Excuse Me While I Vent!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

So tonight, DH & I along with Lucy and Sophie are at the County Fair!  As we are making our way around to leave the Fairgrounds when we notice a young couple with two little puppies that look like they must be doodles!  DH goes over (I'm being cornered by someone petting Sophie) to ask if they are doodles.  I miss the beginning of the conversation, but join in a little later.  The first thing the lady asks me is if Lucy and Sophie are good with kids ....... :o( (flag #1)!  Then she says we were hoping so because we have a baby!  Did I mention they have 2 puppies.  I gave the usual speech about yes ours are good with kids, but they didn't come that way, it required a lot of training.  Then I asked her how old the puppies were and she said 6 months, to which I replied, Oh they are mini's and she said yes.  Then she says we saw you guys walking around here with yours but we didn't have ours yet ..... to which I'm thinking, huh!  I said oh, you just got them and they said (wait for it), yes, we just got them.  There was a lady with them in a box at the gate ..... she had the papers and everything!  We had been trying to get one off of Petfinder but everytime we called they were already gone, so we got really lucky!  I was SPEECHLESS!    If I would of had a pen and paper I would have just gone ahead and given them the DRC number, because I will bet they end up giving them up!   Ok, I'm done venting now!

[HeatherA]

I think you should have given her the DRC info.. tell her it may come in handy to connect with people that love Doodles. ;) I contact people I see on Craigslist trying to rehome Doodles and offer the DRC and IDOG will get them a committed and screened home that understands the commitment of taking care of a Doodle. Though a lot of supposed "rehomes" are breeders, sometimes I do find real rehomes.

I've said it before and I will say it again... unfortunately we live in a society of impulsive buyers and animals aren't excluded from the list of "things" people will buy. So sad :( Maybe we should petition to require people to get pet licenses BEFORE they can own a dog! Like a marriage license. With the license could come a FAQ -- average dog lifespan, average dog vet cost, an article that even a "free" dog isn't free. Oooo!!

I know not everyone humanizes their dogs like I do, but at the very least you have to realize a pet isn't a stuffed animal, it's not a prize to take home from the carnival! It makes me so mad when people get rid of dogs a few months later because they "just can't handle a puppy right now." They are on my list of people I would like to smack. I wouldn't get rid of my kids because my situation changed and I view my girls the same way.

I think you showed amazing restraint!

[BG and Gavin]

I wish that people were required to get a license before having a CHILD!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Can you imagine going to a fair and buying not one but TWO puppies, spur of the moment? Out of a box? WTD?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Really tragic...some people are so clueless.

[Debbie and Thomas]

To think that they took two, not one puppy on a whim from a lady who had them in a box....BUT THEY TOOK TWO of these poor little things. Wow...you really needed to vent!

[Wendy and Eddie]

That's sure what I would do if I were a reputable breeder-hang out at the gate at the fairgrounds with my pedigree pups in a box and sell them to whomever happened by, with no application, information or whatever about their home and lifestyle. And I would be happiest to sell them to a couple with a baby, who won't have any dog or puppy supplies with them and who are going to be walking around, and maybe leaving the dogs in the car when they get tired.

sheeesh!!!

[Kyoko]

I 'm thinking that the lady who had them in a box may not be the original person, either. These puppies could have been passed around, just because they are so cute.... Poor things. I only hope that their journey ends here, and this couple turns out to be good. Butter was purchased at the pet store by someone who was not allowed to have a dog in the apartment, passed around between several different people ( amongs people who knew each other )who took him because of his looks and did not want to take care of him..... My ex asked me to keep him overnight almost 15 years ago, and never came back...

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Rosey came with a torn piece of paper in a zip loc baggie as her record of 1st puppy shots and her b-day does that count as papers? Bandit came with his own little folder, already microchipped, neutered and round of shots with receipts, that seemed more official.

I don't know who's mad at who here. Maybe this couple will provide a better outcome for these dogs than their original fate. While I don't support puppy mills, this couple may have just been human and had been obviously thinking about getting dog(s), doodles for a while and just succumbed to the puppies for sale. I would be more mad at the lady at the gate, not the couple who had the puppies. She was the one preying on weakness.

I didn't know squat about puppy mills, breeding, etc before getting R&B, I just wanted a dog. But now I am educated and try to do the best I can to educate others provide resources etc to all dog owners I meet... I say be mad at the breeder, not the new parents, give them resources so they know what to do, even if their impulse decision doesn't work out.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Well we have a pretty good idea of what these puppies' first six months of life have probably been like. I can only hope that these people are just "clueless" about how to go about getting a puppy, and will love them and provide a good home. I know that's probably just "wishful thinking"....but I can dream.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I share your dream .......................

[Robyn, Greg and Snickers]

This is on the website of the breeder we got Snickers from unfortunately this attitude is SO true

What do you mean __-Mart mentality?
Be prepared!  Our society has taught us that all we need to do is take our purchases out of the box, put in batteries, and away we go.  Real live puppies p__p and pee where we do not want them to, chew on your belongings (especially through teething time), and require a part of your busy schedule.  They in turn reward you with unconditional love, much happiness, and relief of stress.  
It is so so important to train them up in the way you want them to go or else they will be the biggest menace in your life!  You must learn how to communicate with them.  Read the books and attend a Basics class of your choice.  I do recommend the formal class setting for at least the first part of training so your puppy may continue to socialize with other puppies and people.              

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Too bad you did not get anymore information. There is a HORRIBLE breeder of mini goldens in your area. Last February, he was advertising on craigslist and I acted like an interested buyer. It was one of the worst conversations about puppies I have ever had. I reported him to the authorities in your area.

Obama Moma ( remember her?) was going to get one from him and asked us what we thought. Privately, I showed her the pictures of his kennels--and you know the rest.

( P.S. In your other blog, I told you, Ohio Fairs Scare Me)