A breeder friend called me last night just mentally drained. Not to mention 
completely outraged. He relayed to me a story over a phone call he had just 
received from a Boxer owner whom had some questions. Their story was heart 
wrenching. They have a brindle female they purchased from a breeder that of 
course talked a good game about the dog, the pedigree and their own value in the Boxer world. But at 2-1/2 years old, this Boxer is having continual fainting 
spells. When the owner tried to seek help from the breeder, they got  nowhere.
They tried to discuss pedigree and the background on her dog  but did not
receive any help. They have since found out the breeder was not nearly as noted as they had led others to believe.

As this sank in, the puppy owner asked my friend what advice they could 
offer. They asked what could be wrong with their Boxer that is causing her to 
pass out and her gums to go white. The breeder told them it definitely sounded 
like a heart condition and if this was his dog, he would have it taken to a 
cardiologist. The Boxer owner assured him she would take the dog to her vet in 
the morning. But he warned her this really warranted a cardiologist' review 
since they are the experts. He explained to her the testing that should be done
with an Echocardiogram being the first consideration. The owner asked if he
knew  approximately how much that would cost. $350 was the price when he had
taken his  last breeding Boxer for testing, and so he relayed this figure.

What the Boxer owner said next made his blood run cold. To the effect, this 
woman said that was too much money, and if the dog was going to die anyway, it
would be cheaper to just euthanize the dog with her vet. The breeder
suggested  perhaps allowing rescue to take in the dog and see if they could find a
loving  home willing to treat with medication if a cardiologist suggested it. At
2-1/2  years old, the Boxer was still very young and could possibly have
years left to  live if given the proper treatment. The owner said no, she would
rather just put  the Boxer down. Basically stating she would rather kill her
young dog than pay  for cardiology testing or allow another person to perhaps
give the Boxer a new  lease on life.

But as if that was bad enough, the next question posed made this breeder 
very angry. The question was that if she decided it would just be easier to 
euthanize her 2-1/2 year old Boxer, did this breeder have any litters  coming up
she could buy a puppy from ??????

The phrase "Driving you to drink" comes to mind :(
I know, please no one remind me I live in a disposable society.

-- Edited by PawPrint at 17:20, 2008-04-17