Oh my, NO NO NO Free dogs from Humaine Society!!

The Toronto Humaine society appears to be full and they are giving
away animals for free and even advertising it on craigslist. This is so sad!

http://toronto.craigslist.org/pet/174856219.html

I hope they do good screening... But frankly, if someone doesn't want to pay the low fees for a dog, I'm not sure they should have one at all...

I think they're doing this to make room for a bunch of pit bulls that were rescued from a dog fighting situation about 2 weeks ago. I saw the news on TV and they said they were going to be doing free adoptions in the near future or else the pits would have to be put to sleep.

Sad, I know.

So what are the other solutions? Put down the ones they don't have room for?

Really, no fees is fine as long as people are vetted.

All it does is encourage more people to come and look, doesn't necessarily mean they will hand them out first come, first serve!

Our humane society (which is a no kill facility) does this periodically when they are overcrowded. Nothing in the adoption process is changed except the "adoption fee" which runs between $90-$200 is waived. Those wishing to adopt still must complete an application and go through the interview process.

As a matter of policy, senior citizens are always allowed to adopt with no adoption fee at NHS. There are stipulations, no puppies or kittens only dogs and cats over 18 months old are eligible and the licensing fee is still required.

Since they do not make unaltered animals available for adoption under any circumstances, the matter of spay/neuter fees is not in question.

It works very well here with less than 0.1% returned to the shelter.

I think that this will attract more people who will not tell the truth on the form and then get the dogs. Its an easy target for people who want bait dogs, fighting dogs etc. I now most humaine societies do not do a home check right? so other than references, which they may or may not call, I don't see how these animals are protected at all.

Not to mention many people put a low value on an animal they got for free.

In all honesty, i didn't have the adoption fee for Victor. I told the lady i would give her 3 pet portrait certificates in it's place for i was cash poor. I have taken good care of vic in our two years together. He has all his vet care on time and available thanks to the humane society. I doubt i am the exception to the rule. I think there are many people out there that could afford the shots and spay/neuter but not on top of the adoption fee, at least i hope so for these animals.

I don't know how it is where you are and what you describe may be the fact there, it is not the fact here. I don't know how dog abusers are treated where you are, here it is a crime and the NHS is usually the prosecuting entity. And, as I said earlier, here the only thing that is waived is the adoption fee itself. Having gone through the system to adopt and watching my mother put through hell to adopt Coco, it is hardly what I would call easy. Our humane society DOES run references and unless you have a track record with them, they also do inspections.

I got Chloe for free and she is definitely does NOT have a low value to me....she is one of the most important things in my life...She is very well taken care of and I dont see how the fact that I didnt pay anything for her would lower her importance to me.....

Simply put, I don't think it's bad as long as they carefully screen each potential adoptee like they always have.

I'm glad that there are people like you who truly love there free animals, but many people will pick up a dog thinking "well its free so we will take it and see how it goes with the kids" type of thing and then the dog ends up being returned because they did not invest financially, only emotionally, and emotionally when something is free many people are finicky.

I know what you mean I cant for the life of me figure why people do those things...and I do understand where your coming from.. I guess its just a sensitive subject with me when I know that there are many people that do those things that you said...