Three of the dead dogs pictured here were listed on local Facebook pages as “free to good home.”
The dead husky has a story. She was found dead, wrapped in a shower curtain. She was listed as “free to good home,” and the notice stated that she was purebred and great with kids. In spite of that endorsement, the family “couldn’t” keep her because they were having a baby. She was found dead within weeks of that posting. The person who shared these pictures wrote:
This poor girl has had her face literally peeled from her body and there are deep puncture wounds between her front legs. I do not know what caused them but I can say with CERTAINTY she did not die quickly or peacefully.”
When a local rescuer called the woman who had placed that ad and given the husky to its killer, the woman blamed the local rescues for the dog’s death — not the sadistic killer who tortured the dog before killing it. “It’s the rescue’s fault because they won’t help the average Joe. So I couldn’t get a rescue to take the dog.” She didn’t want the dog to go to the local shelter to be killed, so she gave the dog to a stranger.
The dog died a horrific death. The person who took the picture shared that, “It looked like the face had been surgically removed.” If the owner had taken the dog to her local vet to be killed, it would have been a kinder end.
The two dogs laid out next to each other were also listed on a local Facebook page as “two bonded pits free to good home.” It appears that they suffered greatly before dying. The poster wrote, “There are bite wounds and lacerations all over their bodies. They’ve been here, dumped like garbage after obviously having been fought. They were most likely dumped still alive and left to slowly bleed out. If they were lucky, they got to pass out before succumbing to death.” When the former owner of those dogs was called, even after repeated calls, there was no response.
The last picture doesn’t even look like a dog. It’s the bones of a dog who died anonymously and whose body was disposed of as if it were a thing of no consequence, a piece of garbage. There were multiple broken bones in the garbage bag, but the body was there so long that it’s impossible to determine how the dog died. But the person who found the remains says, “I’d be willing to bet money it was a ‘free to good home’ baby as well.”
This all took place and still takes place in Kilpatrick, Alabama, where the dead and dying dogs are dumped. Animal rescuers go there to try to help those who are still alive. The local law enforcement is no help at all. Unless there is proof that a dog was dumped alive, there is no crime. Dumping a dead dog — no matter how it died — is just against a local ordinance and punishable by a fine. This is in the area where the local animal control officer shot two dogs instead of catching them last year according toWHNT19 News.
Free to good home? There is no such thing.
When you get a “free” dog or cat, it’s not really free. That’s because responsible pet owners have their dogs seen by a veterinarian, vaccinated, and kept on preventatives (like heartworm and flea preventatives) to keep them healthy and happy. Responsible owners don’t give their animals to strangers.
Free to good home?
If someone isn’t willing to pay a rehoming fee, run away. If you MUST rehome a dog or cat, demand a veterinary reference. Most vets will provide that, especially if the prospective adopter gives permission. Make sure that current or past pets were kept up-to-date on vaccinations and were spayed or neutered. If people can’t afford to give their dog proper medical care, they shouldn’t get your dog. And if they can’t give you any references (personal and/or work), don’t give them your dog!
Your pet is helpless and dependent on you for its life, security and happiness. You owe it to the creature that depends on you to make sure that you are delivering it into a safe home. Instead of allowing someone to take the dog or cat home, insist on bringing the pet to the potential new home yourself so you can see where it will live. Also, call and check on how the new situation is working out. Make the adopter(s) sign an agreement that if they ever don’t want the pet, they will call you and give the dog or cat back to you first.
There are just too many animals who are passed from family to family, confused and scared, and who end up chained outside, unwanted, unloved. There are too many cats who are dumped to fend for themselves in hostile environments — cats who once were loved and petted and now dodge stones thrown by ignorant children.
If you know anyone who needs to rehome a pet, please share this information with that person. There are many rescues that will do a courtesy posting of animals in need of homes. The rescue might even be willing to help with references and to make sure that the animal is going to a good home. Your pet is depending on you — don’t let it down!
The original Facebook post can be found here. Some of the groups who help are Furever Friends of the South K9 Rescue and 2nd Chance Shelter.
(This is a reprint of the article originally published on Examiner.com. on April 10, 2016. 69,000 people “liked” it on Facebook, and it was widely shared. It still serves as an important lesson.)
