Sad To Report...

by Elizabeth
(Jacksonville, Texas)

Hello All,
This is Elizabeth from Texas. I am sad to report that "Harley" did'nt work out. Fact is, he was perfect in every way. Finally. We found out that he was ill. Our veternarian said that it would cost us ALOT of money to get him healthy and we just do not have that kind of finances.
We are on a very limited income, have a child to raise and there is the issue of my own health problems to contend with. He (Harley) was vitamin deficient, had a skin disorder and heartworms. There was nothing we could do.
Unfortunately, the "nice" lady I had purchased him from had lied to us. This time was different. I called her. I was not, once again, going to allow someone to simply not give a damn about me or their "precious dog" that they "only wanted to find a good home for".
I can only hope that after I was through with her, maybe, just maybe, she had realized that God does not forget the things that we do in our lives. In any event, I was able to place "Harley" in a home with a family who had the money to help him properly.
I can only pray that all will be fine for him. The family were more than willing to pay for his medical expenses so they at least knew full on that he needed medical attention.
Through it all I have not understood why people place such high prices on their dogs and "only want them to go to loving homes". I am sorry, selling your dog for $500+ does not, in any way, guarantee that your dog will be loved and cared for. What about the people just like me and my family? We have a beautiful home, live on 7 acres of fenced yard and have so much love to give to the right dog. What is missing...I can not logically spend a large amount of money for a dog when I have serious medical problems, a child, utilities to pay, etc. I am no different really than most, I am not special.
Many people do not have this kind of money here (right now) in the U.S. because of the economy. Some people are just downright mean as well when you even ask if $500 is the LOWEST they will take for their dog. And then there is the issue of trust. You know, trust is a deadly disease, is'nt it? It's deadly for animals and for people alike. It's a scary disease that nobody has found a cure for. I believe that I gain absolutely nothing by lying to people. When this life is over, I can only hope that people will remember me as a good person rather than for material things that I (may have) acquired.
I also feel that if every person who owns animals would put themselves in the animals' place, perhaps they could see life differently. I always provide fresh food, water, treats, have many toys for and a nice bed waiting for any dog I've ever owned. We have 23 chickens, all pets, and in Texas it gets HOT in the summer. I think, would I want a cool, wet hole to lay in, fresh water, a little scratch to eat...of course I would and I make for certain that even our chickens have just that...daily.
Some people simply do not care or think twice about anything except themselves. I can no longer be angry at these people in which I've encountered, I can only pray for them.
In any event, we do have yet another little Mini Schnauzer waiting to come home with us. I stumbled upon this nice lady not very far from us actually who is going through a divorce. "Chaz" is a Black/White Parti and has been quite spoiled on all accounts. He is UTD on all shots (did my research...you live and you learn) and he actually was born on a friend's place that breeds Parti's (close family friend). This time around, I KNOW the dog, I KNOW where he came from (well cared for, good stock) and we are buying him at a reasonable price.
He is wonderful with children as most Schnauzers are, housebroke and playful yet not over-bearing as far as hyper-activity. Weird thing is, we seen this little dog out at our breeder friend's kennel about a year ago. Our son (coincidently) called him "Lacey" because as a pup he was constantly playing and untying our son's shoe laces. The lady we are buying him from said that he "loved shoe laces as a puppy and was constantly untying her children's shoes". Perhaps he's come home to us after all.
Then I could not care for a puppy due to my seizures so it was out of the question anyway although our son loved him. In a roundabout way, he's now 1 yr. old, housebroke and ready for us. Maybe it was God's way after all. Believe me, I've questioned God, my own judgement and life in general ever since loosing "Skippy". It has not been easy.
I truly felt ridiculous on a few occasions when we'd bring something home and it just would not be suitable or it was sick. Frustration is all I can say to sum things up.
When you have limited income anyway, you manage to buy a dog and it DOES NOT work out, for whatever reason, it's frightening because that was money we could have used and not give to dishonest people. Well, you can not go backwards, only forward. I hope that my letter does not scare anyone from buying a dog or dealing with people.
Life is what it is and if you can not deal with life then you are in for a very hard time of it. You simply have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving on believing that something good will happen.
God Bless you all & you too Max.
Thanks, as always, for allowing me the opportunity to write in. I enjoy your website and it is very well-done.