Groupon Takes Dig at Animal Adoptions and Fails

We all know the Internet is a source of great humor, like Milk and Cookies, CollegeHumor.com, and The Onion. So what happens when a site whose purpose is not to entertain makes a crack at a real national problem?

Today, Groupon users were introduced to the Groupon Guide to: Adoptable Dogs. Featured, are four cute canines, each with their own story.



At first, you think, oh, how nice, they are using this space to help homeless pets find homes for Christmas. But upon closer inspection, you find the author is attempting to make light of animals in rescues and shelters. Let me tell you, there is nothing funny about millions of homeless pets being euthanized each year in this country.

I'm the president of an animal rescue in Savannah. We specialize in taking on dogs with special needs, much like Herman featured here. We dedicate time to fundraising for their care, getting them to and from appointments, and pre-screening potential families to find just the right fit. I, for one, was sorely disappointed by the Groupon dig, and I wasn't alone. There are now five pages of comments on their "feelings board," and I've seen multiple Facebook and Twitter posts calling for boycotts. I've even sent emails to the businesses on the site that they should have a chat with their Groupon representative if they wish to have my business.

The real fail here is that Groupon had a chance to make a big win for the holidays. Instead of engaging in something they clearly know nothing about (humor), they could have used the spots to feature real pets in need. Not only would those pets probably have found homes, but Groupon would have been praised for its effort, bringing more traffic to the site and more sales to its clients.

Way to miss it big right before Christmas, Groupon.

New Hampshire Man Steals Money and Rental Van from Rescue

People in rescue work so hard to save the lives of so many, and often with very little resources. So when I opened my inbox this morning to find that a man had stolen nearly $1000 in the promises of rescuing death row dogs in Georgia, I was furious. I'm re-posting the information in the hopes this gets around the Internet and this guy gets caught.

This man is currently missing. He picked up a rental van filled with crates on Thursday evening and left on a transport run on Friday morning around 6am. The canine rescue gave him a $500 prepaid credit card in order to cover gas and he also received a new brand name cell phone charger (car) and a GPS system (no tracking just a regular GPS device) for the van. After a stop in Media PA at another volunteer's home, he received another several hundred dollars because he threatened to walk away from the transport (headed to GA to save 20+ puppies from euthanasia) and the volunteer was desperate to keep the transport going. He stopped in Virgina to rent at a Red Roof Inn, paid for by the rescue, on Friday evening. He was supposed to be in GA for 6:30pm last night but he never showed and as of 4pm Saturday afternoon, his phone has been shut off. The rescue cannot locate him and it appears that he has disappeared with all of their donations dedicated to this transport, their crates, and a rental van. The puppies (including 6 infant yellow lab puppies) are out of time and will probably lose their lives because of this heartless evil man. Please, take a look at this picture below, photocopied the day he left with the van. Please, if you have any information, email us ASAP.
Thank you for all your help, and God Bless.

This was originally posted on a Craigslist site, so the only email address I have is a CL one (comm-ferxh-1632496993@craigslist.org). Someone was at least smart enough to get a copy of his drivers license, so here's the photo and info as well.