Why was my thread deleted from the dog adoption subforum?

Honestly, I’m starting to lose my mind here—I can't tell if I'm actually going crazy or if posts (and entire threads) are just vanishing into thin air without anyone giving us a heads-up or an explanation so we can figure out where we messed up.
In the dog adoption subforum, wiredharbor4 started a thread because she's currently looking after Chandler, a Tibetan Terrier whose owners decided they just couldn't take him anymore after five years. He's being put up for dog adoption and is just looking for a fresh start and a happy home. The whole thread was set up strictly by the book, following all the standard rules for the dog adoption section. (And look, I know what I'm doing—the number of threads I’ve personally opened and closed over time proves I've got a pretty good handle on the rules, so if there really was some kind of mistake on our end, it would be pretty decent to get a quick explanation or some guidance). Since I’m personally working right alongside wiredharbor4 to help this pup find a family, I’m asking for some clarity: why did the thread disappear, and why hasn't a single one of the four moderators bothered to reply to my polite DM?
Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.

Just a quick heads-up on the basic rules here on Reddit—if you want to ask why a moderator made a specific call, you can only do that if the decision actually affects your own thread or your own post.
Anything else is just considered playing lawyer, and we really want to avoid that kind of thing.

I sent an inquiry asking why my dog adoption thread was deleted, but I'm still waiting to hear back...

Matthew Fox4 said:Just a quick heads-up on the basic rules here on Reddit—if you want to ask why a moderator made a specific call, you can only do that if the decision actually affects your own thread or your own post.
Anything else is just considered playing lawyer, and we really want to avoid that kind of thing.

Knock, knock… anyone out there actually listening?

wiredharbor4 said:I sent an inquiry asking why my dog adoption thread was deleted, but I'm still waiting to hear back...

wiredharbor4 said:Knock, knock… anyone out there actually listening?

I'm here, I'm here! Just bear with me for a bit—real life totally swamped me all day, so I'll be back to chat properly in just a little while.

Whoa, wiredharbor4, someone’s a little impatient! 🙂 Just two messages in two hours the other day, and now we’re almost at the point of an official complaint here.

Usually, you just wait 24 hours for a reply before you start poking around again. So, just a heads-up for next time, in case we have a bit of a misunderstanding regarding the rules.

So, why was your thread deleted?

It was taken down because it doesn't actually fit the guidelines in the Blue Paw PDF:

Blue Paw :

Blue Paw is a subforum dedicated EXCLUSIVELY to dog adoption and various initiatives aimed at HELPING abandoned animals.

The dog you have isn't "abandoned." Based on what I gathered from your original post, the dog was purchased from a breeder and sent over to Canada. After five years, it was returned to the breeder—with that brief explanation about how the owners' life circumstances changed back in Canada. We’re assuming the breeder had some kind of agreement or contract to take the dog back, especially since a similar thing happened back in 2013 with an eight-year-old Tibetan Terrier.

At no point was this dog considered "abandoned" under the specific definitions laid out in the Blue Paw rules. You can tell by looking at all those intense threads where people talk about dogs or cats found wandering the streets or sitting in a field... basically, cases where nobody knows who the owner is or where they went, and the animal is just surviving on its own or getting scraps from neighbors until a shelter or a volunteer steps in to provide medical care and help them find a home.

The only exception to this would be extreme neglect or life-threatening situations caused by the owners themselves (like being kept on a tiny chain with no food, or physical abuse, etc.).

Threads like yours, where people try to find homes for pets that were bought but somehow didn't work out for the owners, have always been closed. They weren't very common. Occasionally, one might slip "under the radar" if the moderators miss it, but pointing out those rare exceptions won't change the current moderator decision.

But hey, the Blue Paw moderators aren't heartless. There’s actually a discussion happening right now in the moderator meeting about whether we should update the rules to include situations just like yours. That’s why the response is taking a little longer than usual. Basically, the rules will be updated soon, and once they are, you’ll be able to ask to have your thread reopened.

Thanks for the reply!
I'm just waiting for this thread to come back!

Blue Paw : Quote

Matthew Fox4 said:Whoa, wiredharbor4, someone’s a little impatient! 🙂 Just two messages in two hours the other day, and now we’re almost at the point of an official complaint here.

Usually, you just wait 24 hours for a reply before you start poking around again. So, just a heads-up for next time, in case we have a bit of a misunderstanding regarding the rules.

So, why was your thread deleted?

It was taken down because it doesn't actually fit the guidelines in the Blue Paw PDF:

Blue Paw :

Blue Paw is a subforum dedicated EXCLUSIVELY to dog adoption and various initiatives aimed at HELPING abandoned animals.

The dog you have isn't "abandoned." Based on what I gathered from your original post, the dog was purchased from a breeder and sent over to Canada. After five years, it was returned to the breeder—with that brief explanation about how the owners' life circumstances changed back in Canada. We’re assuming the breeder had some kind of agreement or contract to take the dog back, especially since a similar thing happened back in 2013 with an eight-year-old Tibetan Terrier.

At no point was this dog considered "abandoned" under the specific definitions laid out in the Blue Paw rules. You can tell by looking at all those intense threads where people talk about dogs or cats found wandering the streets or sitting in a field... basically, cases where nobody knows who the owner is or where they went, and the animal is just surviving on its own or getting scraps from neighbors until a shelter or a volunteer steps in to provide medical care and help them find a home.

The only exception to this would be extreme neglect or life-threatening situations caused by the owners themselves (like being kept on a tiny chain with no food, or physical abuse, etc.).

Threads like yours, where people try to find homes for pets that were bought but somehow didn't work out for the owners, have always been closed. They weren't very common. Occasionally, one might slip "under the radar" if the moderators miss it, but pointing out those rare exceptions won't change the current moderator decision.

But hey, the Blue Paw moderators aren't heartless. There’s actually a discussion happening right now in the moderator meeting about whether we should update the rules to include situations just like yours. That’s why the response is taking a little longer than usual. Basically, the rules will be updated soon, and once they are, you’ll be able to ask to have your thread reopened.

Matthew Fox4,
The rule you're pointing to and quoting comes from that Blue Paw PDF guide.
But here’s the thing—this whole controversial thread was actually started in the dog adoption section, which has its own specific set of rules and guidelines, and honestly, the rule you're citing isn't even listed there. On top of that, the terms Misery laid out (which were updated later on) clearly state that the requirement is to give the dog away. This wasn't about breeding or any of that nonsense; it was just a straightforward situation involving a dog looking for a home. There really isn't any need to get all dramatic about it, especially since we're all dealing with some pretty heavy stuff right now anyway. So, bottom line: when this thread was kicked off, nobody actually broke any of the subforum rules for where it was posted.
When an animal is out there suffering, you shouldn't be getting hung up on tiny technicalities.
A huge thanks to everyone who saw through the noise and realized what was actually happening.

Luvi, look, you were asked to stop playing lawyer here because it’s actually against FEMA guidelines. Even though Luna already said thanks for the answer, you just keep pushing it.

Also, please don't act like Luna is some kid who doesn't know how to ask her own questions or talk through an answer. She's perfectly capable.

I honestly could have just asked the moderators to shut this whole thread down—since it's really not your place to question how they handle other users—but I didn't. Just because I stayed quiet doesn't mean you get to keep arguing based on your own version of the rules.

But, hey, for Luna's sake and for anyone else scrolling through this later, I'll lay out how the rule hierarchy actually works.

The main Reddit community rules are right at the top of the site and apply to all subreddits, whether those rules are explicitly copied into specific subreddit guidelines or not.

The general rules for the main subreddit apply to every single sub-section within it, unless there’s a specific note saying a rule only applies to one particular niche (like photo size limits, for example).

So, basically, all the rules for the main Pet Lovers subreddit also apply to the rehoming dog and cat sections, unless a rule specifically says otherwise.

Since Luna got her answer and seems happy with the explanation, we can go ahead and close this thread now.