Rehoming a pup

[selzer]

I heard they used live dogs as bait for sharks. Nope, nothing going free from here either.

[Konotashi]

Originally Posted by selzer

I heard they used live dogs as bait for sharks. Nope, nothing going free from here either.

Which is why you screen potential adopters, go to their homes, etc....

It's not first come, first serve, nor should it ever be.

[DTS]

i completely understand asking a fee because i know people who think oh, a free puppy lets get one! and screening is very important for a potential adopter. its the people who lie and outwardly do it that upset me. if you dont want the dog just say so. i know there are people out there who are trying to do the right thing. and their pets get passed by the people who over breed.
there was a post for a bull terrier puppy 3 or 4 months old. they had just had a baby and wanted $900 re-homing fee because they spent 1500 and it was the "pick of the litter" and then they said if not gone by this weekend it will be going to the shelter. that one upset me. why ask for so much and then end up giving it to a shelter. re-homing fees should be reasonable according to what you have. don't give it away, but dont charge twice my monthly rent either.

[Konotashi]

How about you just leave out the "free" part in the ad and weed out the people that way? That's one way we did it. When we were rehoming Yoda, we did put that there was a rehoming fee to keep away people looking for free dogs. Then every e-mail I got that asked, "How much is the rehoming fee?" and nothing else, I just ignored. If the money is all they care about, then they don't deserve my dog.

[tierra nuestra]

Originally Posted by selzer

I think that people might be more apt to rehome or dump a dog from pet stores regardless to the price tag.

For one thing, buying a puppy from a pet store is really impersonal as opposed to buying one from a breeder or a previous owner. Nobody at the pet store says, "call us and send us pictures." The person selling the dog does not OWN the dog. And maybe they like animals and dogs, but this is just a part of the job, a job that does not attract the greatest people simply because it does not pay etc.

People walk by a mall, see the puppies in the window, look at them, fall temporarily in love and buy the puppy on the spot with little thought about anything. May even put them on the VISA. For some people, that is not like buying something at all. They do not see it immediately, and it is no big deal when they do.

Then when they get the dog home, the puppy is sickly or the puppy chews on stuff, the puppy is hard to house train, etc. Pretty soon the puppy needs training, is out of control, whatever. Suddenly the puppy is no longer convenient to own. The buyer knows he can walk into another pet store down the road, and buy another dog. This one is just stupid, or not the right breed for him, or mean, or whatever excuse, and off to the pound it goes.

[lbrennan2]

Originally Posted by tierra nuestra

I do not fully agree. We bought two of our dogs from the pet store in the town next to ours. The owner is visible and engaged with the animals. When we bought our Shih Tzu they asked us to come visit. The times I've been in to get dog food or something else... I get "How is your pup doing?" They have a photo of her from Christmas on the bulliten board from our last visit.
Not all Pet Stores are heartless people!

[susee]

Originally Posted by selzer

The previous owner benefits by having a kennel free, not having to feed and train and vet the dog, having more time for their other dogs, or kids etc. If they can get money too, more power to them.

It is not like selling a couch. It is more like selling a horse. You like the horse, it is a good horse, you have trained the horse, it does what you need for it to do. But you have two other horses, one takes a lot of training time because you are still working with him.

So this horse, that is well behaved and ok for what you are doing, is spending the majority of its time in its stall or turned out in the field. The farrier, and the vet, and the feed bill are significant, and someone else might provide more exercise and get more enjoyment out of the horse.

Should the owner GIVE the horse away???

People do get horses for free sometimes and do give them good homes. But there are also those that get a free horse and have not the first idea what the cost and care it entails. If the horse is aging and can no longer be used for the dressage jumping that you do, or barrel racing, then maybe giving the horse to a couple who want a steady horse for their kid in 4H is fine. But I would rather see people sell an animal than to give it away.

Cheap animals, some people just do not see a dog that they got for free, being worthy of a surgery that will cost them $800. They will leave the dog in the back yard with a bucket of water and have the neighbor kid throw some food at it once a day when they go on vacation. A dog that cost them a decent amount would be going to a kennel or going with them. Dog lovers/crazy dog people might look past the purchase price, but too many other people allow it to affect the whole relationship with the dog.

It's sucha huge topic isnt it, im involved with Horse welfare, and all the same situations that occur in Dogs apply there as well, and in the Cat world, different species same issues almost, then you start throwing in the added issue of post racing welfare for Throroughbreds, Trotters, Pacers, Greyhounds, and oh boy, thats a whole added chapter.

Very very sad.