In the spring of 2008 my family decided to adopt a puppy. We had lost a beloved family dog in February from cancer and old age. While we still had a dog who was 11 years old we really wanted to add to our family and started to look towards local humane societies. Unfortunately many of these dogs were large breeds and we really wanted a small dog to play with the shih tzu/maltese mix that we still had.
While surfing the web I found that there were many "rescues" listed and many that even listed animals that had been saved from puppy mills.in early May I found a mother dog listed as Disney who had puppies that would soon be ready for adoption. Because we had been told Disney was a yorkie/pap pion mix we inquired about puppies. The "rescue" was named Thyme and Sage Ranch and it's owner, Jennifer Petkus, and I exchanged emails.
I was not able to see the puppies but after getting a description, my son and I placed a hold on our "Kasey". She was described as a tan and white female and after looking at the picture of the mom we knew it was meant to be.
I sent the deposit as requested and asked for updates each week. I had been told that the mother had been rescued and was in foster care and was an hour away. Even though I asked for frequent updates and asked to visit I was told that Kasey, her mother and litter mates were being fostered an hour away and that the foster did not have a camera. I received one picture during the 4 weeks that she was basically on hold for us. I had been told all along that Kasey would not be ready to come to our home until the first full weekend in June. That would have been June 7th or 8th. I was upset that we could not visit but Jennifer said it was for the health of the puppies and strongly encouraged me to wait until she was ready for pickup.
Suddenly Jennifer emailed me and said I could pick her up a week earlier than originally planned. I made the appointment to pick up Kasey on May 31 packed a bag with stuff that we had purchased for Kasey and left for the "rescue" that following Saturday.
When we got to the Thyme and Sage Ranch, in Richland County, where she claims to "rescue" her animals, we first saw people and cars every where. Then we saw horses, geese, dogs, and puppies in a pen in the yard. It was a warm day and the sun was very hot but when I asked about my puppy I was told it was too cold for her and she was in the back of the truck. Jennifer Petkus, the owner of the site, went to the truck and brought me back a little puppy that was what had been described to me when I made the agreement with her.
Kasey was very animated and it was obvious that she wanted to play and have any kind of companionship. Kasey did smell pretty bad but I felt that after looking at Jennifer who did appear to have feces or dirt all over her it was possible the puppy had played in the barn area as she smelled much like manure. After Jennifer "checked out" another couple who was receiving their dog she came to me and said she would check me out. While we were waiting my son heard Jennifer speak of Disney, the dog Jennifer had listed as my puppy's mother in the advertisement on Petfinders.com, and that she had died. When we went up on Jennifer's porch I asked her about Disney and she told me that there had been a terrible accident with her at the foster's home. She said that the foster had left Disney outside with their dog and that the other dog had attacked Disney and caused life threatening injuries to her. She even went as far as to say that Disney and a puppy had been intended to be adopted by the foster family and now they could not take the puppy.
She informed me that the puppy that was returned was a black and brown female. I had said maybe we would want to look at her since my son originally wanted a black and brown dog not tan and white. Jennifer then quickly stated that they dog looked more like a Chihuahua than a Yorkie and we would probably not be happy with her.
I talked to my son and he said he was happy with our choice and glad he picked her. Jennifer then hurriedly got a couple pieces of copied documentation out of a box and had me sign a spay/neuter contract. She quickly filled in some blanks on a piece of paper with Kasey's breed, name, and filled in a bunch of X's where the vaccination information should have gone. Jennifer then gave me two sheets of paper about Coccidia and Giardia and mentioned it was something she could possibly get if she was stressed out and if so to contact my vet. This did not bother me since I knew she would not have any stress and Jennifer said Kasey had been vaccinated on Friday (May 30).
I had already checked with my vet, who we had used for years, about what he would recommend for feeding and when I should bring her in for her next vaccinations. After finishing the paperwork we packed Kasey up after some pictures for Jennifer's "Happy Tails" part of her website, Jennifer told me that we might want to water Kasey from time to time on the way home and feed her since they had withheld food since 8 A.M. That morning. This was at almost 2 P.M. Which meant the puppy had not been given anything for more than 6 hours already. I didn't question it because we had a two hour drive home and I didn't know if she would get car sick or not being so very little. Never wondering if it was because Kasey was already sick and Jennifer knew as much.
We then drove home, stopping a couple of times for water and potty breaks but she was amazing on the drive home. Very calm and sleeping on and off. I was in complete shock that she did so well. My own 11 year old (very healthy) Shih Tzu/Maltese dog does not do good in a car for 10 minutes let alone 10 miles. I was to realize later that the puppy we adopted after Kasey's death was not happy in the car at all in the beginning and did not take the drive home well.
When we got home I tried to feed Kasey and it was obvious she did not have much interest in food and I figured she was just excited. I spent time with her on Saturday and Sunday trying to get her to eat better but she really did not have much interest but was however drinking. I did call Jennifer on Sunday and ask how to get Kasey to eat better and then tried to wet the food and it seemed a little better and Kasey started to eat. I even went and bought some wet food and mixed it with the dry and she ate some of that too but still not eating as well as I would have thought. I did contact my vet and he had pretty much the same suggestions and as long as she was drinking I felt all was well.
On Wednesday night, June 4th, I noticed that Kasey seemed much more tired but I had played with her quite a bit and she pretty much stayed right by me most of the time so I felt she was just tuckered out being so very little. She was at this point about a pound and a half. We had bad weather that night and into the next morning. When I heard the very bad weather about 7 A.M. I realized that Kasey had not woke me up and it scared me. When I opened the crate I realized that she had been sick in the night and she did not come to me as she usually had done. I reached to the back and she was limp. I immediately called my vet and ran her in to be checked. At that time she was dehydrated from being ill in her crate and had depleted her glucose levels. I did not understand this rapid turn of events because not only did I get up in the middle of the night to let her out, feed, and water her but then my husband would before work as well.
After the initial check the vet asked me to leave her there and to treat her with IV fluids. Later that day Kasey perked up and based on the shot record that Jennifer had given me my vet only checked her fecal matter for Coccidia and Giardia. He was shocked at how high the levels were and said that he felt she had been in the worst possible environment as a puppy. Because we still believed that Kasey had been vaccinated for Parvo and a phone call to and from Jennifer again reassured me that it could not be Parvo because she had vaccinated her accordingly, she was not tested at that time for Parvo.
I must say I was confused and caught that Jennifer could not tell me exactly when she had been vaccinated and when I asked with what she gave me a different name than originally noted on my paperwork. While I caught this inconsistency, I did not bring it to her attention but did note it because Jennifer had called me back and had a chance if need be to check her paperwork. My vet informed me that we should treat my other dog with antibiotics as a precaution. After the day with the vet he instructed me how to care for her and sent us home. I should note that my vet had given us his personal number before because of the cancer in our older dog and even checked to see if we still had it so if Kasey should turn we could take contact him as quickly as needed.
Because of Kasey being so ill and possibility to transmit the parasites to humans, I was the only one that dealt with Kasey's needs even going as far as having her sleep with me so I could take her out as needed and clean her up good since her bowels had gotten so bad. We disinfected all of the items that had been in any contact with Kasey as directed by the vet and hoped that things would improve.
Kasey seemed to pick up some and Friday I thought we were out of the woods. Saturday morning I woke up and Kasey again had gotten sick. I immediately got her some water and her medicine and tried to soothe her since she did nothing but whimper at this point. I kept her warm and in my arms for two hours until 8 A.M. When my husband got up. But because she was now throwing up and I knew it was the last symptom and was pretty sure that Kasey had Parvo. The vet had said it was the only symptom missing when she had been there on Wednesday.
Once at the vet's office, we were immediately taken into the back and a Parvo test was administered. The Parvo test came back as a very strong positive, not any doubt at all. This was so very upsetting to me since I had called Jennifer on Wednesday when Kasey got sick and she said that she had used Pfizer 7 Way on Saturday before we got Kasey. This of course was not what Jennifer had said or written on my paperwork. She had said she vaccinated her on Friday when I signed the paperwork and had written 7 Way Van Guard which is not the preferred vaccination and can be bought just about anywhere per my veterinarian. Obviously these lies started to add up but I did not address her about them at this point because I was not sure if my puppy was going to be okay or not but I was hopeful.
This was of course now Saturday June 7th and after the positive Parvo test my vet told me that he would have to hospitalize Kasey and keep her a couple days. He said she was still not out of the woods but he would do what he could. I have always been very satisfied with my veterinarian and knew he would do his very best because of how he had treated our other animals. I was also aware that he treated the local canine officers and had been for years because I was a disabled police officer. We stayed long enough to see that he was able to get an IV in Kasey, not what I thought since she was only 1.3 lbs and had she been dehydrated nearly impossible. That was a sign that we really thought she would be okay. We then left Kasey in their care on Saturday mid day and waited to hear from the vet and his staff.
Before we left the veterinarian's office I did call Jennifer with my husband and the vet present. Jennifer again blamed me for causing stress and that it was our fault that she caught Parvo. Parvo has an inoculation period of 7-14 days and that meant she already had it when I brought her home. It was a blessing that we had just had my other dog in for regular shots and dental care. We were able to prove she was healthy and not the cause of the disease and parasites that were now reaping havoc on Kasey's body. When I told Jennifer that she lied to me and that I might have been able to save her she told me "I don't have time for this" and before she could hang up I guaranteed she would hear from me again.
Jennifer my vet and myself like idiots and gave us absolutely no respect at all. There were no apologies at all and nothing but blame. She is surely not the woman I would expect to be running a "rescue".
Because I had not heard from my vet on Sunday I surely felt there was a problem but was still holding out hope. Monday morning my phone rang at 8 A.M. And it was indeed my vet. He told me that Kasey had died. He said her body temperature had dropped Sunday afternoon and that she again became lethargic. He said her heart rate started to decline and he tried to give her medicine to help her but that the heart had been so severely damaged by the Parvo and she did not make it.
This was devastating to me but worse I had to tell my son about this and this was supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life as he was starting drivers education that morning.
So after collecting myself and breaking the news to my son, I spoke to my husband and we decided that Kasey's little life and death would not be vain. I called the Richland County Sheriff's Office and spoke with them about this entire situation since my vet said that even had she been vaccinated once he felt she could have possibly made it. I initially was told that they would have a deputy go out and investigate this situation since it is obvious that she allows puppies to play where geese feces is and that alone is a danger to the puppies and to their owners because Giardia is contagious to humans. Jennifer should know that and did not say she didn't but said my puppy was never on her grounds. I know that I put her down not knowing that was the case as many regular puppy owners don't know about these things until it is too late. It was also my understanding that Thyme and Sage Ranch held the contract as the animal control officer for Richland County. This alone needed to be reported because healthy strays could infected if picked up by Jennifer and kept on her ranch before getting back to their owners.
No one in Richland County acted as if this was a problem. Shortly after Kasey's death and posting her story on line I found two more victims that were adopted the same day as my Kasey but had died within a day or two of each other. Both puppies were different breeds and their owners had been put through the same treatment. Jennifer accused them of making their pets ill and that said their vets did not know how to handle our animals.
I have continued to fight for what is right since Jennifer continued to adopt out sick and dying animals without proper vetting. I have learned that once a legitimate "rescue" finds out that there is ONE dog with any parasites or Parvo the quarantine ALL the dogs still in their control and treat accordingly as we did our older dog.
Jennifer did not do this and continued until a search warrant was served to her on her property in May. Jennifer has trials pending and continues to bad mouth victims like myself, especially if we are vocal. Jennifer had threatened to sue any victim that challenged her with liable and slander but I know that you can only be found guilty if you are lying.
Sadly after the search warrants the sheriff's department took 72 complaints from victims like myself. Many of us called their departments when we lost our pets but were told it was a civil issue. To date everything that I have told the Richland County authorities has been truthful including her dogs having mange and there were dead animals had been stacked up behind one of Jennifer's buildings. I sent them that information in December before they AGAIN awarded the county's animal control contract to Jennifer because she was cheaper.
December was not the first time that the sheriff's department, the county board supervisors or the district attorney's office had heard from me. I kept them aware from the start of my fight and even try to have contact with them often. But they are not quite as forthcoming. Jennifer is violating the conditions of her bail every day. When Jennifer was in front of the judge on August 24th for bail jumping, the same judge that set those conditions, was too busy to deal with it... It is written into the court record.
During the raid over 300 animals were confiscated and in 10 days more than a half a million dollars was spent for their care. Although Jennifer got 10 "personal pets" back she now has over 30 domestic animals again on her property, many of those needing medical attention but not getting it. Only 270 or so were released. That means that the remainder of the nearly 400 animals are still being held in the Dane County Humane Society's shelter waiting for forever homes. Why won't Jennifer release these animals for adoption if she was truly doing it for their best interest? There is a civil case pending to force her to release these animals. It is because they have some monetary value to her? A means to make a living?
I am hopeful that Jennifer Petkus will be found guilty when her criminal trial is held in the spring of 2010. But meanwhile she has puppies again on her property and NO ONE in the county cares about this. While I realize the state statutes for animals is vague, she is in violation of her conditions of bond, HOLD HER ACCOUNTABLE.
I have said that we saved Kasey's name for three years to get just the right dog only to use it so little and now never able to use it again. I am going to make sure that my Kasey or the other victims dogs did not die in vain.
If there is a particular reason you look here for Jennifer's name or that of her ranch please do not adopt from her. These animals are more than likely not healthy and she is not the good hearted person she may seem to be. She did not offer to help or take my puppy back as she tells people she does. I was not only NOT given a refund but spent nearly $1,000 total only to watch her die. She did this to many individuals using a non-for-profit tax number. No matter how many questions I pose to the authorities Jennifer continues her behavior. Please look elsewhere for your next family pet. If it seems to easy or too good it is.
Thanks for reading this.
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