# Why Rehoming on Craig's List is a Bad Idea



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Just two examples from today:

*ONE*: "I have an akc male german shepherd. He just turned five years old in may. Both parents are imports from germany, and he has exceptional temperment and bloodlines. Red,Tan, and Black. He is not neutred. His re-home fee is 350. If i can not find a home for him today I will most likely end up keeping him. I have all of his papers. He is in great health although I do not have is ofa papers. This dog is gorgeous and turns heads wherever we go with him. This is a spur of the moment ad, I do not have pictures and will not negotiate on the price. He is well worth plenty more than 350. We already have a few import shepherds and think it might be best to rehome him. Contact via e-mail only if seriously interested."

*TWO*: "German Shorthair Pointer Beautiful 8 Month old male. Up-To-Date on ALL shots. Not fixed. Great with Kids, Cats, Dogs.

I got 'Hunter' today but my dog hates him. All Humter wants to do is to play but my dog say NO WAY.

It is VERY SAD ... I have tried several times to to text and call the previous owners to return him but (with no response). I cant have two dogs that donr get along in my home with my Three year old son, I would hate for something to happen!

Only asking Re-homing Fee of what I paid

Needs to BE GONE ASAP [Phone # deleted to protect privacy]"


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## Metalsmith (Mar 25, 2009)

How terribly sad.









I really try not to look at CL too much just for this reason. So depressing. Reminds me of a CL ad out of Denver I saw a few weeks ago. Ad said something like this,"8 week old lab mix puppy I got *today *for my 4yr old grandaughter. Puppy is too rough with my grandaughter so it must be gone ASAP." 

CL ads don't give me too much faith in humanity sometimes.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

One makes me very sad and shake my head. two is just silly!

CL is a great place to sell a used baby monitor or your mother's old golf clubs but a dog? nope!


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

UGH


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

It seems like every day lately there are ads for unneutered and unspayed dogs on there. 

And people are now flipping dogs--getting them for free and then selling them the next day...like they're an appliance or something. Makes me so sad for the animals.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I saw someone posting on Craigslist once about a dog they had adopted from another Craigslist ad who ended up being in poor health which the previous owner did not tell them. So sad.

I did adopt Bianca through an online ad though, I found her listed in the ads on Pedigree Database... There was a lot of screening and questions/answers (from both side, me and her previous owner) involved after I answered the ad though...and I actually didn't adopt her until almost 3 months after I had responded to the ad.


I actually did once rehome pets through Craigslist though-- I had adopted a pair of sugar gliders (NOT from Craigslist) and the female had turned out to be pregnant, I was looking for a home for the babies but I was waiting to find a really good home. I didn't put an ad up anywhere because I wanted them to go to someone who was already experienced with sugar glider care, but I was looking at ads on Craigslist and I saw an ad someone had placed who wanted to adopted a sugar glider or a pair of males to live with their older sugar glider. I emailed him and asked a bunch of questions about the housing/diet/etc... He was knowledgeable and had owned them for 8-10+ years. I explained that I wanted to see where they were going to make sure it was a good home... It actually turned out that he was my cousin's boyfriend and I hadn't known that when I'd emailed him about the sugar gliders! They're married now and expecting a baby.










I also think I put an ad on Craigslist when I was looking for homes for the feral kittens I caught. I had a thorough screening process though, most of the people who answered the ad didn't even bother emailing me back after I sent them my list of questions. Out of the few who did only one actually ended up adopting a kitten, and I still get some updates a year later. (The other kittens were adopted by people I know, and then when I wasn't able to find any more great homes I ended up keeping four of the litter!)


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I do put ads on CL for rescue events, foster dogs, etc. But the same screening process is in place as always. 

The issue I have is with people who naively give away or sell their animal without having any idea where they're going, etc. Same goes for adopters. And it seems like animals are constantly getting shuffled around. It's the animals who always lose out.


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

I have one happy ending....this lady emailed me and told me a GSD showed up on her porch and he was very good, was sure he was someones pet, etc and was putting fliers up and going to take him to see if he was microchipped, she was very responsible. She emailed me back and told me no one had reponded to the flyers and no he wasnt microchipped but he was so good with her kids and they loved him so they were going to keep him
Jenn, yea, my son found a good used computer on CL and its a good place to sell stuff you dont want







I also got a very good buy on a nice dryer on there.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Craig's list is no worse than any other venue for selling animals. It's all in the hands of humans.


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## windwalker718 (Oct 9, 2008)

This novel thing of a "rehoming fee" for pvt placements makes me ill. It's one thing for a rescue to charge this to help cover some of the costs they have in spaying, shots, microchip etc... but for pvt owners to ask a "rehoming fee" is just a sneaky way of saying FOR SALE!!

the only exception I'd see as okay is when the fee is going to be donated to a not for profit group to help other dogs.

Any time someone's placing dogs, selling dogs, adopting dogs, rehoming dogs etc... there needs to be screening done on both sides to be sure there's a match. Especially when there's other pets in the house. When we adopted Klytie from the Shelter near here there was an EXCELLENT screening done, despite the fact that I'd worked as an evaluator and trainer on difficult dogs there. We still took our most alpha housemember down to meet Klytie before she came home with us.

Folks should be cautious also as I have heard that Dog Fight gangs look on Craigs list for prey animals to train their dogs on, or to look for new prospects... Not much of a home!!


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Wow that is so sad to see something like that.


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## ebrannan (Aug 14, 2006)

It is sad. And, this just reinforces the fact that we need to continue to educate, educate, educate. There are still so many people out there with the mindset that, "Neutering a dog is cruel, why take his kahonas away; This is a nice dog, why not breed her, etc ..."
I agree. Craigslist is no different than any other venue. The key is ensuring all bases are covered - home visit, references, etc. - and educating the adopters on everything there is to know about the dog. Even after the dog is adopted - just like we do in rescue - stay in contact with the adopter and work through any issues, which may come up.


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

> Quote:rehoming fee" is just a sneaky way of saying FOR SALE!!


I have to disagree. The worst placements are most likely to be "free to a good home". Some dogs luck out but there have been numerous reports about Class B dealers getting "free to a good home" dogs and selling them to labs. Aside from which, people who get something free of charge often don't value it - a terrible fate when that something is a living creature.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Here is an AKC GSD pup on CL I replied to the ad asking if the breeder had rights to know the pup is being re-homed. 
My local CL has many who police it and will RE to ads if they are questionable. One person kept placing an ad for small puppy and it was obvious this person was selling the pups she kept getting thru "free". She has probably moved on to another town.


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## tnbsmommy (Mar 23, 2009)

I have a happy ending... We adopted Mya off of CL. She was close to ending up in a shelter. (although I tell her SOMETIMES when she's being a butt that we're gonna take her to the shelter to live for a week and then adopt her so she knows how good she has it, lol..she doesn't believe me though). I emailed a lady the other day who had one listed (I learned to look not only for a German ShepHERD but look under German shepARD) she was giving up b/c it JUMPS! I gave her a few pointers and told her I'd hate to see a beloved family member who adores THEM rehomed for something that can simply be fixed. Its sad to see these dogs on there though. I did actually email someone this morning about another one, at least he had that they had application and a home check requirements before sending his dog off into the unknown.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I've seen at least one dog rescued through this board later advertised on craigslist. It was through the rescue who took him in, and I assume they still asked for references, etc.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

The Craigslist for the Boise area is a big fat joke. I hate it with a passion. It has become the advertising site of choice for every scam artist and BYB within a 200 mile radius. 

It has put real rescue efforts back in this area, that is for sure. I had a horse rescue emergency over the the past weekend because of a Craigslist give away that was just a freaking nightmare. 
Sheilah


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I don't look for "German Shepherd" when I search on Craigslist for dogs to post here in the rescue section. I just look for "German" because that at least is usually spelled correctly! There are too many ways to misspell 'Shepherd' but if you just search for "German" you usually get all the GSD listings results. Sure, you may get a few German Rottweilers listed or a German Shorthaired Pointer but those are not as common so it is easy to spot the GSD ads.

I just did that search and I got this...poor puppy!


NAME: Abby
GENGER: Female
AGE: 13 weeks.
BREED: AKC Registered. American/German Rottweiler

STORY: We introduced Abby to our home 2 weeks ago, and we thought that our cat (9mo old) would adjust fine. He was never around any other pets, so we took a gamble at having a dog. After 2 weeks, our persian cat stopped sleeping with us on the bed, hides in the closet and is pulling out his fur. We took him to the vey and the vet said that our persian is stressed out from the introduction of a new animal, and that we need to re-home the puppy immediately in order to help our kitty. Abby is the perfect puppy with a huge personality! Our son has grown attached to the puppy, but we have no choice. We need to find a loving home for sweet Abby in order to help our kitty. Abby is VERY well manered on a leash, LOVES car rides, and she listens to you, does not jump, and loves to cuddle. Just an absolute precious baby girl! Serious inquiries ONLY! Re-Homing Fee applies. Comes with food, bowls, toys, leash, colar, and large kennel crate.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlHere is an AKC GSD pup on CL I replied to the ad asking if the breeder had rights to know the pup is being re-homed.


He replied:
Flag this message Re: GSD puppyFriday, July 31, 2009 12:18 PM
_I have all the rights on my pup it no contract at all she had 11 pup the people who bought them have full right on there new pup_. 
It is the shabby breeders who add to the problems!


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