I have a puppy owner, puppy is 11 months old now. Puppy owner is disabled, and puppy is a service dog, trained by it's owner. I know it was a perfect match, I had thought of the owner as the pup was birthing. They had an instant bond. Owner, who had been having 30 or more seizures a day stopped the day he got the pup (4 months old at that point). More positive stories involved
Fast forward to a couple months ago. owner was tossing a frisbee (on the ground) for the pup before obedience class. Another dog was let out of it's car and charged owner's pup, pup did a 360* (or so, I did not see it) and fell on a shoulder. Ended up limping rather significantly. Owner (lives with mom) gave pup crate rest, went to chiropractor, and did everything one should. Owner is going through another bad seizure period, and ended up kicking (and hurting) pup in same shoulder. Owner was horrified when he found out that he hurt his pup and now wants me to tale the pup back. owner's mom says it is temporary. they are in dire financial straights right now. I told mom (have not seen owner) that of course pup has a home with me.
The jist of this is that the pup is "broke", they want me to take it back and "fix" him and then give him back. Owner does not think he deserves a dog since he hurt it (accidentally, in a seizure). The pup is SO VERY dedicated to owner, that he will not leave him no matter what (including laying on him during seizures), and many other heart wrenching stories. I am not sure separating them is the best idea. Do I pay for the pup's medical expenses while he still lives at the owner's house. I am unemployed in the last year, and this means loosing my personal medical insurance to pay for pup's food, medical finances, and whatever else. I would do that, because the pup was from my breeding. But take him back, fix him and give him back?
Take the puppy back and rehome him with someone that can afford his care.
This is something you need to decide on your own. You know the circumstances, you understand the nuances. Use your head AND your heart. Try to get some help for the owner, maybe find a trainer who will volunteer some time in training the puppy to get out of the way during a seizure.
Use your community, people WILL help!! The puppy owner needs the dog, loves the dog, and will be enriched by the dog. Local pet food companies will donate food, do a fund raiser, whatever it takes. This is a special situation, NOT one to just give up and rehome the dog.
Go get pup , be pleasant, say little. Fix pup , ask vet for "easy payment plan " , and then rehome puppy. Puppies do not survive on love alone, they need medical care, quality food, and physical activity.
What is going to happen the next time this pup needs medical attention? What is going to happen when this person can no longer care for this pup's daily needs ? Obviously the parent has his/her hands full , with this ill person living in their home, it is selfish to expect the parents to care for a dog , they did not choose to have.
At the end of the day, I choose to think ONLY of the pup's welfare, daily care, and Veterinary needs , that is what I am responsible for . And if a person I placed a puppy with cannot meet those needs of my pup, then it is my responsibility to remove the pup from that enviornment , and keep the baby until I find a loving home for pup that can meet it's needs. All of his needs!
My fear would be the pup may stop doing what he was trained to do if he fears getting hurt. He appears to need time to rehab.
Not sure what I would do but owners do have to have the means to take care of their pups. Love is a good part of it but they need routine care, exercise, training, etc.
Have you considered applying for help through Lab-Med?
You could try Labrador Lifeline ... not LABMED. LABMED is for rescued dogs not owner owned dogs. There are resources out there for dog owners - you just have to do lots of googling. I hope your pup gets the medical attention he so deserves.
It's a really hard circumstance... The person seems to benefit from having the pup, but the pup did get hurt, the first time was totally out of anyone's control besides the owner of the other dog that charged him. The second time when the pups shoulder was hurt wasn't in anyone's control either, and the point of having the pup as a service dog is to be there, but not to be hurt. I am wondering if medicare/medicaid would cover the pups expenses because it is a service dog? If the pup is to be certified as a service dog the person's insurance may cover a portion of the bills. I think what is best for all parties is to take the pup back until he is completely healed and do a lot of training with the pup on your own before giving it back to the family. There are reasons why service dogs are kept in a foster home for the first 1-2 years. Ultimately it is your decision, if I were you it would be hard and take more than just a few days to make a decision. If you give the dog back too soon and the pup gets hurt again, you will feel guilty. But if you take the dog back, heal him then rehome him you will feel terribly guilty for taking this poor persons service dog away.
If the pup is to either stay or be placed back into the home, require that the owners have pet insurance coverage for incidents/accidents such as this. You can also ask for donations for a "safety cushion" of cash in an account to cover other incidental expenses, for the insurance premium if it is threatening relapse due to non payment, and for basic monthly meds like heart worm, tick and flea meds, and vaccinations, etc...
This stuff is usually covered for dogs that go through an official service dog program and is why most breeders donate through those programs.
I will look closer into Lab Life Line, and do most of the "footwork" for them. I really want the pup to stay with them, as I do think the pup and owner were meant to be. The owner just feels so horribly that he hurt the pup, even if it was an accident. This guy has gone through so much in his life, that taking pup away just because of some financial hardships (IMO) just is not right. I think there is a heart dog connection there.
Other touching stories of them include, the owner having a particular type of seizure where he is functional, but remembers nothing of what he is doing. Owner and pup started out on a walk and owner blanked out. Pup lead him home to safety, and this is of an 11 month old! Owner went swimming this summer, and while pup was distracted in beach romping, owner went out to knee deep water and "pretended" he was in distress (drowning). With no other training, pup swam out and tried to drag/nudge owner back (which owner happily obliged and helped pup swim him back).
I wish I could pay for everything for every pup. I just took two dogs back (a seven year old and a ten year old), because the owners died, and had either no one else to rely on or the families did not/could not care for the dog (elderly folks).
Again, thanks for your replies, and keep the suggestions coming!
Have you considered applying for help through Lab-Med? I know this isn't a rescue, but it's a unique situation that they possibly could help with?
The dog must be in a rescue situation with a rescue group after being given up. I highly doubt Labmed will be able to help. How about LLL? I don't know their rules. With our current economy, all of these groups give less per case so each case with merit gets something. Some of Labmeds founding, board members have reached into their own pockets or adopted elderly dogs that never would be adopted; God Bless them.
