[LadySam]

This is my rant for the day, I am still so pi$$ed about this.
I'll try to make it short.
We have a client that I can't respect as a owner due to many reasons. But today really got me.
Basically what she does is run a puppy mill. She brings in her dogs about once a year for baths, capstar (flea pill) and rabies.
Rarely anything else, never a heartworm test or vaccines or just general upkeep.
Today she brought in 2 of her Maltese males, that she claims have not been in her possession for 9 months, and she heroically rescued them from someone she gave them to, to get them out of a bad situation.
This is her most common reason for the dogs being in such bad shape.
The other is they were outside and got into the woods.
These dogs were matted to the skin, flea infested, anemic and weak.
I started to work on the older dog, shaving him down while fleas ran all over him and me. This poor little guy fell over in the tub because he was weakened from the blood loss that the fleas caused.
Animal control was called by an employee, and quite frankly even if we feel the need to call our hands are somewhat tied in these situations, because of the way the laws, ordinances are written, if an owner brings an animal in for treatment, they are not guilty of neglect or abuse, because they sought treatment.
Any way in an attempt to remove the sicker of the two from this home, I offered to take him on, even though I do not need another dog. I'm thinking if she actually took him out of a bad situation, because she wants him to be in a good home then my offer would be at least considered. Makes sense, right?
She was absolutely not interested in placing him with a good family where he would be cared for and loved. But, and this is the kicker... The one she will be bringing in tomorrow is in much worse shape and a non-producer, she will consider letting him go.
I don't know why, because I am really not a little dog person, but this little guy tugged at my heart and having to watch him leave with her, not only broke my heart but made me mad enough to chew up nails and spit out thumb tacks.
Now I still want to get him away from that home, but I have no recourse and I'm afraid he will not survive another flea infestation of that magnitude.
I love what I do, but I swear sometimes I get so distraught at work over things like this.
People can be so selfish, and the odds of me being able to remove him from this situation are slim to none, cause this woman, quite honestly can be just plain mean.
The only upside to this is that we did find out from animal control that they are already working a case on her. I hope it resolves, and soon for those dogs sake.

[LadySam]

Well thank goodness that didn't take long.
Animal Control and Humane Society got their warrants and seized 36 dogs.
Conditions were reported as being deplorable and ammonia levels were so high that the fire department went in with gas masks, for goodness sake.
I may not have gotten a new little buddy on that day, but now I have the relief of knowing that he and 35 others are in the care of a no-kill shelter in a neighboring county.
Sometimes it does all work out in the end huh?

[Alty]

Well thank goodness that didn't take long.
Animal Control and Humane Society got their warrants and seized 36 dogs.
Conditions were reported as being deplorable and ammonia levels were so high that the fire department went in with gas masks, for goodness sake.
I may not have gotten a new little buddy on that day, but now I have the relief of knowing that he and 35 others are in the care of a no-kill shelter in a neighboring county.
Sometimes it does all work out in the end huh?

As I was reading your post Sam, I wanted to rush to you, with a rifle, go to that ladies house, and remove all the dogs by force. She's very lucky that you were there and not me, I would not have been able to stop myself from beating her to a pulp.

I'm so glad this had a happy ending. I hope all the dogs find good homes. Maybe now you can adopt the little guy that tugged on your heart. If you do, you know we'll be demanding pictures, and lots of them. But don't you come home with 35 dogs, that's more than anyone can handle. :)

[LadySam]

I know I have seriously thought about tracking him down and getting him back in my grips.
But then I may be depriving another family of that little bundle of love.
I may still try, who knows.
When I read the paper I cried like a baby, I was just so happy.

[Alty]

I know I have seriously thought about tracking him down and getting him back in my grips.
But then I may be depriving another family of that little bundle of love.
I may still try, who knows.
When I read the paper I cried like a baby, I was just so happy.

I'm crying too, and I got to read it after it was already resolved. Had I heard about it before that, I may just have gotten a passport just so I could come and kick some butt.

A few years ago a rabbit house was seized. Over 200 rabbits, running loose in the house, malnourished, some of them feral. That's when we got our Kilala. Evil little thing, at first. She'd lunge, bite, kick, you name it. That's why we got her, we knew she'd never be adopted by anyone else. She was pregnant when brought to the shelter. They did a spay abort. We adopted her a few days later, our 4th wild child bunny baby. Now she's a sweetheart, at least to us. If someone else comes over, she lunges, and tries her best to make all 1 1/2 pounds of her look really mean and vicious. She's just a big fluff ball of love.

Shortly after that, another rabbit house was seized. Huge house, mansion actually. The neighbors called animal control because they had noticed a lot of domesticated rabbits running loose in the neighborhood. When they investigated, over 500 rabbits were seized. More than half had to be euthanized instantly. They were too sick, or too feral to adopt out.

It's things like this that makes my blood boil. That's also why I'm so hard on the people that come here with their "I want to breed my dog, but I don't know what I'm doing, or, my rabbit is so pretty, I want babies!"

There are enough animals already on this Earth in need of a home, and many of those animals are in deplorable conditions, underfed, unloved, dying, just begging for someone to come along and hold them, feed them, comfort them, even if it is just to do the humane thing and end their pain and suffering.

If I think about it too much, I will lose my mind.

The thing is, you can only do what you can do, but you can make a difference. You can't change the world, but you can change your little corner of it. You can educate people and hope that they listen. You can donate to shelters, or better, volunteer. You can call animal control when you see an animal being abused.

Every life saved, is a life worth saving. I just wish we could save them all.

Lecture over. Sorry, I tend to ramble on about this subject.

[LadySam]

Quite all right, I feel the same way,while I think I have done my fair share over the years, picking up strays, getting them straightened out medically (on my dime) then allowing our Humane society to adopt them out. And trust me, those ladies don't play, they are very particular about where the animals that leave them go. And it's the closest I can come to donating, they get an adoption fee and I get the satisfaction of knowing that animal has a good safe home.
Taking in strays myself, my son coaxed a litter of feral puppies out of a barn near our house once. We found good homes for all three, I still have contact with two.
And he continues to do the same when it comes to critters, he came by it honest.
But there are times I still feel, it ain't enough, but it has been all I could afford to do realistically.
Right now we have a dog that was looking down the barrel of a shotgun.
A parvo survivor that was dumped on my son by animal control after he had already tried to adopt it. No matter though, we love him dearly and would take him and treat him all over again.
A stray that was picked up by one of our clients that they weren't able to keep.
And a dog my son pulled out of a back yard after her owners moved and left her, just left her.
A cat we hand raised, a cat abandoned at the clinic with a broken leg, and a cat that was found in a trash can by a good samaritan.
There are too many for us to save, but we have to do what we can, whether others understand it or not.

[Wondergirl]

And how quickly will this woman start a new puppy mill, or is she in prison for the rest of her life (I hope)?

[Alty]

And how quickly will this woman start a new puppy mill, or is she in prison for the rest of her life (I hope)?

I don't know how it is in the US, but in Canada if you are found running a puppy mill, you get very high fine, can do some jail time, but it's peanuts compared to the prison those dogs are in. Also, you will never be able to own another dog as long as you live, and in Canada dogs have to be registered every year.

Of course, anyone could bypass the system by not registering their dogs, but once you've been convicted of owning a puppy mill, or animal abuse, animal control and the humane society keeps a very close eye on those people for the rest of their too long lives.

[LadySam]

Well in my opinion she should be, and should be made to sit in a cage in her own urine with fleas crawling over her body in a dark barn with no lights or air stirring and no gas mask to shield her from the ammonia smell. With her hair matted and nasty to her scalp.
Let me stop, I'm afraid it may get a little rough.
I think, she has been charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty, I don't know what penalty there will be but I'm sure it won't satisfy many people around here.

[LadySam]

Oh, wondergirl, BTW the picture is perfect on the blog, As far as size and expression that was Trixie.

[Wondergirl]

Oh, wondergirl, BTW the picture is perfect on the blog, As far as size and expression that was Trixie.

We Tar Heels have to stick together. :) I'm glad you had a smile (and a few happy tears) today.

[Alty]

Sam, I hear you.

We live on a tight budget, so there's very little we can do financially where these animals are concerned.

I have volunteered at the humane society. I volunteered to be in the kill room, because I wanted those animals to have loving arms around them when they breathed their last breath. I went home every night crying, depressed, thinking that this world is just too cruel, too unkind, and that the battle had already been lost. My husband finally insisted that I leave, that it was taking too much of a toll on me. I have to agree.

I did spend some time rehabilitating the rabbits brought to the shelter, walking the dogs, and even playing with the cats. Now the shelter is way too far away for me to volunteer. Also, they expect their volunteers to work full time hours, which I can't do, not for free, an hour drive there, another hour back, 5 days a week. I have to bring money into this household so we can care for the animals we have, and the kids too. :)

Right now I have 4 rabbits. Three are rescues, the other is a pet store bunny. I know, my bad, but he was 4 weeks old (way too young to be away from his mom) and I couldn't leave him there.

I have a bird, given to us by a guy my husband works with. They loved her dearly, but his son was highly allergic.

I have 2 fish (free to a good home). One is a feeder fish (Goldie) that the pet store swore would only live 2 weeks which was fine with me because I bought it for my daughter when she was two and desperately wanted a pet of her own. My daughter is now 9 years old, and the fish is still alive. We've had to upgrade tanks a few times. I don't know who said that goldfish don't outgrow their tanks, it's a load of bull! So we now have a 20 gallon tank, and have tried to add other fish because one goldfish in a big tank is just sad. The only fish that survived was Fang, a bottom feeder. We've had him for around 5 years. They may both outlive me. ;)

Of course there are my pups, Chewy (3 year old beagle from a registered breeder), and Rascal (3 month old border collie cross from a farm). Before that, just shortly before, was Jasper (10 1/2 when he passed, border collie mix, rescued from the shelter at 4 months of age), and Indy (16 when he passed, lab/border collie mix, friend had a very accidental litter. In fact, the father of the litter was neutered, but something went wrong).

I'd have more if I could, but we're running out of room, and we don't have the funds. All of the animals we have get the vet care they need. Even the bunnies go in for yearly checkups, and all but one are fixed (Oreo isn't because the vet said she was too old).

My dream is to buy a farm with at least 10 acres, and start a no kill shelter. So, if anyone knows the lottery numbers for this week, it's 10 million. That should open a very nice shelter. :)

[LadySam]

I know there are many out there just like us, and as I said we can't save them all. But as long as we continue to do what we can, maybe we'll at least make a dent.
Odds are your children like mine will follow in your footsteps and continue it.

[Alty]

I know there are many out there just like us, and as I said we can't save them all. but as long as we continue to do what we can, maybe we'll at least make a dent.
Odds are your children like mine will follow in your footsteps and continue it.

And maybe our children will be the generation that find a solution, that get through to those people that still think that backyard breeding and puppymills are okay. Maybe they'll educate people, like we educated them.

That's the beauty of the internet. We can spread our word. We can educate people, we do that here every single day. No, they don't always listen, but I'm sure that even when they're angry, some of our words sink in.

When I was a child I didn't even know that puppymills existed. I can say that we never ever adopted a dog from a pet store, but we helped our friends buy one (financially), only 7 years ago. I was not aware that the dogs in pet stores were puppy mill dogs. I was very naïve back then, and that wasn't really that long ago.

I thought that a dog from a backyard breeder was okay. I couldn't afford a breeder dog, and frankly, back then, I thought only the super rich and super pretentious got dogs from breeders at $3000 a pup. I've learned a lot since then.

If I can, then others can too. I wish you could meet my kids. My son is 13, my daughter is 9. A while back my daughter had to give a presentation to her class on a topic she was familiar with. She chose rabbits. I went to see her give her presentation. She was amazing. Didn't want my help writing it, asked me a few questions, but really only how to spell something. She was incredible. She explained the difference between a hare and a rabbit, she talked about caring for rabbits, neutering and spaying and why it's so important.

After her presentation I gave her a big hug, said "I'm shocked at how much you know. Where did you learn it?" She said "Mom, I learned it from you. You taught me everything you know about rabbits". Made me really proud.

She wants to be a vet when she grows up. Once I told her about the people that come here with very sick pets that can't afford a vet. She said "When I'm a vet, if someone is poor, but brings their animal in, I'll help it. I don't care if I get paid".

My son, he's amazing too. He's a big kid, as tall as me (well around 1/2 inch shorter), and I'm not a short lady. I'm 5'11". When it comes to animals, he's a bit softie. You should see him with Rascal. He's got a firm hand, but a loving heart.

I know that when they're grown up, they'll change their corner of the world. Who knows, maybe they'll even change other corners as well. There was a time when gays weren't accepted. There was a time when "blacks" couldn't even drink out of the same water fountain as "whites". Now those issue are being resolved, and people are learning. Maybe when our kids are grown they'll say "there was a time when animals died by the millions in shelters every year, now people understand".

[LadySam]

Wouldn't that be grand if they could find the solution.
That actually reminds me of something that I should be completely ashamed of.
One of our cats urinated on the floor, of course I fussed a little and made a statement like "why would she do that, she's never done that before" My son in his infinite wisdom says "Don't be mad at her maybe she has one of those urine infection things going on"
And I worked at a vet clinic for Pete's sake. Needless to say I was a little taken aback.
Just goes to show your kids do watch, listen and learn when you have no idea they are doing it.

[Alty]

Wouldn't that be grand if they could find the solution.
That actually reminds me of something that I should be completely ashamed of.
One of our cats urinated on the floor, of course I fussed a little and made a statement like "why would she do that, she's never done that before" My son in his infinite wisdom says "Don't be mad at her maybe she has one of those urine infection things going on"
And I worked at a vet clinic for Pete's sake. Needless to say I was a little taken aback.
Just goes to show your kids do watch, listen and learn when you have no idea they are doing it.

So true, which is why it's so important to be careful what you say and do in front of your children. You can't lie and then expect them to be honest. You can't yell and expect them not to. You can't hit them, and expect them not to hit others. Those are the big ones. There are tons of little things we do each day that our children are watching and learning from us.

I have to say, I'm not perfect, and my kids aren't either. Heck, we're all human, and we all make mistakes. But, my kids are pretty darn great. I'm proud of them. I'd love them no matter what they did in life, but, so far so good. They make me proud to be their mom every single day, and I like to think that maybe I had a little to do with that. :)

My only concern is that they'll end up with even more pets than I have.;)

I just hope they realize their dreams, become what they want to be, and make responsible decisions. I also hope that once in a while they make mistakes, and learn from them. Really, that's all any parent can hope for.

[JudyKayTee]

LadySam, you know how much I admire your posts. This thread tore me up. I'm glad I didn't see it when my Andi first died. I have always had rescues, some AKC, some not. They've all needed a person... and I've needed a dog or two. I figure if I've had 12 over the years that's 12 lives I've saved PLUS they've all been neutered so - well, math isn't my strong point, but you get the idea.

My Dad was a "dog person," and my sisters and I learned by example. I agree. You can preach to kids until your vocal cords explode, but it's what they SEE that they remember.

I very recently took the advanced canine first aid course at my local Animal Shelter, and there was 7-year old dog there for adoption. The sign on the cage said, "Too old. Family got a puppy." Heartbreaking. I thought it over - but I already have two.

It's no kill and the dog WAS adopted - but it made me sick.

And the bills come with the pet - years ago in my lean years I took a job typing term papers so I could pay for my dog's pain pills. You do what you have to do.

And, Alty, I didn't know you volunteered in the kill room. You are one of the most sensitive people I know. I can't imagine!

[LadySam]

I must admit that yes, they do tend to come along when we need them the most, almost as if by fate.
I had no intentions of getting myself another dog after I put my Sammy to sleep (we've all been there) and then I met her about 7 months later. 5 pounds of mats and there was actually a dog under there. The people could not keep her, the rest is history.
She is now 10 pounds of abnoxious poodle mix who loves to go camping, fishing and boating and anywhere else that my boyfriend and I go, recently Savannah. You can imagine the attention he got toting her around on his chest in a backpack at the St Patrick's Day parade. She is an absolute nightmare and sweetheart at the same time and I love it, typical 100 pounder in a 10 pound body.
I cannot subscribe to what I call the disposable pet policy. They are not disposable.
I see mine through to the end, always have, my parents didn't raise me to think they are optional.
Even my mother, who really could have lived without dogs, would have never had that.
I'm just glad they finally got these dogs away from the hell they were in.
And the sad thing is when they came into the clinic they were always just so happy to have someone just sit a hold them, absolutely broke my heart.

[Alty]

And, Alty, I didn't know you volunteered in the kill room. You are one of the most sensitive people I know. I can't imagine!

I won't lie, it tore me up, and I still have nightmares to this day, and I did this before Sydney came along. She's 9 now.

My thought process at the time was that I didn't want these animals dying alone. I wanted to be there telling them that they're loved, and that there are good people out there, and that I'm sorry. Darnit, even writing this is making me cry.

The vets that euthanize at the clinic are also volunteers. I remember well a conversation I had with one of the vets right before I left. I asked "How can you do this day in and day out? You went to school to save animals, not kill the. Doesn't it get to you?" Her response was "It hurts every single time that I do this. But I made the choice. I didn't have to volunteer my services here, just like you didn't. But I wanted to make sure that the animals that couldn't find a home, that couldn't be adopted (and our shelter only euthanizes those animals that are not adoptable either due to severe illness, or aggression), had a peaceful ending with someone that cares about them".

One of the main reasons I left the shelter was because I couldn't bring home every animal there. It was way too hard spending time with these fur babies and leaving without them at the end of the day. But there's only so much anyone can do. I knew I couldn't rescue every one. I couldn't save them all. I had to leave before I spent every waking moment doing nothing but crying because of those lives I couldn't save.

But I have saved lives. There are 4 bunnies beside me right now. Three of them are rescues. My little devil child Kilala, Thumper, the bunny that was in the shelter twice, on the kill list for the next day because he was deemed unadoptable. He was a biter. He's now the cuddliest bunny you'll ever meet, but you better hold him with a towel on your lap, he loves to nibble on fabric and can make a hole the size of the hoover dam within minutes. There's Oreo, found on the streets, almost starved to death. The people that found her couldn't keep her but cared enough that they went about finding her a new home. Our neighbor told us about her, and Rod was actually the one that said "bring her over, she'll have a home here". Then there's our first bunny, little Cotton. He was a pet store bunny, but I still consider him a rescue. If he had been bought by someone else, stats say he would have ended up in a shelter. Cotton and Kilala are in love. They adore each other. Thank Dog they're both fixed! ;)

That's just the bunnies. Jasper was a shelter rescue too. Four month old, beaten to a pulp. So thin that I'm sure if he hadn't had fur, I could have seen right through him. He hated people, and I can't blame him. The first 4 months of his life people did nothing but hurt him. It was a gamble bringing that little man into our home. Jared was 3, and I was pregnant with Syd. Rod didn't want to take him, he was worried that we could never rehabilitate him. But he was the best dog. Well, one of the best, all my dogs have been the best as far as I'm concerned. I have pictures of Jasper with the kids, of all my dogs with the kids. He loved them so much. I miss him so much. :(

Darnit. I better stop. I'm pretty sure that getting your keyboard wet isn't good for it.

[LadySam]

That's one of the toughest parts of my job, even when I know beyond the shadow of a doubt it is the right thing to do.
Owners often ask that I stand in for them because they just can't do it. MIne is the very last face they see, and I feel honored that they allow me this very last minute with a pet that I have no doubt looked after, sick or well for the majority of their life, if not all.
I'm afraid another one of those days will be soon, and sadly it's dog I sit for also.
What they don't know is I would have it no other way, every one at work knows that if is one of my patients, that I prefer to be the one helping them move on, so they naturally move over and let me do what I do.

Oh dear, now I got to stop, cause my laptop is in jeopardy too.
Why did I start this slubber fest?
Happy thoughts, happy thoughts