This time of year, it is not uncommon for one to see people curbstoning pets or doing the modern-day equivalent; they sell them online.
Here are a quick couple of disclaimers. First, local and regional animal control agencies often make a push for adoptions during the holidays. That’s mostly OK. Their job is tough enough and most do a pretty good job of screening placements.
The second disclaimer: Please don’t confuse curbstoning with the brutal criminal assault known as curb-stomping. People curbstone cars when they park near a busy intersection and put a “For Sale,” sign in the window.
In general terms, why are the holidays a bad time to acquire pets? In a word, emotion. There is a power differential that comes with gifting. We’ve all felt that bit of dread when we receive a gift we didn’t want and perhaps do not have time for, especially if the giver is in the same room.
Also, people gifting animals may not realize they are presenting the recipient with a huge amount of responsibility and work they may not have wanted. Not everyone will like or care for a pet like perhaps you do. Now both parties may face some extraordinary stresses.
If one is hell-bent to get someone else a pet from a shelter over the holidays, consider getting them a gift certificate or promissory note from the shelter. Pay all the fees for the recipient and in return the shelter will place a pet with the recipient when they present the card or note.
If the recipient never shows, the shelter has a well-needed donation and the gift giver can possibly write off the fees as a donation when the transaction is canceled.
Would an attorney who cares about their local shelter consider volunteering to draft such a contract with all the provisions and terms found in a common breeder’s contracts? I’d be willing to help develop such a contract.
My guess is such a contract would be easy to construct and protect all three parties from a lot of potential risks. After all, people’s finances change and they may not be able to fulfill the reception of the gift. A gift giver would be more likely to give if they knew that if the gift falls through, they donated to their shelter and had no right to seek a refund. Finally, the shelter needs to know this animal will go to a home that is willing to keep it to the standards they represent. These are a few of the potential consequences to consider when developing such a document.
As for online puppy sales, be very careful. The Better Business Bureau tracks such things and says this year alone they expect to see online scam losses to top $2 million. The average consumer loss is about $850 per transaction.
Online scammers often effectively hold pets hostage. “Puppy scams remain consistently profitable for scammers because their multi-tiered setup allows scammers to convincingly go back to a consumer several times to ask for money,” states the BBB’s latest report on the matter. “Pictures of healthy and adorable puppies adorn the pages, with sellers falsely promising purebred dogs for reasonable prices.”
Often the photos are simply cut and pasted from the internet. “Yorkies, Daschunds and French bulldogs make up nearly 30% of all puppy scams,” according to 2022 BBB Scam Tracker report.
“Consumers mentioned more than 40 breeds however, meaning that buyers should be cautious when shopping for any breed online.”
Best advice? Just let the hustle and bustle of the holidays pass before looking.
Powell is the retired public information officer for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. For questions or concerns about animals you’d like to read about, email charliepowell74@gmail.com.
