Before releasing your pets via a “Free to good home” ad, please do some research on this problem and arrange a follow up plan so you can see that your beloved pets DO recieve the care and love they deserve. You can begin by typing “Free to good home” in Google and see the extent of risk of doing this. Pet-abuse.com has some great articles on this.
People seek out “free to good home” ads in many communities across the country for many reasons, including reselling the animals for profit (“flipping” or “bunching”) as well as to use them as bait in national dog fighting rings and in research experimentation. Small breeds are used for both food and bait for deep sea fishing and dog fighting rings.
There is a huge movement regarding animal welfare and protection happening around the world right now and “free to good home” ads are one that are recieving much closer scrutiny and identified as an area for much more public education.
Please consider a rescue-group before releasing your animal via a “free to good home” ad.
resources
http://chihuahua.rescueme.org/Vermont
Most breeds have rescue networks that will assure the dogs are placed in safe homes with follow up.
"Free to good home" ad - Retort to Zippy's comments
How presumptuous of you to feel it necessary to school me regarding my “Free to a good home” ad, and my need to “google” for information. I understand your need to speak from the podium as if you’re a spokesperson from the ASPCA, but it’s your self-righteous delivery I found irritating.
I am fully aware of the unspeakable fate of innocent animals, and am sickened and enraged at the thought of any form of animal abuse. I am an integral part of the “Huge Movement” you so aptly referenced, being a long-standing member, supporter and fund-raiser for the ASPCA (though I haven’t heard of a “Zippy” on the roster to speak at any of the conventions); Fast Friends, NH; Bald is Beautiful, NJ; and of course our own Windham County Humane Society, for I march in the parade every year.
Since you found it prudent that I “follow up” on my pets, I’m hoping you’ll write back and submit your credentials so we can consider your approval of my plan for my “beloved” pets.
Firstly, if there is an interest in the pets, there is an application process which would not be considered until we received three references, excluding relatives. Upon review of the information, ie., who lives in the home, are there children, any other pets, is the yard fenced-in, who would be home with the dog, their theory on discipline techniques, the name and address of their veterinarian, etc. If they appeared to be suitable candidates, I would then contact their veterinarian to confirm they were known with a good reputation regarding the care of pets ie., timely inoculations, yearly exams, etc.
If all of the above was satisfactory, I would proceed with a home inspection to confirm the applicant’s information, and consider it ideal if all members stated in the application were present. Other important issues would be confirmed ie., fenced-in yard, where would the dogs be exercised, where in the house will the dogs be allowed and where not, etc.
At this point, if I felt the home and prospective owners would be appropriate and conducive to the dogs needs, I would arrange a time for the dogs to meet the prospective owners.
If I felt comfortable and sensed a synergy between the dogs and future owners, I would – with great difficulty – turn them over to their new humans. At that point, I would give all of my phone numbers and tell them to call if there are any problems with their habits, adjustment or otherwise.
On the application would be a very important place that they would have agreed to in advance, and I would have reiterated it again upon leaving: If for any reason at all the arrangement is not working for them, I ask that they PLEASE CALL ME and I will take the dogs back – no questions – so I would be sure they weren’t sent-off to another home.
You so freely mention sarcastically “beloved” pets suggesting I am discarding them in some way. Please, don’t be so cruel-hearted and smug to think you can interpret a situation from an ad. There is a lot of love, pain and sorrow behind “Free to a good home”, so you really should be privy to the plight and the intentions behind an ad.
So, Zippy, before you go-off half-dewormed – sit, good dog!
clarificiation
I don’t know you at all and am sorry you saw this as a message directed to you alone. My intention was to share information on how pervasive a problem “free to good home” give-aways are. I originally tried to share specific resources for good information, but was unable to paste the URL’s, thus the referral to Google and petabuse.com, which has a great article.
I assumed your Chihuahuas are “beloved” (no sarcasm at all) and know that people find themselves unable to care for animals they love very much for any number of reasons. I also assumed your intentions were good. In fact, about a year-and-a-half ago, I too ran a “free to good home” ad for a Chihuahua puppy here on ibrattleboro.com (can’t locate it right now, but it is in the archives somewhere). I was sincerely trying to place a puppy in a good home for friends who were moving out of state and could not take their dogs. I also had a screening tool and made follow up visits with the puppy to assure it was safe a conditional criteria. And, I asked that if the person ever wanted to surrender the dog, I would be notified first and given first option of taking it back. However, I was yet totally unaware of the problem of “free to good home” ad as a source of animal procurement for less than loving purposes. I assumed any responder to my ad was a good person interested in loving the puppy, who is sleeping right here next to me now as I ultimately decided to keep him. The torture case of Puppy Doe was central in raising awareness of the problem (including my own) of such ads and I have followed that case from the beginning. I physically attended the arraignment of the man who broke her bones, pulled them apart at the joints, stabbed her in the eye, and split her tongue down the middle. He looked like anyone’s neighbor sitting in that courtroom and presented a convincing and kind character to the woman who handed her puppy over to him after running a “free to good home” ad on Craig’s list, because her landlord would not accept “pets”. Today, many animal organizations have identified working networks that have utilized animals obtained from “free to good home” ads for the very purposes I mentioned above, and more.
I simply hoped to raise further public awareness about the risks and current movement that identifies the problem of “free to good home” ads after seeing your post, as there really are people looking at these ads in communities around the country for purposes other than loving a free “pet”.
This was a post concerned only with animal welfare and protection, not you or your decision to place the ad here. Yes I saw the ad and it prompted me to share some information because I too was unaware of the problem not so long ago. But it was not about you or your intentions in any way.
respectful posting
I went back to your original ad to see what I might have said better in my own post. I don’t see in the original ad the stringent release criteria that you now identify. That explains, in part, my intent to share information about the problem, and consequences, of such ads. Had I seen your stringent release criteria, I certainly would have been relieved at such a thoughtful and conscientious plan prior to surrendering one’s dogs.
Breed rescue networks are very common, are comprised of many people with specific knowledge of the breed and its particular needs, usually non-judgmental, and their work can be easily validated in follow up. I believe they are the safest way to surrender a beloved animal for re-homing.
Any “free to good home” ads should identify the strict criteria for surrender, if for no other reasons than to save your own time and locate a desirable candidate with the safety minded qualifications you establish.
For anyone interested
Here are some sound considerations to think about if you are facing the need to re-home a loved animal:
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/finding_responsible_pet_home.html
http://dogingtonpost.com/the-scary-truth-about-free-to-a-good-home-dog-classifieds/
Also, before donating money to any animal organization (including the HSUS, ASPCA, etc.) please look carefully at the differences in organizational philosophies and practices of the organizations you support (e.g., differences between animal welfare vs. animal rights). How effective are they in their mission? What do their annual financial statements reflect? Are they directly helping animals or setting progressive policy for animal protection?
This just came to my
This just came to my attention this morning and I thought it was timely to this subject here on ibrattleboro.com. It is a discussion about “free to good home” pets, the sincere good intentions of people trying to re-home their beloved pet, and the real risk it presents for too many dogs.
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/the-true-cost-to-the-lives-of-free-animals/530633ee2b8c2a059200022b