Is it wrong to get a dog on Craigslist? (poodles, rottweilers, chihuahua)

[forum_browser]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback. Reps to all I could rep. D&J, I guess I repped you too recently because I'm unable to do so in this thread. Your story is reassuring, and I the rep comments were helpful, too!

My Dh and I had a Maltese and a Bichon Frise, respectively, in childhood. I don't think this qualifies us as dog owners, though, so I didn't mention it. However, I'm the the one with the animal allergies, and our dog didn't bother me as long as he received regular baths. So I think I'll be OK with a dog with hair.

I do realize that there can be health and behavioral risks with dogs of unknown origin. Our Bichon was from a puppy mill and he had a severe congenital liver defect. He cost my mother a bundle in vet fees, unsuccessful surgeries, prescription foods, etc., and he eventually died as a result of this problem. He was also a biter and impossible to housebreak. We loved him, but I don't want to walk into another such situation.

Our living situation is, I believe, suitable for a fairly low-energy, adult dog. We are middle-aged, none too active, and childless, and we have a house with a yard in downstate NY. I work a fair number of hours in NYC but Dh is home most of the time. We have a yard and could fence it if the dog needed off-leash exercise. A knowledgeable poster indicated, in response to my question in another thread, that a Chinese Crested might be a good fit for us. She even gave great tips on how to build a low-cost non-hideous green mesh fence!

I hadn't thought about the possibility of dog thieves on Craigslist. I can understand that a high rehoming fee might be a red flag for that sort of thing, but I see few in my region in the suggested ballpark of $50 or less. I was thinking that $150 or so would be reasonable. Now I don't know.

We don't care if a dog is a mutt. We just want to avoid the fur type to which I react, a dog that needs more than moderate physical activity, or a train wreck. The shelter websites show mainly big, furry dogs. We will go and look, though, and we will take our time. I hadn't thought of breeders of purebreds because I figured they would be selling puppies. We can check for breeds we like, I guess, and ask about available adult dogs. If we go in that direction, I may start a thread on how to find a reputable breeder.

I had not thought of asking for vet records. That would definitely reduce the risk. If we get to that point, we will do this.

Thanks again. Any additional feedback would be welcome, too, as we try to figure out what to do.

[zugor]

In my area some of the rescue groups even use Craig'slist to post adoptable dogs - because it's just one more place to showcase them.

I got an old dog off of CL, the person looking to rehome was not asking for any $ at all. I offered to make a donation to a small local foster based rescue group in her area that was unable to take the dog but was advising her on what to look for in a new owner. She was very happy with that plan and I knew that it would help the group that had offered what help they could to her.

Maybe you want to propose such a plan to anyone that you are considering getting a dog from.

[sunset2000]

Is it wrong to get a dog on Craiglist? That's like asking is it wrong to search and get a job on the internet?

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I use Craigslist to rehome the strays I find, after I've tried everything I can to find the owner. Most of the people I've given dogs to have been nice people. There was a puppy I tried to find a home for who I had to post for about a month. Then I found someone who would take him as long as I delivered him. The puppy was literally eating my house, so I was happy to deliver. When I got home, I looked on CL out of habit and the guy was trying to sell the puppy as a purebred lab for $80. I was sad about that, but maybe he found him a better home that way, some people value a pet more when they've paid for him.

You can usually find small dogs at the pound. They get adopted more quickly than the bigger ones, so you won't see as many of them at the no-kill shelters and the rescue groups, because they're not as hard to rehome. The downside to getting a dog from the pound is that you have no clue what it's behavior will be like, it will probably have fleas and ticks unless they treat it before you bring it home, and you will probably need to take the dog to a vet within 72 hours...the pound usually has you sign a paper saying you'll do that. The nice things about getting a dog from the pound are that the dog will already be neutered or spayed and have a rabies shot, and you'll feel good about saving a life.

One thing to keep in mind when you're looking for a small dog is that they sometimes need expensive grooming to look cute. My sister spends $55 every other month getting her dog groomed. You can get the clippers and do it yourself, but that really makes my allergies act up. I still do it though, when I find a stray and I need to find them a home, I give them a great haircut and then I sew or crochet a little sweater for them and take their picture in it so they look adorable, it works every time

[forum_browser]

The idea of donating to a rescue to show good faith to the original owner is a good one. I will keep it in mind.

We will check out the pounds for small dogs, as well. I'd really prefer to go that route, anyway.

I'm hoping Dh will handle grooming, as I don't fancy spending almost as much on my dog's hair as I do on my own. We can work that out, though, one way or another.

[fennec2009]

I would be wary of anyone one Craigslist who is willing to hand the dog off to you (either for free or for a fee) without asking you any questions or asking for references. Also, make sure you ask about the history of the dog. They should at least have rabies vaccination records and the dog should be licensed (other vaccines can be given at home, I do this so I don't have shot records for those). If they have a primary vet, I would call them to ask about the health history, or if not, write up a quick contract that says you will take the dog to a vet within 3 days and they will be obligated to take the dog back if any major health problems are found. Breeders do this with puppies all the time but it is a good idea even for a full grown dog. Most people truly trying to find a home for a loving family pet should be okay with this.

As far as a rehoming fee, $100-150 is reasonable for a puppy provided they will come with all their puppy shots, unless it is a purebreed with papers, then it will depend on breed. For an adult dog, I would say no more than $75-100 for a mixed breed. If it is purebred with papers, it will vary considerably depending on breed. I would never pay more than $100 for a dog someone says is purebred but doesn't have papers, though. I would also look for ads that have a negotiable rehoming fee. Usually this means they are more interested in finding the right home than getting the cash.

[Honeycrisp]

If nothing has been done for the dog, I wouldn't want to pay for the dog unless I really fell for the dog - it's not the dog's fault of course but I'd hate to dig too deep a hole to help a pet unless I had some good connections who would come thru - if the dog is current on shots and recently spayed/neutered, I would take that into consideration (as long as there's paperwork to confirm it), would also hope that the dog is flea free and current on heartworm medication. Giving a donation to a mutually-agreed upon rescue is a nice idea too, esp. if the dog is coming with supplies etc (not long ago someone advertised a cute young dog w/ vet insurance that was paid for months to come, it was obvious they hated to give the dog up (I cant rem. the reason) but it was obvious they loved the dog and everything was done for it, it just needed a loving permanent home.

If I were placing a dog, I wouldn't give the dog up unless I saw the home it was going to, got ref's and saw their drivers license (and maybe take a photo of the dog w/ the new owners), just to make sure the dog was going to a legitimate forever home, I wouldnt want the dog to slip thru the cracks and unfort. ppl do lie (on CL and not on CL). I'm trusting but not all that trusting when it comes to pets and if the new ppl get offended or balks by my a few simple questions, it's too bad, they wouldnt be getting a dog from me. Ppl can still make mistakes but hopefully getting a dialogue going between them and me would help safeguard a dog's future, offering to dogsit if the occasion came up etc (and if it was feasible).

[Mopeyface]

I got my beautiful girl off of craigslist so I think it's definitely possible to get a fantastic dog from there, but it definitely does require some work. What I eventually did was make up an ad stating what I wanted in a dog, how I pictured a typical day going with said dog, and so on. That got a half dozen responses (some that sounded a bit scam-ish) that didn't fit any of my requirements much less the wants I had listed, lol, but I also got a response from the previous owner of my girl (I'll call her E) who left me a phone number. We talked and I was a little leery at first but E was really upfront about what issues she had (possible past abuse, occasionally overprotective, and some submissive urination) which made me much more inclined to believe all the good things said about her as well. While none of the issues were minor, I had done extensive reading on all of those beforehand and with training all have been very workable.

E lived a good hour+ away, but drove out to our place with the dog in order to check out our yard and meet us, and then it was about a week later that we actually got our gorgeous girl who has turned out to be absolutely perfect for us (aside from the shedding but, eh, we can live with that, lol). Originally, there was mention of a rehoming fee, but in the end E said that wasn't really needed, and had only been mentioned to help screen people with less than ethical purposes, or who might lack the funds to properly care for a dog.

Anyhow, the end result is that I got an already housebroken, spayed, reasonably well trained dog with exactly the sort of temperament and energy level I'd been after, so yes it is possible. If you scan the ads every day or two for a few weeks, you'll start to get a pretty good feel for which are likely to be scams vs. people who genuinely love their pet but feel they're out of other options. Don't be put off by someone mentioning a reasonable rehoming fee - they may be happy to waive that for the right home or to have you donate it to show good faith, etc - but you need to decide what "reasonable" means to you ahead of time. For me, a reasonable rehoming fee on craigslist topped out around $100, however I was also looking at rescues at the same time, many of which required rehoming fees higher than that - which I was also okay with since that money would be going back into rescue presumably - so I also knew that I would be willing to go higher than that if there was a good reason for it. Oh and if someone ONLY has positive things to say about a dog, I'd be suspicious and wonder they're glossing over. Every dog has their own set of quirks (not necessarily problems) and at least one of those is bound to be annoying/odd enough that they should mention it to you.

[atina33]

I haven't read through all the replies so forgive me if this has already been mentioned.

I'm not opposed to carefully selecting a dog from CL but what happens if it just isn't working out for some reason? Perhaps the previous owner wasn't completely honest and failed to tell you something about the dog that would have been a deal-breaker for you? What then? You can't return him/her.

With a reputable rescue, you will know more about the dog AND, if it's not a good match, they will take the dog back and rehome him with another family.

Just because you don't have a relationship with a vet doesn't mean you can't adopt a dog from a rescue. I didn't have a relationship with a pediatrician before we adopted our human kids!

Rescues have devised lengthy questionnaires to help rule out those who would not be good pet owners. If you are a decent person (and it sounds like you are) who answers their questions honestly, there's no reason for them not to approve you just because you are not seasoned pet owners.

Good luck and thank you choosing to rescue (whether from a group or from CL)!

[forum_browser]

I am reading and will keep all of this in mind. Mopeyface, it's good to hear yet another story about this working well. I'm not sure I'd feel safe having a random CL person, not from an established rescue, do a home visit. Of course, that person is also going to feel unsafe handing their dog over to a random CL person (me). There is a lot to think about. Maybe we'll find the right dog at the pound.