No dog owner ever feels good about having to give up their beloved pet because they are no longer able to care for him, but sometimes people have no other choice but to look for an adoptive family. I'm sure if you were ever forced to part ways with your pet, you'd pick out the best possible people to serve as his new "parents," right?

Well -- after hearing about a new scheme called "Dog Flipping," you will want to hug your dog a little bit tighter -- and you'll probably vow to never let him go. Because there are plenty of horrible people out there who want to prey on your vulnerability and make a cheap buck off your dog instead of giving him a loving new home. Appalling, but true.

Basically, scammers will pose as people who are looking to adopt a new family pet, but then after taking your dog or puppy in, they turn around and sell him for a profit. How cheap and disgusting is that?

One woman in Ohio was very diligent in selecting homes for her litter of nine puppies, and it wasn't until she saw one of them listed on Craigslist for $60 that she realized what was going on. She ultimately bought the dog back from the girls she had given him to, but that doesn't make her (or the puppy) any less of a victim of fraud. Can you believe that someone would actually jeopardize a puppy potentially going to an unloving home for a mere $60?

Finding a family member or friend is definitely the best route to go should you run into a situation where you have to give up your pet. But if you ever do have to resort to finding strangers to adopt him, make sure to do plenty of background research before handing him off to someone you don't know. The last thing you want is to see him up for sale a day or two later.

Did you find your family pet online?

 

Image via Soggydan/Flickr