The site, which offers dedicated pages to over 180 cities and regions around the world, including San Diego, allows users to post notices on an array of topics, such as childcare, politics, and pets. It’s within this latter category that a battle-line has been drawn between animal rights activists and users who put pets up for adoption.

While Craigslist prohibits animal sales on its boards, it does allow pet owners to charge an adoption fee.

Those who post “free to good home” ads essentially argue that the “free” designation generates more interest in the animal and saves it from otherwise being euthanized. They also charge that Craigslist is a free and democratic forum, and that they’re entitled to give an animal away if they wish.

Craigslist, however, recently introduced a new feature called “flagging,” which empowers readers to “flag,” or cast an anonymous vote against postings that they feel are objectionable or miscategorized. If a posting is flagged enough times, it is taken off of Craigslist.

Animal activists have used flagging as their greatest weapon in crusading against “free to good home” postings. On Craigslist San Diego, for example, most “free to good home” ads only survive for a few hours before they are flagged and subsequently removed from the bulletin board.

Frustrated posters have responded with angry missives aimed at the nameless, faceless readers who have deleted—they imply censored—their ads on a supposedly democratic, unregulated board.

They wonder whether there is a concerted effort to keep their “free to good home” postings off of the site, or whether the vetoing is the work of a few unaffiliated individuals.

Daphna Nachminovitch, Director of Domestic Animal Department for PETA, in Norfolk, Virginia, stated that PETA does not organize any resistance to “free to good home” postings. She believes, however, that Craigslist should institute a policy prohibiting such ads and has sent numerous e-mails to Craigslist management saying as much.

“The ads are responsible for untold suffering,” she stated.

“It’s really no skin off of Craigslist to get [free to good home ads] off,” she added. “They’ve brought nothing but bad press for Craigslist.”

Nachminovitch suggested that Craigslist only allow adoption postings from organizations that Craigslist has checked out and verified as reputable. “These should be organizations that Craigslist has some agreement with,” she asserted.

“Placing an animal is no small task. Giving away an animal—anyone can do that, but finding a good home takes a lot of work.”

When addressing the issue of censorship on Craigslist, Nachminovitch struck an idealistic tone. “PETA’s the biggest advocate of free speech,” she stated. “But this is a bigger issue than free speech. This could be crime prevention.”

Referring to those who flag “free to good home” postings, she replied, “I don’t see this as censorship. I see it as activism.”

Craigslist could not be reached for comment for this article.

Plenty of other animal rights organizations have taken an interest in Craigslist. A recent pet posting on Craigslist San Diego referred to a message put out by the San Diego Humane Society:

"My group recently received word from the San Diego Humane Society about a growing problem that their officers are encountering. According to the Humane Society Officers, the number one growing problem are cruelty cases involving recently 'Free Dog to Good Home' being used in Pit fighting. They are seeing large numbers of recently 'adopted/free' pets thrown into fighting rings with their mouths taped shut, unable to attempt to defend themselves."

Vyuz contacted the poster of the message, a woman identified only as Ann Marie. She stated, via e-mail, that she’d learned about abuse occurring with “free to good home” postings several years ago while searching for her dog, which had been stolen.

When asked in a follow-up e-mail what her “group” was and whether she acted under the direction of any animal rights organization, she declined to respond.

Simran Zilaro, a spokesperson for the San Diego Humane Society, said that her organization doesn’t have any official role in flagging pet postings.

When asked for the Humane Society’s stance on flagging, Zilaro replied, “As long as no laws are being broken and no cruelty is occurring, it’s not the role of the San Diego Humane Society to get involved in that debate.”

“It’s a democracy, and everyone has a right to free speech.”

She added that the society is vigilant, however, for posts that indicate animal abuse may occur. “If we saw a post about animal cruelty, we’d report it to our security department.” They are particularly on the lookout for “Bunchers,” or people who collect dogs and sell them to research organizations.

To discourage Bunchers, she advises pet posters to charge an adoption fee. “If, for some reason, you can’t keep your pet and want to get a good home for it, you want to ask for a little something.”

For now, the identities and affiliations of “free to good home” flaggers on Craigslist San Diego remain a mystery. While PETA and the San Diego Humane Society stated that they do not have any official hand in flagging, they fell short of condemning the practice.

When asked what she would say to those who flag pet postings, Nachminovitch exclaimed, “A big ‘Thank you!’”