“Rehoming” vs. Selling.
Since being here in CA, “rehoming” is a word I see used all day, every day.
And I want to clarify something.
Many platforms (Nextdoor, Facebook, Craigslist, etc.) prohibit the sale of animals — but allow “rehoming with a fee.” So the language gets softened. It becomes a policy workaround.
But softened language does not automatically equal ethical practice.
Traditionally and responsibly:
• Rehoming = transferring a dog in the best interest of the animal, with screening, contracts, follow-up, and ideally spay/neuter.
• Selling = exchanging an animal for money as a transaction.
If puppies are being placed for a fee while the parent dogs remain intact…
If there is no rescue oversight…
If there is no screening process, contract, or accountability…
This isn’t responsible rehoming.
It's backyard breeding with softer language.
And let’s also call something else what it is:
“Oops” litters are, essentially, backyard breeding without responsibility.
This isn’t meant to sugarcoat. The impact is serious — and it’s 100% avoidable.
With animals, it's never a matter of "if" intact dogs will breed… it’s a matter of **when.**
Sex drive is one of the most powerful biological drives in animals.
And most households do not (and will not) maintain the strict management protocols required when a female goes into heat.
Males can also scent a female in heat from miles away.
They will climb, dig, jump, break through, and roam to get to her.
This is why so many dogs “go missing.”
The ones with easy, anytime-they-want yard access. Left outside unattended all the live-long-day.
The ones whose humans thought, “It’ll be fine.”
Doors get left open. Gates aren’t latched all the way.
Management fails. Fences fail. Biology does not.
This isn’t about winning a semantics battle. It’s about outcomes.
Because when words replace responsibility, dogs pay the price.
If an accidental litter happens, responsible next steps look like this:
• Contact a reputable, ethical rescue for guidance (how to spot one: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyArtley1/posts/pfbid0RAZPFiuQc5JEYSruA8DjuiV9yvGGsrjru63JwBo2jWfwHPRRErAbKf42YuNnqFZml)
• Screen heavily and thoroughly.
• If you can’t find an ethical rescue to take the pups, get help drafting a placement contract that protects them — return-to-you clause, spay/neuter requirements, no resale/no breeding, etc.
• And, please, for the love of all things holy. Alter both parent dogs.
Altering the parent dogs isn’t punishment. It’s prevention. It’s responsibility. It’s stewardship.
At the end of the day, if we’re not willing to prevent the next litter,
we’re not solving the problem — we’re actively contributing to it.
