Freecycle breeds dogs as reptile food and for the cruel world of dog fights
I got this as a special announcement from Freecycle East Bay
Dear Members,
It has been decided that pet postings will no longer be allowed in our Freecycle community. The most basic reasoning for this decision is that a pet should not be considered “stuff” and pet adoption through Freecycle does not further our goal of reducing landfill waste.
After speaking with representatives from the local humane society and the SPCA, we have decided to not allow pet postings on the East SF Bay Area Freecycle group anymore. Too many animals are given away to people who cannot, or will not, treat these animals as they should be treated. We have been advised against accepting free-to-good home posts for the following reason(s):
Paying an adoption fee discourages people from getting these pets and then when they lose interest, turning them out, giving them away, using them for breeding in puppymills, selling them to laboratories, cosmetic companies, as food for reptiles or even worse, to use to train another dog in the cruel world of dog fights.
Since Freecycle does not permit posts regarding money, they can’t be offered for an adoption fee. Please consider using our local resources for help in finding/placing pets. Links to SPCA and The Humane Society can be found under the files section of Freecycle.If you want to comment or have a question about this policy, please contact us at FreecycleEastSFBayArea-owner@yahoogroups.com. Please do
*not* respond to the entire East SF Bay Area Freecycle list.We thank you all again for sticking with us as we grow and adjust.
It’s all of you fantastic members that make our community such a success!Thanks for your understanding and future compliance,
Your East SF Bay Area Freecycle Moderators Jennifer and Susan
Huh?
(Stumbled in from a link to your Serpent Mother pic.)
The phrasing of the paragraph you bolded is weird, but I think they indended it to say “Having to pay an adoption fee discourages those who might, once they lose interest, turn them out…”.
To me, the more immediate concern would be that people looking to abuse animals look to get them for free, and probably look for then on Craigslist and Freecycle. Charging an adoption fee ensures that the adopter is seriously interested and that they have disposable income to spend on the animal when it needs medical attention. Of course that leaves the problem of there being more animals out there than interested adopters.