What would you think

If you received the following email? [This was May last year]

OK, the email was from someone in Seattle, who had never owned a dog before, who always said she hated dogs and would never give one houseroom, and mocked me for having adopted my first rescue pup. And yet has now spent ??? amount of dollars "rescuing" a dog from Hollywood and having him flown to Seattle?

I know what I think, but just wonder what Dogsey members think.

....erm,that they changed their minds and decided they like dogs(or at least that one)

I'd think hooray, someone who's been converted! OH wasn't a "big dog" person when we met but now says he doesn't think he'd manage a little dog, definately would get a big dog in the future. He also wasn't keen on rats but gave me the OK to rescue a couple, then two more, and he absolutely adored "his" ratty (who sadly passed away afteran op). He still fawns over the remaining 3 and has definately been converted to rats, he tells his friends all about their latest funny escapades.
He also supposedly "hates" cats and has said he'd never, ever own one, but I have caught him giving my mum's cat sneaky cuddles when we go around for dinner

My oldest brother was also never really keen on pets, not quite sure how as he was raised in a household full of dogs, cats, small furries - even the odd duck and geese (and a pet calf!) when we were younger! But when he moved out to his own apartment and found a stray kitten one day, he couldn't bring himself to take it to the pound. No one came to claim it and it stayed with him ever since - he dotes on it and won't go on holiday if no one can look after the cat, he's bought it a giant cat tree, he even set up a "cat cam" to check he was coping OK when he was out at work

I am delighted that she has rescued a dog, what I cannot quite understand is why not rescue a local dog and instead of spending the money on having one flown up from Hollywood.

From what I understand this rescue was done online, ie she had not actually seen the dog beforehand.

And I think that bothers me a bit.

She did send a couple of photos of her standing with the dog at the end of an extended leash, not looking at him, saying she turned her back on him "as it was not polite to watch him doing his business".

Somehow I get the impression that he is a "trophy" dog, and not a pet. And yes, I do know the person concerned. And she was one of the people who said "oh well, she is only a mutt and you can easily get another one" when I told her that Pereg was epileptic.

I am now beginning to wonder whether they have, in fact, kept that dog, as I have not heard from her since.

It can be easy for people to say things like "Oh well, you can get another" when it's not their dog but hopefully if it should ever happen to them, their views would be a little different! As said, my oldest brother really didn't "get" pets and could never understand why I spent so much money on the pets I had as a teen, but he'd do anything for his cat now - he's had him neutered, researched a good food, he was even going to fly him down when he came to visit us for Christmas the other year but ended up doing the 8 hour train trip instead as they wouldn't let the cat go on a "carry-on" luggage! So you might be pleasantly surprised.

I was "weeding" my emails when I came across that email and the subsequent ones, which ended after she had made the comment about Pereg and my response being that I do not wish to "replace" Pereg because I love her...

...and that was where the correspondence ended.

Which is why I wonder - why the contact after rather a long time, telling me about this rescue dog from Hollywood, and then suddenly ending as it did. I have since asked after the dog and heard nothing. I just hope he is OK.

I still think he was a "trophy" rescue though.

Maybe he was a trophy rescue, maybe he just struck her heart.

Think about your own dog and if you were faced with having to do similar - you'd do it wouldn't you? Even if someone said "look it's just a dog there are hundreds more at a local rescue" - you'd still move heaven and earth to get the one that you're in love with back to you safe and sound.

whats 'trophy' about a bichon x poodle?

I hate to be cynical but maybe she rescued the dog to make herself look/feel good ? i wonder if shes still got the dog ...

"Trophy" is buying a rescue cross-breed dog from Hollywood and having it flown up to Seattle.

And now ignoring all emails.

Both my Little One and Pereg were rescue puppies. Unwanted tiny black and tan mutts. Rescued locally, not stuck on a plane and flown X kilometres across the country to a new home.

If she wanted a rescue dog, are there no unwanted dogs or shelters in Seattle? Because she obviously had not seen the dog beforehand, as she did not know his age or that he needed his teeth cleaning.

However, adopting a rescue dog from Hollywood really does sound good to someone like her, for whom everything has to be better than anything anyone else has.