people who want pets for free...

[booyhoo]

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?

Anyone who expects a pedigree dog with no serious behavioural problems for free is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Paying for a puppy or do gis not just about affording it, it is about the value of that animal to the owner. The average person can't afford £600-£1000 for a puppy without giving it some serious thought and probably saving up for a period of time. I have heard so many peoplke say 'oh, I'd never pay x amount for a dog, you're mad' and the fact is, they just don't hold dogs in high enough regard. These are inevitably the same people who buy cheap puppy after puppy, 'getting rid' of them when they are bored or the dog misbehaves because it hasn't been trained and see no problem with doing so.

Don'tCallMeBaby, our kittens were the same - they were free as the mum cat got loose and wasn't neutered. We have spent a lot since though on a skin condition, neutering, chipping etc.