Zeke, Rescue Magic, And Steps Toward Being A Humane Nation

“Oh, geez. Not another one.” That pretty much sums up my response when I received a phone call from a local rescue group about a puppy in need of rehoming. My response wasn’t really linked to the rehoming part of this case. It came from that gut reaction that makes me want to hurl when I hear a puppy was bought from a local pet store.

See, when I moved to western North Carolina in 2009, I really was out of touch with the reality here. In all the other places I’d lived, the puppy-selling pet store quietly seemed to disappear, replaced by high-end boutiques marketing holistic pet food and Lupine® collars, and box stores like PetSmart and Petco, where one could peruse a plethora of pet products while also seeking an animal to adopt through local partnerships with rescue groups. I didn’t know that selling puppies in a pet store was still considered an acceptable practice in this part of the United States. The rose-colored glasses quickly fell off.

One of my first foster dogs when I came here, Miss Paisley, was a wee terrier mix purchased from this same local store. She was ravaged by mange, and her family surrendered her to PAWS in Bryson City. It took almost a year for her to beat it, poor thing. When she first came to my home, she was virtually hairless and covered with red oozing sores. Yet, she had an indomitable spirit, and through a lot of team work and veterinary care, we got her healthy and into a Furever Family.

Sadly, Paisley wasn’t the last sickly pet store puppy I encountered. As a veterinary technician, it was heartbreaking to see young college kids walking in the door with a recently purchased puppy limp in arms, vomiting, wasting away from diarrhea because of parvo. These college kids don’t know what they’re doing, most of the time. Often they don’t have the life experience or background in animal advocacy to react like those of us in the field do when we see the sign on a store stating, “Pit bulls for sale.” They see a cute puppy and a cuddly companion for those all-night study sessions, a friend during a time when life can seem tumultuous, the next step in a romantic relationship…the list goes on. Sometimes they see the saddest looking creature and think they can help it, only to find themselves overwhelmed by the puppy’s needs…and they often don’t have the money to take on the needs of a parvo case, for example, which can require lots of medicine, intravenous fluids, and intensive care. That’s the reality.

So, the phone call came, and with it came an exasperated sigh and a roll of the eyes. The rescue group was dealing with it, and I’d really only heard about it as part of a conversation. I didn’t have any responsibility in this equation at the time. But then I received another phone call. It was the puppy’s owner. In my conversation with her we had the beginnings of that curious, wonderful phenomenon called Rescue Magic.

Zeke was no ordinary puppy. He might have been ordinary in the sense of being a pet store puppy, and he might have been ordinary in having issues which we often see in such puppies. But Zeke was extraordinary because he had an extraordinary family. We’re not exactly sure what kind of dog he is. What we do know is that he is not the breeds the family was told he was while they shopped at the store…there was something about border collie and/or lab in there, I believe, and the result as he was growing seemed to be leaning more to the Rottweiler department. Zeke didn’t have a medical issue, but he did have some behavioral quirks…jumpy, nippy…more than the normal puppy behavior stuff. And he was living in a family with three children six years old and younger. It was a horrible mismatch, and I think it came with a lot of guilt for his family. This was a family who didn’t want to fail their dog and who didn’t want to be judged as awful people for trying to rehome him, and they didn’t need to be judged and chastised for buying him from a store. They simply didn’t know any better. Zeke’s family has a heart of gold.

They took him to see a certified dog trainer, and she quickly agreed this fella needed a different environment, and the family needed a different dog. The trainer also remarked that this was the third pet store puppy in about as many weeks that she had evaluated for behavioral issues. I was so proud of Zeke’s family for taking the time and effort to take him to the trainer in the first place. It showed their mettle, and I knew we were dealing with a very special, magical family. In talking with his Mama, we quickly made a plan. Anything I asked, she did. I needed better photographs; she went that very day and shot beautiful pictures of the happy-go-lucky four-month-old pup. I talked to her about utilizing the local dog park, so the kids could run off steam in the nearby playground, and he could run off steam in his own zone, and she did it. I asked her to take him down to the local rescue group’s adoption event so the trainer could do a full temperament evaluation on him, and they were there. He needed to be neutered and up-to-date with vaccines, and, yep, you got it…she took charge, and he was fixed before we knew it! And she taught him to play the piano. That’s right. His Mama used positive reinforcement and taught Zeke to play on a kiddie piano. She even videotaped it. Magic!

What Zeke’s human mother did was take the steps to get him into a new, better home. She was proactive, kids and all. We talked about cross-posting him on Facebook, and she became his spokesperson. We talked about the transport option to homes in New England. She was game. The local rescue group was also willing to host them at their Saturday adoption events, and she was there. And you know what happened? Last Saturday Zeke found a new home.

Rescue Magic takes a lot of sacrifice sometimes. It often involves a combination of linking rescues together, and it is at its best when an owner embodies the Magic themselves. It requires being proactive, nonjudgmental, and diligent…and sometimes very patient. Zeke found a happy new beginning very quickly because of this.

Zeke’s Mama has asked me, quite basically, if it’s a horrible thing for them to want to rehome this puppy yet still look for another dog. Now, take a second. Strip away the gut reaction, you animal advocates, you, who may  (just sayin’) latch onto, “They bought a dog from a Pet STORE!” Or, “They want to get rid of the dog they have, and they want to get another one?” Take a second. Let’s get humane here. I like to think that I live in an animal welfare generation that can see the whole picture, that can see the animals AND the people in their lives. I believe if anyone deserves a dog, this family does. They are kind, loving, and supportive. 

They did more for Zeke than a lot of folks would. Zeke was not the right dog for this family, and now they know about pet stores, and they know about the temperament they are looking for in a dog. They know that not all dogs are prone to nipping kids. And they know that although they can take the time to teach a puppy to play the piano, that doesn’t mean that puppy is right for them. Someone else might truly have the time to not just teach Zeke piano…they might be able to teach him to play fly ball, too, or take him biking for hours on the trails. That’s the kind of home he needs. And they may see that a puppy might not even be what they are looking for. In fact, last time I checked they were talking about adopting an older, more settled, calmer dog from a shelter. I know they are equipped now to make the right decision for their family, and that whatever dog they end up bringing home, that dog has got it made. I can’t say that for the millions of dogs euthanized every year, many of them simply surrendered. Surrendering Zeke to the shelter is something a lot of other people would have done. I’m very, VERY proud of this family for working with the animal welfare system to keep him out of a shelter and get him into a family where he can hopefully live a long and very happy life.

As for the pet store, yep, it’s still here. They are all over North Carolina, in fact. This particular one advertises all over its walls that it doesn’t get its puppies from puppy mills. Personally, I’d like to see the paperwork so we can see where the puppies come from. I also know they do a lot of ‘puppy consignment,’ and they probably see themselves as, um, helping keep animals out of the shelter? Yes, I mean “?????”. I’ve been in there and have seen puppies on display who are really far too young for adoption, let alone for sale. I’ve seen a kennel crazed mini sheltie running in desperate circles. And I think to myself, when they close shop on Sunday, do they take all those puppies home and love on them, socialize them? Don’t think so.

We had over ten…10…puppy mill busts in North Carolina last year. Hundreds of dogs were taken in by shelters and rescue groups. One of those busts was for Great Danes. Puppy mills deal in dogs of all breeds. Many of them are AKC registered, but the AKC has such poor inspection oversight that these facilities get away with inhumane, appalling conditions for years. These puppies end up being sold to pet stores or via the internet. When a breeder closes shop, it’s often the case that the remaining animals get dumped at animal control. It’s a horrible system. We have too many dogs and cats in this country, as it is. I support small hobby breeders, don’t get me wrong. There are people who work to improve breeds and who ensure the animals they are putting out in the world are loving, attentive, stable, and healthy, and that they are ending up in Furever Families, perfect matches. They would never dream of having their animals sold in a pet store or to any random person online. Pet stores are really middlemen. They allow us to turn a blind eye and eschew responsibility. We need to realize this and start owning our part in it.

If you live in North Carolina, then you live in a state with minimal protection for animal wellbeing. If you buy from a pet store that sells puppies, even if you are purchasing crickets for your lizard, you are telling the pet store owner, “Hey, it’s okay. I don’t care about where those puppies come from. I don’t care where they end up either.” I’d much rather we send a clear message to pet store owners that we aren’t okay with this at all. Stores could support rescues or the local animal shelter and host adoption events, for example. Educate shoppers. Don’t do “puppy consignment”…link those people instead to places who can help them. And encourage spay/neuter. And please, stores, PLEASE don’t sell pit bull puppies. I’m so tired of seeing them end up in the animal shelter. I’m so tired of dead pit bulls.

Honestly, if you live in North Carolina, there is another simple step you can take. Go to this link and sign this petition: http://protectourpuppies.com/petition/.

Yeah, it’s something I care deeply about. I care about the people in my community who don’t understand the system in place. I care about the people whose job it is to kill unwanted, beautiful animals because we have just too many unwanted pets. I care about the dogs and cats WE domesticated. I care about those poor college kids who are sucker-punched with animal care they can’t handle. I care about pretty much anything that lives and breathes, and I just want my son to live in a world that gets better every single day.

And if you don’t live in North Carolina, take a minute and find out what the reality is in YOUR state. A lot of animal welfare falls to state and county controls. Puppy mills and pet stores are not just found in North Carolina. They are all across the country. And animal advocates, just remember, we have lots of opportunities to help the Zeke’s in the world, and their families…and to be better animal advocates for it. We can be a HUMANE society.

Love from the Tailroad,

Chandra