Depressing pet listings
I’ve been looking for a slightly bigger and nicer cage for Beaker and Batty. Their cage is adequate, but I was thinking about finding them something just a little more like Popcorn and Skye’s cage. I looked around at pet stores, and I found many cages in my price range (around $200), but none of them really did anything for me. I need something that will still easily fit in my car, and not be to heavy or awkward to carry. Yes, I know cages are expensive, that wasn’t my issue. The cages I liked were too big or bulky. I can’t get Popcorn and Skye’s cage in the front seat. Even in the back seat, I can’t get the cage seat belted in. I needed a cage that would still be car safe for road trips or when all four of them go to the vet.
After the pet stores let me down, I looked on Craigslist.org. Maybe I would have better luck there. I didn’t and instead I was just appalled by some of the things I read on there. Yes there were many people who had found stray or lost pets, or had to give up their pets by no fault of their own. However there were people that just made me sick.
Offenders:
1) People who didn’t do their homework. They didn’t bother to find out anything about the pet or the breed BEFORE they purchased the pet. Now they discover the pet is more work than they planned on, or they work to much to pay attention to it and now they need to find it a new home.
2) People who can’t control their kids. This is not targeted at parents of children with true behavioral issues. Some children legitimately do have behavior issues that do need professional help. Not all of those children will be abusive towards pets. Yes, they have a harder time understanding and learning boundaries. As a parent it is your job to determine if that will be an issue with a pet. Of course if your child is out of control and is constantly beating on and bullying your pet it is going get nippy. DUH! You never should have brought that poor animal into your home to begin with. Don’t blame the pet when he or she is just trying to defend itself from your terror child. You are the one who can’t keep your kid under control.
3) People who have bought too many pets. Fine, yes you thought you can handle it, but you couldn’t. Now that poor little guy has to go through the stress of being shipped off to a new home. You get why you have to do it, but he or she does not. All they know is that you don’t want them any more.
4) People who are moving. I just don’t get this. I guess like in all cases there are exceptions, but this offense just makes my stomach turn. I have four birds. I would never agree to move to a place that would not take them too. They are my kids, and I would never be able to forgive myself if I had to give them away because of my new apartment. Finding a pet OK complex or building just comes with the being a responsible pet owner.
5) People who now have to part with pets because they are not allowed or they have more than the lease allows. Rule 1: NEVER LIE to you landlord. IF you can’t have pets, then don’t have them. If you can, please follow the rules as outlined in your lease. Yes that free puppy is cute, but if your lease doesn’t allow it in six months you may have to part with him. This is not fair to your pets.
6) People who let their high school senior buy a puppy and now that their child is leaving for college, the parents don’t want to deal with the six month old puppy. Why did you let your child buy the dog in the first place. You knew she was going to college. Pets are not allowed in the dorm rooms. Who the heck else was going to take care of the pet? Instead of letting your kid have whatever she wanted, you just should have said no. Now the poor pup is being shipped off to another home.
7) Crazy rehoming fees. Remember…on Craigslist you ARE NOT selling your pet. You are rehoming him. That means a small rehoming fee is in order. If someone can’t swing $20 for a cockatiel, chances are good they won’t be able to afford the $85 vet appointment. You want to ensure that your pet is going to a good home that can afford to give the best care possible. However, this is not a way to re-coop all your expenses. You chose to buy that $500 pure bred dog. You got him fixed, de wormed, and all his shots. Now, for what ever reason good or bad, you have to give him up. That does not give you latitude to charge a $300 fee. I saw two large parrots (cockatoos I believe) with adoption fees that were higher than their price at Petsmart! Even if the owner through in the cage and toys, that is ridiculous. You aren’t reselling that pet! You are just finding it a new home. This isn’t for you to make a profit. You chose to spend that money. It isn’t like your pet is and “investment” you should want to make money on anyway.
8) Random WTF’s: Like the lady who said her cats reminded her of he ex. The posts you can obviously tell are from breeders, or people who just are generally clueless about their pets.
Maybe I’m too harsh. As the Birdie Mama of four rescues, this might hit too close to home. I have two cockatiels I adopted from a horrible woman. She basically bred any animal she could get her hands on to make a profit, and let her young grandson terrorize them. Beaker and Batty will NEVER be cuddly birds because of that woman. I’m guessing she neglected and mishandled all the young pets like she did with the birds. My other cockatiel and my parakeet were simply left behind by their previous owners. These owners went through all the trouble of buying Popcorn a big cage and toys only to ignore him. We guess they bought him the parakeet when he started acting out from boredom and neglect.
It is just a shame that these ads bring the whole caliber of the site down. There are some people who are just trying to do the right thing. There was one family who lost everything in the recent flooding. They do not have the means to take care of themselves, let alone their dog. It must break their heart to have to give up one more thing they hold dear, but they want to do what is best for the dog. They aren’t even asking for an adoption fee. They just want the pup to have a good home. You find people who found pets and are trying to find their owners. Some have given up on the owners and are just trying to find the pet a forever home. Rescues post their pets that are ready for rehoming on there too.
I guess I wish people would just use some common sense before buying a pet. It is a huge commitment, and you have to be ready to take on all of it.
After the pet stores let me down, I looked on Craigslist.org. Maybe I would have better luck there. I didn’t and instead I was just appalled by some of the things I read on there. Yes there were many people who had found stray or lost pets, or had to give up their pets by no fault of their own. However there were people that just made me sick.
Offenders:
1) People who didn’t do their homework. They didn’t bother to find out anything about the pet or the breed BEFORE they purchased the pet. Now they discover the pet is more work than they planned on, or they work to much to pay attention to it and now they need to find it a new home.
2) People who can’t control their kids. This is not targeted at parents of children with true behavioral issues. Some children legitimately do have behavior issues that do need professional help. Not all of those children will be abusive towards pets. Yes, they have a harder time understanding and learning boundaries. As a parent it is your job to determine if that will be an issue with a pet. Of course if your child is out of control and is constantly beating on and bullying your pet it is going get nippy. DUH! You never should have brought that poor animal into your home to begin with. Don’t blame the pet when he or she is just trying to defend itself from your terror child. You are the one who can’t keep your kid under control.
3) People who have bought too many pets. Fine, yes you thought you can handle it, but you couldn’t. Now that poor little guy has to go through the stress of being shipped off to a new home. You get why you have to do it, but he or she does not. All they know is that you don’t want them any more.
4) People who are moving. I just don’t get this. I guess like in all cases there are exceptions, but this offense just makes my stomach turn. I have four birds. I would never agree to move to a place that would not take them too. They are my kids, and I would never be able to forgive myself if I had to give them away because of my new apartment. Finding a pet OK complex or building just comes with the being a responsible pet owner.
5) People who now have to part with pets because they are not allowed or they have more than the lease allows. Rule 1: NEVER LIE to you landlord. IF you can’t have pets, then don’t have them. If you can, please follow the rules as outlined in your lease. Yes that free puppy is cute, but if your lease doesn’t allow it in six months you may have to part with him. This is not fair to your pets.
6) People who let their high school senior buy a puppy and now that their child is leaving for college, the parents don’t want to deal with the six month old puppy. Why did you let your child buy the dog in the first place. You knew she was going to college. Pets are not allowed in the dorm rooms. Who the heck else was going to take care of the pet? Instead of letting your kid have whatever she wanted, you just should have said no. Now the poor pup is being shipped off to another home.
7) Crazy rehoming fees. Remember…on Craigslist you ARE NOT selling your pet. You are rehoming him. That means a small rehoming fee is in order. If someone can’t swing $20 for a cockatiel, chances are good they won’t be able to afford the $85 vet appointment. You want to ensure that your pet is going to a good home that can afford to give the best care possible. However, this is not a way to re-coop all your expenses. You chose to buy that $500 pure bred dog. You got him fixed, de wormed, and all his shots. Now, for what ever reason good or bad, you have to give him up. That does not give you latitude to charge a $300 fee. I saw two large parrots (cockatoos I believe) with adoption fees that were higher than their price at Petsmart! Even if the owner through in the cage and toys, that is ridiculous. You aren’t reselling that pet! You are just finding it a new home. This isn’t for you to make a profit. You chose to spend that money. It isn’t like your pet is and “investment” you should want to make money on anyway.
8) Random WTF’s: Like the lady who said her cats reminded her of he ex. The posts you can obviously tell are from breeders, or people who just are generally clueless about their pets.
Maybe I’m too harsh. As the Birdie Mama of four rescues, this might hit too close to home. I have two cockatiels I adopted from a horrible woman. She basically bred any animal she could get her hands on to make a profit, and let her young grandson terrorize them. Beaker and Batty will NEVER be cuddly birds because of that woman. I’m guessing she neglected and mishandled all the young pets like she did with the birds. My other cockatiel and my parakeet were simply left behind by their previous owners. These owners went through all the trouble of buying Popcorn a big cage and toys only to ignore him. We guess they bought him the parakeet when he started acting out from boredom and neglect.
It is just a shame that these ads bring the whole caliber of the site down. There are some people who are just trying to do the right thing. There was one family who lost everything in the recent flooding. They do not have the means to take care of themselves, let alone their dog. It must break their heart to have to give up one more thing they hold dear, but they want to do what is best for the dog. They aren’t even asking for an adoption fee. They just want the pup to have a good home. You find people who found pets and are trying to find their owners. Some have given up on the owners and are just trying to find the pet a forever home. Rescues post their pets that are ready for rehoming on there too.
I guess I wish people would just use some common sense before buying a pet. It is a huge commitment, and you have to be ready to take on all of it.
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