Which is a rescue you've referred people to as a good source of information and chins in the past. That was what originally struck me about this post.
She is not a guinea pig breeder and as she stated in her original email (which she sent to me) this pig was originally purchased from a breeder and then the buyer wanted to return the pig and instead of driving to the caviary where the pig was originally purchased, the buyer opted to surrender him to her rescue for her to rehome.
That is a scenario that plays out in any number of rescue groups all over this country. The distinction here is that the guinea pig was bred by a person this rescuer considers a friend and that there is some background info known about his history and lineage.
As she also mentioned, some of the hundreds of animals listed on Petfinder are hers, as she is, in fact, a bona fide rescue. Actually, here are her listings on PetFinder:
Pet Search Results: Adoptable Pets in Munster, IN: Petfinder.
I
do find it problematic that she mentions the skinny gene and pedigree, but I think it would have gone a lot further to just suggest to her that as a rescue it might not be wise and might be perceived as bad form to be suggesting or even allowing that an animal she is adopting out should not be used in any capacity as a breeding animal. Rescue groups make bad decisions and bad judgments all the time, I've personally seen this a number of times. Usually it's a better approach to point out those errors personally and in a way that might engender a positive response and change rather than making snide remarks and referencing parts of exchanges publicly while the group or person has no way to respond or even knowledge of the posting.
I certainly don't single any individual out. I do tend to hone in on gross inaccuracies or overreactions. If you feel that I'm responding to a disproportionate number of your posts, well ... infer what you will. This, in particular, is a matter I do have significant personal experience and knowledge of. That you were the one who posted it is of no consequence, it's still a valid point that needs to be made. As to the "issue" I'm making out of "something that was never suggested" by you? I'm not sure. The issues I've broached here are:
1) That you cannot dismiss a rescuer as invalid or sub-par because said person also breeds a group of animals. In response to your comment:
Furthermore in response to this comment, I expanded that the issue with rescuers who breed sometimes intermingle their rescues with their breeders. That is not the case with this rescuer and breeder.
2) That this person is not attempting to make a profit or passing herself off as a rescue when she is not, or doing anything otherwise that is questionable and while the suggestion that the pig is pedigreed and a skinny gene carrier will certainly not help to ensure he's not used for breeding, the suggestion itself does not mean that she's allowing him to go to just any home or that her criteria will be lax because of it. In response to your comment:
The only issues I'm presenting here are in response to comments you have made, so please dispense with the notion that it's anything otherwise.
Given that this person is running a legitimate rescue (whilst also breeding quality chinchillas and adhering to strict standards there) I think the worry that this pig is going to a substandard or unacceptable home is probably not realistic.
I'm in full agreement that true backyard breeders passing themselves off as something they just aren't really needs to be policed and shut down on Craigslist as long as they choose not to allow that on their site, but the flagging of ads because we don't like the way they are posted or what they might be suggesting only does a disservice to the animals when the person is legitimately looking to find a good home for said animal in the first place