fezzman
Well-Known Member
My wife and I have two dogs of our own (white boxer/pointer and a black boxer/lab). I was never a 'dog person' until these two came into our lives. Now I guess you could say that helping dogs has become our calling.
The county shelter is around the corner from our house. It is a high kill shelter. People drop their animals at what they must think is the county pet shop when they have to move, didn't check with their landlord, puppy grew up, etc). Then you have ******* back yard breeders who drop off the puppies that don't fetch as much $$ from the litter. Now the former pets get put down to make room for the puppies. Though lately even the puppies are getting the axe. ...sorta
BACK ON TRACK: Earlier this year we would started fostering dogs. We would pick out a dog that was on "the list" and bring him/her home as a foster until a forever home is found. We find nothing more rewarding that getting a dog the day before it is scheduled to die and finding the proper home for it. We've saved 8 or so to date (lost a few to distemper).
We currently have a young male brindle Plott hound. He's a sweet dog but we need to watch him like a hawk because he wants to take ANYTHING outside to chew on (remote controls, shoes, candles, pillows, sheets). He even fit a broom through the dog door. He is also just a bit too rough with our cat for comfort.
Anyways, this Vietnam vet fell in love with him and has been approved to adopt him. We held the dog for two weeks waiting for him to get neutered, which finally happened yesterday. Last night we got an email from the guy who was now in the hospital. He is going into surgery and will be in the hospital for 30 days to have some kind of bypass done. He will then have extensive therapy. This is the second time he's been in the hospital since being approved for adoption.
He claims this dog reminds him of his old dog that he had for 15 years. That dog's urn is now on his mantle. From conversations and emails, it almost seems like the promise of this dog is helping him cope with his medical issues. That is where our moral issues come into play.
Even after recovery, this puppy may still be too much work for him to handle. We really don't want to hang onto this dog for that long. We've already turned down two other offers for him and really want to move onto helping the next dog.
I think we will suggest that we find Wingnut a new home and will keep an eye out for a similiar dog that will be slightly less of a handful. We've seen several already. He said he would understand if we can't keep Wingnut that long but that still leaves a feeling of guilt knowing how badly he wants this dog. Keep in mind that he has never physically even met this dog, only pictures and conversations with us. He lives pretty far away. Thoughts?
The county shelter is around the corner from our house. It is a high kill shelter. People drop their animals at what they must think is the county pet shop when they have to move, didn't check with their landlord, puppy grew up, etc). Then you have ******* back yard breeders who drop off the puppies that don't fetch as much $$ from the litter. Now the former pets get put down to make room for the puppies. Though lately even the puppies are getting the axe. ...sorta
BACK ON TRACK: Earlier this year we would started fostering dogs. We would pick out a dog that was on "the list" and bring him/her home as a foster until a forever home is found. We find nothing more rewarding that getting a dog the day before it is scheduled to die and finding the proper home for it. We've saved 8 or so to date (lost a few to distemper).
We currently have a young male brindle Plott hound. He's a sweet dog but we need to watch him like a hawk because he wants to take ANYTHING outside to chew on (remote controls, shoes, candles, pillows, sheets). He even fit a broom through the dog door. He is also just a bit too rough with our cat for comfort.
Anyways, this Vietnam vet fell in love with him and has been approved to adopt him. We held the dog for two weeks waiting for him to get neutered, which finally happened yesterday. Last night we got an email from the guy who was now in the hospital. He is going into surgery and will be in the hospital for 30 days to have some kind of bypass done. He will then have extensive therapy. This is the second time he's been in the hospital since being approved for adoption.
He claims this dog reminds him of his old dog that he had for 15 years. That dog's urn is now on his mantle. From conversations and emails, it almost seems like the promise of this dog is helping him cope with his medical issues. That is where our moral issues come into play.
Even after recovery, this puppy may still be too much work for him to handle. We really don't want to hang onto this dog for that long. We've already turned down two other offers for him and really want to move onto helping the next dog.
I think we will suggest that we find Wingnut a new home and will keep an eye out for a similiar dog that will be slightly less of a handful. We've seen several already. He said he would understand if we can't keep Wingnut that long but that still leaves a feeling of guilt knowing how badly he wants this dog. Keep in mind that he has never physically even met this dog, only pictures and conversations with us. He lives pretty far away. Thoughts?