Buying or Selling Dogs Online

What you need to know before rehoming your dog by posting him online

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MABTR is sharing their experiences with you so you can ensure your dog does not land in the wrong hands.  Every situation we share below we have encountered unfortunately more than once.

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Selling or rehoming your dog on Craigslist, Facebook or other social media is NOT the way to go about ensuring your dog lands in a safe and happy home.

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DANGERS of listing dogs on online site. 

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• Dog fighting still occurs in every state and dogs such as Bostons–who will not back down–are great BAIT DOGS for those sick individuals that fight dogs.  As you can imagine this is a horrible way for your dog to die or suffer from injuries.

• If your dog is not altered he/she can be be targeted by PUPPY MILLERS and  BACK YARD BREEDERS to end up as a breeder dog where they are given no love and little to no health care.  Imagine going from a warm bed with freedom to run to living outside in a wire cage 24/7.

  • We have had breeders admit to us that the dog was someone’s pet before they took ownership of him/her.

• Flippers are individuals who buy dogs with the intent to turn around and sell them for more money not caring about their well-being but the profit to be made. So who you thought was going to provide your dog with a great home no longer exists and who has your dog now.

• Last you should never give your dog away for free. People have more appreciation for the things they paid for than those given to them.

• IF YOU REHOME YOURSELF PLEASE GO TO THE ADOPTOR’S HOME TO CONFIRM WHAT THEY ARE TELLING YOU IS TRUE! People are going to tell you what you want to hear. Please make sure you go to their home and do a physical walk through.  MABTR conducts thorough reference checks and completes a homevisit as part of our adoption process.

 

What you need to know before buying a dog online

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Before buying a dog you found online needing a new home you take the risk that this dog may not legally belong to the seller.

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Two things you should request from the seller

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• A transfer of ownership form/bill of sale which is now your document proving legal ownership and the exchange of money. Otherwise you can potentially be accused of stealing the dog. Just like anything you buy at the store you get a receipt for.

  • True example: a lady met the seller in a park. She gave her $200 cash for the dog, collected the vet records and even a bill of sale. Within one hour of getting the dog home she learned that the seller called the microchip company claiming her dog was stolen. She called the local animal control and police to find that she would not be charged with stealing the dog since she has the bill of sale in hand proving the transfer of ownership.

• Proof of vaccinations and proof of spay/neutering if the seller states they are current. Someone’s word is not proof. This should be a document from an actual vet clinic, not hand written. If no proof is given you will need to repeat the vaccinations.

  • True example: the buyer turns the dog over to MABTR as it did not work out. They tell us that the dog is current on vaccinations per the previous owner but no hard copy proof is provided.  What if the dog bit someone and you had to show proof of rabies to animal control. They are not going to take your word for it.

  • MABTR must vaccinate these dogs for legal proof prior to adoption and now we could potentially be overdosing if proof is not obtained when we initially receive the dog.

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