Why I hate Craigslist Pet Ads
1:45 AM Posted by GloryBug
It draws the most stupid of the stupidic, because on the pets page it specifically states " no pet sales or breeding please -- rehoming with small adoption fee OK"
Now that is stupid. Because 50 times a day someone with 6 inbred pups posts an ad stating that they are 'SELLING' and 'rehoming' the pups for 50-400$ each.
Every single one of those backyard breeders are aware that they are breaking the rules by advertising the sale of animals, but Craigslist does nothing about it.
Any check of the flag help forum reveals multiple people every hour whining about why their ad was flagged off- even people openly admitting to selling animals. The majority, however, claim that they aren't. Boo, hoo. Why did my ad get flagged? Often there are ads that say 'Glad you flagged me- now me and my backyard bred pitbulls can repost right at the top of the pet pages!'
The forum can be pretty harsh, and they call out backyard breeders and irresponsible people, but Craigslist really does nothing to support them. Some of the people on the flag forum are jerks, but can you blame them for having to work with such a**holes?
The only power anyone has is to log into Craigslist daily and flag off the backyard breeders, and the people responsible for the glut in shelters having to kill animals.
I hate how Craigslist forces it's members to police the ads and enforce the 'no pet selling' by flagging them off- enough to have written a specific article giving all the details of How to Avoid Having Your Ped Ad Flagged Off Craigslist.I think it covers a lot of things. If you think it doesn't, please let me know.
February 29, 2012 at 9:49 AM
The problem is legitimate rescuers are being flagged constantly. I try to find homes for stray cats that I vet (usually at a cost of $150). I ask a $25 rehoming fee and get nasty emails from animal rights people who accuse me of trying to make money from strays I've found. I'm in SC...you don't dare give aware free animals down here. Other local rescuers are facing this as well. It seems to be mostly animal rights organizations on the West Coast trying to block our listings. They'll send these crazy emails saying I should keep all the cats I find.
They also try to block ads posted by people who've let their animals multiply and are trying to get homes for the puppies or kittens. Yes, these people are irresponsible, but who pays when their ads get flagged--their unwanted pets. Generally they either shoot them or take them to the pound (i.e. the local gas chamber). All that flaggers accomplish is getting animals killed.