German Shepherd Dog

[guster girl]

Wow, what a mess. I'm sorry you and Rex are having to go through all this. That poor dog! I wish you luck, and, am thinking of you both.

[lizbud]

Canis Amicus,


I would suggest that you get in touch with an attorney
immediately. I do not know what your laws are there, but
this sounds like if the facts came out on how this dog is being
treated & passed around by his owner, that you could take
custody of Rex. Call a lawyer and find out where you stand
legally. I wish you the best of luck.

[3CaniBellisimi]

Rosana,

I am scared for his highness Rex and for you. "Mr. Last Owner/Drug guy" sounds like a total jerk who could be dangerous!

I do not know the laws of Switzerland re: dog possession, and I imagine those laws/rules would be critical to your situation.

I had an twinge that Mr.Last owner might be trouble for you when he offered to give you the dog and then was complaining about the price of dog food. It sounded to me like he was hitting you up for money because he knew you liked the dog and I remember when you said you'd help pay for the dog food that he bought. This whole notion kind of struck me as troublesome when you posted that awhile ago; but I assumed I was just being negative or overly suspicious of this guy. But what you say now makes me think my intuition on this man was correct. Maybe Mr. Last Owner thinks you are an easy target to get more money out of you because maybe he intends to blackmail you for the Rex?

Do you have available in your community free legal counseling services? Or, can you afford to hire a lawyer or advocate for advice on this situation? If so, I'd call one today or tomorrow or Monday to get someone on your side to go up against Mr. Last owner. Or, is there an animal protection /animal welfare agency in your area that you can contact for help?

In the US, possesion really counts. You now have the dog. If it is registered to onwer #1 in switzerland's books, it sounds to me like Mr.Last owner has no legal say in this matter. Again, I'm in the US and aren't sure of Swiss law. Do not voluntarily give this dog back to Mr. Last owner and relinquish possesion. If he makes any threats or insists that you give him money or return the dog, if you able to file a police complaint against him, do it.

It seems if you have a written receipt showing he gave you the dog before a witness, that he doesn't have much legal grounds to try to get Rex back.

Are there swiss laws against tape recording conversations. If you run into this jerk again, is there a law against you having a tape recorder hidden so you can record any threats, any comments, or conversation?

Whatever you do, please be careful. If the guy is shady and involved in selling/consuming drugs, then he could be not right in the head and could be dangerous to you and Rex. If you get a lawyer or legal advocate involved, perhaps they can scare the guy off by threatening to prosecute the guy for giving the dog drugs. If Mr. Last owner sees that giving you a hard time about Rex means that he might land himself in jail or have the authorities breathing down his neck for his drug involvement, maybe this jerk will back off. You need some legal protection to pursue this avenue because it wouldn't benefit you to threaten this jerk because what if he tries to physically hurt you? I hope you will please get help with this to protect yourself and Rex.

A private detective may be able to track down the 1st owner/abandoner who may be willing to sign a receipt relinquishing the dog to you. Would you be willing to get a detective for this and is that type of thing expensive in Switzerland?

Also, you might be able to prove that Mr. Last Owner gave the dog illegal drugs if you contact a vet immediately As Soon As Possible like today or Monday. Assuming it isn't too expensive, ask the vet if he/she can perform a toxicology screen on Rex's blood urine. If marijuanna, cocaine, or other things are present, a vet test serve as proof for you to be used against Mr. Last Owner to make him go away. I have heard that in humans, there is some type of hair strand test that can show if marijuanna has been within the system for something like the past month or two. I'd imagine that there is sometype of similar test that could be used on a dog by the vet taking a strand of Rex's fur from the root and testing it. Maybe if you explain the situation to the vet about Rex's abusive past, maybe the vet would be compassionate and cut you a price break on any such testing or do it for actual cost without a markup because if you keep Rex, he'll have a good customer over the years with you taking Rex to him for all his veterinary needs.

Maybe Mr. Last Owner is hassling you in an attempt to extort or get money out of you? Maybe he is doing it to see that if you fall for Rex and get attached, that maybe you will give him money if he threatens you or messes with your head by claiming he'll take Rex away otherwise. This situation could become dangerous if Mr Last owner is the violent type and that makes me worried about you Rosana.

I sincerely suggest you get any legal or animal welfare protection help with this situation immediately. Are there any message board members on this site who can help Rosana with legal tips specific to Swizerland?

Let me know if any of these ideas make sense.

Glad Rex is doing better on leash. Maybe those first incidents of growling aggression were because he felt he needed to be Alpha (since you were his brand new oner and wasn't firmly established in his mind as Alpha). Maybe Rex was driving off those dogs to protect you. And you giving the toy and giving commands is showing him you are in charge of the situation (therefore being Alpha) so he can relax and not have to drive off other people's dogs with the aggressive barking and posturing?

Glad also that he knows basic commands like sit and others. At least one of those two previous owners did some basic work with him. But geez, the way these two handled this poor dog makes me furious and sick to my stomach.

I am praying for you and Rex.


Best regards,
Anna Lisa

PS: Tesoro is still in remission. The vet check on Wed showed no signs that the cancer is coming back. I guess I over-reacted when I heard him cough those couple of times and assumed the worst. So it is good news.

[3CaniBellisimi]

Rosana,


I agree with the other poster who posted before me, you definitely will need some legal help to make this guy go away and leave you and Rex alone.

Sorry to post so soon...but, I had another idea. Sometimes in the US if an abusive previous owner tries to regain custody of a now well taken care of pet who is happily in a new and well regarded home, that abusive owner can be scared off at the prospect of paying MAJOR AMOUNTS of MONEY for any services rendered by the new owner. Sometimes the thought of them having to pay mega-bucks will make them drop their foolish behavior.

Again, let me reiterate that I think you need a lawyer before doing anything. But, I wonder what the lawyer would have to say about telling Mr. Last owner that he'd have to pay you major money for any and all services you or others you hire provide for Rex. For example, top dollar amounts such as $50/hr for your pet sitting services, $20/for each walk, pay for all food, toys, and vet services, phone calls, internet services, your time, the time of any animal behaviorist who post to your requests for help on this website, and to reimburse you for your legal fees, and any fees. Make sure it is a huge dollar amount/invoice that he would never ever pay!

(If the guy is a drug dealer, if he has lots of money on hand, this might not be a good tactic and could backfire; so, talk to the lawyer before trying this or any other tactic.) It probably would not hurt to keep all the receipts of what you spent so far and records of your time just in case you need them.

Is there anyone at the shelter (where you mentioned previously that you volunteer) who really knows swiss dog laws regarding abandoned dogs who can help you with specific advice? Do they have contacts and relationships with law enforcement such that they can make a few phone calls to get you some help to drive away this awful man?

I can tell by your posts about how Rex is reacting to you that he already loves his new home with you. You are probably the first human being who has ever treated him with love and respect. I can tell that you put much thought into his care and you are treating him in the way in which he deserves to be treated. I am so furious that this man has the audacity to try to mess with you in this way! It made me so sad that at first, Rex had no clue what to do with a dog toy. Poor Rex deserves a happy life with you and I hope that the laws of Switzerland will make sure that is what takes place.

I hope the jerk gets what he deserves for his evil ways. Somehow the forces of the universe have a way of coming back at these types of despicable individuals by making them pay dearly for the harm they inflict on others.

Please keep us informed.

Best regards,
Anna Lisa

[Canis Amicus]

I am crying all my tears! I was so happy for Rex, but now...

I also was thinking about to talk first with people from the shelter i volunteer. Anyway I am too confused to think of anything.

Well, first thing Monday morning is to talk to the shelter and wait what they say. According to their views i'll talk to a lawyer.

We just came back from our evening walk and he reacted very badly to other dogs, i believe he feels how i feel.

Have a nice weekend.

Rosana
Rex

ps: mr last owner has no money even to his own food. I told a neighbour about the money and she said that surelly he spent everything in drugs and made that scandal. Is said that he used to give drugs to Rex, so he would't be hungry. He doesn't know my adress. Today i went out only to walk Rex, for fear of him.

[Canis Amicus]

He said he will meet me tomorrow to give me Rex' register and transfer it to my name at the comune register office!!!

Well, i will believe everything is ok, only when i have it in my hands!

He told me he doesn't want the dog anymore. He is aware how mr owner nr. 2, not cared about Rex (and he was a spectator of Rex misery for one year). That is double cruelty.

He knows that Rex is very well cared of with me. When i said that we walk about three hours a day, he said: oh, he needs it, that is good.

I told him i wanna take Rex to the vet first this week, and about Rex needs of training his social needs, that i will provide. Oh! he knows Rex' needs, sure! Why he never provided them???

And he knows about Rex been given drugs (he didn't mention to me, but to other people).

Well, this will be the third night i do not sleep. I cannot trust anyone, anymore.

I am praying for Rex hapiness.

Rosana
Rex (Rex Tremendae Majestatis) GSD 3y

[honor_fl]

Hang in there Rosana...everything is going to work out for you & Rex, I just know it.

[Canis Amicus]

OMG my heart is still pounding! Just talked to mr owner nr 1.:

REX IS MINE!!!

He said he wasn't satisfied with how Rex was being cared of, but didn't want surrender him to a shelter, bc he thinks the environment there would be not good for Rex.

Later today, he will give me Rex's Vaccine Pass, and tomorrow is changing him to my name.

After a little bit of his bla-bla-bla, I asked: "So, now Rex is mine?" he answered "Yes". Hands shaking and "Adios".

Thank you all, very very much, for all the support. I am very happy to offer Rex a better life.

****

Yesterday, Rex spent all day laying down in "dead" position and, low apetit, even to play. I was scared, but he ate and drank, and elimination was normal. Today, first thing in the morning, i took him to the vet. He has an infection in his intestine, now is taking antibiotics. Also prescribed worm medicine. In general his health is ok.
Neuter him, is the next step; doctor said it will help on his behavior toward other dogs.
After that, he goes to a dog school to learn how to behave like a lord.

Pictures following still this week!

Once more, thank you all very much.

Rosana
and
Rex (Rex Tremendae Majestatis), GSD 3y

[Canis Amicus]

Anna Lisa

Thank you again (only now i saw your post 04.14 0848PM).

I told everything about the abusive life Rex had been throw, inclusive about the drugs. He did a blood test to find drugs traces, and told me he did not found anything of this type.

I believe and not, bc the dog was not legally mine, i wonder if he had found anything, he would anyway, to send to the veterinarian authorities.

Rex was kept the whole morning at the clinic.

Today he is a little better with the leash (other dogs at a distance), when he begins to grow or bark, either i change the way we are walking, pulling him, saying nothing, or i growl or give a "bass" bark to him. Worked, maybe because he is still weak from amnestesy. The toys are not appealing him all that much. Holding his muzzle with my hand, still works.

In those moments he never barked or growled to me (i mean, with his head turned to me, his head is always turned to the oponent dogs).

Tomorrow i will buy a "Halti", but i will try on him only when he will be better.

Thank you very much for your attention.

My best wishes for your Bellissimi "pack".

Rosana
and
Rex

[Albea]

Rosana,
I haven't had time to read many posts lately and I just read all of yours. I'm so glad to know that after all your sleepless nights, finally, Rex is yours to keep. Those owners # 1 and 2 sound like awful people; I heard of bad things being done to dogs, but I never heard of an owner giving drugs to a poor pup.
From now on Rex will know that he is in his forever home where he will be loved and taken care of. Bless you for having rescued him from a terrible situation and best wishes for a very long and healthy life for Rex. Many hugs to him and you.
Alicia

[Canis Amicus]

I forgot to include: mr owner nr 1 said that mr owner nr 2 eats dog food because he has no money to his own food, and when he has, he buys drugs.

I have no news about mr owner nr 2. I think the nr 1 put him back on track. I will never allow him to see Rex. Even nr 1 will be avoided.

he is the type that hangs on the streets like the other junkies, which have one or two big dogs with the cruel purpuse i wrote about in a previous post. I do not know where these types get dogs so easily. People say the dogs should reanimate them when they faint, licking their faces.

I am very thankful for your advice.

My best wishes for your Bellisimi, specially Tesoro.


Rosana

[Canis Amicus]

Alicia

Thank you very much for your kind words.
I wish you the best too.


Rosana
and
Rex

[Canis Amicus]

honor_fl

It is very kind of you to support us.

Thank you very much.

[3CaniBellisimi]

Rosana,

I'm so happy for you and Rex! I am also glad to hear that he is under a veterinarian's care and will be getting everything that he needs for a healthy and happy life. He is blessed to have been rescued by you.

I am very relieved to hear that owner #1 is legally signing Rex over to you. I prayed all weekend that this would resolve positively in your favor so that Rex can forever live in your palace with you! Rex knows you are treating him like a true King and I'm sure he appreciates it. Congratulations to you and to his majesty Rex!

After you learned about the horrible things these 2 men put Rex through, I'll bet you are relieved and thrilled that he is with you. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos of Rex and will watch for them on the message board for whenever you post them.

Congratulations and all the best wishes to the both of you!

Sincerely,
Anna Lisa and her 3 dogs Tesoro, Happy, and Elsa

[Canis Amicus]

Anna Lisa

Thank you very much for your caring advices during all this time.

Tomorrow he will have his vaccine shot, and i'll talk to the doctor to neuter him asap.


Just now he is laying by my feet for belly rubs.

Thousand kisses to your three babies.

My beste wishes for you.

Rosana