Adopt Don't Shop

I had to learn the hard way that you Adopt and don't Shop. Here is my story.

Two years ago me and my mom decided to get a puppy. We both knew that we wanted a German Shepherd or Husky mix. I was looking at all of the shelters and all kinds of different websites. That was my first mistake.

I stumbled upon a website with a man selling "Full Blooded German Shepherd Puppies." I should have known straight up that it was a scam, but sadly I did not. I called the number listed and talked to a man from Maryland. He said that he had a boy German Shepherd named Max and sent me pictures. I was love struck. He said that he would fly the puppy down on a plane if I gave him $150. Again should have caught onto the massive red flag. I went and got my birthday money from my grandfather a month early. Then me and my mom headed to a western union and I sent this man the money. After a day he said that the puppy had to have a special crate to be on the plane. Guess what, I had to pay for that. He said that it would be $900 and I did not have that kind of money and he knew that. I kept messaging him and he would not send me my money back. I am now positive that there was never really any puppies, he would just scam little kids out of money for the heck of it.

I was really upset, I mean I spent $150 that I didn't have and did not get a puppy. After a couple of days I decided to go on Facebook I searched "German Shepherd Puppies for sale". After scrolling I found a litter of German Shepherd mix puppies for $20. I immediately messaged the lady and got updated pictures and found the puppy that I wanted. The lady lived 5 hours away from me, so me, my mom, and my best friend drove all the way there the next day.

When we got there we saw a bunch of little puppies. My mom picked one up and he just cuddled up to her. When I held him, he did the same thing. I fell in love with him. Bear is what I finally decided to name him. He was such a cuddly dog. He was also well trained for a puppy. On the drive home he never did anything in the car, and waited to go to the bathroom when we stopped. Even when we got to my house he did not mess up anything. He got along with my other dog and slept with me everynight. Bear was truly the greatest puppy on the face of the earth. He would never leave my side wherever I went around the house. Bear was a very happy puppy.

Then after having Bear for only eight days I noticed that something was wrong. He was having diarrhea and his stomach was really squishy. I gave him some food soaked in warm water and that's when I definitely knew something was very wrong. He was having diarrhea, but there was also a lot of blood. I showed mom and she said that she would call the vet first thing in the morning.

When I woke up the next morning I didn't give him any food just water, so that he wouldn't have any accidents. She called Crab Orchard Veterinary Services in Tazewell, Virginia. It was the closest vet to us and we thought they would be great since a lot of people go there. When mom told them what was going on they said to come on, but wait in the parking lot so they could check if he had Parvo. I was heartbroken. One of the vet techs came to the car and took a swab and tested it. They said that it came back negative and brought us in. The Veterinarian came in and took him to the back and said that he had a mild case of Hook Worms. She said that he was given a pill and that would help kill the worms. She said that he would be fine and to come back in a couple weeks. She lied.

Just a couple hours later I noticed Bear was having even more diarrhea. After just a few minutes he was having trouble breathing. I picked him up and held him to my chest as my mom and me both started crying. I kept asking her what was wrong, but I already knew the answer...he was dying. I took him outside and he used the bathroom on me, as that is what some dogs tend to do when they pass away. My dad quickly walked to our back yard and dog a small grave. I held Bear who was still breathing in my arms. After about ten minutes I looked into his eyes and he stopped breathing. I started sobbing. My dad wrapped him up in a towel and buried him. After my crying stopped, I was mad. I contacted the women on Facebook and called her out for never taking them to the vet and not caring for them properly. If she would have took the puppies to the vet when they were younger to get shots and dewormed my puppy might still be alive.

She denied everything and we cussed and fought back and forth. I reported her and then I decided to tell someone that I though might actually be able to do something...@Rhondak. She did do something, she called people, emailed, facebooked, she did everything she could to help me. Animal advocated all over Tennessee got involved. I really can't remember what happened to the breeder in the end, but I do know that Rhondak had my back. She really is such an amazing person, she did not have to help me, but she did because she is a good person.

After talking to Rhonda I learned a lot. She really showed me that you never need to buy puppies, dogs, cats, any animals for that matter. You need to go to your local shelter or rescue and save a dog. After a month or so I did just that. I looked at all the shelters and after a few almost adoptions, I found Pet Haven Rescue in Falls Mills, Va. My mom called and we told her we wanted the boy shepherd mix, she said okay but she would not reserve the dog, we just had to show up to the adoption at Walmart. Me and mom went and we of course were early, (My mom is always early, LOL). We went in a bought all the puppy essentials and waited for them to come. After they got set up she was just about to start. A women said she wanted the male shepherd mix and my mom and me shut her down real quick. We told the Pet Haven owner that we called and she gave us the little puppy. The lady who wanted him pouted and walked away. After signing papers and paying $45 dollars for his shots and neutering we brought him home. I named him Bear after little Bear. Bear is now a happy, healthy, and crazy almost two year old.

I hope that my story can inform people of what not to do and what could happen if you shop for a dog. Thank you to everyone who reads this and always remember to Adopt and not Shop.