Some people think that, since they are willing to take a homeless dog off our hands, we should give them the dog without an adoption fee.

Well, that would be nice, and in a perfect world, it would be possible. But vet care for our rescue dogs costs money, which we must recover, at least in part, in order to go on rescuing. Each dog must have a physical examination, receive any required vaccinations (for rabies, parvo virus, etc.) and be spayed or neutered at the very least. The rescue pays for these procedures out of his or her own pocket.

For the most part, our adoption fees reflect the medical expenses incurred for a particular dog. Other factors in adoption fees are, age and health of the dog. All other moneys go into a fund, which helps pay the medical bills for dogs that require unusually expensive care -- bills that an adoption fee could not cover.

Please keep this fact in mind: The adoption fee for a rescue  Dachshund or Doberman is usually somewhere between $100 and $300. The going rate for a puppy at a pet store-a puppy that, in all likelihood came from a puppy mill-is between $500 and $1200. And you still have to pay for vaccinations and spaying or neutering on top of that.