Talk about heartbreak! Never buy a pet on a whim

Our whole household has been grieving since Saturday night. We had a chance to fall in love the day before Thanksgiving.

My 2 teenage daughters saw a person selling puppies on the side of the road, and begged me to stop. Well, having 2 teenagers putting the pressure on- and my admitted dog fanaticism, of course I succumbed to peer pressure. We didn't know what was about to unfold but needless to say it was love at first sight. It took a little over an hour to convince my hubby, but he gave in as well. Our whole family has wanted a teacup chihuahua for quite some time now.

It was a very rash, quick decision. I had an uneasy feeling about committing the cardinal no-no of dog shopping: NEVER BUY A DOG ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I should have also suspected something when after the person was given the check I was told, oh by the way don't take the dog to the vet for a while because it is very susceptible to parvo and could get sick. A little alarm went off in my head, but being in the state of puppy love as I was I soon forgot it.


Tinkerbell was a doll, but after 24 hours we noticed she wasn't eating so well. Not to mention a runny stool, but I accounted that to stress from the change in ownership. We were so happy with her, and she was a perfect little lady. I even spent a whole evening making her puppy clothes because we couldn't find a sweater small enough for her and noticed she was very listless and cold.

After 2 days we were at the emergency after hours animal clinic at 11pm because Tink wouldn't eat and had started excreting a horrifying puddle of blood when she went potty. Heartbroken and scared we took her to the vet-- who immediately asked who we had bought the puppy from and told me that I had been sold a very sick dog. She had lost alot of weight and her temp was way below normal.

The vet was incredibly kind and good to our teary eyed possee of girls. She immediately went to bat for us and called the breeder , who she knew and told her the only moral thing to do was to take this dog back because her medical needs were going to be extensive. I honestly think the vet knew that Tink was very ill and didn't want our family to watch her suffer. I have lost one pet before 18 years earlier to parvo and it is a horrifficly brutal virus .

Our hearts were torn but as a family we decided that we couldn't risk taking Tink back into the home with our 2 other family pets. So we called the breeder who immediately started back peddling and giving me a hard time. Needless to say it was very ugly and hurtful to be accused of making this dog ill or being neglectful. The only thing the breeder would offer was another pup, which was out of the question because 2 heartbreaks can not be endured so close together. It then became an all out fight of name calling etc. because I told her if she took the pet back, she had a moral obligation to refund my money so I could find a healthy pet for my oldest daughters birthday which was the following day.

She agreed to take the pet back, but would not hear of returning my money. The vet had called her and told her the incubation period for parvo is between 8-14 days and there was no possible way the virus had been contracted while the dog was under our care. Unfortunately I had to stop payment on my check because this breeder is nothing more than a backwoods Cruella Deville without a heart or concious. The most heartbreaking part of it all wasn't the fact we were so sad, but that Tink was ill and we had no choice but to let her leave our hands.

Here are some very important things I learned from this experience:

1. Never ever buy a pet from a person who is not willing to allow you to see the environment the dog is raised in-- Cruella insisted we met her at a half-way point instead of me taking the pup back to her kennels. Looking back, I now know why.

2. Find a reputable breeder who offers a bill of health guarantee covering genetic defects, parvo and COCCIDA, as well as corona. You need to insist on a 10-14 day money refundable parvo/coccida health guarantee. Most breeders don't want to give you that kind of guarantee- to which you need to ask if you have a clean, healthy environment -- then why not? Call your local vets/obedience schools for recommendations.

3. Find a breeder who only sales 1-2 breeds max- if they carry multiple breeds then most are only in it for the money which usually isn't indicative of a great puppy raising environment. Cruella and her wicked assisstant had a smorgasbord of pets, chihuahuas, yorkies, bostons, schnauzers, jack russells, something shi-poos, and poodles, shitzus--you name it she had it.

4. Avoid buying a puppy from a pet store. Too often these puppies come from "puppy mills". If you don't know what a puppy mill is, look up the term "puppy mill" on the Internet or call your local animal shelter. The only way to stop puppy mills is to stop buying puppies from pet stores. This does not include those pet stores that have shelter puppies available for adoption.

5. The breeder should ask you questions before they agree to sell you a puppy. Such as: Do you have time to care for a puppy properly? Can you afford feeding/grooming costs? Where will the puppy live (indoors/outdoors)? Why do you want a puppy? Do you have children?

6. Ask the breeder; How many litters do you have a year? Breeders producing more than 1 or 2 litters a year are probably not paying enough attention to the genetics and health of the puppies.

7. Ask the breeder; Where were the puppies raised? How have you socialized them? What you're looking for here is an indication of what kind of socialization the puppies have had. Socialization is so important to getting a well-adjusted, well-mannered dog. Puppies should have been exposed to people, other dogs, new situations, normal household sounds and activities in order to learn. A puppy raised without this important social interaction can be shy, fearful, aggressive, or have other problems as they get older. Dogs need to know how to play, how to handle new situations, how to relate to people.

8. Ask the breeder; When can I take the puppy home? Puppies usually go home between 8 and 12 weeks. Avoid anyone sending tiny puppies home.

You can learn alot about this breed here: chihuahuas

Fortunately, my family and I are healing. We have learned a very hard, heartbreaking lesson. We have disinfected our house and are now on the waiting list for another puppy from a lady who raises 1-2 litters a year and keeps the pups indoors with her. She has agreed to hold the puppy extra time for it's series of vaccinations to be in place with a complete parvo series before we bring the puppy into our home.

Oh, and if you live in north Louisiana and are considering a chihuahua email me and I'll give you Cruellas real name--she lives in the Luna area. Unfortunately one of the "posh" pet boutiques in Monroe brings her in a few times a month to sale pets to unsuspecting buyers and she also sets up in West Monroe in commercial parking lots. Beware!!!