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Politics & Government

It Doesn't Add Up…Or Does it?

Adopting a kitten from the Peninsula Humane Society has never been cheaper -- you name the price.

Our Accounting Department might not like me; or, at the very least, they may not “get” me.  Once again, I’ve suggested a promotion that will cost us financially.

Beginning this week and through Christmas, we’re waiving all adoption fees for cats and kittens. No strings attached. We won’t make you sign-up to volunteer and you need not name us in your will!

The only catch, though I wouldn’t even it call it that, is that we are gently asking adopters to make a donation in any amount at the time of their adoption. And, don’t worry, this won’t be presented in a used car salesman kind of way. Stay here, and let me get my manager…what will it take for you to leave with this kitty today?

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We’ve tried this kind of promotion before, but it was just for a one-day event.  Some adopters made no donation at all, taking full advantage of the deal, which wasn’t a huge surprise. Some donated $5, $10 or $20 and other donated the full adoption fee.  And, in a few cases, people said they loved what we were doing and rounded their donation up – way up to $100. 

With our current promotion, we figure we’ll collect far less in donations than we would have if we stuck with adoption fees. But, that’s not important. We want to get as many cats into homes as possible; to that end, we are making it easier than ever for our cats and kittens to go into the right homes.

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This is one of three similar promotions all happening at the same time which is why the Accounting Department is probably wanting to give me a good shake, at the very least, to clear my head. These are the other three:

  • For years now, we’ve been offering local residents a free spay/neuter surgery for their Pit Bull if they visit our clinic. We picked Pit Bulls because they were the most common incoming breed (and they are still holding strong at number two).
  • A few months ago, in recognition of our new most popular incoming dog – Chihuahuas – we waived the adoption fee for all Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes. We actually announced a bonus in addition to the free adoption: a crisp $10 bill!
  • Most recently, we extended free spay/neuter surgeries to all local residents who bring their Chihuahua or Chihuahua mix to us, and we doubled the cash incentive, offering $20. It’s jokingly called a “ball bounty” by some. But, call it what you want. We just want to call it successful.

So, while all these give-aways may not be the best business model for a local charity, we feel that offering them is exactly what a humane society should be all about. The idea is that we’ll make our annual budget because generous animal lovers will recognize our good work and support it. Our motto is simple: do good work…do the right work and don’t be afraid to talk about it. 

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