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| Handsome Doogle |
We all hear so very
often about the evils of puppy mills and the evidence of the neglect and
cruelty that people can visit upon dogs they treat only as sources of income. We, at Last Day Dog Rescue (LDDR), fervently
advise folks to avoid these operations in hopes of making them less profitable;
even drive them out of business one day.
We all hear about
high-kill shelters which can be an assembly line of death for so many unwanted
or stray dogs. We, at LDDR, encourage
all potential pet owners to adopt one of these dogs.
We, at LDDR, will even
go so far as to advise anyone who opts for purchase over adoption to do their
homework and choose a good and respectable breeder for their future canine
companion.
All of these issues
are near and dear to our hearts and those of all people who simply know and
appreciate the “person,” love and dignity of a dog.
Here’s an almost
unbelievable tale of heartbreak and reunion.
It’s the story of a dog named “Dugle.”
Dugle (aka “Doogle”),
born one of nine pups in June, 2003, is a German Short-Haired Pointer of
excellent breeding; smart, beautiful, friendly, obedient, eager to learn – all
the best traits of any dog. And it was shortly
thereafter that Dugle’s breeder, Susie Gross, with confidence and in trust, gave
him over to a woman in New Haven, MI. As
with any good breeder, she did so with a verbal promise to take him back,
whatever the circumstances, should the new owner ever need to give him up.
In February of this
year, LDDR was notified by a shelter in Macomb County, MI, that a healthy and
wonderful German Short-Haired Pointer was to be put to sleep within the hour. He was rescued, cleaned up and placed in
foster care, with sure hope that he would be recognized for the great dog he is
and quickly adopted out.
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| Doogle as a pup |
As fate would have
it, just this month, Cathy Reece, who owns one of Dugle’s brothers, Buddy, came
across a posted portrait (and plea for adoption) by professional photographer
and LDDR volunteer Dee Maggio. Though
the spelling was different, Cathy was nearly positive that LDDR’s “Doogle” was
Susie Gross’s “Dugle” and called her to say so.
Susie checked the
page and concurred; she was sure this
was her Dugle. She even took the initiative to contact the
woman to whom she had sold Dugle and ask after his condition. The woman told her, stammeringly, that the
dog had been given over to her brother, and she could not say if he was still
in possession of him. Tearfully, Susan phoned
LDDR to ask for Dugle and was encouraged to make her application for adoption.
Four days later,
with her application approved, in receipt of a glowing recommendation from her
veterinary practice, and having passed a perfect “virtual” home visit, and
Susie and Dugle were reunited…this time for good. Heartbroken over his careless turning over by
the buyer to her brother, and his subsequent, callous disposal of the dog,
Susie has vowed she’ll never let him leave her care again.
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| Doogle's siblings - they get to play together all the time now! |
Thankfully, for
Dugle, for Susie, and for all of us at LDDR, this story has a happy ending. But let this stand as a lesson for all: even the most ethical, well-intentioned and
confident breeder can find his/her dog in the hands of an irresponsible, uncaring
person. What little effort it might have
taken for “Ms. New Haven” to have called Susie and arranged for his safe return
into her hands; for the brother to have notified his sister that he could not
keep the dog.
That Dugle was saved
from the shelter is lucky, that he fared so well in fostering is comforting,
that he ended in the hands of his very breeder is nothing short of miraculous!
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| Doogle - SAFE with his original family |
Susie, Dugle, we
congratulate you and we celebrate with you.
What has come full-circle is one of the proudest reasons that we do what
we do.
To donate, you can go to our web site www.lastdaydogrescue.org
or mail a donation
to: Last Day Dog Rescue P.O. Box 51935 Livonia, MI 48151-5935 Fax: 734-786-0729
Email us at: ourlastdaydogs@gmail.com
