va32h
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2005
- Messages
- 4,667
My brother and his family lost their elderly Jack Russell terrier shortly before Christmas. He sent an email to the breeder, just to let her know that the dog had passed, and she mentioned that they had another litter which would be, I suppose, their dog's cousins or something.
So...you guessed it, in an emotional moment, he bought not one but two new puppies, and gave them to his kids for Christmas.
Fast forward a few weeks, and the situation has become a disaster. The kids hadn't wanted the puppies in the first place, and really aren't interested in them at all. My brother had forgotten what it is like to have a puppy in the house and is extremely exasperated with training and overall dealing with the pups.
Someone told him it was a bad idea to get littermates, as they will "bond with each other and not the family", so the poor puppies are crated separately, which is where they spend virtually all their time, except when they are let out to potty.
So my brother and his wife have decided to sell one of the pups, and then maybe the other one "will be easier to deal with".
I'm really mad at my brother. And disappointed. So many bad decisions made, and the puppies seem really unhappy.
I am not in a position to take one myself, and neither are my other siblings. We all have other pets that would not mesh well with a high-energy dog like a Jack Russell.
We have been strongly encouraging our brother to return the puppies to the breeder, and consider the money spent the price of a lesson learned. In fact, some of us are considering calling the breeder behind his back! It's heartbreaking to hear those puppies cry in their crates.
Now granted, I am in another state, but I think I am getting the accurate story, as even my brother himself has admitted it was a bad idea.
I think he would give them away, but his wife wants to make back some of the $800 they spent on the puppies.
Just a lousy situation all around.
So...you guessed it, in an emotional moment, he bought not one but two new puppies, and gave them to his kids for Christmas.
Fast forward a few weeks, and the situation has become a disaster. The kids hadn't wanted the puppies in the first place, and really aren't interested in them at all. My brother had forgotten what it is like to have a puppy in the house and is extremely exasperated with training and overall dealing with the pups.
Someone told him it was a bad idea to get littermates, as they will "bond with each other and not the family", so the poor puppies are crated separately, which is where they spend virtually all their time, except when they are let out to potty.
So my brother and his wife have decided to sell one of the pups, and then maybe the other one "will be easier to deal with".
I'm really mad at my brother. And disappointed. So many bad decisions made, and the puppies seem really unhappy.
I am not in a position to take one myself, and neither are my other siblings. We all have other pets that would not mesh well with a high-energy dog like a Jack Russell.
We have been strongly encouraging our brother to return the puppies to the breeder, and consider the money spent the price of a lesson learned. In fact, some of us are considering calling the breeder behind his back! It's heartbreaking to hear those puppies cry in their crates.
Now granted, I am in another state, but I think I am getting the accurate story, as even my brother himself has admitted it was a bad idea.
I think he would give them away, but his wife wants to make back some of the $800 they spent on the puppies.
Just a lousy situation all around.
