Gail Fisher, All Dogs Gym & Inn - The perfect place for pets and their people

My brother and sister-in-law, who live in California, just adopted a new dog he found on the Internet. Before his appointment to meet the dog, he called me to ask what he should look for and what questions to ask the rescue person. I asked what he knew about the dog he was considering, and his answers sent up loads of red flags, which sadly proved to be correct. Before I describe what happened to him, let me offer a disclaimer – I fully support legitimate rescue services and rescue organizations. And I don’t object to making adoption searches on the Internet, but as with anything Internet-related, sight-unseen . . . . caveat emptor – big, big, CAVEAT!

The rescue person (hereafter referred to as RP) came across as an extremely caring and knowledgeable rescuer. She said she works for a veterinarian, and was unable to spend any time on the phone with my brother because, she said, she was at work. Given what we later learned, I’m skeptical about her claim.

The brevity of their phone conversation was the first red flag: She did not ask my brother any questions about their lifestyle, home, previous pets or anything else that legitimate rescue organizations want to know in considering someone for adopting a pet.

The next red flag was where they were to meet. He and several other potential adopters were gathering at a parking lot, where they would meet the dogs up for adoption. He would not have an opportunity to see the dog in his familiar environment, be able to see where he had been living, talk with someone who had been fostering the dog, or learn anything about him except what the RP had already told him (he’s a six-month-old Chi-poo – a Chihuahua/poodle mix called “Scrappy-dog” because of his personality.)

My brother would have an opportunity to watch him with the other dogs in a small park nearby, but because the area was unfenced, they would have to stay on-leash. I was pretty certain (I would have bet the farm if I had one) that unless there was something really wrong with Scrappy-dog, my brother would be bringing him home, and since they had recently rescued another dog (also an adolescent), I suggested he take her along to meet on “neutral territory” to make sure that Scrappy-dog wasn’t scrappy with her. In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t recommended that – but we couldn’t have known what was to come, and it was the right advice at the time.

The “park” was actually a median strip, bordering a small pond, which my brother said had some greenish scum floating on it. It being a warm day, and no one, including the RP, having brought any water for the dogs, they drank pond water.

If you’ve read my articles on the dangers of algae, you may be thinking that my brother’s dog got sick, or perhaps died. Fortunately neither dog died, but both dogs got severe diarrhea. Yes, they adopted Scrappy-dog (now called Guido), and their vet found several issues: His diarrhea may have been in part from the pond water, but worse still is that Guido has Giardia (an intestinal parasite communicable to humans). While Giardia can be gotten from pond water, it takes more than a few hours to show up – so he had it before my brother got him. Finally, he was infested with fleas. This poor dog was in rough shape, and spent his first few days in his new home really sick.

To top it off, the RP did not provide any of the food Guido had been eating, so his diet could not be gradually changed. Looked at in total, this RP represents just what I warn adoptive dog owners to watch out for. Of course, the bottom line is that my brother and sister-in-law love their new dog—and best of all, Guido has truly been “rescued.”

 

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Copyright © Gail T. Fisher, 2008. All rights reserved. http://www.alldogsgym.com For permission to reprint this article or suggestions for future topics, please contact us.

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