Disclaimer: Names have been with held along with where this event took place. Only because it's a true story and the Lady involved is in jail and then is on 2 years probation. It doesn't mean that she is getting the medical attention she needs as her condition is an illness and jail time will not fix her. However, these are the laws that we as dog owners need to have changed so, that we can stop the back yard breeder along with the puppy mills who give the people who breed dogs properly a bad name. This is one promise that I made to my Ozzie and I will not give up until I know I did the best that I could. And, with that I mean if I can't help get the laws changed in favor of the pets then I will do what I can to help educate everyone on what to look for in finding their best companion. It's time that we as owners take a stand and even though we can't take every dog and puppy in that needs a home but, if we all could come together and help spread the word then maybe as a whole we can shut down the bad breeders. I again want to remind everyone that there are good breeders out there, not all breeders are bad people. :)
So, with that I bring you Ozzie's story..........
My son and I were looking for a new puppy to add to our family. We were checking out a lot of the area breeders as I have been turned down several times from Rescue Groups due to the fact I have a male Doxie who isn't fixed. The Rescues around me are very strict about their rules and what you must have and not have in order to adopt one of their dogs. I totally understand that they all have guidelines to follow and do follow them but, in my case I choose to keep my dog around and not risk him to die from having surgery that wasn't a life or death operation. And, again I do have him screened for cancer every year due to him not being fixed along with being a responsible owner as he isn't around any female who isn't fixed. Anyway, as for the Rescue Groups I do pass to rescue a puppy from them without an issue except I fail when I tell them that I have a dog who isnt fixed due to medical reasons. They don't want to hear it. So, where do I go from there since I gave up filling out the long and lengthy applications and sending in the application fees to go with them ??
Next route........Breeders. That was my second option and knowing that there are breeders out there who are puppy mills, back yard breeders, or actually breeders who are dedicated to the dogs they breed. So, onto the search. We went on puppyfinder.com, lancaster puppies, craigs list, news paper adds, and lastly we did google searches. I came up with several breeders who had puppies available but, when we did our research we found out that several were puppy mills and others who didn't have both parents in their homes. Again, its ok for breeders not to have the dad on the premise but, then you will have the issue of buying a puppy not knowing the condition of the father. Again, that is a big deal as the father could be sick or have an illness or defect which could be passed onto your puppy. I myself want to know what the parents look like and act if I'm going to put out that much money on a puppy coming from a breeder. So, I passed them up and then the several breeders who looked like they were great breeders didnt have any puppies available yet.
NEXT........Craigs List. Sometimes looking for unwanted animals or animals that people have to give up for one reason or another was another option we checked into. However, again you have several flags to watch for as there are a lot of people who are trying to make money by selling a pet. Again there are people who go to Craigs List so they can find the person who they feel can take care of their pet. However, you need to put your flag up as there are cases where people steal dogs/cats/ or any other pet and put them on Craigs List to make money. There are also the people on there who are abusing pets or don't have enough time for them. Being very cautious with these people because there are many people out there who are hard to trust, I was able to find 2 purbread Doxies but, when I answered the adds I got run arounds when I asked questions. That there is telling me that these people aren't there for the right reasons especially when they couldn't answer me with several questions that any dog owner would be able to answer. All owners are able to tell you what they are feeding them, their temperments, and ages. These 2 people either didn't get back to me or they wouldn't answer the questions as all I got from the one add was that it was a puppy. They couldn't even tell me an age or where they purchased the puppy from. They only said that they didn't have the time for him. Also, when I asked if I could come and see it I also got how about we meet you somewheres. Again it was another flag to me. So, now where do we go?????
On to Pet Stores........................I have a few in my area who sells dogs and they are linked to puppy mills or they wanted over $1000 for a puppy. Sorry, but, Im a single mom and knowing we wanted a puppy to bring into our home that was way too much for me to pay out. Again we were on a search for our puppy and it was to the point we didn't care what sex the puppy was just as long as it was a Doxie as we love the breed and that it would be a perfect fit into my home as I have to also take into consideration my other guys at home. It was to the point we were going to stop our search and wait for a puppy from one of the breeders that was suggested to us.
FINALLY............ 3 weeks later I get a phone call from one of my friends who is a vet as he knew I was searching for a Doxie puppy. He had told me that there was a lady who was a major hoarder and that they were in the process of getting in 6 crates full of puppies and adults. He just didn't know what shape or condition these dogs/puppies were in but, there were Doxies and other small breeds in the mix and they were going to have to find homes for all of them along with calling the rescue groups. That is if they are alive and not too bad off. Also, they were short staffed the day they were going to get them out of the house so, he asked if I wanted to come along as I have helped him before with cases. However, I wasn't at all expecting to see what I saw when we pulled up.
GETTING OZZIE...........We turned into this long driveway and drove down it until we got to this white home with a little old lady sitting in a chair on her porch with tears running down her face. It was breaking my heart seeing her like that but, I also, knew that she was in and over her head. With that I was given a jumpsuit to put on and boots to tuck my pant legs into. A mask and gloves for my face and hands. Only thing that wasnt covered was my eyes. Once dressed we went in and if it wasnt for my mask my jaw would of had to be picked up off the floor. What he described I could now picture as I was seeing it with my own eyes. There were boxes, papers, food, and dog poop piled from floor to ceiling. You only could walking in this cleared path and even then you had to becareful where you stepped so that you didn't trip and fall over things or better yet slip and fall in the poop. You could smell the urine and another smell that would make you sick. How the heck this lady could live in there was unknown to me. Each and every room had trash and poop all over the place. Then we entered the last room. This is the room were we found 6 dog crates the size for a large dog to fit in them. They were packed one on top of the other and had trash and poop all around them. Again they were cramped in this room as there was trash everywhere. As I got closer to the crates you could see an adult dog and her puppies in each and every cage covered in poop and smelled to no end. It was hard to tell at that point to what color fur they had or what breed of dog they were.
TAKING THE DOGS OUT OF THE HOUSE: As we got to each and every crate we realized that it was worse than what we thought. Not only was there alive dogs in the crates but, there were also dead dogs as well. Several of them were dead for weeks as others were dead for days. The smell and sight was ungodly as my heart was breaking with each and every dog. It's a sight I will never forget the rest of my life. We were able to get 4 of the crates cleared out before we got to the crate where Ozzie was. He was laying on the bottom in the pee and poop having issues breathing then. His mom was curled up right beside him all skin and bones and pretty much was taking her last breath as we took her out of the crate. As soon as my hand opened the crate and reached in that is when Ozzie and I locked eyes. The look he gave me when I put him in my arms, I knew then that I was going to have to do more then just save him. It was then that I made my promise to him that I was going to fight for him and do everything I could in my power to save him. As right there and then I have found my Doxie. At this point I cried my heart out as it was ripped out seeing what I saw. Not one of these dogs deserved to live in conditions like this. I never in a million years want to ever see that ever again.
BACK AT THE VET...........The ride home was a very long and quiet. Not a dry eye was to be found. Once we got back to the Vet Hospital we took them all in. 10 out of 30 dogs were saved that night. They all were going to need vet care along with baths and lots of love. Many of them where going to be lucky to make it through the night and several were not. Ozzie's mom was one who passed away that night. She was too far starved and her lungs were too filled with fluid that nothing my friend could to would save her. He made the choice to not let her suffer any more so he gave her the special medicine so that she would feel no pain no more. She would move on to the Rainbow bridge where she could be the dog that she should of been. There was no way I was going to let her go alone. So, I wrapped her in a towel and held her, rocked her and I made her one promise too, that was that I would take her son and make sure he got the best life a dog could ever have. That she need not to worry as he would be safe and well loved with me. She passed on soon after that. I had seen enough and was beyond exhausted and knew I needed to get some rest. The next few days were touchy with each and everyone one of the dogs. Within 4 days after they were rescued we were down to 4 dogs out of 30 who were still alive. My little miracle as sick as could be was still fighting to make it and he did. Besides my guy there were 2 male Shih Tzus puppies about 14 weeks old and one female about 1 year old Shih Tzu as well. They all had to be treated for ear mites, dehydration, kennel cough, ear infection on top of the ear mites. They all were very unsteady on their feet as they only knew how to walk on wire bottoms and nothing else. It caused their legs to give out every once and a while making them fall over. And, if that wasn't enough they were starting with pneumonia. Therefore, they remained at the vet until they were ok to be released. Ozzie was able to come home at approx. 12 weeks old. He was still on meds for the pneumonia and ear infections as he was having a hard time shaking them but, at the time he was stable.
OUTCOME OF THE DOGS WHO MADE IT.......All the dogs remained at the Vet Hospital for 3 weeks and then they were able to go to their new home. The one Vet Tech took all 3 of the Shih Tzu's and as of today they are very healthy except they are having issues walking. She has them in water therapy and they seem to be responding pretty well.
OZZIE CAME HOME...... Ozzie was able to come home to us for the first time towards the end of Feb. He was then 12 weeks old and was still being treated for a severe double ear infection but, the mites were gone. He also, had a mild case of pneumonia going so, he was on antibiotics and vitamins to try and gain some weight as he was 1.5 lbs when he was rescued. Ozzie was doing pretty well with meds and his pneumonia until a few weeks ago when he relapsed into resp. distress. I rushed him to the Vet where he was given a small chance of making it through the night. To much of my amazement and Vets he fought the battle and won. As of today (end of May 2014) he has been given a clean bill of health except we are working with his back legs. When he walks you can hear them click every so often and they buckle once and a while. The Vet said there is a possibility that its from being in a wired bottom crate from day one as he didnt have enough room to move around or worse case he has a deformity where his back joints aren't growing correctly. It can be painful so we are watching him closely and exercising them daily. If they continue to cause issues then when he turns about a year old he will have to have surgery to fix the issue. He could have the surgery now but, its not recommended as he isn't full grown so, he would have to go back in and have another surgery to fix the issue again. I refuse to put him through that twice so, we will keep an eye on him and have them reassessed in December when he is approx. 1 year old. Now that Ozzie has been cleared with the pneumonia he has been a great puppy. He is very smart and has caught onto asking to go outside to go potty. He isn't totally trustful yet for not going in the house but, for all he went through he is doing extremely well. As for his personality he is def. a clown. He loves hiding things under his pillow in his bed as it doesnt matter the size of the item. If he wants it he will drag it to his bed. He also has bonded very well to our older guy Jake. So, if you see Jake you will find Ozzie right behind him. For all that Ozzie has gone through and the extra gray hairs I got I can honestly say that I couldn't of picked a better puppy to join our family. Granted I may not know what his father is like or who has him or where he is from but, I do know what Ozzie's mom was like before she crossed over the bridge. I will always carry her face and that last moment I had with her in my heart. And, as I promised Ozzie and his mom I will not give up for the two of them. So, with that I will say this.....For the Love of Ozzie Im going to do the best I can to hold up to the promise I made to him and his mom. :)
LASTLY......THE LADY WHO'S HOME HE WAS BORN IN................. I hope to this day that we are going to be able to change the laws to protect innocent animals. Not one of them deserve to have anything but, a loving family and home setting from the day they were born as they don't ask for much. Therefore, this is just one of many animal abuse cases in the fact that the punishment wasn't harsh enough. Plus, in this lady's case she needs counseling. She has an illness and sticking her in jail isn't going to fix the problem at hand. I do agree she deserves to spend the rest of her life in jail for the harm committed but, also if we the public is educated and knows what to look for in finding that puppy they want then maybe then we can help shut the ones down who need to be shut down. I set this blog up so that I can discuss each and every week about the different types of breeders and what to ask prior to purchasing from them vs. not.
LASTLY...........Thank you ever so much for stopping by and reading Ozzie's story. All I ask is that everyone refrains from having nasty comments about this lady and keep in mind that hoarding is an illness. Putting her and others in jail who have the same condition isn't the answer only because they may do the time but, it wont fix the mind. I maybe only one person but, if I can make people more aware to them than maybe I will be able to make a difference some way some how. Im doing this for the love of my Ozzie.
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