This Is NOT a Fairytale

Once upon a time there was a little family we'll call Dick, Jane and Spot.  

Dick and Jane had adopted Spot from a doggie rescue and loved Spot to pieces.  They realized that they were ready to adopt one more fuzzy friend so they scoured the internet day and night until they found little three legged Timbit.

Dick and Jane read Timbits write-up on Petfinder and he sounded like a great pup.  That very day they emailed the dog rescue agency where Timbit lived and were given contact information for Timbits foster mom, the place Timbit lived while he was waiting for his new home.

Dick, Jane and Spot were sooo excited they could hardly sleep the night before the big meeting.  They all hopped in the car early the next morning and drove two hours to meet Timbit, the pup who could become the newest addition to their family.

Three legged Timbit was a bit hesitant at first but warmed up to Dick and Jane after a few treats and walks. The adoption went through and Jane paid the rescue agency adoption fee of $250 and then threw in another $100 on top of that to help the other rescue dogs a bit.

Great story so far, but definitely NOT a fairytale ending.  Or in this case - Fairytail.

During the adoption process, Dick and Jane learned that the foster mom (for clarity's sake we'll call her Cruella) was actually a puppy breeder.  Three legged Timbit was one of Cruella's purebred dogs, but with only three legs he wasn't exactly the 'pick of the litter'.  So she attempted to adopt him out through the very reputable website Petfinder - an online database of adoptable pets in the care of about 10,000 animal welfare organizations in the USA and Canada.  I will also mention that Petfinder EXPLICITLY BANS BREEDERS FROM SELLING THEIR DISCARD DOGS on the site. 

In the end, Dick and Jane returned Timbit to Cruella.  They saved all the email communication regarding Timbit and they are contacting the Petfinder head honchos to report this abuse of a very credible and worthwhile adoption website.  Jane is so ticked off she may also contact the local Small Business Owners Association and the BBB to report what happened.  

It may not be illegal, but it was completely unethical.

Most dog rescue agencies do very thorough checks on potential adopters, to be sure their dog buddies are going to stable, loving homes.  Jane offered (via email) to fill out a complete dog application and email it back, but the foster mom said it wasn't necessary.  Dick and Jane also made it clear they lived in another country and would be taking Timbit with them, yet the only info the foster mom had was their email address and cell phone number.  If you've ever adopted a pet from a rescue agency you know the process is much more complex and complete than that.  As it should be.  

And nowhere in the Petfinder ad for little Timbit did it mention that his foster mom also happened to be his original PUPPY BREEDER.

Dick and Jane are completely against puppy breeders.  If you don't understand why, you need to read this:

Below is a letter from a shelter manager. It is intended to be read by anyone who breeds dogs, buys dogs from a breeder or is considering taking their dog to a shelter. It is very difficult to read but this is the reality of continuing to breed dogs when shelters are full to overflowing.  Please pass this along to anyone and everyone you know who is considering buying a puppy from a breeder or taking their pet to a shelter.

Letter from a Shelter Manager:

I think our society needs a huge Wake-up call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all: a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the back of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are owner surrenders or strays, that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her." Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard." How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog."

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the Bully breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how sweet or well behaved they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being put-down. First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to The Room, every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the pink stuff. Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just go to sleep, sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.  I hate my job, I hate that it exists and I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.  Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.  My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt."  THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.

For those of you that care, please repost this letter and email it to your family and friends.

The end.

Comments

[Brenda]

That sucks big time. Poor little Timbit and a plague on the puppy mill.
It is too bad you didn't get a dog from the canine center when you were here.
My friends are fostering 2 puppies right now that are waiting for new homes. They were found dumped and the mom has already been placed in a new home. There are others as well just waiting for new homes.
It is not a big deal to get a puppy here and take it back over the border, people do it all the time.
Sorry you had such a bad and sad time of it.

[Rick]

Hey Radio Girl that's a tough read but important. Pet breeders need to be exposed and avoided.

On a happy note there is a park here in Santa Monica where everyone goes to walk their dogs at the end of the day. Years ago all you would see was "breed dogs" the fanciest, furriest, prettiest most expensive show-off dogs with their accordingly fancy masters. I would cringe at the thought of how many of the not so perfect pups were...........

Today at the same park the same people are all walking their "rescued dogs" the funniest, funkiest and by far most appreciative pets anywhere. Still spoiled and pampered endlessly.
My hat's off to how quickly the consciousness was raised and everyone "got it". The future is looking good!

Just thought you would like to know - Rick

[kelsi]

Hey Brenda - yeah, it was kind of a mess. My Fella gets very attached to animals very quickly so it was really hard on him. And poor Shelbert didn't know what the heck to think - one minute there's another pup here invading her space AND her humans... and then the pup is suddenly gone. It's gonna take us a while to recover from this one.
We've actually heard about the San Carlos canine center - is that what you're talking about? If we're ever there for an extended period of time, we'll certainly volunteer to help out.

[kelsi]

Cali Rick - thanks for the positive spin on the situation. It's very refreshing to hear about your local doggie park.
We'd take a rescue pup over a 'designer' dog any day :)

[Brenda]

Yes, that is what I was referring to Kelsi.
It must have been a rotten experience and hard to get over. Animals get into our hearts very fast.

[Don]

Anyone who is considering getting a pet should read your blog, it would be doing millions of animals a favor. Our cat is a rescue cat and she thanks us every day for adopting her.

[kelsi]

B in G - aka Brenda in Guaymas :)
Dave and I agreed that if we end up spending a significant amount of time in San Carlos, we'll definitely volunteer to walk the dogs at the canine center.

[kelsi]

Mr P - That open letter from a shelter manager is very effective, isn't it? I hope it gets passed around - it deserves to be read!