Animals on Freecycle? Discuss...

[RedThorn]

hmmm some people moving overseas just have the animals put down. Perhaps in a sense it is better that they are at least looking for a home for their pet.

My parents just emigrated to Austrailia and it cost them the better part of £15 000's to quarantine and move 2 dogs and 2 cats.....

[Shadylane]

Anyone can go on freecyle - you don't have to be a 'nice person'. I'm sure there are plenty of folk on there who are responsible decent people who are doing it for all the right reasons but there are also bound to be people just looking for freebies.

I've put stuff on there and you'd be amazed how quickly you get replies - I'm talking seconds. This suggests to me that there are members who spend most of their days on there waiting for anything to pop up so they can grab it and sell it at their next car boot. I've read the odd BS sob story too. One responder wanted me to to deliver a TV of my parents that I'd offered because she was 'almost blind' and her carer was on her day off. She didn't even live anywhere near the area advertised. Call me a nasty old cynic but if you allow animals (ours doesn't) on these sites then you're asking for trouble. If someone takes advantage of your good nature and sells on the kettle that they so desperately needed for their unemployed sister then it's annoying but not disastrous. Different matter entirely when animals are involved.

[SlugLobber]

hmmm some people moving overseas just have the animals put down. Perhaps in a sense it is better that they are at least looking for a home for their pet.

My parents just emigrated to Austrailia and it cost them the better part of £15 000's to quarantine and move 2 dogs and 2 cats.....

It's not a PTS versus rehome issue, either. You can still look for a home, but through other, less 'crude' options. Having said that, for an old/difficult animal (particularly horses with major needs), I do understand why people choose the option of PTS.

I really admire your parents forking out all that dosh! My colleague has researched taking her cat to Hong Kong and it will cost about £1500. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think that's a huge amount, given the costs of everything else involved in emigration.

Shadylane, I completely agree with you.

[Bren In Pots]

Just checked my local freecycle and this month alone there's been 5 cats, a cockerel, a dog, a couple of birds, 3 ferrets, an hamster and some fish all offered for various reasons.

[RedThorn]

I personally would not place animals on freecycle nor would I accept animals posted on freecycle. My Freecycle group does not allow such posts on it.

My appologies for the confusion with my previous post, the point I was trying to make is I think it better to try and rehome rather than PTS. As to the moral character of the people partaking in freecycle, I do not believe that they are any better or worse than any other collection of people...

[SlugLobber]

I didn't read your post like that, RT, sorry if it came across that way. Completely agree that Freecycle peopleas a collective group are no better or worse than others. I am one, after all.

[amandaandherveg]

I am a member of 2 Freecycle groups - one allows the posting of animals the the other does not. I get so angry when I see a poster asking for an animal then listing it again a few weeks or months later, then asking for another variety and getting rid of it again a few months later - when they or their kids are bored of it.

Our animals have passports, our cat was quite the jet-setter for a while.

[weekendwellies]

Personally, I could never part with any of my animals. They are almost like children to me.
However, if I did see one on freecycle and was looking for one, then I would be more inclined to go see it and possibly take it if it suited, but then I class myself as one of those 'nice' people referred to in the posts above.
RSPCA charges a fortune which some people would prefer not to pay, and would rather spend that money on vaccinations, equipment for the animal, etc.
I got my dog from RSPCA years back and it was quite a lot of money then so god knows how much it is now.
These days people save money wherever they can.

[lynda66]

our local manchester freecycle allows pets, they did a survey thingy and the members chose to continue to allow them, oldham freecycle set up a sister site, oldham animals

now i've always been in 2 minds about this, but some people really want animals, but can't afford silly prices, and rescue centres do charge a lot, .... and yes i know they have costs... also if a rescue centre is full, they won't take the animal ... in this case if you need to rehome quickly then sites like freecycle, preloved, loot, and gum tree can be a good way of finding a home.

i would be inclined to only respond to wanted adverts, as i would expect anyone whos gone to the effort of advertising looking for an animal, they are more likely to actually want it.

and although rspca home checks are a good idea ... i know a lot of people, who have been refused animals, cos they live near a road and not even main roads .... hmmmmm doesn't everyone .... some of the rules are a bit excessive, and many people who live in a supposedly unsafe place, get an animal privately..... and on top of that, it's also helping the over full sanctuaries from having to rehome.

personally, i've rehomed 3 animals from rescue centres in the past, and honestly would prefer an animal where i could meet the owners, rather than meeting a traumatised dog thats been in kennels 6 months.

[Shadylane]

I am a member of 2 Freecycle groups - one allows the posting of animals the the other does not. I get so angry when I see a poster asking for an animal then listing it again a few weeks or months later, then asking for another variety and getting rid of it again a few months later - when they or their kids are bored of it.

Our animals have passports, our cat was quite the jet-setter for a while.

It just seems wrong. If it so easy and convenient and free to get an animal then it requires less of a comittment and less thought and consideration which leads to impulsive decisons. All of which is well and good if you're after an Ipod, or a new phone. Freecycle was set up to keep unwanted items out of landfill. It shouldn't be a quick and easy way to get a pet.

[miffy]

Our dog Daisy was dumped in a skip as a puppy with her litter because she was a mixed breed collie and therefore deemed 'rubbish' by the owner, i.e they wouldn't be as saleable or valuable.
We do not own her we adopted her from Dogs Trust and as her guardians made a pledge to care for her for her whole life time.
Animals give us so much, love, companionship and joy for very little really on our part.
It really breaks my heart to think of animals who are abadoned and treated like part of the fixtures and fittings of a home, i.e being dumped or disposed of because they no longer fit the lifestyle choices of the people they have shared their lives with.
It doesn't really matter why these animals find themselves on freecycle the real issue is our lack of compassion re animals and the treatment of them. They are sentinent beings who feel, pain, joy, fear and do pine for their family members just like we do.
My Grandma's cat was taken in by me when she died and she pined for my Grandma and although i took really good care of her she refused to eat and missed my Grandma so much so she died within six months of my Grandma passing in retrospect it would have been kinder to have her put to sleep but i wanted to try and take care of her in memory of my Grandma.
I personally couldn't leave our lovely rescue dog Daisy, she is very much the fourth member of our family, a real character and has brought so much joy to our family and is an integral part of our family.
Unfortunately there will prob. be a good deal more animals on freecycle after Christmas having been 'aquired' as presents without realising that they need alot of love and attention for a good number of years.
Until we develop a respect for animals and begin to treat them with respect people will continue to think they can dump them just as they would an old sofa when they move home or job!

[Hilary B]

I can imagine a dubious new-owner taking on an animal they don't really want, 'on a whim', but really, apart from that particular problem, surely only an animal lover will apply? (the 'on a whim' types usually THINK they are animal lovers, just rather confused and shallow with it).
My Gemma came from a local, privately owned rescue place. Her previous owners took her in when they finally admitted to being unable to cope. She was about 18 months old, and didn't know how to run. She is part greyhound.
At least they admitted their error, by taking her to be rehomed.
Maybe the people who place pets on freecycle have good (but possibly misguided) intentions........