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No, GARD does not sell dogs. We charge an adoption fee when a dog is placed to help cover a fraction of the expense to vet and board the dog, and the upkeep of the shelter.

For your adoption fee you get, first and foremost, a new best friend who will be devoted to you for the rest of their life and thankful to you for saving their life. Secondly, the dog will be up-to-date on all shots, wormed, microchipped, come with 30 days free health insurance, and is spayed or neutered. On the rare occasion that an animal is adopted out unaltered (such as a puppy that is too young, or a dog that has only been at the shelter a short time), we make arrangements for the animal to be sterilized at one of our participating vets (at our cost). The adoptive owner is required by law to get the animal sterilized and we follow up to make sure.

Our adoption fee is higher for the more highly sought after dogs such as small fluffy dogs and pure breds. This enables us to save the lives of less desirable dogs that are considered harder to adopt, such as large mixed breeds or dogs who have been abused and need someone to work with them, or have medical conditions. GARD does not charge as high of an adoption fee for these type dogs even though the cost to vet and board them is usually higher due in part to the fact that they stay longer at the shelter. It is a balancing act and common practice among many rescue groups.

While a shelter environment is obviously not as ideal as someone’s home for a dog, at least our dogs are safe from euthanasia and have a second chance at life. They have plenty of food, clean water, shelter from the elements, excellent medical care, and of course the TLC of the GARD volunteers. And, living in the shelter is only temporary as we work extremely hard to get them all adopted. We are able to save many more dogs by having a no-kill shelter rather than using only foster homes. We do not “pick and choose” only the cute, fluffy, or pure bred dogs that are considered “highly adoptable”. We do not discriminate against dogs because of their size, color , or breed. If a dog has been at our shelter for a greater length of time, we try to get them placed in a foster home so they can become more socialized and be freed from the kennel environment.