Quite Disturbed... does this happen often ? - Page 7

Melissa in a wonderful world that would be great but just try to do that and it will be shut down within weeks! you will have so many law siuts pending agaisnt "who ever" stated the site. For sander!!! The sad trueth here is we "GOOOD' breeders that try to do it the right way somehow also get the blunt end of the deal. Some people say it is the buyers responsibilities HELLO -- in todays world human babies are dumped in dumpsters, thrown away like rag dolls and you want them to care about dogs!!! anit going to happen. This is life SORRY to say. You can only do what you can with out going crazy. I was in Kaiserslautern GE for a couple years and rescued a cat cost my 45.00 the crazy thing attacked my children, and would in the middle of the night as my husands foot was hanging over the edge sink his claws in to his foot! I had to return him before any harm came to him. It cost me 45.00 to return him!!!! They took my name and adress and the cat was micro-chiped. They made it very clear to me if I turn the cat lose, dumped I would be charged. I thought that was crazy!! but after looking around Germany I did not see "strays" running around like here in the US. I though that was great I think that would work here great If you buy the puppy you are registered by the breeder with the "law" group if the animal comes up found you are charged. If you transferred the animal and did not register the new bowner well that is your fault and you are still fined! If the animal is found dead any were the last registered owner if fined (should of register the new owner). If you can not keep the animal and have to turn it in then 500.00 for the cost of up keep should be asked. (and if dumped please see above). there is a way but then you have the humans saying "that is not fair" and getting groups together to fight it. Here in the US only 1/4 of people do not believe in GOD and yet we can not say pray in school while 3/4 of the people want it. How butt backwards is that? cause we don't want to offend anyone. Breeders will always be the "bad guys"

Currently in rescue here in PA there is a 3-4 year old sable working line GSD that has been trained but only understands German, a 9 year old dog imported from Holland when he was 3 and sold to the feds to work at an airport. When he got too old to do the airport work, the feds gave him to a Kentucy PD who put him in a kill shelter when after he developed some health issues. Fortunately one of the rescuers took him home and decided to keep him in spite of "multiple health issues". They are looking for donations for his care and to buy him some toys. He just loves his toys and the photo showed him lying about with about a dozen of them lined up in front of him. There is also a beautiful young male trained as a service dog, his owner died. Also a very pretty young bitch taken to a kill shelter when her owner discovered she was pg. She has since whelped a large healthy litter due to the rescue taking her and giving her adequate food. Now the puppies are in need of homes. These are only a few examples of the doog dogs that deserve another chance. I only got through 1/4 of the dogs in PA, it gets pretty hard to look at after a few pages. A while back I saw an elderly black dog with DM and a very nice looking bitch with a CDX, all up for adoption in shelters. Yes, there are many mixed dogs too, but there are purebreds in their pedigree. The mixes came from somewhere, they weren't born in the cabbage patch. I would vote for a law that required that breeders have to purchase a license before they breed and the fee should reflect the number of litters they are licensed to breed in any given year. The more litters bred, the higher the fee and the fee would go to maintain area shelters. There would also need to be some sort of import fee charged to the breeders not living here in the US. That way those who want to breed often and not take back their dogs would still be doing something positive toward the rescue problem which may not be as big a problem after a few years of paying to breed dogs.

I agree with a law requiring licensed breeders, but I don't agree with the fees going to shelters. I have no problems with dogs being put down, if you have an issue with it then you pay for the shelters. A 9 year old dog with health problems should be put down. He has done the job for which he was breed, now it is time for him to pass on.

I like EK's suggestions regarding buyer's responsibilities. If such rules were enforced, people might think twice before buying a dog. I know you can't legislate morality, but if the law would address the resposiblity of both the breeder and the buyer it would have to eventually have an effect on the number of unwanted dogs in the US.

If you're referring to the dog I was speaking of, he is in no apparent pain, Wardawg. He is just an old dog that deserves some love in his life before he dies. Many of the GSD's in rescue are 9 years and older and most are not suffering from any debilitating diseases, they are just old and don't get around so well anymore.

We have rescued an 8 yr corgi for our son which I could not be happier about. She has brought him so much joy and when her time is to pass he will be off to collage (could not have planned that any better!). My husband has a rescued cat, my daughter has a rescued ferret and my son also has two rescued lizzards (yes we are a petting zoo (LOL) I do believe in second chances as long as the dog is in the health to be adopted out. We have rescues here that have saved (and this is no joke) a lab that had three legs, a broken leg at that, was blind, had to have a heart worm treatment to remove them, all the shots and had to be neutered and was 8yrs old. Now come on!!! how many HEALTHY dogs were put down due to they did not have the money because of this one dog? It is hard enough to find good homes for healthy pets let alone one with that many troubles. and after they fixed him and boardered him at a vets office and was wondering why they could not place him well ,duh!! there has to be an IQ test floating around for these people to take, one for animal buyers, one for having kids if you don't pass then you can never own an animal and if you fail the kids one.. then they should be spayed or nuetered.

[3-4 year old sable working line GSD that has been trained but only understands German] so do all the other dogs that come from Germany. And commands like here, come, sit really sound so much different than the german version... pluheeease. Never mind that it takes just a couple of days to retrain a dog to english commands. Unless the dog is really not trained at all, which I would think is more likely the case here. A sable dog is not automatically a working line GSD, could also be an american line sable. [9 year old dog import ... sold to the feds to work at an airport...When he got too old to do the airport work...] this was most likely a single purpose detection dog that was retired because he no longer could do the work. In the US dogs are not retired just by age as it happens in Germany a lot (where incidentally K9s receive a state pension to ensure they are looked after during retirement). In this day and age an experienced dog is worth his wheight in gold, no airport is going to downsize K9 units, rather the opposite. The dog had health issues, could no longer work and the airport dumped him. Great example if US authorities cannot even take responsiblity for their own dogs I guess its ok for owners too. Oh forgot, breeders still need to be responsible though. [young male trained as a service dog, his owner died] excuse me but what is stopping someone (ie you Blitz) to find out what this dog has already been trained for, then contact the Delta Society or any other service dog associated who are in dire need of trained service dogs? Or even just suitable dogs. It should take a mere single day to place this dog. But the service dog associations need to be told such a dog is there, they will not scout the rescue sites in hope a service dog is available somewhere. Any rescue or shelter should have enough sense to see that such a dog is really needed somewhere and that there is no need to put such a dog down. That is just the epitome of poor management! Send me the link to that dog I will forward it to several organizations who will be more than greatful to take this dog. If he is what he is that is. [very pretty young bitch taken to a kill shelter ... since whelped a large healthy litter *due to the rescue taking her*. ***Now the puppies are in need of homes.***] This is about as pathetic as it gets. Instead of spaying her while pregnant the overeager rescue beavers needed to make sure that a whole litter is added to the rescue situation out there. I stand corrected, that one is the epitome of poor management.

D.H. I believe they got the pg bitch too late to have her spayed. She was an owner-surrender to a kill shelter and rescued just as her time ran out. I believe she whelped her litter shortly thereafter. The situation of the police dog from Holland was reported to the Feds and they are supposed to be very angry with the PD that put him into the kill shelter. Our government has never been known to go out of their way for service dogs of any kind. They would rather kill them than try to find them a home. This has been proven time after time. The assistance dog belonging to the blind lady has been adopted thanks to the efforts of the rescue, one that specializes in GSD's and is manned by people who know the breed well. They have placed a number of GSD's with police departments and with handicapped owners. I used this example to illustrate that no dog is immune from ending up in a shelter. Nothing stopped me from trying to help place this dog, D.H. My level of participation in rescue is something I choose to keep private and not wave under anyone's nose on this board. Enough to say that I do what I can to help. The sable male is very pretty and smart and I imagine he will be adopted before too long. Not all rescue dogs are junkyard dogs. Some are well bred and probably cost the owners some big bucks. Please, don't take my word for it, look for yourselves. Just google German Shepherd rescues, you will get tons of hits. Take the kleenex box with you.

Blitz, every single case you have described is due to irresponsible owners, not irresponsible breeders. Sad that the blind lady did not have anyone around her to care enough about a dog that was her eyes, sad that she did not make any provisions in an what if case. Who gives away a trained dog because they cannot find a place for it? Oh and jeez the feds were "very angry"... yeah thats a tear jerker for sure. Did they take the dog back? Apparently not. They were only angry because of possible bad PR coming out of this. Many service dogs are not suitable to be placed into pet homes. Wake up! This is why the german K9 handler gets the job to keep caring for the dog, not some stranger. There is no time limit as to when a pregnant bitch can be spayed, many are spayed the day they give birth if they have problems, so just another excuse by overeager uneducated rescuers. There is also always the option of euthanizing a litter pups right after birth. Harsh, but better than having them raised in a possibly unfit environment and then create a whole litter of possible problem dogs. Just because someone rescues does not mean they are qualified to raise a litter. But hey, they just confirmed their validity by contributing to the problem. The only thing you have illustrated to me so far is that it still goes back to irresponsible owners and not breeders. EK, I fully agree with you regarding the 3 legged lab. Animals like that justify something in the rescuers lives, but in the end has little to do with the actual dogs. Some people need to rescue, some need to be rescued. I am not saying there should be no rescues but owners need to be more sensible and responsible. I have rescued quite a few dogs and other animals in the past and if a real need comes up I will help. Providing I am in the position to provide real help, never been a fan of fluff. I has to make sense, show good promise of a positive outcome for all involved, and it does not matter what breed or what species. Frivulous efforts like putting all that time and energy in an old 3 legged broken down dog is a bunch of cr*p if you ask me. Yes, just think how many worthy dogs could have been saved instead, dogs with a real future. A dear friend of mine, a lady in her 80s lost her beloved lab last year. She did not want to start with a pup again and found an older female about 3 months ago. The owners are moving, can no longer keep her, advertised, and more so advertised early to make sure she was taken care of before the move. They just called again last week that they are moving soon and if all was still a go. Hats off, now those are responsible owners! There were a few glitches. They stated her age as 6, there is no way this dog is 6, we all think no more than 3, 4 at the very most. She is an energy bundle, very fit and healthy, a bit stubborn, tons of drive, and a lot of fun. A bit much for an older lady, but she keeps my friend on her toes and the rest of us too. She is a hoot, dives for stones on the beach, looks like a ducky with her bum sticking out of the water while the head is down below picking up stones. She is the wind up toy that never quits, ball, ball, ball. My friend who had also lost her husband of nearly 50 years a couple of years ago had become pretty depressed over the winter. How nice to see her all perked up again. This dog has been a real gift. She gets herself into trouble at times - raiding neighbors garbage or the horse feed, opens cupboards, steals every morsel of food left unattended, and can be very demanding which she makes known with a very persistent bark, etc - but we all pitched in to make sure those two got off to the right start. And when my friend is off to see her family in the UK this summer, we have already set up a dog sitting plan. That dog went from one responsible owner to another. That is how it should be. cont...

cont... The attitude that breeders need to take dogs home regardless only enables the irresponsible breeders and also enables the irresponsible owners alike. In Germany people do not take dogs to shelters so easily because they consider it a life sentence in prison. So yes, many do dump their dogs - stories of dogs left tied up at parking lots are aplenty, especially at holiday season. But many take that walk to the vet and have their pet put down. I can tell you one thing though - that is a walk anyone makes only but once. The sense of irresponsibility gets a hard wake up call after such an experience. This would be a sensible option for US shelters. Evaluate every dog upon entry into the shelter as to chances of placement. A dog getting less than 70 or 80% is put to sleep right then and there, and the owner is made to walk that last walk with it! That will fix many irresponsible minds pretty quickly. Because many of those irresponsible owners are repeat offenders: "Oh this dog did not work out, lets see how that one will work for me. Oh did not work either, lets try the next, and so on". For those dumping dogs, I have seen signs up by the side of roads in so many places reminding people that they are fined $500 or even $2000 for littering. For littering people get fined! But not for dumping dogs? Strange world isn't it? Though the same should be applied (and legally could actually) to anyone seen or known to dump a dog. Back to dealing with the irresponsibe owner. Very simple really - fewer irresponsible owners will mean less demand for dogs, will mean less pups produced, will mean fewer dogs in rescue. That is where you need to sink the hook in. Breeders will only supply to a demand. Not the other way around. If you want change you can start by saddling the horse at the right end.