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View Full Version : Argh! What a mess!


cockermom93
08-16-2008, 04:10 AM
Ok I have a customer who is not a puppy mill but is a shabby breeder. Her dogs are loved and are not caged, they get flea control and they get groomed on a bi-annually bassis. These are Shih tzu's and they come in matted and smelly, yet in a seemingly healthy condition and mental state.

She came to me a while back and said that she has to get rid of alot of her breeder adults and to keep a look out for potential new owners for them. She has had to take a full time job just to care for them and is working 60 plus hours a week and needs to downsize to be able to care for the ones she can't bare to get rid of. I told her about a no kill program that I work with called the South West Missouri K9's and that they would keep them in a home situation untill they find them a forever home, the kind of place that if you don't want the dog you have to bring it back to them. She said she would think on it and get back to me, well the other day I was able to get the first of many into the care of the sw mo k9's. (Yeah)

Her name is Becka and she was in today for her spay... only it turns out she is pregnant and heartworm positive! Now I am freaked out because she has like upwards of 25-30 dogs and any/all of them could be positive!!! She hardly has the money to get them groomed on a regular bassis so I know it is gonna be really hard to get them all tested at once! I told her about Revolution and that it works on fleas, ticks, and heartworms and that it costs about the same as Frontline, but to get them on it they all have to be tested. I am really worried for her because the Sw Mo K9's only has so much space available because it is a "foster" program instead of a shelter, they would pay for the treatment of all the dogs but they don't have the room for them right now. I know there is nothing I can do but I just am a little disturbed by the fact that she didn't have them on preventative... It has made me think a little differently of her and I don't really know what to do. Sorry so long I am just venting via computer... Thanks for reading. :)

6dogmom
08-16-2008, 04:41 AM
Sounds like to me that she isn't a really bad breeder but just someone that got over there head.
Unfortunatlly people get into breeding and they take on more than they can handle. It's really to bad. It sounds like sales were good so she kept having litter after litter, then sales went bad. Now she's stuck. That's why I beleive in only have like two maybe three breeding pairs. I only want two then I can breed every year. If the pups don't sell then I just don't breed the other female.
It's a tough position for everyone right now. I would think that breeders would take this ressetion into consideration before breeding.
I don't even know what to tell you, that's lots of dogs. I thought I was crazy with eight. 25-30 is huge. If she wasn't selling them and she could foresee what the future has in store then why did she breed more. As a breeder you should know when things are getting to tough to handle and just stop breeding before the problems arise.
Ok, enough of that venting, what about listing her dogs on nextday pets. It costs twenty dollars a month. Not a bad price. You can even list for free if you need to but the private information is not available unless the person looking is a member. She could groom the dogs and list them for very reasonable prices. What about talking to people she has sold pups to. Likely some of them were interested in breeding there dog, she could offer dogs for breeding at reasonable prices.
They would all have to be heart worm negative though. But if she got on the ball maybe she could catch it early and only some of them would be positive. Those would be the ones she wouldn't sell right now.
This is the only advice I have right now. I am sorry I couldn't be of more help.

cockermom93
08-16-2008, 04:57 AM
Wow this is sooo overwhelming! She didn't breed them on purpose as crazy as it sounds she did every thing she could to keep the in season girls seperate from the boys. The problem is she works so many hours now and the dogs get sooo hairy that it is hard to tell if they are in heat or not with as many as she has to care for. I feel like I am making excuses for her, and I guess I am because I feel for her.

As her groomer I actually told her a couple of them were pregnent and she didn't know about it! They literally get 'that' hairy!

cockermom93
08-16-2008, 05:04 AM
I don't even know how this dog sees, eats, drinks, poops! I probably groomed her about six months prior to this picture so it's not that he was totally neglected they just grow this fast and she has sooo many it takes about six months to work back around to the beginning again.

cockermom93
08-16-2008, 05:06 AM
Here she is in her usual hair cut... NAKED!:)

boxerheaven
08-16-2008, 09:38 AM
cute puppy, sounds like its just got out of hand with her as it so often does it does with some people hope it all works out ok

kiya
08-16-2008, 10:54 AM
oh i love them before and after pics, :D

xx

dobetaztic
08-16-2008, 12:42 PM
sounds like the lady has just let things go to far in breeding and cannot cope any more i hope she finds homes for her dogs

Momto3
08-16-2008, 06:47 PM
Grooming every six months?! Dang my dogs are really spoilt! But I've only got 3 and I keep them reasonably short so I can keep up with that Cocker Spaniel furriness. I think one of the best things she could do is contact previous buyers (if she kept records) and foster some of those animals out or offer them at reduced rates. That's how I got my last two. Rescue called after I adopted a younger one from them and asked if I would take an older one for free. Since the younger one seemed to need another I agreed. Then the third was offered. Done. Three is my limit both financially and time-wise.

I wish you luck in helping her. You sound like a verrrry caring person and she's lucky to know you!

CerbiesMom
08-16-2008, 08:28 PM
She should've got her dogs spayed then. I would have to think differently about someone who did that, too. Heartguard isn't expensive. She definately needs to downsize. I'm so glad all my animals are fixed.

turfgirl
08-16-2008, 09:43 PM
I adore shih tzus it makes me sad to see them in that condition. Is there a group who could help her financially take care of them like a vet who would put his prices down in order for her to fix them and treat them for the heart worm. I know it is risky getting the humane society involved as they may take them away. I got my puppies groomed every 6 weeks so I cannot imagine the state of the dogs if they are groomed every 6 months. Good luck, hope it all works out.

cockermom93
08-16-2008, 09:46 PM
Thanks guys, I talked to her last night and she said she was gonna call her vet first thing this morning to see if they would cut her a deal on the h/w testing. I really hope none of the others are positive because I don't know what she will do if they are as I'm sure you all know Heartworm treatment is expensive even for a small dog. Well I will keep you updated as I get info, thanks for reading my rants. :)