When people stop by the Albert Lea Animal Shelter and show interest in adopting an animal, the first question out of their mouths is usually, “How much is it?”

Christa Stieler, director of the Humane Society of Freeborn County, said she’s always baffled that the first question isn’t, “What’s he (or she) like?”

Stieler said when she answers the question about adoption costs by prefacing it with, “I need to see how much money we’ve put into it for vetting,” people seem to understand better.

The Humane Society has all its animals vet-checked, vaccinated and spayed or neutered before letting individuals adopt them. And that means the organization has spent quite a bit of money on an animal before it goes out the door to a forever home.

Stieler said for cats, the average cost for a spay is $100 and for a neuter, $60. The rabies/distemper/leukemia vaccine averages $35, the feline leukemia test $30 and Frontline $15.

For dogs, she said the average cost to spay is $130 and neuter $100. The rabies and distemper test averages $35, the heartworm test $30, Frontline $15 and Heartgard $8.

The director said many people come to the shelter in the hopes of getting a “free” animal, but there is no such thing. People who take in stray animals and decide to keep them understand this very quickly, she added.

The Humane Society of Freeborn County is a nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to provide the means for the prevention of cruelty to animals, to enforce all laws designated for the protection of animals, to promote responsible pet ownership, to place all adoptable animals into responsible homes and to control overpopulation through community education and spay/neuter programs.

The organization relies on donations to exist, Stieler said. The organization has been working to raise money to build an addition on the Albert Lea Animal Shelter. An anonymous donor offered the organization $150,000 with the condition that the Humane Society raise enough money to finish the shelter. While the organization hasn’t raised the estimated $150,000 needed to finish the project, the donor seems satisfied with the amount (somewhere around $100,000), Stieler said.

“We still have contract issues to iron out with the city,” Stieler said.

The Humane Society is operating under a temporary contract with the city of Albert Lea. The Humane Society takes care of the animals and cleans the shelter and can in turn keep some of its adoptable pets there. (Many of the organization’s animals are still in foster homes, since the organization has never had a shelter before.) The city takes care of the lawn and utilities, Stieler said.

Meanwhile, the organization needs funds to continue its mission of caring for homeless animals and getting them the veterinary care they need. She said donations can be sent to P.O. Box 423, Albert Lea.

Stieler said the Wal-Mart stores in Albert Lea and Austin donate broken bags of food, kitty litter and treats.

The organization also has a desperate need for foster homes, especially for cats. The Albert Lea Animal Shelter is full, with more animals coming in daily. The socialization a foster home can provide is important for animals, so they adapt well to their new homes, Stieler said.

The Humane Society provides the food, cat litter and vet care for animals in foster care.

Anyone interested in becoming a foster home should call 377-8501 or e-mail hs_of_fc@hotmail.com.

Volunteers walk the dogs in the shelter, and members of a walking Moai recently took up walking shelter dogs as a volunteer project.

Occasionally, other animal shelters in the region will take some of the shelter’s dogs, but they never take cats, Stieler said.

“So what can we do?” she asked. “It’s frustrating.”

The Humane Society’s next fundraiser will be a dog walk on Sept. 26 and 27.