A neighbour of mine who I know well. We are not good friends but we always talk. I have known her a couple of years, she as the same breed of dog as me.
When I had my 2 litters of pups it was known from the start she would have 1. Her boyfriend was buying her it for her birthday. With an agreement she took the pup at 8 weeks and we agreed the payment.
To cut a long story short her boyfriend cleared her out and left her in dept.
She came to me explaining and said she would return the pup.
She as a little boy who thought the world of his new pup and so did she.
She'd had the pup 4 weeks when she fetched him back.  Obvious she was very upset.
The pup remembered us and our 3 dogs(all other pups in new homes). They all got on well playing together. There was no problem on my part taking back the pup.
But I just couldnt find the heart to confuse the pup who was settled in his new home and cause heartache to the woman and her son.
I imagined myself in the same position and thought what if I lost a beloved pet becuase of money. It all boiled down to money(I could have easily sold the pup on I still had people wanting them even though theyd all gone). and I knew it wasnt morrally right.
Well I gave her the lead back told her to put in back on him and take hime home.
What would others done in this situatiuon?

Is she in a position to cope with the pup, left on her own with a child and, if I am reading your post correctly, another dog.  I am wondering if she brought it back because she felt she could not manage rather than the money aspect.

Yep I thought that too.  Having been in that ladies position I would never have given the dog up over money as you can always fidn enough to feed,a dn if the worst case came to worse could get Charity Vet treatment.

Brainless, I wouldnt agree that you can do this in every case, I had a friend who certainly couldnt. With 3 kids to feed and clothe, a hubby who took off leaving her deeper in debt (household bills unpaid) and eventually the house re-possesed because she simply coulnt make the mortgage, there was no money over for dog food and vet bills. Not everyone will want to use credit that they cant pay off, as in credit card, and much as she deeply loved the dogs, as did the kids, she simply couldnt keep them and look after her children, which come first whatever. Thanks to her wonderful breeder, the dogs were homed well.

Surely she would have been able to get the mortage interest paid by the DSS.  When my husband and I split I was pregannt with a 3 year old and my dog.  I had to go part time with my job in order to get help.  I think people loose their homes like this as they don't get the right benefits info, and that is tragic.:rolleyes:

Its a long time ago now, and to be honest I cant remember all the ins and outs, but he hadnt been paying the mortgage so they were in arrears anyway and he had not paid electric bills, gas, phone, credit cards they were behind with everything. he kept her short of money for housekeeping, so it was a struggle to keep the kids never mind the dogs. wasn't always like this, but the final few months before he took off with his new girlfriend were the killers. Much as the DSS may pay the interest on the mortgage, I dont think this lasts forever, nor would it keep the mortgage company happy forever, especially with arrears that she couldnt meet, and he refused to pay. She didnt know where they were going to end up, or how she was going to manage. I helped by feeding her dogs for a couple of months but she felt she couldnt look after them should anything happen to them, such as illness, or afford simple booster injections, I should add here they were a large breed gundog with huge appitites to match! She didnt come to the decision to rehome them lightly, but put her kids first and then the welfare of the dogs she adored next. And believe me, she adored and loved them, they were lovely dogs and a credit to her, she loved them enough to put her personal feelings aside and find them the best, secure home she could. Better to do it as she did, at lesure, than as a quick knee jerk reaction when you have to move out, as she had too.

The years have passed, and she is now married to a lovely guy. She would love another dog but wont, because she just feels she couldnt take the chance of this happening again. Which is a shame, because a dog couldnt have a more loving owner.

Oh I am not critiscising her choise and the outcome at all.  It is just sad when there is the help available and people don't get it until it is too late.

My ex got us into huge debt, but my family helped out.

As for the Morgage Interest it will continue to be paid for as long as the person qualifies for Income support.  After all it is only the same as having their rent covered by Housing Benefit.

Of course you still need to cover the rest of the Mortgae or endowment, but I considered that worth the extra scrimping to keep the roof over my head, but it was touch and go.

Of course that is what breeders shoudl expect to do, help their pups out in such situations, and not expect a rescue to take theri responsibility.

I probably would have done what you did. The only thing i would be worried about is the fact that she is in debt, and i would be worried if she could provide the best care for the pup. ie vet bills, quality of food etc. i am sure she could provide all the love it needed.
I think you have to go on your gut instinct and if that said give the pup back then i am sure you made the right desistion.
Not sure if anything i have said helps.
Anna

She never actually lived with the boyfriend and she as always coped very well. The only reason was not having the money to pay for the pup.

Mmm.  To me buying the pup is the easy bit,  The really high cost is good feeding, Veterinary treatment or insurance for the next 14 years.
I would have been happier if she had offered to pay me £10 per week, because that's all she could afford on top of the maintainence costs, and then I would have probably told her that was enough after the first £100! ;)

I feel that it's important that people pay (something :) ) for what they want to keep their pride and to make them value what they've got.  Having been in a similar situation myself many years ago, I wouldn't have taken something that meant a lot to my daughter away without doing what I possibly could to keep it. :(

too true Val.  The expenses keep on coming with a dog.  I do not want to judge the woman but if I was skint and didn't know better I would consider skipping on insurance and that can only lead to trouble in the future.

I am sorry but Insurance is tha last thing I would view as essential when owning a dog. 

I certainly can't afford to Insure mine prefering to put money by for Veterinary emnergencies or at worst case drawing on credit.  Pet Insurance is designed to make the Insurrance company money.

You can feed a dog well without buying the most expensive food around.

Well, I think that was an extremely humble thing that you did. I'm sure that God is smiling down at you.

If she is well able to care for the pup which you don't seem worried about and it was purely and simply not the price of the pup she could afford at the moment then I too would find it extremely hard to take back a much loved pup.

The only lesson learnt is always take full payment even with friends before handing over a pup, it is a shame that after all the time and effort you took in raising your pup you got no monetary reward, but I guess you got a higher moral reward in the end.

I expect when she is out of dept, she will give you some money (or should) your an extremely lovely person to do that. :-)

I think you did a v nice thing, at least you can keep an eye on how this pup is doing! You said you had 2 litters - didnt you want to keep any yourself?

I didnt want to keep any of the pups we have 3 dogs. Having said that if it happened we did have to keep any then it would not have been a problem for us.
Im sure its only a temp set back for her. And she knows if there is a time when her situation changes she will pay for the pup.

I would say, just keep an eye on things and let her know that, should she be uable to cope in the future, you will take the pup back. Its a lovley, kind and generous thing you have done, at a time in her life when she would be feeling betrayed and let down.

I just have a niggly thought in my mind, that being its a tough moral judgement for someone to return a puppy, whatever the circumstances (well, ok for some, some just dont care) and if shes struggling to cope with money and whatever debts he may have left her with she may have just used the money aspect as an excuse to return the pup thinking you would automatically take it back. When you offered it to her for free she may not have been able to get the courage to say she can no longer cope, or afford it, or even want it now. (Emotions being a funny thing, dont know how hung up she was on bf, but the pup may just remind her so much of him she may not want it because of that) So, I would just monitor it, visit occasionally, just support her in this being the right decision. Im not critising, honestly :),  its difficult to get acoss what I mean in print, but for the pups sake, just make sure all is well.

Hope all goes well!

had a friend whos hubby left her with 3 kids, and no money. Was very hard for her, and trying to get maintainence--ha blood out of a stone! I fed her dogs for a couple of months, but she couldnt afford the vet insurance, and the boosters came due and she couldnt afford them either. She worried about any possible vet bills (something always goes wrong when you are not insured) so, with a very sad and heavy heart she realised she had to find homes for her two dogs. The eldest (from a rep show breeder) was 5, the girl was nearly 4. Not knowing where to go, she rang her breeder to ask how she could go about finding homes for these dogs (not for one minute expecting the breeder to take the dog back at this age and being neutered). Well, this wonderful lady not only took the dog back for rehoming, she took the bitch too! My friend didnt shed a tear when the hubby left, but did she shed some tears over the kindness of this lady. And having to give up her beautiful dogs.

That would certainly have been considered the norm among my breeder freinds. 

One friend kept a dog she bred for two years for the lady owner following a marriage breakdown as she wanted to have the dog back once situation had improved. 

Only once it was 8 years old and the breeder felt he deserved a permanent home one way or the other was he finally rehomed as the original owner was still unlikley to be in a position to do her best by him.

With another on the death of the owner a nice home was found from those waiting on a rescue, sadly these people had to give the dog up a few years later at around 9 years old, and my friend had to get the hugely overweight dog fit and rehome him again.

This is what is meant by lifelong responsibility and should be the norm for all breeders unless they themselves are no longer in a  position to have dogs through infirmity.

This is why when anyone contemplates having a litter they shoudl consider whetehr the chances are that they will be in  a position to still be responsible in some 12 years time.