difference in size and resources.
“The RSPCA is a significantly larger organisation and they’re also very reliant on bequests and donations for funding support,” he said.
“The support allows them to subsidise costs and they also have in-house vets, whereas our vets operate on contracts.”
The Wagga City Council website states adoption fees can total up to $313 and include vet check, vaccinations, desexing, microchipping, and lifetime registration.
“Let’s say you have a cat or kitten you’re looking to adopt - it requires a range of checks before you can purchase and those costs add up,” Mr Gardiner said.
“The price of adoption is the total of those veterinary costs.
“We operate to run at cost and we definitely don’t run at a profit.”
The shelter’s adoption fees match other rehoming services across Wagga; for example, Wagga Veterinary Hospital offers kitten adoptions for $100, which include vaccination, microchipping, and a health check, but up to $240 can be charged for desexing.
Mr Gardiner said council did not have the requisite funding to lower costs without impacting ratepayers.
“We continue to seek opportunities for external funding that will allow council to subsidise its costs for rehoming animals,” he added.
A surrender fee of $200 is also charged as a disincentive for pet owners seeking to offload animals without further consideration.
There are 11 dogs and eight cats currently up for adoption at Glenfield Animal Shelter.