[Bonn1997]

My dad wants to get a dog and is thinking about a Cavalier. This place (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY268.html) in NY near him had six purebred Cavaliers a few days ago. It looks like two are gone now. Since Cavs are not extremely common, I'm wondering if they could be working behind the scenes with a puppy mill or if anything else fishy is going on. All but one are adult dogs. They're not a Cavalier rescue group and they do have other dog breeds. They also have pretty high adoption fees ($650 each) but it says they've had an MRI and a CT scan to test for Syringomyelia. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Cracker]

Ask the history of the dogs, that you are concerned to see so many purebreds in a non breed specific rescue. Listen to your gut about this. Ask to SEE the proof of genetic testing for syringomyelia and then confirm at the place where they were tested. It IS possible they are above board, be careful and check them out.

 

[Dakota Spirit]

Depending on the area and all that - it's really not so suspicious. Shelters and rescues provide housing for the brunt of animals seized during puppy mill raids, neglect cases, etc. Our shelter was once stocked full of Great Danes (though we sent the majority of them off to breed rescue) due to them being seized from a neglectful situation. Yes most of these dogs DO come from puppy mills, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the shelter is being shady in obtaining them. More often then not it's thought such aforementioned practices.

Another common cause is when an owner brings in a pair or grouping of their pets. Like a lot of dog owners, people tend to have a 'breed' they favor. It's not uncommon to see two or more dogs of the same breed turned in by the same person. We've had such things has a pair of Saint Bernards, a trio of Smooth Fox Terriers (also fairly uncommon), pairs of Mastiffs, etc.

Just inquire about the dog's history and see what the rescue has to say. Breed isn't really an indication of any shady dealings, IMO.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

It's good to ask questions, but it still isn't necessarily foul play. A local shelter just got 80 Australian Shepherds, of all ages and colors, because a puppy mill had shut down. The shelter we adopted two of our dogs from has tons of pure breds, including 8 pugs. Could have been an owner surrendering their dogs, or a breeder downsizing their kennel by taking them to a shelter.

 

[baorb]

$650 seems a little fishy.

 

[canteloupe]

$650 seems a little fishy.

I agree. I've never heard of any shelter or rescue asking for more than $200.

The only way to know for sure, though, is to go there and inspect the place and ask the right questions.

 

[Skeeski]

I agree. I've never heard of any shelter or rescue asking for more than $200.

The only way to know for sure, though, is to go there and inspect the place and ask the right questions.

A lot of the rescues and shelters around here are above and beyond $250, I think it just depends where you are. But I agree with what others have said and it probably wouldn't hurt to check it out, and ask questions.

 

[melgrj7]

I agree. I've never heard of any shelter or rescue asking for more than $200.

The only way to know for sure, though, is to go there and inspect the place and ask the right questions.

Here the average is around $300 for a rescue dog who is fixed, micro chipped, temperament tested, and medically sound. They usually come with 30 days of free pet health insurance too.

 

[animalcraker]

There's various reasons for general shelters/rescues to have a number of purbreds. There could have been a comercial breeder shut down (often times in these cases the ACO don't trust or want to snd the dogs to breed specific rescues), or a breeder could have passed and thier family dumped the dogs, or the dogs might not have been at the shelter long enough for a breed rescue to get them out. If they constantly have a high volume of the same breed, particularly if the have lots of pups, then I'd be concerned.

The $650 is quite reasonable IF they have actualy gotten MRI's done. An MRI cost ~$2000 on average, even the website they linked to says $900 is a very rare discounted price for an MRI. I would request the see the results of the MRI and confirm with their specialist as well. And by the way having a scan done won't gaurentee that a dog won't develop SM in thier lifetime. I'd also ask this rescue if they've had their hearts scaned, since heart problems are alot more common and tend to develop at a younger age with this breed. SM is not th only health problem that affects this breed, it's just the only one with a dramatic video that's been smeared all over the world.

 

[Dogstar]

Ask the history of the dogs, that you are concerned to see so many purebreds in a non breed specific rescue. Listen to your gut about this. Ask to SEE the proof of genetic testing for syringomyelia and then confirm at the place where they were tested. It IS possible they are above board, be careful and check them out.

Are you aware that there's no genetic test to test for syringomyelia?

 

[Bonn1997]

Thanks for all your replies. I did figure that asking them would be reasonable but I also assumed that if they are doing something foul, they probably have thought of smart answers to all my questions. Either I or my dad will contact them and ask some questions.

 

[coryj1]

I find it weird as well, however you never know somebody may have had a Cav. rescue and had to close down because of the economy, it's not uncommon.

 

[cshellenberger]

Could very well be a mill or BYB seizure. As others have said, confirm the testing and ask about the history.