There’s been much in the news lately about the dangers of rehoming your pet through Craigslist, spurred by the sad case of Puppy Doe in Massachusetts, and too many others before her throughout states around the country.

Puppy Doe was rehomed last year through Craigslist in a “free to a good home” advertisement. These are just the sort of Craigslist ads that sound big alarm bells for those who work in animal welfare.

Craigslist is a convenient, casual and quick way to promote or dispose of a wide range of things from furniture, farm equipment, old cars, and more. Promoting a beloved family pet for adoption into a new home however, should be anything but convenient, casual and quick. The approach can often lead to dire, tragic and sometimes fatal endings for our family friends, as was the case of Puppy Doe.

While most people approach the classified ad service with good intentions, the free, easy, and unregulated nature of Craigslist also makes it a popular place for opportunistic creeps looking to take quick advantage.

As a result – as the author of this Change.org petition to Jim Buckmaster of Craigslist cites – “Craigslist is often a go-to source for animal abusers looking for victims because it is anonymous and there is no accountability or screening process like regular shelters and rescue groups provide.”

In 2012 Fido Love was founded as a way to help provide more accountability and screening “how to’s” for families looking to rehome a pet dog. Fido Love breaks the rehoming process into 7 Steps for Rehoming Your Dog a road map to help rehoming families ensure their friend is rehomed into a decent, loving home.

At Fido Love screening starts at registration – families provide information about themselves and their home environment. This slight ‘inconvenience’ to register as part of the Fido Love community is a first step to screen out creeps who might have other things in mind, than providing a loving and caring home to a new family friend.

Fido Love’s advice, guidance and support along the way helps rehoming families to ask the right questions, and progress at a responsible pace to ensure a good fit for their family friend.

When it comes to the safety and welfare of our family friends – the “convenient, casual and quick” platform that Craigslist provides can be so wrong in so many tragic ways. We urge you to sign the petition to the Craiglist CEO Jim Buckmaster.