I was at my sisters today helping her paint her kitchen (big light/dark yellow stripes, it looks awesome btw)... she got a call from her best friend and bridesmaid who now lives in San Diego. I've known her since I was little, and her husband for 4 years. They're nice people, but I cannot stand them right now. When we went down to visit my sister last, we also saw this couple... they were then considering buying a Labrador puppy. Right after they had their first baby. I had to lecture them (many times, over and over) about the huge responsibilities and costs of puppies, time spent on them with the demanding baby also, the husbands hectic work hours, bad breeders out there, the demanding needs of a large dog, the activity of Labs, the number of Labs in shelters that need rescuing etc. I even printed out 50 articles on raising a puppy.
Then (suprise!) they got a puppy, about a month later... from an AD in the PAPER! He was an adorable (though not at all correct, and probably mixed) Chocolate Lab boy, they named him Bosco. The breeder sold him to them when he was 6 weeks old. He had behavioral issues from the start. Tons of nipping/biting/and rough play, and they didn't try hardly at all to properly correct it. They didn't trust him with the baby, so the poor active bouncy pup was kept in a crate for much of the day as punishment. My sisters friend began to call me a lot for advice, it seemed like she genuinely wanted this to work. The puppy was improving and they were providing him with lots of chew toys and more play time. I even sent them a huge basket of chewies/toys/bones and a 'Puppies for Dummies' book. Then, as her son got older she didn't have time for Bosco, and her husband was still at work too much to train the pup. Soon, he was excluded to their small yard all day. I talked to her, and she decided to find him a better home. I encouraged her to neuter him first, and screen the new home and seek help from a local rescue. She said she would. Her husband gave him to a friend, unneutered!!!... anyway, I was still hopeful that the new home would be better, and I just let it rest... that was about a year ago.
Today, I just found out that the home they found for Bosco had three other dogs who constantly picked on him, so they sold him to some one else. Supposedly this next home bred him (he was under a year old then), then lost interest and just let him go!! My sisters friend just found out that Bosco is now at the county (high kill) shelter, and has 3 or 4 days to be adopted. She was wondering if she should go get him?!
I hate what people do to dogs everyday, and how they think of them as so insignificant and emotionless. This boy was so sweet, I haven't seen him since he was a little puppy, but he could be the greatest dog if he was given the chance. Instead, he was bounced from home to home, exploited, and abused. I can't imagine all the hurt and confusion he's been through
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. They tried to call his breeder but the number was disconnected, it was just a BYB anyway. My sister called two Southern CA rescues, both said their foster homes were packed with dogs and were only accepting Labs under 12 months... especially since Bosco has recieved no training/his temperament is unknown. This is really, really horrible. I can't believe this happens every day.. I could not ever imagine letting my dog rot in the pound.
I'll be calling a few of those rescues today.
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