SHelter And REscue

Free To Good Home Ads

Offer: puppy

He's 5 months old. We were told he is Chow Chow, Sheltie, Border
Collie mix, but he look a lot like a German Shepard. He's mostly
housebroken and loves to play fetch. E-mail for more information.

The above ad was on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleBuckscounty/
and is a problem on a lot of the free cycle groups because people
don't understand how dangerous this might be. I try to contact the
people I see who do this with the hope that they will find
alternatives to giving their pets away. The list owners of these
groups need to understand what they are allowing and what the dangers
are of such ads.

Here are some links you can sort thru to send to people to educate
them when you see this. Understand you might get back a nasty letter
telling you to mind yer own business! You can't win them all. This
was sent to me by a rescuer who pulls no punches when she contacts
people.

==========================

Dear XXX, please be aware that Free-To-A-Good-Home Ads can be very
dangerous for your pet. There are USDA licensed Class B dealers who
profit from the sale of dogs and cats despite appalling alleged
violations of the Animal Welfare Act. "Free to Good Home" ads are
also the delight of animal hoarders, collectors and unscrupulous
breeders.

Why are you considering giving up your pet? What is the problem?
Please read the information: http://www.wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/
(some information came from this web site)

If you absolutely cannot keep your pet, it is better to contact local
rescues and ask for sugesstions and help. I know this sounds harsh,
but please remember that rescues' primary goal and concern is to help
your pet, not you. Be aware that many rescues will not take owner
surrenders directly, but contact them anyway if you cannot find a
safe and loving home for your pet. Let them know your situation, and
where you will be taking your pet (what shelter) if they cannot take
him or her at the time. They may not be happy or nice about it, they
hear it all, are often lied to, and it's quite frustrating for them.
Put aside your pride for the sake of your pet's life, and be honest
with them. Already stretched too thin, rescues often do not have the
resources to help, but you never know. Can't hurt to try. Please, do
not get into a mind set that it is their responsibility to save your
pet, because that is YOUR responsibility.

The rescues and shelters cannot save them all; there's too many other
people giving up pets too. No-kill shelters are also often very
limited and usually only take the most "adoptable" animals if they
are taking any at all. There is the real possibility, often quite
high, that not keeping your pet will result in the pet's death,
either directly at a shelter, or in not finding a good enough
permanent home. Don't fool yourself.

Go to http://petfinder.org and locate rescues in your area. Some have
programs to have you foster your own dog until they can hopefully
place it. Check into this.

Giving Your Pet Away? Free Ads? Steps to Finding a Loving New Home
http://www.dmpuppylove.com/DJs-critters/giving_away.html
Excellent information about how to get your pet adopted and not have
it go somewhere that would make you sick and break your heart. Take
the names and numbers of all the callers and tell them you will get
back to them in an hour. DO NOT answer any questions....NOT EVEN
ONE!! Why are we doing it this way? Many people, up to no good will
leave a number or leave a wrong number. You can only imagine whom you
have avoided in this way... a lab dealer out scrounging up animals to
sell, meat buyers, back yard breeders or puppy mills, dog fighters
who need bait dogs, etc.

National Humane Education Society
http://www.nhes.org/articles.asp?article_id=159§ion_id=90
So, you feel that placing a "Free to Good Home" ad will bring just
that � a lifelong loving home for that rescued dog, cat, puppy or
kitten. PLEASE be aware that unscrupulous people frequent these
types of advertisements and they may see the "free" animal as:
Bait to train fighting dogs - Bait to train greyhounds - Fish bait -
Snake food - Money from a research laboratory - Sacrifice for satanic
rituals - Innocent victim for malicious pranks - A breeding "machine"
if not spayed or neutered.

"Free To A Good Home" ads are found in the classified section of most
newspapers. People might have honorable intentions when placing these
ads but these advertisements are extremely dangerous. Animal abusers
frequently obtain animals through these ads. They look for small
animals such as small dogs, kittens, rabbits, gerbils, mice and
hamsters. These animals are "adopted" to be fed to snakes and are
also used as bait for training dogs to fight. Many are sold to
laboratories for cruel and inhumane experimentation. Free animals
have little or no value to dog fighters. They use them for bait.

Animal brokers look for animals for laboratories. This is perfectly
legal! However, there is a catch. Any animals turned into a
laboratory for experimenting must first be checked and scanned to see
if there are an identifying tattoos or microchips; if there are, they
cannot use that animal. When all is said and done, is this law
enforced? I think not. These laboratories have tunnel vision and they
don't care whether or not an animal is, or was, someone's loving pet.

When too many people get these animals for free or cheep, it sends a
message that these animals have little monetary worth. While true
animal lovers will recognize that no amount of money can be assigned
to a pet's life, the average person often does not see this intrinsic
worth. A free or cheep pet is more likely to attract impulse-
purchasers, who have not thought out what it takes to properly care
for this species. They may be seen as a "disposable pet" to the
person adopting the animal - why should they pay $100 for vet care
when they paid only $5 for the animal? Why should they bother with
more expensive, but better quality food, for an animal they may see
as having little to no value? Many times these animals end up denied
proper veterinarian care, healthy diets and a safe, loving home.
They may end up abandoned outdoors or dumped on a pet shelter when
the person gets tired of the animal.

If you must find another placement for your pet, do not place ads
that say "Free to a good home." People who have unfortunate fates in
mind for our pets will respond to such ads immediately and will often
make quite a case to persuade you to relinquish your animal to them.
If you must find another home for your pet, work with a local
sanctuary or shelter for the best assurance that your animal will be
receive good care. If you surrender it to an individual, check
references from friends and veterinarians to ensure you truly are
giving the animal up to someone who will care for it as you would
like. Require the new owner to sign a pet adoption contract giving
contact information and places of employment.

Who's Stealing Your Pet?
http://www.sniksnak.com/stealing.html
Excellent article explains why "Free to Good Home" ads are so
dangerous and who may actually be taking some of these free animals,
who they sell them to and what really happens to them. Where do all
these random source animals come from anyway? Animal shelters that
practice pound seizure or pound release are one source. 'Free to good
home ads' are another. A flourishing market exists for the
unscrupulous who scour the papers daily for new ads.

Bunchers collect desired animals from random sources;
http://www.lrr.org/reading-room/pet-theft.html
In September 1997, a licensed research facility in the Baltimore, MD
area issued a request for 1300 large chested Labrador retrievers
through the USDA. The USDA made the request available to its licensed
Class B dealers. Labrador Retrievers, Huskies, Shepherds and their
mixes are considered premium dogs in the research animal business.
Generally, healthy premium dogs are worth $500.00 each to the dealer,
smaller dogs $150.00, and cats $100.00. With the order in hand, the
Class B dealers notify their bunchers. The bunchers collect the
desired animals from random sources. Bunchers may pay local children
a few dollars to find out where dogs live and whether or not they are
left outside alone. The buncher may have also spent time driving
around and surveying various neighborhoods for available dogs.
Another random source of dogs is the "Free-To-Good-Home" ads in the
local paper and on the Internet. Typically, when a buncher hits a
neighborhood, all dogs of similar size or breed disappear. The
buncher gets paid for each animal delivered.

STOLEN PETS
http://www.petfbi.com/stolen.htm
Based on pet theft reports filed with Action 81, Inc., In Defense of
Animals, and others, it is conservatively estimated that
approximately 1.5 to 2 million of these missing family pets are taken
forcibly, or by deception, through so-called Free to Good Home ads.

Duke's Tale and a SCAM ALERT
http://www.eburg.com/~dalmatia/stolenpets.html
I hope this page will help some people in their search for missing
pets, and I hope that by reading this, it will help prevent pet theft
from ever happening to many more Dog Find.com - This page is
dedicated to Dulcie who has captured the hearts of many and has been
an inspiration in much of the Anti-Pet Theft Community.
http://www.dogfind.com/stolendogs/
...then there are the profit motives; Mostly bait for dog-fighters
or dogs to fight; Breeders stealing certain breeds and dropping
spayed/neutered dogs on the road; and last but not least, Federally
funded research facilities using these dogs for experimentation.
With the possible exception of the fighters, most of these
organizations do not directly steal the animals, they have hired
henchmen called "Bunchers" who do the dirty work for them.

U.S. Dog-Fighting Rings Stealing Pets for "Bait"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1081250/posts
For years the Pima County Sheriff's Department found the chewed-up
bodies of dead dogs in the Arizona desert. But it wasn't until four
years ago that the truth behind the killings emerged: Stolen family
pets were being used in bloody training exercises by dog fighting
rings. The problem is not confined to Arizona. Animal-welfare groups
and law-enforcement officers say pets throughout the country are
frequently nabbed for "bait"�animals used to test another dog's
fighting instinct. The "bait" is mauled or killed in the process.

-------------------------------------
and then there's..
"The other side of the story":
http://www.fbresearch.org/education/pet-theft-myth.htm
A leading animal-protection newspaper reported 1998 that it found no
evidence of stolen pets being sold to research facilities. Americans
involved in rescue operations that re-unite lost pets with their
families have complained bitterly about the scare tactics of animal
activists who try to convince distraught owners that their beloved
cat or dog was picked up by "men in white coats who drive a van
through their neighborhood at night to steal pets and sell them for
hideous experiments." As one rescuer recently wrote: "It's basically
an `urban myth' used to scare people into donating time and money to
AR groups, supposedly to protect their pets� Parts of my job as
rescue, is to calm these people down, get them to stop crying, and
give them some practical methods of locating their lost pet. It makes
me furious that these people, who are already upset and heartbroken,
are further terrorized by these sadistic animal rights activist that
feed on other's emotions and hardship."