Angry, sad, devastated. Rant(dog story)

[taraann81]

We'll start at the begining.

Over 5 years ago I bought a purebred bullmastiff puppy(before we had chickens). He was expensive as many purebreds of his breed are (pet quality but ckc registered).

three years later(said dog is 3) we got chickens. He was fine with chickens for awhile, eventually he learned that chickens were fun to chase and caught one and killed it. Tried for over a year to train him to leave the chickens alone. No success. This poor dog was now always on a leash when outside. Not a great life for a dog the usually ran our 2 acres.

Well a friend, played baseball together for years(6), and also worked together for the last 3. Put her Dalmation(14) down 2 december's agp. They were great dog owners, large fenced backyard, daily jaunts to the dog park and there dogs were laways up todate on shots. She mentioned(last June) that they were going to start a search to add a new canine family member to their family.

After much deliberation and tears from the kids we decided Riggs would have a happier life with them and there two children. Far away from poultry and the constant confines of a leash. Sure I could have sold him and recoped some of our costs. But this was us making a hard decision about a much loved family member(i am not an advocate of giving an animal away for free but this is a friend and responsible dog owner so I thought it was safe).
I told her when they took him that if they ever needed to rehome him he was to come back here(of course I didn't think about having her sign paperwork, this was a family I had known for years).

They had him just over a year, apparently until yesterday(since last june). I saw her weekly during that time and on numerous occasions reiterated that if they EVER couldn't keep him we wanted him back, he was not to be passed on from home to home.

Well found out today that she was looking for a good home for him(through a mutual friend) due to a move to a smaller house and not enough room. I contacted her, stating I heard that she was looking to rehome Riggs and that We would come and pick him up, like I had said. I asked when?

She said she'd talk to her kids and let me know...

Come to find out an hr later(through another mutual friend) That she had SOLD him(mind you I know the woman she sold him too and it is a suitable home, but besides the point)

I am so mad righ now, but more than anything I am sad. The more I learn about people the mpre I love my dogs. We thought as a fdamily we were being selfless rehoming him to her.

And now she sells him for a profit.

I am disgusted with the human race today.

Sorry for my rant.

 

[wildeflowers]

Sometimes people stink. There is NO good explanation for her behavior. I suppose she may have been really cash strapped but didn't want to tell you. Regardless, not okay. We have a retired dog from a breeder, and we have the same deal with her. We would NEVER give her up, but if something horrible happened, I would absolutely honor my agreement with her. That is what this is about, being honorable. Some people would say that once the dog is given away, it is no longer yours to have any say over, but I disagree. She took the dog under the agreement that if something like this happened, she was to behave a certain way. That was the deal.

I suppose be thankful that the dog is at least in a good home, and that she showed you who she really is before you had to suffer any more than this. She is not a friend. I always try to be thankful when people show me who they are sooner rather than later, but sometimes it is hard to accept!

 

[Camelot Farms]

((hugs))

 

[Rozzie]

Ugh! That would be the last I'd consider that person a friend.

Thank goodness the dog went to a good home, though.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Bad as I hate to say it, trust no one.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Boy, can I relate. For me it was a horse and she went to a friend who truly loved her. Friend was a woman in her 70s. She broke her ankle and by the time she got out of the hospital, her husband had sold the mare and refused to tell her to whom or for how much. He KNEW his wife had promised me that in the event she could not keep the mare, she was to come back to me. And it was in the sales agreement. He didn't care. He cared about his bottom line. Period. It took me almost 3 years of looking to find her! But find her I did and, after some wrangling, she came home and stayed with us for the rest of her days.

I will never again let ANYONE, no matter how good a friend they seem be, talk me into parting with one of mine. Never again.

I guess this is one of those lessons we all seem to have to learn the hard way. People CANNOT be trusted, no matter how good a friend you may think they are.


Rusty

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

I had this happen to me twice in the last few years, one was a Pug, the other a Jenday conure. People stink!

 

[ruby]

I got a dog from a friend of a friend.... we kept her for two years, she was a brindle bull dog. I don't know if she had papers or not, she loved my kids and I happen to like the breed. She was a good dog. well trained etc..... time went on, and our landlord kick us out in favor of his nasty son.... The agreement I made with them is that I would give her back if things didn't work out. So when I called and let them know what happened and she needed a new home, the lady laughed and said this couldn't be better.... the family I got her from just called and asked if there was any chance they could get a puppy from her! They got their original dog back. The chance of that happening again is slim, since I sold a motorcycle to a relative at cost and his wife sold for a profit.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I think you're being extremely unfair. Look at it from the person's point of view - 'Here, take my dog for free, he killed our chicken, our chickens run loose, so we don't want him any more. Oh, and if you ever don't want him, let me know'.

To be perfectly honest, I would not send the dog back to you either. No. To be perfectly honest I would think someone would make some sort of arrangement with their chickens if they really wanted to keep their dog and loved it. ANY dog is going to chase chickens and kill one eventually. It takes work and spending some money on keeping the two separate. Anyone who thinks any dog will automatically not go after a chicken eventually, should not have a dog. Or chickens! I'm sure dying by being ripped apart by a bullmastiff is not the quickest, most humane way for a chicken to go.

I've been reading, 'What type of dog is good with chickens' and stories of dogs killing goats that wound up with maggots in the wounds before it was even detected - LOOK! If you can't take care of and house different types of animals decently and keep they away from each other, DON'T HAVE THEM! If you aren't willing to train your dog to not chase chickens (and no, it is not a pretty, treat based process!) don't have predator and prey pets!

And at the very least, don't expect everyone in the world to agree with you and encourage you! OR give you your dog back!

Look, I realize this sort of opinion will make me Miss Unpopularity here, but I am disgusted by some of the attitudes I run across on this bb.

It's ridiculous as well as selfish to think you're running Noah's Ark and everyone can get tossed out in the yard with no fence, no pen, nothing, or a flimsy, inadequate pen, or totally LOOSE all the time, and not eventually eat each other.

For heaven's sake let's have AT LEAST A LITTLE bit of reality on this BB! That someone should run back to you with the dog when they have to move after you gave him up without making some arrangements for the animal, NO, I wouldn't give you back the dog either!

The chickens could be in a pen while the dog is loose. A fenced in roofed run for the dog to play, or even simpler and cheaper, an overhead run line to let the dog have some freedom and exercise but keep him away from the chickens. We had one that was 180 feet long, the dog loved it and it kept him safe. How about taking the dog to the park, or jogging with him, or walking him daily? How about taking the dog to training class to give him some fun and excitement each week, or taking him to the lake? No, I am not sympathetic to people's lack of funds either. If you don't have the money to keep your predator and prey pets apart, DON'T HAVE BOTH! And don't look for sympathy when someone doesn't think maybe the pet belongs back with you.

I realize I'll probably get banned from saying so, but really, for heaven's sake, if you can't decently house and contain chickens and a dog don't have both!

And I would NOT give the dog away. I would in fact make SURE the new owner paid for the dog, and paid just as much as they would if they got him from a breeder (same age etc) so it was not an impulse to just get the dog and it would be something they really thought about and made a commitment to.

 

[jerseygirl1]

From the title I thought this was a rant, not looking for an opinion