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Most people have good intentions when they advertise a cat or dog as “free to a good home.” They care what happens to the animal and are not interested in making money. All they want to do is find a nice family that is willing to give the pet a loving, responsible home. The tragedy occurs when the animal is mistakenly put into a situation where it is neglected, abandoned, abused, or even sold for lab experimentation. Sadly, this sort of thing happens thousands of times each day across America. As much as we don’t want to believe it, there are disturbed people in the world who enjoy hurting helpless animals. These types of animal abusers will search for free animals on sites like Craigslist only to take pleasure in torturing and killing these animals.
There might be a problem, money, time etc…offer anything you can to make sure the animal is spayed/neutered. You may want to remind them that in the contract they agreed to spay/neuter the animal. You can also place ads in newspapers and online, but carefully screen applicants, especially those responding to online ads. People who intend to do harm to your pet will not be obvious with their intentions. They may bring family members, sometimes even children, in an effort to convince you they’d provide your pet a good home.
The Dangers of ‘Free to a Good Home’ Ads
There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Other things you should do is ALWAYS always ALWAYS ask the potential adopter questions. Go back to the places where you placed your ads and make sure someone didn’t cover them up or take them down.
Have an EXTRA copy of the animal’s vet record, including rabies certificate to present to the family. Keep a copy for yourself in case the animal is returned. So you have an animal that needs a good home, and the rescues and shelters are unable to help you?
Pets 411
We often do a home visit prior to finalizing an adoption. This usually gives a good sense of the type of home environment where your pet would be living, particularly if the family has other pets. If you’re unable to do a visit yourself, you may be able to elicit the assistance of a local rescue organization. Even if you know you will be unable to do the visit, still ask the applicant if they would object to you visiting their home prior to the adoption.
In December of 2010, Louisville Metro Police arrested 24-year-old Alex Phelps for torturing and killing cats. He responded to “Free To Good Home” ads and convinced owners that he’d provide their pets with a loving home. Knopp commented, “"He knew all the right things to say. He said he volunteered for the Humane Society, fostering cats." If you’ve tried these things and still can’t find someone to adopt your pet, call your local animal shelter or rescue organization and find out their policy. Most shelters and rescues will have a policy on how long they keep animals before euthanizing and many will work diligently with other rescues to find fosters and placements. Animals not spayed or neutered are often obtained by puppy mill owners to serve as breeding dogs.
Become Lab Animals
Your vet has numerous people who are looking for a new pet. Ask if you can post the animal on the bulletin board. If they have dogs, are they inside, outside, do they have a fenced yard? These dogs should have a record with their veterinarian, so ask about them when you call. For whatever reason, you have found yourself in a situation where you can’t keep your beloved furry family member and you want to find them a really good home. Money isn’t important – you just want them to be loved and cherished the way they deserve to be and you’ve run out of family or friends who are willing to take them.
They put on a good front and have a wonderful story about how they are all animal lovers and are looking for a new addition to the family. They will tell you whatever they think you want to hear. Cold hearted people will skim the Internet looking for free dogs, typically smaller breeds, to use as bait dogs to train their dog fighting dogs, or to train free dogs, like pit bulls, to become fighters. Dogs used to fight are neglected, beaten and often starved to make fighting dogs more aggressive, bait dogs weaker and broken. So now you have put much time, money, effort, and love into the animal, and you are going to give him/her to a total stranger? You can speak to them over the phone, or make a home visit.
Places to Post Free to Good Home Ads
Once your pet is adopted, remove all the signs and update your internet listing. Show the animal is worth something to you and anyone who really cares will understand. This will help discourage those who prey on free and cheap animals. Convince your local newspapers to post warnings in their pet classified sections! A lot of papers across the country are already doing this.
Their care is minimal are they are not vetted; they are seen as money-makers and nothing else. Additionally, these sellers take little interest in where they animals they “flip” end up, meaning another potential disaster for former pets. If you do not feel comfortable with the potential family, deny the adoption. You do not want to be up late wondering if it was indeed the perfect home. Let the family know you have other families interested and you will get back with them. Class B dealers obtain animals from “random sources” and sell them to laboratories and biological-supply houses .
With guidance and effort, pets can usually accompany their families on moves. Please see our report on Renting With Pets for more information. Many behavioral problems can be resolved with the help of a knowledgeable trainer or consultant. And while you may not feel you have enough time to provide your pet with an ideal life, consider if it’s better than the alternative.
If you know of or see acts of animal cruelty, report it. If the animal was not spayed/neutered upon adoption, be sure to call their veterinarian at the appropriate time to see if the animal was spayed/neutered. If not, be sure to bring this up with the family on your call-back.
You may also want to check local spay/neuter clinics, or animal rescues for a discount spay/neuter. The reason for spaying/neutering is not only for the health benefits, but also to prevent anymore unwanted animals. You see them everywhere you turn, in the newspapers, on grocery store bulletin boards, and in a cardboard box at stores. If your local newspaper runs “free to a good home” advertisements, please contact the paper’s editors, warn them about the dangers of these ads, and ask them to stop running them.
Don’t post an ad in the morning and expect to have your pet adopted out later that afternoon. Your dog or cat under “free to a good home.” Sounds innocent enough, right? You’re just looking out for your dear pet and trying to find them a new forever home. This is the most likely scenario that occurs when an uncommitted owner tires of a pet. Street animals suffer every day of their short lives.
Take the animal to the vet for full check-up, tests, vaccines, and schedule a spay/neuter appointment. The animal should be in the best of health, and you should be able to provide proof to any potential families. If the animal is/are too young to be spayed/neutered, check with your vet regarding a spay/neuter certificate to be presented to the family.
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