Have you ever taken a look at Craigslist? Kijiji? Or any other site which allows users to post items for sale? You will find page after page of ads for puppies of all breeds and breed mixes. Hundreds of puppies can be had, for the right price. But where do all of these puppies come from, and how do you tell a legitimate breeder from a puppy mill operation or a back yard breeder? The simple answer is of course to avoid these places all together when looking for a pet simply because a legitimate breeder would never advertise on one of these sites. Legitimate breeders only breed a litter when they have already lined up owners for the expected pups. For this reason legitimate breeders rarely if ever advertise puppies for sale. Most of the ads you see on these sites are placed by BYB’s or Puppy Mill proprietors. Try clicking on an ad, now try clicking on the button that brings up the sellers other ads, what do you get?
This is what I found when I did the above on a Kijiji ad for my local area:
You will notice that there are three different breed mixes advertised by the same person. This usually indicates a puppy mill or back yard breeder situation. These are people who raise pups in horrid conditions for the money they will bring in. Pups that are not sold to unwary consumers are sold to research labs or auctioned off to the highest bidder to do with as they please.
If you are shopping for a pup on Craigslist or its equivalent, you are supporting the very people who are responsible for the companion animal overpopulation problem. You are supporting the ongoing abuse of animals for profit. Was that your intention when you decided to shop for a pet? Somehow I don’t think so!
We need people to think responsibly. We need you to stop supporting puppy mills by shopping on Craigslist and comparable sites for pups and kittens. If you are looking for a specific breed try looking for a breed specific rescue agency. If breed is not the important thing, check your local shelters and rescue groups, there are many wonderful companion animals just waiting for a home like yours to give them a second chance at life. ADOPT! Don’t shop, while shelter animals die.
Boycott sites such as Kijiji and Craigslist, do not give them your support by shopping or advertising on these sites, and NEVER buy a pup from an advertiser on any of the aforementioned sites. We can not stop the abuse and suffering if we continue to support those responsible.
Until Tomorrow Remember
BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!
Janette
13 Comments to “Boycott Sites Like Craigslist and Kijiji”
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Sheila White says:
And PLEASE never give animals away on these sites! You can be sending them to a living hell or an awful death!
Adrienne says:
Bravo! I have been preaching the Kijiji boycott for a long time for the very same reasons you mention above. If you read kijiji’s “posting policy” in regards to the pet section, they say they do not tolerate puppy mills yet, the fine print clearly outlines that people may list as many ads as they want but can not list more than “3:” breeds at a time; they consider more than “3″ breeds a puppy mill operation?! Are you kidding me?! They also say it is illegal to say your animal is purebred or registered with the CKC if this is not the case; so the BYB simply say the parents are AKC or of European champion bloodlines. The only credit I can give is that Craigslist does not allow people to post animals for sale. Yes, the puppy mills simply ask that you contact them directly but the online community does aim to flag those ads quickly. Still, the average pet buyer needs to know that buying online, is buying from a neglected and abused animal operation. I personally know of a large scale puppy mill operation that sells off both their puppies and try’s to ditch their breeders (mostly pugs and small breeds) on kijiji. I saved two of the female pug breeders last fall (9 yr old and 6 yr old), contacting rescue groups and asking for help to place them in foster care, and I went in as an “ignorant consumer”. The breeder told me she would have more females available in the spring…go figure! So outside of my rant, here is something constructive that can be done. Kijiji has “volunteer moderators”. I found this out when I posted a similar rant about BYB’s on the Kijiji forum to see what kind of response I would get. Well I got emails from the volunteer moderators who said “heres my email, send me the links to these puppy mill ads.” BTW, I would be happy to send this email address to anyone who wants to forward links for removal
I wonder what would happen if all of us were bombarding them with links for removal? Of course, they will only look at the ones that post “more than 3 breeds at a time” but, it is a start. I also spend hours every week contacting people who have posted their animals as “free to a good home” and try to educate them as well as offer verbal/training &support ideas to try and convince them to keep the dog. So many people post an unfixed young animal as free not knowing the horror they are setting their pet up for. Th general public needs to know whats going on out there. I actually (no joke) had a co-worker ask me this past week “what is a puppy mill”. I was stunned but it was a sad realization that so many people out there just don’t know what is going on. We all need to speak louder and persevere…cause I know as well as you, it’s a heart aching battle. I enjoy reading these posts from letsadopt Canada every day. Keep the inspiration coming! Thank you for all that you do!
Colleen says:
thanks Janette, and Bravo as previously said !
I would never use Craigs list or Kajiiji for pets and now I won’t use them for anything else either !
Thanks as always for your informative and educational blogs !
Katherine Chapman says:
I agree that Kijiji is simply a free buy and sell for animals. I disagree that no so called
”reputable” breeders advertise there? There are many many ads for Purebred, C.K.C. registered dogs.and alot are from top Breeders too.I use to show dogs and personally know some of them on there!
I had no idea they weren’t suppose to list them there? Type in German Shepherd Pups on any given day and there are all kinds of ”Breeders” charging anywhere from $500 to $2000
a pup! Not all breeders have waiting lists,maybe rare breeds but the others are turning out pups like crazy!.Some are breeding the same females every six months, they even have the same ads and pictures!
I applaud you Adrienne.for contacting the people who advertise their dogs for free.especially the un-altered ones. I do the same,although most don’t reply to my emails.
I hate even going on Kijiji,the number of pups is astounding.it seems people are using there dogs to make money more now then ever before. They are in it for the money.and don’t screen buyers and most pups end up at the shelter.,where they are resold or euthanized. Shelter fees is another BIg problem. Maybe if they reduced their fees more people would adopt instead of buying off Kijij,
We definatey have our work cut out for us..but speaking out and education is the first step!
You Suck At Kijiji says:
Thanks for being completely transparent about your motives and agenda, so people can make their own judgment on your message. Some folks aren’t as honest.
Having said that, I completely see your point about avoiding breeders who advertise suspiciously online, but is it really necessary to boycott Kijiji altogether? If I have an old refrigerator to sell, or want to buy a second-hand camera, should I really avoid the entire system because some uneducated twits are shopping there for neo-mastiffs?
A lot of the stuff on Kijiji sucks, but Kijiji is really good about enforcing its boldly-posted rules *IF* users tip them off about the offenders. I’m a big fan of keeping a clean, friendly marketplace. Abandoning it because of some bad apples just leaves it populated by bad apples. If Kijiji is your neighbourhood, make it a healthy neighbourhood. Don’t just pack up and move out.
Sherle says:
Can you set up a couple of petitions for Kijiji and CraigsList. A little, or a lot, of public negative PR in a Sign the Petition Campaign will get their attention. Recommend using Care2 for the petitions. A call for a boycott is good, but a petition will get a wider audience.
Carol Gallant says:
I absolutely agree with you, I am always on those sites checking to see which ones that could be possible puppymillers- I have seen some giving away free pups because they are not seelllable because they have hernias- or the seniors who were so over bred– makes me sooo angry–I put an ad on kijiji saying don’t support pets stores don’t shop please adopt- but someone reported me and they removed my ad
alex says:
Craiglist is far better and cannot be compared to kijiji,a site that seeks and encourages more ad postings by any means.Most puppy for free in kijiji are scams.It’s hard to discern fake from real ads.Decent breeders also advertise online,but online advertising in canada is not restricted to kijiji and craiglist. There are lots of decent canadian classifieds sites out there that have less but quality ads and should be supported by visiting them to break the monopoly. The good thing about small to medium sites(or even newspapers) is that they dont attract lots of scammers and can keep things under control.
Obama said to “Buy American” , Let’s “Buy Canadian” and boycott both of these corporate american companies( craiglist may be free but he made $80 millons last year,go figure).
puppys says:
you cant stereo type a back yard breeder, someone trying to make a few extra bucks..to say the puppy was raised in bad condition in nonsense. sure they are out there but you cant put them all in one pile. there are even some bad apples in the so called legitimate breeders. i myself would purchase a pup from anyone if the price was right. why spend $1000 when you can get the same pup for half the price.
Janette Hamilton says:
Oh but I can and will stereo type a backyard breeder. Animals are not for exploitation for the purpose of making money. If you need a few extra bucks GET ANOTHER JOB! These people who look at their dogs and say “hey I’ve got my own little cash cow right here” have no respect for the health or welfare of their pets. Breeding is not some fly by night thing. If it is going to be done at all it should be done responsibly. You don’t just look at your two unfixed dogs and say you two are going to have puppies so I can sell them and make money. Breeding pairs must be carefully chosen for health and temperament, properly vetted to ensure health throughout pregnancy, it is not simply a mater of finding two dogs of the opposite sex and going to it. If you would rather buy the cheap puppy who has had no shots and is not health certified simply because it might cost you less, then you are a bigger idiot than the irresponsible breeder that sold it to you,and probably should not own a pet at all because it obviously means nothing to you. Not to mention you are part of the problem if this is the way you think.
Reece says:
Um you said ” Animals are not for exploitation for the purpose of making money”
I agree, but do breeders not charge money for there pups ??
Janette Hamilton says:
Yes they do, but they also have expenses to cover, such as vetting of Mom and Pups. Most legitimate breeders do not make money by selling puppies they barely break even.
Pat Barrington says:
Interesting topic
I AM a breeder and I (personally) would never advertise any puppies that I bred, be sold on Kijiji or Craigslist. I love the site for inanimate objects, but not living beings. When arguing the semantics of the range of what is charged for a pet… one must consider what the recognized health issues are for any given breed (or mix of breeds) and then ask the “breeder” what screening measures they have taken to address these issues. Professional health screening is expensive and the costs must be shared between breeder and pet owner. The health screening is done to hopefully reduce the risk of these health issues appearing. If a purchaser thinks it is worth it to purchase an unscreened pet at a reduced rate, then be prepared for an increased risk. Purchasers buying from BYB, puppy mills, etc. and not supporting responsible breeders with proven practices, are every bit as responsible for the sad little beings being produced as the proprietors of these facilities are. Responsible breeders provide health clearances of parents and can provide info on ancestry within the pedigree. Responsible breeders provide ongoing support (such support can even save $$$), and to varying degrees a guarantee on certain health issues. Responsible breeders belong to local, regional, and/or national breed clubs and are held to a Code of Ethics and Breeder Guidelines, subject to discipline from their peers. Compare these things to a purchase from a pet store or someone selling their breedings online. If one truly loves the pet they are looking to purchase, then they care about its future health and quality of life… Breed Clubs could post ads on sites such as Kijiji and Craig’s List, but the info should direct the viewer to their Club website (which in turn will direct to breeders within their club).