Adopting out dogs can be dangerous

Adopting out dogs can be dangerous, if precautionary guidelines are not followed. How often do you invite complete strangers into your home? For many of us, the answer is never. Yet, when we are faced with finding a new home for a dog, this rule usually flies out the window. I was just reading in the news about a man that was assaulted in his own home, for the purpose of stealing a Yorkshire Terrier pup last month. He advertised the dog in the paper for sale, and was contacted by a man interested in looking at the dog. Two men and a woman came to his house, assaulted him with a knife, and took his dog.

The good news is that he is recovering, he has his dog back, and the police were actually able to capture and arrest the assailants. The bad news is, this is not the first time this kind of thing has happened, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I read about something similar, a few months back. A woman advertised in the paper, "puppies for sale". These people held a gun on the woman, not only did they take all the puppies, but the family dog as well. These types of people are obviously not animal lovers, they are stealing expensive breeds of dogs, to sell to the highest bidder.

All I'm saying is, allowing strangers into your home is probably never a good idea. Several months back, I was able to adopt out a stray dog, without ever advertising in the paper or allowing a stranger into my home. My method was through word of mouth. I talked to everyone in my extended family, my friends at work, and all my neighbors. It probably took a little longer to find a home that way, but my neighbor ended up helping me, and we found the most wonderful home for this dog through a mutual friend. An added benefit of not adopting the dog to a stranger, is that I have been able to check on him.

In addition, it is wise to be cautious when advertising a found dog. If the breed is expensive, someone may answer your ad that is not the owner. Even worse, they may answer your ad in order to get in your house under false pretenses. To prevent this from happening, find a unique marking or characteristic on the found dog, that you do not advertise on your found dog ad. Then when someone calls to inquire about the stray dog, you can use this information to determine if they are actually the owner. People that help animals are angels, and are needed desperately, just please be careful out there!