Thank you for all your comments and emails. I don't think there is one solution to all this but perhaps, instead of focusing on ourselves, our needs and what we want from animals, we should change the focus. Are the animals happy to be exploited, forced to breed, sold, purchased as commodities, discarded when no longer wanted, re-advertised, sold again, neglected, abandoned, dumped at rescues, judged on their looks, their shape, their colour, their behaviour. If those animals we claim we love, were able to see the full picture, would they be impressed by the way we treat them as a 'superior species'? Very unlikely! Would they be in support of rescuing and adopting rather than more breeding into an uncertain future. Probably!
Pets4Homes, by offering free advertising to absolutely anyone, has inevitably attracted greedy people, dealers and other criminals. Yes, other sites are bad too but not on such a massive scale and some no longer allow the advertising of animals (Facebook / Shpock). It's a step in the right direction. Better than inviting everyone to advertise litters of their pets for free!
People buying off Pets4Homes and other selling sites, choosing animals according to their size, colour, look, like items off a catalogue are no better. Thousands of pets are sitting unwanted in rescue centres, overlooked, because of this.
Everyone has to play their part.
All this petition was asking for is to stop the advertising of animals for Christmas. Over 126,000 people signed it. Would the animals sign it if they could? Why wouldn't they?
But this seems too much to ask, even for a couple of weeks in December. The pet selling sites don't want to act, claiming the problem would move elsewhere. Pathetic excuse for doing nothing.
The breeding, selling and animal suffering has been out of control this year and there is no sign of improvement. Rescue centres as usual are picking up the pieces. And they will next year again. They are pushed over their limits and taken for granted. They have to refuse animals in need due to lack of space, resources, finances.
If the animals could speak to us what would they say? This is what I think they'd say. Adopt. Support Rescues. Save Lives.
Isabelle Rineau
Babba Campaign