Mabel the Rescue Dog

3 min read (Articles narrated by Mabel)

I’ve always known that you should be cautious when finding animals online, but I didn’t know how dangerous it really was. As it turns out, animals on Craigslist could be in danger in more ways than you’d expect. Not only are many Craigslist pets from puppy mills, but many cruel people buy online animals too. So, should Craigslist stop pet sales and what should pet parents do instead?

Craigslist’s Pet Selling Rules

Currently, Craigslist only allows people to “re-home” animals on their site. This is intended to stop people from selling animals for profit. While this rule has good intentions, it sadly doesn’t stop bad people from finding loopholes.

Why Craigslist Could be Harmful for Pets

Animals listed on Craigslist could be at risk of abuse both before and after they’re purchased. Some animals go to good families and some come from families who can’t care for their pets, but sadly, this is not always the case.

First of all, many Craigslist pets come from inhumane breeders like puppy mills. They’ll sell adorable puppies and kittens, claiming that they need to re-home them. Sure, if you buy these animals, you can give them a loving home, but you’ll be supporting a terrible business. Buying puppies from puppy mills only encourages them to breed more dogs, which hurts more animals in the process.

On the other hand, if you’re an innocent family trying to find a new home for your pet, you could accidentally sell them to a cruel human. People re-homing their pet often don’t ask as many questions or require as many things as a rescue or shelter would. Plus, people re-homing pets are usually in a hurry so they give animals away for cheap or sometimes even free.

There have been many reports of people buying animals on Craigslist for dogfighting or for other forms of abuse. I will never understand it, but some humans find joy in hurting animals. Craigslist just happens to be the easiest way for bad humans to find animals to hurt. That’s why many people are speaking up against Craigslist, urging them to ban animal posts completely.

Sure, there are some good people on the site, but the negatives outweigh the positives in this case. At least, that’s how a rescue dog like me sees it.

What Should Pet Parents Do Instead?

Luckily, there are easy solutions for people both buying and re-homing animals on Craigslist. If you are no longer able to care for your animal, there’s no need to be ashamed. It’s important to do what’s best for the animal, even if it means they can’t be with you.

The easiest and most humane way to re-home an animal is by giving them to your local shelter or rescue. Most organizations will take your dog with no questions asked. Ideally, you should try to find a shelter or rescue that’s not too overcrowded to ensure that your furry friend will find a loving home.

Of course, if you know a friend or family member looking for a pet, you could re-home your animal that way too. Then, you’ll know they’re going to someone you trust and you’ll still be able to see them from time to time.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to add an animal to your family, Craigslist or any online method isn’t the way to go. Instead, visit your local shelter or rescue to see what animals are available. If online sounds more convenient to you, check out PetFinder.com. They offer an easy way to search through all the adoptable animals near you.

Sadly, animals are mistreated every day, which is why it’s important for humans to prevent animal abuse as much as possible. Be responsible when surrendering animals and choose to adopt animals from real shelters and rescues. Getting a dog shouldn’t just be about getting a new family member, but it should also be about saving a dog’s life.

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