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Original poster

people who want pets for free...

27 replies

booyhoo · 24/04/2010 19:39

we are curently looking for a dog and when iv'e been looking through the local ad paper i found loads of ads saying things like "WANTED- pedigree golden retriever, must be cheap or free, good home."

now i know these people may have wonderful homes for pets but surely if they are serious about owning a pet they would be willing to invest a bit in them. when i see an ad like that it makes me think that they wont be likely to make sure it has good vetcare or get neutered or have a lot of time/effort commited it to it if they are not willing to spend any money from the off. if i had a pet that needed a home i would purposely (sp?) not let it go to someone who had posted such an ad. i know this isn't AIBU but am i alone in thinking like this?

OP posts:
EggyAllenPoe · 24/04/2010 19:41

i would wonder if those ads were placed by puppy farmers looking for unspayed bitches/ unneutered dogs to breed from for free.

after all, if you want to rescue, you approach the rescue...

Original poster
booyhoo · 24/04/2010 19:43

could be actually, although there were some looking for kittens and parrots aswell. is there as much as a demand for kittens and parrots that they would be bred in farms?

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 24/04/2010 19:56

No, this is why the RSPCA etc charge to adopt pets, they want people to have to think a bit harder (and be able to afford the initial fee as well) - they also recommend that if you do let your animal breed (which of course they don't recommend in the first place) that you don't put the babies in the local paper as "free to a good home".

Original poster
booyhoo · 24/04/2010 19:59

yes our dog pound charges £40 if you take one of their dogs, that includes their £5 license fee (complusory in Northern Ireland).

OP posts:
EggyAllenPoe · 24/04/2010 20:03

i have heard of cats being farmed, though not birds, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen..

i think taking on a pet is commitment that should be thought through properly, not just 'oh well, if its free...' - think of all the crap you get off freecycle then don't do anything with!

Vallhala · 24/04/2010 22:47

The rescue I volunteer for charges adopting families for this very reason. The owner's rationale is that people tend to take more care of and think more in advance as to whether they really want something they have to pay for.

On that note I'd advise that you went to rescue in order to find a dog. A reputable rescue will health-check,neuter, chip and vax dogs before rehoming, home-check you for YOUR sake as well as the dog's, match you to the RIGHT dog and offer lifetime support as well as ensuring that the dog will be returned to them if ever you have to part with him.

midori1999 · 25/04/2010 10:34

One of the reasons breeders of dogs charge highish prices is that is means it is more likely people would have had to put thought into the pet they are buying. Our local pound charges £50 and as they don't care less who they sell to, that doesn't put people off at all sadly.

What sort of dog are you looking for Booyhoo? If it's a Golden Retriever I can point you in the direction of a very, very good breeder. (I breed Goldens myself, but have no litters planned for a while) If you want a puppy, the pounds often get whole litters in, we have a 'foster' here who was from a litter at a pound and the people we got him from took him without thought and were going to return him there. (I say foster as I seem to have got rather attached to him, so he might be staying... )

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 12:29

we are looking for a dog that will be good with our children more than anything. OH has had labs most of his life and would like to have another now. we are in northern ireland though midori1999 so we it will be from one of the local rescues or breeders. retrievers are on the list aswell because our neighbour has two which are fantastic with her dcs.

OP posts:
midori1999 · 25/04/2010 12:38

I am in NI too, so if you decide you want a Golden, give me a shout. Breeder friend isn'tmat8ing until the summer, but am sure would be happy for you to visit before then, his dogs are stunning with fab temprements, and we were planning on using one of his stud dogs on our bitch until my own pregnancy complications meant we couldn't go ahead with the litter at the moment.

Also, I am fairly housebound at the moment, but if you want to visit a house full of Golden Retrievers and children to find out just what it is like, give me a shout...

monkeyfacegrace · 25/04/2010 12:51

Im at £50 to rehome a dog. I just paid £110 EACH for two pugs at my local shelter!!
(sorry to hijack but Vallhala and Midori, if you remember me from the pug thread a few weeks ago, they are AMAZING, housetrained, perfect, lovely and couldnt love them more )

JustMyTwoPenceWorth · 25/04/2010 12:58

imo, if you can't afford to buy a pet, you can't afford to keep a pet! - vet's bills for example! You can't get an animal and pray it never gets sick!

ShinyAndNew · 25/04/2010 13:01

Parrots are farmed. We bought a baby to hand rear from who we thought at the time was a very good breeder.

He was arrested and charged with illegal bird smuggling a few years later. However even the farmers charge a hell of a lot of money. parrots are worth a fortune and cost a lot to breed also.

geordieminx · 25/04/2010 13:03

On the other side it annoys me when people are advertising kittens at £60+ each.

Clearly these people see allowing their cat to get pregnant as a money making opportunity, which is why they end up with a poor cat havingh kittens far too young. As long as people keep buying kittens from folk who advertise in shops/gumtree then it will continue.

(have close links with CPL btw)

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 13:41

oh midori, that's great. where abouts are you. we are south down. not ready to buy yet as OH is still on course in southhampton but will be looking towards the start of the summer.

OP posts:
lisad123wantsherquoteinDM · 25/04/2010 13:47

our local RSPCA charges £150 to adopte.
We are getting a Labadoddle in June and even though its from a friend still costing a lot but I know she is charging more to strangers for the reasons you said. She feels if your willing to pay for the pup its wanted and you should therefore beable to care for it.

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 14:01

absoloutely lisa. the reason we are waiting to look for a dog until the summer is because OH will be on a higher salary and we will be able to budget an amount of money specifically for vets bills and worming/fleaing treatments and pet insurance. we also dont know if the dog we chose might have some pre-existing medical conditiona nd so that will require ongoing treatment. we really consider it the same as choosing to have a baby and not just a whim. i get angry when i see people taking a pet because it's free and spend no time thinking about how it will fit in to their lives and how they will benefit the animal.

OP posts:
midori1999 · 25/04/2010 14:16

Booyhoo, we are also in South Down, not too far from Downpatrick.

If you want you can email me at [email protected]

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 14:31

wow, i am in downpatrick (i didn't think there were any MNetters so close). i will definitely be in touch. have to chat with OH as he has his heart set on a lab. would want him to come with to see the retrievers himself (not sure when his next leave is)

OP posts:
midori1999 · 25/04/2010 15:05

I'm happy to help in any way I can, so just email me when you're ready and I'll forward my phone number if you feel a chat would help.

Like I said, no puppies planned in the near future myself, so no ulterior motive, but it is definitely helpful to be able to see and spend time with any breed you're considering, even if that just means you decide they are not for you. After all, you'll have to put up with it for the next 15 years!

KerryMumbles · 25/04/2010 15:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 15:51

kerry, if they haven't enough money to buy a pet how on earth can they provide the care it will need to be healthy and happy? surely that makes sense?

OP posts:
coppertop · 25/04/2010 16:07

Don't forget though that not everyone who has a pet that was free has got it on a whim or won't pay for vets fees etc.

Our kitten was free from a friend who was desperate to find a good home for him. We registered him with the vets asap and he is now fully vaccinated, wormed, de-flea'd, micro-chipped, neutered and insured.

Saying that, I would never have expected to get a pet for nothing and certainly wouldn't have put an advert somewhere saying that I wanted a free or cheap pet.

Katymac · 25/04/2010 16:12

We recently got 2 cats - a lady was advertising them on-line at £100 (they are pedigree - Tortoiseshell orientals)

When we got there (prepared to pay) the lady was so relieved we were nice people & would love them, she gave them to us

We were so pleased - esp as we have had some largish vet bills since

Animals are expensive (& they should be)

Original poster
booyhoo · 25/04/2010 20:13

totally coppertop. both our cats were free from family friends and are neutered, insured, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated. i didn't mean to imply that anyone who gets a pet for free willnot look after it. i just think that it doesn't make sense to ask for a pet for free if you know its going to continue to cost you money throughout it's life.

OP posts:
DontCallMeBaby · 26/04/2010 15:44

Our kittens were free - and immediately cost a small fortunate at the vet by coming down with upset tummies one after the other (insurance not active yet) and have since been vaccinated, neuteured, wormed, de-flea-ed, chipped, insured (with Petplan at that!), fed quality food, given toys ... spoilt kitties. But I didn't specifically go out looking for free kittens, and I didn't advertise - I would have paid to adopt from a shelter, although I was a bit unsure about paying a private individual, for geordieminx's reasons.

KerryMumbles could have a point though - there is 'not much money' and 'not enough money'. If you're short of cash, and you can get your pet for free that's going to be £x that you can spend on looking after that pet, rather than buying it in the first place.

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