Frequently Asked Questions
Please click on the links below to jump questions and answers for your topic of interest.
Please click on the links below to jump questions and answers for your topic of interest.
Our mission is to help all animals, but we choose to focus first on the ones that are most needy. To our organization, this translates to helping and housing strays and those that we can save from certain death in high kill-rate shelters. We also are periodically contacted by veterinarians and even law enforcement officials asking us to take in cats and dogs from abusive situations. Last on our list are those pets that people want to re-home. In these situations we encourage keeping the pet, and we provide advice and support to allow the guardian to do just that. If that is not possible, under certain circumstances (severe illness or death of the guardian, or other life changing situations) we will consider accepting a pet from an owner.
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Our animals visit a veterinarian for testing, exams, spaying or neutering (if 4 months of age or older), vaccinations and any other needed treatment. All cats offered for adoption have tested negative for FeLV and FIV.
Back to the topHere are seven good reasons to adopt two kittens together:

Well, for starters a "free kitty" isn't actually ... free. Let's compare your "free kitty" with one adopted from our shelter:
| Average Cost to you for your "Free" Kitty | Included in your Adoption from Animal Aid |
|---|---|
| New patient Vet Exam: $40.00 | Veterinary Exam |
| Spay/Neuter: $75.00 - $80.00 | Spay/Neuter |
| Testing for FeLV/FIV: $50.00 | Testing for FeLV and FIV |
| FVRCP and FeLV vaccinations: $20.00 | FVRCP and FELV vaccinations |
| Parasite Treatment (fleas, worms): $15.00 | Parasite Treatment (fleas, worms) |
| Microchip/registration: $35.00 | Microchip/registration |
| Collar: $5.00 | Collar and Name Tag |
All medical care brought up-to-date |
|
| Cat Care booklet | |
| Samples of Food and Litter | |
| Advice line | |
| Lifetime return policy | |
| Total Cost: $240.00 or more | Donation: ? |
This, of course, is based on costs associated with healthy young animals.
Because we are a no-kill shelter, the shelter population
includes older and "special
needs" pets
who may never find another home, and whose medical requirements become
increasingly expensive. Your donation helps us care for them.
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S.T.A.R. animals provide financial support to other Animal Aid animals through their adoption fee.
These special pets, who are always adopted quickly, Support The Animals Remaining in our care who may need many months of medical or social rehabilitation before they are adopted. The S.T.A.R. pets all have a set adoption fee, specified on their personal display page.
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The adoption contract states that you agree to return the pet directly to Animal Aid if a major life change makes it impossible for you to keep the pet in your home. Any donation you made earlier would not be returned.
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There are several factors that will affect the speed with which we can handle your adoption request:
If Fluffy is over four months old, NOW. An unspayed female cat over 5 months old can produce multiple litters per year (yes, she can become pregnant while she is still nursing), and if each of those begin reproducing at age five months.... You don't want to hear our tales of abandoned kittens nursing their own kittens.
Remember that the act of procreation is not something Fluffy does with joy – we're talking straight hormones here. Think "unbearable itch" rather than "pleasurable act". And Springtime is the worst.
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How about we give you ten excellent reasons instead?
| The Excuse | The Reality |
|---|---|
| Just one litter, and then we'll have Fluffy spayed. | Studies show that virtually the entire pet over-population stems from the "just one litter" mentality. |
| My cat doesn't run loose, so he doesn't need to be fixed. | Murphy's Law says otherwise. |
| We always find homes for our cats' kittens. | And that means that an equal number of kittens at the shelters will be killed. We hope you have a lot of cat-loving friends, since your cat can produce litters several times per year. And don't dawdle in placing them – unneutered/spayed siblings WILL mate as soon as they are physically mature. |
| I want the children to witness the miracle of birth. | RENT A VIDEO! |
| My cat is so cute and unique, there should be more of her. | The shelters and pounds are full of unique cats, most with only a few days to live. |
| It's not natural! | There hasn't been anything "natural" about cats since we began to develop breeds thousands of years ago. |
| A female cat or dog should have at least one litter for health reasons. | Medically, factually, and ethically indefensible. |
| Neutering/spaying cats make them fat and lazy. | Too much food and not enough exercise makes a cat fat and lazy. |
| "Fixing" my cat will change its personality. | The primary influence on an animal's personality is the kindness and care with which it is raised. |
| Well, I just can't afford it. | There are local organizations who are dedicated to helping you fulfill this important responsibility. CLICK HERE to learn about them. |
Participants in our Veterinary Care Assistance program range from individuals who have steady jobs, but have hit a rough patch—the car broke, the refrigerator broke, and now a beloved pet is sick—to individuals receiving government assistance, and in some circumstances, no income at all. We understand that there are a wide range of financial hardships. Our requirements are based on a combination of income and each individual situation and whether the applicant has truly exhausted all other options. Note: You may be asked if you would be willing and able to provide proof of your financial hardship situation.
We ask that you first try applying for Care Credit (www.carecredit.com) – a low-interest credit card for medical use only, which is accepted by many local vets. (Be sure to read the fine print on this offer before signing up for it.) We also ask that you consult family and friends to see if you can obtain any assistance from them, as well as evaluating your projected spending, to see if there is anything that can be eliminated, in order to provide the care that your animal needs.
Additionally, we require that your animal be spayed or neutered, or that you agree to have your animal spayed or neutered as soon as it is medically safe to do so (See Why must I spay or neuter my pet? below for an explanation).
Finally, to participate, you must be able to commit to making monthly payments until the loan is repaid in full. If you have participated in our program in the past, all balances must be paid off in order for us to approve a new loan. If you have been making consistent monthly payments, and a substantial portion of your loan has been repaid, exceptions may be made, at our discretion.
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This is by far the most frequently asked question about our program. There are three major reasons.
First of all, being a guardian to an animal is a responsibility, which requires budgeting and preparing for the routine expenses that are inherent to caring for an animal. Our financial assistance is not intended to minimize that responsibility, but to provide aid for the circumstances that aren’t expected, and cannot be routinely budgeted for.
Secondly, there are options out there for individuals experiencing financial hardships to receive routine care at a reasonable cost, like mobile vaccine clinics, such as Luv My Pet and Good Neighbor Vet, which provide many routine services and medications at a minimal cost.
Finally, failure to provide routine services is rarely life-threatening, and we regularly receive calls from pet guardians whose animals are suffering from very serious or potentially life-threatening ailments. As a non-profit with limited funds, we simply must prioritize our funds to go towards the animals with the most pressing concerns. If you feel that your animal is suffering in some way that is potentially life-threatening, as a result of failure to provide routine services, we recommend going to a veterinarian to determine the true severity of the situation. If the veterinarian deems the situation very serious or life-threatening, we may be able to provide assistance. Please note, however, that we are only able to provide assistance with the veterinarian partners in our network. For information on veterinarians in our network, you may leave a message on our medical line.
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Our organization has multiple missions, one of which is putting an end to pet overpopulation. Thousands of animals are euthanized in the Portland-metro area each year as a direct result of individuals failing to spay or neuter their animals. We cannot in good faith allow this to continue, by providing assistance to individuals who are unwilling to spay or neuter all of the animals in their household. Think of how painful it is to watch your pet suffer without medical care. Now imagine how it feels for the thousands of pets who are perfectly healthy, but given a death sentence simply because there are too many animals. (CLICK HERE for a very thorough resource on spaying on neutering.)
If you agree to participate in our program we can provide assistance with the cost of having your animals spayed or neutered, with a plan that will be the best fit for your financial situation. We are not going to require you to spay or neuter your pets and leave you with a several-hundred dollar bill.
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Not every vet has agreed to work with us. Because our funds are limited and our loans are small, we need to ensure that the veterinarians we work with are willing to stay within our budget, and maximize the efficiency of each dollar we spend. To find out if your regular veterinarian is in our network, you should contact your veterinarian, or leave a message on our medical line. It is a good idea to contact your regular veterinarian first, because even if they are not in our network, they may have other options such as Care Credit available.
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We are a non-profit organization, and the funds we have available for veterinary care assistance are limited – frankly, as it is, our financial aid may not be sufficient to provide the full treatment recommended by the veterinarian. We require our clients to pay the copay up front to make sure that as much of our money as possible goes towards diagnostics and treatment, with the hopes that the treatment acquired through our funding will actually result in recovery – instead of requiring multiple trips to the veterinarian.
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The exam fees at our partner vets typically range from about $25-$50. While we strongly encourage our clients to cover the cost of the exam up-front, we understand that some situations are so extreme that little or no money is available. We may still be able to work with you, but be aware that since a portion of our financial aid will be going towards the cost of the exam, less will be available for treatment, so it is very much to your pet’s advantage to bring as much money with you as possible, even if it is not quite enough to cover the full exam.
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Yes, monthly payments are required. As a small non-profit organization, our funding depends on how much money we have on hand at our disposal. It is actually better to make a few initial small monthly payments than to wait a few months and repay the assistance in full. We understand that everyone has difficult months, and that you would not have contacted us if you were not going through a difficult financial situation. If you are having a difficult time, even making a $5 or $10 payment will make a difference to another pet in need. Similarly, if you have a great month, a payment above your agreed monthly amount helps enormously, and if after paying off the financial aid you received, you give an extra $5, it truly makes a tremendous difference.
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We are not veterinarians, and do not have veterinary training. We are non-profit third-party that provides financial assistance for clients to visit licensed, for-profit veterinarians. It is not our role to evaluate the diagnostics or treatment methods employed by the veterinarian. All of the veterinarians we work with are licensed and provide a quality of service that allows them maintain their own practice, quite independent of the clients that we send them – our clients comprise a very small portion of the clients that the veterinarians work with. Any dispute about diagnostics or treatment is between the client and the veterinarian, and should be handled in the same manner as it would be if the client had visited the veterinarian with his or her own funds – after all, the client is paying with his or her own funds, just through our organization. Because we are a non-profit organization, participants in our financial assistance program must still repay the funds that were borrowed from us, regardless of their feelings toward the veterinarian.
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There are generally three reasons that financial assistance is declined.
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First of all, thank you, in advance, for your payments—our program depends on it. If you recently received treatment, you should be receiving an invoice shortly. If you have not received your invoice yet and would like to get a jump-start on your payments, there are several options:
Animal Aid, Inc.
P.O. Box 863
Beaverton, OR 97075
Make sure to note that the check is for a veterinary care fund repayment, rather than a donation. If you have already been issued a veterinary care account number, please write that number on your check or money order.
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We thank you, sincerely, for your full participation in our program, and for your compassion towards your pets, and our community. Our program depends on you, and, believe it or not, every little bit helps. As a participant in our program, you know how important it is for us to continue to provide assistance to people when their animals are in need, and even a $5.00 donation helps with that. More is always welcome, of course, but everything makes a difference.
We know you are as happy as we are that someone has fallen in love with your sponsored animal, but it does leave a little hole in your heart. Not to worry, we’ll work with you to select another animal to sponsor. If you do not wish to continue in the program, any monies already donated cannot be returned. However, you may discontinue your reoccurring payments.
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Not to worry. We understand that life is complicated and unforeseen events can occur that may necessitate the end of your sponsorship. If this happens, please e-mail the Heartstrings coordinator at heartstrings@AnimalAidPDX.org that you are no longer able to participate in the program. No monies can be refunded, however, you may discontinue any remaining reccuring payments – just remember to do it the next payment is drawn from your account.
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All proceeds go to providing food, medicine, veterinary care, cat litter, grooming tools, and daily care including a warm, safe, comfortable place for your sponsored pet to live while awaiting adoption.
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No, your contributions are pooled to provide benefits and services for ALL of the needy animals in our care. Your kindness and generosity will touch each one of these precious pets.
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We understand the need to keep personal information private and protected. Please be aware that Animal Aid has a strict privacy policy that protects our donors’ information. Under no circumstance do we sell, exchange or otherwise share the information you provide to us.
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It’s always nice to get something for your efforts, isn’t it? Well, with a donation of $25 or more, you (or your designated recipient) will receive a Certificate of Appreciation along with a photo of the chosen pet. You will also receive an e-mail expressing our gratitude and a little commentary from your sponsored pet. If you started your participation via the United States Postal Service, your thank-you letter will arrive in a similar fashion via the USPS, along with your Certificate of Appreciation and photo. And finally, you have the option of not receiving an acknowledgement of your donation or to remain anonymous. It’s your call.
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You are welcome, and encouraged, to visit your sponsored cat at Animal Aid during regular shelter hours. All of the dogs and a few cats are in foster homes. If you are interested in adopting one of the pets in foster care, please complete an adoption application, and a "meet and greet" visit can be scheduled.
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Yes, feel free to bring in a care package for your special pet (who will generously share treats and toys with their furry friends).
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Yes, Animal Aid is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Upon receipt of your donation, you will receive an acknowledgement letter or email with the necessary documentation for reporting your donation to the IRS. As required by the IRS, the letter will contain the donor’s name, the donation amount, the date of the donation, the all-important phrase that the IRS looks for “received no goods or services in exchange,” and our organization name: Animal Aid, Inc. and Tax ID: 23-7448353.
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If you do not find an answer to your question here, please email us at . We will get back to you as quickly as possible.
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We are very thankful for your interest in helping these special pets, and make every effort to get back to you within 24 hours of your inquiry. Animal Aid is a volunteer-based organization, with the Heartstrings program entirely run by volunteers; we appreciate your understanding that we may not always be able to get back to you immediately .
For questions or problems concerning the web form, please contact our Webmaster at . For all other tile-related questions, please contact our Director at .
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Magic!!! Actually, the tile has a special photo emulsion layer and the image is laser-etched onto the tile.
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Either will do. The main concern is that the photo be clear, and that there be good contrast between the subject and the blackground – remember that this will be translated into an equivalent of a sepia-toned print. It is also preferable that the background not be too distracting. Most photos will be cropped somewhat to ensure that the pet is the focal point.
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Certainly! Photos can be "snail-mailed" to:
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We will attempt to return all photos, but we cannot guarantee that you will get it back.
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Photos will be resized to fit the available space on the tile including any signatures or inscription requested.
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You will need to submit all handwritten or hand-drawn elements on the page the online order system will provide for you to print out. Write your signature or inscription using a fine or medium tip black felt tip pen.
Mail the page to:
Please be sure to include the order name as well as the order number assigned by the web ordering system in the message accompanying the signature or inscription.
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Certainly – you will receive a certificate with a scanned copy of your tile on it. And if you
live in the area, after you've received your certificate please stop by and we can show you the actual tile. If you give us permission,
we'd also like to post a picture of your tile in the "Sample
Tile Gallery" shown to prospective tile purchasers to help
them come up with new ideas.
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Unfortunately, no. The final placement of the tile is determined by the Pave the Future Campaign Committee.
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There are two ways to earn a discount. The first way is to be an Animal Aid Volunteer – Animal Aid Volunteers receive $5 off of orders under $100, and $15 off of orders over $100. The second way is to order more than one tile. Orders of two or more tiles totaling:
and so forth. You may choose to decline any discount if you wish to donate the full amount – your final tax receipt will reflect your choice. If you have further questions in this area, please contact our office.
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Yes, by all means. You should send checks made out to Animal Aid, Inc., and referencing the
order number assigned by the web ordering system, to:
Depending on the nature of your tile design, there may be additional items (e.g., a photo or your signature) that should accompany the check.
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Yes. When you place an online order, you will be given the opportunity to print out a summary of your tile order. This will include an order number which should be referenced in any correspondence about your order.
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For online purchases, yes. The online order system will offer you a link to PayPal if you indicate that this is your preference.
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No, the tile is made after payment, photos, and any other order instructions are received.
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The receipt for your order is sent as soon as we confirm that we have your payment. And because we are a 501(c)(3) organization, every penny is tax-deductible!