Craigslist is a platform that wasn’t ideally designed for buying and selling pets, but it eventually became one. It has been all the hype these days with people adopting pets or giving their pets away on Craigslist for adoption. The site is famous for its pet listings, and many people have found their pets on Craigslist.
Sounds pretty harmless, right? But there are a whole lot of people who try to sell and buy dogs on Craigslist. And yes, it is very dangerous for so many reasons. You could come across anyone from scammers to bait mafia, which could be very harmful. Let’s get into it and find out the 7 reasons why it is dangerous to buy and sell dogs on Craigslist.
7 Reasons to Avoid Buying or Selling Pets on Craigslist
Craigslist has suddenly become an absolute favourite of people who want to buy or sell their pets. But, it is important to refrain from using this platform for this purpose, and there are some very obvious reasons for it.
Prohibition
The Craigslist platform has stated in its terms and conditions that users are highly prohibited from trying to sell or buy pets. The platform only allows the owners to post for adoption, and then people could adopt them by paying a small maintenance fee.
This fee covers the recent expenses of the pet by the owner, but the problem is that there is no limit to this adoption fee, so people often tend to take advantage of this uncertainty and quote the price of a dog in the form of an adoption fee.
However, it is illegal as the platform discourages selling dogs of any kind. So, if found guilty, the legal team of Craigslist can also take action against the person posting about buying or selling the pet.
It is dangerous not only for the person trying to sell the pet but also for the buyer because he’ll be guilty of putting a price tag on an innocent animal. So, it is better to avoid discussing the price when finding a new home for your pet or trying to adopt a new one.
Scams
Craigslist has little oversight, and you can directly contact the buyer and sell them your pet. But how do you even know that the person who is buying your dog is not going to sell it at a high price and is going to give a safe home to your pet?
Many people adopt pets from Craigslist for free, promising to give a new home to the pets. But, they end up selling the pets at a high price, which has become a fully-fledged illegal market. So, it is hard to stay safe from such thugs.
You don’t really know which buyer is a scammer and whether he is actually going to keep your pet or sell it further. Also, you can’t trust the sellers either, as some of them charge a high adoption fee for an exotic breed of dog and then never reply back.
It is entirely up to you to identify whether a person is giving you a legit offer or is an absolute scam because Craigslist doesn’t get involved in this matter, and it doesn’t have a very reliable screening system either. So, refrain from using Craigslist to buy or sell your pets and stay safe from online scams.
Bait Fighting
It might sound inhumane and completely unreal, but it is true that many people buy the pets that are up for adoption. And no, they don’t keep those pets but use them as bait in fighting, which often injures the dogs.
If you’re selling your dog on Craigslist, you are bound to come across people who claim to be great enthusiasts of dogs, and they would also know a lot about the habitat and needs of pets. But in reality, all they want is a dog for free in their dog fighting.
Also, if you’re buying a pet from Craigslist, you’ll likely buy a pet that was previously involved in bait fighting and has become either aggressive or highly paranoid. Such pets don’t make it even for a couple of months.
And yes, dog fighting is a real mafia, and hundreds of dogs are bought illegally to be used as bait in these fights. Even if you’re selling your pet out on Craigslist, just make sure to do a complete background check of the person you’re selling your pet to.
Stolen Dogs
Craigslist has so many ads for stolen dogs that you’ll lose count. If you’re willing to buy a dog, you’ll get numerous quotes from people with high adoption fees, but you’ll never really know that these dogs are stolen.
People often steal these dogs and sell them on platforms like Craigslist by pretending they are the real owners. And do we even have to say how wrong it is to buy or sell stolen dogs? Not just that, you can also be susceptible to a legal proceedings if you decide to buy a stolen dog.
Also, it is very likely that the stolen dogs will have a high adoption fee because the owner’s purpose is to make money from them. There is no guarantee that after receiving the money, the owner isn’t going to scam you and hand you anything but a dog.
Another danger is that if you’re buying a stolen dog, you’re involving yourself in illegal activity, which wouldn’t end well for you. At times, it could even be borderline dangerous. So, avoiding buying or selling pets on Craigslist is the best thing.
If someone is willing to relocate their dog, and if he is the real owner, he won’t set a very overwhelming adoption fee. Such fees are only set by people who steal the dogs for making a quick buck and then try to sell them illegally.
Allergies
It is dangerous to buy dogs from Craigslist also because you don’t really know the condition of a dog. And there are certain allergies and diseases that you cannot really determine by looking at the dog. So, would you be willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a dog who is already suffering from a deadly disease?
Doesn’t make sense, right? But, many people tend to sell their pets when they get too old or start to develop some sort of allergies or diseases. It gets trickier when the buyer can’t determine whether the animal is healthy or not just by looking at it.
So, if you’re adopting an animal by the goodness of your heart, that is good enough, but if you’re purchasing it from someone you don’t even know, it’s not going to end well for you. Also, for the sellers, the market isn’t easy either.
There are people who can’t take care of the expenses that come with dog allergies, so they give their dogs up for adoption. But, not everyone on Craigslist has a good heart, and people often sell these ailing dogs to butcher houses or make them bait for Pitbull.
So, it is better to refrain from any sort of buying or selling of your dogs on Craigslist for your own good.
Abuse
There are a whole lot of people on Craigslist who tend to buy dogs for the sole purpose of abusing them. It is very dangerous for your dog, and it is better if you don’t take the risk of putting your dog’s life at stake.
Craigslist doesn’t really show the people who respond to your ads, and if you hand over your dog to someone, they might only use them for abuse and violence, which can cause severe injuries in pets.
It isn’t some made-up story, but there have been instances where people buy several dogs from online platforms and just keep them locked in a room to abuse them.
Research
Many researchers also buy dogs from Craigslist just to perform different experiments on them and to use them as guinea pigs. These researches could be harmless or life-threatening; you never really know.
And yes, these researchers will look very educated and literate because they actually are. But, selling your pets to them should be the last thing you should do because it’s animal cruelty. If you’re buying a pet, there also is a possibility that the animal was used in a research experiment.
These experiments often change the behavior of dogs, and they tend to be more aggressive and susceptible to diseases.
Conclusion
Giving a dog up is the most painful thing, but make sure that you give your dog to someone who you know and trust. Or else, there are so many illegal activities that you can’t even imagine could be life-threatening for your dogs.
Also, even if you’re buying a dog, you need to be equally careful because Craigslist is full of scammers that you can’t even trace. Above all, buying or selling dogs is illegal on Craigslist, which should be enough reason not to sell them.