Frequently Asked Questions 1.  On average what is the total cost to you for a single dog? 2.  What kind of veterinary care do you provide? 3.  Do the dogs get to roam in the open, run over a larger area or are they confined to their play area? 4.  If I send you a dog, is it possible to come and visit him/her occasionally? 5.  After the dog is there, do you put them up for adoption or do they just live out their lives there? 6.  If for some reason my situation improves and I can accommodate the dog again, would I be able to adopt him back from you? 7.  Once the townhome and play yard have been paid for, how long do you expect to receive the monthly maintenance fee? 8.  Once you accept my dog, how do I get him there and who pays the transportation costs? Q1:  On average what is the total cost to you for a single dog? A1:  Our costs come in two forms:  1) The one-time cost of building housing and 2) the ongoing cost of maintaining the dogs once they arrive.  The lion's share of the maintenance cost pays the salaries of our five full-time team members who service the dogs every day (Ricky and Jay receive no compensation).   The rest covers the cost of dog food and vet bills.  Please check our Intake Procedure for the current costs. -Back to Top- Q2:  What kind of veterinary care do you provide? A2:  We drive past two other vets to get to Dr. Stern at the Needville Animal Clinic, 979-793-6262.  He is decidedly old school in his approach...he still does things like stick his nose in a dog's mouth to smell what might be ailing him!  He also comes out to the farm to care for our large animals.   Best of all, he actually cares about the animals and not just our checkbook!   Dr. Stern will also do consults over the phone with Ricky to save us from having to take dogs in every single time something seems wrong...he is the very best! -Back to Top- Q3:  Do the dogs get to roam in the open, run over a larger area or are they confined to their play area? A3:  Unfortunately, we cannot let the dogs run loose around the property.  We rely on keeping dogs securely separated to keep all the dogs safe and have peace in the valley.  We build yards large enough for dogs to run and play in.  Our standard yard is 12x16, which is about the size of a typical family room.  However, some sending parties pay for much larger yards.  We have one dog whose family had us build him a 40x50 mega-yard!   The cost was $3300.  If you give us an idea of what size yard you would like, we can give you a quote on the cost of materials.  We always donate our time to build it. -Back to Top- Q4:  If I send you a dog, is it possible to come and visit him/her occasionally? A4:  Absolutely.  We have a Visiting Family Program that encourages families to come spend time with their dog.  You can "check him/her out" for a day or a weekend or however long you have to spend!   It is an opportunity for you to stay a part of your dog's life, and it is a wonderful outing for your dog! -Back to Top- Q5:  After the dog is there, do you put them up for adoption or do they just live out their lives there? A5:  If a dog can succeed in adoption, we will put them into the adoption program.  Dogs who have issues that would prevent them from being adopted will live out their lives in the sanctuary program.  Typically a dog comes here for a reason and that reason usually means they cannot be adopted.  However, some dogs that come here are very adoptable and deserve a loving forever home. -Back to Top- Q6:  If for some reason my situation improves and I can accommodate the dog again, would I be able to adopt him back from you? A6:  Yes, we would welcome the opportunity to reunite your dog with your family.  The only time this might not be possible is if your dog was already placed for adoption.   We will not reveal the names or contact information for a family who has adopted a dog, because we believe that could really be disruptive to the dog and his new family.   But if he is still living at the farm, you absolutely may take him back home!  And until you are able to do that, remember our Visiting Family Program, where you can, not only visit your dog but check him out for an afternoon, a day or a weekend. -Back to Top- Q7:  Once the townhome and play yard have been paid for, how long do you expect to receive the monthly maintenance fee? A7:   The monthly maintenance fee is our actual cost per dog for routine care (please see our Intake Procedure for the current amount) and it doesn't go away until your dog has gone to doggie heaven or has been adopted.  When we take in new dogs, we try to cover our costs for housing and maintenance for those particular dogs.    We ask individuals and groups sending a dog to keep sending out emails to their friends, family and business contacts until we raise the monthly maintenance fee.  We don't expect you to pay the entire amount out of your pocket, instead we hope you can sign up some sponsors to share in that responsibility.   Since you know people we don't know, you can extend our "reach" beyond the people we already know and who are already helping with other dogs.   Ideally, we hope that the sponsors signing up to help your dog specifically, and Smiling Dog Farms generally, would want to continue to help us fund our programs, even after your dog has passed on or has been adopted.  This would help to assure that there will always be a Smiling Dog Farms for other dogs in need.   The whole point of the monthly maintenance fee is to cover those ongoing costs that we have to pay when a dog comes here to live. -Back to Top- Q8:  Once you accept my dog, how do I get him there and who pays the transportation costs? A8:  It is your responsibility to get your dog here and pay the associated costs.  There are volunteer transporters out there that will transport your dog here for little or no cost to you.  However, this type of transport requires a lot of handling so if your dog has issues with strangers and/or being touched, this is not an option for you. If your dog is not a Pit Bull, he can ride on Continental Air Lines, which has a great program for flying pets.  Since Houston is a hub for Continental, you can usually get a direct flight!  The cost depends on how far away you are from Houston and the weight of your dog.  He could probably fly from Los Angeles, Chicago or New York/New Jersey for around $500 plus the cost of a crate.  If you are in Atlanta, St. Louis or Phoenix, it would probably be a little less.  You can call the airlines and get the specifics.  Be sure to weigh your dog before you call. -Back to Top- Smiling Dog Farms Giving hope to the forgotten, neglected & rejected... P.O. Box 743 Wharton, TX 77488 Home / Contact Us A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation                                                Smiling Dog Farms is Absolutely, Unequivocally NO-KILL!!!