UPDATE April 2, 2014: During the six months since I started this petition asking Craigslist to change their policies on pet ads, many positive things have happened, including media coverage, attorneys, and multiple communications sent directly to Craigslist.
The latest news is that on February 3rd 2014, my attorneys, David Feldman and Norm Sherman from ForeverCare Pet Mediation sent a second communication to Craigslist's CEO, Jim Buckmaster. This letter was confirmed received by his office, as it was signed directly by a Craigslist employee. Since he has not responded, I wanted to share the content of that letter with all 380,000 of you.
I created my own website to keep everyone updated so please visit
http://puppydoekiya.com/ to sign up to receive updates. You can also read the entire letter to Craigslist and view a complete timeline of the story.
Thanks again for all of your signatures and support!
Justice for Puppy Doe: Tell Craigslist to Help Stop Violence Against Pets
SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG
Petition by Joyel E.
Braintree, MA
On August 31st 2013, a young, small, female dog named ‘Puppy Doe’ was found brutally tortured in a Quincy, Massachusetts park, and we were all left wondering who could let this happen to any animal. The dog’s injuries were so violent and severe that the only humane thing to do was to euthanize her. She had been starved, burned, stabbed, and limbs pulled from her joints in what’s been described as a “medieval’ style torture.
It was later determined that the original owner of the dog had to give her up for undermined reasons. According to media reports, the owner decided to put the dog, named Kiya, up for adoption on Craigslist. Craigslist is often a go-to source for animal abusers looking for victims because it is anonymous and there is no accountability or screening process like regular shelters and rescue groups provide. I'm asking Craigslist to change their policies on these re-homing ads, and only allow registered shelters and rescues to post adoptable pets so it is never again a part of tragedies like what happened to Puppy Doe.
The before and after pictures of "Puppy Doe" speak for themselves. How many more times does this have to happen before Craigslist stops allowing people to give their pets away to strangers without any background checks or accountability? They already prohibit the sale of these animals, so I want them to update their policy to not allow the re-homing of pets by anyone not working for a registered shelter or rescue group that is able to conduct background checks to make sure animals are placed in loving homes.
I'm passionate about this cause because no animal should have to suffer anything close to what 'Puppy Doe' endured. I'm a passionate animal lover who grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts and remember playing at the playground where Puppy Doe was found. I’ve tested the Craigslist platform since this horrendous incident and there are no warnings whatsoever on the ‘Pets’ section about the dangers of posting these re-homing ads. These are breathing, feeling, loving animals we’re talking about, not old sofas or televisions -- we need to challenge Craigslist to do better by adopting a new policy that protects these vulnerable animals.
It's beyond words that this sweet, innocent dog, that once knew love had to suffer this violent, evil fate. If actions were taken to change the "free to a good home" style ads, there would be some justice in Puppy Doe's name knowing that another pet will never suffer such violence as a result of being dumped on Craigslist.
I have been gutted since the moment I heard about Puppy Doe, and recalled hearing about the "dog serial killer" who tortured dogs he collected off of Craigslist last year, along with other countless horror stories. Also, we must not forget the story of the notorious Boston 'Craigslist Killer' murders which led Craigslist to ban the "erotic services" section on their site.
I believe strongly that this petition is an effective way to make a difference. I will take it as far as it can possibly go to make sure Craigslist updates its policy to not allow any re-homing of animals through its site unless done by proper shelters and rescue groups.
To Puppy Doe: Rest in Peace sweet angel girl, and know that there are thousands of people who love you and are seeking justice.
