So sorry, Ellie!

[PennySycamore]

@Longhairedheathen,  I'd heard about how Game of Thrones had created a demand for huskies due to their wolf-like appearance.  One of my daughters and her husband found a purebred husky some years ago.  Anyway, this dog is fairly sweet but also pretty destructive.  I don't think he chews as munch as he used to, but he's chewed up so much stuff: panties, bras,  eyeglasses, wood molding on their old house.  You name it and this dog would try to eat it. They are not dogs for the inexperienced owner.

[Maggie Mae]

4 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

@Longhairedheathen,  I'd heard about how Game of Thrones had created a demand for huskies due to their wolf-like appearance.  One of my daughters and her husband found a purebred husky some years ago.  Anyway, this dog is fairly sweet but also pretty destructive.  

They aren't destructive if they get enough exercise, which they kind of can't in the South. They are dogs that are bred for the cold and to run (until they are "old" and then they turn into fluffy lap dogs/cats.) They also will kill small animals like squirrels, birds, cats very quickly. 

I wish people would do their research. It breaks my heart whenever I see pictures of huskies in the desert. 

 

[mango_fandango]

I also feel like one of the puppies (at least) will go to a relative. Melanie/Nathan got those cats for Tina’s birthday so maybe not them. I don’t think the other “extended families” have pets, that we know of anyway. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by mango_fandango

[grammyj]

Well sure as long as extended family has the $$$ for puppies.  Business is business for the Maxwells. No discounts for anyone.  And, just to add, still very troubling that as long as a potential buyer has the cash in hand, Sarah won't do a background check. Unbelievable and irresponsible. Ugh.... hope Ellie does not conceive. 

[Smee]

On 6/20/2019 at 10:07 AM, Maggie Mae said:

They aren't destructive if they get enough exercise, which they kind of can't in the South. They are dogs that are bred for the cold and to run (until they are "old" and then they turn into fluffy lap dogs/cats.) They also will kill small animals like squirrels, birds, cats very quickly. 

I wish people would do their research. It breaks my heart whenever I see pictures of huskies in the desert. 

 

This makes me think of my irresponsible idiot brother-in-law who got a purebred Husky and didn’t bother to have her spayed. Then he moved out of his rental house on acreage - admittedly when he first got her, his living circumstances were good for her - and into a caravan in his girlfriend’s parents’ backyard for a year. Then he bought a house in tropical far North Queensland, where even the middle of winter is usually above 20 degrees Celsius and humid. The husky then escaped their backyard and got knocked up to the neighbour’s labrador. The puppies were very cute, but how they convinced people to pay $1500 each for them I’ll never know. He admits that the veterinary care, time and effort required in breeding is immense and says they definitely won’t do it again. But the puppies were born a year ago now, and has the dog been spayed? No, she has not. ?

[zee_four]

On 6/18/2019 at 8:44 PM, SoConfused said:

I feel your pain. I was behind in reviewing adoption applications for rescue I work for and someone had applied for a kitten a couple weeks ago. When I followed up today she responded “oh, I bought one from a breeder he’s getting delivered next week.” 

Ugh. This all makes me sad. I'm a fellow humane society worker and spend a lot of time surrounded by lovable rescues in need of homes. We don't need more backyard breeders especially in areas like Kansas where there are a ton of rescues and many shelters are kill shelters (I'm in CO/UT and we bring a ton of animals from the south and midwest to our shelters for this reason)

Ugh I have way less sympathy for Sarah after this even though I know everything she does and thinks comes directly from Stevehova.

[Lgirlrocks]

I’m torn about breeder/rescue. We always had rescue dogs growing up, three of them. When my last one died three years ago I had to fill the hole in my heart with another dog. I got a rescue. She saved me from a broken heart. A year and a half ago my boyfriend decided he wanted a dog. He settled on a Newfoundland. We went with a breeder. I love him so much and wouldn’t trade him for all the dogs. Next pup though I want a rescue. Both have their perks but there are too many dogs that need good homes. 

[Hane]

I’m just wondering why Sarah is accepting non-refundable deposits on puppies that haven’t even been born yet. Even if she knew how many puppies Ellie is carrying, there’s no guarantee that all of them will be born alive and healthy enough to be sold.

[Markie]

Re: Non-refundable Deposits: 

And what if you wanted a female but there aren’t any? 

Does she mean that you cannot back out if there is a healthy puppy? 

Is this a done thing? 

Edited June 25, 2019 by Markie

[nvmbr02]

Non refundable deposits are generally done when you go through a breeder, in my limited experience. Generally, the deposit is refunded if the breeder can't provide you with the requested puppy, but you lose your deposit if you change your mind on getting a puppy. We've only gone through two breeders as most of our dogs are rescues. One breeder had us put a small deposit to be put on the waiting list, then a second deposit was made when we picked a puppy. The other breeder doesn't have a deposit for the waiting list, but then takes deposits for 4 female and 4 males for the liter. If there aren't 4 of each (or more) you can have a refund on your deposit or move the deposit to the next liter, which could be anywhere from a couple of months to 18 months or more.

[Palimpsest]

We have only bought one pet quality dog from a breeder, all the others have been rescues.  I always encourage people to look at rescue first.  Plenty of lovely dogs end up in rescue, and breed specific rescue, through no fault of their own.  

And, of course some purebred pups get abandoned on the street when their buyers realise that dogs need time and energy.  @nelliebelle1197, found her (purebred Bichon to most eyes) little Buddy eating out of a dumpster.  But no-one wanted to claim that probably expensive and adorable piece of fluffy mischief.

For our breeder pup, we had to go that route because this was back in 1986 and I really, really, wanted a JRT.  This was pre-Moose (Eddie) and pre-Wishbone (the children's TV show) and very few people had even heard of JRTs in the US.  Also JRTs were not AKC and the Parson Jack Russell had not been invented.  JRTs were little working dogs, but they had their own Breed Club and Breeders Association.  We researched the heck out of the breeder before we committed.  There was a small deposit in advance for a pup from a specified litter, but it was refundable if he couldn't provide a healthy female puppy for us.  

We ended up with a lovely show quality pup at pet quality price.  Both Mom and Dad were national breed champions in both the US and the UK.  The breeder didn't make us sign a spay or neuter contract because he actually wanted her in the gene pool.   We showed her a couple of times in puppy classes, but she was spayed before she was a year old.  We didn't want to breed her, even though the breeder knew what he was doing and asked us to work with him.  Too much hard work for us and too much risk for our dog.  And, at best, we would only have broken even after all the vet bills.

Because it can't be said too often, although I am preaching to the choir here:

Spay or neuter your pets and don't buy from backyard breeders like Sarah Maxwell! 

[PennySycamore]

@Palimpsest,  my dachshund is a rescue.  She'd been owned by a pet hoarder.  When the Laurens County animal control went to the hoarder's house, they could only catch about 5 or 6 dogs out of 40.  Trinket was one of them.  I think she didn't run away because of her puppy.  Yep, Trinket was a teenage mom 

[Granwych]

I wrote on another thread about having to put down our little diabetic Maltese.  He was AKC registered.  We were his third and last owners.

When we are ready for another dog, rescue will be our choice.  Bless  everyone  who takes good are of their pets wherever the pets came from.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

58 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

Yep, Trinket was a teenage mom 

Steve would blame it on the fact that she surely wasn’t committed to modest attire.

[Palimpsest]

46 minutes ago, Granwych said:

I wrote on another thread about having to put down our little diabetic Maltese.  He was AKC registered.  We were his third and last owners.

I'm so sorry.  I missed the post where you said you had lost your little dog.  But always remember that the kindest and best thing we can do for our much loved pets is to know when it is time to release them from pain.  Hugs.

[PennySycamore]

@Granwych,  I am so sorry about your little Maltese. 

[MamaJunebug]

On 5/12/2019 at 8:32 AM, Deleorean88mph said:

That part really stood out. Someone having 2k to spend on a dog gives no indication as to whether they'll be a good owner or not. Is she being naive in saying this, or is it just, once the puppies are sold they're not my responsibility?

I’d say that’s what it is. 

It’s like most rabid anti-choicers are about human children: in utero, they’re precious! They’re sacred!

Once born,  “(exasperated sigh), they’re such a drain on the welfare system! Sure, I moved earth and legislators to protect the unborn, but now they’re here, they’re not my responsibility.”

[nokidsmom]

On 6/24/2019 at 6:44 PM, Hane said:

I’m just wondering why Sarah is accepting non-refundable deposits on puppies that haven’t even been born yet. Even if she knew how many puppies Ellie is carrying, there’s no guarantee that all of them will be born alive and healthy enough to be sold

I have never gotten a dog from a breeder but non-refundable deposits would be a red flag for me, especially since Sarah can't confirm until the ultrasound.   It's like she's hedging her bets on Ellie's pregnancy but asking potential customers to just pay up anyway.   

I am waiting to see if someone does cough up the money only to not get a puppy because of smaller litter, not healthy enough, etc. to make a serious fuss.  

 

[Maggie Mae]

5 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

I’d say that’s what it is. 

It’s like most rabid anti-choicers are about human children: in utero, they’re precious! They’re sacred!

Once born,  “(exasperated sigh), they’re such a drain on the welfare system! Sure, I moved earth and legislators to protect the unborn, but now they’re here, they’re not my responsibility.”

Yes, but in 18 years they can join the military industrial complex. Just keep them alive and healthy enough so we can use their bodies as human shields. Anything that helps these fetuses to get actual opportunities is a no g. 

[Granwych]

1 hour ago, nokidsmom said:

I have never gotten a dog from a breeder but non-refundable deposits would be a red flag for me, especially since Sarah can't confirm until the ultrasound.   It's like she's hedging her bets on Ellie's pregnancy but asking potential customers to just pay up anyway.   

I am waiting to see if someone does cough up the money only to not get a puppy because of smaller litter, not healthy enough, etc. to make a serious fuss.  

 

Well, nobody outside the family will ever hear about an Ellie whelping fail.  Or any godly fail.  

And I fervently hope that Ellie is never bred again.

[OhNoNike]

On 7/5/2019 at 8:46 PM, nokidsmom said:

I have never gotten a dog from a breeder but non-refundable deposits would be a red flag for me, especially since Sarah can't confirm until the ultrasound.   It's like she's hedging her bets on Ellie's pregnancy but asking potential customers to just pay up anyway.   

I am waiting to see if someone does cough up the money only to not get a puppy because of smaller litter, not healthy enough, etc. to make a serious fuss.  

 

I think the deposit is only non refundable if there is a litter, a puppy is offered, and the person decides they no longer want one.  

[SusanAtTheLastBattle]

24 minutes ago, OhNoNike said:

I think the deposit is only non refundable if there is a litter, a puppy is offered, and the person decides they no longer want one.  

Luckily we had Sarah the Writer’s skillful prose to make that perfectly clear!

[Curious]

On 3/20/2019 at 10:35 AM, Granwych said:

So, apparently Ellie is gestating her first litter.  I had so fervently hoped  that the Maxwell Backyard Bad Breeders would never become a reality.  

In the meantime, Grampwych and I are anxiously waiting calls from the vet.  Our little Maltese was diagnosed as diabetic and is an inpatient until his blood glucose levels get stabilized.I

Hugs to everyone who gives their pets the love and care they deserve.

I was avoiding this thread because I was afraid it was worse than just Ellie being pregnant (which is bad enough.  I purposely stayed out of the previous thread that was obviously talking about her based on the title. 

I have no comment on them breeding her because it's a hot button issue with me and I'd just be preaching to the choir, but I wanted to comment on your personal situation, @Granwych.

We have 2 diabetic cats (littermates, 11 years old).  The first one was diagnosed maybe a year ago and she has a thyroid issue as well.  She lost a LOT of weight so we knew something was up with her.  It did happen slowly and I had noticed, but I didn't realize how much weight loss she had until we had an electrician doing some work and he could tell the cats apart (most people can't on first glance.  My husband gets it wrong about half the time).  When I asked how he could tell them apart he said one was much thinner than the other.  That made me realize how much weight she had really lost.  I already had a vet appt scheduled for her.

It didn't take long to get her stabilized and now she is on 1 unit twice a day and doing well.  She could gain a little weight so I've started letting her have some kitten kibble now that we have it on hand for the kittens.

The other one has, if anything, gained weight.  We had her in for a checkup because I thought she might have a bladder infection.  She doesn't have a thyroid issue (yet.  The both seem to come up with the same problems, which makes sense being littermates. They both have autoimmune issues as well), but she does have diabetes.  She is on the same dose of insulin as an initial attempt to get her stabilized since it is working for her sister.   We have to take her back in for bloodwork in a couple of weeks to see if it's working properly for her.

They are both doing well and you'd never know they had diabetes.  Parker actually gets excited when my husband gets ready to give her shots because she knows that means she gets special treats.  Riley tolerates it.

One thing no one bothered to tell us is that insulin vials only last 3 months after the first puncture of the seal.   We had been using the same vial with Parker for at least 6 months.  The vet decided to take her off insulin for a period and redo her blood work since the insulin was expired for months.  When we took her back in her blood sugar was 489 so she went back on insulin, but obviously, the "expired" insulin was still working just fine based on her bloodwork.

Good luck with your little one.  I am sure he will do great once he's stabilized  

[Curious]

On 4/8/2019 at 12:37 PM, SPHASH said:

Irish Cream Golden Retriever

I had never heard of an Irish Cream golden so consulted dr. google, DVM and apparently, they have never heard of an "Irish Cream" golden either.   I did find an interesting article on "English Cream" goldens though.

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/the-truth-about-English-Cream-Golden-Retrievers

As mentioned it's considered a fault by AKC.  That doesn't make them bad dogs, of course.

I am wondering if Poor Sarah really understands what goes into PROPERLY raising a litter of puppies, particularly where the dog can have very large litters.  Each of those puppies will need proper socialization.  They will need vet care.  Ellie may need a c-section (which is over $1000 in virtually every place I am aware of and that's for Papillons which are considerably smaller than goldens).

If you are doing right by your dog and puppies you are not going to make much, if any, money off the puppies.

I would have loved a bunch of little Tequilas running around, but I am smart enough to realize I would never have been able to place puppies born in my house and I would have been too scared of losing Teq.  People don't realize how easy it is to lose a bitch or some/all of the puppies, even if you are a careful breeder and are around when the bitch whelps.

Since we found the kittens, my life has revolved around doing right by them and that is TWO animals.  Raising a litter of puppies correctly is nearly a full-time job for several months.

Ugh why did I open this thread....

[Curious]

On 4/14/2019 at 11:26 AM, onekidanddone said:

I love this guy so very much however I want to wake him up every time he starts to fall asleep. He does that to me so maybe he should know what it feels like

I will not lie.  I am a real asshole once in a while.  I don't mind a dog waking us up for a legit reason like needing to go potty, but we have had the occasional dog that is just being a dick.

Bun has recently been crazy about the kittens.  One night after we got the new cat pen, which is a very tall crate with 3 different shelves and a hammock for their safety and my sanity he decided it was the evilest thing EVAH!    He has gotten better, but he still barks if they go in their hut because he can't see them and somehow that is NOT GOOD!

One night maybe two weeks after found them (and I'm not a total asshole.  Obviously, it takes time to acclimate to a new situation, but I feel like 2 weeks was enough time to realize we had kittens) he barked for 8 hours straight overnight.    Most of our dogs barking is white noise to me and I don't even notice it unless it goes on for a very long time or the chihuahuas start howling.  His bark is just the right pitch and is very staccato and if it goes on long enough I actually get vertigo from it. 

That night he just turned off his listening ears and barked and barked and barked.  I was throwing things at him (empty water bottles, nothing that would hurt him), spraying him with the water bottle, yelling, threatening, plotting his death, etc.

The next day I kept that fucker awake ALL day.  I just kept calling him every time I noticed he was starting to sleep on the sleep number bed.    That was the last time he barked all night at them