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View Full Version : dishonest shelters...........



Claudine
02-16-2009, 10:21 AM
My friend adopted a cocker spaniel for her children a few months ago. She was told that Audrey was rescued from a puppy mill in Pennsylvania. This is the sweetest, most even-tempered little girl in the world. HOWEVER, my friend was told she was 5 yrs.old, had been spayed & was in good health. Since then Audrey has had three seizures, was found to have a very bad heart, the vet told my friend that she is closer to 10 yrs. old than 5!! Latest issue......Audrey is currently in HEAT!!! My friend paid the shelter $100.00 to cover the spaying that they said they had done. They love her so much & will give her a forever home but it is so unscrupulous of shelters to do these things. Think how many poor dogs get uprooted once again & returned when some people learn of their health issues. The vet will spay her in two weeks when she's no longer in heat but it will be a risky surgery due to her age & heart condition. My friend gave the shelter heck & they will foot the bill for the spaying but it's just WRONG!!!

Chris
02-16-2009, 10:32 AM
Playing Devil's Advocate here...

Sometimes puppymill dogs have such poor teeth, etc, that some people think they are older than they are unless there is some form of proof (papers, etc). Do you think the vet thinks she is older because of her teeth, etc??

The spay thing is unexcusable.

viener weiner
02-16-2009, 10:53 AM
told me that a client of hers who has a pet snake told her that about once a year the snake farm feeds the bigger snakes a dog from a shelter. We were both absolutely horrified. My friend asked her why they don't just feed the snake a live child... pretty close to the same thing in our minds ...

Best of luck to your friend's dog...:sosad: :sosad:

lotsadox
02-16-2009, 11:12 AM
I have to agree with Chris. Dogs that have been badly neglected usually have awful teeth and it's very hard to get anywhere near an accurate age from them.

The spay thing is unexcusable.

We have a shelter here that is run by the city and is pretty awful. The people working there are civil servants and I'm not even sure they really like animals. :sosad: The volunteers are the best people those animals see. So unless a knowledgeable volunteer evaluates the dog, they're probably just making a guess as to age, etc.

As far as being unscrupulous, I'm not sure that's the right word. It's not like the shelters are making any money off of the pets they adopt out. They have no reason to 'gyp' anybody. It's probably just a mistake by someone who doesn't really know much. I think when adopting from a shelter, you have to with your own knowledge. JMHO

Yolanda
02-16-2009, 12:18 PM
Continuing to be the devils advocate:

Putting an age on a puppy mill dog is one of th hardest things to do even for those of us that have been doing rescue for years and even the professionals.

Even having seizures could have been an hidden issue.

If might even be possiable to have a "C" section scar pass as a spay on a rare occassion.

No knowing about a bad heart is totally different unexcusable.


Shelters come in all shape and sizes and some a lot better than others. Do not judge them all the same way. In my area I have one really grat one and one that needs to be closed down. It depends a lot on the management, the polices of the organization and funds.

bittyup
02-16-2009, 12:21 PM
When I adopted Doxie he had gorgeous teeth but his skin problems were so severe it made him look much older. The shelter told me he was probably 5-7 but my Vet said probably 3-5 because his teeth were so nice. Said they were the whitest teeth he's seen in a while.
When I adopted Nero she also had nice teeth but had been at the shelter at least 7 months. They told me she looked like she had a spay scar but if she came into heat to bring her to their clinic. Apparently since I can very highly reccommended by my Vet and some local rescue people they just quick got her out the door knowing all the pits were about to be euthanized. She did come into heat and it was a hassle to get her into their clinic I had my vet do it.
When I worked at a nice local shelter I know there were times the Vet had to guess the age because of the teeth and sometimes you round the age down a bit to get them adopted. The shelter should handle the spay for your friend.

Otto'sMom
02-16-2009, 01:40 PM
There are good and bad shelters out there and there is a good chance they were only repeating what they'd been told by the person who turned in the dogs and not a professional. The shelter where I'd gotten Grrrrrt had her as a 3 year old, but she was well over 10 years old, and the vet they used for spay neuter had said to put her to sleep before I got attached. They were used to people getting dogs out of the pound and not wanting to deal with any issues. (They didn't know what to make of me!)
While it sucks, mistakes were made but I doubt they were malicious. Sometimes I think it's easier and less paperwork for them to euthanize a dog or cat than it is to adopt them out. At least she made it out alive to know the love of a family, even if it is for a limited time only.

Claudine
02-16-2009, 02:09 PM
You all have made some really good points......especially about judging the age by the teeth. My friend took Audrey to my vet, whom I know is just awesome. He was the one who put her age closer to 10 yrs.
I know there are good shelters out there; we have one in our town that really does a wonderful job. I am inclined to think, however, that some of these shelters are so crowded that they will minimize or omit problems just to get dogs adopted out. I could be wrong.

lotsadox
02-16-2009, 02:16 PM
Or they could just be trying to get awesome dogs with some problems into homes. Would your friend have adopted this dog if she knew it had problems? Probably not. But now that she has it, she's going to help her and loves her. Pretty good strategy to get around people's prejudices, if you ask me. ;)