Bernese Mountian Dog
Sep 19 2009 4:27PMYesterday was a very sad day for me! I thought my prayers were answered for a new pup. I have always beleived in rescueing animals. All my past dogs have been rescued from shelters and NSAL was one of the shelters. I have been without a furry friend for the last two years due t moving arrangements and have now settled into a new house we purchased and are on the search for our perfect companion. Let me give u some background info...
My boyfriend has always grown up with small dogs such as yorkie, maltipoo and collie. I have grown up with larger breeds like retreivers, shepards, rotties and such. When deciding on a dog i told him i will not budge on the size! As a personal preference i can NOT with stand the barking and hyper activity of a small dog. Especially the yelping. I like a strong feirce but cuddely dog. I want something like a teddy bear! So of course my first choice was a Newfoundland!! OMG gorgeous...but he of course was TOO BIG as per the BF. Second choice was tibetian mastiff or st. bernard...he said NO again cause of size and drewling. So then my third choice was either the Greater Swiss Mountian Dog or the Bernese Mountian dog...only difference is the hair length. He Loved them and we agreed this was our match. We also decided on a smaller breed incase, the english bull dog. I personally am not to sure about that one cause of the snorting and i do not care for the drooping eyes. What i love about the above breeds is the ability to cuddle with them like a bear lol So seems i got what i wanted (as always) lol with just a litte persuasion. The ONLY down fall to these large breeds are their short lifespan and possible gentics. But we are willing to deal with it.
So its been atleast 2 long months of sitting on computer, searchin adds, writing people in search of this dog. I personally still want to rescue one but this is a pure breed and chances are slim to none. Plus all the scsammers out there, my hopes hae been let down so many times by these cruel people. Also working against me is that there are no know breeders that i can dinf on Long island that has this dog. I want to meet the parents and make sure the gentics have been tested for since the dog is being priced any where from 950-2000. I am not looking for a show dog but a pet. So please people if you know of anyone or hear of anything, please get in touch with me!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well now to my story...Yesterday i decided that i was no longer going to sit around and not rescue an animal. I wanted a dog and ive always rescued and the BF wasnt doing naything to help me research or look so i made an executive decision to go to NSAL and find me a dog regardless of what he said. All day i had butterflies in my stomach like i knew something was suppose to happen today. At the end of work,3pm, i headed to NSAL. I walked in, still with butterflies, walked steadly passed all the sad adult puppy faces looking up at me. I then proceeded to the puppy area. It was like a bright white light hit me, there HE WAS, stairing right at me. The fluff ball that i beleived to be a BMD mix. I literally ran to the cage and was astond that this was it and what were the chances and no wonder my stomach was turning all day. i quickly searched for help and asked the young attendant, "is this a BMD?" and she replied "yes it is" and my immediate responce was "OMG ill talke it." She then said, "im sorry but this dog is surrently being adopted." iwas like no way this cant be ture. She then continued to say, "well he has a sister there also" i then replied,"ill take her then, right now". Mine you my heart is pounding a hundred miles a min and had already taken a xanex about an hr before due to a shiotty day at work. She then told me, "this dog is also in the process of being adopted." I then felt my stomach drop to the floor and my face start to turn red and heat up in pure sadness. I began to tell the girl how this is the only dog i want and have looked every where for it and it was fate they were here and so on. She probably thought i was a little crazy lol. I asked her if there was a way i could wait to make sure they were adopted and approved, this way if they became avail i would be there to adopt them. She told me to see the front desk.
I walked in and i recognised the voice of the young lady behind the counter cause i call there every week asking if there are puppies there. I was not looking forward to this coversation cause she is not a pleasant person. I then asked her about the dogs and that i was aware they were being adopted and was wondering if there was a chnace the applicant wouldnt be approved...she informed me most likely they will be adopted. I asked if i could leave my number since there was a slight chance that they wouldnt and i would immedialty take the dog. She said NO she would not call me and that it was 1st come 1st serve basis. I explained well iam here and i want the dog so i am first serve, why cant you call me. She said no i will not call you. I then said i would wait there until the dogs were abopted, and could you call or get me if not approved or if approved. She said no again. I was like ***. I explained she was being difficult and that i would wait however long it took til i see the dogs walk out the door with thier owners and i would come and check in with her every 510 mins until she told me they arent avail. I then walked out the door ****** and back to look at the dogs. I played with other puppies as to NOT look interested in the ones i really wanted cause i was curious as to which people were taking them. I also in the meantime filled out a preapproval to get dog for the Just incase it became avail. As i am standing there i hear a mom, dad and child discussin the fact of not taking a dog, ironically the BDM. I wa slike No ***** way. The girl that was assiting me before immedialty looked at me to see if i was still interested and mouthed to me the dog looked like it was going to be mine. I cant tell you the excitement that over came me. So much i started to get watery in the eyes. I waited patiently listening to what they had to say. They were not confortable with a large breed dog. The attendant was answering questions and telling them the size and life expectancy and i hear her give not so accurate info. I have done my researcha dn i knew the facts and i wanted to make sure these people knew it was a large breed cause it would work in my favor so i jumped in. I informed them that 80lbs is the wrong weighr....they can be 100-120lbs and live not 10+ years but 6-8yrs. And i then took out my ipod and showed them pics of the pure breed. I had hoped my honesty would deter them from getting this large breed. The mom kept tellin the child that its to big and no we cant get it and well come back another time. My heart couldnt havebeaten any faster, i thinkif i hadnt takin my xanex i jjust might of had a heart attack lol. The attendant then proceeded to tell the family, "if you dont want the dog, you must go to the front desk and inform them of you decision so that the dog can go up for adoption again." The familly left the room and the girl came over to me to talk. She was telling me that shw thought the dog would be mine and wanted to make sure i wanted it. I explained to her how excited i was and it was fate and so on. I then went outside to call the BF to inform him i found her and i am taking her home. He asked me to take a pic and so i snuck back in and took a pic and was going to send it but someone walked in so i put my camera away. The girl then asked me if i wanted to play with her and immedialty i said "yes" and just as she went to open the cage...the family came back in to state the CHANGED thier mind and were TAKING the dog!!! I died right then and there! I honeslty beleive that i destroyed a piece of my heart that day. Out of over emotion i started to cry and had to excuse myself from the attendant who looked like she felt so bad for me. I went into the hall way and proceeded to cry like a child who had just been given candy and had it taken away. How could they do this, it wasnt fair! I then went to text the BF the pic and ironically the pic wasnt there it was a pic of blackness (VERY WEIRD). So was it fate or what?
I went to bathroom to clean myself up and proceeded to wait to make sure the other one was adopted and it was! It was now 7pm at this point.
As i waited i could hear and see many things. I over heard the attendants say something about bringing out my puppies from back...they were hiding puppies in the back..who does that. I also had them tell me they get "SHIPMENTS" of puppies usually every friday. Who gets Shipments of puppies...are they coming froma puppy mill or are these rescues??? How is NSAL the biggest puppy seller? Something isnt right. Plus three weeks ago when i went, there was this lage husky in a cage too small for him to turn around in, and now i go and he is still there in another cage even smaller. ***. There was larger cages avail. I hear stories all the time about NSAL and not god ones. All my dogs but one i got from them were good dogs with minor sicknesses. But you hear of bad things all the time..anyone have stories to share?
Well, another xanex later, i was heading home tearfilled and heartaching. I found a new hatred for NSAL. I do beleive the pups went to good homes so i am happy about that but the rudeness of staff and care for the animals has made me sick.
Please if anyone knows of a NSAL worker and can get them to notify me of any St bernards or Bernese mountian dogs that come there, call me!!! If anyone knows of any rescue shelters with those pups or workers who could contact me when they get them in, call me. If anyone knows a long island breeder, call me. Its such a sad day : ( |
