Well, if this isn't just about the sadest thing I have read. We are still dealing with the after math of one of our now 15 month old "Return" Labradors only these heartless owners didn't have the courtesty to take him to the shelter, they thought enough of our boy to take him for a ride and dump him in the streets.

Thank god Buddy will be leaving our home to go live with his new family the first week in September. Thanks to some very good labrador loving friends, Buddy will live the rest of his life with a couple who thought enough to give another black labrador shelter dog a new lease on life years ago. This black dog lived to be 14 years old. They were thinking of adopting another shelter Labrador when they heard about our Buddy. Buddy doesn't know it yet but he will be able to swim every day of his life in his own private lake since his owners live on waterfront property in Bremerton. There are other labradors in the neighborhood for him to play and swim with.

So yes, this story you post here today is a reality and can and does happen to the best of breeders and the best of dogs. This is why it is so so important for all breeders to MICROCHIP all their puppies.

Someone recently took a ten year old dog to my vet and told him that she wanted to have it "put to sleep". He started to check out the dog, but found no apparent problems. "Oh no, nothing is wrong with him, the woman said, I don't have time for him anymore because my life is just so busy." My vet replied," We don't do that here. Why don't you just leave him with me." So she did and the sweet dog is still there, living at the vet's office during the day and adding to his menagerie at home in the evenings. Some people!

And sad to say...this kind of scenario happens more than we like to think. I know - I get the calls from the vets asking for help rehoming them.....

For awhile, every 4th of July, we'd end up taking some lost dogs down to our local shelter. While waiting in line each time we visited this shelter, there would be someone dumping their senior dogs off with the excuse that they are tired of taking care of their dog or "He is getting old"

What does getting old mean anyway ? Getting older means we hope that our loved ones will hold on to us tighter and make sure our old bones are taken care of, give us some joint medicine and yearly vet visits and extra hugs but most of all, those senior dogs need to feel secure and get the opportunity to grow old with some dignity .

When we went to pick Buddy up at the shelter, I couldn't help but feel admiration for all the volunteers and employees who take care of these shelter dogs, cats and an assortment of other animals. It was the Humane Society of Tacoma, one of the fanciets shelters I have laid my eyes on. All the donated money goes to paying all the employees and food for an average of 200 dogs on any given day. So of course they are forced to feed the dogs the cheapest food on the market.

I know I would have difficulty working at a shelter, having to be the one to say goodbye to each pet that was euthenized. It has to wear on each of the employee's emotions when they go by a familiar dog's kennel and his or her time ran out, leaving a vaccant kennel run, ready for it's next " Throw away dog "

While these shelter volunteers and employees don't run into a burning homes to save someone or catch criminals on the streets, all of who are worthy of being called a Hero, I like to think of the shelter workers and all the volunteers who go the extra mile as "Heros".

I have this letter in my puppy kits, its really good for potential puppy buyers to read it!

it is too bad we can't do this to the same people who discard their dogs as inconvenient. aren't old people and kids,and minorities and everything else that doesn't help us climb to the top of the heap ,
inconvenient....