Whether you have to move to a home that does not allow animals or you can no longer afford to properly care for your pet, Craigslist is not the way to go if you need to surrender your beloved friend.

If you plan to surrender your pet, look to animal rescues and shelters before sites such as Craigslist. (damedeeso, ThinkStock)
If you plan to surrender your pet, look to animal rescues and shelters before sites such as Craigslist. (damedeeso, ThinkStock)
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That is the warning from animal welfare officials in New Jersey who recommend that you go to your local animal shelter for help first.

"When it comes to Craigslist, it's buyer and seller beware," said Carrie Harrington, vice president of development and communications for St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. "We always recommend that you never do free to a good home because you want to try to weed out the people who may not have the best interest of the animal at heart."

In many cases, people are looking for animals to use as bait for dog fighting. There is also a fairly new phenomenon known as pet flipping where people acquire an animal and resell it at a higher price in order to make a profit.

"If you are posting your animal for free, you are in danger of attracting someone who is less interested in your pet and more interested in making a quick buck," Harrington said.

"Craigslist is one of the biggest mistakes that a pet owner can make when trying to surrender an animal. More often than not, the animal will wind up in a severe situation. It could be dog fighting, guard dog work for drug stashes or car lots or homes that just have ill intentions because there is no one monitoring the situation and there is no paper trail," said Scott Crawford, assistant director for the Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey.

If you need to surrender an animal, Harrington and Crawford recommend the following:

  • Ask family and friends;
  • Start with your local animal shelter;
  • Get help if the animal has a behavior issue. There are resources to curb the behavior.

There are many shelters across the state that take surrenders. There may be a small fee, but sometimes that fee can be waived rather than have the animal dumped into a situation that may be even worse.

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