Lies and Misinformation
about IBuyStrays.com

Peta: (reprinted below)
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/01/ibuystrayscom_1.php

The American Humane Society,  From Wayne Pacell, President and CEO (reprinted below)
http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2008/01/ibuystrays.html

The ALF (reprinted below)
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/News/2008_01/IBuyStrays.htm

The Museum of Hoaxes
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/I_Buy_Strays/

Snopes
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/ibuystrays.asp

Urban Legends
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/webhoaxes/a/ibuystrays.htm

The Hoaxapedia
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Modest_Proposals/

IBS was featured in The Sunday Post in the UK on 1/6/08.

IBS appeared live on the drive-home radio talk show 'The Drive with Duff' on 940 Montreal on 1/3/2008 in the 5:10 time slot.

IBuyStrays made the evening news in North Carolina. Watch the segment on video
http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=95862&catid=57

The Chicago Tribune covered IBS in the Sunday edition on 2/3/08.

    Here we go again. Every so often, someone sets up a hoax website like Bonsai Kitten, which purported to be

changing the shapes of cats by putting them in jars, Save Toby (that guy who claimed he was

gonna kill his pet rabbit unless people sent him cash), and Kitty Beef (my personal

favorite—the title kind of speaks for itself), and a lot of people get (understandably) very

upset about the whole thing. Well, there’s a new kid on the block now, and this one may be

the most interesting of them all, because it draws attention to a little-known aspect of the

animal-experimentation business that really reveals a lot about the whole sick industry.

    IBuyStrays.com is a hoax. Just to be clear on this, it’s not a real site. The person who set

it up doesn’t really buy stray cats and dogs to sell to animal experimenters. So there’s no

need for alarm on that front. But sadly, the situation it describes is very real. As many as

115 million animals are experimented on and killed in laboratories in the U.S. every year.

Not that it makes any difference, ethically speaking, but a large number of these animals

are cats and dogs, and a great many of those cats and dogs come from the streets, from

animal shelters, and from people’s back yards.

    Class B animal dealers, or “Bunchers,” are licensed by the USDA to obtain dogs and cats from

“random sources,” which are defined as “animal pounds or shelters, auction sales, or from

any person who did not breed and raise them on his or her premises.” And many states allow

“pound seizure,” which means that the shelters are required by law to turn over certain

animals to experimenters on demand.

    So my point here is that anyone who’s shocked or upset by IBuyStrays.com should direct their

attention towards the animal experimentation industry itself. Although it may be a bit

tactless, the site isn’t doing any actual harm—in fact, if you ask me, it’s doing a good

thing by making people aware of the fact that the horrific circumstances which it ironically

depicts are a daily occurrence. And there is something we can do about it. To learn more

about how you can help animals suffering in labs, check out StopAnimalTests.com, and if you

haven’t already, you can click here to pledge to boycott products that are tested on

animals.

From Wayne Pacell, President and CEO of the American Humane Society.
http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2008/01/ibuystrays.html
January 07, 2008  

Hoax Site Represents Real Tragedy

    The Internet is a remarkable tool for animal protection; indeed, The HSUS has more than 1

million online advocates, and humanesociety.org is an invaluable resource for people who

want information about animal advocacy or who want to take action to help animals. But the

Internet is also a tool and an organizing platform for cockfighters, puppy millers, and

others who cause harm to animals. And it's also a haven for hucksters who scheme to deceive

the public or cause false alarm.

    In the last week or two, I've received a number of alarmed inquiries from animal advocates

about ibuystrays.com, which purports a site that tells people they can turn in dogs and cats

and be paid for the animals, who will in turn be sold into medical research. We believe it's

a hoax—possibly even a well-intentioned satire meant to draw attention to a serious issue.

I've asked Dr. Martin Stephens, our vice president of Animal Research Issues, to comment.

Here's his summary.

    The HSUS has received many inquiries from constituents concerned about the website

ibuystrays.com, which purportedly seeks to purchase unwanted dogs and cats from animal

shelters and owners and then sell these animals to research laboratories. As many of our

constituents have guessed, this site is a hoax. Two popular websites that debunk urban

legends and similar hoaxes have provided assessments of this site; see those analyses at

snopes.com and about.com.

    Nonetheless, the issue raised by this website is real. Every year, about a dozen individuals

known as Class B dealers round up dogs or cats and sell these unfortunate animals to

research laboratories. Regrettably, these dealers are licensed by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act to traffic in “random source” animals—those

obtained from flea markets, trade day sales, some animal control facilities, and totally

unregulated middlemen known as “bunchers.” (We know of no examples of such dealers acquiring

dogs and cats via web-based solicitations.) Because Class B dealers have a more than 40-year

history of violating the AWA by acquiring animals under fraudulent means (including pet

theft) and by housing and transporting animals under substandard conditions, The HSUS is

seeking to ban these dealers from trafficking in random source dogs and cats.

    The HSUS is lobbying hard for this ban, which has passed the House and Senate as part of the

Farm Bill. The House and Senate versions of the bill will be reconciled with each other and

we are hopeful that the Class B dealer ban will be retained when the final bill is sent to

the President for his signature. The provision would make it illegal for research facilities

to purchase random source dogs and cats from Class B dealers. This will remove the financial

incentive for these dealers to round up such animals, whether via the Internet or other

means.

    Please take action to help us ensure passage of the Class B dealer provision of the Farm

Bill. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_pet_safety_protection?qp_source=gaba5n

From the ALF
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/News/2008_01/IBuyStrays.htm

    Bravo for IBuyStrays.com! Having at last just taken a good look for myself, I have no doubt

that this website has produced an extraordinary animal rights message relating to unwanted

pets and not just for activists, but for the public at large. However, it is cleverly

disguised. So clever that it has had half-informed animal rescuers and activists scurrying

around for the past week trying to determine if it is for real or if it is an urban legend.

You have to read the material and go through all the links to see how clear the message is.

This was an extremely busy week for me so please accept my apologies for posting all the

emails on this without having taken a look at the website myself, until now. Well there's no

doubt in my mind and if you take the trouble to carefully read the material on each of the

links on the www.Ibuystrays.com website, you will undoubtedly come to the same conclusion!

    Some really smart activist or organization, has made a thoroughly provocative attempt to

call attention to the problem of unwanted animals, and to those who use every excuse in the

book to justify abandoning an animal. It also points a bloody finger at all those mindless

cretins who would sell their precious, beautiful animals for a fate worse than death and be

happy to make a few bucks on the deal. And don't breeders do that every day!!! as well as

all the pet shops that sell animals?

    We should all be applauding the person/group that posted this message on Craigslist and got

the ball rolling. As we all know, Craigslist is the dumping ground par excellence, for all

kinds of unwanted merchandise, including pets. Let's hope it has had a positive effect on

the heartless cretins...since most of us already know the drill.

~zelda

Everyone who has emailed IBuyStrays.com has received the following message:

To our Beloved Family of Animal Breeders and Collectors,

NOW is the time we must act!
The forces of evil are conspiring against us!

PLEASE Immediately contact your Congressman and urge him to stand
AGAINST the Class B dealer ban in the Farm Bill.

https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

This bill has NOT YET PASSED.
This provision can still get stripped out.
Even dear President Bush can item line veto it.
We've stopped this bill four times before and we can do it again.

Seriously, do something that would
REALLY MAKE AN ACTUAL DIFFERENCE
like contacting your federal government representative.

Stop wasting your time sending horrible hate mails to the animal
rights organizations. I know it feels good to get it off your chest,
but you might as well be emailing the devil to complain about evil!
Especially, when the same effort to your congressmen
actually can make a difference.

The animal rights organizations have set their under-funded and meager
resources against us and are trying to have Class B animal dealers
like us put out of business!

(For example, see this!

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_pet_safety_protection?qp_source=gaba5n

or this

http://www.stopanimaltests.org/feat/testing123/index.asp

or this

http://lcanimal.org/alert/alert_231.htm).

While we have major industries lobbying hard against them, we still
need your support.

So NOW is the time to put the pressure on.

Thank you and we look forward to a prosperous future!

-IBS
Sales@IBuyStrays.com
IBuyStrays.com LLC

Emails To IBuyStrays:

--------------------------------------------

Hi,

How do I do this???  lol

This is a bogus site to make people aware of the cruelty of vivisection and what can happen to their pets turned over to a shelter or wrong person--all those cute pictures gave you away,
plus the side bar with animal friendly ads--thanks for making people aware--I sent your ad to all I know.

Smart job--you aren't selling animals for vivisection. I am an AR and I think this is great idea, very shocking and eye-opening

Get ready for a lot of rage replies and thanks for helping animals. Let me know how this turns out.
  
I am sure we are on the same page and I have lots of friends, please write, I'll keep your secret, again, smart idea.

Linda B

My name is Julia, I am eighteen years old and I strongly disagree with animal testing. My dad told me about this website today because I wrote a paper on animal research for a college essay, and my first thought was "Wow this is a good idea, this person buys unwanted animals and gives them a home", but to my surprise you do not find homes, you somehow use them for research. I feel that animals do not deserve to be tortured and used for the benefit of man kind, what makes us better than them? Nothing. There are so many alternatives to animal research and yet no one wants to spend the time to find and use those alternatives. "And, don't worry; your animal will receive several weeks of humane treatment during decontamination where we guarantee it will enjoy clean food, water, and a safe cage in a sterile environment." Well what happens after the decontamination? Maybe you should put that on your website. Also, you ask why you should give your "unwanted" pet to a shelter, when they could get money for them by selling them to you and "help" man kind. Well the reason why many people give their animals to shelters is because they know their animals will find a good home that will take care of them until the end of their lives. Even though I am young, by reading and looking through your website, it motivates me to create my own website and do they same thing as you are doing, pay people for their unwanted animals, but instead of using them for research, I will attempt to find them new loving homes and if they do not find homes, I will keep them myself. I just hope this email makes some kind of impact on you and how you think unwanted animals are only good for research.  All animals deserved to be loved and taken care of throughout their entire lives.

-IBS

---

Julia's second email

My dad told me shortly after that the website was fake, meaning you don't actually buy and sell animals to industries.
If that is true, I am sorry for the angry email, lol.

----------------------

		RnR R		question - I read this on your website when researching your business: WARNING: Anyone found stealing dogs …		12/29/07
		Greg M		Cats for sale - I have a couple of cats I don't want any more. They're both four-year-old male medium …		12/29/07
		MM		(no subject) - As someone who was dx with Stage III cancer, I would NEVER do anything as disgusting and …		12/29/07
		Susan B		Question regarding IBuyStrays.com - I just learned about your program. Don't you realize that animals have feelings? You just let …		12/29/07
		Dichele		re: buying the unneeded - I have a question, how can this be legal? I am sick to my stomach since seeing your site, do you …		12/29/07
		Crystal G		So yeah. - I really hope your site is fake, because that is disgusting		12/29/07
		Su, me (3)		I12 …		12/29/07
		Melody H		Cats, dogs~~ - I, and many others saw your posting on Craig's List. You are a sick and demented monster. We …		12/29/07
		kitty.cat		buying strays - Those strays can be someones beloved pet that was never given the chance to reclaim. I have a …		12/29/07
		Richard K		YOU SICK BASTARDS..... - I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO SHUT YOUR ASS DOWN......... HANG ON FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE		12/29/07
		betterd		(no subject) - I hope you rot in hell for what you're doing. Turning the lives of innocent animals into a …		12/29/07
		Margaret B		STRAYS - I AM DYING FROM ALS. I PRAY A CURE FOR THIS DISEASE ISNT FOUND BY MURDERING SOMEONES PET YOU ARE …		12/29/07
		taylor, me (3)		I want to buy a testing animal from you - If I bought six or more would that be still do able at this time? Or could you direct me to …		12/28/07
		melissacr		(no subject) - Your site is disgusting and the "enticing" words you use are absolutely pathetic and …		12/28/07
		Donna W.		Have you seen any of these dogs. - A friend of mine has a website and she is looking for these dogs. Have you seen any of these dogs …		12/28/07
		Michelle B		your website - You are an absolutely disgusting individual. Do you honestly eat the bullshit you feed the public …		12/28/07
		me, Bowe (2)		I'll Buy Your Strays! Re: puppies I need to sell - I did it already		12/28/07
		Bowz		puppies I need to sell - I have 4 puppies. Momma is a light brown chihouah. She got loose , so we dont know what got her …		12/28/07
		Billy Bob T		I buy strays - I have dogs and cats available. How do I arrange pickup and what is the payment method. I prefer …		12/28/07
		me, Gee (2)		I'll Buy Your Strays! Re: animals - Ok I am guessing you do not buy horses or reptiles? There are a lot of stray dogs around here …		12/28/07
		Amy S		You are unbelievably disgusting and ignorant-GET A REAL JOB! - You are a sick individual. Testing on animals is not necessary and non-affective. If something …		12/28/07
		Emily H		Is this real?		12/28/07
		lovepug		(no subject) - You are a very SICK animal to do something like this		12/28/07
		TerBearT		Disgusting - This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen and I hope you are stopped somehow. I …		12/28/07
		Gee, me (3)		animals - Thanks for the quick reply. I was just wondering if you buy other animals besides dogs/cats …		12/28/07
		Lisa, me (3)		(no subject) - You are a goddamn freak and someone should do medical testing on YOU. Prepare for your website to …		12/28/07
		chs		(no subject) - You are one sick individual. How can you possibly live with yourself? You can not possibly be …		12/28/07
		Hkay		(no subject) - Are you serious? Who gave you the right to do this? Do you know what kind of sadistic torture …		12/28/07
		Jen, me (2)		cats & dog - Dear Sir or Madame, Thank you SO much for expressing your interest in I Buy Strays. Our dream is …		12/28/07
		Carrie B		Comment - You describe the use of animals for vivisection as a "proud tradition". The care and …		12/28/07
		dianneb		you are really sick - I recently adopted my very first cat from a local animal shelter and I have never been happier.It …		12/28/07
				…		12/28/07
		KELLEY B		THIS IS DISGUSTING - THIS IS DISGUSTING; HOW CAN YOU DO THIS FOR PROFIT? I AM APPALLED THAT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE A …		12/28/07