I'm appalled, just seen the following on Freecycle in central Somerset:

"OFFER - 10 YEAR OLD DOBERMAN
I am sadly looking for a good home for my loving dog Moby
i recently moved to a smaller property and unfortunately dont have enough room
...he is ten years old, male, always happy and effectionate
great with children, good health
please contact me on *****"

This was posted 10.30pm tonight - I have contact details if anyone can help, I can't do anything myself tonight as I live with my elderly mother and I have a curfew... I will try to stay online another half hour in the hope this dog can be helped.

How could anyone betray their dog like that :( 

I can't believe the excuses people come out with, surely any property could fit 1 dog, when I came back from NZ and couldn't find a rental which would take dogs I bought a cheap static caravan and quite happily lived in it with my husband 4 dogs and 2 cats. I would live anywhere to keep my family together.

That poor dog, even young Dobes struggle to be rehomed, who would want a 10 year old? 10 years of devotion to someone completely unworthy :(

Will this be of any help? http://www.dobermann-rescue.co.uk/

Fgs I guess there is no end to the nastyness humans can come up with. I hope dobe rescue can be contacted and help

disgusting. at that age you could live in a one bedroom flat with a dog of that size. they or not exactly energetic. :(
poor poor poor dog.
lea :(

The bottom line is the dog has become an inconvenience , I wouldbe slightly less angry if they had gone through proper rescue channels

> they or not exactly energetic.

Not necessarily - my 10yr old dobe is as energetic now as she was when I got her at 5yrs old, and she was a loony then!  Although I do agree that these people shouldn't be giving up on him just because they've moved.  I certainly wouldn't, at any age.

I do hope something can be done :-( I'd foster him here if I could but he's way too far away :-(

Freecycle are currently getting my goat at the present,advertising animals with no thought about their welfare.Last week there was an 18 month old Malamute free as owners landlord refused her to have a dog(bit late to find out IMHO).I e mailed her with advise,rescue details etc,but got an e mail back that she rehomed the dog to someone who has had a large breed in the past!
I also gave rescue details to someone in desperate need of rehoming a GSD last year with no response.
I even complained to the mods when some one advertised part wolf part mal a couple of years ago.I had a curt reply that she was an OAP,offered her mod srevices for free and didn't see anything wrong.When I pointed out the dangerous animal license etc and she could be accountable the ad was soon dropped.

i was at a carboot sale last week, and noticed one of the stall holders had brought their boxer dog with them and as we got to there stall there was a sign by it saying
Home needed, boxer dog 8 years old
good with kids and other dogs.

couldnt beleave someone was selling there dog at a carboot sale.

Although I agree that it seems awful for anyone to be trying to offload a dog that age,I guess maybe we shouldn't judge if we don't know the whole story.

Perhaps it's an eledely or disabled person that has had to unexpectedly had to move into sheltered or supported housing and dogs just aren't practical?? Maybe the property has no garden and owner isn't able to walk it and feels it's unfair on the dog?? I'm probably being deluded and too much of an optimist,but surely there is a possibility that it is a genuine case of the owner is between a rock and a hard place feels they are doing what is best for the dog??

Totally agree though that freecycle is an inappropriate place to be seeking a new home for a dog,and that it should be better moderated in regard to animals.

Hope someone can give the dog a nice home or that owner finds a way to keep the dog.

About five years ago now two days before Christmas and it was bitterly cold i was driving home along a very busy fast road even at the best of times. On this particular day traffic was building up when finally i got the 'obstacle' that was in everybody else's way, the very thing that was holding everyone up. A very elderly rottweiler. I pulled over, got out of the car and tried to encourage her out of the road but she just kept collapsing on her back legs. In the end i had to pick her up and carry her to the grass verge. I have no idea where i got the strength from as i'm built like a twig. Everybody else just carried on driving by not one person offered to help me or the poor dog. At first i thought she had been run over but when i got her to the vets it turned out she had chronic arthritis. The vet said there was no way the dog could have walked there by herself. They contacted the owners who didn't want to know. It was obvious she had been dumped. It seems some owners treat dogs like a fashion accessory or a handbag. Just throw them out when they are old hat!  

Zebedee thats heart breaking, good for you for stopping. What happened to the old girl in the end ?

People take more care disposing of their washing machine than they do their dog, makes me so bloody mad.

I would do it many times over if i had to. I could only guess that a 'smelly old dog, full of lumps, bumps and warts' would have been an embarrassment to the family at Christmas time especially if visitors were due.
I was told she was fostered by a veterinary nurse from the surgery and that is as much as i know. 

An update -
I called them today and spoke to the male partner whose dog it is. It seems it's a relationship breakdown, and he can't have his dog where he's moved to (normal for this area - impossible to rent with pets), and his ex either doesn't want, or can't cope.

They were given a long list of rescues by the local vets including breed rescues and have gone through the whole lot without any luck, except that they now understand he is too old (or not suited) for kennels and do understand the concept of fostering.

The ad on Freecycle was literally, a desperate last ditch attempt. While I totally disagree with animals on Freecycle,  if you are that desperate, what else can you do, and at least I saw it and have - hopefully - been of some assistance.

He said that some friends were coming round tonight with a possibility they make take Moby, which I feel is what they would prefer and I'm hoping that works out. But I'm still nosing about for them in case that falls through.

Haven't heard anything since, so here's hoping, I just hope they do get in touch with me if the friends don't work out.

Fingers crossed for this lad xxx

Replied elsewhere but I'll put it here in case you see this one first :-P

Happy to foster still if things don't work out, it's not as far away from me as I thought so I could possibly manage halfway at least.

Fingers crossed the friends work out though :-)