What Do You Think Of This Article?

[alejake]

Dog Custody Battle Creates Uproar​

Edythe Jensen
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 19, 2007 07:53 AM

Joanne Williams wants her aged golden retrievers back and can't understand why a local rescue group won't return them.

Her Chandler home is filled with photos of 9-year-old Dugan and 8-year-old Jake. Her eyes well with tears when she talks about the dogs she raised from puppies - and about the personal tragedy that led her to relinquish them.

Williams, 39, lost her only child last August five months into the pregnancy. There was a funeral and burial. Her relationship with the baby's father crumbled; she spiraled into severe depression. In October Williams contacted Arizona Golden Retriever Connection at the suggestion of a friend. By Dec. 2 and while she was under a doctor's care for post traumatic stress disorder, Williams gave up her pets to the group.

She immediately regretted the decision and three days later asked for them back. She said the group's president, Candy Ziemer of Scottsdale, agreed to return the dogs then changed her mind and stopped returning calls.

In desperation, Williams found the foster home where they were being kept and begged the woman, Phoenix resident Sheila Anderson, for Dugan and Jake. She refused.

Ziemer and Anderson declined to talk to The Arizona Republic, citing a lawsuit Williams filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in February to get her dogs back.

Representatives of three other rescue groups and Maricopa County Animal Care and Control say they are puzzled why aged pets wouldn't be returned to a caring owner after such a short time. Normal practice would be to give back the dogs so long as they hadn't been abused or neglected, representatives from each of the other groups said.

Letters from veterinarians submitted to the court said Williams took excellent care of her pets. She walked them daily and took them on special trips to dog parks and state hiking trails.

"I'm their mom; they need to come home," she said.

Arlene Blouch, of Phoenix, western regional representative for the Golden Retriever Club of America said she tried to intervene on Williams' behalf and convince the local group to return the dogs.

"I don't understand why they weren't returned, but we have no jurisdiction," she said, "I tried to talk to them and asked them to reconsider."

Stefany Smith, founder and executive director of Southwest German Shepherd Rescue in Phoenix, said it's difficult for aged dogs to adapt to new surroundings.

"Large breed dogs have an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years and it's not easy to place older dogs," she said. "I don't know the motivations of this rescue group, but unless they have a good reason for not returning (Williams') dogs, I don't understand it."

Brian Frederick, spokesman for Scottsdale-based Desert Labrador Retrieve Rescue, said his group has returned surrendered dogs to owners and even helped one deal with allergies.

Two officials from Maricopa County Care and Control said they were surprised the rescue group is refusing to return Dugan and Jake.

"If they have no proof of wrongdoing or abuse, I can't see why they wouldn't give the dogs back," said agency spokeswoman Aprille Hollis.

Linda Soto, county animal shelter division manager, said the county frequently returns dogs and cats to owners who surrender them so long as they pay minimal impound and surrender fees.

Williams said she offered to make a donation to the Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue Connection and has spent more than $14,000 on legal fees. Last month, Superior Court Judge Robert Miles declined to order immediate return of the dogs and no date has been set for trial.

A neighbor and former Arizona Golden Retriever Connection president Linda Arters is trying to help and has set up a Web site: www.bringhomeduganandjake.com.

"I can't believe people can be so cruel," said Arters, who is no longer a member of the rescue group.

Williams said she's grateful for the support.

"Dugan and Jake and I would walk along the green belt. We'd go to Desert Breeze Park and Ahwatukee and up to Scottsdale on the weekends. That was my life. It was their life," she said. "These past few months have been horrific."

 

[Mayasmydobe]

OMG! Poor lady! and poor dogs! They should be together! It sounds like she took really good care of her dogs! Just becuase she was having emotional problems does not mean that the dogs are not being taken care of! SHe has gone through enough with the miscarraige and the falling apart of her marraige... geeze. These people are really something else to keep these dogs from her!

 

[misticaleclipse]

hmmmm...

Her situation was terrible, but she signed forms agreeing to give
the dogs up and by doing this would have acknowledged to the rescue
she did not have a good home for them. Why should the rescue
believe 3 days later that she now has a good home?
It clearly says she had "post traumatic stress disorder", which is
a serious thing in my opinion.

I think there are two sides to every story. So she has pictures of
the dogs in her house, okay... but I wonder what the rescue says?
Why is there no information in this article from the rescue at all?
Where the dogs up to date on their shots? neutered? did they
have a lot of clear medical conditions that where not taken
care of? I wonder... (the vets are quoted in the article as
saying the dogs get good exercise really, but not about
the vet care itself)

If rescues returned dogs to everyone who asked for them back
days later after the rescue paid for the vet care then the
system would not work. This woman is the exact example
why so many rescues refuse to take owner surrenders.

I don't care what I am going through, I would never dump my dog
with a rescue or anyone without the clear understanding I just
need help only and they are not to be adopted out. I wonder why
she did not seek other sources to help with the dogs, put the
dogs in boarding, ask a friend of family member to take care
of them, etc. There are a lot of other options out there, she
chose to give up the dogs.

Dogs just like children are not something to be pushed around
from home to home.

 

[midnightbirdgirl]

I really do not think we can judge this woman and say we would never do such I thing under any circumstance. We have not walked in her shoes. We have no idea how we would react in a similar circumstance. I hope none of us ever have to know.
MBG

 

[jess2416]

I really do not think we can judge this woman and say we would never do such I thing under any circumstance. We have not walked in her shoes. We have no idea how we would react in a similar circumstance. I hope none of us ever have to know.
MBG

Agreed ^^

 

[alejake]

The azGRC has never attempted to offer a reason why they refused to return the dog. And if you read the article in depth you could see that her vets and neighbors have testified that these animals were well kept.

Even the National Golden Retriever Breeders association tried to intervene. Almost every other rescue group contacted has taken the position that as long as there were no signs of abuse or neglect that they had no problem, and in fact had returned rescued dogs to their previous owner.

I cannot understand not having empathy for this lady . . . I feel sorry for your pets if you don't!

 

[Bahamutt99]

I think the rescue is avoiding doing what is most ethical for those dogs simply because they can.

 

[whatszmatter]

If everything is as the article says, I would be very embarassed to be a part of that rescue organization, and they should be ashamed. BUT history has proven time and time again, that there are two sides to every story, and when only one is represented and nothing from the other, it usually means they don't want you to know the whole thing.

 

[Aussie Red]

Well in a country who gives parents the right to take back a child that they have placed up for adoption I see no reason to not have the same " cooling off" period on a pet. I agree that to just give up on a pet is wrong but I have to say that her circumstances were pretty tough.
Many parents in this country receive the child they so desperately wanted only to have the birth parents change their minds and get it back.
I personally would not want to be affiliated with this rescue group . They have offered no reason why they wont return her pets and she has offered proof she is a good owner. So many rescues today are getting out of control as to how an adoption goes down making it too tough to adopt. This is not helping.
If rescues continue to make adoption so hard to do it will continue the need for a byb and thereby only increasing the numbers of dogs needing rescue.
A vicious cycle I am afraid.

 

[alejake]

Bump!

 

[dog4life]

This is not the first dog adoption case like this is Arizona. A recent court case involved a Katrina dog st:
http://www.dogs-4life.com/when-dog-adoption-goes-awry.html

Fortunately a Phoenix judge stepped in, so all is not lost
http://www.dogs-4life.com/katrina-rescue-dog-wins-case.html

 

[Romy]

misticaleclipse, all I can say is you must not suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, or have much experience with someone who does. The last thing that woman needs after having so much go awry with her life is to have a positive stable aspect like her goldies be taken from her.

As someone with the same disorder, I can completely understand part of where she is coming from. When everything that has gone wrong is beating you into a blubbering mess, one of the feelings that overwhelms you is complete and total inadequacy and hopelessness. That doesn't mean she is a bad dog owner, just that she felt like one at that moment, and felt that her dogs deserved better. After she pulled out of it she realized that she did need them, and they do need her.

Lastly, it's pretty selfish of the rescue to not return the dogs. The animals were and will be well taken care of with her. There are many many other goldens out there being killed because there isn't enough foster space for them, so I don't understand why they would expend resources and space on animals with a low chance of being adopted due to their age. This is practically in my back yard, they do sometimes bring in rescues from our local animal shelter. Last week a golden was euthanized here because the local rescues couldn't find someone to foster him, if they had given those two dogs back the dog last week might not have died lonely and sad in the shelter.

 

[Doberluv]

That's sickening! If vets and others testify that the animals were well cared for, there is NO excuse from that rescue. I wonder what their motive is. I continually lose respect for so many rescues, the more I read about things like this, their incredibly stringent criteria for adoting dogs, how they turn perfectly good people away, some of the incredible fees. I saw one that charged almost $300.00. No wonder there are so many dogs without homes.

 

[alejake]

Bump . . . Again. Any ideas how I or we can help this poor lady???

 

[squirtsmom]

I have had 3 late term miscarriages before Lola, and the last thing I would have done is dump my dogs. they made me feel better.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

Well, I think there's a lot we're not hearing in this. I'd be willing to bet there's more to it and that the rescue feels they have good reason not to return the dogs. Just because they didn't speak to the press doesn't mean they don't have reasons.

These dogs were not taken from this woman, she voluntarily gave them up. The vets say she took excellent care of her animals, but no time frame is mentioned - at one time she may have, but that care may have slacked off considerably toward the end. There's got to be a reason the dogs are being kept by the rescue, because it sounds like it would be a LOT easier to give them back. But giving them back may not be what's right for the dogs. I don't know, I just am sure there's more to it than that article by far.

The $14,000 spent in legal fees .. what in the world could she have spent that much on?? Does that sound exorbitant to anyone else? My boss is going through a huge separation - been with the woman 17 years, they have property together, etc. - and he hasn't spent anywhere near that amount yet although it's not a congenial separation. She gave up her dogs in December, just a short time ago. Even at $200 an hour, that would be 70 hours of legal work and that's a LOT. I think there's an exaggeration here - or she's counting money paid to a lawyer to deal with her now-ex too.

I, too, have been through traumatic situations and have dealt with a deep depression, but the last thing I would have done is given up my dogs. The bond I have with them is part of what keeps me from giving into depression.

On the website they have set up (and of course, they're hoping you will donate money) there's this statement supposedly from the dogs:

"We got driven away from our mom who was crying and brought to this woman’s house where we’ve never been before. We don’t know why we are here but we have been so traumatized. We are scared and sad and don’t know what has happened to our mom and our home and our wonderful life that we have had with her for 9 and 10 years…since we were 6 and 8 weeks old."

The reason they were driven away and left at the stranger's house is because the woman GAVE THEM UP by choice. But they're trying to make it sound now like it was done nearly by force. I don't have that much sympathy for people who dump their dogs when the dogs are not convenient regardless of the reason. Call me heartless if you want, but my sympathies are ALWAYS with the animals first. Any "trauma" to those dogs was created by the owner.

The courts will figure it out one way or the other, but I do hope that what is done is done with the good of the DOGS in mind and not based just on the tears of a woman who chose to give her dogs to a rescue.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska