Craigslist dogs

[kady05]

Wilson & Piper are my "Craigslist" dogs. I got them both as puppies though, so a bit different than getting an adult dog. Wilson I got before I really knew about BYB's (I knew puppies from pet stores = bad but wasn't as educated on health testing and such).. he's from an "oops" litter.

Piper I did know about BYB's, but originally I thought she was from a rescue litter because the people told me her mom was a rescue and had puppies (so here I'm thinking it's a female that was pulled from a shelter and these are the pups).. but no.. they adopted mom, bred her to their male, and out came puppies.. complete with Demodex! Once I saw her in that crappy apartment with cockroaches crawling up the walls and covered in fleas, I couldn't just leave her there. So yeah.. gave them $50 and we pretty much ran out of there with her.

Either way, I don't regret getting either of them one bit. They're great dogs. Wilson has no health or behavioral problems whatsoever. Piper has had some health (mostly allergy related) issues along the way but since switching to raw she's great.

 

[Brattina88]

Bailey could be called a Craigslist dog a rescue-friend who knew I was looking for a sheltie found her (considering surrendering her to rescue) and gave me her information and I e-mailed and then called when she gave me her number, and that's when I learned she was on Craigslist. I thought for sure she'd be snatched up before I could go see her. I saw the ad and it was very cut and dry, I asked for details and she pulled the ad because after talking she wanted me to take her.
Almost two year old female Sheltie rehoming due to new baby...

When I got there it was Bailey(Shelby at the time) and a golden retriever and the newborn baby. Bailey was waking up the baby barking and had too much energy for them - perfect for me though I think on one hand an owner rehome in some ways is easier because you often don't know their past when you adopt from a shelter, but if you ask the right questions from an owner rehome you'll know, and you can tell if they are not being honest with you IMHO. My parents have gotten several dogs from CL.... I have posted fosters on there to help get the word out and I rehomed rattles on CL when I moved.
People rehome for all sorts of reasons, and more often than not it has nothing to do with the dog's health or behavior. Probably the most common behavior I see getting rehomed for is house training, where they haven't really had any decent training is all. Plus if you go see them in their home environment you'll see their typical behavior, energy level, etc. sometimes dogs are more shy in a shelter setting and the "real" them comes out after the honeymoon is over... lol

 

[xpaeanx]

Craigslist is pretty much exactly the same as a shelter. The only thing with Craigslist is that when you go see the dog you are seeing them in the house setting they are comfortable with and not stressed out in a kennel environment or in a new house setting. So, I feel that gives the ability of a more accurate assessment of their "home" personality.

 

[ACooper]

....snip.... I don't think a CL animal is any more likely to have an issue than a dog from a shelter.

Craigslist is pretty much exactly the same as a shelter. The only thing with Craigslist is that when you go see the dog you are seeing them in the house setting they are comfortable with and not stressed out in a kennel environment or in a new house setting. So, I feel that gives the ability of a more accurate assessment of their "home" personality.

Strongly agree with the above.

and

IMO the 'actual' rehomes (not puppy sales) on CL are people trying to do better for the dog than dumping in the nearest shelter. Some have good reasons for rehome, others just want rid of the pet, but at least they are making SOME kind of effort. Of course that's a general statement and there are bad apples anywhere (even shelter workers!) but that's how I feel about it.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

I think the one thing I'd really want to know/see proof of is vet care--any records, or phone number to speak to the vet that has cared for the dog. Beyond that, I have such a gut reaction to dogs (like when I saw Wilson's picture--knew nothing about the boy!) that I have always gone with that.

 

[CaliTerp07]

When you buy a used car, you generally ask to see maintenance records or take it to your mechanic. Why not do the same for a dog? Ask to see vet records and/or take the pup to your vet for a physical (or for my next dog, I'm bringing my agility trainer to the shelter to help evaluate structure) to make sure there are no major, up front issues. Yes, the dog may get cancer...but we've had breeder dogs on the board get cancer too.

Most behavioral "issues" shelter/rescue dogs have are from owners who just don't know how to train a dog. They go to petsmart puppy class (maybe), and then expect the dog to just inherently know everything else--not to jump, not to run away, not to mouth, etc. My in laws have a 7 month old puppy (adopted at 7 weeks) and that thing is a TERROR because they don't know how to work with it. When it gets rambunctious, instead of exercising him they put a thundershirt on him to calm him down...bet he'd stop destroying stuff in their house and barking in peoples' faces if they let him run around a little.

 

[Dizzy]

He's so small... Him and a border terrier would really only equal one dog

 

[*blackrose]

I've adopted some smaller critters from craigslist, and that is where both Seabees and my sister's new puppy came from.

I consider Craigslist to be just like adopting from a shelter, you're just dealing with an individual person instead of an organization. Which can be both good and bad. For example, Seabees. My sister snagged her up when the lady said she was going to take her to the pound in the morning. Seabees was a great dog. She came with no vaccine history, no real age estimate, and no real training...but she was a good dog. Great temperament, very smart and trainable, and super sociable without any major behavior issues. Had she come at another time, she'd still be with me.

JeanAnne's pup was given away at 5 weeks old and he's maybe creeping on 8 weeks now. Good puppy. Granted we won't know what his genetic health is going to be like until he's older (he's going to be huge, so I'm really hoping his hips and such will be okay) and he didn't have any deworming/vaccines prior to my sister getting him, but we got him to the vet asap and he's health as a horse so far. Good temperament, wicked smart, sassy, confident, and is going to either be balls of fun or a holy terror on four paws depending on how my family raises him.

When you buy a used car, you generally ask to see maintenance records or take it to your mechanic. Why not do the same for a dog? Ask to see vet records and/or take the pup to your vet for a physical (or for my next dog, I'm bringing my agility trainer to the shelter to help evaluate structure) to make sure there are no major, up front issues. Yes, the dog may get cancer...but we've had breeder dogs on the board get cancer too.

^ This. Ask for vet references, evaluate the dog yourself (or have someone else do it), and ask questions that seem innocent, but may lead you to realize there is a deeper issue such as separation anxiety, house training issues, aggression, phobias, etc.

I've rehomed all of my private fosters through Craigslist. A little ferret kit I fostered, my Guinea Pigs, Medea, Kiba, and Seabees. Also when I rehomed Joey. In my experience, you have to weed out a lot of crap to get the gold...but the gold is great.

 

[milos_mommy]

I also want to add, that only do I think a CL dog is no more likely to have issues than a dog coming from a shelter, you might be getting a more clear picture of what the dog is really like than a shelter dog (coming from inside a shelter or kennel, not a home/foster situation). Especially with an owner rehome.

If the dog is in a kennel at the shelter, they might act timid, lower energy, super wired, be fine with other dogs or aggressive towards other dogs, and act REALLY different in a home environment when they settle in. I think a lot of time shelter reps aren't lying about a dog's issues or covering them up, they just don't know enough about animal behavior to tell what the dog is really like. Getting a pup off craigslist, you've got a better of chance of the person knowing what the dog is really like in a home setting.

 

[Dakotah]

Y'all suck.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/pet/3509096201.html

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/pet/3508795987.html

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/pet/3507532185.html

These are all below Atlanta.

 

[Shakou]

We got Ma'ii off craigslist. He came from a ranch up in New York where he lived most of his life, when his owner changed jobs and simply had no time for him anymore. Lucky for us

 

[AgilityPup]

Psyche and Crash both came off of Kijiji, and if I say so, they are both **** good dogs. Two of the best I will ever own.