Arrest Warrant-Here it is!

A concerned individual subsequently decided to obtain documents about an actual arrest to officially put any doubt to rest. The general public is permitted access because they are considered public information. So here they are....


Here is an estimated round of math. 15 minutes for the officer to arrive on scene, speak to the witness and call in to dispatch to explain the situation.

2. 15 minutes for SPCA investigator Blanchard to get to the scene

3. 10 minutes to enter Walmart, page the vehicle owners, then return to the vehicle in parking lot.

That is a total of 40 minutes that these dogs were left in the searing heat!


Let's do another round of math:

14 already vetted puppies/dogs x $300(the approximate "adoption fee")=$4200!!

Considering we have enough of a pet population problem here in Canada, is it really necessary to all the way to these different states to get dogs?

One reason for doing so is that many of the dogs from these shelters are already vetted and vaccinated. Some may charge a small adoption fee, while others may not. The potential profit off of these dogs is huge.

The second reason for going to New York, Ohio etc would be due to the fact that some other shelters or rescues in various parts of Ontario/Quebec will only surrender dogs to certain rescues.

Note: The volunteer at the shelter admitted that the vet had forgotten to sign the documents. As for the altering of the breed of one of the dogs, I cannot adequately comment.

As you can see in the document, the perpetrators were supposed to return to court on July 25th. This warrant is considered outstanding because they failed to do so.

Hot cars are death traps for dogs


Five reasons not to leave your dog in the car this summer, even for "just a minute"

SACRAMENTO, CA (May 18, 2010) – RedRover is imploring pet owners to avoid leaving their dogs in hot cars this summer – a practice that can lead to serious illness and even death.


Taken from "mydogiscool.com":


Leaving a dog in a hot car is dangerous and often deadly.



“Often people leave their dogs in the car while they shop or run errands, but doing so when the weather is warm can literally be a death sentence for your pet,” said RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth.Forsyth offered five reasons why leaving a dog in a hot car can be deadly:

1. Dogs are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness because they can only cool off by panting and through the pads in their feet.

2. Even on seemingly mild days, an enclosed car can be deadly. In a Stanford University study, when it was 72 degrees outside, a car’s internal temperature climbed to 116 degrees within one hour.

3. Enclosed cars heat up quickly. In a study by San Francisco State University, when it was 80 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car rose to 99 degrees in 10 minutes and 109 degrees in 20 minutes.

4. A dog’s normal body temperature is between 101 to 102.5 degrees; a dog can only withstand a high body temperature for a short time before suffering nerve damage, heart problems, liver damage, brain damage or even death.

5. Studies show that cracking the windows has little effect on a car’s internal temperature.

Already this year, RedRover has received reports of dogs like Snuggle, a Maltese/Lhasa Apso who was locked in a car while her owner visited a Tampa, Florida amusement park. When Snuggle was rescued, the temperature inside the car was more than 90 degrees and her core temperature was nearly 106 degrees.



*** FACTS ABOUT DOGS AND HOT CARS ***

What happens to dogs left in hot cars?

•Exposure to excessive heat causes the body’s cells to stop working properly and release dangerous chemicals, which can lead to nerve damage, heart problems, liver damage, brain damage and even death. Essentially, all of the dog’s organ systems shut down at once.

•Signs a dog is suffering from a heat-related illness include:

•Excessive panting
•Excessive drooling
•Increased heart rate
•Trouble breathing
•Disorientation
•Collapse or loss of consciousness
•Seizure
•Respiratory arrest

Go Fund Me Donation Requests

A few days ago I was advised by one of the rescue watchdogs about an article in the paper last week:

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3451009

Several online members begin to consistently post donation requests on numerous Facebook animal forums. Of particular note is the animal advocacy group "Storm's Animal Allies", asking for donations that provide a link to the same donation page: http://www.gofundme.com/dnktk. The group head claims that she is not involved with the actual rescue of the 4 abandoned dogs, but only trying to aid in the raising of funds out of the goodness of her heart.

The initial information posted on Facebook initially started out describing a very urgent situation:

" dogs were rescued from Peterborough residence. Needs emergency vetting...These dogs were left for several weeks with no food or water, starving and living in their own feces. Infections, swollen anals, swollen ear canals, worms, excreting socks, and so much more that I dare not say ,,,,it would need sensoring...PLEASE HELP...THEY NEED EMERGENCY ARE IMMEDIATELY...We have nofunds left ,,Please make a donation."

Concerned animal lovers began to make paypal and online money transfers in a desperate attempt to save the lives of these animals. The dollars raised on the particular go fund me account mentioned above reached $310 within two days. However, the more questions that were asked over the following days, the more the story changed. Once people could see that there was concern over the legitimacy of the postings, donations came to a halt(at least on the one go fund me account that was found).

Since people began asking which vet was invovled in the animal's care, I decided to call the vet office they claimed the animals were presently at; Brimley Lawrence Clinic. The secretary had no idea what I was talking about and even put me on hold to ask around for more information. Again, nothing.

The version from Storm's Allies then changed dramatically. The dogs had been too scared to go to the vet, so they were waiting until Monday to bring them!! That the dogs had drastically improved and that some sort of vet tech was looking after them in her home. They proceeded to arrange a fund later that same dayat the vet's office where people could donate in person. One woman even offered to provide transport & pay for all vet bills in return for assurance any donations would be paid to back to her. The individuals with the dogs in their care didn't get back to this woman on time and it was too late on Saturday.

The latest comment from these groups is that the dogs only need neutering and vaccinations!! It went from a critical life threatening situation in which the animals need surgery to only a need for routine vet care!

After telling others what I had found out from the vet clinic, I was blocked from Storm Animal Allie's Facebook page. Other members that continued to question were subsequently blocked.

On January 30th, almost A WEEK after the rescue operation, some kind people involved in the rescue world found a wonderful solution that would benefit all involved. Meaning the dogs, Storm's Alliance, and GADASC. Helping Homeless Pets was willing to arrange transport, get appropriate vet care and find suitable adopters for each of the dogs. Helping Homeless Pets is a well known rescue network that consists of dozens of legitimate rescue organizations across the Canada.

http://www.helpinghomelesspets.com/index.htm

Many would jump at an offer like this. This was the perfect assistance for GADASC because they argued the need for donations was that the animals wouldn't be able to visit the vet until they had raised more funds to do so. All the very same people that were trying to help and offer viable solutions were then trying to be blamed. This was finally a solution that was a win win for all. However, GADASC declined turning over the dogs.

They began to cite "the legalities of doing so" since the dogs and owners were under investigation. Difficult to believe because they had carried on about how the Humane Society would do nothing to help. The GADASC website also already had the dogs up for adoption for $300 each! So they were okay to adopt out, but not okay to transfer to an amazing organization "because of the legalities". Pretty absurd to anyone looking at the facts! The dogs ultimately still need rescuing from the rescue.

I have yet to see numerous pictures that they claim were taken from this home. There are a few collaged pictures on the STrom's FB page, but they are barely visible. One seems to have a chocolate lab featured, which does not even fit the description of any of the four rescued dogs. At this time, there have not been any updated photos or descriptions of these dogs. Nobody knows where they are or what state they are actually in.

January 31st the following was posted as an update on the Storm's Animal Alliance's Facebook page:

"UPDATE: WE have managed to get the funds through our many friends, supporters and loans to have the dogs taken to the vet today...Pics will be posted later to appease all the gossip that is continuing. I want to thank all of those who continued believe in me, and to all those who offered support at this time. I will be taking screen shots of all comments that have been posted over the last few day...s, which will be deleted off our page as I feel that we need to get on with other important issues that we deal with on a daily basis. I ask that if you care to visit our page and continue to follow the work that we do ...we welcome you ..as long as this remains positive and no more banter...The issue that was at hand which was getting these dogs to a vet was put to the side due to alot of negative comments and I wish for this to halt! It saddens me, and many others, that the dogs had to suffer over the dislike of a few individuals and that it was only after the negative comments came out, was the help offered by a couple of people. I will be looking into the accusations for myself, as I always do when informed of an organization that is being accused of such acts as you have all stated about Melita and her rescue!"

As of January 31st 6:30 p.m., the vet clinic that these two rescues stated these dogs would be treated at earlier in the day(due to pressure), confirmed that the dogs still had not come in for treatment.


Here are some good blogs which give a synopsis of the story:

http://animalfarm-selkie.blogspot.com/2012/01/horror-in-peterborough.html

http://animalfarm-selkie.blogspot.com/2012/01/horror-in-peterborogh-part-second.html (Part two)

http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2012/01/rescue-groups-storms-animal-allies-and.html


http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2012/01/open-letter-to-storms-animal-allies-and.html(Part two)

http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2012/01/latest-on-storms-animal-alliesgive-dog.html(Part three)


UPDATE AS OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD

I called the Brimley Lawrence vet this afternoon for followup.

The woman I spoke to indicated that the fund is still set up for GADASC, but would not mention a name in relation to whom was actually bringing the dogs in. She specified that any funds raised would go specifically towards the 4 dogs from the rescue. When asked if the dogs had in fact visited the clinic, she said one visit for a "once over". A "once over" doesn't even sound like close to a thorough vet check to me.

She also confirmed that the dogs were NOT there for any emergency care.

This means that the dogs visited some time between Wednesday-Friday morning, since Lynn from RAAW had checked in Tuesday evening. Remember, alternatively Texie had reassured everyone that the dogs had been to the vet on Tuesday, which obviously had no truth to it. Here is the excerpt from the Storm's site:

|"UPDATE: WE have managed to get the funds through our many friends, supporters and loans to have the dogs taken to the vet today...Pics will be posted later to appease all the gossip that is continuing. I want to thank all of those who continued believe in me, and to all those who offered support at this time..........The issue that was at hand which was getting these dogs to a vet was put to the side due to alot of negative comments and I wish for this to halt! It saddens me, and many others, that the dogs had to suffer over the dislike of a few individuals and that it was only after the negative comments came out, was the help offered by a couple of people. I will be looking into the accusations for myself, as I always do when informed of an organization that is being accused of such acts as you have all stated about Melita and her rescue!
Share · Tuesday at 12:24pm "

So if the dogs had already received vet care why is the chipin fund still active? Why is the vet still taking donations? Surely a "once over" is not going to cost over $310 for four dogs. Especially if GADASC gets a rescue rate. THERE SHOULD BE NO FURTHER REASON TO COLLECT ANY MONEY IN REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. Lastly, where are all of the new pictures of the dogs that have been promised?

Is this a rescue you would like to support?

GADASC members and friends decided to create a "silly, funny" Facebook group about me. They took it upon themselves to steal photos of me from a Facebook album, and then featured them in the group. They also created cartoons with defamatory content. Some of us felt like we were regressing to highschool all over again!

Here is a sample of some of the posts:

Comments from members of GADASC about the group:

I will not post further details about this blog, but wanted to give people an idea of what the group was about. It has since been removed from the web due to the libelous nature.

GADASC Changes Name to Give 4 Paws A Second Chance/The Doggies Daycare

Melita announces online that she is going to sit out of rescue for a while due to some issues she has to deal with. The new name for the rescue is changed to "Give 4 Paws A Second Chance". When you click on the link for the website representing Give A Dog A Second Chance, this information is written, along with another, new service being offered. The Doggies Place  Day Care, Boarding & Rescue. She is partnering up with other individuals in this new business scheme. One is left wondering why all the name changes?
 
The Doggies Place:
"We are a Kennel Free Home like  Boarding Facility. We have a large indoor and 1/2 acre outdoor play areas for all dogs.  We accommodate to all clients with what they request for their dogs while they stay with us.  We offer all aspects in great dog care for your dog.
We have supervised play times indoor and out door and in home down times.  We are a Home Like Facility for the comfort of all dogs in our care."

http://www.giveadogasecondchancerescue.com/

Please do research on the conditions of any facility you are hiring, and the experience of the people working there!

Camp Lotsa Dogs Courtesy Posting for Give A Dog A Second Chance

Someone notified me that Camp Lotsa Dogs doggie daycare/boarding/rescue is "courtesy posting" ads for dogs on Petfinder for Give A Dog A Second Chance.

I do not have past experience with Camp Lotsa Dogs, so I cannot adequately comment on the nature of their relationship.

The owner of this establishment has been notified of this organization has previously been removed from Petfinder. I also contacted her to provide a link to this blog to look over.

Example of Courtesy post:
(contact information indicates to write to doggielover email, which is GADASC's email.



Once the owner of this facility read the blog and found out her facility was mentioned, I was receiving emails, phone calls and voicemails.

Last voicemail:
Someone just forwarded me you blog about Melita. Unfortunately, when you do something like that it is called liable. My lawyer has been given a copy, I know where you live, and I have your number. I will take everything you own for the rest of your life if you don't take my name off your blog. You do not get to terrorize other people, you don't do what she did to you which is terrorize you. You get my fucking name off there, and don't you EVER associate me with you, or her, or anybody else. What I do is my business, but I will have my lawyer take everything you own for the rest of your fucking life you little bitch."

GADASC lies & my counter to them

1. I lied on my application-how does someone even claim you lied on your application if a)they never checked your references b)they never did a home visit?

2. I "pushed to adopt the two dogs without going to see them.

3. All animals are vet checked by GASDASC.

4. I did not contact Melita until months after the dogs got sick. (date they became ill was January 1/09)

5. Melita says that she always admitted she had the warrant out for her arrest.

One of the several past posts where Melita denies that warrant:

6. Melita had charges laid due to shoddy paperwork. She cannot acknowledge the fact that leaving ANY dog in a hot car in obvious distress is animal abuse.

Melita was charged under Agriculture and Markets Law (NYS) Section 353 which reads:

(QUOTE)353. Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance.

A person who overdrives, overloads, tortures or cruelly beats or unjustifiably
injures, maims, mutilates or kills any animal, whether wild or tame, and whether
belonging to himself or to another, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance,
food or drink, or neglects or refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink, or
causes, procures or permits any animal to be overdriven, overloaded, tortured,
cruelly beaten, or unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated or killed, or to be deprived
of necessary food or drink, or who willfully sets on foot, instigates, engages in, or in
any way furthers any act of cruelty to any animal, or any act tending to produce such
cruelty, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than
one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both.(UNQUOTE)

http://icwdm.org/agencies/Laws/NYcrueltylaws1999.pdf

I don't see anything in this section of the law describing incomplete paperwork as a felony!

Animal Cruelty Warrant

Denial of accusations of a warrant continued. The volunteer that was directly involved in the situation, and anyone else relaying this information was called a liar.

Discovering that information about any outstanding arrest warrant is accessible to the public, an email was sent out to Chautauqua County Sherrif's Office:

I am wondering if you can confirm, or there is some way to confirm, an outstanding warrant for a certain individual's arrest. The woman's name is Melita Ferrugia(could also be Farrugia). She was apparently charged with animal cruelty in Chautauqua County back in August of 2007. I was told she never showed up for her court date, so was never formally charged. Could you return an email at your earliest convenience? I realize that this is probably not at the top of a priority list, but if you could respond that would be great.


RE: CCSO Website Email Sent To You‏
From:
GERACE, SHERIFF
Sent:
February 26, 2009 11:13:20 AM

Yes there is an outstanding bench warrant for Ms. Farrugia out of theVillage Fredonia Court. The arrest was made by the Village of Fredonia Police Department.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So the next thing I know I am getting a message in my Facebook private inbox, AFTER I have already blocked this individual.


Melita F.

sorry you heard wrong AGAIN..

My response:

I didn't "hear" anything. This is an email directly from the Sherif at Chautauqua County Sherif's department! There is no denying this now.

Her second message:

Melita F. Today at 2:21pm

cant be true i was there less then two weeks .I have family there so why am i not in Jail????again i can own dogs no one says i can not..thank you for your thoughts.Oh don't forget to post it .. people are still adopting and visiting my home get your information right ..

My response:

What do you think that the police are going to follow you everywhere? You didn't show up for your court date, so you ran from the law, and thus having to be accountable for your actions.You shouldn't own dogs, but the laws are way too lenient here. Oh-and I will post your stupid arguements. It's on paper now, so you can stop arguing about it.People are still adopting because they have no idea about your background. You list yourself as a rescue, but you are a puppy broker. I guess dishonesty is still getting you places!Apparently my information is right, as the Sheriff has confirmed.

GADASC Rescue-Pre-Adoption

I will be working on this blog throughout the next little while, so please keep checking for updates. I am starting this right away so that people looking to adopt a pet can increase their awareness. This blog is my personal experience and opinion. It is up for you to decide if you would still like to adopt from this location.


Day before the adoption: Sunday December 28th

My husband and I decided that we would look around to adopt a dog in need for companionship, and to provide a loving home. I had made a trip to the Newmarket SPCA prior to this, but none of the dogs at the time were suitable for our household. We also own a rabbit that we allow to roam the house at times, so the adopted dog would have to get along with this pet. We decided that a puppy would be best so that it would be raised along with the rabbit and not know the difference.

I began my search on www.petfinder .com. The self description is as follows: "Petfinder is an on-line, searchable database of animals that need homes. It is also a directory of over 10,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the USA, Canada and Mexico." Great, I think to myself. This is the perfect directory to find a good rescue in the area!

It appeared that there were many well known, legitimate adoption centres on the site. However, after looking into the site more, there are no regulations in regards to who can open an account. Therefore, anyone claiming to be a rescue/adoption place could post their ads.

I located a "rescue" organization called "Give A Dog A Second Chance" on petfinder on this Sunday in particular. They had a very cute black lab puppy posted, so I emailed the email address as requested to ask for more information. Within no time an application was sent to me to fill out via email. Numerous questions were asked, as well as a spot for references from a friend and our regular vet office. I later found out the woman that runs this organization never checked either of them. I filled this out, then promptly received a return email asking when I would like to view the pup. On top of this, Melita(the owner) sent me an email with a picture of two puppies that she said she rescued that evening. I told her that I would be interested in meeting all three of the puppies to see if I bonded with any. Only then did she send me her address, and I was required to book an appointment with her the next day.

I wrote to Durham Region SPCA:

Just wondering if you are able to tell me is "Give A Dog A Second Chance" located in Oshawa is a legitimate rescue organization?? I wasn't sure where else I could find that information!

Lame response I get(since I found out she is well known to them):

They do dog rescue out of a home in Oshawa. They don't usually rescue local dogs. Most of their animals come from the states.

Tips to find a good rescue....As you will see, Melita does not meet even a third of these standards! Let's analyze in each point how her practices do not add up ....

Rescues fall under the same animal cruelty laws as the general public, but there are currently no laws mandating that the dogs must be altered, vet checked or that an adoption contract has to be signed. Many people have been duped by what seems to be a great rescue only to find out the rescue wasn’t honest at all. Anyone can say they are a rescue; but what makes a rescue reputable? Here are some things to look for in a good rescue:

1. All rescues should spay or neuter the dog you are adopting prior to releasing the animal. In some cases, a rescue will release a young puppy prior to altering, with a contract stating you will have it done and rescue will collect an extra deposit. Paying a $250 fee for each dog, there was no inclusion of any neutering in the future for that price. This is a HUGE no no in the rescue world as it could further contribute to the overpopulation problem!! The odd time you will find some dogs through GADASC are fixed, but this is almost always due to her buying an already fixed dog from someone else/another shelter.

2. All rescues should vet check and vaccinate the dog you are adopting. The rescue should provide you with the proof of a rabies shot as well as a copy of any vet records the dog may have. If the rescue tells you they lost the paperwork or they cannot find it, request the name of the vet and call the vet to verify the information. I don't know the percentage, but it seems that on some occasion this rescue is not vet checking animals. Many people have written back to me saying that she said they were vet checked, only to find out that no vet would have passed them for adoption due to health issues. She also seems to come up with various excuses such as "My driver's arm was broken, or my vet was away." She is also giving some vaccinations herself which is risky since she cannot get an animal to the vet if there is a reaction as she does not drive.

3. A rescue should not charge exorbitant fees for the dog you are adopting. The goal is to try to cover most expenses, sometimes rescues put more money into a dog than they recover from the adoption fee, but other times the adoption fee is more than enough to cover any expenses the rescue may have incurred. GADASC charges $250 to $350 per dog. She often fails to do any vetting, no microchipping, neutering and told us that food is donated to her. As I said earlier, the odd time dogs are, but these are the ones that have had this done by previous owner or shelters.

4. Not all rescues are registered charities, some are small non-profit, or not for profit. This doesn't make them more or less credible but do check that they are legitimate. She a non profit organization, but is not registered. On her website she is accepting donations through Paypal under a "Foundation", but this no longer exists as a registered entity.

5. All rescues should get the dog in the best health possible before adopting it out. A good rescue will keep the dog in rescue until it is a good weight and is as healthy as can be. If a rescue adopts out a dog with health issues they should be honest about the issue. They should also be honest about the dogs temperament, remember though dogs go through an adjustment period and can react differently to a new owner. Melita is not vetting the animals, so she often doesn't know if they have health issues at the time of sale. Other adopters have also bought sick dogs from her at the time ie eye infections, skin infections etc. If my dogs had been vet assessed it is quite possible a vet could have seen they were not 100%. Here, some dogs are not kept long enough to assess them properly. The faster someone gets the dogs out=the greater the profit.

6. A good rescue will do a home visit and require that you fill out an application prior to adopting a dog. Rescues are doing this for their love of the dogs. Most want to see that the dog is going to a good home and is going to an environment suitable for that particular dog. An application was filled out, but it was not even mentioned again when we went to her home.

7. All rescues should have you sign a contract upon adopting a dog. They should state that they will always take the dog back, for any reason at any time. They should also express interest in staying touch and make follow up phone calls to check on the dogs welfare. A contract was signed, but she then does not follow up on the neutering aspect later on. Two other organizations have told me that their clients have complained that GADASC would not take their adopted dog back when they had difficulty. I had my dogs for ten days and nobody from this rescue did any follow up with me once.

8. You should expect that the location the dog is at should be fairly clean and that there are no noticeable fleas or ticks. If it looks like they haven’t done poop duty in a while--they probably haven’t! There is also no excuse for dogs that are covered in ticks and fleas. A trustworthy rescue will treat the dog for these things prior to adoption. The home we visited was filthy. Cat's are walking everyone, increasing the risk of disease spreading.

9. Good Rescues will provide resources for training and or vet care. Rescues want to see the new home work out for the dog and will offer support through suggestions for trainers as well as good vet recommendations. There were no resources provided. The only thing I received was a business card to the vet she associates with, but she used this to her advantage. This was to help me believe that they had already been vet checked 10. Rescues should let you come and view their location BUT some times the location is a private home and not all want to share their private home with you. Remember these are just guidelines and with many fraudulent “rescues” that are only trying to make a fast dime it is important to know what to look for before adding a new rescue dog to your house.

"Adoption Day"

My two sisters, husband and I embarked on our journey to Oshawa in order to search for a puppy for adoption. The plan was to go to the Oshawa SPCA prior to the scheduled meeting at the home rescue, but we ran out of time. As we approached the home on Athol St., we all noticed the windows were boarded up on the main floor. My sisters wanted to leave immediately, but I said that would should keep our appointment to be fair. Anyways, I said, we are going to go to the SPCA right after so we will just scope things out first. What was located right across the street from her home gave me false reassurance that everything was legitimate: the Oshawa MPP office.
A cat stopped us in our trek up to the front door. There were two small crates sitting alongside, with blankets inside. Knocking on the door, astounding barking by several dogs began from a room on the left in the main hallway. The rescue owner greeted us and immediately lead us upstairs.

The first room we encountered contained two cats, along with cat food, toys and a scratching post. There were a few cats roaming in the hallway and climbing on top of a table in the centre of it. Three adorable black labs ran up to a gate blocking the doorway of the second room on the upper floor. Hmm....I thought to myself. There were only two black labs posted on the website, but never any mention that there were three all from the same litter...... Looking further into this room was an eye sore. There was newspaper everwhere and a very dirty couch that I thought I would never touch with a ten foot pole! I pet the labs for a couple of minutes, until I was beckoned to come over to the third room.

This was where the two lab/husky/shepp/collie mixes were that she had emailed me about the night before. Again, there was newspaper eveywhere. Dirty floors, dirty walls, dirty kennels. The dogs were cowering in the corner of the room underneath a tv. A couple of the cats proceeded to explore the room in our footsteps. The crazily barking dogs continued in the room below us. This is when I really felt distressed. The filth(you can see how dirty her place is in the above photo), noise and scared little faces was enough to tug at my heart. When the owner stepped out of the room to answer her phone, I turned to everyone and said I have to get them both out of here. There was no argument from my husband, he agreed right away. My sister said she would give me some money just to get them the hell out of there. When Melita returned I told her I wanted to take both puppies, but I said I could not pay the $700 she would require. I asked her how much I could pay her for both. She indicated that $500 would do. Due to the fact that I was originally only going to get one dog, I wasn't carrying enough money on me. Everyone took out whatever money they had and we came up with the $500.

All of us combined had never adopted a dog, so we really didn't know what the norm was in this situation. I thought $500 was a lot of money, especially since she had indicated she only rescued them the night previous. Then I quickly wiped this from my mind, since I reasoned that she could put this money to good use for other animals. I kept on telling myself that this woman really cared about the animals, and she continually mentioned how she did this for the love of animals. My sisters were not so easily convinced....
There was a great deal of talk....we believe to try to deflect any questions towards her. She indicated that all of her animals are vet checked. She told us that one of the loud dogs downstairs included a German Sheppard dog she had rescued that had behavioural problems. She stated she was trying to train him and see if she could place him in some type of law enforcement scenerio afterwards. Lifting up her arm, she showed us some bite marks she said resulted from working with this particular dog. It was then indicated that she would give the two pups an injection. She showed us a dewormer bottle, and so we were under the impression that this was what she was administering. We were told that their booster shot had been administered the night before.

We signed a contract, and a Lawrence-Brimley vet card was stapled to the top of the contract. She said that she deals with this clinic and highly recommends them. This inferred to us that this was the clinic that our dogs had been assessed at. We were given a blank piece of white paper with a distemper booster and leptospirosis vial label applied, with the date of the given vaccinations. I have now discovered that a leptospirosis vaccine is not usually given until 16 weeks of age!! Not all dogs even receive this to begin with!

Walking down the street with the nervous pups, we discussed how we would follow up with someone at the SPCA about the conditions of the home.

We started to worry about what kind of practices had just taken place

Party Pooper?

For the next couple of days we let the puppies settle into their new home. Joel and I come up with a name for each. We name the brown/black pup Guinness, and the light pup Molson after a lot of consideration. We might as well stick with some sort of a common theme:)

Guinness seems to be the dominant one, with Molson acting very quiet and less active. Everyone thought this was simply Molson's personality.

We really wanted to call him poopy since we noticed that his poop had a stronger smell. We didn't think anything of it as there were no obvious signs of any problems with both pups on the 30th and 31st of December.

The puppies nap a lot, with playtime in between. I remember Joel saying that he hopes Molson is okay, since he doesn't seem to be energetic as his brother. Again, we just brush it off as part of his calmer personality. Calm is right..before the storm.....

Happy New Year?

Joel and I are relaxing in the living room, when all of a sudden Molson vomits on the floor. Great we think, he has eaten some food that fell on the ground from our New Year's Eve dinner party the night before! This happens a couple of more times, with Guinness following suit a few hours later. After several bouts of vomiting we decide we need to take them in to a clinic. They are refusing to eat or drink anything by the afternoon. It figures this had to happen on the holiday when everything is closed down!
One of my sisters(Cristina), Joel and I rush them down to one of the few emergency clinics open at Yonge and Sheppard. We are told over the phone that it will be $140 per puppy just to get in the door! Ouch.....but little did we know that would be just the beginning.
The vet believes that they could have ingested something from the party the night before. He gives us two options. The first, to do subcutaneous fluid replacement, and take them home to monitor. Secondly, to admit them overnight for iv fluids and observation. Blood work is also done to rule out other causes such as parvovirus. They don't have any diarrhea at this point. Since the vet seems to think it is more likely food ingestion, we do the fluid replacement and bring them home.
I spend the night on the couch feeding them pedialyte mixed with water to increase their hydration every hour. Then the diarrhea hits.....Oh god, I am thinking. Now it is getting more serious. The worry is creeping up on me, but I think "I am a nurse, I can care for them through the night and they'll be fine." They have a few episodes of that, so I decide to leave a message at our vet office to bring them the next morning. The sickness was in waves of slight improvement, and then very serious lethargy. Molson's lethargy has improved a bit by morning, while Guinness' condition is beginning to weaken more and more.

The saddest part about it all was watching their sorry looking faces. That was the hardest part, to know they were suffering. They looked so weak and tired. Guinness was taking the pedialyte mixes a little better, but Molson was hard to nurse. I had to hold up his little head and force him to take the pedialyte. I was getting worried that maybe something was neurologically wrong with him at times, since he almost seemed to be having trouble swallowing. I felt really evil force feeding, but I knew it was vital to their well being. A puppies blood sugar could drop to dangerous lows without any nutrition. The pedialyte would give then both the hydration and boost their blood sugar to an acceptable level.

Every time the heaving would come up, I felt a tinge of desperation. How do I make it stop? These poor little six pound puppies were suffering, and it just wasn't fair.

Off To The Vets Again

Friday January 2nd

Markam Vet squeezes us in for a visit first thing in the morning. By this point Molson has slightly improved, and this time Guinness needs the subcutaneous fluid. We figure it seems to be working for Molson, so now it is Guinness' turn. This vet seems to think that it could be giardia, even after Joel mentions the foul smelling poo. We are told it would be really bloody if it is parvovirus. Antibiotics are provided due to the potential Giardia. She offers us the IV hydration and hospital stay, but mentions there is no overnight observation at the clinic. We decide what is the point, we will watch them overnight instead. It can only get better now.
We ask her how the blood work looks from the emergency visit the night before. Funny they say, they never received it! By now the emergency clinic is closed down for the day, so there is no hope in finding out now. Besides, nobody has even suggested that it could be parvovirus.

The puppies are drinking and eating small amounts for most of the day. They also do little rounds of play, and so we think they must be recovering from whatever hit them.

How we were mistaken. In the late evening the problem is mainly the diarrhea. It is getting runnier and smellier. We can hear the liquid squirt from across the room! However, we still do not see any overly obvious bright blood in the stool. I again nurse them with a Pedialyte and water concoction all night. Molson stops eating and drinking again, along with the ensuing lethargy. Guinness is improved from how he was early in the morning, but not eating as much.

I call the emergency clinic in the late evening to ask someone to read the blood test results to me over the phone. I figure a vet must be like a regular doctor. Bad results means a phone call to you, good results and you won't hear anything. I also start to get paranoid that maybe they just buried the results in the chart. Calling the office will simply give me peace of mind that nothing was found. Good thing I called. The secretary tells me "Oh, you never got it?" Looks into the file and doesn't find anything. She says that the lab is closed now anyways, so I will have to wait until the morning to get the results. I am irritated, but there is nothing I can do at this point.

Saturday January 3rd

Morning comes and I am exhausted. The emergency vet clinic calls to say that the lab work they took on Thursday has been lost. Sorry, we will refund your money. I say okay, thinking things are going to only improve anyways. We make a second fit in trip to our regular vet. Again they give subcutaneous fluids to Molson, but two humps instead of one. Guinness seems to be recovering again. We are told to monitor them closely and if no improvement is noted, to rush them to the emergency clinic.

We are watching and waiting. Molson doesn't even respond to the fluids this time. The lethargy is setting in deeper. Guinness is not as active and stops eating and drinking again. We realize that something more is going on here now. It cannot just be food poisoning or giardia....I start to read up on the parvovirus on the internet, and get advice from my sister's friend that is in vet school in Ottawa. He says that he believes it really sounds like parvovirus and that we need to get the dogs to the emergency clinic right away to put them on iv fluids. He says puppies can take a turn for the worst in such a short time.

I call the emergency clinic to tell them that we are on our way over again, and that I want blood work repeated stat. She says I need to talk to the vet when I get there. By the time I arrive, they say they will do in house lab work for us since they screwed it up.

A German Sheppard that was hit by a car is rushed past us while we are waiting in the lounge. This delays our assessment a little but, but then the vet comes out and whisks Molson straight into the back saying they are starting him on iv right away. He pulls Joel and I into one of the room to tell us that the lab work shows his white blood cell count is low and that he has parvovirus. I start to ball my eyes out. He says the chances of survival is about 50/50 and there is no telling how any certian puppy will do. It is just a matter of wait and see. The most you can do is hydrate them, give them electrolytes and stomach medication for now. They have to fight the course of the virus and there is no miracle drug.

Guinness is taken to the back with his brother for the same treatment, although the virus doesn't seem to have hit him as hard. Tamiflu is inititated since the vet believes that this will help stregthen their immune system for fighting off the virus. We figure whatever it takes we will try. Panic is setting in.
I am trying not to cry my eyes out as we are able to say goodnight to the pups in the ICU isolation room. They are in their little metal kennels looking out at us and there is absolutely nothing we can do. Molson is curled up in the corner, oblivious to what is going on. He feels so awful, that he doesn't even care what is happening around him. There are IV solutions running via a pump, with special electrolytes for proper hydration. Guinness is looking at us and yelping with such desperation, thinking we are deserting him. They have been separated in two crates, so it is upsetting since they are usually attached by the hip. We just hope they can survive this further trauma. We felt so helpless and saddened that they have to suffer like this.

I knew that Guinness would pull through since he looked in okay shape, but Molson I was so afraid was going to die. Poor little beaker....We never thought we could form such an attachement to the little guys so soon!


What is Parvo?

Parvoviruses are a large group; almost every mammal species (including humans) seems to have its own parvovirus.The canine parvovirus will affect most members of the dog family (wolves, coyotes, foxes etc.).This virus has proved especially effective at infecting rapidly dividing host cells such as intestinal cells, bone marrow cells, cells of the lymph system, and fetal cells. Parvoviral infection has become a disease almost exclusively of puppies and adolescent dogs. Parvovirus was identified in the early 1980's and was found in virtually every area of the globe at the same time.Attacks the intestinal tract causing vomiting and diarrhea; severe bleeding and collapse are not unusual. Also attacks the heart.It can act quickly and sudden death is very common. Prompt intensive care is essential, but even so, survival rates are low.

What are the Symptoms?

The clinical signs accompanying this disease vary form undetectable to severe and rapidly fatal. Dogs of all ages can be infected, but in general the younger the animal the more severe the disease. The dog may be lethargic and inappetent.The dog then runs a temperature, is depressed, has vomiting and diarrhea and is dehydrated. The diarrhea may be very watery, be tinged with blood, or very bloody. The smell is very characteristic due to the bleeding from the bowel.The virus can also attack the heart muscle, causing myocarditis, particularly in young puppies. This usually results in sudden death, often just at a time when we think we have the diarrhea under control and the pup seems to be responding well.

What is the treatment?

The terrible diarrhea which occurs in this disease is due to the virus attacking the lining of the intestines. This causes cells to die, slough off and bleed. The condition is called viral enteritis. Unfortunately, treatment for viral enteritis is supportive only; there are no effective antiviral agents. The primary goal of therapy is to replace the fluid and electrolyte losses since dehydration and electrolyte imbalances themselves may be fatal. This is achieved with I.V. Fluids. Broad spectrum antibiotics are used to combat secondary bacterial infection. Good nursing care is absolutely essential.One of the ways parvo can kill is via the metabolic derangements that occur with dehydration. It is crucial to replace the vast fluid losses (from vomiting and diarrhea) with intravenous fluids.

How is Parvo Transmitted?

Parvovirus is shed in the stools, is extremely hardy and can survive heat and sub-zero temperatures for long periods of time. This means the virus may remain in the environment long after the feces is removed. Your shoes can carry it home to your dog. Infected dogs shed virus (in their stool) in gigantic amounts during the 2 weeks following exposure. Because such enormous amounts of virus are shed, there is a HUGE potential for environmental contamination when an infected dog has been there.It is important to realize that because the canine parvovirus is so hardy in the environment, it is considered ubiquitous. This means that NO ENVIRONMENT is free from this virus unless it is regularly disinfected. A parvoviral infection can be picked up ANYWHERE although it is easier to pick up an infection in an area where an infected dog has been simply because of the larger amounts of virus in a contaminated area.

Vaccinations

We know there are dogs that have been vaccinated but still come down with parvovirus infection. this can occur either due to inadequate vaccination, i.e., not enough boosters at the right time or due to exposure during the "window of susceptibility". This window is inevitable in pups and can be as wide as 30 days, during which the pup may be susceptible in spite of the vaccination.

Parvo Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtbhZRSKTts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsPzP1liWqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQKlIL-1Zno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fU2U2W9viE

Isolation in the ICU

Sunday January 4th

We spent our Sunday trying our hardest not to overly distress about the situation. Trying to be as positive as you can is very difficult! Everytime the phone would ring I jumped, thinking maybe it was the emergency clinic telling us that Molson didn't make it. I couldn't bring myself to call the clinic for updates, so Joel would do the dirty work.

The vet told us that Molson was still very lethargic, not eating, and continued to have a small amount of diarrhea. He would require a plasma infusion due to his low blood cell count. In addition, he would require albumin as well. The IV fluids, electrolytes and tamiflu continued. We agreed to whatever they thought would help him recover.

Everytime we called we could hear Guinness yelping his little heart out in the background. It was upsetting, but at the same time refreshing. We thought that maybe his annoying, but spunky way would help Molson fight the virus. As they were in separate cages, at least he could hear that his brother was still with him. The staff there were at their wits end I am sure, but were very good about the situation. By evening time they started to say "Guinness is doing much better now, feel free to pick him up anytime." We knew he was driving them nuts, but felt better if he was observed for the rest of the night. The clinic closed in the morning, so they would have to be picked up in the morning anyways.

Not the Downtown Trip You'd Hope For

Monday January 5th

Travelling to pick up the boys required me to take the day off work, as they needed to be out of the clinic by 8am. My sister Elena came with me to assist. We sat in the waiting room and watched as dogs and cats were reinunited with their owners, at a lot of expense! $2000 for a cat, $3000 for a dog, with iv's coming out of the whazoo. Then finally it was my turn: $1800 later! Ouch....I was afraid that Guinness wouldn't even remember who we were, but that was put to rest when his tail started wagging like crazy and he snuggled up to us. Molson, on the other hand, you could tell was still very drained. Elena and I held the brothers together and you could tell they felt sheer happiness. Once we paid, we were told to immediately transfer to the downtown animal hospital. We were given an iv bag to take with us, and all of the appropriate health files. Molson looked like such a sad case with the iv in his tiny arm all bandaged up.

The pups snuggled together in the back seat right up until we parked the car. Elena got the luckier end of the deal carrying Molson. As soon as we began to walk to the clinic, Molson vomited a very projectile amount in the air. Elena managed to dodge out of the way just in time, with only a little bit hitting her jeans. This verified that he still needed to be observed overnight, but we still dreaded having to leave him all alone.

Entering the very busy clinic, we saw several familiar faces from the last location. Within minutes of checking in, one of the nurses whisked Molson away to be restarted on iv. The sadness set in again. We hated that he has been put through all of this trauma.

The rest of us were moved into an assessment room since we needed to be kept separate from all of the animals due to the high risk of transfer of the parvovirus. A new vet went over the whole history of the illness, stated they would keep Molson at least overnight, if not two nights.
I described how it seemed like they were improving, only to go downhill again later in the same day. She explained how parvovirus is like a rollercoaster. There are periods of recovery, followed by repeat of the awful stages. She believed that the worst was over, since the virus usually lasted abour 5 to 7 days. I felt so relieved.

We decided to keep Guinness at home since he had been free from vomiting and diarrhea for over 24 hours. As we carried him out, he was constantly whining and searching around for his Molson.

At home, Guinness seemed extra irritable with the absence of his brother. We tried to ease this as much as we could through play and attention. He continued to whine, and did more nipping than ususal. I didn't want to leave him alone, since he was used to having Molson with him all the time. This meant keeping Guinness company with yet another sleep on the couch. We spooned together on the couch for part of it.

Things Are Looking Up!

Joel is keeping occupied at work, while I am anxiously awaiting news about Molson. Finally, in the late morning the vet calls me. She tells me that Molson's alertness has steadily increased overnight! He pooed in the cage in the middle of the night, smeared it all over his cage, and got some on his iv. They had to remove this to prevent any secondary infections. He is now chewing on the metal cage, so she is worried about his safety. In some twisted little way all of this destruction is the best news I've heard all week! Bring it on here at my home!

Again, Elena accompanies me to go for the pick up. I don't know what I would have done without everyone's help,especially hers. I go inside to settle the bill, which ends up being a small relief as well. Instead of paying out the high estimate of $1200 plus, I "only" have to pay about $600 because of the one night stay. They bring out Molson who does not seem too sure about coming back with me, but he doesn't fight it.

Returning to Elena and Guinness in the car was a tv commercial ad moment. The two brothers kissed eachother to no end, and cuddled all the way home. The best part was that they were now both vomit and diarrhea free.

We settled them into the house where they caught up on a lot of sleeping. They stayed together at all times. We sat there hoping that there would not be any after effects from the stress and trauma. Although I realized puppies needed a lot of sleep, I was always on the edge of my seat wondering if they would get sick again. There was also the risk of either of them getting a secondary infection from a low white blood cell count. We crossed our fingers....

Now I finally had the chance and composure to contact GADASC to let her know what had happened. Little did I know what I was getting into!

Notifying Give A Dog A Second Chance

Wednesday January 8th

With Molson and Guinness on the mend, I start to tie up loose ends...or so I think. I call up Melita, but her nobody answers. I leave a message, simply asking her to return my call. I wait for over an hour, and jump in the shower. By the time I return, there is a message from Melita on the phone. "Hi it's Melita from GADASC, you had called in regards to the puppies. I hope everything is okay and hopefully I can help whatever it is." This is without mentioning a word about the puppies being sick.

I call her back and tell her I believe the puppies got parvovirus at her home. She says there is no way since she separates all of her litters of puppies from one another. I remind her how there are cats roaming around the house, wandering into each room. She says they only followed us when we went in the room to see the puppies. There is no way they could have gotten it here, it must have been from wherever they came from beforehand. What she doesn't account for is that all it would take is this one time for a cat to step into an infected dogs feces and spread the disease to others. She repeatedly apologizes and sympathizes with my situation, but makes no offer to help cover any of the associated costs or help in any way.

I am really worried about the other dogs that were in the house at the same time. They could very well contract the virus, or maybe they were even the origin of it. This is relayed to Melita, but she assures me that the three black labs are still there and completely healthy. She also tells me that she has already followed up with the owner of Guinness and Molson's brother and that he is fine too. Funny, I think to myself. She never once followed up with me over the past 10 days.

The next step is calling the Brimley-Lawrence vet to ask them for more formal records of the vaccinations my puppies received. The girl at the desk looks up the file, but returns with no results. She tells me that Melita should have a log of this at home. I write Melita to ask her for the proper logs, saying the vet didn't have them. This is when she tells me that she never said she took them to the vet. Her driver's arm was broken at the time!

Elena and I decide to do more research on her organization to see if there have been any other issues with illness etc. We had no idea what a mammoth can of worms this would open up!

Email War with Give A Dog A Second Chance

My sister and I find it difficult to read her emails, but get the main point of them:

M=Melita N=Natalie


M:This is melita i told you that theses pups were brought her from a family in Newcastle any way the other pups are still here and fine and if you paid 15000 from breeds dogs/pups can get sick what is your point to all this? why are you starting problems ?what are you trying to gain ..I said I'm sorry but i did not do it..And the pups are fine ...if you have something to say
say it to me and also you did not have to take the pups ..

N:So I am replying to your message below, that you sent in response to what my sister wrote on Craigslist: since you would like to settle this privately:

First of all, I am not personally trying to gain anything. The only thing I am concerned about is the well being of my new puppies and any previous/future puppies you have adopted/will adopt out. This whole parvo situation with the two pups you adopted to me caused my family and I a lot of distress, time and money!
I do blame myself for one thing, and that is not doing enough research before adopting a dog. Now, in hindsight, I wish I had gotten more information and asked more questions. What worries me is that your story for everything surrounding the adoption keeps on changing. First they were "rescued" from Collingwood, then you say Newcastle. Sorry, but those towns are in two totally different locations! Then you say the family lived on a farm couldn't care for them any longer, then the story turns into they were given to the family as a gift and they didn't want them.
There are a couple of things I would like to ask of you...and if you are truly a legitimate adoption centre you won't mind me asking and will understand.
1. a copy of the record of vaccination from the vet you took the pups to.
2. the reference of the family that you rescued them from.

Do you take all of your animals to the vet for assessment prior to you adopting them out?? Being such an animal lover, I am sure that you would understand why I did not return the pups to you when they fell ill.....As an owner you bond with them and form a quick attachment. Therefore, all you want is what is in the best interest of the pet. They were very ill and needed immediate medical attention, and returning them to you would only waste precious time. As you know, puppies can make a turn for the very worst in a matter of a couple of hours. Plus, what difference would it have made?? I spend the money myself for medical care, or return them to you, get a refund, but then pay all the bills later on??

The last things I would also like to point out. You dated the contract wrong. You dated it the 28th of Dec when it was actually the 29th. Since that is a legal document you should be more careful with the information on it, especially if you have done this for the past 10 years.

p.s. You say that you do not breed any of your animals, however, on the phone with me yesterday you indicated that you breed your boxer?? Another conflicting story.

M:Hi well first of all there is really nothing to settle you were on the phone with me yesterday why not ask me this then..you took the dog to the vet when they were sick and they are fine now I'm sorry for this ..but this again is not my fault.as far as the place goes what would i say colling wood i have never been there gulf ?maybe ,but the pups came from a home i did not even meet them one of the volunteers pick them up and we don't give out people info..and second of all .you and your family was all there when i gave them there needles so you knew there was no vet, that is why you have ten day health assurance.,.which you did not call me on ..I told you if the pups got sick i gave you the vet card and told you i would meet you there you did not call me till after they were home Which i Am glad they are.. my dogs are my business and if i breed them they don't go through rescue and both of them are fixed and yes if i decided to breed my last boxer that is my personal business.not yours and why are you listing to my phone calls any way??and the other pups that were here were from they owners ..then your pups was from a owner too. then the black once were from the barn look at the pic they are all different pups..and again if you were not happy you should have not adopted no body force you and I do go tot he vet most of the time ,not this time my driver broke her arm so i have been doing them my self which you saw and the contract is legal anything else is what i have been told .. there birthday so on..what they told my driver..Dog come from all over all ages i can only tell you what i know and same with you if someone gave away the puppies free and they told you the story you just have to accept it..as i do i don't really care about the story i care about the dog and cats i take in and there is nothing wrong with my home or animals and not even a vet could have told you the pups were sick they would have told you as i did careful things can come out ..and if you were uneasy about rescue me or any then you should have spent 1000 on ckc dogs and if they got sick which they do to then what ..i just saw a guy a the vets this weeks passed, bought to pure breed boxer payed for 2 boxer from a breede r2,500 and they both died this week from Provo guess what he got NOTHING..as far as the date that is fine change it okany thing else feel free to ask..

N:I spoke to you yesteday, but I would rather correspond through email now. As I mentioned before, the story always changes when you are talking. Why would Collingwood come off the top of you head then?? Now the location changes to Newcastle?? They are two very different sounding names. You basically insinuate things which is just as bad as lying about them. You mentioned a vet, gave me a card AND indicated that they had their vaccinations. We did witness you giving the deworming injection, but not leptospira canicola, grippotyphosa etc one. I am assuming you gave them that, since you are saying you couldn't take them to the vet.

Whether you breed or not may not be my business, but then don't keep on changing your mind on that issue either! You wrote on here that you don't breed, but you told me you do breed your boxers on the phone yesterday. As in the present tense, not in the past as you claim! Another conflict of information. In the best case scenerio, even if everything you said was true, you are not that believable. This is due to the fact that you keep on telling different versions of events, indicating that you are not credible.

p.s You indicated that these two male pups had brothers and sisters, and told me that you spoke to a couple of their owners and they were healthy. Why were these two the only ones there if you picked them up that night? Wouldn't the whole litter be there?

M:Well all i can say is i don't know why you though that , and there is not a shots for deworming that i know of, they was there parvo distemper /lepto shots so if you were so concerned that i am changing the story thing ,all the time i have no idea what you are talking about? you know what I' was doing you ?
where are going with this? and you can feel any way you like call around ask the shelter where there pups come from I doubt they would know and again you were not listening not my fault i told you all this is my vet if there is a problem with the pups and you did not call me.. not much i could do to help i have been around many years and there IS a handful of people like you, things happen and instead of dealing with it you are looking to blame ,that is great but what will you gain from that ??take care of your dogs and be happy they are loved and continue to do good by them.. not much more i can say ,You need to listen better no story changed at all i said i did not breed those dog which i did not ..and when we had puppies over the year with rescue dogs they people always meet the mother if we have them,MY boxer are my business.. look on happy tails you will see mom and puppies if we have them ..any thing else read your contract my vets see how many dogs i have saved call pet smart was there fro three years and would still be there is i did my taxes and i have many reference again I'm sorry about the pups but no harm was done to them here.. ..not those two thesy did have brother and siter but the owners palced them i was talking about the black pups.not them..that i spoke too..

N:Another change of the facts! You said YOU adopted out the brother...not the owners. You spoke to the owners of the three labs as well to make sure they are okay??

M:No i did not why would i say that when i did not have the brother they were the last of the litter..and if for some reason i did maybe I'm confused them with the black pups ,but i drought it.because believe me if i had the brother i would have called them i adopted the other brother out the black pups..theses were the only two.. maybe you heard wrong while listing to my phone conversion..i never had the brother just those two....they came together..ANYTHING ELSE.......

N:Oh and you should care where the dogs come from. You should be notifying whomever this is that the dogs came sick if you are sure they didn't get sick at your place. Plus, you should be notifiying all of the other owners of dogs you have adopted out about this situation for their safety. I also recommend that you give future people an adoption paper stating age, mix, history etc so that you can't claim that THEY are not taking in the information properly. That would also save you from being accused that you are not legitimate. It seems like you are used to this, which is probably not a good sign.

M:OK well I'm not worried and it is not my business if they tell me nothing that is fine you want facks go to a breeder they will tell you a story they are rescue dog not for sale with info once again i only care for finding them homes and help them cont happy liefs,you can say and think what ever you like I'm done with this foolishness,,Ijust take in care for them till they fined they next for ever home..

N:Actually, as you may recall there were four of us there. Pretty hard for three other people to get the same information wrong!

M:ya that is why i dont know why you were not listening i said i have to give them there shots and herr is what they got...how hard was that??for all four of you..

N:I know why all four of us thought the vet gave the parvo/distemper. You wrote down what they got and attached a vets card to your contract. You never said you personally gave the shot. We only witnessed you giving the drontal shot right in front of us, and you showed us the bottle. I have looked it up online to confirm that it is a broad spectrum dewormer. Plus, there is no getting around that this is what you gave, as you wrote it on the piece of paper you gave me to show their needle history. The dewormer I could understand giving, but are you supposed to be giving your own parvo/distemper shots?? What if one of the puppies ever had a severe allergic reaction?? What would you do then?

"Hi these cuties are up to date on shots and been dewormed twice they are 9 weeks old". This is straight off the petfinder ad. Dewormed twice?? You only said the one time, and you indicated they are 7 weeks, not 9 weeks. I am only hoping that you legitimately gave them their parvo/distemper etc shots. The vial serial stickers are on the paper you gave me, but that is all I can go by. I wonder if I should do a parvo titer test on them at the vets to make sure they are up to date. The last thing I want is for them to get sick again. The poor pups have been sick enough already. Interesting how you say your driver was fine enough to pick up the pups the night before. You never mentioned anything about the driver's arm being broken and having to do the boosters yourself. Why would you not do your taxes?? That just decreases your credibility as well as a rescue organization. I am sure any other place would be keeping on top of this.
M:well if I'm a so call rescue then why did you come? why did you adopted? and why did you not return the puppy, when it got sick for a refund till i treated it ..i have been around 10 years and i so tired of people who always have some thing to say because there puppy was sick so if you bought from pet store or bought from breed then what??I don't make them sick my house is older because i have dogs and once again no one forced you ..I'm a sorry But sickness happen everywhere and why are my other puppies OK ?why because you are up set i get it but this is a sad way to deal with your up set.. .IF i breed them i can understand BUT i do not..So stop trashing me ..thank you i have save many of lives and some we save some we don't but that is what a rescuer does no one can predict the future not even the vet check up one day fine next day sick??puppies are like children they get sick easily...try walking in my shoes it is sad what people do to there animals not i,Ii just try to give them a new life with some good family that will fix them...and care for them.Have a Nice Day.....

ya well
the dog all get there needles form me or the vet so what ever is your problem i don't know get over it..

and breeder giver there dog shots Farmer give there dogs shots and dog trainer that are bred do it shelter do it Once again what is your problem ??i have ner owned shot dewormed probably to expensive and i m don't this shit with you what EXCATLEY DO YOU WANT FROM ME>>>>and once again i told you i had the give them there needles if you were uncertinm should have ask ..

N:So you are saying you never gave the drontal injection when we picked them up??? You wrote drontal on the sheet.....Just trying to clarify this

M: not shots no, the liquid form for puppies ..ask your vet..they have there shots and deworming for puppies by Drontal....Thank you..

M:well they were hear and left everything is fine as i said it was have a great day and do not bother me again..people like you whatever..(referring to the SPCA unannounced visit)

So on January 12th I ask Melita to reimburse me some of the costs and this is the response I get:

M:LISTEN if i heard any more crap from you i will have you charged with slander by the police i have all your info just remember that ..myself and my lawyer will be notifying you and i will remove those puppies because you are of course it seems not stable home that seems to be my biggest mistake read your contract if i feel the pups are unsafe which I am beging too. get over it .all ready the animal service cleared me other pups and animal are fine now if i hear any more from rescue with you talking your crap i will take further action Your pups are fine too enjoy them or give them back..

N:Hmmm...that e". I have done above and beyond that with them being sick and forking out thousands of dollars for vet bills for their safety!

Sent January 20th when her friend tried to defend her via email:

M:yes all this lady is mad about is her money and they were scared because i had them less then 24 hours and windows boarded up news to me and no water give me a fucken break..

N:We could list 20 other things that are not right with the way you do operations. There seems to be a lot of people around that would agree as well. Money isn't the only thing that matters in this situation. Obviously that's not what I am upset about the most, considering I did fork out $3000 in vet bills for the pups. I wonder what would have happened if I had returned them to you and said I want my money back?? You are telling me that you would have forked out all of the money for this?? If you really cared about the puppies you would have said "You know what I'll give you most of the $500 back to help with their care". However, you are obviously in it for the money, so why would you have done it? Where is all of the money going to? $350 a puppy?? No vet check, no altering included. That is not what real rescues do. Give ME a break.

M:Grow up will you OK enough you are so sad i can get if i needed to 100's of letter form people which i don't need to because you are only mad about money once again if i were a breeder a pet store and animals service they would say sorry just like i did and no receipt look at your contract you guys are so fucken sad i never said they were vetted i said they were vetted i said you had ten days to vet them and if you any any problems i gave you my vet card to meet me there ..grow up and listen
I have a copy of everything which i would be happy to foward to any one who like to see it..

N:Your lies get deeper and deeper as the days go on! So you SELL some puppies to happy homes and just by luck nothing goes wrong. You are a puppy broker! You take from somewhere and resell them. The question is: Where are you getting all of these puppies from? Puppymills?? This is a business for you, not done for the love of animals. What costs did you rack up that you wanted $350 for a puppy?? Apparently it is rare to rescue one, let alone several puppies under 8 weeks. However, it seems this is what you seem to be rescuing all of the time. A little shady if you ask me. I would never buy from a dog store, since they get their dogs from puppy mills. However, it seems like I probably got two from puppy mills straight from your house! You put on a good act, or so you think.... You insinuated/said they were vetted. Are you even allowed to give vaccinations yourself?? What if a puppy has an allergic reaction? You don't drive, so what if they needed medical attention? That is an unsafe home if you ask me!