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I know you can't save them all.... but...

5K views 43 replies 26 participants last post by  Brent Keever 
#1 · (Edited)
I know you can't save them all... Update: Road Trip

A friend knows I've been looking and researching labs.

I want one mostly to use for Duck and Goose hunting, but I wouldn’t mind getting involved with Hunt Tests since doing things like that only gets you a better dog and such... I’ve been looking at FT/HT bred pups from all over just trying to familiarize myself the pedigrees and names, also just to see what’s out there. I’m doing my homework, taking my time, and looking at dogs that are not only proven, but healthy and tested for everything under the sun. :eek:

Said friend calls me up and says they know someone who bought a BLF and just can’t keep her.
You know the drill, she’s to hyper, she chews and pees on the floor, and they don’t have enough time…ect
The pup is 3 ½ months old! :mad:

They give me the contact info; I politely say that I will contact her anyway, but I’m looking for something specific. So I wasn’t getting my hopes up and didn’t think I could help… plus I’m not quite sure if I want a puppy RIGHT NOW, I was looking more into the future.

Well two days ago, I shoot the lady an e-mail. They still have her, and listed her on craigslist(UGH!) but haven’t found her a home yet. They got her from a breeder (I didn’t inquire which one). She has all her first shots, and they have her AKC papers but didn’t fill them out or send them in yet. I can't imagine the papers are worth anything anyway, it sounds like she is from a cheap local breeder. They are hoping to get around $300 to cover her shots and fecal tests and a little money they put into her. She weighs about 12lbs which doesn’t seem huge to me…is it?

I didn’t e-mail them back yet… so who knows, they might have found her a new home already.
My dream Labrador was a yellow or chocolate male from good bloodlines ect.
This is a little black female.... from gosh knows where!
But life has thrown me some curve balls latley, and I'm thinking now that perhaps a puppy is what I need.... you know how dogs can just put you in a better mood/place when you are around them. ;)

I know no one can tell me what to do here, I’m just looking for an excuse to either get her or walk away lol… but being that I’m a girl and I LOVE all animals, I’m sure you know what I’m leaning towards.

My logic is, I can save her from someone bad buying her off of craigslist.
IF I get her, I will get her tested for everything… and make sure she isn’t going to be gun shy, if anything comes back bad I will either find her a home as a pet or whatever is in the pup’s better interest.
IF everything works out I can keep her and use her as an experimental dog. Making my dream dog when I get it easier!
I can train her for a while then resell her if she’s not what I really want, of who knows maybe she is what I want.

Any advice? Or add your own experiences good or bad ...
Would you even consider getting a pup like this? Even as a 'project'?
 
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#2 ·
I will offer my opinion, and I am sure that someone wouldn't agree,but I would personally get the dog, and ask if they would give her to you. If they were truly concerned about the right home, they would not have listed on craiglist..I would take or buy her.. just to make sure that she doesn't end up in someone's yard tied to a tree...
Plus, if u aren't interested in breeding and get the puppy spayed, yu may take a chance.

me, being a softie, would try to get the pup,and then decide to keep or rehome, as u see fit..

best wishes..

,maria
 
#5 ·
You have a good heart. If I were able, I'd give a home to every one of them that I could.
me too, my wife says I have a disease. If your just looking for a companion/ hunting retriever it sounds like you might have found one. 3.5 mos is still young enough to break any bad habits this dog may have already learned. plus even if your looking to get into the ht/ft game noone says that you gota spend a fortune on a pup to do it. Id take the pup give it a good home and start training, never know might turn out to be a great dog.
jim

sounds like theyve taken care of it ok to this point given it has had shots and fecal tests done.
 
#6 ·
My puppies are 12# by 7-8 weeks. That is really really small for 3 1/2 months. That would worry me why that small. Pup could have parasites, liver shunt, heart defect, who knows. That just doesn't sound normal.
 
#7 ·
I will keep that in mind.

Of course I would NEVER buy a pup in this way sight unseen so it will most likely end up if I go to look at her I will either like her and she comes home, if I don't I will just flat out tell them and walk away.

I'm thinking becuase you said 12lbs is so odd, that they are just wrong.
I've seen pictures of her, and she isnt skinny or fat. And she looks ok from what I can see!
 
#9 ·
My $0.02. For $300 or a little more with some research I think you could get a pup from titled hunt test lines. I could be wrong because I bought a started dog. Anyways, if you can accept the fact that you may just have a pet and later on will get the HT dog go for it. That being said it may be your dream dog. I'd also see if you can find the breeder because you never know, it could be a decent breeding.

And being a girl doesn't mean you're any softer than some of us. If I ever win the major bucks in the lottery I plan on starting a rescue or helping out a few really lucky rescues.
 
#11 ·
I too would take in more if I could. You can always place her in a good home if she isn't what you are looking for.
 
#16 ·
Go take a look, as far as I know looking is still free in the country, but I would bring a crate with you, cause you know you is gettin her ;)
 
#17 ·
I will admit that I tend to be very picky when it comes to getting a puppy. The reason is simple: I love them so much that the things that go wrong hurt a lot. As a consequence, I am more than happy to pay up front to reduce (not eliminate) the risk and I avoid situations where I know I might be tempted to adopt the problems I try so hard to avoid. Knowing my weakness, I won't look at a dog that comes from parents without the right health screenings. Once I see a pup that's available, the odds that I will go home alone are pretty small. Fortunately, with two litters coming in the next couple of months, I am pretty well inoculated against even thinking about puppies other than my own.
 
G
#18 ·
A couple of things...

1) We have had some VERY VERY nice dogs in training that were your run-of-the-mill newspaper lab. I have a friend with a lab MIX (99.99% lab according to the AKC, but she's tall and skinny and fast!) that's doing AWESOME in training. Some of my favorite dogs I've trained have simply been "akc registered" nothing more, nothing less...

2) At 3.5 months, ALMOST any behavior stuff can be fixed easily with some routine, consistency and exercise. I'm sure if she just got some playtime, you'd see a LOT of that behavior go away.

3) Sometimes things happen for a reason... Sometimes a dog is brought into your life and has a purpose. I have rescued probably too many dogs and spent I KNOW too much money that might have been more wisely spent somewhere else, but I am of the opinion that God will pay me back for anything I do out of compassion for an animal. Of course, I do try to keep it in check and make good choices.

4) They are crazy to be asking for any money, esp in this economy. Look, they made a stupid choice and are obviously not too bright. They need to be happy that someone's willing to take her off their hands. At the same time, she's apparently had some vaccines. I'd MAYBE offer to reimburse them for the vet expenses, which is something you would have done anyway. Not sure if they'll go for it or not.

5) As far as health issues... That's something that's a gamble no matter which way you go. Your odds are probably slightly higher that something may go wrong down the line.

6) Like others said, worst case, you remove her from a bad situation, fix her up a little and place her in a home if things don't work out.

Keep us posted...

-K
 
#20 ·
Did u get the puppy???

i am pleased with the responses,everyone does have a heart,and would do the same thing, i am sure the puppy would be better off with you! I once took a mixed breed puppy from a young girl walking around the town festival,giving them away,,, I took her home,and found a good home..

It is good to know that retriever people really care!!!!! i think u all are great!!!!!


maria
 
#21 · (Edited)
Whichever decision you make; it sounds like you have given it a lot of careful thought....I know you were originally looking for a specific type puppy, but further down into your post I read of some difficult times that you have been through (I am assuming emotional type stuff); sometimes, just sometimes these little sweet needy puppies are just the thing we need to fill the space that somehow feels empty. I am sure you will do the right thing for you and the puppy and I am not trying to influence you one way or the other...how kind that you are for even considering it. Keep us posted!

Patti
________
BUY SILVER SURFER VAPORIZER
 
#22 ·
Go see the pup and if it will chase a tennis ball or small bumper, then you have a chance to make it a retriever. Maybe, probably not a champ, but maybe an adequate gun dog.
Offer to "take it off their hands" and if it works out, then maybe send them some dog food $ down the road I bet you get it for free.
MP
 
#24 ·
You say you can't save them all, but u can save this one.
You can make her life happy and she will repay you ten fold! It makes a difference to this pup!;)
 
#25 ·
I would get her to and if she wasn't what i wanted then I would find her a good home. Heck we would have a bounch of dogs if we could. We still have 2 pups out of Kicker that are 12wks old that we have not sold yet. And we are looking at keeping them along with the one we have planed on keeping. Good luck witch ever way you go.............
 
#26 · (Edited)
Three months ago I was in a similar situation. I was not in the market for a dog, but I wished that I could get one. We had some friends who did not have time to take care of a dog (ylf) that their brother left at their house. All I knew was that she was 8 months old, registered and free. We thought about it for a few days before we made our decision. Worst case was that she wouldn't work out for us and I would find her another home. I found someone that was willing to take her if she didn't work out. Next worse case was that she would be dumb or gun shy and would end up being a great family dog. Best case was that I could train her to hunt. Three months later, I almost have her OB done (waiting on e collar) and she is steady as a rock when I throw a bumper. I am thinking by duck season, I will have a new hunting buddy. I am so glad that I made that decision to get her. You will be as well.
________
LESBIAN EBONY
 
#27 ·
One of my dogs came from a very similar situation, family was moving and didn't want to bring him with so they put an ad on craigslist and left him in the backyard hoping someone would call. I did and he told me that there was guy that was interested and could come when he got off work that night to get him. He that said he had a pit bull and few other dogs and he wanted another dog to play with them. This guy didnt ask any questions about the health of the dog, temperament or even the age so I made the assumption that I thought he was probably looking for a dog to use as bait. Hung up the phone and made the three hour drive right then. This wasn't the dog I had in mind at all but I felt compelled to go. He was truly a blessing in disguise and exactly what I needed at that point in time. I would have missed out on so much had I not decided to make that trip. Take a chance and if it ends up not working out as well as you would have hoped you can always find a good home and sell as a pet.
 
#28 ·
Well, this lady hasnt contacted me back... so as of now I'm assuming that the dog is gone.

I politely asked in my e-mail that IF the dog is sold please just send me an e-mail saying so this way I can just drop it and look else where... :-x I gve her my number to call me if its not, but told her that if shes sold she can just e-mail me (I know it can be a little awkward)

So perhaps they just dont check their mail very often... or they dont care.



I will let everyone know of course if I'm taking a road trip one day if she ever gets back to me ;-)
 
#29 ·
Well, for all that care, I have a road trip planned for Thursday ;)


She’s only a little over an hour away... so that’s not bad at all!
BLF: Shes now 4 months old, which is still plenty young.

I kept trying to e-mail the owner to no avail. Finally yesterday I saw she posted ANOTHER ad on craigslist for the pup. I was so disheartened; Didn’t she want me to have her? Did I say something to make me look incompetent?
This time in the ad there was a phone number which I didnt have before, so I just had to know, I couldn’t let it go. I called her, and apparently she doesn’t check her e-mail's junk mail where all my e-emails were going. :rolleyes:
She apologized profusely, and I scheduled to go take a look at her Thursday morning (so she is probably coming home)

I’ll update the thread Thursday again when I get home. Baring any huge major faults I’m sure there will be some pictures too. :D
 
#36 ·
Way to go! I am sure she will fit in nicely!;)
 
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