I can't believe this

[Laine]

Okay, a little back story.

My ex and I had a bad break-up wherein there was lots of stuff said and done. I'm still working on getting past some of it two years later (I take negative things to heart so it's harder to let go I guess).

Anyway, while I was with her she was starting to get huskies to do sledding with. She had intended to go pro and all. After the breakup, she continued this route, even importing a dog from Alka-Shan who she later let get "oops" bred (technically she was away and the caretaker of her dogs let it happen). The result was pups of course.

In the end, she has 16 Huskies but as far as I know she's never entered one race with any of them despite some being from a good kennel.

So, to the point.

Last month she was arrested for burglary, third degree (She lives in Iowa). They had to call out six different police departments to find her, including the K-9 division. She could get lesser time and all, I know, but depending on all the charges, she could get up to five years in jail, or more.

She's 28 years old! Sixteen dogs, six cats (which I think is a total lie; she's never had less than ten in all the time I knew her and I knew her for ten years; even up to the last time I saw her there were 30 cats or so in her house, so now I wonder what happened to them all...) and she could now go to jail.

I can't see her mother taking care of them for five years, so now here are these dogs, that just might go into the SPCA or rescue, all because she was a *&()$#@#@ idiot!

If that wasn't enough, she also wants a working dog - Malinois or GSD - and thinks she'll get one, too (and most likely will).

I just... it makes me so ANGRY that this person will get away with this. Angry she'd do this to her animals and angry that breeders apparently won't care if she's a felon (alleged still at this point) or not. I can only thing of the "what if's" of all of this... and I don't understand why breeders wouldn't at least check into it or feel the same. It's their dog's life on the line, the line they so "lovingly" made. Unless they don't care either...

And in the end, it'll be the dogs that suffer. Dogs I knew, dogs I've loved myself and dogs I even helped pay for.

... Sorry for the rant, I just... needed to vent a little.

[lebe03]

I feel sorry for her animals but it sounds like you had a lucky escape when you split-up from her

[Sarah]

huhhles hun and breath xxx

You don't know what the period of her sentencing will be yet - it may not be 5 years. Sadly breeders don't perform police background checks

[Tan J P]

sending you lots of hugs

i'm sorry you are still suffering after your break-up

unfortunately,the old saying of ''sticks and stones'' is untrue........words do hurt

and cant be unsaid.

i hope all her animals are taken care of by somebody who knows the breed and not just farmed out to whoever will take them until she is released!

[Laine]

Yeah, lots of people say I dodged a bullet.

The way the world is, I'm actually waiting for breeders to start doing background checks. @Sarah - you're right though, I don't know what her sentencing is yet. I'm hoping it won't be bad, but I tend to think of the worst anyway for anything.

@Tan - my fingers are crossed they are taken care of someone who knows what they're doing. I've already thought though if the worst happens and I hear/find out, I'm going to try to do what I can for the dogs, including adopting if it comes to it. I know it's early to even think that but for the dogs that I knew, I cherished them for as long as I did know them. They would have been my Arizona's pack mates. She loved playing with them. Despite what we humans went through, I'm still "loyal" to the pack, I guess.

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

I would ring/email all the breeders around with her pic and info and tell them NOT to sell her a dog as it wont be looked after properly. Underhanded maybe but it may save another dog from an unknown fate.

[Luna's Mum]

Sixteen dogs!!!!!!!!!!!! And atleast six cats?!?! In all seriousness no wonder she turned to a life of crime with all those animals to feed!!

And where on earth does she live? You'd need a mansion for that many huskies!!

I have to say she sounds a little unhinged, bit like the "octo-mum" woman! I sincerely hope that atleast some of the dogs are re-homed, there's no way she could be looking after them all and giving them enough exercise on her own. Racing them would be perfect but you say she's never got into it? Probably didn't have the time or cash!!

[Laine]

@Louise - I've thought of that, but until I either read or find out how things turn out I don't want to "jump the gun". She's already emailed a breeder about me for supposedly being abusive to animals, but considering it was right after I broke up with her, it was more so revenge to keep me from wanting dogs from that breeder instead of actual genuine concern.

@Chloe - She used to have lots more cats - at one point she was nearing fifty, although she only had four dogs at the time - and when I knew her she might have had thirty or so cats and kittens of various ages, and 8 dogs. She's never had any less than ten, so I don't believe this only six cats thing. Last I'd heard she apparently had 20 acres of land and a house of her own. She used to have all the dogs in her house confined to a small room and the kitchen while the cats had the rest of the house. Now, I don't know if she's kenneled them properly or still has them inside.

Ironic thing is, originally she was on disability for "mental illness"; social anxiety and she couldn't work according to her doctors. But "magically" she was cured after I broke up with her and whether she got a job or not, I don't know.

She's a very good manipulator; she talks a good game and everything and she makes you think she knows what she's doing. But this person let her young female dog be continually bred by a neutered male, including being tied. And she wondered about the dog's heat cycles after, since Seppala's only have one to two a year only for the most part. She also let three females around the same age - this same female that was in heat, and two younger females - escalate things to a fight that ended up in the return of the two younger females because of the fight. And she also had an unaltered male around this in heat female, watching all this dry-breeding being done. From what a friend of mine said, it'd be like torture to a dog like that.

She thought it was funny.

I do admit, I was clueless at the time about dogs - I know more now thankfully - and didn't know the harm that was being done. I also believed - wrongly - in the whole "Alpha dominance" thing. Which I do not anymore. I'm actually ashamed of my actions back then and thankfully I've learned better thanks to some great people and getting more involved into the dog training thing, but it's what she used to "warn" that one breeder about me.

All in all, this is the person as I knew her before. If she's like that now or not, I don't know. Honestly, I don't see her changing one bit. She's a narcissist and has no compassion or consideration for people what so ever if you're not part of her little agreed upon group.

[Andy]

Poor dogs, Lucky you

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

hugs xxx

[Marley & Lumikkis Mummy]

sounds like you had a lucky escape

[Laine]

Very lucky. I won't say she doesn't love the dogs, I think she does, she's just... one of those people who should never have them, in my biased opinion.

Thanks @Nix.

I guess the important thing though is the dogs turn out okay if things go wrong. Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed.

[Removed #5]

I would ring/email all the breeders around with her pic and info and tell them NOT to sell her a dog as it wont be looked after properly. Underhanded maybe but it may save another dog from an unknown fate.

... and it could be construed to be defamation of character. That's a real touchy way to get in real big trouble quickly!

I don't understand people like her at all. I have three dogs here and have considered fostering for one of the rescue groups. I do have them time and the patience - I don't have the money to go gallavanting all over west Texas / New Mexico and in the long run, because of my remote location, fostering would turn into long term rescue and I won't do that (three's enough, thank you!!)

Collecting animals - one of the OCD disorders - is nothing but cruel and literally insane! </end *my* rant>

[Laine]

quote="Al Jones, post: 421617"]... and it could be construed to be defamation of character. That's a real touchy way to get in real big trouble quickly!

I don't understand people like her at all. I have three dogs here and have considered fostering for one of the rescue groups. I do have them time and the patience - I don't have the money to go gallavanting all over west Texas / New Mexico and in the long run, because of my remote location, fostering would turn into long term rescue and I won't do that (three's enough, thank you!!)

Collecting animals - one of the OCD disorders - is nothing but cruel and literally insane! </end *my* rant>

[sutsibe]

[Laine]

Thanks Gigi.

[Michelle Melsom]

:grouphug:I don't know how a person can get away with so many animals here your only allowed 2 dogs MAX unless you get a kennel liscence thats like $200 a year O.o I dont know about cats tho :/

[Mistyrayn]

. Sadly breeders don't perform police background checks

on that point.. i have got to put my tuppence in.. just co's a person commited a crime doesn't make them a bad owner.. a police check would not determine that the person is a bad owner just if they have broken the law...not saying that i am sticking up for the person mentioned in this thread or any one else..

just saying co's you have criminal record doesn't make you a bad owner..

opening myself up to the world now... take me as proof of that...how many of you if you needed to rehome your loved ones wouldn't consider me as a good person to rehome with.. THINK ABOUT IT !!! thats not meant as a big headed comment or anything.. just maybe pause for thought ..

i wont deny and am not proud of what i did many years ago.. but if a police check determines if i am a bad owner then .. i wouldn't have the girls i have.. and wouldnt have the recent requests i have had from serious people to take on dogs..and would never be allowed any more..

as i said .. and i know a bit but do feel i had to reply to @Sarah comment.

[Michelle Melsom]

There should be a national database of bad pet owners

[Laine]

@Michelle - I think it's because it's rural she might not have to worry about that? I know at one point she had big plans for all this stuff for her dogs; she's done none of them.

LOL - I think there is a Do Not Adopt thing rescues and SPCA's have about owners. It's something at least and I know she has adopted from Shelter's before.

@Richard, it's not off topic really.

On the one hand I do agree with you; just because you might have a record, doesn't make you a bad dog owner.

I'll be honest in that yes, she does care about her animals. I don't like that she put herself up to the chance of now losing all those animals - some of them I know and have known since pups, and love them even now - all because of a stupid incident, but such things happen. I can see if she were younger and all, maybe some leeway, but she's twenty-eight and at this point, she should know breaking into someone's house to steal their stuff is against the law. That being said, I think that there should be background checks for criminal activity depending on the breed you want to get into, especially protection type dogs (GSD, Malinois, APBT, Mastiff's, Doberman's, Rotties and so on). Not to say something will happen, but on the chance it might, or the dogs might be used in an unlawful way. That way the kennel/breeder has foreknowledge so if something does happen, they can be certain their dogs are returned to them instead of sent to a rescue or something.