Two weeks ago yesterday, my partner and I drove an hour and a half south, in driving rain, to pick up a german shepherd from a 'rescue shelter'. We were told the cost would be $100, and that cash was preferred. We were also informed that the animal would have its shots, deflead, spayed, and microchipped, plus it would be socialized and given basic leash training.
When we arrived at the shelter, in the middle of nowhere, still in the driving rain, the currene owner of the dog was there, waiting for us, along with the owner of the shelter and a person called a 'dog whisperer'.
The cash was put onto the table by my partner, whereupon the owner grabbed it, pocketed it, and had my partner fill out several forms, which we were informed we WOULD have copies of, along with a sales receipt.
The real owner never, ever touched the money! It went right from the table to the pocket of the shelter owner in front of three witnesses.
We were THEN informed that the dog did NOT have her shots, was NOT spayed, deflead, or microchipped and that, because the copier was messed up, the papers would be sent to our address the very next day. To this day, this promise, among many others, remains unkept.
At this time the dog was given us, final instructions given by the so-called 'dog whisperer', assurances of assistance, hugs, and photos taken for the shelter's website.
Our prior research indicated that the animal WAS listed listed, photo included, as adoptable and when we arrived home, after another hour and a half drive in the pouring rain, put into the 'adopted' category, along with a paragraph praising my partner and I for 'giving Allie a wonderful, forever home'.
When we arrived home, the dog went ballistic. I stayed up all night trying to calm her down, cleaning up her urine and feces, petting and hugging her, etc., until she finally fell asleep at around 5am. I done this many times since then.
This dog was NOT even housetrained, much less socialized, not to mention not being leash trained at all. I have devoted the last two weeks attempting to correct this, with limited success.
ALL attempts to contact the shelter, its owner and/or volunteers were totally ignored. Phone calls went unanswered, promises ignored, e-mails blown off, and my partner was removed, as was I, from participating in the shelter's Facebook website.
I then used the venue of Craigsbook to get my case out, contacted volunteers via the Facebook website, trying hard to get this situation resolved in a civil manner. My partner is going blind and is in extreme pain most of the time, and this has taken a heavy toll on her.
Since my efforts to resolve the situation started, I have been slandered, ignored, censored on craigslist, etc. The owner even went so far as to issue threats against me via e-mail to my friends online and threaten my partner with the loss of the dog via e-mail.
We had to change our home number because of the numerous harrassing phone calls we were getting. Apparently the owner freely gave this number to anybody who wanted it, as was and is, unlisted.
The owner then used the numbers of my partner's daughters and that of a trusted neighbor, given as reference, to further threaten action; leaving messages on all three phones that she 'feared for the safety of bella and allie at randy's hands', and that she WOULD call the local police on us.
I have subsequently found out that she has sent her representatives to our home to 'case' the property and discover incriminating information which she could then use against us for her own purposes. If this action is not illegal, it is certainly immoral.
My partner and I have foregone asking for the shots, spaying, microchipping, and defleaing, to which we WERE entitled, and requested, several times, in plain English, to be given copies of the signed papers and the sales receipt for the dog, so we could prove ownership of said animal when we go to license and give the dog shots.
This has NOT been forthcoming, though it would only take fifteen minutes on a computer to e-mail copies to my partner or myself.instead, on the occasions they deigned to talk to us via e-mail we were informed that the former owner was responsible for this. This contact was made ONLY after I excercised my Fifth Amendment rights and told people online and on the phone what had happened to us and promised the owner and her representatives that we would not stop in our attempts to get said papers until they were forthcoming.
I have since been accused of 'threatening' and 'intimidating' the shelter and it's volunteers which is not true. While, being a former NCO in the military, I know my language is rather abrupt, it was NOT threatening, slanderous, or inflammatory in any fashion to a reasonable adult. I have been harrassed, online and on the phone, by representatives of this shelter, including the owner's daughter, threatened with legal action, slandered on her website, and the list goes on. My partner has also received her share of harrassment at the hands of these people.
Please help us stop this. Please help us stop this person from doing this to others, and to obtain simple justice!
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