Furrever Friends Rescue and Volunteers, Inc.

When searching for a pet to adopt, “free to good home” may sound like a great deal… but it’s a raw deal for the many animals who fall into the hands of those with bad intentions.

Especially with the proliferation of Internet forums and bulletin board sites, many pets offered for free are at high risk of being taken by dog fighters looking for “bait” to train fighting dogs, people who sell animals to laboratories, and animal abusers.  For these criminals, finding such pets is as effortless as a few web searches and mouse clicks, and distance is no longer a barrier.  These criminals are also experts at deception; they may have excellent vet references, and may even bring children with them to pick up the pet!

The following news video tells the alarming story of a man in Kentucky who adopted cats online, but is now accused of torturing and killing them (viewer discretion advised; the video is not graphic, but is disturbing nonetheless):

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A similar story from Aberdeen Township, NJ, in 2008 is reported here (again, with disturbing details).

When trying to find a home for a pet, never give the pet away for free, and always check vet and personal references carefully.  Avoid posting on online sites such as Craigslist, where there is no accountability or ability to verify identities.  Always request an adoption fee.  Ask for personal contact information, and tell potential adopters you intend to follow up in a couple of weeks to see how the animal is doing.

Furrever Friends charges a $90 adoption fee per cat ($135 for two cats), which helps to cover spay/neutering, rabies and other vaccinations, testing for FIV and FELV, flea and tick treatments, and other necessary vet care.  “Free” animals rarely receive this level of care, which would cost an adopter hundreds of dollars at a private vet — and potentially thousands if the animal turns out to be unhealthy.  In addition, our adoption team checks references (including vet references) of all applicants, and conducts a phone interview before approving any application.

For more information, see our page on how to find a home for a cat.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 10:08 pm and is filed under News, Public Service Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.