Why "Free to Good Home" is NOT a Good Idea!

I read Victoria Barnes's blog for home improvement ideas and laughs. She's a great writer and very funny. Unfortunately, her beloved cat Elvis died, which prompted her to go check out adoption. In her post, A Box of (foster) kittens, she shows cute kittens and, in addition to encouraging adoption, at the end, included information on why it's a bad idea to give away free animals. I had permission to repost, but really, go see her entire blogpost about these kitties. SO SWEET!  And she just really nails the whole "Free to Good Home" thing.

I sent what Victoria wrote to my friend Mari, who replied with some more great information. So I thought I'd put that here, in addition to Victoria's blogpost. 

 How a rehoming fee protects your pet:

Please don't compromise on your rehoming fee since 'free to good home' ads are strongly discouraged by the Richmond Times Dispatch, Craigslist, and all animal rescue groups. The reason is that they encourage people who:

1. get a dog on a whim. It is a serious responsibility that spans 10-15 years or more. Charging at least $60 makes people stop and think. Small purebreds should be at least $150 if they under age 7. Otherwise, they are subject to resale for more money- no matter what the adopter tells you about giving them a forever home.

2. get a dog even though they cannot afford vet care, etc. Dogs are not cheap. If a family cannot write a check for $60 for a new pet, they have no business getting a dog. What will happen when he gets an ear infection, etc?

3.get free dogs and use them for pitbull bait.

4. get free dogs and , when they get a bunch, sell them for research. They are called bunchers.

5. are puppy mills  and get unspayed purebreds to live as breeders neglected in a cage for the rest of their lives.

6. are people like Lynne W. in Varina and Frederick Cooper in Richmond get free dogs and then sell them to all comers. Lynne sells them at Richmond area flea markets for about $50. Wright sells them out of his residence near Woodman Rd. (He may have moved.) He likes small dogs- mixed or purebred. I just got an email from a Craigslist poster that he is now using an alias  ( Jason) & has moved off Brook Rd. See why a home visit is important? An adopter said he had a bunch of dogs at his house waiting to be sold.

 She calls herself Over the Rainbow Rescue.  That is not what reputable rescues do.

7. are hoarders  who think they are helping dogs but cannot care for them since they have too many. They sound great when they talk to you since they truly love animals -but a home visit will reveal the deplorable conditions of the dogs and cats in their animal collections.

It's easy to keep all of the above from your door- charge a fee.

The following links are to articles that are extremely disturbing. But they highlight the risks of placing your animals into homes that you have not checked out. We all know times are tough, but please, at least do a home inspection and make a phone call to the vet before adopting your animals to just anyone. The previous owners of these dogs would probably be just devastated to know how they ended up.

http://www.14wfie.com/story/15062470/sc-dog-found-with-teeth-sawed-off
http://www.wtov9.com/news/27148515/detail.html?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d937b91af8fbfb5,0

Rosie

This is Rosie. She and her brother got dumped at 5 months old by the garage some guys work in. She and her brother were super scared and hid in the woods near there. It was in mid winter. The garage guys could hear them barking back there but could not catch them. The brother got killed by a car and it took Rosie MONTHS to even let them get near her. Now she is a 60 lb. lap dog.

She is on Iverheart- so she is heartworm negative. They pooled their money and got all of her vetting done- spay, shots, heartworm test.

I found out about her from my mail carrier, Tessa. We are looking for a rescue group or a great home! Please SHARE THIS, especially if you are in the Richmond, VA area! If you can help please contact: Mvtanito [at] aol [dot] com

Back Yard Sunrises

Winter time seems to have the most colourful sunrises. Wherever I've been, they seem pinker in the winter:

Bay House.

At the River House.

And this past week:

Thursday morning, I awoke to Reggie making a growly-barky noise. Usually he does that when he wakes up and Bingo isn't on her bed near him. But that is not what he was making noise about. It was this:

When I saw this, I gasped. By the time I got my camera, it had turned from crimson red to this.

It transitions very quickly:

Tomorrow is my birthday. I turn 50. How did that happen? I'm sure everyone with a birthday ending in a zero asks that question! It has made me reflect back on my life and with that reflection comes such gratitude for where I am--and who I am, today. With that in mind, in honour of my b-day, and in lieu of gifts, I'm requesting that you donate to Animal Adoption and Rescue. This was the rescue organization that saved Maggie and Millie:

M&M had been dumped on the side of Jefferson Davis Highway.

One more of M&M, just because:

Zzzzzz . . . in my office.

 AARF also brought me my sweet Bingo:

They are tireless and dedicated in their commitment to saving dogs and the world is a better place because of them. A special THANK YOU to Mari!

Mari, who rescued M&M, saying goodbye as they head home with me.  :-)

My New-Old Dogs

I've had a couple false starts with getting a new dog, after Barkley & Remi; and when I was on Petfinder looking for rottweilers, I thought, MAY-beeee with a couple. And then. THEN! I saw Margaret & Millie, 2 labweilers like Barkley & Remi. I emailed Miss Ruthie with my choices. She wrote back,

I think it would be wonderful to give M & M a chance to have a new life with you. They look wonderful and are attached to each other like Remi and Barkley. I would think that before you make your decision, you should make an appointment to visit with them for awhile.

Just talking to their foster Mom, Mari, I knew they were coming home with me. SO SWEET.

Mari Saying Goodbye.

SO SWEET.

Taking a walk; step-step-plop 'n' rest.

Chillaxin by the labyrinth.

THANK YOU AARF for letting me have M & M retire to the country with me. I am SO HAPPY to have them here with me! We had our first vet visit with Dr. Clark yesterday, and he kept saying what wonderful dogs they are. YES. Yes, they are. Here's to dog slobber and drool and the messiness that is doggie LOVE! :-) H.