Fees and Charges

Taking the pet out of petshop. We believe rescue pets have just as much to offer as petshop animals. They can be just as cute, just as friendly and just as great a pet. However, rescue pets have been, and are continuing to be misrepresented to the public by the very groups who are trying to save them: rescue organisations.

How? Rescue organisations have traditionally felt the need to provide an incentive to people to choose rescue pets over petshop animals. Unfortunately, this is often in the form of cut-price "bargain" adoption fees, which enforces the perception that rescue pets are not of "premium" quality.

The climate is changing. As public education about rescue pets steps up and society becomes ethically conscious (if you're reading this, congratulations: that's you!), people are increasingly turning to rescue organisations as a place to find a pet to bring into their homes.

The adoption fees at Porsche's Rescue are carefully considered. The minimum fee is $80 for rabbits and $15 for guinea pigs. This price ensures that adoptions are not impulse purchases and people consider the ongoing financial responsibilities associated with owning a pet. Most don't realise that rabbit ownership is comparable to cat ownership when it comes to costs; for example, it is no cheaper to desex a rabbit than it is to desex a cat. Rabbits are now the third most popular pet in Australia, but they are also the third most dumped species in the pound and more likely to be euthanased due to their national status as a feral pest.

Let's save animals by saving rescues! Selling pets at slashed prices is not a sustainable business practice, yet many rescues feel the pressure to keep prices far below operating costs. As anyone who has balanced a budget can tell you, this ultimately leads to complete and total financial ruin. Since rescues are often privately funded, huge amounts of money are written off by well-intentioned people before they are forced to close down.

Rescues need to step up if they want to be around long enough to make a difference. Porsche's Rescue believes in complete transparency, which is why we describe our vision, explain our prices and form an ongoing dialogue with the community. By applying a business model to rescue, as is becoming increasingly prevalent in the USA with proven success, we are hoping to function well into the future, backed by our wonderful community's support.

We're not some discount bargain basement looking to make a fast buck through a quick turnaround! We provide quality care and nurturing and invest our time and resources into our rescued animals. Although it would be nice to find homes for all animals under our care in an expedient way, we realise this isn't always possible. As such, we are in no rush to part with our rescues. We care for these animals as we do for our own.

Adoption fees for Rabbits : $80-$170

The standard adoption fee for an adult, female rabbit is $140. This includes vaccination for calicivirus and desexing, where possible.

Desexing normally costs anywhere from $100-$360. Vaccinations are from $40-80 (costs differ between vet clinics). Therefore, please don't try to haggle the price of the animal for adoption. If you can't afford the adoption fee, you certainly wont afford the ongoing costs associated with rabbit ownership.

Our minimum adoption fee for a rabbit is $80. This occurs in cases where the rabbit has been returned to us and has already had its vet work covered by the original purchase price, if someone has sponsored them, or if we're matching them with a friend and want the two of them to be adopted together.

The more popular breeds have a higher adoption fee as they find homes faster than less popular rabbits, and their adoption fee helps give others a chance to find a home of their own. This subsidisation is so that nice rabbits who might not look as appealing can stay with us long enough to find a happily ever after.

Adoption Fees for Guinea Pigs : $15-$45

Fees are based on the piggies' cuteness factor and personality. This is so that less popular piggies who are in rescue for longer can be subsidised by our star attractions.

This method of determining price is not unique to rescue. Prices in the petshop business also reflect supply and demand.

Porsche's Rescue believes that by raising the status of rescue pets, we can make a difference to small animal welfare. By adopting a rescue pet through us, you are supporting the philosophy of responsible pet ownership.