ADOPTION PROCESS

If you are interested in adopting a pet from our rescue you must first fill out an ADOPTION APPLICATION (email jayh@ontheothersideofthefence.org). Once approved, we will schedule an appointment for your family to COME MEET your new pet. If your family decides to adopt, the new pet parent will sign an ADOPTION CONTRACT. You then MAKE A DONATION to help us care for another homeless pet and take your new family member to their new forever HOME! ALTHOUGH WE GLADLY ACCEPT CHECKS FOR A DONATION, WE CAN NOT ACCEPT CHECKS FOR THE ADOPTION OF OUR PETS. With our associated costs and vet bills in the thousands, we can not afford to get another bad check. We only accept cash or money order, or ask how to pay via debit/visa/paypal. Sorry for any inconvenience. ALL of our rescues will be spayed or neutered whether it is done at our vet or yours! If the pet is under 6 months of age, unless specified at the time of adoption YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPAY/NEUTER within two weeks of them becoming six months of age. AS REQUIRED pursuant to section 273.400 to 273.405 of the Animal Care Facilities Act, or a $1000.00 penalty will be due to theothersideofthefence.org.

OUR HOURS

To see our available animals email jayh@ontheothersideofthefence.org. We do not have a full time staff available so we can only schedule appointments. We schedule appointments between 3:00pm and 9:30pm. If these hours do not work for you, we do have a few volunteers who live in Poplar Bluff who can show pets at their homes. WE RARELY HAVE TIME TO RETURN CALLS. PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING.

ADOPTION FEES

Theothersideofthefence.org is considered to be a "hard rescue organization". We are not a government run facility, but a small no kill rescue. We are supported mainly out of only 2 Board members personal pockets. MOST of our rescues come with minor medical conditions such as mange and/or pneumonia. We also accept dogs with serious medical needs and arrange for expensive procedures such as long term care, emergency tooth extractions, emergency eye removal, soft palate reduction, to name only a few. Our veterinarians are generous and loving professionals, who support our efforts. In order to pay veterinary bills, mortgage and utilities for the rescue, food, treats, and all other costs associated with running an animal rescue per month (we care for approximately 50 cats/dogs at a time and cost is in the thousands), we must ask for an "adoption fee" or "adoption donation." These range from $110-$550 for our dogs and $20-$350 for our cats. Thank you all for understanding our application process.

Q & A

Why is the adoption donation range so drastically different? If we charged the least for all the animals we would go bankrupt in a month!!!!  We will never adopt out a dog under $100.00 as the statistics show people who usually pay under that do not give their pet the quality of care we wish upon our rescues. plus statistics also show over 90% of animals euthanized at shleters and pounds were purchased for less than $100.00 by their owners. If we charged the most or even middle range for all the animals, no one would adopt our precious “normal” pets.  How do we come up with our adoption donations?  We look at how much the pet has cost the rescue to care for up until adoption. We look at the long term cost to care for the pet. (For example- St. Bernard's are often abandoned because the pet parent did not realize what a responsibility the breed is to care for. A person who can not afford the adoption donation might look at adopting a pet with less of an adoption donation requirement, so as to reduce the possibility of the pet becoming a financial “burden” on the family in the future. ) We look at specific breed rescue policies. for example we simply type “Shih Tzu rescue” into the goodsearch.com search engine when we get a full blooded Shih Tzu and soak up information about other rescues all over the country.  How much does it cost to care for each homeless pet? This varies drastically!!!! HEALTHY dogs who will only stay 1 month or less cost approximately $125.00 while they are here. (Most dogs stay 3-6 months) UNHEALTHY dogs cost normally between $300- $1200!!!  Do we make money from adoption donations? NO!!! As with most rescues, the majority of the associated costs come out of the founders/board members own pockets. The cost of flea tick and heartworm prevention for 50 animals a month ALONE is well over $400.00 A MONTH ($6.00-$12.00 per pet)! We use Revolution, we find it cheapest at petcarepoint.com, if anyone knows of a cheaper place to buy Revolution, please let us know!!!

FACTS

Most of our rescues are here because they were very unhealthy and going to die. Most of our rescues live here for 3-6 months BEFORE being put up for adoption. They are undergoing physical recuperation and basic obedience training. All homeless pets taken in by our rescue will be socialized towards children and other pets. We help these often abused and neglected animals with their transitional period, and show them basic indoor manners to create a well behaved inside pet. Our adoption fees are quite cheap, considering the emotional, time consuming and monetary cost of taking in most of these pets in the conditions in which they arrive at our rescue. SAVE A STRAY … ADOPT TODAY- or donate a bag of dog food We go through 40 pounds of dog food a day!!!!