"Free" pet adoptions and strays

Every newspaper you read has them. Craigslist is filled with them. Well meaning pet owners posting their pets as “free to a god home”. What the well meaning pet owners don’t understand is that their companions could very well end up as subjects of animal experimentations or dissections.

Class B animal dealer get a license through the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). They get paid up to hundreds of dollars for each animal that they provide to a variety of different institutions. These animals are strays, shelter animals, stolen pets,as well as “free to a good home” companion animals. They are collected and then sold for profit. They use methods such as drugged meat and traps on strays. Any collared animals have their collars removed and disposed of. In addition, there are three states (Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Utah) actually mandate that unclaimed and unadopted shelter dogs are required to be seized for government animal testing. They only give five days for the dog to be found by their owner, or to be found a new home.

Stolen for Profit by Judith Reitman is a great reference book on this subject. It is about a California Class B dealer that led a ring of pet thefts, as well as falsely promising to provide a good home for free pets only to turn and sell them. It is extremely simple to obtain a Class B dealer license. All it takes is being over the age of 18 and paying a $10 application fee.

Most Class B dealers do not take part in fraudulent activity themselves. That is up to the people known as “Bunchers”. Bunchers gather pets and sell them to the Class B dealers, usually for about $25 per animal. Advertising a “small adoption fee” is usually a deterrent. I personally put a pair of rats onto a well-known pet site. I advertised them as having a “small adoption fee”.

I received emails stating that the person was “looking for the pet for their children” and that they “had a large yard that was perfect for the pet”. I had advertised two rats. They also wanted to arrange to “have a company come and pick up the pet and have it shipped to them”. In total, I received seven different emails, each from a different person, stating the exact same thing. In each email, the rats were only referred to as “the pet”. Never once was their species mentioned. Nor was the fact that there were two of them. The worst part is that desperate people will fall for these emails. Below is an actual email corespondance which I recieved through the pet site:

R: "I saw your posted pet for adoption on pet finder and i want to adopt the pet for my 10yrs old son.i want to know if the pet is still available for adoption and the present health and its pictures if available for more satisfaction...i live in California and i will be responsible for the shipping."

Me: "Which "pet"? I have two rats on the site.... Also, I would like to speak with you so I know that they wont be sold to a research facility. Can you guarantee that they will be cared for?"

R: "Thanks for the detail on the pet i really love to adopt your pet to be part of my family and i want you to consider that your pet is coming to a loving home,i have a large garden where the pet can roam about if necessary.i will be responsible for the shipping like i said in my previous mail and the shipping company will contact you to schedule the pick -up date an time as long as this transaction continue.I will like to proceed to payment and i will need your physical address such as your Full name to be on the check,your full address including zip code and your phone number for smooth communication.Regards from me and my family."

I urge you to consider this if you have to put any companion animals up for adoption. Always put either a specific amount in your listing, and insist upon meeting with potential new owners personally. Also, insist on taking a few days to think about it if possible. Remember, if you are uncomfortable taking money for your pet, you can always waive the adoption fee or donate the money to a local shelter, but that money ensures that your pet is not going to end up as an experiment or on table for dissection.