I’ve never listed anything live on Craigslist, and I truly don’t know if this is a good idea or not, so I’m seeking the opinions of other animal people.
I have this amazing foster dog (she’s advertised on the Giveaways forum, so this is not a moneymaking advertisement!) that just hasn’t gotten enough exposure in the public eye. She’s an adorable dog, really a good girl, and I think she’d find a home 10x faster if people actually KNEW about her. Are there any avenues beyond Craigslist to get the word out? Obviously I’d screen people, and I’d rather continue fostering than put her in an inappropriate home, but I imagine there have to be some decent people looking to adopt a hard-off dog and checking Craigslist in addition to Petfinder, Petango, etc.
Am I off my rocker?
NO! Post her info with the a link to her photo and we will all share it on facebook. Facebook gets it done.
ETA: I just saw her on giveaways. She’ll go fast with some updated photos…good photos of a happy dogs work much better than a dog in a e collar.
I agree that putting her on FB would likely generate a lot of good exposure… I’d be wary of putting her on CL.
I see zero reason not to put her on craigslist. Word the ad very carefully, ask people to include several references, and do a thorough screening and a home check. Worse case you don’t get the right home. If you decide not to go through CL then I would strongly recommend contacting the reputable rescues in your area with websites. They will often do courtesy listings for dogs outside of their rescue.
In my experience even a foster ad gets flagged off CL very quickly. I second facebook as working very well.
How about this photo? It’s super cute. Should be a public FB link. Emma’s the black/tan.
I’ve set up some courtesy listings with local rescues. I will try to advertise on FB a little more. I tried contacting a local Min Pin person, but she was actually very rude and blew me off (saying there are a lot of dogs out there that need homes). Maybe I’ll try the local sighthound people.
Thanks for the ideas! Something will pan out and Emma will find her person…I just wish her person would come along a little sooner.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100806390808278&l=9ef1e41f68
Dog Shaming does adoptable dogs on Fridays, and it’s national exposure. They have a lot of adoptions happening that way. http://www.dogshaming.com/
OP can you get a picture outside in natural lighting? A few super clear, bright pictures can make a world of difference for someone debating whether or not to call. In my area we had a local photographer who volunteered her time with rescues and I think her photos helped dogs find their forever homes in a much shorter period of time. Maybe there is someone in your area who offers the same service for free?
If you are working with local rescues, ask one of them to list your dog on Petfinder with you as the contact person. You also might be able to bring her to one of their adoption locations on weekends, which would get her to meet a lot of potential adopters.
I would find out if a rescue organization would let you list your dog through their organization on petfinder.com. Many will do this for fosters. You could also advertise at your local vet. Pictures in the sun will go along way to help you with you are showing off a beautiful dark dog!
However, I agree with GraceLikeRain that there is no harm in posting on Craigslist, AS LONG AS, you “Word the ad very carefully, ask people to include several references, and do a thorough screening and a home check.” AND make sure your foster is spay/neutered before posting on Craigslist.
I know there are a lot of dog flipper and dog sellers on Craigslist. I am very opposed to the breeding and selling of puppies that happens there. However, I got my current dog off of Craigslist (for free, if he had cost money I would have gone through a rescue on petfinder), but it just happened that after looking at petfinder, I saw his face on craigslist, knew he was in a bad situation and took him. I would have gotten a better deal on petfinder as those dogs have had all of their vet care, but I do think that sometimes good, responsible people look on Craigslist in addition to other sites. I would have been willing to go through home checks, pay a small fee, etc off of Craigslist IF it had been a rescue or foster dog but otherwise I don’t “buy” animals on Craigslist.
Good luck!
I put them on Craig’s List. As long as you have an adoption protocol to follow (applications, references, sight check) what is the problem? Plus you get a lot more exposure in your own area and to people who might actually be LOOKING for a dog/cat.
I am working on getting better pictures (how’s this one?) and might take her to the local pet store today to meet people. Great ideas! Also reaching out to more local shelters.
ETA: That link includes a photo and info about her. Feel free to share on FB with friends!
I ‘adopted’ a Craigslist dog five years ago. We are a military family and many rescues won’t work with us, so when I was looking for a dog to keep me company during DH’s first deployment I started with CL. Not everyone who checks Craigslist is a terrible person - if you are careful and thorough, that may be a venue to find the right family.
(Maera, the Craigslist dog, is asleep next to me on an extra large memory foam dog bed at the moment. If you asked her, I imagine she’d say the Craigslist thing worked out pretty well.)
Emma has found a forever home!
After reading everyone’s thoughts/experiences, I did an advertising blitz for Emma - FB, email, and yes, Craigslist. I met a couple through CL who were casually looking for a second dog, stumbled across Emma, and saw their dog’s female doppelganger - it’s uncanny how similar their dog, Gilbert (also a former rescue), looks! As we got talking it turns out that they are friends of a fellow boarder at my barn. They have their own home, regularly walk their dog on the trail that borders their yard, and Gilbert also goes to the dog park. Gilbert gets good quality food and vet care.
We had several meet-and-greets, and Emma got along great with the family and Gilbert. They’re in the process of applying to the shelter now, and I’m sure they’ll get approved!
I’m super happy for Emma!
Good for you, and Emma (which is my name - so I’m super happy she found a home!) :-D.
I have a friend who fosters cats and has done several successful adoptions through craigslist. As long as you ask the same questions you normally would, there’s no reason not to use any advertising source you can IMO.
Glad you found a home for this dog. I wanted to chime in with the pro-craigslist people. I’ve always had mutts from shelters, but am very unlikely to go that route again, because of the process. I’m just not filling out a zillion pages of personal information to buy a pup, and I’m not promising the pup will never be off leash, that the yard will be fenced, or anything of the sort. I probably wouldn’t be approved anyway, because I’m in the office too much. So my next dog will probably come from someplace like CL - and yeah, you’d be glad for me to have her. 
I’m probably not the only one.
Disclaimer: I understand why shelters have the process, and why it has to be formalized. I’m just not going to participate in it.
Congratulations!!! I’m so glad she found a great forever home.
I got my newest doberman, Drago, off Craigslist. I like rescues, and will go to the pound for dogs, but don’t like the hoops “official” rescues make you go through to adopt. When I knew my older dobe Jake was dying of cancer, I started looking at Craigslist, because I couldn’t face being dobie-less.
The folks getting rid of Drago had just had a baby and decided they had one dog too many. Drago was the youngest, and I got him and his crate for $75. He said they had many people call about him, but they like me because I had doberman experience and they knew he wouldn’t end up on a chain in someone’s backyard.
StG
I, also, got my newest Doberman off of craigslist last September. I knew that my female was on, literally, her last legs, and I wanted another female to keep my male Doberman company.
I saw the ad, drove an hour, and liked what I saw (personality wise). Spicy is a good girl and wants to work, so I guess I’m going to have to keep her busy. 
I, too, am happy with shelters trying to match dogs and owners, but like others, I don’t like to be the one “vetted.” To be honest, I went to a humane society last year to look at another dog, jumped through their hoops, and probably would have gotten the Doberman, but I felt he wasn’t a good match for ME.
Spicy was free. She was also skinny, had no shots, needed to be fixed, and had long nails. A mile away from her former home, I stopped the car, took her out of the back seat, and put her in the front with me. She rode the rest of the way home with her head in my lap.
She fits.
