WHAT ARE YOU REALLY SUPPORTING WHEN YOU ADVERTISE, SHARE OR TAKE ANIMALS FROM FREE TO GOOD HOME ADS?
Our biggest challenge in an overwhelmed animal welfare system is the massive overpopulation crisis fuelled by irresponsible owners, breeders, pet shops that sell animals and those who support them. This includes every single person who is highly irresponsible in giving away animals, for free, especially to strangers.
There are not enough homes for every domestic animal and that is why we so fiercely advocate for spay and neutering. So, if there are not enough homes, how many good homes do you think there are? What do you consider a good home? Sadly, a “good home” means very little in today’s society.
What people don’t seem to understand, is that whether they sell, buy, give an animal away for free or adopt, it is never just about a good home, but about a good placement for that animal. The needs of the animal should come first.
Your intentions might be considered well-meaning, but here we will share some reasons why you should seriously reconsider free to good home ads! Animal rescuers can share hundreds of stories about this that ended up in horror situations for those animals.
Just a short while back I spoke to someone about a situation locally. A person gave an animal away for free and thought it was a good home. A while later they asked how the animal was doing. The new owners sent photos. The animal was chained, lost weight and appeared very scared. They did take the animal back, but it was an irresponsible homing and the animal paid for it, even if just for a while. They said they wished they did better for the animal and that they will never do this again! Other stories are even worse!
A FEW REASONS WHY “FREE TO GOOD HOME” ADS HURT ANIMALS.
First of all it fuels the massive overpopulation crisis. How many of those animals do you think are sterilized? If these animals are not re-homed properly with home checks and sterilization, through the SPCA or other reputable animal welfare organizations, these animals countless times, end up in the wrong hands! Trailers full of dogs and other animals are found at borders and other places by authorities.
Where do you think they got all these animals? Free to good home “stock” usually comes from backyard breeders, irresponsible owners or those that do not want animals anymore because it is inconvenient for them. Someone in a difficult situation, the very few exceptions, will do re-homing through a responsible organization. Paying for an animal is no guarantee that they will be taken care of or loved.
- There are speculators which mean the person can make a pure profit by selling these animals instead of having to care for mothers and litters. They collect the “free to good home” or buy litters only after they have found buyers.
- These “free to good home” animals are targets for animal dealers. They take these animals and sell them for profit too. Some call them “flippers”. They can sell to other people as pets, to breeders, for animal trades like skin or for racing, as security animals and to laboratories for animal testing to mention a few. Some animal dealers troll these ads too and are “experts” when it comes to fooling most. They pretend to care for the animals in front of you and if you are not trained to spot them, like those who work in animal welfare, you will be fooled and an animal will pay the price. There are literally animal brokers who will meet you at a different house or even has a fake Facebook profile where it looks like they love animals.
- Those who failed the adoption process are on the list too. Some people could not get animals through reputable shelters, so now they troll these “free to good home” posts. There is a reason that shelters reject some people, whom those who do not work in animal welfare, would consider “good homes”. So, chances are someone who asks for animals online, free or to buy, might have been rejected by reputable organisations already.
- Dog fighters may take the power breeds to use in fights and bait dogs (other breeds and species) can easily be obtained through these adverts and used in fights too. Bait animals are used for sparring and building up aggression of the pedigree or power breed, like a pre-show for the main event.
- In some cases, these animals are used as food for humans and other animals.
- Some people just want to abuse animals for their own entertainment………. Yes, there are people like this living among us.
- They are used in witchcraft as offerings. Again, it happens locally!
How can you guarantee it is a good home? Do you really know what we consider a good home? You most likely can’t because you are not trained to do this.
Also read why spaying and neutering your pets is a good idea!
NO ANIMAL IS ACTUALLY FREE
The “buying price” is but a small expense compared to their care by a responsible pet guardian (owner). Usually, the veterinary bill for first vaccinations, de-worming, tick and flea treatment and sterilization will fall on the new owner and this will remain an expense during the animal’s lifespan. If you are at all a responsible pet owner you will need to pay for sterilization as well as spend on proper food, toys and shelter. Easily more than R2000! Do you think someone who asks for free animals will do the above? Can you guarantee they will?
Yes, we don’t support selling and yes, we don’t support “free to good home”, so what do we support? ADOPT DON’T SHOP. Adoption from reputable organizations is the only kind of “trading” of animals we support. These organizations will do an adoption application, home check, sterilization, adoption contract and follow-ups. That’s responsible. There are registered organizations that do not do this. Don’t support them!
The fact remains that millions of animals are euthanized annually because there are just not enough homes for all the animals. If there are fewer animals then chances are less for these animals to fall in the wrong hands and get abused.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Educate your friends and family on this topic and share our posts.
- Report any such post on the social media platform and to your local welfare organizations. Facebook doesn’t allow the selling of animals, so report it too.
- Sterilize your animals and don’t give them away for free (nor sell them). Rehome your pets through reputable organizations if you can’t take care of them.
- Please stop supporting the “free to good home” ads.
- Stop being mad at shelters and start blaming breeders (of any kind), irresponsible pet owners and every single person who gives animals away for free as if they are objects and not sentient beings.
Are you willing to take these risks with an animal’s life? If these people really cared about these animals, they would let them be adopted through a responsible organization and sterilize their pets. When you support breeders, pet shops that sell animals and the “free to good home’’ adverts, you contribute to the massive overpopulation crisis. Irresponsible homing hurts animals.
Next week we will look at why you should and how you can keep your cat in your yard!
WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER!
