Post by Mel Mel on May 24, 2006 22:22:38 GMT
This is a great post I found. I've known these facts about ads like this for awhile. But this person put it well, so I'm going to post it. If anyone reading this has posted a "Free to Good Home" ad or may in the future, please read this and think twice!!
Your “free to good home” animal can end up in the hands of animal abusers such as Barry Herbeck, a Wisconsin man who was convicted of torturing and killing animals he obtained through "free to a good home" ads in his local newspaper. Some end up in the hands of "bunchers"—people who obtain animals to sell to so-called "research" facilities—where they spend years in cages undergoing painful, invasive, and fatal procedures.
Free to a Good Home! The Death Sentence.
This is how some people see your giveaway pet:
Free bait to train fighting dogs.
Free bait to train greyhounds.
Free fish bait.
Free snake food.
Free money from the research lab.
Free animal for malicious pranks.
Free animal to set on fire.
Free animal to insert a firecracker into.
Free to a good home to breed indiscriminately.
Free sacrifice for satanic rituals.
Now you know why we always charge adoption fees for our pets, and why
we always screen so carefully for good homes. "Free" is all too often
seen as "worthless" in the eye of the beholder.
Please, don't offer your pets FREE to a good home, unless you screen
them very carefully.
Volunteers who work endless hours to save pets from the horrors of
abuse and homelessness bring this message to you. Permission to
reproduce this flier and distribute is granted, encouraged and
greatly appreciated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tips On Finding A Good Home:
- Ask a trusted source, such as your veterinarian, for a recommendation.
- Animals should be spayed or neutered before adoption.
- Never use a "Free To Good Home" ad. Animals given away in these ads are easy targets for abuse and neglect. Contact your local newspaper and ask them to run a warning about placing "Free To Good Home" ads.
- Beware of "bunchers!" A buncher is a person who either steals or "adopts" for the purpose of selling the animal (e.g. medical research labs, bait to train dogs for fighting rings, breeding stock for puppy mills or catteries). Bunchers can be very deceptive. They will sometimes use children as part of the ploy and present themselves as a "perfect family." Beware of ads in the paper that say something similar to: "Looking for a new home for your pet? We can help. We will pick up your pet and find it a new home. Call now!" If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
- Be honest about medical history & behavior. The goal is to find a good, permanent home. The adoption will not work if you misrepresent the animal.
- Screen people very carefully over the phone and check all references before proceeding. The best reference is from a veterinarian. It's easy for a person to list their friends, who may not be honest, as references.
- Some individuals and rescues screen people based on appearance. This is not a safe way to find a home. You cannot tell if a person is responsible and caring by the way s/he looks.
- Ask for identification. Copy down the full name, address, and phone number. Also copy the driver's license number and car license plate tags.
- Do a home check before you agree to adopt out the animal and, when it is time, bring the animal to their new home. Never let someone take the animal from you to an unknown location.
- All applicants should complete an adoption application and, if the adoption is approved, sign an adoption contract.
- Require a reasonable adoption fee or a donation to a chosen animal organization. Never give the animal away for free, but do not charge an exorbitant fee or try to profit from the adoption.
- Cats should be adopted to people who will provide a strictly indoor home and will not declaw.
- A dog should not be adopted out as a "guard dog" or an "outside dog."
- Ask to take a picture of the person with their new adoption.
- Call a few times during the first few weeks to make sure all is going well. Make yourself available to give advice and support.
- Do not turn the animal over to a stranger. If you can't find a good home, locate a reputable no-kill shelter or rescue where you know the animal will be safe. Please use shelters and rescues as a last resort; the majority are already overwhelmed with abandoned animals.
Sample Adoption Application:
www.theanimalspirit.com/sample1.html
Sample Homecheck Form:
www.theanimalspirit.com/homecheck.html
Sample Adoption Contract:
www.theanimalspirit.com/sample.html
Your “free to good home” animal can end up in the hands of animal abusers such as Barry Herbeck, a Wisconsin man who was convicted of torturing and killing animals he obtained through "free to a good home" ads in his local newspaper. Some end up in the hands of "bunchers"—people who obtain animals to sell to so-called "research" facilities—where they spend years in cages undergoing painful, invasive, and fatal procedures.
Free to a Good Home! The Death Sentence.
This is how some people see your giveaway pet:
Free bait to train fighting dogs.
Free bait to train greyhounds.
Free fish bait.
Free snake food.
Free money from the research lab.
Free animal for malicious pranks.
Free animal to set on fire.
Free animal to insert a firecracker into.
Free to a good home to breed indiscriminately.
Free sacrifice for satanic rituals.
Now you know why we always charge adoption fees for our pets, and why
we always screen so carefully for good homes. "Free" is all too often
seen as "worthless" in the eye of the beholder.
Please, don't offer your pets FREE to a good home, unless you screen
them very carefully.
Volunteers who work endless hours to save pets from the horrors of
abuse and homelessness bring this message to you. Permission to
reproduce this flier and distribute is granted, encouraged and
greatly appreciated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tips On Finding A Good Home:
- Ask a trusted source, such as your veterinarian, for a recommendation.
- Animals should be spayed or neutered before adoption.
- Never use a "Free To Good Home" ad. Animals given away in these ads are easy targets for abuse and neglect. Contact your local newspaper and ask them to run a warning about placing "Free To Good Home" ads.
- Beware of "bunchers!" A buncher is a person who either steals or "adopts" for the purpose of selling the animal (e.g. medical research labs, bait to train dogs for fighting rings, breeding stock for puppy mills or catteries). Bunchers can be very deceptive. They will sometimes use children as part of the ploy and present themselves as a "perfect family." Beware of ads in the paper that say something similar to: "Looking for a new home for your pet? We can help. We will pick up your pet and find it a new home. Call now!" If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
- Be honest about medical history & behavior. The goal is to find a good, permanent home. The adoption will not work if you misrepresent the animal.
- Screen people very carefully over the phone and check all references before proceeding. The best reference is from a veterinarian. It's easy for a person to list their friends, who may not be honest, as references.
- Some individuals and rescues screen people based on appearance. This is not a safe way to find a home. You cannot tell if a person is responsible and caring by the way s/he looks.
- Ask for identification. Copy down the full name, address, and phone number. Also copy the driver's license number and car license plate tags.
- Do a home check before you agree to adopt out the animal and, when it is time, bring the animal to their new home. Never let someone take the animal from you to an unknown location.
- All applicants should complete an adoption application and, if the adoption is approved, sign an adoption contract.
- Require a reasonable adoption fee or a donation to a chosen animal organization. Never give the animal away for free, but do not charge an exorbitant fee or try to profit from the adoption.
- Cats should be adopted to people who will provide a strictly indoor home and will not declaw.
- A dog should not be adopted out as a "guard dog" or an "outside dog."
- Ask to take a picture of the person with their new adoption.
- Call a few times during the first few weeks to make sure all is going well. Make yourself available to give advice and support.
- Do not turn the animal over to a stranger. If you can't find a good home, locate a reputable no-kill shelter or rescue where you know the animal will be safe. Please use shelters and rescues as a last resort; the majority are already overwhelmed with abandoned animals.
Sample Adoption Application:
www.theanimalspirit.com/sample1.html
Sample Homecheck Form:
www.theanimalspirit.com/homecheck.html
Sample Adoption Contract:
www.theanimalspirit.com/sample.html