Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO General Forum => General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws => : Lyn June 07, 2006, 06:28:26 AM
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I found a female Saint that someone is looking to rehome. She sounds perfect, obedience trained, good with kids and other animals, no hip/health problems that they are aware of, housetrained, kennel trained ect..
When I asked about an adoption fee I am told to make an offer!! ??? What the heck.. she's not a car. I haven't replied back to them yet.. because I really don't know what to say. I'm more than willing to give this girl a good home and pay an adoption fee. But make an offer!!?? How should I reply to that?
Does this sound odd.. or is it just me?
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Maybe the dog got dumped on them. Maybe she's been at a back-yard breeder's and can no longer produce pups? Sounds like they will take whatever they can get!
If you have it in your heart to bring this girl home, at least go check her out. You may get a wonderful saint for a very good deal (non reg. pups are going for about $550 to $600 while reg. pups are $1800 CDN).
Go check her out!! Sounds like she would be better off with you anyway!
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She's only 7 months old.. and are rehoming her due to financial reasons. She isn't spayed yet.. but I can take her in for that. As far as I know they have had her since she was a baby.
I'll just email them back and ask how much they are looking to get for her. I'm not making an offer.. It just doesn't seem right to me.. It makes it sound like she's just an object.
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Don't get on your high horse, make an offer. It's not the dog's fault the people are stupid, it's not the dog's fault they're making her seem like "just an object". You're a good home, right? If you get snitty with the people about the way they're going about this, the dog may go to someone who will BREED her to death in their back yard, or worse. Offer what you think you can afford, what you would pay if they asked, and take the dog away from that situation.
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I saw an add a few weeks ago for a 10 month old male saint pup in the Niagara region. They were asking $50 - because he got too big! Huh?? Some people make you wonder........ .
I hope you get her!! Sounds like they do not care about her anyway........ poor girl!
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That sounds a little odd to me, you would think they would know what they want for her??? Maybe they are having financial problems to the point that she is the only posession they have that is worth anything and they are just trying to see how big of a price they can get for her?
Just a thought! People do desparate things when they need money!!! I think you should do what you said and ask what kind of offer they are looking for! I think she needs you to give her a forever home! GOOD LUCK!!!!
Carole
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Offer $50 and the chance for them to live....Ok, just kidding. Make an offer. Regardless of how they make it seem, they may really not know what to ask and they may be so overwhelmed with financial concerns that this is the least of the priorities.
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I know it sounds awful on the surface, but she does sound like she was taken care of very well. She is housebroken and kennel trained, which means she was kept indoors and not in a backyard kennel with little attention. They took her to obedience school and made sure her hips were tested so they cared about her safety and health.
Sometimes people fall on hard times and have to make very difficult decisions. If (God Forbid) things ever got so bad I had to make the heart-wrenching decision to rehome my dogs I could never put a price on them. I think that may be why they are just asking for an offer. How can you put a price on your failure to love and protect something that was so dear to you.
I would explain to them that you will need to pay $xx for the spay so you can only afford to give them $xxx for an adoption fee, but you can guarantee she will be spoiled rotten and never want for anything. I actually applaud them for asking for an adoption fee - people do not tend to value what they get for free and they must want her to be a valued part of someone's household.
Jeanne
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They might just be really confused and don't know what to ask for an adoption fee. Just imagine it as if they said, "adoption fee negotiable."
When Leeloo came to us, Will's first impression of the previous owner was awful just judging by the classified ad. But upon meeting her and talking to her she was a really nice lady who just couldn't handle the responsibility of a huge dog anymore and was sincerely looking for a great new home for Leeloo. (Lucky us!) :)
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I agree with Doghealer, sometimes it is really hard to get across the meaning with written words. A phone call or a visit would probably clear up the confusion. When we rescued Hutch at ten months, his adoption fee was $100, and he was already neutered. It wasn't the money that they were after, it was a good FOREVER home. I swear that they wanted to know everything about us, EVERYTHING!!! Good luck!
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I don't think they are bad people at all. I just have a hard time putting a price on a pet. Offering $50 or $100 on someones cherished pet is just awkward to me. I think I would be insulted if someone offered me $50 for Bubba because in my mind he's priceless. Bubba is never going anywhere.. but I know you all know what I mean.
I just got an email back and I'll just paste what she says.. She's definitely is a caring owner. ""we were thinking 300$ plus we will bring her down to you, where are you located? also just wondering if your male is fixed and if you are planning of geting her spayed. I wish i could do it before trying to find her a home but cant.
Now comes my dilemma.. Bubba is not fixed yet, he will be done at 2. Once I tell this lady that Bubba is not yet fixed she is going to assume.. I know I would probably assume the same thing. She doesn't know me from a hole in the ground. The female is 7 months old.. so I have some time to let her settle in before taking her in to be spayed.
I still have to talk to my hubby yet also. He may have other plans. He's been talking Newfie lately again. But I saw this girl and I had to find out about her.
I will let you all know what happens...
Here's a pic of her.. she's a half mask, rough coat. I still don't know her name though.
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I would do just what you're doing. Did you already have a maximum amount in mind for an adoption fee if you found a Saint in a shelter? If so, ask for anything below that. Otherwise, leave it up to them and if it's too high, I am pretty sure they will be open to negotiating. I got my Dolly for $100 cheaper because I was willing (and the breeder was too!) try and work the price out with them. She sounds like a great dog though! Best wishes!
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She is completely up to date on her shots. She just needs to be spayed. And I'm assuming that's going to run about $250ish? depending on her weight.
I don't want to get too carried away because hubby could still say no. He's the one dishing out the adoption fee so I can't really overrule him if he does say no. :-\
$300 does seem a bit steep to me since she's not spayed. If my hubby says yes I'll see what I can negotiate.
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She's REALLY cute!!!
(I had my heart set on a girl just like her before we picked out Teddy. She looks so similar to the girl I wanted that I even went back to check old pics but the mask was the opposite side.)
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I just checked hoobly and she's not on there. The only ad under Saints is for some saint mix puppies.. which looks to be a puppy mill, go figure. >:(
In my last post I posted her email and they are asking $300 including delivering her to my home. So they kinda of would be doing a home check at the same time. Which also shows me they do care where she is going.
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NP, I figured you didn't see the email.. She is cute though. She looks so much different from the side with the mask. I wouldn't even have known that was the same girl at first glance.
She sent me another email.. she said they could take her back where they got her from. But they want to use her in their breeding program and she doesn't want that. So it sounds like she came from a byb. I really hope it wasn't a puppy mill. Ack!
I'll mention driving up to them.. I would really like to meet her before we make a final decision.
Hubby won't be home for another 6-7 hours though. :(
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Wait!! Wait, Wait a minute! I just noticed something in the pics she sent me. Liz I think you are right..
Look at this pic... does that not look like a big ol Saint foot beside her... If they can't afford her.. I'm so confused now.. Her name is Gypsy.. and there email has 2 dog names in it... one being Gypsy.. I didn't think much of it until I saw the other paw.
I knew something wasn't right because they want to drop her off to me sight unseen.. ??? Ok maybe I'm just over reacting. ???
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Wait!! Wait, Wait a minute! I just noticed something in the pics she sent me. Liz I think you are right..
Look at this pic... does that not look like a big ol Saint foot beside her... If they can't afford her.. I'm so confused now.. Her name is Gypsy.. and there email has 2 dog names in it... one being Gypsy.. I didn't think much of it until I saw the other paw.
I knew something wasn't right because they want to drop her off to me sight unseen.. ??? Ok maybe I'm just over reacting. ???
The plot thickens!...That certainly does look like some kind of big ol' paw next to her!...E-mail them back & ask what is going to become of their other dog...Let me know soon...I can't wait! :-\ B.t.w., She is a good lookin' gal! :)
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Opps I meant her email address contains the names gypsy and moose. 2 of the pics seem cropped.. but they couldn't crop out the foot without cropping her out.
Like this pic.. definitely cropped..
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Opps I meant her email address contains the names gypsy and moose. 2 of the pics seem cropped.. but they couldn't crop out the foot without cropping her out.
Like this pic.. definitely cropped..
But my gawd is she cute!!!!!!!!! I am dying here!...It does all seem very suspicious but all I can do is look at her & plot how to get her myself! :D :D :D j/k ;)
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LOL And her name is Gypsy too.. how fitting. I'm emailing her now. I'm just trying to think of how to ask if they have another dog without sounding like I'm accusing her.
Liz, I do have a couple older pictures. The first one I posted because I liked that one. The older pics I have don't really show her face that well. They are side views.
Opps I meant her email address contains the names gypsy and moose. 2 of the pics seem cropped.. but they couldn't crop out the foot without cropping her out.
Like this pic.. definitely cropped..
But my gawd is she cute!!!!!!!!! I am dying here!...It does all seem very suspicious but all I can do is look at her & plot how to get her myself! :D :D :D j/k ;)
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Lyn, perhaps you can ask them where they got her from, so that you can check out her parents, if possible. I don't mean to black hat this, but medical bills for a Saint with congenital problems can be VERY pricey. We spent over $4k on poor Guinness, our first Saint who had the eye problem and that wiped us out for quite a while. I would want to have her vet checked by my own vet as well as see her parents, before I committed to her.
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Yeah I remember what you went through with Guinness. Major illness/problems are definitely on my mind. They make her out to sound so perfect.. She must have some bad habits.. although most dogs are perfect in the eyes of their owners.
I'm still waiting on her reply to my question about having another dog.
It bothers me that they seem to want to get rid of her quick.. I'll find out what I can.. and give hubby the last word.
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Good luck with your decision - it seems like Bubba is going to be a big brother before the week is over :D.
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I'd also recommend seeing if you could see the environment the dogs lives in. We've looked at adopting from the petfinder classifieds and some ads on there are fishy. We were interested in a newfie in Ohio. I sent several emails with many questions. The only response I received from the lady was that she was off from work over the weekend. Driving 12 hours round trip without any answers to my questions...I don't think so. Thought disappointed, it hit me that we probably shouldn't adopt from her.
As for cost, families shouldn't try to recoup the cost of the pet. The fee they ask should be to try to ensure they are adopting to a good family. You would be giving them a loving home. As others mentioned, I would also figure the cost of getting her fixed her into the negotiations. If they are worried about Gipsy not getting fixed, I know some people return a portion of the fee after they receive proof it was done.
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I smell something fishy and I'm almost certain the smell isn't coming from my dog.
I think you are doing all the right things. We got Badger without having enough information and soon, when he has his next surgery, we will be at around 7000.00
Once you have a dog with problems you have no choice but to do what you can to fix them, and that can be financially and emotionally devistating.
I agree that you need to find out about the owner of that other paw.
:D
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Rescue fees for Saint Bernards within the Saint Bernard Rescue Foundation Inc. have adoption fees varying from $150 to $350. Usually the younger pups are the more expensive ones. I agree with everyone else, you do have to watch out for the health problems with a rescue, but I have absolutley NO regrets over adopting Hutch, I couldn't imagine life without him. Rescue is one of those gamble things, and there is no reward greater than getting all of that unconditional love in return! If you are overly worried about her health, and she is close enough to you, you could always do a vet check up before you made up your mind.
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Our adoption fee with rescue was $350. Max (at 5 months old) came fixed, current on all shots, and micro-chipped. I agree with Saintgirl, with any rescue adoption (private or through a rescue organization or shelter) you do run the risk of health problems coming up with no health guarantee. I know the rescue we adopted from is run by someone who works as a vet tech. She is knowledgeable on saints and lets potential adoptee know what special medical needs the dog has that she is aware of. However, not everything can be checked. Health issues can come up and the risk will always be there. We, though, wouldn’t have done it any other way. Max has also brought so much joy to our lives. And I still look at petfinder every day looking to adopt again through a rescue, shelter, or private party.
If your gut is telling you something is not quite right, doesn’t hurt to keep digging.
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I would get as much information as possible. There could be more than just a byb issue going on here. Do you know these people very well at all before you go to their house or they come to yours? Be sure you have your husband with you when you go. I'm just thinking of countless horror stories where soemone over the internet said, "I have the dog here, you can come get it tomorrow," and it ends being a dangerous situation, such as there is no dog and now that person is far away from people they know with a stranger. Just be careful, no matter what! The Saint does look well cared for and I think it sounds like you are right; the owner does care about her and where she goes. I pray that God gives you wisdom no matter what decisions you make.
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$300 doesn't sound drastic, if it includes them bringing her TO you, as opposed to having to get her.
I would want to check the kennel out as thoroughly as you can, though.
I agree there's a pretty good chance it's a byb--but it's also possible that it's not. It's also possible that there's more to it than 'I can take her back', it may be that she's SUPPOSED to take her back, but won't get any kind of refund if she does. (Isn't it pretty much the rule that responsible breeders want to rehome their own pups?)
You might have a financially pressed family who genuinely love their dog, but also need the money, and think this is a way to address both issues. My concern is that if the dog's supposed to go back to the breeder if the family can't keep it, you could end up in the middle of a custody mess.
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NoDogNow, You bring up a very good point. I've asked where she came from.. and she just skips over the question. I've also asked if she has an behaviour problems.. no answer to that either. I'm wondering also if she was suppose to go back to the breeder.
She did reply back to me and they do have another Saint which explains the big paw in the pics.
I also searched some other classified sites and found her ad for this pup on adpost.ca. Only she lists herself as being from Quebec. On the other site it says they are in Toronto. It's sounding just too fishy to me.
http://www.adpost.com/ca/pets/16791
I didn't mention any of this to my hubby. I just let him read her emails and look at the pics. I wanted to see if he thought anything was odd about it. First thing he said to me was something isn't right here.
I feel bad for this puppy.. But I honestly don't really want these people coming to my house. There's something odd going on here. :(