My family had a miserable Christmas this year.
It started out storybook-good. We adopted a puppy. She was an 8-week-old German Shepherd mix, full of energy and love. She was sweet, curious, and had beautiful kind eyes. We loved her.
During the adoption consultation we were informed that the dog has parasites. The staff member said it is not a problem, all we need to do is give her her medicine. Please note, our 3-year-old daughter was with us. She was sitting right with us at the table. When we expressed our concern that parasites will be transmitted to our child, the staff member told us all we have to do is wash her hands after she plays with the dog.
Another important thing to know is that Humane Society doesn't allow you much time to get to know the puppy. We played with her for a couple of minutes and then we were asked to make a decision. They would't allow us to place a hold on the dog and come back in 24 hours when we have a chance to think about it, consult with a vet and pediatrician about the severity of this condition. We also know if we walk away the dog will most likely be adopted by someone else. It felt like a high-pressure sales tactic, but we were eager to add another member to our family.
When we brought the dog home we realized that the problem was seriously downplayed. The dog had severe diarrhea. It was going to the bathroom every 10 minutes. No, I am not exaggerating. I had puppies before, so I was well aware that you need to take them out every couple of hours, but this was excessive. We quickly realized that the dog is sicker than we were told.
We took the dog to the vet on Monday 12/26/12. Our vet ran a number of tests and told us that the dog has a several parasites and a bacterial infection. She also said that children 2-4 years old are 4 times as likely to contract these parasites from a dog than any other age group. The vet said that we need to completely separate my daughter and the dog and use chlorine bleach to disinfect all the surfaces that came in contact with dog's feces. This included our driveway, our carpet, our kitchen floor, my daughter's toys, etc. The vet said we need to keep this regiment for 8 weeks minimum. 8 weeks!!! I needed to keep my dog caged up for 8 weeks!!! My daughter couldn't even pet her because of the risk of infestation. I had to clean my driveway with bleach several times A DAY, every time after dog went to the bathroom.
After consulting with our doctor we made a heartbreaking decision to take Lola back to the Humane Society. She was put right back for adoption. I checked on their website, looks like she has been adopted. I hope this will be her forever home and her new family will give her all the love she deserves.
We are still getting over the fact that Lola is not with us. I understand we made a mistake taking a sick dog and we deserve all the guilt and sadness we go through. However, I believe Humane Society should do a better job matching dogs with potential families. They should never give a dog with communicable diseases to people with small children. At the very least they should explain all the implications of taking a dog with a known medical condition to the families. It would be fantastic if they could arrange a vet consultation for potential adopters, just so they have a clear picture of what they are getting into.
The worst part of this is that my daughter still asking about Lola. Even though I told her that Lola is not coming back, she in waiting for her. It kills me that this whole situation could be prevented. We should've not taken a sick dog, period. Humane Society could've informed us about the severity of the issue, not brush it off, tell us it's nothing, and give us a sales pitch about how wonderful a family we would make for this dog. It is very sad that our kids have to pay for our gullibility and someone's eagerness to make things happen without considering all the consequences.
