Does this happen just were i live or is it a new trend everywhere? people advertising there elderly pets in the paper FREE TO GOOD HOME. Tonights paper there is a German shepherd, 9 years old (free) also a male Doberman 8 years old. Most nights in the paper there is this type of advertisement, it annoys me so much, why keep a dog all those years then give it away like it was a piece of old furniture. How stressful for these old guys to be uprooted like this. what does everyone else think?

I have noticed a few too .
I think its so sad - I can never imagine offering my dog to a new home unless something REALLY drastic happned beyond my control
Poor things :(
Lel

What do I think? That there are some horrible, callous people in this world, and I pity their poor relatives, because no doubt they'll be shovelled out of the way when they start getting old, too.

good thought jeangenie, maybe they will advertise them free to good home too!

A poodle was offered "free to good home" in the Adtrader. We rang the number to be told the dog was 18 weeks old. So if they bought it at 8 weeks what was the reason for selling it 10 weeks later? Was it peeing on the floor, was it snappy? The chap gave no reason but told us someone was coming to collect it. We warned him of the dealers but he was'nt interested. We then checked our records and found him to be a breeder of Dachs and Poodles. We were so furious we rang to let him know that we were aware of his breeding dogs and can only assume that the dog was unfit to be used as a stud. Or worse!!! Our telephone number was requested , of course, but we certainly shook them up.
There is not always a genuine reason for giving away a dog. It could be that a dealer is unable to sell it.

yes it is terrible the things some people do, but at least they are giving them away to homes if they don't want them which is better than what i saw a few days ago when I was driving in the car.A white van pulled in front of me on the wrong side of the road about 100 yards in front and threw his dog straight out of the van window.The driver thought i was going to drive passed but i didn't and I stopped in front of him and tried to get the dog and take it home with me.The 2 people in the van didn#t know what to do so they quickly called the dog back into the van and sped off before i could do anything about it.I did get the reg no of the van so i reported to the police and the R.S.P.C.A. but i don't know what the outcome was.My gut feeling is that they dumped it somewhere else probably in another area.But as least i tried.

Please understand that the freepaper is in the shops at 5.00am the dealers are o n the road by 7.00am contacting all those advertising "free to good homes" or litters of puppies or kittens. Many of those poor dogs do not go to good homes. We have been involved in this for three years and every Wednesday we make calls as early as we can warning owners not to hand them over unless they are offered a landline tel. no., address or vet's reference. Some we save, some we don't.

The worst I saw the other week was a 2 year old Chow chow partially blind in one eye and totally blind in the other free to good home :(

Alison

From the messages on this site I am cheered that so many of you are now taking notice of the pet advertisements. It would be helpful if breed rescues became more involved, checked their local papers and offered to take some of of these poor souls. What chance does a blind elderly dog have of being passed on to a loving home.

hi,
i saw i dalmation on ad-mart that was free to a good home the ad stated that he "was too boisterous and needed an experienced person to look after him"
i cant understand people who do this and never will....i think we need to state that .....A DOG IS FOR LIFE AND NOT FOR BIRTHDAY OR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.
Jane.

That makes me so mad, Jane! Of course dalmatians are boisterous and need an experienced owner. That's normal. It's like complaining that it has spots! Grrrrrr

You mean dalmatians have spots JG, can't I have a strpied one ;)

I just think of the loyalty and love I have had from my older dogs and want to spit at these sort of adverts :(

Did anyone see the programme - not sure which one - last year which had a bloke hand in his elderly and incontinent bitch to Battersea because he had children and it wasn't hygienic? The dog was so old and stiff - and he thought it would get a good home. What planet was he on?!

Lindsay

Mayhem -
Would dealers be interested in buying an older dog, eg 8 years old, if they can't breed them after they're older than 7 years? Or are the dealers just looking for young dogs?
Charlotte

>>>It would be helpful if breed rescues became more involved<<<<<

Our rescue has a volunteer solely dedicated to watching the free ad Loot paper watching and acting on this very thing

It would depend on how fit the dog was with the so called dog lovers registration pups can be registered off a bitch of any age.
By the way I know of a puppy farmer who has at least three breeding bitches from the free to good home ads these bitches are bred on every season

There is a regular ad in our local paper that offers to buy unwanted pups and kittens . It doesnt say anything else and just gives a mobile number :(

First to Charlie123 ,We kept track of a "rescue" advertising older dogs for a donation but we already had a record of her selling and wanting in the trade journal. She was certainly not a rescue but there are elderly people looking for such a dog a nd the sob story is effective.
Mattie, The puppy farmer you mentioned have you seen adverts for his pups?
Lel , Have you rung the mobile number asking for litters. If you e-mail me I will make the call Thank you

another advert in 2nites paper says:- WILLOW FARM KENNELS....... cockers,westies,labradors,golden retrievers,working sheepdogs,bichon frise,scotties,german shepherds,shih-tzus,jack russels,cairn terriers,minature schnauzers,rough collies,beagles,chocolatelabs,flat-coated retrievers,springer spaniels,dalmations,cavaliers and yorkies.ALL PUPPIES. DELIVERY AVAILABLE......... is this a puppy farm??

I saw an ad that said 8 yr old staff for sale £150 or willing to swap for german sheperd pup 6-12 months. I thought this was alfull they had probably just got board of there old dog.

It is either a puppy farm, or more likely a dealer that buys in from puppy farms, though they may breed some ot the pups themselves.

No reputable responsible breeder could hope to breed and show that many breeds, and have puppies regularly available.

There are some good breeders who keep dogs on alarger scale, and being involved with a couple of breeds may breed enough litters to require liscensing. Generally any large scale operation of this sort is selling their own or bought in puppy farm stock.

Willow Farm are puppy DEALERS they get puppies(KC & non KC registered)from Wales & Ireland(southern)

They have any breed you want or will get you same

Their puppies are not show quality & some don't even resemble the breed they purport to be

The KC could ban the breeders of any KC registered puppies that they sell from rehistering any more dogs with them as the KC rules state puppies must be sold by the breeder & not through third parties(except if a puppy is taken in lieu of stud fee or breeding terms

If ONLY people would insist on seeing the mother of the puppies BEFORE they see & fall for the puppy

I've seen a "Cavalier"from these people that was obviously a Welsh Springer X Cavalier that cost £450

there have been quite a lot of labs in loot recently for rehoming, not necessarily free, but older and probably not fit for breeding, its such a shame, i love my oldie and she wouldn't ever settle in with anyone else she's too spoilt:)

In future when you report an incident to the Police, ask for an INCIDENT NUMBER..then you can check up on it.

No it does not follow that these poor dogs will go to good homes.There are unscrupulous dealers out there who would jump at the opportunity of getting dogs for free and selling them on again for god knows what.....RESEARCH POSSIBLY.

If anyone notices adverts of this type near to home, then maybe it would help if it were possible to monitor the address and check on callers, cars, vans etc and note the licence numbers.

Have none of you read my previous posting Puppies Siezed!!!!!!! At least here in Scotland we are trying to do something about these puppies coming from puppy farms in Ireland!!!! They have been siezed by the police and SSPCA coming off the ferries from Ireland into Scotland to go God knows where!!!!!!!! SSPCA need your help NOW!!!!!

Yes, I did see your posting and am aware of what you are speaking about. Puppies from Ireland also come across by ferry into Wales unfortunately the SSPCA does not operate in Wales we then have to rely upon the RSPCA in Wales who have known about this trade of supplying puppies from Ireland to pet shops as well as from Wales itself for the past 15 years at least. To get the RSPCA in Wales to wake up from hibernation and take some positive steps is a big 'aaaaaarh yes we have heard of that' attitude. However Trading Standards and Customs should have a wake up call too they should all be actively seeking out these people although it is not illegal to bring puppies in it is certainly necessary to ensure that they comply with existing legislation and do not cause suffering to the puppies but it is known that they do as many are very young vulnerable, sick and crammed into too smaller crates and travel over too long distances. It is about time they caught up with them.

Pat, please contact me through Mayhem. I am a regular traveller on the ferry and ALWAYS carry my camera.