What's your thought on buying adult dogs on CL?

[Emoore]

We all know buying puppies from CL breeders is a bad idea, but what's your thought on buying adults? Does giving someone money for their unwanted pet encourage irresponsibility? If you buy a dog out of a bad situation, can you say you rescued the dog? What about if it was a fairly good situation but the family just couldn't keep the dog anymore due to moving or other life changes? Is CL just as good a place to get an adult dog as rescue or the shelter?

Just interested in some discussion on this.

[Lenny]

Anything that turns a unwanted dog into a wanted dog isn't bad in my book.

[holland]

I would most likely look on petfinder-but agree with the above statement

[Emoore]

Does anybody else have a hard time with the idea of giving someone money so you can take their unwanted pet?

[DCluver33]

my aunt and uncle got a 9 month old golden retriever/GSD puppy off of Craig's list after their other dog died of cancer. she's an amazing dog surprisingly calm for a young dog, her only fault is she likes to chew things, but that will disappear as she gets older. her story is a marine and his wife got this dog, they live in an apartment and Daisy (the doggie) was too much energy for an apartment and they didn't have the time they thought they did to take care of her. my aunt and uncle have two kids ages 10 and 7 Daisy is a wonderful kid dog. they have a huge backyard for her to run around in plus another dog to play with and they have their own personal groomer lol.

ETA: I'm not sure if they paid for her or not either way Daisy is one lucky dog and found a great home

[LaRen616]

Does giving someone money for their unwanted pet encourage irresponsibility?

I dont think it encourages irresponsibility.

If you buy a dog out of a bad situation, can you say you rescued the dog? What about if it was a fairly good situation but the family just couldn't keep the dog anymore due to moving or other life changes?

I would consider it a "rescue" for both questions.

Is CL just as good a place to get an adult dog as rescue or the shelter?

Yes and no. The majority of the people looking to rehome/sell dogs on craigslist are liars. They will lie about the dogs temperment, if they have bitten, if they are potty trained, how long they have had them, where they got them from, etc. As alot of the members on this forum know I got an adult GSD/Husky mix off of craigslist, the owner made him out to be a saint, he was supposedly a great dog with no issues. I get him home and discover he's not house broken, he has dog aggression, toy aggression, anxiety issues and he growls at people.

My friends purchased a female Doberman off of craigslist, I dont recall what price they paid for her but she was 9 months old and unspayed. The owners said they couldn't keep her where they lived because there was a Doberman ban there and they just moved there and had no idea about the ban. They also stated they spent alot of money buying her from some stellar breeder when she was a month old. Come to find out that those owners only had her for a couple of months and they were her 3rd owners and there were pitbulls living in their apartment complex so I dont believe the whole breed ban excuse. When my friends brought her home she was a little stubborn but a total sweetheart, they have had her for about 5 months now and she is a WONDERFUL dog and has become my guy friends favorite amongst the 2 dogs.

I think you have a 50/50 chance getting a good dog from craigslist but I think going through a rescue would be the better way to go.

[LaRen616]

Originally Posted by Emoore

Does anybody else have a hard time with the idea of giving someone money so you can take their unwanted pet?

I dont mind giving money for an unwanted pet as long as it is a reasonable amount.

$100 is a good price I would say, anything more would have to include toys, bowls, collar, leash, food, treats, crate or bed. JMO

[Germanshepherdlova]

Originally Posted by Lenny

Anything that turns a unwanted dog into a wanted dog isn't bad in my book.

Agreed!

I have a cousin who's a young single mother and she bought her first home and got a dog because her little daughter wanted one so badly. My cousin works crazy hours to take care of her daughter without a penny of assistance from the child's father-so she was in no position to have bought this dog. He was not housebroken properly and this resulted in him being put in the backyard day and night. Pretty soon the child lost interest in the dog so nobody was paying any attention to him. The poor dog was just all alone day and night in the backyard, he was given food and water but that was it.

My cousin's parents who live in a different state than she does (my cousin lives in a different state than I do but we talk on the phone and she kept me informed as this was occurring) came to visit and noticed how the dog was being treated-her dad put the dog on Craig's list and that same day a family came-they had a dog of the same breed as my cousin's with them and were so happy and excited to take the dog home with them.

I consider the family who took this dog as having rescued him. I think it didn't encourage irresponsible pet ownership for this family to buy the dog from my cousin because she was already being an irresponsible owner. Also the dog pound takes dogs from owners who don't want them so Craig's list is by far not a bad alternative. I think getting an adult dog from Craig's list is distinctly different than buying from breeders who advertise there.

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by Emoore

We all know buying puppies from CL breeders is a bad idea, but what's your thought on buying adults? Does giving someone money for their unwanted pet encourage irresponsibility?

I think it's more responsible to try and rehome a dog yourself, rather than bring it to a shelter. Asking for money helps to weed out people who can't really afford a dog and those who decide to get one on the spur of the moment.

Originally Posted by Emoore

If you buy a dog out of a bad situation, can you say you rescued the dog? What about if it was a fairly good situation but the family just couldn't keep the dog anymore due to moving or other life changes? Is CL just as good a place to get an adult dog as rescue or the shelter?

Not sure it matters what you call it. Rescued, adopted, bought...they're just words.

CL is no different than advertising in a newspaper, on Pedigree Database, via websites, a forum, or in a magazine. When someone has to rehome a dog they need to let the public know the dog is available. Some people are fortunate enough to have friends or family members who can help find a new home for the dog, others don't.

Is it just as good a place to get a dog as a rescue or a shelter? Who knows. It all depends on the people involved.

[LARHAGE]

It's the same as getting one from the shelter to me and actually better as you can actually talk to the owner and hear the history, sure some people may lie or embellish, but many dont. I have a good friend whom lives alone and has an old Boxer, she called me late at night over the Thanksgiving holiday absolutely terrified as some punks had been breaking into her house while she worked, that night they tried while she slept, she knows I live alone happily witn German Shepherds and asked me to help her find one as she was now so scared she couldn't function at work, I couldn't jump through multiple hurdles a rescue would put me through, especially since the dog wasn't going to be for me, so I went on Craigslist and visited a few Shepherds, all nice dogs, I really liked a young female and the owner said she had 3 other people to interview and would get back to me, she than calls me that night and asks if I owned a dog named Gavin, I was surprised she asked and asked her why? It appears a lot of people asked to take her dog to breed, she didn't want her being used for just popping out puppies, her dog was just too much for her to handle but she wanted a good life for her, I assured her there was no way in **** I was breeding Gavin to her and she apologized and said I could have her for free with a crate , toys and all her supplies. I just saw the dog Saturday when I went horseback riding with my friend, it's night and day her behavior , she's obedient and happy and goes trail riding 4 days a week with my friend, and the best thing is NO ONE gets in my friends yard anymore as she is a formidable watch dog in the yard and in the house, she sleeps on her bed with her and she's ecstatic with her, the funny thing is she hated German Shepherds before , only liked Boxers, she's now a complete convert. It was a good Craigslist match, we even sent the old owner a picture and video of her dog running and swimming on the trail, it absolutely made her day.