If you can no longer keep your pet....

[Lucky Me]

This week-end I was contacted by a breeder that I used for my last litter of min-pins, after 15 yrs of breeding them. I still have good connections with them all, I choose to breed Labradoodles now...
Seems one of my pups (Zorro's sister) ended up at her house. I was in occasional contact with the girl(13), that was her main human. Seems their house was flooded, and they had to move out, and their dogs were given away or placed with someone to care for them.
The breeder was contacted, as she breeds/sells mini-pins, and asked if she would take the dog. She said that her and her mother met at a parking lot and was shocked that the dog was so skinny and reeked of poo smell. She asked how come they didn't contact the breeder and the comment was "sometimes breeders get upset when their dogs aren't taken care of perfectly"....Duh!!!
She said that she wasn't going to say anything, she fattened the girl up, and had found a good home for her.
Now the people have decided that they want her back and she told me the story and wanted to make sure that her and I were on the same page as to not giving her back..
They said that they took over food every week , but that REALLY ticks me off as if that was so, they would have seen how skinny the dog was getting..
People don't realize that breeders of like, keep in contact with each other.... and always look out for the welfare of each others pups. I contacted a handful of my local animal friends and was surprised at the response I received for placement. (She notified me right after that she found a home).
Needless to say, this has upset me. I am so glad that she is going into a good home & will fight legally if need to to keep her from going back to that home.
Please, Please, PLEASE....if you ever come to a point that you can no longer keep your pet, PLEASE contact your breeder, don't hide the fact that they are not doing so well !! You'd be surprised of the resources we have!
Those are our babies and it is so upsetting when we hear of such things.
Sorry...this has just been so upsetting to me. I saw pictures of 3 weeks after stuffing her face, and she still has her back-bone & hip bones sticking out....

[Jac]

Oh, Judi, I am so sorry. What a kick in the gut.

I know how hurt you must be. I found out that a family rehomed a puppy of ours and I was furious...I was going to sue on the contract, but the way I found out was the new family wrote to ask if it was our puppy and to thank me...they love the dog so much and take such good care of him...he was one of my favorites from that litter and I don't think I have ever been so angry...and to top it off, AFTER this family rehomed the dog (and before I knew) they had the gall to write to me to ask for another "friend for their puppy"! Thank goodness, I did not have a litter available!

I swear, if I ever have that happen again, I don't care how much it costs me...I will sue them! Stupid people.

[lindamarie]

How absolutely SAD!!
I'm not a breeder but I can just imagine how you all feel!! Doodles are such GREAT DOGS! They don't deserve this! Nor, does any breed! grrrrrrr

[KingstonTodd]

I can see why pet owners feel breeders may get angry that one of their pups is being rehomed since we care so much for our pups and go to great lengths to ensure they are healthy and start out in a good home. We may be dissapointed, both that we chose a bad match initially and that the family did not live up to their expectation, but the more important thing is that we want our pups in a happy place and that may not always be where they go at 8 weeks, although we hope that it is. I have had one pup rehomed, and I wasnt angry at the family, they were a good match for the puppy but it didnt work out. When I go over my contract with a family before each adoption, which has a clasue to notify and involve me in any potential rehomes, I take a lot of time to make sure they know I just want what is best for the dog, and if their home situation changes and the dog truely is better off somewhere else, then I am OK to see the pup moved on. This is how we got Gus, we adopted him from a family that was neglecting him. If one of my pups ended up in a bad situation, then I would love for them to be rescued and live with a family like mine.

[Lucky Me]

todd said..
I can see why pet owners feel breeders may get angry that one of their pups is being rehomed since we care so much for our pups and go to great lengths to ensure they are healthy and start out in a good home.

In this case Todd, it wasn't that they thought that I would be mad about them re-homing, I have no problem with that & have a lot of "animal friends" that help me...plus I help them.
They did not want to take her to me because of the shape she was in!
This picture was taken 3 WEEKS after her eating all she could, including fattening food for momma dogs! Check out how the bones are poking up still on her back!

This was a case of flat out animal neglect!!

[Jac]

That was going to be my response to Todd's post too...this was not a normal case of the dog not working out and needing re-homing. Any breeder would be fine with that...disappointed, but cooperative and kind...but if any of my dogs came back to me in that condition, starved or neglected or abused...? Well, I honestly don't know how I would respond. I would certainly want the dog back and want to care for it...but I could not be kind and understanding.

If someone is reading this that may be in a situation where they have a dog and the dog is not working out, for any reason, then by all means, get in touch with your breeder for help. But if you can't deal with the dog, or you find that you can't afford to feed the dog or get medical attention, contact the breeder NOW, do not wait until the dog has suffered because of your circumstances.

Breeders understand financial circumstances, especially in this economy, going sour and, believe me, we'd rather have you contact us to say that you are no longer in a position to properly care for the dog and need to return it immediately than to have you continue to try ... to a point where the dog is starving or dying of neglect.

If you decide to lock the dog in a crate or a room or leave it outside for most of its life...give it back to your breeder! The dog does not deserve that type of a life and the breeder does care and will help.

If you can't find the breeder or your breeder doesn't want the dog back, then contact a reputable dog rescue!

[KingstonTodd]

That is terrible Judi, that poor pup. I wasnt saying something specific to your situation, but more of a general statement, that puppy owners should contact the breeder because we want to see our pups in a better place if they are not in the best spot. I think the owner should have contacted you, after your initial rage, I am sure you would have done everything to get that pup out and healed up and placed in a better home. Its so selfish to not do what is best for the dog, contacting its breeder, because they are worried about their own feelings. Shame on them again. Put the dogs feeling first and get them help. I think we [the breeder] would rather be involved than not, no matter the circumstance. We can write the people off [censored], and then shower the pup with the love it deserves.

[Jac]

Exactly, Todd! Thanks!

[deepnite10]

i hate calling my Lucky, Sabrina and Toby my pets or dogs..they mean much more..
somewhere between best friend and child..and to read and hear about people who
treat theirs as commodities just upsets me to no end..

maybe thats why all dogs go to Heaven..but, not all people..

[Jac]