City of Toronto temporarily cuts dog adoption fees

Jan 24, 2023 | Canadian News, News

If you’ve been saving up for a new furry friend you may not need too much longer as the City of Toronto’s animal services is lowering its fees temporarily for dog adoptions.

“Toronto Animal Services’ (TAS) will host adoption events when shelter populations become too high or there is an increase in animal length of stay,” said a spokesperson for Toronto Animal Services in an email.

“Some of the dogs currently available for adoption have been at the shelter for more than six months and our goal is to find them a permanent home.”

According to the city’s website, the regular adoption fees for male and female dogs are $185 and $215 and are currently down to $25 for a short period, from Thursday, Jan. 19 to Tuesday, Jan. 31, Toronto Animal Services will drop its adoption fees for dogs only.

A 2012 study by the University of Florida raised concerns that low animal adoption fees might “increase risk of poor care or abandonment.”

However, the study found little data to correlate fee payments with adoption success.

“As part of the adoption process, all applicants are required to attend a meet and greet to ensure they are a suitable match,” said the TAS spokesperson.

“TAS also has a standardized adoption application to ensure any potential new owner is equipped and capable of caring for a dog.”

In 2021, TAS took in 3,986 animals from big to small, lost or surrendered, and returned and adopted out 3,949 of those animals.