During this whole thing with Oscar and the rescue of Crash, I kept the picture in my mind of my Border Collie, Rosie when she was a healthy, happy 8-week old. Here she is picture above as we visited her at the breeders when she was 8-weeks old. The pic was taken on a Monday and she came home with me on that Friday.
Oscar, the puppy found in a Dumpster in mid December in the Butte, Montana area will get his day in court when his breeder appears for her (maybe) April court hearing regarding the abuse and abandonment of the puppy. Through investigation, (blood test DNA) it was shown that Loretta Brooks, 46, of Butte,
Montana (allegedly) bred Oscar (Crash's brother). Maximum penalty for the abuse and abandonment of Oscar is only considered a misdemeanor cruelty to animals charge even though Oscar was nearly dead when the Animal Control Officer found him buried with trash in the dumpster. Maximum penalty is a $1000 fine and/or a year in jail.
Here is my worry... will this person be allowed to have pets again? It is obvious that she is incapable of keeping and caring for dogs and paying for regular medical treatment. Crash's condition at 5 months was simply appalling. A five-month old Border Collie who was still the size and weight of my Border Collie when she was 9 weeks old! Crash should have weight around 20 pounds by that time. She needed to be wormed. She had health problems that the average dog breeder would have automatically taken care of a long time ago. Worming, vaccinations...
Here is my warning to those individuals who are looking for a puppy to purchase on the Internet: I found Crash on PuppyFind.com. Crash, Oscar and their siblings had their photos on the site and one would have to pay close to $6 a month to see the breeder's contact information. I welcome you all to check out PuppyFind just so you can see what I am talking about. On the site for each puppy, there are areas the breeder can check off such as "this puppy comes with a Health Certificate/Health Guarantee" and others. Crash and her siblings all had this checked off, but to tell you the truth, I don't think these pups had ever seen a vet. Based on the condition of Crash when she was rescued, I highly doubt she had been seen by a doctor. I know now that had I been able to adopt Crash myself, I probably would have been unable to have her sent via air because she would not have cleared medically. The breeder had on the sites that she did not deliver (not available). Most breeders I noticed would include delivery for a price. Perhaps this should have been a red flag. If you adopt a dog over the Internet, please talk to the breeder first. Ask questions and save the replies in your emails. Does this person sound like they have a clue as to what they are doing? Do you have any reservations about this breeder at all from your contact? Educate yourself before searching for a pup. Research the breed and research any medical problems that can be related to the breed, or genetic problems that should be screened for before hand. Know what to ask, know what to look for, and know what you want to hear back from the breeder. Ask to see the health guarantee for the puppy. Ask about hip scores, eye scores, elbows, knees, temperament of parents... I knew I didn't trust Crash's and Oscar's breeder when she began to email me back saying she was going to put a "Free Puppy" ad in her local paper and that the pup would not be there long. That is when I began to move fast and tried to find Crash a home by using Rosie's and my Dogster.com buddies. We put a message on 2 different Dogster groups that are for deaf dogs and sure enough, someone was willing to help! I am so Thankful for Avi the Australian Shepherd and her family for finding a home for little Crash. Avi and her family live in Montana and were able to find Crash a home with some friends of theirs in Chicago. Avi's family picked Crash up from the breeder (and they saw Oscar) and took her to the vet. Crash came home from the vet a few days later and spent a day with Avi's family before heading out to Chicago. Crash didn't leave her Montana rescuers with out leaving little paw prints on Avi's and her family's hearts. She is very well loved. I hope that Crash was able to provide a blood sample to help catch this breeder, and we hope that Oscar will find his loving and forever home very soon!
To see The Montana Standard's 1/27/07 article entitled "Woman Charged in Dog Abuse" Check this site:
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