Doggie Blues

[caseyjo]

The BF finally decided it would be ok to get a puppy....One adoption agency was having a half off sale in memory of the veterans so I bugged my landlord for a reference. Turns out the special was only for vets, but it wasnt worded like that....They would not give me the half off & have since changed the wording in their add...so the cute puppy I wanted I could not have....Too expensive.

I went to another adoption agency which does not charge quite as much & I got a little beagle/terrier mix which was very cute, but not feisty like a puppy should be, so... I asked if I could foster for a week to see if it was ok..They said they do not foster puppies, but I could take it for 24 hours and I could get my money back if the dog did not liven up..

So...I took the dog home & it was sick w/diarrhea & stayed lethargic so I had to take it back this morning,( well within the 24 hr time frame)...They didn't have my money..They say they will send me a check, but who knows?..They dont have a physical address (I just found out) & it is mostly run by volunteers who get credit for school.

When I brought the puppy back I was  drilled about why I brought it back. I kept saying over & over they knew I was coming back if the dog continued to be lethargic. The couple people who were there Sat. acted like they knew nothing & the rest were a new group I didn't see the day before. The girl who was running the show on Sat was not there & she knew I was only taking the puppy over-night to see if he improved...It was a fiasco.

Now..I don't have a puppy & I am out $250.00. The poor little puppy....I am sure they knew that dog was sick..He had  diarrhea so bad we had to let him poop in the mkt shopping lot by a tree on the way home....They had to have known.

It took me a year & a half after Hobo died to make up my mind to get another dog. This is what a person has to go through while there are not nearly enough homes for all the unwanted animals?...They lug poor tired dogs all around town untill they get the money they want for them, when there are many people who would take the dogs home & give them a loving home on the spot If it weren't for the high prices they are charging.  

I am worried about the puppy now....What will become of him?..I hope they give it lots of love..I feel sick.

[d's girl]

I'm so sorry you've had such a bad experience trying to adopt a puppy this weekend, caseyjo. Hopefully my words can make you feel a little better about shelters & the adoption process. A $250 adoption fee is actually well under the cost of the dog's shots, spay or neuter, shelter, care, food & meds while it's in the shelter. Often it's less than you'd pay if you found a stray dog & simply took it to the vet for an initial checkup, shots & spay/neuter. And the shelters I've crossed paths with exist on a shoestring budget, despite the adoption fees, and the workers work long, hard, tireless hours for very little pay b/c they have such a calling for it.

That does not excuse the behavior of the folks w/the group from whom you adopted the puppy. They should not have let you take a sick dog home, & the ones that were aware of the situation from the previous day should certainly have stepped up & made the process of returning the puppy better for you.

I'm sorry that happened. Hopefully you'll get your $ back quickly. Don't give up on adopting a dog... you're right - there are so many homeless dogs that need loving people like yourself to take them in. Hang in there.

xox

[CWO3ROBBIE]

Yeh CJ, I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. Have you tried PetSmart on their adoption day?

[caseyjo]

There is no shelter...The dogs are brought to petsmart or other pet stores for the sales, but live in homes that foster dogs till they find forever homes supposedly. They admit much of the care the dogs get is free.

The origional dog I wanted was 350.00..There were 7 puppies. Other puppies were much cheaper but were not as nice looking..They are selling by the looks, breeds, of the puppies..Is that fair?...There were other Puppies that were only 150.00 dollars, but I was looking for something very small & the personality which would fit our lifestyle...since I had waited 1/1/2 years I was particular..I had learned much from our previous dog and know what I wanted...I knew I would know it when I saw it & it was this sweet little terrier.

I know from experience that you can give your own dog shots for a fraction of the cost..(its most likely what they do) & the spay neuter of a small dog is not expensive if you take the dog to a shelter to get it done. I could take care of everything a puppy needs much cheaper than what they were charging at the first place. I also know what you can use for heartworm preventative that is a fraction of the cost compared to the pills the vets sell....

They work side by side w/ the vets to get free medical care for their dogs....The vets give the free care, the adoption organizations give the vets potential future customes by asking you use their vets and they give perks for that....Because my dog was sickly looking I had it checked out immediately by one of their vets.....They tried to charge me 70.00 for a fecel test & office visit when it was supposed to be 30.00..I had a fit...plus petrsmart gives out coupons for their store so they are getting future customes because the vet is located in the store..It is a win win situation for the vet, the organization & the store......Thats why they want people w/ money to spend spend spend.....If you do your research you can learn to give a dog all the care it needs (unless it gets a mysterious illness of some kind) for a lot less money than they try to make people believe it costs.

I actually thought the 220 was fair and had no trouble paying it..I thought the 350.00 from the other place was way to high. At half price 175.00 i could have handled & not had a problem there, but they weren't going for it..they knew they could get a lot more money for the beagle/basset hound puppy I wanted originally.

It was the unprofessional way I was treated by the second place. The people knew absoultely nothing about the animals except they had shots, were de-wormed, flea bath, & fixed. Several of them looked sick...220.00 is good..I'm not denying that..I could do it cheaper, but like I said I was cool w/ it.

Thanks for understanding..it was the way I was treated..given the 3rd degree..I got so stressed I didnt even hug the puppy goodby..I couldnt even watch it go....I just wated it out of my site by then & now I feell horrible & disgusted.....

The woman knew my plight with the poor little sick dog..she should have been there to take care of everything...she knew it was a big deal for me..Taking what I believed to be a sick dog home in hopes it was nothing really bad...I believe this puppy is gravely ill..I have a bad feeling about it..They knew more than they were saying..They had to..then they question me...they had no right.

[funesthememorious]

That is really f*cked up. Your puppy sounds like he had parvovirus or some parasite infestation - he should never been put up for adoption until he was checked out by a vet and given a clean bill of health.

 

Another reason I like dogs more than people.  

[caseyjo]

There is absolutely no physical address for their location anywhere at their web-sites only a PO Box. I was told I could not foster this puppy for a week because they dont foster puppies, so...Where do they keep the puppies? Someone must be lieing because when I asked one of the young people (student volunteer according to their web-site) why she doesnt know more about the puppies she said "she doesnt know because they all come from foster homes".

Someone is lieing..If the puppies come from foster homes, why couldnt I foster the sick one for a week? 24 hrs was not enough time to see if I could turn the puppy around w/ gentle treatment & good food. Maybe it was just manhandled by kids or something..The lil feller was so trying to be puppy..I bought him a toy he would lay & play with..I bought him the cutest little collar too even knowing it was a test run I wanted him happy for the night at least..to feel loved....Awe....

I like dogs more than people too. They just love you not based on conditions, but they do appreciate good food & lodging....Lots of love & good care make a happy doggie.

[Snagg]

Call the cops. And the ASPCA. And your local representative. Now. Politicians LOVE to be seen coming to the rescue of innocent, helpless animals.

 

Selling sick dogs is against the law, and they could sell infected dogs to people who already have dogs, passing the disease along. Plus, when the cops hear that $250 is "gone", that could be fraud. You're probably not the first person they've ripped off. This whole deal sounds like a puppy mill.

 

Then go to Petfinder.com - You'll find more reputable clientele there.

[caseyjo]

You can find them located on petfinder Snagg so maybe they are just young & not very reliable yet.

They still have not called me back, but they will be sorry if they leave me hanging..I have friends in high places..snicker, snicker.I have a neighbor who is in the doggie adoption business I just found out from another neighbor of mine, so... I went down the street & talked to her today, saw a couple puppies she had at her house..cute as the dickens.

I think she might possibly help me get my money back. She knows of the adoption agency & the girl who runs it..now I know the girl who runs it's first namer & where she works when shes not doing the adoptions....My neighbor told me if I dont get my money back to call the store they work in front of (petsmart) & the store should set them straight.

I am keeping my eye on them...Have info all copied so I will go from there...Might possibly get a pup from my neighbor lady, but maybe not..the bf is po'd & says no more dogs. I got a pic of a couple pups to butter him up.......So much for another caseyjo life saga.....I'll let you guys know whats going on......Thanks everyone....K..Will post a puppy pic after I crop the person holding them out.....I will try to post one of the sick puppy also..It was the cutest, they are all adorable.

[D. D. Olson]

I agree with Snagg.  Contact your local authorities -- there's something very fishy about this situation.

[Jaylee53]

Chalk it up.  

Sad for the puppy but glad for the next one you rescue from your local Humane Society.

[caseyjo]

I went there first jaylee....It is where I got Hobo from (named Hobo for a reason,:) He died about a year & 1/2 ago.

They had almost all large dogs, & we are looking for a small puppy. Its hard to find puppies at the pound these days, esp small ones....They only had one dog small enough for us, but it was a poodle & in really bad shape....I cant afford  a dog that could need treatment for the rest of its life. I take good care of my animals so I dont have to go that route..Hobo got sick (story I dont want to tell right now) while i was in Ca. the year befor last....People can be so stupid.

I doubt I will get another dog at all now.....I am tired & disgusted by the whole puppy matter.

I dont think I have the Chalk it up attitude Jaylee when lives are at stake.....Granted..not human life, but life just the same...

[d's girl]

caseyjo, I foster dogs from a wonderful animal project in Atlanta. If I can talk them into an out-of-state adoption, would you be interested in coming up here for one? I would be happy to pre-screen for you & foster them to see how they are & take pics & let them Skype w/you. '-)

[caseyjo]

Awe D's.....I wish I could..I dont drive..I never have driven. All my life I rode A bike & took the bus & walked or had the bf's drive me around (now I just get driven around)..Am old & too scared to learn..Where did the time go? 

Besides that the BF is angry & says no more dogs.....I might be able to butter him up, but I'm not sure its my best bet to do that..If he loses another dog I am afraid he will blow up like a big baloon & blow away into the sunset........Thanks sweety.....K