We see this phrase often in newspapers and on bulletin boards throughout our community. Dogs and cats and litters of unwanted puppies and kittens are trying to find their way into a new and loving home. Some of these animals will find a good home, but most will not. There is a dark side to the phrase, 'Free To Good Home' that most people don't know about. The evil that lurks are villains who we call Bunchers. Bunchers scour the newspapers and bulletin boards looking for free animals. The innocent dogs, cats, puppies and kittens that unknowingly fall into a Buncher's hands are headed on a collision course with misery.
The Four Types Of Bunchers
- Those who adopt free kittens and feed them to their exotic pet snakes
(while still Alive).
- Those who adopt free puppies, kittens and
easy-tempered pets and toss them into the ring with savage pit bull dogs in
order to let their 'fighters' get a taste for blood.
- Those who adopt
animals that are pure bred in appearance, only to keep them locked in small
cages at a back-yard breeders' puppy mill. These animals are used for breeding
purposes only, for the rest of their miserable lives. Most often, the cages
which are used are small, dirty and stacked in rows, one cage on top another. In
many exposed "Puppy Mills", feces and urine were allowed to fall from top cages
onto the animals below them.
- Those who pose as 'interested in adopting an
animal', travel from one advertisement to the next, adopting one or more animals
from each home until they have accumulated a truck-load of animals which they
launder across state lines. They then sell these animals to research
laboratories, by the pound.
Each of the above mentioned profiles allows you to believe they will make the perfect home for the pet you are giving them. You will never know the difference ! Some are well-dressed and well-spoken. Some are men, some are women and some will even bring children along with them to play the perfect part.
There is a way to stop this horrifying scenario Don't let your animal
breed ! If you can't afford to have your pet sterilized, contact one of the many
humane societies listed on this site to obtain financial assistance with your
pet's surgery. If you already have a litter, either reserve your give-aways to
people you know personally or at very least, attach a price tag to each
adoption. Bunchers are less likely to buy what they can get for free elsewhere.
Physically check the homes that each animal will be going to (before they go
there) and make follow-up visits often. Draw up an Adoption Agreement that you
are satisfied with and require that the new adopter sign that agreement. Ask for
references including past veterinarians that have been used for other pets and
check the references that are given to you. Record driver's license numbers and
license plate numbers of those who are adopting your animal(s). If any of the
above measures seem to make your adopter nervous, you probably should not allow
your animal to leave with them.