This is why I stopped looking at our local craigslist! As a dog lover too I see some terrible things on our local section, then tons of probable "impulse purchase" ferrets, birds and reptiles in bad condition looking for new homes - ironically the people are usually looking for "retail price" for these animals. I have never found anything good on craigslist, in fact in the past we have adopted maybe four reptiles from it and all were in such bad condition when we met them we couldn't say no, none of them survived to this day (mbd, starvation, dehydration, worse). Many of my animals are rescues, some were from good owners but have abuse or neglect in their prior history. Some were left at my work because for whatever reason the owner no longer wanted or could no longer care for them, others dumped on a roadside by anonymous people. Many of the animals that live at my work, especially the nonnative animals we use for tours, have sad histories or their owners simply could no longer care for them for whatever reason. There are a shocking amount of "exotic" animals left behind dumpsters or in vacant apartments here, how you can leave a reptile or ferret in a plastic container in the direct sun in summer in Texas I cannot understand...there are always other options. I have had to turn a blind eye to all of this because my home is "at capacity" - if I took in more animals we would struggle with the space and time required. I wish we could rescue all of them and find them good homes, but the truth is that I focus on giving the ones we have saved the best possible life and I have to be at peace with myself that for those animals, the suffering is over.
Whenever I meet potential pet owners I always try to be realistic about the cost, time and effort required to own animals, and I also always try to educate people on the needs of their animals if the opportunity presents itself. Having worked in a pet store I have seen all the impulse purchases and bad pet ownership they can perpetuate, and few of their employees are encouraged to screen people as it would cut into the store's profits. This is one of those things that is a constant internal struggle when you love animals - how to reconcile your own abilities and the needs of your current animals with the needs of the abused/neglected animals you will meet. Didn't mean to go on and on but this is something I feel strongly about and am confronted with daily even if I don't go out of my way looking for it.
