Thanks for flagging those CL ads. I do it too.
The worst of the worst was some moron who emailed me about A SHELTER DOG I was advertising to ask if she could pay double the shelter's adoption fee in order to adopt her without spaying, so that she could use her for breeding, since the dog was a pretty red-and-black with attractive coloring. My head nearly exploded.
The second-worst was some "really good" local breeder (NOT) who pressured an older lady whose dog had just died tragically to pay $300 for an ultra-fearful 18-month-old dog that had been his runt, and thus gone unsold as a puppy, and had lived totally unsocialized in a outdoor pen, in the heat and humidity of South Louisiana -- he threatened the woman that if she didn't make a decision right way, he was going to sell that dog to another breeder who would make some money off her. The older lady felt like she had to pay the money to "rescue" this poor dog. She's had to put more time and money into its rehab than is required for the average shelter dog. She was, quite simply, ripped off. At least she spayed the dog though. I don't doubt that dog is better off with her, as she's a great owner; she sure did make it worth the breeder's worthwhile to continue these practices though.
And "Christmas Litters" -- one of my biggest pet peeves with local breeders who plan these litters to make a quick buck. Sell a cute fluffy puppy, without regard to who the recipient will be, because it's an emotional holiday gift--without a care in the world to the number of them who will land in shelters because the recipient doesn't want the dog. GRRRR.
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