How do rescue groups stay afloat? (shelters, animal, mean, people)
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well I did some research and I saw that these friends of mine on facebook DO in fact ask for donations every time there is a dog in need of transport out of a shelter, so that must help. I am just saying that I guess they DO GET SOME costs offset so its not like they are 100% out the money
also further research does prove that rescue group operations are massively tax deductible so that is another way to offset the costs
those of you who claim to NOT be wealthy and yet spend thousands of dollars on dogs without monetary donations or tax breaks, it's a puzzle to me
i am sure i am not the only one in your world wondering: "how does this person afford the time and money to spend on all these abandoned dogs"? i am not insulting rescue groups. i am asking the question that no one else has the courage to ask.
Courage? What courage? You're not the first one to ask. But you are the first one to get all offended about it. Don't see what the big deal is.
The Supreme Court has ruled that any and all expenses related to fostering an animal (via rescue groups) including transport are tax deductible. So no need to feel sorry for rescuers.
sinatras, really? I spent $300 of my own money on rescuing Harry by the time I got him even the most basic of gear. I think you need to take the bile colored glasses off and take another look at the rescue world. I had a rescue kitty for whom I paid all of his cardiologist visits, and they were NOT cheap. I pulled a dog from a shelter in GA and spent just shy of $1000 to even get him healthy enough for transport up to my area.
Maybe you want to feel better about your own choices. I suggest finding another way than dismissing the efforts of those who are committed to animals with no voice of their own.
Don't waste your time on this person. Seriously. None of their threads are posted in good faith.
Oh, well, now wait a minute. If they are getting lots of donations and tax breaks, then it's not so much about selfless giving.
I will do my best to remain civil but your comments are making it extremely difficult.
It is most certainly about selfless giving. It isn't just about money, it's also about time. As I said, they spend early mornings, (we are talking 3-4am sometimes), late nights, their entire weekends doing rescue, IN ADDITION to their day job.
Instead of relaxing and plopping their backsides down on the couch after work, they are out there, rescuing animals, putting on events, (adoption events), networking to find foster homes, doing home visits, taking animals to the vet, updating their website and Petfinder, returning phone calls, trap and release, the list goes on.
And they do this while dealing with people who abuse, neglect, torture or kill animals. They do this while people turn a deaf ear to their pleas to spay/neuter their pets. They do this while people out there sit on message boards or comments or any type of social media stating how much they hate animal cruelty and hate that there are so many homeless animals but don't actually do anything about it. They try to educate the public. They try to get bills passed or other bills knocked down, (ie: Breed Legislation). They are constantly on the move, day, night, weekends...constantly.
The Supreme Court has ruled that any and all expenses related to fostering an animal (via rescue groups) including transport are tax deductible. So no need to feel sorry for rescuers.
Only as long as the group is a 501(c)3 group... like any other non-profit charity. I've been taking those deductions long before the Supreme Court "decision."
Oh, and by the way, we're not asking for pity. Don't be ridiculous.
I refuse to believe that people with little or no financial means are shelling out all this money and time to rescue dogs. Who is paying for the car repair bills all those miles are leading to? Who is paying for the medical bills of a volunteer who throws out her back rescuing a dog 200 miles away? I am not talking about people who sit at tables on Saturdays or run a website, but the people who are transporting dog through state lines or fostering 30 dogs for weeks.
I am a huge animal lover, but I would not put the financial needs of my family second to a dog I've never met in another state. I guess that makes me a bad person.
So you started this off by choosing to believe your FB friends and those who've responded here. Pity is for you; you need it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by atina33
I think sometimes it has to do with priorities. Perhaps their priorities are not to have a flat-screen TV or a fancy car or vacation in Hawaii. Instead, they choose to use their discretionary funds to help animals. Doesn't necessarily mean that they or their families are suffering.
We aren't poor but we are far from rich - we are retired and I'm disabled. We are frugal; I use coupons like my life depends on it - and it does - and so do the animals we help. In addition to fostering, since I am without a foster now due to some physical issues, we paid a vet bill to help a dog whose owner abandoned her when she was no longer able to have puppies and was in pain from a tumor. So there goes a couple of dinners out. It was worth it to save that poor old girl. She got to have some love and comfort for her final hours. And I'll do it again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras
Oh, well, now wait a minute. If they are getting lots of donations and tax breaks, then it's not so much about selfless giving.
Do you have any idea how much it costs to amputate a leg of an animal whose owner abused it? Or to pay for the suturing of the cuts and bites an animal endured as the result of being a bait dog? or peeing on the carpet as a 2 month old puppy? Give your negativity a break.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steelstress
who said anything about "lots" of donations? If that were true, we wouldn't be dipping into our own pockets as deep as we do.
what wild hair got up your butt? why the resentment? And your insinuation about putting rescue before one's kids is just ridiculous. Really, got out of the house sometime.
I had a dog whose teeth were ground down for her to make a better training/bait dog. She had severe weight issues (among many others) due to her inability to eat/bite with no front teeth. I fed her hamburg and expensive canned food. Yeah, so my grocery bill took a hit. It was worth it. What love we got from her.
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Originally Posted by subject2change
This thread has taken a bizarre turn. I don't do transport, but I drive to the shelter and to events that are often far from me, about 4 times a week. I don't itemize deductions so I don't get a break on the gas. I make donations as much as I can, and often give or buy things for the dogs and cats. I occasionally foster, and the shelter pays for needed medical, but I pay for everything else as I would for my own pets. It's what I love, it's what I do, and my life would feel very empty without it.
That's what it means to do rescue work - be it fostering a pup or a child. There's little compensation and tons of expenses but it isn't done to feel altruistic or get a pat on the back. We do it because we care and feel compelled to pitch in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by antilogb1
The Supreme Court has ruled that any and all expenses related to fostering an animal (via rescue groups) including transport are tax deductible. So no need to feel sorry for rescuers.
We aren't asking for pity - not even for recognition or a thank you. Many of us don't itemize and don't keep track of expenses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steelstress
Only as long as the group is a 501(c)3 group... like any other non-profit charity. I've been taking those deductions long before the Supreme Court "decision."
Oh, and by the way, we're not asking for pity. Don't be ridiculous.
Pity - strange word to use for those of us who get so much return by giving. We don't want your pity - keep it for yourself. You need it.
Can you compensate me for seeing a dog on my porch in the middle of a winter night trying to get in my garbage? Do I chase it away? Of course not, if it's getting into my garbage in the middle of nowhere, it's hungry, needs water, and a warm place to sleep. I invite it in and set about creating a bed. If you could compensate me, I wouldn't take it.
How about the puppy with parvo I hold in my lap for hours while giving it subQs, running to the vet which is an hour away - each way - for vet visits and meds. The weeks it takes to get the puppy back to health. I don't want your compensation for my tears of happiness and missing her when she gets adopted. I don't want your tax advantage for the joy I have knowing a severely abused dog that I spent week after week teaching it about being loved and how to be a dog and is now adopted to a family that loves her as much as I do.
Pity - it's not for us who volunteer our time, energy, love, and money.
based on all the reps i've gotten from this thread, clearly others have the same questions. no need to insult me. kudos to all the absolute saints out there who spend all their time and money on rescuing dogs! like i said before, i couldn't afford to do it, so lucky you that you can.
I think sometimes it has to do with priorities. Perhaps their priorities are not to have a flat-screen TV or a fancy car or vacation in Hawaii. Instead, they choose to use their discretionary funds to help animals. Doesn't necessarily mean that they or their families are suffering.
EXACTLY.... my house is a smallish, 35+ year old subdivision tract house, My Blackberry is provided through my job, I don't own any flat screen tv's or tablets or kindles or x-boxes or any of those other gadgets..... i DO have cable so I can watch tv where I live..... but it's not premium channels, just pretty much the basics..... I can not remember the last time I bought myself something new to wear....... I drive a 6 year old car with 180K miles on it.... my last couple of vacations were road trips over the Christmas holidays to visit friends and family in Texas.....
my passion is rescue and i only wish I had more time and resources to devote to it..... We are the voices for those who can not speak for themselves......
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Originally Posted by Driller1
Some of the costs would be a tax write off.
Talk to your CPA.
And God Bless You All.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras
well I did some research and I saw that these friends of mine on facebook DO in fact ask for donations every time there is a dog in need of transport out of a shelter, so that must help. I am just saying that I guess they DO GET SOME costs offset so its not like they are 100% out the money
also further research does prove that rescue group operations are massively tax deductible so that is another way to offset the costs
those of you who claim to NOT be wealthy and yet spend thousands of dollars on dogs without monetary donations or tax breaks, it's a puzzle to me
i am sure i am not the only one in your world wondering: "how does this person afford the time and money to spend on all these abandoned dogs"? i am not insulting rescue groups. i am asking the question that no one else has the courage to ask.
massively tax deductible.... I think the mileage deduction is $.14 per mile.... BARELY covers the cost of gas.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by antilogb1
The Supreme Court has ruled that any and all expenses related to fostering an animal (via rescue groups) including transport are tax deductible. So no need to feel sorry for rescuers.
only if the rescue is a 501.C3
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras
based on all the reps i've gotten from this thread, clearly others have the same questions. no need to insult me. kudos to all the absolute saints out there who spend all their time and money on rescuing dogs! like i said before, i couldn't afford to do it, so lucky you that you can.
everyone makes their own choices about how and on what they want to spend their money.....
Rescuers gotta rescue, believers gotta believe, nonbelievers don't. It seems there are a lot of minds already made up and I'm not sure I see where this is going. We all do what we do, be it for dogs, people, veterans, seniors - there's no end to charitable acts.
Keep it civil, folks - if questions are asked in good faith, then good faith answers should be given...and the answers accepted as the poster's experience. However, if anyone has a bone to pick, let's take it somewhere else. Discussion and debate are good. Baiting and trolling and disparaging remarks, not so much.
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