Next I decided I wanted a vehicle that would actually get me around so I went and bought the cheapest used car I could find. It worked out great – it got me around, got me where I was going. It didn’t take me very long to find out why it was so cheap though; the brakes squeaked, the power steering belt screamed and after the car was warmed up, transmission fluid leaked. Everywhere I went there was a steam of fluid and then the starter started acting up. I’d owned used vehicles in the past; some were fantastic from the get go and still working and in great shape when I sold them but some of them had failed as miserably as my most recent used car.
I realized I was going to have to shell out money for a new car. I had no idea what was out there and didn’t really care. I wanted something pretty and shiny that would get me around without causing dogs to howl when I passed and it would be nice if I could park places without getting yelled at for the mess I left behind. I went to my closest car dealer and found a beautiful red (my favorite color) convertible with a sticker price I could well afford. It didn’t have all the options I would like, but it was gorgeous and I could go places without making a scene.
You may be able to see a pattern developing here and you may even be able to guess what happened next. I found that though I could drive a stick shift, I wasn’t so keen about it on steep hills. The radio worked great but there was no tape or CD player so I couldn’t choose my own music. The red really showed the dirt and it needed constant upkeep. I wasn’t really very happy with the blind spots when I backed up either since this was my first convertible. I soon began to realize it wasn’t going to get me out of town where I could take side roads or dirt paths and it probably wasn’t going to be the best choice for cold weather.
Why am I talking about my car problems on a site about dogs?
Let’s draw some comparisons just for fun. The free car can be compared to the puppies in the paper you can get no questions asked. They don’t cost you a penny. And they may work out just fine.
If you want a car that performs the way you want it, chances are it won’t be free and the same goes for the puppy. If it’s free it’s most likely from an unplanned litter and as it grows you might not even be sure what it is. Is it a poogermois? (Poodle, German Shepherd and Malinois) Is it a dobechibass?
You may fall in love with it and things will work out just great. Then again, maybe not. Maybe it comes to you and dies because it was infected with parvo or maybe the mother rejected it because it had health problems; maybe it was so tiny because it was much younger than the “breeder” told you.
You want a dog – a real dog, just like I wanted a real car. So next you go to the RSPCA and rescue a wonderful Poogermoi. It’s been de-sexed, it doesn’t’ have long hair so you don’t have to worry about shedding. It’s actually pretty cute and definitely a conversation piece. And you did the right thing – you rescued a dog.
What happens when your new dog’s fan belt starts to squeal? Excuse me. What happens when your new dog bites the neighbor child who was over on an invited visit? That’s not a very good way to find out your pup does not tolerate children.
You still love your dog so you call the RSPCA and tell them it isn’t working out. They ask you why and you tell them the truth and they tell you to bring in the dog immediately and it will be put down. You hang up; glad they didn’t get your personal information. While you are thanking your lucky stars for that, you are also dreading the neighbour’s doctor bills or worse complaint to the police or lawsuit. How much is this used car – I mean new dog going to cost you?
If you are truly honest with yourself, you know this problem was caused by you and you alone. Did you ever research the breed(s) of your dog? Did you know, for example that Malinois are so highly energetic some people refer to them as crazy (which is why they make great drug detection dogs)? Did you know that poodles are surprisingly protective – especially the standard-sized?
Did you take your car (dog) out for a test drive? Did you take it around people, children, other dogs, traffic before making your decision? Did you ask the people at the RSPCA why they had the dog – why the previous owner didn’t want it? Even if you had, they might not know. The dog may have been abandoned at their door or on a country road. It might be from a litter that was left. The only answer you will get that makes any sense is the people just didn’t want the dog anymore.
You already know from your phone call to the RSPCA that if the dog is a biter, it will be put down so chances are if the dog bit, the previous owner is not going to tell that to the RSPCA people.
Did you really talk to the breeder or in this case the RSPCA about the breed(s) of your dog? If you had, do you really think you would have found one person there who could tell you everything about Malinois, German Shepherds and Poodles? If you had found such a person, would they have had a crystal ball or some other magical tool where they could tell you what good and bad traits your pup would get from each of these breeds?
Would the people at the RSPCA tell you about the nervous attitude of the Malinois, the hip dysplasia common to all three breeds or any other nice-to-know tidbits like that? No, they wouldn’t. And why would they?
Maybe they would/should because this is one of their arguments for not buying a dog from the big bad breeder. Like many people and groups, they are good at giving advice but don’t always take their own. They want you to adopt that dog so the dog is happy and they are happy. If you are happy, that is a plus but it is far from the first thing on their list.
Did the RSPCA tell you how your puppy or dog did in its litter? No? Why should they? Again, maybe because this is one of the things they claim the big bad breeder doesn’t do. They lump us all into one bundle. Just like any profession, there are good breeders and bad breeders and trust me no one hates a bad breeder more than a good breeder. I hate bad breeders and while I don’t dare publicize who and where they are under threat of lawsuit, I will privately steer people away from them and do everything I can – including yes – including reporting them to the RSPCA. And I’ll do it anonymously because if the bad breeder ever found out I did that (and for the record I have fortunately not run into this quandary yet) then they might falsely report me as a matter of revenge.
