WASHINGTON – Last April, a West Virginia man was sentenced to 10 to 45 years in prison for mutilating and killing 29 puppies. The man says he got the animals from classified ads and “Free to a Good Home” ads on Craigslist.
Similar cases recently occurred both in Boston and Louisville, Ky.
Cases of animal cruelty are being investigated and prosecuted all over the country. And police and animal welfare workers are beginning to see a frightening and growing trend. Most of these animals are coming from classified ads and from posts on Craigslist.
“‘Free to a Good Home’ ads have been a concern to the animal protection field for a very long time,” says Scott Giacoppo, vice president of external affairs for the Washington Humane Society.
Dog-fighting circles use the animals as bait dogs, training their animals to kill without getting hurt. Others train the “bully breeds,” such as pit bulls, as fighters.
Bunchers or harvesters scour the ads for dogs they can sell to laboratories for research and experimentation.
Purebred animals that are not altered are picked up by puppy mill breeders to spend the rest of their lives in a cage, used as breeding machines.
A petition has been posted at Change.org demanding that Craigslist stop the practice of “Free to a Good Home” ads – or at least put restrictions on the posts.
But Giacoppo questions that idea.
“If they were to have stricter policies, would it be too preventative for people to re-home their animals?”
He suggests, instead, the sites encourage people who are posting to do their homework and to be responsible about finding a safe and loving home for their pet.
Shelters across the county are filled to capacity with cats and dogs. Many encourage families to try to find a home for the pet themselves and will offer help and guidelines. Animal shelters, Giacoppo says, should be the last resort for your animal.
“Classified ads can be can be a very effective way of re-homing your pet, if done properly,” Giacoppo says.
People looking for those “free” animals will present themselves as responsible dog owners, even showing up with kids in tow to meet the animals. Pet owners looking to re-home their animal need to do their homework, Giacoppo says
“We encourage screening. Ask questions, ask for references, call their vet,” he says, adding you should do a home visit to see where your pet will live. “Are they looking for a dog to just leave outside tied to a dog house?”
Most of all, Giacoppo says, spay or neuter.
“Sterilized animals are less apt to fall into the wrong hands.”
You can re-home your pet responsibly and safely. The Humane Society and pet-abuse.com offer advice.
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