"FREE TO A GOOD HOME" Advertisers PLEASE Read - Page 1

It seems that the "free"ads have multiplied exponentially. I ask that you read and consider the following information.

1. Please reconsider offering the dog for free. What people do NOT pay for THEY DO NOT VALUE!
Even shelters and rescues ask for an "adoption" fee -some of them substantial in the hundreds of dollars. Why is your dog worth less than a shelter dog?

2. As noted on another thread "free" dogs (and cheap dogs I may add) are fodder for the animal brokers who sell to labs who experiment on animals and for the dog fighting rings that want "live meat" to train their dogs on and as a cheap way for puppy mills to acquire new stock. German Shepherds are prized for all of these things.

3. For  the reasons above, the PDB as wonderful as it is, is probably the LAST place you should be advertising your dog for free or low cost placement. How the heck do you know whose on the other end of the phone and how can you check up on your dog to make sure the placement is correct for him/ her.  (And check you should) And let me tell you the bottom feeders can spin a good story. They know all the right words to use to make you think it will be the best home in the world. I had a run in with one when I was trying to place an abandoned Border Collie. Luckily, I go to their house not vice versa and the property and the person gave  lie to the whole story so dog and I made a quick exit. Later found out I was right, she was a labratory broker/supplier. So keep it local and do your homework. You owe your dog that much.

4. Before the dog leaves your hands, have it spayed or neutered. If it's free ,it's not a breeding animal. Do NOT rely on the new owner to do this. It will NOT happen. Again you owe at least this much to your dog AND the breed to protect it from becoming a puppy factory. Plus this should be done well before placing the dog so it can recover in what it knows to be a safe place. Factor the cost of the neuter into the adoption fee and let them know that was part of it.

5. Consider paying for a CGC class ( again put it in the adoption fee). It helps bond the dog and new owner, the new owner gets a certificate to be proud of ergo be proud of owning the dog and it helps make the dog stick - which is what this should be all about - a forever home.

6. Take a long hard look at WHY you are offering this dog for free. Is it a dog that has served you well for years and now deserves a good retirement? If so why not with YOU - esp given the perils of placing dogs. Is it a problem dog? If so why are you passing on the problem? If you don't want to live with it neither will anyone else ultimately. So fix it or do the right but hard thing and put the dog down - lovingly in the arms of someone it knows and trusts. I do know that there are some legitmate reasons for needing to place a dog but sometimes it is all about convenience and nothing more. You have a responsibility to every dog in your care and you need to take a serious look at a decision which might be placing them ar risk and at the absolute minimum try to follow the guidelines above to lessen that risk.

I agree 100% on this one on the whole statement specially the last part.
THANK YOU TIG for posting this.

Brigitte
von delacruz germanshepherds

Great post TIG.....and oh so true.

I have in the past placed a dog for free (a female whose ears would not come up come hell or high water) but I advertised a price.  Only when I decided the home was just right and the cash was on the table did I turn it down.  I explained that I wanted to know they valued the dog, but I was so taken with the quality of the family and the loving care they would provide that I did not want the money.

I feel that this sort of behavior actually leads to even greater commitment to the dog.

I agree it is a mistake to offer the dog for free at the outset.

MVF,
I tend to agree with you.  Over four years ago I'd just moved out on my own, my male GSD had passed away, and I wanted another GSD more than anything.  I looked at so many free and cheap dogs, younger and virtually poor, I couldn't afford an expensive or even relatively cheap AND Frontline, Heartgard, and all the expenses of dog ownership.  I finally went to look at a female who'd been found as stray and properly vetted in a neighboring state.  No price was ever mentioned...I was assuming the price would be their vet bills.  Then Heidi (the dog in my avatar) and I met.  Since then, we've not been apart other than a few times in emergencies (I've had sugery twice and had no choice, for example) and then she is cared for by my sister and her husband.  At any rate, as Heidi jumped in my car after we'd spent several hours together, tears were shed (by both of us, I was so happy to have found MY baby, I mean, my dog), I asked about her adoption fee.  They told me to love her and ask that she be spayed.  I was a wreck without her a night a couple of months later (they told me when her next heat would be) when I had her spayed, but we made it.  I guess my point is, free is not always bad...if you are in a position where you can help someone without hurting yourself, do it.  Heidi has changed my life and without her I would not be the person I am today and I probably wouldn't train at all.  Check out homes, get references by all means, and when your dog picks someone, that's their owner.  Heidi barked at about a dozen people who'd went to look at her I later found out.  I walked up to her, let her sniff my hand, petted her, and she had my heart (I don't attach easily).  She's the most wonderful dog anyone could ask for.  She's also never missed a dose of Frontline or Heartgard, just had her shots updated last month, and sleeps in my bed every night.  I wouldn't take a million for her truthfully.
I do, however, hope that everyone rehoming free dogs or low cost dogs checks out homes and the person they let their dog go with.  It can equal disaster, but it doesn't have to.  Lots of people I know would rather invest $1000 or more in care for the dog instead of upfront for the dog.
Regards,
Nichole

my rainbow bridge boy nenz was free. i found the ad online somewhere and we drove 6 hours to get him and 6 hours back. we bonded instantly and he guarded the house immediately. everybody admired his huge head and he was really protective. i fell in love with german showlines cuz of him and  liked him so much i went back to vom haus miller to buy spunky. they even took 15% of her price cuz i had taken nenz and gave him a home. when i got him connie asked what my story was and i told her my lab/gsd/husky had died of cancer at age 8 and i needed another dog (my dogs r my meds for pyschiatric disorders) and she said i could take him, and that he just needed someone to love him. he was the best free dog ever!!!
there was a recent ad in our local paper, and i recognized the number, it was the guy i bought my poodle from. he delivered her to me since i had lack of transportation, but when a friend bought her sister, i was told that the conditions the dogs were in were really bad (he was advertising german shepherds, standard poodles, golden retrievers, and goldendoodles) and he had an ad for golden doodles running, saying hurry, maggie's last litter. my friend said he showed them maggie the golden and it must be her last litter for sure, the pups were 2 weeks old and she was still bleeding. he fed them all ol' roy crap dog food and sells pups $400 to $500 until they don't sell, then drops to about half that. when i saw his ad i couldn't believe he was actually giving a dog away for free......poor thing probably got too old to pump out puppies and he probably didn't have any use for her. what a sad sad life for a dog. my poodle he originally was going to breed, he bought her and 2 siblings, claiming they were going to be family pets, 2 at his house, 1 at his sister's, and just bought them to pump out puppies......suddenly he got a new job and decided to cut his breeding stock, so i got her cheap, $300 instead of $600. i noticed her papers said limited registration, not to be used for breeding, and notified her breeder via e-mail what had happened to his puppies........he drove in from an hour away and had a friend go in and pretend to buy the male left, then took him back home and resold him. i wish i could take another dog, that free german shepherd female hopefully got a good home, almost any place would be better than living in a basement as a puppy machine.