Michelle Says...
Recently I was drawn into a situation that affected me intensely through an email sent "accidentally". One evening my inbox contained a message sent to Tucker's breeder (we call her "Grams") and cc'd to a large number of her email contacts. I literally tossed all night thinking about the situation because I know how sweet Tucker's breeder is, how much she loves her dogs and how great all of her dogs are. (That's Jane in the picture, getting a puppy ready for her first time in the show ring.)
Here is just a portion of the poorly spelled and punctuated vileness the message spewed "How can you live with yourself, for that matter how can anyone that breeds and sale dogs for a financial gain sleep at all. All of you should be put to sleep or at the least tarred and feathered. Have you any idea of the pain and suffering that you have caused us, all for a financial profit, shame on you. We have fallen in love with our dogs Roxie and Rusty and the very thought of having to give them up, we can not bare. Actually we do not know what to do, but need to do something or they will kill one another or one of our cats or perhaps injure my 88 year old mother. You knew all of this, prior to us purchasing them."
I know many people are opposed to purebred dogs on the principle that the inbreeding used to keep the breed standards can result in unhealthy animals. However, Tucker's breeder works very hard to breed for health and temperament and her kennel is a homelike doggie heaven and she loves every one of her pups and probably wishes she could keep them all! The bill of sale for her puppies stipulates that if the owner is unhappy or unable to keep the dog at ANY time, she will take it back. And I doubt she makes a profit on her puppies.
Recently I was drawn into a situation that affected me intensely through an email sent "accidentally". One evening my inbox contained a message sent to Tucker's breeder (we call her "Grams") and cc'd to a large number of her email contacts. I literally tossed all night thinking about the situation because I know how sweet Tucker's breeder is, how much she loves her dogs and how great all of her dogs are. (That's Jane in the picture, getting a puppy ready for her first time in the show ring.)
Here is just a portion of the poorly spelled and punctuated vileness the message spewed "How can you live with yourself, for that matter how can anyone that breeds and sale dogs for a financial gain sleep at all. All of you should be put to sleep or at the least tarred and feathered. Have you any idea of the pain and suffering that you have caused us, all for a financial profit, shame on you. We have fallen in love with our dogs Roxie and Rusty and the very thought of having to give them up, we can not bare. Actually we do not know what to do, but need to do something or they will kill one another or one of our cats or perhaps injure my 88 year old mother. You knew all of this, prior to us purchasing them."
I know many people are opposed to purebred dogs on the principle that the inbreeding used to keep the breed standards can result in unhealthy animals. However, Tucker's breeder works very hard to breed for health and temperament and her kennel is a homelike doggie heaven and she loves every one of her pups and probably wishes she could keep them all! The bill of sale for her puppies stipulates that if the owner is unhappy or unable to keep the dog at ANY time, she will take it back. And I doubt she makes a profit on her puppies.
The idea that she caused this person's situation is ridiculous. And his childishness at blaming her for his own failure just makes me shake my head. The email writer later said his message was an accidental "reply all" and it was never intended for anyone but the breeder, but I have my doubts. And if it wasn't accidental, the message backfired pretty badly on him. Message after message flew out saying bad owners cause badly behaved dogs, not breeders. Others told him he chose to take two terriers into his home and he clearly didn't deserve them if he couldn't take care of them properly. Here's a more polite sample of the messages "It is obvious you are a person who should not have dogs. Probably not even a cat. When you get a puppy it is your responsibility to train it, socialize it and make it a good canine citizen. I have had Cairns since 1959 and Jane Stump takes a back seat to no one on quality and temperament "
The breeder was devastated by the attack and immediately made arrangements to go across the state to take the dogs back. She had plane tickets to fly across country to deliver a puppy in Florida the evening the email bomb dropped, so she was terribly upset and stressed, but a friend and partner, Susan, drove to get the pups. The owner only relinquished one of the pups, the female, and kept the male. I emailed the man begging him to be sure he gave the remaining pup the chance to be a good pet by going to obedience classes (which are really mostly about training the OWNER, not the dog). I never heard from him, but have heard that they are managing better with only the one dog.
Take away message from all of this? All dogs are hard work. It is not enough to just love them. If you're getting a pet, research the breed. Certain breeds, and that includes cute little terriers with strong wills and masses of energy, are harder to raise than others. Ownership of a dog is a commitment and a privilege due only to those who honor it. If your dog is poorly behaved, look in the mirror. It isn't the dog's fault and it is unlikely that it is the breeder's fault unless you went to a puppy mill, and that's a whole other category of bad.
The breeder was devastated by the attack and immediately made arrangements to go across the state to take the dogs back. She had plane tickets to fly across country to deliver a puppy in Florida the evening the email bomb dropped, so she was terribly upset and stressed, but a friend and partner, Susan, drove to get the pups. The owner only relinquished one of the pups, the female, and kept the male. I emailed the man begging him to be sure he gave the remaining pup the chance to be a good pet by going to obedience classes (which are really mostly about training the OWNER, not the dog). I never heard from him, but have heard that they are managing better with only the one dog.
Take away message from all of this? All dogs are hard work. It is not enough to just love them. If you're getting a pet, research the breed. Certain breeds, and that includes cute little terriers with strong wills and masses of energy, are harder to raise than others. Ownership of a dog is a commitment and a privilege due only to those who honor it. If your dog is poorly behaved, look in the mirror. It isn't the dog's fault and it is unlikely that it is the breeder's fault unless you went to a puppy mill, and that's a whole other category of bad.
Tucker says...
Poor Grams. And poor Roxie and Rusty.
3 comments:
Too true! I have to agree with Tucker. (Who looked adorable in the last photo, by the way.)
Thanks Jess! Sometimes I can't believe how cute Tucker is. But I suppose it's a good thing, it compensates for the devil in him. Spring is beginning to sneak around the corner here (sorry to mention that) so the barking at every bird that twitters and freaking out at the scent of every critter that's been through the yard has begun!
I was so deeply saddened to read this post. A few years back after much time, education and discussion with another Cairn breeder I too acquired a puppy from Jane and Susan. I immediately fell in love with Jane. She was so sweet and obviously loved her dogs.
Unfortunately my puppy had severe issues with aggression. We worked for over six months with her. I put her through obedience and worked with an extremely reputable trainer in my local area. Despite all of our time, love and effort we could not get her to overcome her aggression. Feeling that we were out of options I contacted Jane and Susan. Susan was very unkind. She treated me with a tremendous amount of disrespect and when I agreed to return the dog I was stood up by the person who was to come and get her.
Jane did apologize and returned my money. She said they had sprayed for wasps and thought that perhaps my puppy had come into contact with the chemicals. That was her only explanation as to why my puppy was having such severe neurological problems. I accepted that and moved on.
Since then I acquired a little mutt puppy who was born with club feet. I am proud to say she is now six and living a full and happy life.
Not a week goes by that I don't think of my little cairn puppy and wish things had been different.
I am also not a novice with dogs. My mom has been a breeder for years and I used to show dogs as well.
While I do not believe anyone should tear down another individual publicly, I do believe we sometimes do not understand both sides of the story. I feel terrible for not only the dogs but also for the people who have had to live through that situation and for the breeder as well. We all hope that when we add a new furry member to our family, we have thoroughly done our research and can enjoy the new animal in a forever home.
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