Be careful before you hand over your dog to a new home

Pet rescue organisations estimate that as the result of an advert such as “free to a good home” there may be only one good caring person wanting to re-home that dog compared to at least nine bad and unscrupulous people who want that dog for other reasons.

There are those who want to make money from the animal without any particular regard for their welfare: these include the pet peddler who takes on free pets to sell on for profit to anyone who will buy them, or the puppy farmer who takes free pets for breeding to make money. They look for ads which say “not spayed” or “neutered”. Some people even pose as fake rescue organisations that will use the word ‘rescue’ to ask for a donation and will then try to sell the dog on or dump it.

Some “free to good home” dogs may end up in sinister labs that are known for taking unwanted pets for experimental purposes. There are some psychologically unbalanced people who seem to hoard dogs without the facilities to give them a good home.

They may dump the dog or give it away when the novelty wears off. Their house and land can be overrun with animals, posing a public health and noise problem which might need the intervention of the local council.

Then there are the cruel sadists who use free dogs either as bait for organised dog fighting or for their own animals just to rip up for fun. In a recent case in Wales 16 dead dogs were discovered as the result of dog fighting, nine of which had been chipped and were traced back to their previous owners who had given the dog up “free to a good home”.

People who keep large reptiles such as snakes and lizards have been known to use puppies, kittens and rabbits etc as live food, so responding to a “free dog or pet to a good home” advert can result in your pet becoming a free meal.

All the above people look through all pet sites for one word — free — and all will promise you a loving home for your pet to make you hand it over.

For every pet that is advertised free, there is only a one in ten chance it will go to a loving home. Is it worth the risk?

Make sure your pet goes to a good home and to someone who is prepared to put in the time, effort, commitment and money to give that pet a loving and safe environment.

Wendy Jahn

Westport

Co Mayo