Mandatory Spay-Neuter on Craigslist

Please implement a mandatory spay-neuter policy on your website.

It's the right thing to do -- it will save millions of pets' lives, billions of tax dollars, and it is becoming the law in many communities. It's the humane equivalent of "going green."

A spay-neuter requirement will make the Craigslist Pets section fun to surf again, and will bring Craigslist back into the vanguard of modern, progressive, humane and humanitarian companies.

Please require all dogs and cats advertised on Craigslist to be spayed or neutered. All you have to do is add one line to your TOU: "Spayed/neutered dogs and cats only, please!"


Sincerely,
The undersigned members of the Craigslist community

FAQ

Q: How will readers know whether an advertised pet is spay-neutered?
A: Craigslist can add two simple features to its Pet section ads: A "spay-neutered" yes/no radiobutton (like the dealer/owner button for ads in the Cars & Trucks section), and a "pet license number" textbox (like the license information box for ads in the Skilled Trade Services section). This is one of many easy-to-implement options supported by the existing ad system.

Q: How will Craigslist enforce a spay-neuter rule?
A: Craigslist is moderated by its users, who flag noncompliant or illegal ads for removal. The Craigslist community already does a decent job of enforcing the existing pet policy, for instance requiring minimum rehoming ages, and prohibiting pet breeding ads. Spay-neuter will fit in naturally with these other requirements, and will take no extra effort to enforce.

Q: What are these new spay-neuter laws?
A: Sacramento County code is a good example. It includes a mandatory spay-neuter law for dogs and cats, and requires that permit numbers be stated in all advertisements. You can read more at this URL: http://municipalcodes.lexisnexis.com/codes/sacramento_co/_DATA/TITLE08/Chapter_8_24_DOGS_AND_CATS.html

Q: What about people who can't afford to spay-neuter their pets before placing them for adoption?
A: Free or low-cost spay-neuter is available in all areas of the US now, so every pet owner can afford to have their pets spay-neutered. And Craigslist allows you to charge a small fee to reimburse pre-adoption spay-neuter expenses.

Q: What if a puppy or kitten is too young for spay-neuter?
A: Puppies and kittens must be at least 8 weeks old before they're legal to rehome, by local and state laws and federal regulations. Early spay-neuter is available at 6 weeks old in every state, and standard spay-neuter is available in every community at 12-16 weeks. Any pet that's old enough to be on Craigslist is old enough to be spayed or neutered!

Q: Why is spay-neuter especially important on Craigslist?
A: Craigslist has never been for selling marketable pets. Pet sales are strictly prohibited on the site. Craigslist is only for pets in true need of homes. The pets for adoption on Craigslist are already in trouble -- they're "surplus", "homeless", or "unwanted" pets. Breeding them will only add to the pet overpopulation problem.

Q: Wow! Then who wouldn't want mandatory spay-neuter on Craigslist?
A: Unfortunately, some breeders and pet dealers sell puppies and kittens on Craigslist even though it's against the Craigslist terms-of-use. Spay-neutering will add overhead expenses, and will lower the market-value of the pets they sell. This could diminish and even erase the profitability of surreptitiously selling pets on Craigslist. Also, some people don't yet know that low-cost spay-neuter services are now available in almost every community.

Q: Why bother with a petition, isn't Craigslist a gigantic corporation that will do whatever it wants anyway?
A: Craigslist is a community-based company, and constantly modifies its website to reflect community standards. Craigslist actively solicits feedback from users, and they state "The craigslist site you see today is largely the result of user suggestions." If Craigslist believes that its community wants a spay-neuter requirement, they will make it so!

Q: Is there a more direct way to voice my support for a spay-neuter policy on Craigslist?
A: Yes! Craig welcomes email from the community, his public email is [email protected] You can use Craigslist's online suggestion form: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/emailForm.cgi. You can also post in Craigslist's Feedback forum: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?forumID=8. Don't be shy!

* Permission is granted to link, crosspost, and distribute this petition