Puppies at auctions.......good? Bad?

[Scarlett]

My school is planning an auction/fundraiser event. Dinner, dancing, alcohol, silent auction and live auction. The committe chair is currently searching for a puppy to auction......and this really bothers me.

Shouldn't one put a little more thought into the purchase of a puppy? I am just worried about drunk people getting caught up in the idea of taking a puppy home and being totally unprepared for it.......

Am I being too sensitive? The AKC has a position against it......so I'm guessing it is a bad idea all around......

Any thoughts?

TIA!

Jill

[maryellen]

Terrible idea. People need to MEET a puppy before they decide if it's right for their family, and a responsible pet owner would NEVER get a dog this way! Why not auction off obedience lessons for a puppy from the SPCA or something instead?

[Scarlett]

So glad to know I'm not the only one.....I'm going to email the comm. rep., but need to get my ideas together first........thanks!

[fatcat]

dumb idea! Plus, I don't think it'll be a popular item to bid on anyway. a purebred dog can be very expensive, doubtful people will bid as high as the breeder or pet store would charge. Also, people are very particular to certain breeds or types of dogs... could be the cutest, sweetest (insert breed name here) in the world, but unless you have an (insert breed name here) fan, no one will want it.

[Guest]

HORRIBLE IDEA!!!! You do not know the type of family

that will be taking the dog. No background checks, nothing. That is a potential abuse situation waiting to happen.

Dareya

[KaylieS]

Who thought that one up? What a crazy idea!

No, I am against it.

Our silent auctions usually include a free spay/neuter from a local vet and that is pretty popular, and much more responsible! (I actually won one at the last auction I went to for my kitty!! Great timing...I think I got it for about $39 for a spaying, go me!)

Obedience classes that someone said were another good idea.

Or even include in the auction a certificate for a pound pet- they win the auction for the cert, take itto pound, and get to pick out the pet they want, assuming they of course meet the pound's requirements for owners. That way they can take their time deciding what kind of pet, age, etc that they want.

I would have LOVED something like this years ago! (3 of our 6 pets were from the humane society in ohio, 2 were essentially strays, and one other)

Kaylie

[graemesmom]

Yuck!

Terrible idea. Totally tasteless.

An animal isn't something one should take home on a whim. I think your concerns are more than valid. And the idea that this is an auction, that there would be people bidding on the poor thing...so wrong on so many levels.

I'm going to stop now, but I think you get the idea. Good luck talking the chair down.

Heidi

[JenL]

I guess it depends...

Is your goal to make a lot of money? A local church does an auction every year and every year they have a puppy. It is usually the thing that brings in the MOST MONEY! Usually very big bucks!!!
I guess I don't understand why everyone thinks someone couldn't responsibly bid on a puppy? Are the auctioned items listed ahead of time? My good friend got her puppy from the above church auction and they knew it was going to be there and they planned on bidding on it and they won. It was a planned thing.
JenL

[Guest]

I agree, terrible idea...

One of my friends actually bid on and won a puppy at a school fundraising auction. The cute puppy turned into a big dog that was totally not right for their family because it was very aggressive. I think people, whether they've had drinks or not, get caught up in the winning instead of a thoughtful decision about adopting a puppy.

[LuckyLucy]

I agree with JenL...

This has been done at our school in the past (before my time!)...and was quite successful for all involved. The breeder was a school parent, and all interested families were encouraged to "meet" the puppy prior to auction. They have auctioned popular breeds (where we live this includes retrievers and labs) and the puppies "came with" a coupon for obedience classes.

The last pup went for $4200. I think it's OK as long as it's done well.

[goodleg]

It's done all the time here in TX. In fact, I have a friend who has gotten 2 of her dogs from school auctions. If someone doesn't want a dog then they won't bid on it. And if they get it for less than they could at a breeder, well then, good for them. It is a donation on the breeders part either way so the end price shouldn't make a difference.

Like JenL said, some people plan on this and would rather have the money go to a school than a breeder.

[Tiger]

Auction a pet shelter adoption package -

- that's what I've seen here at our biggest auction. It was during the live auction even, and one of the auction assistants brought her *gorgeous* poodle/lab mix that she adopted from the pet shelter as the "model dog". The package included adoption of an animal of your choice some vet services and a pet store gift certificate. It was cute and fun!
T