I want to tell you the story of Chip, Cocoa Puff, Dusty, and Lovebug. The beginning of the story is not pleasant, but we are so glad it has a happy ending.
We will be retiring several of our adult female AKC Lhasa Apso mommy dogs this year. At the age of 6, we believe that these wonderful dogs should be pampered pets for the rest of their lives, so we find them good homes with loving families. In an effort to replace them, I came across an ad in The Oregonian listing two female AKC Lhasa Apsos for $200 each. I corresponded back and forth with the seller via email and then finally spoke to him on the phone. I agreed to meet him on Tuesday, January 12th to look at the dogs.
When we arrived at the meeting, he handed me one of the girls and I almost fell over from the stench - the poor little thing stunk of urine and had so many mats in her fur that I am sure they were pulling on her skin badly, causing her a great deal of pain. I could barely see her little face through the mop of mats and dirt in her coat. She was about half the size she should have been at 14 month of age and she was clearly afraid of people. I was determined at that point that this man was never going to put his hands on these dogs again! I took both of the girls home with me after paying him a lower price since they were in such poor condition. The comments he made during the transaction make me believe that he is a breeder of the PUPPY MILL variety.
Once the girls were home, they were bathed, groomed, their nails were trimmed (they were curling under they were so long!) and we gave them a vaccination and some worming medicine. The thing they were MOST INTERESTED in was the never-ending supply of food and water we provided. One female weighed 8 pounds; the other was 6 pounds. And they were terrified of us at first. Then we sat on the floor and loved them and cuddled them. Their eyes said it all - they stopped shaking and began giving us kisses. What beauties they are!! I am placing BEFORE and AFTER photos here of each dog, so you can see what they looked like when they came to us and what they look like now!
The next day, Darlene (our groomer) and I were discussing these girls and we came across an indication in the AKC paperwork he gave me that there were more puppies born in that litter. We called him and discovered he still had one male pup from the same litter and one male pup born 7-1-09. Darlene arranged for me to meet him again and buy the boys from him. When I got there, the boys were in the same condition as the girls had been except for the fact that they smelled a bit better. He had bathed them but their coats were just as matted and they were shaking too.
The boys were taken home and bathed and groomed. Shots and worming medicine and lots of good food and water came first, next loving and cuddling. These dogs do not know how to play. They have never known any kind of loving human contact. It is obvious that they have been neglected in many many ways. We will be taking all four of them to our Veterinarian within the next few days to make sure there are no other problems with their health. It is just going to take time for them to get used to having food, water, and most of all - people who love them every single day! They are already responding to us - carrying their tails high and wagging them. We are also seeing the love and trust in their eyes that we see with our own dogs. It is very rewarding!
We have reported this man to the Oregon Human Society and we will be reporting him to Clackamas County Animal Control as well as the AKC and KATU Investigative Reporters.
His name is William Strosser. He goes by the name of "Bill". His son is Gary Strosser and he says they are in this together. He lives in Oregon City, Oregon. PLEASE DO NOT BUY A DOG FROM THIS MAN UNLESS YOU WANT TO RESCUE THE DOG FROM HIM!!! We do not want to feed his profit motive - all of our efforts will be focused on shutting down his operation.
We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to rescue these adorable dogs - but it is not an inexpensive effort. With the initial price paid for each puppy, the cost of grooming and medicine, the trip to the Veterinarian plus the cost of registering them with the AKC so they can find good families one day, we have spent over a thousand dollars so far. As many of you know, I am a widow and a foster parent so money gets pretty tight around here but we manage. If any of you would like to help us cover these costs it would be a wonderful thing. If the spirit moves you, please send your contribution to us through Paypal by using the handy DONATE button below. Or please contact me about making a donation by mail. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated and if we should receive more than we spend caring for these pups, we will donate the excess to the Oregon Humane Society. Expect updates as time passes. Thank you so much!
Now, please meet Chip, Cocoa Puff, Dusty, and Lovebug; they truly are the stars in our little heaven!!
Marcia
UPDATE 1/19/10
We took all four dogs to our Veterinarian today. Each one was given a Rabies shot and examined. Both Lovebug and Cocoa Puff have small hernias on their tummies but not so serious that they need surgery, so that is good news. Now that these babies are being given lots of high quality food, they may grow to be a bit bigger, since they are all small for their age and breed. We went over our plan to get them up to date on their vaccinations, wormings and proactive treatment for parasites and our Vet agreed with everything we have scheduled, so we are good to go for now. All four dogs checked out fine and we are looking forward to them having a chance to experience the love that they should have had since birth. We already see them changing - being less skittish and now they are learning how to play. Squeaky toys seem to be a big hit! More updates soon............
UPDATE 1/22/10 We have been contacted today by The Oregon Human Society and Dan Tilkin of KATU News. Due to the fact that our Veterinarian found no sores or wounds on the dogs and no diseases present, the Human Society tells us that they cannot do anything about the neglect these dogs endured. Because the Humane Society has already started an investigation, Clackamas County Dog Services will not do anything because they do not want to step on the Humane Society's toes. Dan Tilkin spoke to us at length, gathering information for a possible story about this situation. Since the Humane Society is dropping the investigation now, he is not sure if KATU will pursue the story or not. So, it would seem that nothing is going to happen to this person. Life isn't always fair, but this is an outrage. Hopefully, KATU News will decide to go forward with the story. More info as it comes available......
UPDATE 2/3/10 All four dogs are doing very well - they continue to improve their social skills every day and we are having lots of fun playing with them on a daily basis. Chip is such a handsome little guy, we will be excited to see the litters he produces for us in the future. Dusty is only 6 months old and we will be seeking a good family for him very soon. Efforts are continuing to sanction the man who neglected these dogs. There may not be any progress made until Spring, but fortunately there are some people involved now who are willing to keep at it. Thanks to everyone who has sent us encouraging messages about rescuing these pups. I am so glad we did - they are a delight!
UPDATE 3/9/10 Our friend Dusty has found his new family!! We got a call from a family in Buxton, Maine a couple of weeks ago. They already have a young female Lhasa Apso and wanted a playmate for her. Her name is PollyAnn. When they saw Dusty's story and photos on our website, they fell in love with him. Arrangements were made, and Dusty flew home to his new family on March 3, 2010. I am happy to report that he and PollyAnn are already to best of friends and are happily running outside and playing together. A great story with a wonderful conclusion......we hope to have some photos of Dusty in his new surroundings soon. Those should be fun to see!
