Updates from the 30 puppy email (read "Speachless" post first)

Here is the remaining email chain:

My reply:

WOW. I am not even sure where to start. Honestly my first reaction was complete and total disgust with this entire situation. 30 more dogs in this world when 4 million already die EVERY YEAR in this country from pet over population. I have so much running through my mind right now, so many questions....
What happened to the 30 puppies?
Are they now producing more puppies?
Why isn't your male dog fixed?
Your first female is fixed?
Why didn't you ask for help 1 year ago when the lady dropped the dog on your door step?
Was the dog really lost and the owners where looking for her but b/c you had her they gave up hope?
Why didn't you ask for help after litter #1? Or #2?
Do you think the lady that was going door to door was really the owner?

WOW! It just makes me so sad when I hear stories like this.... people dumping their dog, people not having their animals fixed, good person trying to help and ending up in a bad situation.... make me feel like what I do everyday saving dogs from dieing in a gas chamber and trying to educate people is a waste of time... but yet I keep plugging away at the never ending battle.

Do you have puppies right now? Where are you located?

I will do my best to try to figure what is the right thing do to / to help you. I did forward your email to me to several other rescue people.

Let me know if you have puppies right now and where you are located and I will see what I can do to help you.

She emailed me back:

I know it sounds bad but let me explain. We got our first dog when he was a puppy from a previous neighbor who thought it was funny to let his doberman fight with it. He still has the battle scars. I couldn't stand to be right next door to this and not do something. The female dog came to me after this, already fixed, when a very good friend of mine died. Her husband and young son had to move out of their house and into an apartment that did not take dogs. They asked if we could keep her until they could get "settled" someplace else. That was about 4 years ago so I don't see her going anywhere any time soon.

I looked online last year and made phone calls but nobody would take her without the possibility that she could possibly be put down. The APL just flat out said they didn't have room. I did not want to just leave her to roam the streets.

All the puppies were given away, some to people we know, some to strangers. We kept one that was brought back to us after it was given to a friend of my husband's because he is enormous and scared people with his mere size.

It is not the ideal situation but I really didn't know what else to do. I do not have the financial resources to care for this dog. If I am going to be judged for it then I will try to find help elsewhere.

My email back:

WOW! Sounds like people just take advantage of you, that sucks and totally know the feeling.

See the reason most places wouldn't help is because it is against the law to take in a stray dog. I know laws suck. But lets just say you contacted me a few days after that lady dumped her on you. I took her into my rescue and all of a sudden the owner shows up looking for the dog. If the owner wanted to be a HUGE jerk I can be charged with stealing and if for some reason the owner can prove the dog is valued over $500, I can be charged with a felony. See the law looks at dogs (animals actually) as property.. just like your car, your TV, your purse. TOTALLY not right.

Also, so you know it is FEDERAL law that every county in every state have a place for stray dogs to be taken to and for there to be someone responsible for picking up stray dogs. In most counties this is known as the dog pound. It is FEDERAL law that this facility hold dogs for no less then 3 open business days and the day the dog is brought to the facility does not count. Some counties have facilities that hold the dogs for the 3 days and kill them, some hold them for a week, some for months, some for as long as it takes to find them a home. ALL county dog shelter will euthanize (aka Kill) dogs who are sick or aggressive. You also have to remember being a county / government run facility if it could make money the politicians look good and are happy. So, if they just killed every dog after the 3 day hold they would never make any more b/c they wouldn't be selling any dogs. It would have been very unlikely that the dog that was dumped on you would have been put to sleep quickly, especially since you said she is a nice dog. Assuming you are in Lorain County she more then likely would have been taken out of the pound by a rescue organization such as mine.

With all that being said I do not blame you or judge you for taking this dog or your other dogs in. However, as for affording the dog to be spayed... I can understand the hardship but if you think of all the dog food you spent to raise 30 puppies you could have had her spayed. There are low cost spay neuter places out there. I am glad you are asking for help and willing to take help but you also have to understand it is heartbreaking to know there are 30 more unwanted dogs in this world who may or may not be producing 30 more dogs each per year. Even if only 15 are females, in one year that is 450 more dogs put into this world that no one wants :-( All I ask is that you understand that and that you educate others on the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. Without education, this HUGE over population problem and the killing of dogs will never end.

I will help you find a home for the dog as I feel that you were taken advantage of by some uncaring people and that just isn't right. And of course get her fixed before she gets pregnant again and / or re homed.

HOWEVER, I have one condition. The other dogs in your home will need to be fixed and I can assist you with getting them fixed. Like I said there are low cost spay/neuter places available and it would be under $100 to get them fixed and I have several people who said they would help you pay for it.

Let me know.

Here response:

I would appreciate any help I can get with this problem. I have wanted to get our male fixed for quite some time but it wasn't a problem until this female came along last summer. Our dogs don't roam the neighborhood nor are they let out without being on a runner. I wasn't even sure if the older one, who is 8, could be fixed at this point. Is there an age limit? The other one was born the middle of January, 2009. He is quite a large dog. My understanding was that larger dogs cost more to fix. Please let me know what I need to do. Thanks.

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I did send her email to a few other rescue people and I was offered $$ to help the women get her males fixed. So, we will see what we can do. Honestly though I would like to just yell at her and tell her what an idiot she is but we really don't need more dogs in this world so I bite my tounge for the greater good and HOPE that by me giving her as much information as possible she at least educates others she may meet. Hey a girl can dream!!!!