# Getting a new dog, need advice, fast



## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

I saw a husky around my house. It was tied to a long lead. Looked to be of poor health. The owner looked very mean but that didn't stop me from speaking to him about the dog. The whole time I was getting really worried about the conversation. His body language didn't feel right at all. So I asked since it wasn't fixed if he was planning on breeder her. "Nope, I plan to get rid of her, he told me:" with a smile while looking back at the dog. He made it very clear he doesn't want the dog. 

I always wanted a Shepard and Husky. I wouldn't act so fast on this but I'm afraid of the general well being of this dog. I honestly think this guy might kill her. I came back about 15 minutes later to get the dog from him after dropping off Bridget and he was already gone. I plan to check back later on to see if I can find him. In the event I can't take care of it I know of some people who will help this guy out. I just have to get him away from his current owner. I just have a really bad feeling regarding the safety of this dog. 

Anything I should check for before allowing the dog to come into the house? I know about fleas and the such but I don't actually know how to find them. Buying a flea climb while I'm out today.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to take the dog to see a vet right away to check for parasites of all kinds. Good luck with this poor girl. Sounds like she hasn't had a very good life and maybe you've come along at just the right time to save her life. Keep us posted please and if she ends up with you we'd love to see pictures.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I would also not introduce the dogs on Bridget's territory, take them to a neutral area and introduce them...Being both female, they have a innate sense of territory..


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I think that's what I would do to, take her straight to a vet, if thats at all possible. And, I'd give her a bath and a good brushing before letting her inside, and then slowly introducing her to Bridget. 
Oh, whilst you are at the vet, get her microchipped and register it on line straight away just incase the guy tries to cause any trouble.
Good luck, I really hope you find the dog really soon. And, thank you so much for wanting to take this poor pup on. You're a sweetheart.

ETA: What whiteleo said too, she's experienced with female foster dogs, so I'd tend to listen to what she has to say about 2 females.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Both being female I would very strongly suggest getting that sibe into a good Northern breed rescue rather than keeping it yourself.
Add in on top of that the other challenges you are facing in life currently and I'm sorry, but this is not the time to add another high energy, high drive, working breed, project dog. Please contact a reputable Northern breed rescue. If you tell me your area I can help you find one.

GSD bitches are NOT fond of living with other bitches. While yes Bridgit is good with other dogs in public, bringing another bitch into your home as your dog is another can of worms entirely. Trust me, I live with two Sibe/GSD mix bitches. They are okay with me, but I run a VERY tight ship. They would not be this well behaved and amicable with another owner and both girls would much rather have me all to themselves.

Also, Sibes aren't GSDS... you can't have a Sibe off leash 24/7 like you do with Bridgit. NEVER trust a husky not to run. I don't care how "well behaved" it is... seen way too many good dogs die because people think everything will be just peachy keen. 

If you do it anyway, I would keep them totally seperate for the first two weeks. Straight up crate and rotate. For several reasons: 1. Health reasons of course, 2. a Two week shut down would greatly benefit the sibe Bringing a New Dog Home!, and 3. It acclimates the dogs to each others scents, etc. in the house without putting them in a situation where they'll be set up to fail. Its just flat out a bad idea to throw random dogs together, especially of a breed that tends very heavily toward same sex aggression.

Please consider that exercising is now x2, training is now x2, food costs x2, vet costs x2, etc. I know I was like yeah, yeah it'll be no biggie too. Well its a huge biggie in this economy.
It would be better to wait until you are further along in your PT and more mobile... then adopt a nice male Sibe if you must have one. Trust me, Bridgit will do worlds better with a male dog if you must have a multiple dog household.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Here is a national directory: Siberian Husky Rescue


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Also I know someone who has to crate and rotate her two rescued female Sibes now. She didn't manage their interactions fairly and finally the one girl got sick of the other being a bully and now wants to kill her. So its not just GSD's that can be same sex aggressive. 

Lily is good friends with the "aggressive" one, but doesn't care for the bully. The poor girl who got sick of the bully was added second and I feel bad because its my fault she's with them. My other friend had to give her up and I knew they were looking to add a second dog and I couldn't go pull her from the shelter myself because I didn't want another female and it would have been an awful idea to get a second (hah and I ended up with one anyway... gar), so I told them about her. They did a real good job of ruining that nice dog with good intentions.


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## dooneygirl09 (Mar 9, 2012)

Im no expert but I would take her to the vet ASAP. Get all the needed shots, pretend like shes never even had any shots in here life, which may very well be true. I think its something like a 7-way shot? And rabies and stuff like that. Just an overall check up. Id get her spayed too. And dont bring her into your house, I did this with my peke and shes not very happy about that. But its my fault. Also, heartworm test. Im sur everything Ive said has been said, but i might have said something that hasnt already been said. I hope all turns out well


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i agree, help if you can but i wouldn't take the husky in. from my experience, their naturally assertive posture can rub some dogs the wrong way and your female GSD probably won't take to the husky being in her space if it doesn't appear to be submissive to the GSD.

i admire your concern though.....hopefully you can figure it out


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

She is here. I will post pics later. She has fleas. Going to take care of that first. Then I'll get her to vet. I don't have much time right now to type things out. If I was a hour later he wasn't sure what he was going to do to get rid of the dog. She had to go right then. I really think he loved this dog. 

Bridget is fine with her. I invited other dogs into the house before. Bridget is very well trained. This dog seems to have little training but she doesn't appear to be hard at all to work with. He hasn't had a single issue with aggression. 

Oh, and she has no shots.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

bridget246 said:


> She is here. I will post pics later. She has fleas. Going to take care of that first. Then I'll get her to vet. I don't have much time right now to type things out. If I was a hour later he wasn't sure what he was going to do to get rid of the dog. She had to go right then. * I really think he loved this dog. *
> 
> Bridget is fine with her. I invited other dogs into the house before. Bridget is very well trained. This dog seems to have little training but she doesn't appear to be hard at all to work with. He hasn't had a single issue with aggression.
> 
> Oh, and she has no shots.


what makes u think so?


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> what makes u think so?


I second that question. You said he smiled when he said he was going to get rid of her and then you said you weren't sure what he would do to her... How is that "love"?

Not that any of this matters now that you have her away from him. But I second the microchipping idea. If this guy is as sketch as you say, he might try to cause problems later if he decides he wants the dog back. If you decide to let a breed rescue place her in a new home, they can always change the microchip information later.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

It isn't love in the sense that you guys would call it. He was sad to see her go. Even more upset that she turned to me the second I took the leash. Didn't even glance back at her old owner. He almost cried when she was leaving. I'm going to get her official papers in mail some time next week. I went back today to give him my phone number since all he had before was an address. Said he was leaving today and I guess he meant it.

First day results:

Strangely enough she looked a lot better after we left her house. I kind of expected the opposite. 

















I think it was more challenging on me than it was on them. They official met on the walk. Then in the house. I established pack leader with the husky. Well, he really just handed it to me without question. Already had it with Bridget even if she is the most stubborn dog I've ever worked with and I've worked with a few now. This helped a great deal with the in-house meeting. After a few hours the house was almost normal. I stopped every fight before it happened. 

Wanted to use Bridget's crate but I knew better. Bridget never wants to use it. Still, I'm not going to let another dog take that from her. I made it clear from the start that was her place. She would go there when she was afraid. Or, to eat her raw meals. Couldn't imagine what seeing another dog in it might do to her. She is taking it so well so far. 

Molly's food was kibble and bits. I know, it was junk. I tried feeding it to her three times. She seemed to have adjusted fine to the house but I wanted her to have something else she recognized. She ignored it every time. I just shrugged and threw the food out. Grabbed some of Bridgets Acana from her kibble days and gave her half a cup of that. Success, she loved it. Not going to move her to raw unless she is for sure staying and that isn't clear right now.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm glad they are getting along so well. you have a good heart.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

thanks for caring. I would get a signed release letter from the guy stating he gave the dog toyou. Otherwise as others said he could come back and charge you with theft if he felt like it. 

I also wouldn't allow the dogs to interact without constant supervisison. I had a spayed female and brought in another female stray (not to keep) and I thgouth they were getitng along well and than bam-major fight. Female fights are not fun. Better safe then sorr. 

Ialso wouldn't give a 7 in one shot. If she has a rection of any kind you will not know why. I also would not vaccinate a sick dog if she is sick. At least start slow with a dist/parvo and then rabies at seperated times. 

Good luck with her. She is pretty. I would scan her to see if she has a breeder chip.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

brandypup said:


> thanks for caring. I would get a signed release letter from the guy stating he gave the dog toyou. Otherwise as others said he could come back and charge you with theft if he felt like it.
> 
> I also wouldn't allow the dogs to interact without constant supervisison. I had a spayed female and brought in another female stray (not to keep) and I thgouth they were getitng along well and than bam-major fight. Female fights are not fun. Better safe then sorr.
> 
> ...


In post above I first posted the wrong pictures. Now they are thumbnails for some odd reason. As you can see from the earlier pictures of Bridget she is looking much better now. Bridget is still extra skinny, but she doesn't look sick anymore. 

I can get her scanned for free anytime that I wish. If she is sick she isn't showing any signs of it in the stool or otherwise. I know that doesn't say much. My normal cheap vet isn't able to see me until the 24th as she is a mobile vet. She is one of the few vets I actually trust. When I took Bridget out of the pet store she had to go straight to the assigned vet for a free checkup. They gave me a list of all of these different vaccines I would need so I went to her to get them all. I heard about the mobile vet thought I would try her since her prices were so low and I had a lot of vaccines to buy. She gave me a free exam. Told me not to buy anymore pet store dogs because it supports the kennel. And she said was only going to do the vaccines that were absolutely required as anything else could cause more problems and she isn't in it for the money. I have a lot respect for her for not taking advantage of me. But, of course she only around a few times a month...

She isn't going to be alone with Bridget for a few weeks. Molly has a loud cry when is trapped in any place. She is an escape artist which goes along with being a Husky. Bridget's crate which I tried to use while I was keeping Bridget in the bed room do not work. I'll have to find a better way of locking it if I plan to use it at night. I just kind of guessed that if Bridget could get out for emergency's(bathroom break when she was younger) then this dog would have no problems breaking free and she did it in record timing. It made the question a news story that was posted here a couple of weeks back about a Husky breaking out the crate. I had wondered if they took any extra measures to lock it and if that had been the first time the dog broke free. 

This guy sounds like he could do something dirty. I hate to say it but a part of me is afraid to go back. I don't know if he carries it but he has a gun and from his stories he seems a little unstable. I tried to return last night but no one was home. He did say yesterday was his last day here. I can try again to see if on the off chance that wasn't true. 

I gave Molly a new collar. When I went to wash the old one it wasn't actually brown! It was pink! I know I probably go overboard with petcare but that, I don't want to say about that. 

Overall, the dogs are doing fine together with supervision. When I'm not watching they will try to quietly play together. Very quiet passive playing only to be stopped the second they get more excited. Bridget was really grumpy yesterday. I gave Bridget her space when she wanted. This morning she didn't feel so bad about having the dog in the house. I know Bridget really wants to bully Molly and I'm not going to let it happen. Molly already showed Bridget she could be submissive without force. Molly copies Bridget's bathroom breaks by ringing the bell. Molly learned where all the toys were. Bridget _learned_ to share the toys that she never played with. With good feedback and timing on my part I've been able to keep things positive with both dogs working towards getting good feedback.

Edit: Oh and on the off chance if he does call the police it would be interesting to see how it plays out. He asked all the dog walkers he saw about me and to my surprises they all knew me. A number of people told him that if anything can take care of the Husky it would be me without a doubt. Which at least gives me witness. I worked with the police when I was in self defensive. I still have some of their contacts if I need to use them in the event of trouble.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Found a cheaper, decent vet who came recommend. Just going to cost me a little in gas. Shelter gave me the info. Made it clear they didn't want to turn the dog in because they were too full. I didn't even mention turning Molly in at the shelter. Just wanted get vet info.


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

bridget246 said:


> Found a cheaper, decent vet who came recommend. Just going to cost me a little in gas. Shelter gave me the info. Made it clear they didn't want to turn the dog in because they were too full. I didn't even mention turning Molly in at the shelter. Just wanted get vet info.
> 
> View attachment 6844
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> ...



My GAWD she is cute! 

Good luck!


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

now i can see why you couldn't leave her! she is a good looking husky. you're lucky that she is submissive. my neighbor's husky is the only dog murphy doesn't like because he's so pushy


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

She is very beautiful! Hopefully all is well with her health wise. Keep us updated.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

takes a big heart to take a dog in....i hope it all works out...


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

You said that you wouldn't leave them alone together for a few weeks. Personally, I wouldn't leave them alone together ever. Even my boys, who get along pretty well and aren't females don't get to be alone together. They stay in the same room but Dude is crated (because he seems to want to pee in that room) while Buck is loose in the room. While it would never work the other way around, due to Buck being a crate escapee, Dude is too passive to even attempt to break out. Not even for fireworks. Not even for thunder. Buck breaks out for the sheer hatred of being in the crate. 

Other than not leaving them alone together ever, I would say that it has gone far better for you than I thought it would. I thought that, for sure, you would have problems with the guy just trying to get the dog from him. You have her now and all you have to worry about is maintaining the peace you have so far and getting things in line should the guy try anything later down the road. Good luck to you and bravo!


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## jenv101 (Oct 13, 2010)

Ditto to the not leaving them alone together. Also keep in mind that having a dog visit, and a dog live with you are two different things especially when you have another dog... and her attitude may change as she gets more comfortable at your place... which in turn could create some tension/fights between them. I'm glad everything is working out so far though!


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

jenv101 said:


> Ditto to the not leaving them alone together. Also keep in mind that having a dog visit, and a dog live with you are two different things especially when you have another dog... and her attitude may change as she gets more comfortable at your place... which in turn could create some tension/fights between them. I'm glad everything is working out so far though!


Oh I know. Which is why I'm building a good foundation now. Molly problem is that she isn't only a create escape artist, but she can also open doors. This dog is good at being an escape artist. She doesn't seem to want to leave the house but also doesn't want to feel trapped or Bridget to be "trapped" anywhere. I put Bridget in my bed room while I took a shower and Molly opened the door to let Bridget out. I thought maybe I didn't close it all the way so I made sure the door was completely close. A few moments later the knob turns and the door comes open again. I found that most interesting. Hoping I can train a command for that. Goes to make for some interesting shows I want to set up later on in the year. 



BearMurphy said:


> now i can see why you couldn't leave her! she is a good looking husky. you're lucky that she is submissive. my neighbor's husky is the only dog murphy doesn't like because he's so pushy


Molly is pushy. Worked with her a bit without Bridget around. We walked around a park where there were a lot of other _leash_ dogs which allowed me to have more control over the situation than a dog park would allow. She did seem pushy. She was fine with every adult and kid we came across. Not so fine with small dogs. Definitely wasn't 100% dog friendly with most of the dogs we came across. I was just watching to see what she would do while I work out a training plan that would best fit her. Still need to do a lot more research to better understand her. 




lovemydogsalways said:


> She is very beautiful! Hopefully all is well with her health wise. Keep us updated.


The good news is that she is completely healthy. No HW, vaccines or anything of any kind while eating kibbles and bits for 3.5 years and still healthy. Even her teeth are nice and white. Her stool is some of the best I've seen. That is a good break from some of the problems I had in the past with Bridget. The only problem Molly has is weight. I'm certain that will fix itself now that she is getting plenty of more exercise. 

My last note. I understand some are worried about the aggression between the two. I trust Bridget maybe more than I should. But she has proven to me that she can handle it. She is without a doubt the stronger of the two dogs. She is attempting to raise Molly on what is right and wrong behavior. My vet was telling me that Molly really looks up to her since losing her previous owner. Bridgets habits, be it bad or good will be picked up by Molly. Most importantly Bridget herself looks up to me as a leader and so does Molly, though not as strongly as Bridget does which is why I'm making a little time to work with Molly alone. Rather or not the two would work when I wasn't around is completely up to Molly. I know Bridget will listen to me even when I'm not looking or not in the house. That is if Bridget completely understands which usually takes a bit of time for every new rule that I place on her. I believe Molly will get their herself. 2 weeks was only my rough estimate. It could be 4 weeks, 2 months, etc. Start off with 5 minutes and increase the duration from that. I know they can do it. The only real barrier here is rather or not I have the ability to lead them toward the success that I wish to see.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

It all improved. They decided who was in charged. Played without hurting each other. Learned how to read each other. Bridget stopped feeling down when I spent a little more time with Molly. They always wanted to be beside each other.

I know others disagreed with me about the 2 dogs getting along alone. That is fine. I know all you guys are speaking from experience. I was pretty alone when it came to dog nutrition. I wasn't so alone with dog behavior. I've been giving tons of and tons of advice on getting dogs to get along with one another. Stopping aggression. Teaching the type of play that I want. One of the best trainers, a guy who has been at this over 20 years is now a good friend of mines. He takes in strays, any all strays. He only holds up to 5. He had 6 once. Takes as long as he has to get them to recover from any issues and then he'll look for a nice home for them so he can take in so more. We didn't always agree. I was using some of the newer training methods and he was showing me the older ones. I don't think the newer ones worked so well for me without first understanding the older ones. When I did it all clicked. I was able to fix issues much faster than he seen happen before. The dogs didn't find it nowhere near as stressful. 

Words can not express how sad I am now. Just decided I was official keeping her on Friday. I needed to know how many issues she was going to cause until she was settled in. She didn't cause hardly any problems. I went as far as I could go to get her use to the new place. She had some depression a few days after her arrival. I helped her get use to the adjustment as best as I could and it was working. Molly was always following me around. She'd watch me at all times. Today, I finally gave in on the bed. A few hours later there was a knock on the door. It was Molly's parents. They drove her all the way from Maine to get her. This guy drove all the way from Maine to give her away. Said she was in accident and her friend, ex military, was taking care of her. He was never suppose to give her away. The military messed him up. I've seen it before with other vets. Back then they didn't give them the help they needed to recover from all those chemicals they put into the air. This is why I was worried about the dog, the man seemed unstable. 

I wish Molly nothing but the best. They refunded me for all her vaccines. She showed me her original papers as proof. The proof wasn't as good as I wanted. The look in her eyes is what made me give in. Molly was so happy to see this lady so I did give in.

Bridget is running through the house looking for Molly. Molly isn't my dog anymore. Never was. I feared this day might come. I could have fought for her. Probably would have won to as long as the dog was in Ohio. She could have been lying. It was questionable that she was taking care of the dog. Molly's mom said she was like a kid to her. She had a cast on her right arm. Molly is a puller if you let her and her mom wasn't able to stop it. Said she was going to get a no pull harness. Didn't need it. A little training goes a long way in stopping a dog like Molly from pulling. I don't understand any of it. I lost a dear friend today. Molly looked happy with them but still tried to pull back for me to come with them. 

Collecting all her stuff now so I can drop it off to them later. Just have to regain my composer first.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

bridget246 said:


> She is here. I will post pics later. She has fleas. Going to take care of that first. Then I'll get her to vet. I don't have much time right now to type things out. If I was a hour later he wasn't sure what he was going to do to get rid of the dog. She had to go right then. I really think he loved this dog.
> 
> Bridget is fine with her. I invited other dogs into the house before. Bridget is very well trained. This dog seems to have little training but she doesn't appear to be hard at all to work with. He hasn't had a single issue with aggression.
> 
> Oh, and she has no shots.


What a beautiful act of kindness. 

Very cool. Thank you.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

oh wow. I'm so sorry to hear that. Poor Molly. You never expect something like THAT to happen. If the guy was unstable, why did he have their dog in the first place?


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## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

i'm confused....her owners live in Maine and their friend was watching her in Ohio and he gave her away? and then the friend moved? kinda weird they didn't call you first if you gave him your number. really weird people you were dealing with......


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

BearMurphy said:


> i'm confused....her owners live in Maine and their friend was watching her in Ohio and he gave her away? and then the friend moved? kinda weird they didn't call you first if you gave him your number. really weird people you were dealing with......


I know! He traveled from Maine to Columbus Ohio to give away the dog. This is where his ex daughter lived. Who is also the mother of Molly. The whole story sounded strange which why I don't think it would have stood up in the event that I had chosen to not give them Molly back. I'm so worried about her. 

Here is what I'm thinking really happened. He traveled to Columbus because they, mom included, didn't want to see the dog again so they wouldn't have any regrets. So by bringing the dog to Columbus they are less likely to be able to get the dog back. I received a letter on Monday from the guy who gave me Molly. He said the whole family missed her and didn't realize how much she meant. He wanted her back in the event that I didn't want her or couldn't handle her. That part I believe to be true. Since I didn't seem to want to send her back they send this lady to come get her instead. It really made me angry to hear her story. 

This whole family seems a little crazy. The guy was well trained. Earlier I called him dangerous and I meant it. Dangerous and crazy. Getting on his bad side could make me target of his aggression. Police would be of no help until he made the first move. If they truly drove 17 hours to get a dog that they gave away how far would they go to get her back? By writing me that letter he gave me all the evidence I would have needed with any legal trouble. In Ohio I have ties with AKC, and members of the police on my side as well. Her evidence? A piece of paper that was handwritten with a date that could have easily been done yesterday. Her original paperwork didn't list her as the owner. I didn't like any of this.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

You might not have liked it but you gave her to them anyways....nothing can be done now.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I'm not entirely sure why you gave her to them...


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> I'm not entirely sure why you gave her to them...


I could say the same. I'm not entirely sure why I did either. I'd want someone else to do the same for me. If her story was true then that is what I'd want. That is, unless his story was true.

I dropped off Molly's things a few hours ago. She gave me her whole side of the story. They were dating. She was in the hospital for awhile. Was ran over by a tractor trailer. Her boyfriend, now her ex came back to Maine without Molly. She called him crazy. I thought more and more about it. And damn, it's all I can say. This guy saw this happening. She couldn't take care of the dog. She arrived wearing a longer shirt so he couldn't see how bad her arms were, she needs serious help. He wasn't able to take care of Molly either. So he gave away her dog. It isn't the proper way to go about doing things but he was trying to do what was right. He probably came all the way to Ohio because he thought she couldn't follow. She did make that trip. Today, I ruined all of that by returning her. 

If she was truly her dog and that is what happened then I don't have a ground to stand on. You can't take someones dog and give it away just because you feel they can't take care of it. Even if your right. I doubt my friends would have been able to fully back me up on that. I'd be standing on shaky ground. Wish that wasn't the case. She has my number and address. Told her to call me if anything at all happens. I'll make the trip to get her back if need be. 

Thinking on this more is only causing me to beat myself up. I can't tell for sure if I made a mistake. I'm just going to try to smile so Bridget can have someone strong to lean on. It's the best I can do now. Molly liked her a lot. She didn't like the guy, but she liked her. I can only hope during that short time I made a difference. Gave her some more diet options. Told her the health risk Molly would be facing if things weren't changed. My whole family was let down today. I'll take that blame even if nobody blamed me.


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