There are lots of reasons not to get a puppy from Craigslist. While getting a rabid one isn’t likely, it can happen and result in a lot of trouble.

Case and point: A litter of 9 puppies from Henrietta, Texas was recently advertized on Craigslist, and at least one of the adopted puppies had rabies. The puppy in question went to a home in Wichita Falls and ended up biting the adopter. It’s not clear if the puppy was euthanized because of the bite or because it developed signs of rabies, but either way it was tested (fortunately), and that’s when it was discovered it had rabies.

That’s the “good” part of the story, because rabies was identified so the people exposed could be properly treated.

The rest of the story isn’t as good.  Now it’s critical to find the adopters of the other puppies, which is easier said than done when the animals were adopted via a Craigslist ad. There is often no information about the adopters, and no way to follow up.  Public Health is urging adopters to call them immediately, but it’s hard to say how successful that will be.