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
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
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!
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 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.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
"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.
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
Saturday, February 14, 2009
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.....
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.....
Friday, February 13, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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.
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
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, February 9, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Alternate Rescuer Stories
I volunteer at Stark County Dog Pound, a kill shelter in Canton, OH. I'm always networking and trying to find homes or rescues to take dogs so when Melita contacted me, at first I was thrilled. She had taken dogs from Columbiana County, the one next to ours, and they at first recommended her.
We were taking her maybe one or two a week. We did the 5 way, bordetella, rabies and health certificates (she reimbursed me, at first). Then she started looking at the website, asking for easily adoptable dogs (Pomeranians, little lap dogs, puppies) that we can adopt locally and she would get angry if the dog was already spoken for. After a few weeks, she started contacting me with long lists of dogs she could take. Something told me it was "fishy" but looking at the dogs in the cages that could have a chance at life was too tempting.
We would meet her in the Buffalo area. After a few weeks of this, I told her I would drive all the way to her place (I wanted to see it) but she balked. The last transport we did with her was in August of 2007; I took her 15 dogs. We met in the Walmart parking lot; it was over 80 degrees. We helped her load her van. About an hour later I got a call from her while driving home. She and Pauline had driven to the front of the Walmart, parked the car and went shopping...leaving all those dogs in that hot car. Someone called the Humane Society. They seized all the dogs (thankfully, they were all rehomed by the HS) and charged Melita with Animal Cruelty. She called me because she wanted me to drive to the Humane Society and bring her the dogs. I told her what I thought of her leaving the dogs in her car and that we were done with her. After several nasty emails, I haven't heard from her.
She owes me over 1000.00 from writing bad checks. She owes the two other counties money as well. She was getting fully vetted (fixed as well) dogs for 70.00 and charging 250.00. I'm not saying a rescue shouldn't charge enough to cover expenses, but she was really raking it in. Then I found out after some research, that she has been evicted numerous times; she has been investigated by the HS but keeps moving. She used to show her animals at the Petsmart in Nashua (?) but I see on her site she no longer does that. She sells sick dogs, withholds vet care, lies about the dog's temperaments. The last time I saw her she had a huge dog bite on her leg from one of her "fosters."
Sometimes people in dog rescue get in over their head and get too many animals; they mean well but become overwhelmed. This was not her case. She is doing this purely for the money, with no good intentions.
I hope she can be stopped. If she's got Parvo in her house, she shouldn't bring in any more puppies.
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Melita didn't show up for her trial(for animal cruelty related to the story above) so apparently there's a warrant for her arrest. that's why she's not getting dogs from the u.s. any more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------tried volunteering for her before she moved to that rat hole of a house....tried to take over my free tiem & very demanding.....abusive verbally & physically to dogs....would definetly advise to call local authorities, the current landlord & spca...do not get animal from her, you never know what disease or temperment you will end up with
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Sadly, we are all too familiar with Melita and her practices. She has been several different rescues over the years and all have been the same. I have long said that if there is one thing I would like to do in thisworld of rescue is shut her down. Unfortunately there is little recourseto do that. I know the Animal Control in Oshawa is very familiar with heras are many other rescues that are horrified with her practices. You have my complete support in any effort that exposes her and her socalled rescue for what it is ... dog brokering and barely one step above aQuebec puppy mill.
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hello Natalie, years ago i think in 2004 the windsor humane society had her listed as a rescue and my rescue partner and i were the transporters to bring her a few dogs. When we arrived i could not believe what I saw. She had dogs everywhere, upstairs in cages in bedrooms, in the basement they were just everywhere, her boxer who was in tact ruled the roost and was going after a few of her foster dogs, it was a complete nightmare. The humane society here never gave her dogs again, she was black listed of the rescue list. She use to work with 4 legged love rescue kris mcindoo out of toronto who got rid of her as her partner when she realized what a nut she was, you might want to look of 4 legged love and email kris as well, kris will have lots of factual facts for you as well. I wrote a letter to by law and i'm pretty sure i still have a copy i will look it up for you.Yes, they can contact me my personal email is natpittie@hotmail.com
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knew which rescue it was before you even posted the lab link...
Numerous groups have been trying to get this nutbar shut down for many, many years now.A bully rescue group had a post on their site claiming that one of their members had witnessed her beating a dog, I personally witnessed her adopting out sick and unstable dogs to unknowing adopters, and she was charged with animal cruelty after leaving a dozen dogs in the cab of her pickup in New York in the middle of summer for over an HOUR in a WalMart parking lot. The local pound removed all the dogs, and she had the nerve to contact the original pound she "rescued" them from and demand all of her pull fees back!All the while, she runs around bashing other rescues.
She received her tax free status from another group called "Paradise Found." The group went under and she took over the charitable number. I have been unable to ascertain whether she actually has a board of directors - in addition we caught her a few years ago "lending" her charitable status to AARF rescue of Hamilton.She was originally located in Oshawa, but the Oshawa humane society wouldn't have anything to do with her. Unfortunately, they never could find sufficient reason to gain access to her premises and she wouldn't allow them in - so they couldn't do anything.
We've tried numerous times to have her tax status revoked, to have her petfinder status revoked, to have her fundraising shut down, to have her PetSmart affiliation revoked... and ALL to no avail.
I wish you the very best of luck, and I'm terribly sorry for what you went through. Believe me, you are not alone - the majority of Melita's adopters go through some form of the same shock and disappointment you did.
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One other note - Melita and her daughter both owned boxers - and bred them - and "adopted" the puppies ON PETFINDER.Then when the dogs began to get territorial, she adopted them out as well - after using them as puppy makers.
She used to have a jack russell, but it was KILLED in her house after she let a dog she knew was vicious run loose. This was AFTER the dog had KILLED two pit bull puppies and attacked her boxer.This woman is a nightmare to other rescues. She screams a good game too, she'll accuse you of everything under the sun, and threaten you with whatever big words she can muster.
Oshawa SPCA needs to get off their A$$ and do what they should have done YEARS ago and shut her down. At the very least Revenue Canada should have removed her charitable status long ago - in fact, she should never have received it.
I have personally witnessed countless acts of cruelty and neglect on her part. Have you considered the fact that she gets bit on a regular basis and fails to report said bites to the proper authorities? Surely they can do something with this?I have an email here somewhere where she admits to being bit often, claims it's "part of rescue...." I've been rescuing for several years and I've never been bit once!
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I do not have any first hand stories of Melita as I have never met her but being in Bowmanville I get calls from people about her.
I get calls from people wanting me to take their dogs because she will not take them back. This in itself, is one thing a responsible rescuer will never do---we always take any dog back that does not work out (although we screen so well, the returns are few and far between).
I am sorry you have had to go through this but if anything, I hope it encourages you to educate the public on how important it is to make sure when people get dogs from a rescue they are making sure the dog is altered (all reputable rescuers neuter every animal in their care), and the animal has proof of all its shots. You should also have to sign a contract stating you will bring the dog back if it ever did not work out, and that the rescue wants to be involved if you are having any problems. If you hear people complain because they have to jump through hoops (ie do a home check, and provide references and vet reference) to get a dog, just politely let them know that this should be the least of their concerns and if anything, it shows that the people who have the dog really care about where it goes...
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It seems that Melita got the original email, these people that adopted from her must of been their years ago when she had less dogs, but the conditions were bad then also.
Why do you think she moves so much, because she befriends everyone that tries to give her advice on how to take care of the animals. With Melita its her way or the highway.
Anyone can get over their head and they have to draw the line when adequate care can not be provided to the dogs.
People that want to dump their dogs off to rescues should be dropping them of at the ospca, you can't take every dog in when people call. You have to know when to say NO.When you have more than 8 dogs in a house it is impossible to give them all the attention, not even mentioning the cats running around. She is on disability for a reason.
Not every dog likes to be crated and this is what Melita does. When she does get evicted from her place I can guarantee cats will be left behind without a home, because when she got evicted on Bruce street a cat rescue had to go their a couple of days later and 5 cats where left there. The cat rescue took them and then they were all spayed and neutered..
What good rescue leaves animals behind, definitely not this one.
Melita would probably do a good job if she kept her dogs to a minimun. She does not drive so what if their was a dog fight which an animal gets hurt in her house, which has happened and the animal dies in the home. This is sick.
Bottom line if you don't drive and you can't rely on someone to chauffeur you around you can't do home visits, then you shouldn't do rescue.
A good rescue does home visits and checks people out in their home environment to make sure the dogs is going to a wonderful home. Melita does not do this. This is poor practise, and any good rescue knows this.
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In regards to the hoarding argument - I disagree. She is making LOTS of money from this endeavor. Lack of funds is not the issue here. These dogs are being sold for $100-500, and are either obtained free or pulled from pounds for fees up to $70 (the ones from the states come fully vetted!).
Vaccines are about a dollar each when administered by herself, and one would assume given the history involved here that she is re-using needles (or at the very least failing to dispose of them properly... surely THAT is of some concern to public health?). When no vetting is done, dogs are obtained for nothing, and dogs are as numerous as they are (her turnover rate is astounding) you can easily look through a year of Petfinder and do the math.
This is not a hoarder - this is a profiteer.Her non-profit status has in fact been revoked (05/08) due to failure to file a return.
***EDIT - sorry, I've been unable to verify this information. Her non-profit (charitable) status WAS revoked 05/08) but I'm unable to ascertain why. I do know that she was "lending" her charitable number to another rescue to try to increase their donations (by providing tax receipts) which could explain it, but I also know that returns were behind - however, revenue canada is not exactly strict about charitable tax laws...
We were taking her maybe one or two a week. We did the 5 way, bordetella, rabies and health certificates (she reimbursed me, at first). Then she started looking at the website, asking for easily adoptable dogs (Pomeranians, little lap dogs, puppies) that we can adopt locally and she would get angry if the dog was already spoken for. After a few weeks, she started contacting me with long lists of dogs she could take. Something told me it was "fishy" but looking at the dogs in the cages that could have a chance at life was too tempting.
We would meet her in the Buffalo area. After a few weeks of this, I told her I would drive all the way to her place (I wanted to see it) but she balked. The last transport we did with her was in August of 2007; I took her 15 dogs. We met in the Walmart parking lot; it was over 80 degrees. We helped her load her van. About an hour later I got a call from her while driving home. She and Pauline had driven to the front of the Walmart, parked the car and went shopping...leaving all those dogs in that hot car. Someone called the Humane Society. They seized all the dogs (thankfully, they were all rehomed by the HS) and charged Melita with Animal Cruelty. She called me because she wanted me to drive to the Humane Society and bring her the dogs. I told her what I thought of her leaving the dogs in her car and that we were done with her. After several nasty emails, I haven't heard from her.
She owes me over 1000.00 from writing bad checks. She owes the two other counties money as well. She was getting fully vetted (fixed as well) dogs for 70.00 and charging 250.00. I'm not saying a rescue shouldn't charge enough to cover expenses, but she was really raking it in. Then I found out after some research, that she has been evicted numerous times; she has been investigated by the HS but keeps moving. She used to show her animals at the Petsmart in Nashua (?) but I see on her site she no longer does that. She sells sick dogs, withholds vet care, lies about the dog's temperaments. The last time I saw her she had a huge dog bite on her leg from one of her "fosters."
Sometimes people in dog rescue get in over their head and get too many animals; they mean well but become overwhelmed. This was not her case. She is doing this purely for the money, with no good intentions.
I hope she can be stopped. If she's got Parvo in her house, she shouldn't bring in any more puppies.
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Melita didn't show up for her trial(for animal cruelty related to the story above) so apparently there's a warrant for her arrest. that's why she's not getting dogs from the u.s. any more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------tried volunteering for her before she moved to that rat hole of a house....tried to take over my free tiem & very demanding.....abusive verbally & physically to dogs....would definetly advise to call local authorities, the current landlord & spca...do not get animal from her, you never know what disease or temperment you will end up with
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Sadly, we are all too familiar with Melita and her practices. She has been several different rescues over the years and all have been the same. I have long said that if there is one thing I would like to do in thisworld of rescue is shut her down. Unfortunately there is little recourseto do that. I know the Animal Control in Oshawa is very familiar with heras are many other rescues that are horrified with her practices. You have my complete support in any effort that exposes her and her socalled rescue for what it is ... dog brokering and barely one step above aQuebec puppy mill.
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hello Natalie, years ago i think in 2004 the windsor humane society had her listed as a rescue and my rescue partner and i were the transporters to bring her a few dogs. When we arrived i could not believe what I saw. She had dogs everywhere, upstairs in cages in bedrooms, in the basement they were just everywhere, her boxer who was in tact ruled the roost and was going after a few of her foster dogs, it was a complete nightmare. The humane society here never gave her dogs again, she was black listed of the rescue list. She use to work with 4 legged love rescue kris mcindoo out of toronto who got rid of her as her partner when she realized what a nut she was, you might want to look of 4 legged love and email kris as well, kris will have lots of factual facts for you as well. I wrote a letter to by law and i'm pretty sure i still have a copy i will look it up for you.Yes, they can contact me my personal email is natpittie@hotmail.com
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knew which rescue it was before you even posted the lab link...
Numerous groups have been trying to get this nutbar shut down for many, many years now.A bully rescue group had a post on their site claiming that one of their members had witnessed her beating a dog, I personally witnessed her adopting out sick and unstable dogs to unknowing adopters, and she was charged with animal cruelty after leaving a dozen dogs in the cab of her pickup in New York in the middle of summer for over an HOUR in a WalMart parking lot. The local pound removed all the dogs, and she had the nerve to contact the original pound she "rescued" them from and demand all of her pull fees back!All the while, she runs around bashing other rescues.
She received her tax free status from another group called "Paradise Found." The group went under and she took over the charitable number. I have been unable to ascertain whether she actually has a board of directors - in addition we caught her a few years ago "lending" her charitable status to AARF rescue of Hamilton.She was originally located in Oshawa, but the Oshawa humane society wouldn't have anything to do with her. Unfortunately, they never could find sufficient reason to gain access to her premises and she wouldn't allow them in - so they couldn't do anything.
We've tried numerous times to have her tax status revoked, to have her petfinder status revoked, to have her fundraising shut down, to have her PetSmart affiliation revoked... and ALL to no avail.
I wish you the very best of luck, and I'm terribly sorry for what you went through. Believe me, you are not alone - the majority of Melita's adopters go through some form of the same shock and disappointment you did.
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One other note - Melita and her daughter both owned boxers - and bred them - and "adopted" the puppies ON PETFINDER.Then when the dogs began to get territorial, she adopted them out as well - after using them as puppy makers.
She used to have a jack russell, but it was KILLED in her house after she let a dog she knew was vicious run loose. This was AFTER the dog had KILLED two pit bull puppies and attacked her boxer.This woman is a nightmare to other rescues. She screams a good game too, she'll accuse you of everything under the sun, and threaten you with whatever big words she can muster.
Oshawa SPCA needs to get off their A$$ and do what they should have done YEARS ago and shut her down. At the very least Revenue Canada should have removed her charitable status long ago - in fact, she should never have received it.
I have personally witnessed countless acts of cruelty and neglect on her part. Have you considered the fact that she gets bit on a regular basis and fails to report said bites to the proper authorities? Surely they can do something with this?I have an email here somewhere where she admits to being bit often, claims it's "part of rescue...." I've been rescuing for several years and I've never been bit once!
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I do not have any first hand stories of Melita as I have never met her but being in Bowmanville I get calls from people about her.
I get calls from people wanting me to take their dogs because she will not take them back. This in itself, is one thing a responsible rescuer will never do---we always take any dog back that does not work out (although we screen so well, the returns are few and far between).
I am sorry you have had to go through this but if anything, I hope it encourages you to educate the public on how important it is to make sure when people get dogs from a rescue they are making sure the dog is altered (all reputable rescuers neuter every animal in their care), and the animal has proof of all its shots. You should also have to sign a contract stating you will bring the dog back if it ever did not work out, and that the rescue wants to be involved if you are having any problems. If you hear people complain because they have to jump through hoops (ie do a home check, and provide references and vet reference) to get a dog, just politely let them know that this should be the least of their concerns and if anything, it shows that the people who have the dog really care about where it goes...
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It seems that Melita got the original email, these people that adopted from her must of been their years ago when she had less dogs, but the conditions were bad then also.
Why do you think she moves so much, because she befriends everyone that tries to give her advice on how to take care of the animals. With Melita its her way or the highway.
Anyone can get over their head and they have to draw the line when adequate care can not be provided to the dogs.
People that want to dump their dogs off to rescues should be dropping them of at the ospca, you can't take every dog in when people call. You have to know when to say NO.When you have more than 8 dogs in a house it is impossible to give them all the attention, not even mentioning the cats running around. She is on disability for a reason.
Not every dog likes to be crated and this is what Melita does. When she does get evicted from her place I can guarantee cats will be left behind without a home, because when she got evicted on Bruce street a cat rescue had to go their a couple of days later and 5 cats where left there. The cat rescue took them and then they were all spayed and neutered..
What good rescue leaves animals behind, definitely not this one.
Melita would probably do a good job if she kept her dogs to a minimun. She does not drive so what if their was a dog fight which an animal gets hurt in her house, which has happened and the animal dies in the home. This is sick.
Bottom line if you don't drive and you can't rely on someone to chauffeur you around you can't do home visits, then you shouldn't do rescue.
A good rescue does home visits and checks people out in their home environment to make sure the dogs is going to a wonderful home. Melita does not do this. This is poor practise, and any good rescue knows this.
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In regards to the hoarding argument - I disagree. She is making LOTS of money from this endeavor. Lack of funds is not the issue here. These dogs are being sold for $100-500, and are either obtained free or pulled from pounds for fees up to $70 (the ones from the states come fully vetted!).
Vaccines are about a dollar each when administered by herself, and one would assume given the history involved here that she is re-using needles (or at the very least failing to dispose of them properly... surely THAT is of some concern to public health?). When no vetting is done, dogs are obtained for nothing, and dogs are as numerous as they are (her turnover rate is astounding) you can easily look through a year of Petfinder and do the math.
This is not a hoarder - this is a profiteer.Her non-profit status has in fact been revoked (05/08) due to failure to file a return.
***EDIT - sorry, I've been unable to verify this information. Her non-profit (charitable) status WAS revoked 05/08) but I'm unable to ascertain why. I do know that she was "lending" her charitable number to another rescue to try to increase their donations (by providing tax receipts) which could explain it, but I also know that returns were behind - however, revenue canada is not exactly strict about charitable tax laws...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Experiences with GADASC Rescue
The dog I got from Melita, fortunately for me, never made it to her house, he came right from the Hamilton pound in a kennel, so he didn't touch any other dog. She never followed up on vetting like she was supposed to, I did it myself, and I never sent her a dime! You will find him on her success stories!
Everyone is always looking for Give a Dog a Second Chance which apparently is now located in Oshawa. NO legitimate rescue would adopt out a pup without it being spayed and up to date on shots.
Here I thought I was just an isolated incident all this time. She told me the vet was away on vacation for the month of January to February. I called a couple of times to set up the vetting and it never happened. I told her I would end up paying only a $50 dollar donation for gas because I would have to do all the vetting myself. I never sent her the money, because for some reason every time I called there was barking dogs.
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No we never did get the dog, after seeing the condition of her house, and hearing her scream at the dogs and even having a run in with one of the other "tenants" shall we call him, and the condition of her residence we decided that any dog that came from her would more and likely have some serious problems. I did state on the post on Craiglist that I would bet my life she is what they call "backyard breeder" as there is no way in hell the dog that we seen was "hot from the heat therfor her teats where extremely swollen" there was no doubt in my mind that the dog was bred and had recently had puppies.We had a female rottie from 6 weeks until her death at 7 yrs and never once did she ever "swell in the heat".
As the more I thought about it, the more I thought I recognized the dog from an ad on Kijiji a while stating it was the mother of some puppies someone was trying to sell. The dog in question was a brindle boxer, named Nikki, beautiful dog awesome personality, but the story kept changing, so we backed out. She is also no longer welcome in Petsmart on Victoria St, the exact reason why they would not state, but a manager did say she would not be back.
Sorry to hear of your unfortunate run in with her, I would pursue legal action if I was in your shoes. Matter of fact if you need to have someone else state the conditions I would be glad to call somewhere and add my name to it, for example the Humane Society.
Hopefully your little babies are in much better health soon as I bet they are in a much better place then they started out in.
It really is disgusting that the animals must suffer they way I am sure they do in her care, what's more disgusting is that by your sisters email there is not much we seem to be able to do about it, other then perhaps warn people the way I have done on Craiglist, and should do it on Kijiji as well as Petfinder too it seems.
The dog she had on Kijiji was a as I stated a female brindle boxer named Nikki, her first statements about the dog was , the owner died, so it came into her care, she had an eye infection which was now cleared up and she was fixed, when we got there to see her, it was an owner surrender, the eye infection was still there (she says there that it was almost gone) and she was not fixed that she was soon to be fixed. We took the dog for a walk, the dog was awesome for the most part a few minor jumping problems but I guess that was to be expected of someone happy to get out! She was extremely well behaved in the car, just sat with her head on my husbands shoulder from the back seat.We fell in love with her, I honestly thought we were going to take her away from that, when we got back , we pounded on the door for a half hour , you could hear her screaming inside at the dogs to "stfu" it was total chaos, the place stunk to high heaven too!
Then Melita started changing the story again , the heat comment came in after I asked her if the dog had been bred for puppies, and we couldn't have her as she was going to get fixed, when I asked her why say she was already fixed, she didn't have an answer. We said we would be in touch , everytime we called after that she wouldn't answer, I guess she was just hoping we would walk in , give her cash and walk out. And when that didn't happen she had no use for us. I wonder if she still has the dog.
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We contacted Melita via the internet, she had a posting on a pet finder website. We were looking for a dog that was no bigger than 20lbs full grown. We had never rescued before and naively believed that any rescue with charity status would be reputable.We drove to Oshawa to pick a puppy from a litter she had of, what we were told us, were 10wk old Pomeranian / Manchester terrier mixes. We were told that the litter had been left on her doorstep in the middle of the night. We were also told that the puppy had been vet checked and okayed for adoption that morning. That she had all her shots, was microchipped, and checked for fleas.The place was a disaster, but we thought "oh she's just a nice lady doing a nice thing", and picked out our puppy.
She had a runny eye and nose, and when we asked about it we were told it was a common side effect from the shots she recieved at the vets that day. She was given her last dose of de-worming mediceine in front of us and we were told she had diareaha from this medicine. We said we understood and happily took her home.48 hours past and we thought our puppy was unusally calm, she was also infested with fleas. She had bad direaha and refused to eat. When she stopped drinking we called the vets and rushed her in to the soonest appointment avaliable.After examination the vet told us "B"was to be immediatally admited, that they thought she had Parvo and had to run tests. They told us that parvo was very expensive to treat. We admited .
That day I called Melita and spoke with her. She told me that B did not have parvo but rather had whipworm and to tell the vet the rescue had a whipworm problem and that whipworm presented symptoms that looked like parvo. She told us to tell the vet not to treat for parvo and gave me the name of a de-worming drug to tell the vet. I asked Melita to help us with 50% of the vet bills since we just spent $300.00 on the puppy and it was sick when she gave it to us. She agreed.I told the vet what Melita said, they told me B did NOT have whipworm, that the tests had come back and that she had a bad case of Parvo. In addition she had a respatory infection, and eye infection, as well as a roundworm infestation severe enough to kill her without all the other problems. They did not expect her to live and told us that treatment would be very expensive. We were also told no vet should have approved this puppy for adoption. We said treat.
I called Melita the next day and told her everything the vet said. I asked her how she would like to cover her 50%, if we should pay upfront and she would reimburse, or if she'd like to pay the vet directly. At this point Melita told me that she never said she would help with vet bills, but rather she would refund 50% of the $300.00 cost of B. She told me there is no way she could afford those bills. We told her we also could not afford the bills and that the puppy she gave us was sick. She cussed me out and told me I only cared about money, and then hung up the phone on me.Devestated, and saddled with $2000.00 worth of vet bills we could not afford we placed an ad on craiglist asking for donations and saying where we recieved the puppy and her story.
I recieved many offensive and vulgar e-mails from Melita about this posting, including rambling information that the entire litter was sick. From what I understand the entire litter that stayed with Melita died with the exception of Bitey, and a male puppy that was adopted the same day.Finally B recovered and we went to the vets to take her home. They had one more suprise for us, they told us B was not 10wks old, as told by Melita, but that she was closer to 5wks, and we were told to be prepared for a large dog, that she was actually a Rotweiller mix. She is now almost 70lbs.
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I'm so sorry to hear the puppies had parvo - thats a painful and an expensive thing to go through I'm glad the pups made it ok.I volunteer with rescue in Ontario, no reputable rescue will work with her or use her. The city of Oshawa has investigated her numerous times but they can't charge her with anything. She is not a rescuer but rather a dog broker - she sells dogs for profit and I know some of the dogs are not altered which is a big issue if you call yourself a rescue.My Aunt went to adopt a shih tzu from her but the dog 'disappeared' when they got their and it was a very weird environment.
One of her dogs in the summer attacked a poor beagle. She posted the beagle, bloody and mangled on petfinder and asked people to donate so the dog could get medical attention. I unfortunately do not have that picture, but it was so disturbing I reported it.
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I don't think there is anyone that DOESN'T know Melitta and her abhorrent practices but there is little any of us in the rescue world can do to stop her. We are located in Hamilton and as far as I know the rescues were able to ban her from getting any more dogs from here.
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Whitby animal control gives her does that are in their facility because they are too lazy to adopt them out themselves. If you check out their website which is Paws in Whitby they never have dogs because they give them to Melita. Whitby animal control is the worst when it comes to Animals. She has to be reported to the head office of the Newmarket SPCA, not the one in Durham.
The animals in her care unfortunately I believe to not get the proper care and exercise and I hate to say this but would rather see these dogs in a humane society or Oshawa Animal Control. Neither one is ideal but at least they will get fed and watered on a daily basis.
A lot of her dogs stay in crates all day and do not get out.
She gets alot of her dogs like we all do from owner surrenders who know longer want her dog. I am shocked that owners who don't want their dog anymore would even leave their dog in her care. You should definitely do something because the dogs in her care are in distress and are suffering.
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One year ago I bought a dog through “Give a Dog a Second Chance” and I had to make three trips back to Petsmart to get my dog his booster shot. The woman kept forgetting the booster shot and his paper work that I was promised. The first week that I had the dog home, I took him to our vet. He had an ear infection and eye infection which I had treated. I ended up paying my vet to give the dog all of his shoots over again to make sure he had been vaccinated because I never did receive the paperwork. Like others that I have seen write into this site, the woman that owns the shelter kept changing her story about the history of the dog. I ended up with a good dog thank goodness.
If you are planning to purchase an animal through this organization, be careful and see your vet first before paying for the animal.
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I caution you - when dealing with Melita there is plenty to be afraid of - some time ago, when I has issues it resulted me in me seeking advise from the police (first time I have ever done that in my life)
Good luck, I hope it works out for you and you are able to make a difference in shutting her down. From what I've heard they have shut her down a couple times, only for her to move and start back up again in a differenct location.
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OMG...I was afraid this was the one! the dog I rescued was with her and it was a terrible experience...not with the dog but with the $$ she wanted. The folks I got him from were "gold" but lived in downtown toronto, I had to go down there for visits with "J" and then back to pick up andshe changed her $ from $100 to $200 after she did absolutely nothing! so after taking J to our vet for a check up ...this is where J had been taken by her and they are owing a huge vet bill and will not do business with her..I paid the vet for J's neuter that was unpaid and have not given her a cent...so if you talk with her I am the bad guy here.
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My dog of 12 1/2 years passed away Feb 2nd. I was terribly lonely so went looking on Petfinders (a colleague told me about the site). I stupidly thought that all the agencies on there were reputable until today. I adopted Margaret on Sunday after meeting her at her foster mom's condo in Toronto. It all was pretty quick - I assume Melita felt I was ripe for the picking given my circumstances. Margaret appeared to be a sweet little 10 month old beagle/lab cross - that is until she got violent twice. Now I am two days into a nightmare. I will not return her to Give a Dog A Second Chance...I really don't know what to do. I have adopted 2 dogs in the last 26 years without incident through the local animal shelter. I am truly sickened by this woman - I think it is time to go the the news channels and expose her that way. I think City would be a good jumping off point.Any thoughts?
Sherri Edwards
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I got a little pom mix from her. He was an adult. His teeth were sticking out all over and really rotted. He needed them removed,(ended up with 18 taken out). She told me I could take him home for a week to see if he fits into my family and if at the end of the week if he worked then I would pay the $300.00 she was charging and she would ensure his teeth were looked after. After a week I went back to her and she said she did not say that and that she would only fix him. Luckely for me I kept the e-mail she sent stating that she would have the teeth looked after for the adoption fee. I also took him to have his shots redone because I worked for Petsmart at that time and saw her administering shots in the bathroom a few times by accident. Scrappy is still a happy part of our lives today. Being the salon manager I knew of a lot of issues people were having with dogs being brought back because they were sick and one man even brought a puppy home and it died a week later, he was in tears and his young daughters were devistated. Also my husbands uncle bought a sheppard mix puppy from her and he was told it was 8 weeks at the time. Once he had it checked at the vet the vet said it was approx. 3 months old by looking at the dental and Rick has had a lot of issues with the dog being sick. This pup was supposedly born at her home and she knew the mother really well and the mom was a healthy dog...so why was the puppy so ill??? Rick still has "socks" today he is now about a year and a half and is still dealing with issues. I was lucky enough to see what she was doing and warn other people, I only wish that she was'nt such a good manipulater because other people are getting screwed all the time and not knowing it. I also know she did get a lot of puppies from the states, not sure where.
I sent a request to join this group to all the employee's at Petsmart so they are all awarebut lots of us already knew there were problems. Yes....feel free to post my letter on your site, I have no problem with it.I hope it helps but the problem is once you adopt from her you see the problems and don't do it again, the people adopting from her and Pauline are not aware of what she is like and therefore become bonded with an animal that is usually ill in some form. I know the man whom I spoke of before who's pup died had the body tested and tried to go after Petsmart because the pup had parvo. But Petsmart donates space to the shelters but is not responsible for the pets the shelter brings in...it is the adoption agencies responsibility to take care of thier animals including the cats. But I know the agencies must follow guidelines and that is why Melita is nolonger there. It is truely a sad situation and that is why when adopting we should be going to proper shelters run by the cities they are in that way everything is on the up and up. But like myself, I saw a dog wanting love for five weeks every weekend in a tiny cage and took him home. It is easy to become a sucker. Her motive unfortunately is money and I am sure she makes lots of it because her average price is $300.00 and she gives the shots herself a lot of the time. I will let everyone I know about this site, the more people in Durham that are reached the better.
Thara Dennis-Kilburn
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Hi there:I'm writing to share my recent experience with the above mentioned rescue.In July of last year I adopted a 6 month old female lab-pointer cross from this organization. I was told I would not receive a copy of the contract until I submitted proof of spay.I paid a $ 100 adoption fee by cheque.When I sent proof of spay from the vet clinic in my townI was told that I'd receive the contract copy when she found it. I never did receive it.At 9 months of age, my dog sustained a hip ligament injury. It did not require surgery, but she did need rehab and 8 weeks of rest. Ath the end of the 8 weeks, she suddenly became aggressive and attacked a dog at the park.I did not know what to do, and I was afraid for my other 2 dogs. I decided to take my dog back to the rescue for assessment. I was subsequently told that she had no aggression problems, but that I could not 'offer her what she needed'.So I said that I wanted my dog back, and was told that I could not have her. The rescue kept her and put her up for adoption. The new ad on petfinder had changed her breed (to Dalmatian) and her birth date, and the new owners were told they had to pay in cash.Thankfully, these new owners are wonderful people, and we have kept in touch, so I know she has a good home. I'd never want her to go back to this organization.I e-mailed Melita the cheque for the adopton fee after I had my dog on trial for 2 weeks, and had decided to keep her.I did not receive a receipt for it. I felt that I had no proof of ownership. When I told my vet about the experience, she offered to go to bat for me and help me in any way she could.Even though I told Melita that Sammie had just recovered from weeks of rehab and rest, and that she should not be allowed to go crazy right away, the first thing she did was to put Sammie out in the yard to play with her other dogs, and she told me that she'd put my dog out every day all day, to let her blow off steam.She reported to me that Sammie was not aggressive at all (well, she wasn't cooped up anymore). I'd told her that I would take Sammie to a dog trainer behavorist to work on the problem if there were any, but she never gave me the chance.I'm OK with you putting my story on Facebook with no name or e-mail
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Everyone is always looking for Give a Dog a Second Chance which apparently is now located in Oshawa. NO legitimate rescue would adopt out a pup without it being spayed and up to date on shots.
Here I thought I was just an isolated incident all this time. She told me the vet was away on vacation for the month of January to February. I called a couple of times to set up the vetting and it never happened. I told her I would end up paying only a $50 dollar donation for gas because I would have to do all the vetting myself. I never sent her the money, because for some reason every time I called there was barking dogs.
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No we never did get the dog, after seeing the condition of her house, and hearing her scream at the dogs and even having a run in with one of the other "tenants" shall we call him, and the condition of her residence we decided that any dog that came from her would more and likely have some serious problems. I did state on the post on Craiglist that I would bet my life she is what they call "backyard breeder" as there is no way in hell the dog that we seen was "hot from the heat therfor her teats where extremely swollen" there was no doubt in my mind that the dog was bred and had recently had puppies.We had a female rottie from 6 weeks until her death at 7 yrs and never once did she ever "swell in the heat".
As the more I thought about it, the more I thought I recognized the dog from an ad on Kijiji a while stating it was the mother of some puppies someone was trying to sell. The dog in question was a brindle boxer, named Nikki, beautiful dog awesome personality, but the story kept changing, so we backed out. She is also no longer welcome in Petsmart on Victoria St, the exact reason why they would not state, but a manager did say she would not be back.
Sorry to hear of your unfortunate run in with her, I would pursue legal action if I was in your shoes. Matter of fact if you need to have someone else state the conditions I would be glad to call somewhere and add my name to it, for example the Humane Society.
Hopefully your little babies are in much better health soon as I bet they are in a much better place then they started out in.
It really is disgusting that the animals must suffer they way I am sure they do in her care, what's more disgusting is that by your sisters email there is not much we seem to be able to do about it, other then perhaps warn people the way I have done on Craiglist, and should do it on Kijiji as well as Petfinder too it seems.
The dog she had on Kijiji was a as I stated a female brindle boxer named Nikki, her first statements about the dog was , the owner died, so it came into her care, she had an eye infection which was now cleared up and she was fixed, when we got there to see her, it was an owner surrender, the eye infection was still there (she says there that it was almost gone) and she was not fixed that she was soon to be fixed. We took the dog for a walk, the dog was awesome for the most part a few minor jumping problems but I guess that was to be expected of someone happy to get out! She was extremely well behaved in the car, just sat with her head on my husbands shoulder from the back seat.We fell in love with her, I honestly thought we were going to take her away from that, when we got back , we pounded on the door for a half hour , you could hear her screaming inside at the dogs to "stfu" it was total chaos, the place stunk to high heaven too!
Then Melita started changing the story again , the heat comment came in after I asked her if the dog had been bred for puppies, and we couldn't have her as she was going to get fixed, when I asked her why say she was already fixed, she didn't have an answer. We said we would be in touch , everytime we called after that she wouldn't answer, I guess she was just hoping we would walk in , give her cash and walk out. And when that didn't happen she had no use for us. I wonder if she still has the dog.
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We contacted Melita via the internet, she had a posting on a pet finder website. We were looking for a dog that was no bigger than 20lbs full grown. We had never rescued before and naively believed that any rescue with charity status would be reputable.We drove to Oshawa to pick a puppy from a litter she had of, what we were told us, were 10wk old Pomeranian / Manchester terrier mixes. We were told that the litter had been left on her doorstep in the middle of the night. We were also told that the puppy had been vet checked and okayed for adoption that morning. That she had all her shots, was microchipped, and checked for fleas.The place was a disaster, but we thought "oh she's just a nice lady doing a nice thing", and picked out our puppy.
She had a runny eye and nose, and when we asked about it we were told it was a common side effect from the shots she recieved at the vets that day. She was given her last dose of de-worming mediceine in front of us and we were told she had diareaha from this medicine. We said we understood and happily took her home.48 hours past and we thought our puppy was unusally calm, she was also infested with fleas. She had bad direaha and refused to eat. When she stopped drinking we called the vets and rushed her in to the soonest appointment avaliable.After examination the vet told us "B"was to be immediatally admited, that they thought she had Parvo and had to run tests. They told us that parvo was very expensive to treat. We admited .
That day I called Melita and spoke with her. She told me that B did not have parvo but rather had whipworm and to tell the vet the rescue had a whipworm problem and that whipworm presented symptoms that looked like parvo. She told us to tell the vet not to treat for parvo and gave me the name of a de-worming drug to tell the vet. I asked Melita to help us with 50% of the vet bills since we just spent $300.00 on the puppy and it was sick when she gave it to us. She agreed.I told the vet what Melita said, they told me B did NOT have whipworm, that the tests had come back and that she had a bad case of Parvo. In addition she had a respatory infection, and eye infection, as well as a roundworm infestation severe enough to kill her without all the other problems. They did not expect her to live and told us that treatment would be very expensive. We were also told no vet should have approved this puppy for adoption. We said treat.
I called Melita the next day and told her everything the vet said. I asked her how she would like to cover her 50%, if we should pay upfront and she would reimburse, or if she'd like to pay the vet directly. At this point Melita told me that she never said she would help with vet bills, but rather she would refund 50% of the $300.00 cost of B. She told me there is no way she could afford those bills. We told her we also could not afford the bills and that the puppy she gave us was sick. She cussed me out and told me I only cared about money, and then hung up the phone on me.Devestated, and saddled with $2000.00 worth of vet bills we could not afford we placed an ad on craiglist asking for donations and saying where we recieved the puppy and her story.
I recieved many offensive and vulgar e-mails from Melita about this posting, including rambling information that the entire litter was sick. From what I understand the entire litter that stayed with Melita died with the exception of Bitey, and a male puppy that was adopted the same day.Finally B recovered and we went to the vets to take her home. They had one more suprise for us, they told us B was not 10wks old, as told by Melita, but that she was closer to 5wks, and we were told to be prepared for a large dog, that she was actually a Rotweiller mix. She is now almost 70lbs.
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I'm so sorry to hear the puppies had parvo - thats a painful and an expensive thing to go through I'm glad the pups made it ok.I volunteer with rescue in Ontario, no reputable rescue will work with her or use her. The city of Oshawa has investigated her numerous times but they can't charge her with anything. She is not a rescuer but rather a dog broker - she sells dogs for profit and I know some of the dogs are not altered which is a big issue if you call yourself a rescue.My Aunt went to adopt a shih tzu from her but the dog 'disappeared' when they got their and it was a very weird environment.
One of her dogs in the summer attacked a poor beagle. She posted the beagle, bloody and mangled on petfinder and asked people to donate so the dog could get medical attention. I unfortunately do not have that picture, but it was so disturbing I reported it.
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I don't think there is anyone that DOESN'T know Melitta and her abhorrent practices but there is little any of us in the rescue world can do to stop her. We are located in Hamilton and as far as I know the rescues were able to ban her from getting any more dogs from here.
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Whitby animal control gives her does that are in their facility because they are too lazy to adopt them out themselves. If you check out their website which is Paws in Whitby they never have dogs because they give them to Melita. Whitby animal control is the worst when it comes to Animals. She has to be reported to the head office of the Newmarket SPCA, not the one in Durham.
The animals in her care unfortunately I believe to not get the proper care and exercise and I hate to say this but would rather see these dogs in a humane society or Oshawa Animal Control. Neither one is ideal but at least they will get fed and watered on a daily basis.
A lot of her dogs stay in crates all day and do not get out.
She gets alot of her dogs like we all do from owner surrenders who know longer want her dog. I am shocked that owners who don't want their dog anymore would even leave their dog in her care. You should definitely do something because the dogs in her care are in distress and are suffering.
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One year ago I bought a dog through “Give a Dog a Second Chance” and I had to make three trips back to Petsmart to get my dog his booster shot. The woman kept forgetting the booster shot and his paper work that I was promised. The first week that I had the dog home, I took him to our vet. He had an ear infection and eye infection which I had treated. I ended up paying my vet to give the dog all of his shoots over again to make sure he had been vaccinated because I never did receive the paperwork. Like others that I have seen write into this site, the woman that owns the shelter kept changing her story about the history of the dog. I ended up with a good dog thank goodness.
If you are planning to purchase an animal through this organization, be careful and see your vet first before paying for the animal.
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I caution you - when dealing with Melita there is plenty to be afraid of - some time ago, when I has issues it resulted me in me seeking advise from the police (first time I have ever done that in my life)
Good luck, I hope it works out for you and you are able to make a difference in shutting her down. From what I've heard they have shut her down a couple times, only for her to move and start back up again in a differenct location.
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OMG...I was afraid this was the one! the dog I rescued was with her and it was a terrible experience...not with the dog but with the $$ she wanted. The folks I got him from were "gold" but lived in downtown toronto, I had to go down there for visits with "J" and then back to pick up andshe changed her $ from $100 to $200 after she did absolutely nothing! so after taking J to our vet for a check up ...this is where J had been taken by her and they are owing a huge vet bill and will not do business with her..I paid the vet for J's neuter that was unpaid and have not given her a cent...so if you talk with her I am the bad guy here.
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My dog of 12 1/2 years passed away Feb 2nd. I was terribly lonely so went looking on Petfinders (a colleague told me about the site). I stupidly thought that all the agencies on there were reputable until today. I adopted Margaret on Sunday after meeting her at her foster mom's condo in Toronto. It all was pretty quick - I assume Melita felt I was ripe for the picking given my circumstances. Margaret appeared to be a sweet little 10 month old beagle/lab cross - that is until she got violent twice. Now I am two days into a nightmare. I will not return her to Give a Dog A Second Chance...I really don't know what to do. I have adopted 2 dogs in the last 26 years without incident through the local animal shelter. I am truly sickened by this woman - I think it is time to go the the news channels and expose her that way. I think City would be a good jumping off point.Any thoughts?
Sherri Edwards
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I got a little pom mix from her. He was an adult. His teeth were sticking out all over and really rotted. He needed them removed,(ended up with 18 taken out). She told me I could take him home for a week to see if he fits into my family and if at the end of the week if he worked then I would pay the $300.00 she was charging and she would ensure his teeth were looked after. After a week I went back to her and she said she did not say that and that she would only fix him. Luckely for me I kept the e-mail she sent stating that she would have the teeth looked after for the adoption fee. I also took him to have his shots redone because I worked for Petsmart at that time and saw her administering shots in the bathroom a few times by accident. Scrappy is still a happy part of our lives today. Being the salon manager I knew of a lot of issues people were having with dogs being brought back because they were sick and one man even brought a puppy home and it died a week later, he was in tears and his young daughters were devistated. Also my husbands uncle bought a sheppard mix puppy from her and he was told it was 8 weeks at the time. Once he had it checked at the vet the vet said it was approx. 3 months old by looking at the dental and Rick has had a lot of issues with the dog being sick. This pup was supposedly born at her home and she knew the mother really well and the mom was a healthy dog...so why was the puppy so ill??? Rick still has "socks" today he is now about a year and a half and is still dealing with issues. I was lucky enough to see what she was doing and warn other people, I only wish that she was'nt such a good manipulater because other people are getting screwed all the time and not knowing it. I also know she did get a lot of puppies from the states, not sure where.
I sent a request to join this group to all the employee's at Petsmart so they are all awarebut lots of us already knew there were problems. Yes....feel free to post my letter on your site, I have no problem with it.I hope it helps but the problem is once you adopt from her you see the problems and don't do it again, the people adopting from her and Pauline are not aware of what she is like and therefore become bonded with an animal that is usually ill in some form. I know the man whom I spoke of before who's pup died had the body tested and tried to go after Petsmart because the pup had parvo. But Petsmart donates space to the shelters but is not responsible for the pets the shelter brings in...it is the adoption agencies responsibility to take care of thier animals including the cats. But I know the agencies must follow guidelines and that is why Melita is nolonger there. It is truely a sad situation and that is why when adopting we should be going to proper shelters run by the cities they are in that way everything is on the up and up. But like myself, I saw a dog wanting love for five weeks every weekend in a tiny cage and took him home. It is easy to become a sucker. Her motive unfortunately is money and I am sure she makes lots of it because her average price is $300.00 and she gives the shots herself a lot of the time. I will let everyone I know about this site, the more people in Durham that are reached the better.
Thara Dennis-Kilburn
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Hi there:I'm writing to share my recent experience with the above mentioned rescue.In July of last year I adopted a 6 month old female lab-pointer cross from this organization. I was told I would not receive a copy of the contract until I submitted proof of spay.I paid a $ 100 adoption fee by cheque.When I sent proof of spay from the vet clinic in my townI was told that I'd receive the contract copy when she found it. I never did receive it.At 9 months of age, my dog sustained a hip ligament injury. It did not require surgery, but she did need rehab and 8 weeks of rest. Ath the end of the 8 weeks, she suddenly became aggressive and attacked a dog at the park.I did not know what to do, and I was afraid for my other 2 dogs. I decided to take my dog back to the rescue for assessment. I was subsequently told that she had no aggression problems, but that I could not 'offer her what she needed'.So I said that I wanted my dog back, and was told that I could not have her. The rescue kept her and put her up for adoption. The new ad on petfinder had changed her breed (to Dalmatian) and her birth date, and the new owners were told they had to pay in cash.Thankfully, these new owners are wonderful people, and we have kept in touch, so I know she has a good home. I'd never want her to go back to this organization.I e-mailed Melita the cheque for the adopton fee after I had my dog on trial for 2 weeks, and had decided to keep her.I did not receive a receipt for it. I felt that I had no proof of ownership. When I told my vet about the experience, she offered to go to bat for me and help me in any way she could.Even though I told Melita that Sammie had just recovered from weeks of rehab and rest, and that she should not be allowed to go crazy right away, the first thing she did was to put Sammie out in the yard to play with her other dogs, and she told me that she'd put my dog out every day all day, to let her blow off steam.She reported to me that Sammie was not aggressive at all (well, she wasn't cooped up anymore). I'd told her that I would take Sammie to a dog trainer behavorist to work on the problem if there were any, but she never gave me the chance.I'm OK with you putting my story on Facebook with no name or e-mail
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Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Links Related To Past GADASC Events
http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/please-help-rescue-t88488.html?s=d51fe96f1e0d733a224584bf1fbdca8b&p=17006006
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From 2007!
From: Rescuing-DogsinCanada@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Rescuing-DogsinCanada@yahoogroups.com] : February 2, 2007 5:37 PMTo: RDICSubject: [RDIC ] Alert
Dear Friends of dogs:
I just want to let you know that a "do not sell dogs to this person" has been issued on "Give a Dog a Second Chance Rescue" of Brooklyn, Ontario. This directive is jointly posted in Ohio,USA.
Those of you who subscribe to torontocraiglist on the internet .... a private individual has called for documented complaints.
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http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.livejournal.com%2Frottweilers%2F55266.html&h=45b3d4f40c022463bb8ffa4730088c32
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http://www.oshawa.ca/agendas/Audit_Budget_Corporate_Services/2006/08-28/ABCS_06_220_Cor_Terry_Sullivan.pdf
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From 2007!
From: Rescuing-DogsinCanada@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Rescuing-DogsinCanada@yahoogroups.com] : February 2, 2007 5:37 PMTo: RDICSubject: [RDIC ] Alert
Dear Friends of dogs:
I just want to let you know that a "do not sell dogs to this person" has been issued on "Give a Dog a Second Chance Rescue" of Brooklyn, Ontario. This directive is jointly posted in Ohio,USA.
Those of you who subscribe to torontocraiglist on the internet .... a private individual has called for documented complaints.
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http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.livejournal.com%2Frottweilers%2F55266.html&h=45b3d4f40c022463bb8ffa4730088c32
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http://www.oshawa.ca/agendas/Audit_Budget_Corporate_Services/2006/08-28/ABCS_06_220_Cor_Terry_Sullivan.pdf
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