This is a crazy story, but please try to read and give your opinion! I am still in shock.
The day before my thanksgiving, my husband (who is a firefighter/paramedic) fought a structure fire in a duplex. It was very cold that night and the one side of the duplex was a complete loss, and the other side sustained extensive smoke damage and water damage. As the firefighters were cleaning up, they heard faint crying, that sounded like a baby. Frantic, they ripped apart the rubble and found an extremely small, soaked, shaking dog. My husband immediately wrapped her in a towel and rushed her to the ambulance, where he gave her oxygen for a while. He also called animal control, because no owner was home at the time to care for the dog.
Neighbors said that the owner had left the dog alone four days prior. Nobody was coming to check on the dog, but there were numerous bowls of food and water scattered throughout the house. The dog was pooping/peeing throughout the house. Animal control took custody of the dog, but my husband went to them and begged them to let us foster her until her owners were found, etc., because he worried that she would need extensive medical care and would not get adequate attention. They allowed him to foster her, and we rushed her to the vet. We spent $200 on steroids, atnitbiotics, etc. She had wheezing from the smoke inhalation. We bathed her repeatedly, because her normall white coat was black from soot. The vet said he thought she was a shorkie, and he estimated her age at 16 weeks.
A couple days later, a woman showed up at animal control asking for her dog. Animal control was very hesitant, as the woman had left the dog for so long, but apparently had not broken any laws, because she had left food and water. She didn't have a new residence, and seemed somewhat mentally unstable. Animal control explained that they couldn't give the dog back until she had a place to live. Long story short, the dog was removed from our care and given back to her on Dec. 4. We were very heartbroken and prayed for her daily. Our children were crushed. We coudn't stop thinking of her and hoping she was well.
Fast forward to this past monday. My husband gets a call from a Winchester Virginia resuce group. Apparently the dog's owner had come in, dropped the dog off at the vet, and said she could not longer care for it. She told them to contact a specific fire dept if they wanted to know anything about the dog's health history, because the foster family was the only one who had taken it to a vet. The rescue called, they got in contact with my husband, and we couldn't believe it. The rescue said we could have her if we paid $275, as she had been spayed by them etc. We agreed to do that. The rescue lady kept calling the dog by a different name. When I asked why, she said, "I don't like her name, so I changed it". I asked if the dog knew her name, and she said yes, but that she would learn a new name. I thought that was strange but didn't voice my opinion. I did ask the woman repeatedly if she was CERTAIN the dog was coming home to us and legally freed, because I didn't want to tell my children otherwise. She said yes. So we told the children, bought a crate, etc. We were ecstatic.
The next day, the day she was supposed to come to us, the lady emailed me and said there had been a problem, that a relative of the woman had shown up and demanded the dog back. She said that her "hands were tied" and she had been "crying all day but Virginia law says it must go to a next of kin". I found this difficult to believe so I contacted a friend, who is an attorney, who said that was absolutely false, and pulled up the codes. I emailed them to the rescue lady, and she said, "I am sorry, I know how you feel, but the relative has a nice house and a fenced in yard, so don't worry about the dog". I said that we had a nice house and a fenced in yard too (although I doubt the dog cares what tax bracket you are in). I also said I knew it was not a legal thing, it was a choice on their part, and I would like to know why. Then she said, "I hoped that the dog could come to you if the relative fell through, but questioning my judgment isn't a good way to go about getting the dog". At that point I told her that I thought she was untruthful, unprofessional, etc. and she basically said, "Look, I rescue dogs, it is my life, that's nice that your husband saved the dog and you provided care for it when it needed it, but that doesn't mean another person wouldn't love the dog more". At that point I was just stunned and she said "Again, don't worry, if the relative doesn't work out, the dog will be coming home with me forever".
I am just stunned. My husband thinks she wanted the dog for herself, because she had said something in their first conversation about wanting to take her home herself, but she already had ten dogs, and her husband would get mad. She also named the dog a different name, even though it knew its old name.
My children were so heartbroken. I am just wanting some feedback I guess...is this situation really bizarre or is it typical of "resuce" type organizations? I am hesitant to work with one again.
Thanks for your time!
Amy