Grrrrrrrr. I am ANGRY.

[Lyric]

We are in the process of trying to find a new home for our dog, Toby, because we're probably going to be moving to a place that refuses any dogs over 50 lbs. In addition to local ads, I also placed a Craigslist ad that said the following:

Purebred 3-year old Golden Retriever Male

His name is Toby. :)

Knows some simple commands--sit, lay down, go to "bed" (his crate), will play fetch for hours if you let him. Pulls on leash, but is smart enough and friendly enough to be trained not to do so. Is house-trained and crate-trained (the crate is his "bed", and he is most comfortable when he sleeps there.) The crate is large--approximately 4 feet by 3 and a half feet wide and tall. He is NOT an "outside" dog, and needs to be an inside dog save for exercise and bathroom trips. He's incredibly intelligent, and with a skilled trainer, could be taught to hunt-and-retrieve.

Is very friendly overall, and well-behaved in the bathtub and during brushing, but doesn't like having his nails trimmed--it scares him. Is current on rabies vaccination, with tag and paperwork. Weighs about 75-80 lbs.

He's high-spirited and active, so a home with very small children (toddlers and preschoolers) probably isn't a great idea--he might knock them over accidentally. Older children (7 and up) are fine--we have an eight year old ourselves. He likes cats, but has never lived with other dogs, so if you own another dog, you'll need to introduce them to each other slowly and patiently. An ideal home will have a strong, positive "head of the house" (male or female) who can help Toby understand his proper role in his new "pack." He's no guard dog, but he *will* bark if he hears someone outside--he's designated himself as our official "dog alarm", lol.

He's a Golden Retriever, so he needs a LOT of attention and grooming, and he sheds heavily several times a year (and lightly year-round) so if you're unwilling to clean up dog hair, this is not the dog for you. Frequent brushing helps, though.

He'll eat any kind of food, but prefers Iams "Large Breed".

Is not neutered yet and is purebred, but does not come with breeding registration--we're NOT looking for a breeding home. Adoption fee is $175--the cost of his neuter at Mountaineer Veterinary Clinic (the best price we could find), and will be refunded upon proof of his neuter surgery.

Bottom line--we love him, but our new apartment won't allow us to keep him. We need someone who is capable of caring for him and loving him as much as we do.

Call 304-###-#### and ask for ######.

We also included a few photographs. We intend to be picky with potential owners, by the way. We'll stay here as long as we need to in order to find him a good home.

Anyway, we got an e-mail from some incredibly rude jerk that said the following:

I hope you find a good home for Toby.

Please do not advertise Toby as a purebred unless you can prove his pedigree. Many people looking for a show quality dog might be misled thinking he is a purebreed. Show and breeding quality dogs are not generally spayed or nurtured until later in life. In fact, breeders should provide official AFC/UKC or FCI registry number and documentation for the litter, Sire, and Dam (at least 3 generations of pedigree)as well as OFA/CERF/PennHip and Optigen test results that rule out genetic disorders.

Toby is probably the best family dog someone can be privileged to have, but certainly not a purebred unless well-documented.

Again, good luck.

We very *intentionally* did not advertise the fact that Toby is AKC registered with an official AKC pedigree that goes back three generations, and all of his ancestors were OFA hip-certified "Excellent" because that kind of ad attracts puppy mills. We figured "purebred" was close enough, because we have NO intention of giving up his AKC registration papers until we have proof that he's been neutered, or have neutered him ourselves. I do NOT want him being scooped up by an agent for some puppy mill.

Still, the insinuation that I'm reading into this is that we're being (politely) accused of being dishonest. Jesus. Is it not possible for people to care more about the dog's welfare than about his fucking AKC status?

I'm so mad that I'm shaking. My e-mail back to him was cold, but barely civil. He also had the nerve to post his own ad directly above *ours* that contained the text of his e-mail. He's basically portraying us as either incompetent, or scammers.

WTF is wrong with people? :grr:

Edit: pictures of Toby

[REP]

1. You'll run into dicks on EVERY subject

Doesn't matter what it is. I grow orchids as a hobby (if you can even call it that - I like growing stuff, and orchids are easy) and you would not BELIEVE the dorkitude that rear its head over ornamental plants. This dork was a raging douche nugget - just laugh at his obssession with dog sex and point it out to others.

[Lyric]

3. I think what makes me the angriest is being lectured by someone who's PRETENDING

to have "knowledge" about purebred dogs and dog breeding. If he ACTUALLY had any knowledge, he would know damned well that NOBODY looking for a "show quality" dog would bother with Toby, because we specifically say that we want him neutered. In fact, if we haven't had any acceptable folks show up before we get our student aid, we're going to get him neutered ourselves, just to make sure. You can't "show" neutered dogs in the big shows--only the MUCH less-prestigious shows that are specifically meant for neutered animals. Besides, Toby is out-of-spec for show. He's two inches taller than the acceptable standard for Goldens. We left him un-neutered until he reached his full maturity, just to be sure, but since he isn't show quality, we have no intention of permitting him to be bred.

Still. I'm angry. All he had to do was to ask if Toby was actually AKC registered, and I would have gladly answered him privately. I just don't want it published, you know?

[DS1]

2. adorable dog

[Rhythm]

5. He's a big, fluffy, spoiled brat...

who is currently leading the 'twilight bark'. :eyes:

[Pierre.Suave]

4. he looks like a great dog

I would take him if I could...

[Lyric]

6. Oh god, he really, really is.

Even the thought of giving him away is killing me, but when Deb lost her "good job" two years ago, we lost our financial stability, and now we can't be as choosy about where we live. *sigh* We're gonna stay here until I find the best possible home for Toby, but then we're likely on our way to some apartment closer to town. With no vehicle, this is really the only option we have. Last winter, we missed so many classes due to snow and living far from campus that we *almost* endangered our grades. I need my financial aid, so I can't allow that to happen. :(

[Pierre.Suave]

8. I had to give a dog away when I started school too

it was so hard. Luckily he went to a great family that let me go visit him.

he was happy there and was well taken care of, and he got to play with me still.

[Lyric]

10. Oh man, I hope I can be that lucky.

Finding a truly good home is my first priority, but if it also involves us getting to visit him, I'd be in heaven.

[S n o w b a l l]

7. What a jerk!

Well, by god, yes he is a purebred. What the hell is that jerk talking about? It was obvious you were looking for a family home and NOT a breeder. You have to roll your eyes at people like that and forget them. I'm sorry you had to deal with this crap. Your ad was excellent and I don't think there was any question of what you were looking for and not dishonest in the least.

He is so beautiful. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a good home for him. I wish I was closer and didn't already have 2 dogs, I'd love to take him. I've fallen in love with him just from his pictures! Do you think it might be a good idea to go ahead and get him neutered before you give him up to make sure he's going to the right people? If you think you'd like to and you need help with the fee, I'd be happy to help.

This has to be so hard for you. I'm sorry. :hug:

[Lyric]

9. Thank you.

Yeah, it's incredibly hard. I've had Toby since he was nine weeks old--he's never known another family, save for the people we got him from. He's my sweet puppysaurus rex. :cry: His favorite treats in the world are these bacon-and-cheese homemade dog biscuits that a local lady makes for the mom-and-pop pet supply store down the street, and he loves to watch cartoons and snuggle the cats. I could go on forever about how wonderful he is, truly. I just feel trapped by our situation--I either give up my dog, or I force my kid to live in a place that's not safe for him anymore (our trailer is falling apart badly--holes in the floors, the ceiling's caving in, there's mold getting in, etc.)

We're definitely going to neuter him ourselves, just as soon as our student aid comes. We found a local vet that will do it for $175. I called five or six of them to find the best deal earlier today, and all the others were over $200.

My dream is that a single person or a couple without any small kids who live on waterfront property will want him. Toby would be so damned happy with a place to swim--he's a Goldie, and he loves the water, but we don't live close enough to public access to the river to get him there more than once a year or so. With no car, transporting a humungadog is rather difficult. :(

I really hope we find a home for him that's going to love him as much as we do. He's such a wonderful dog.

[supernova]

11. There are some real board nannies over on craigslist

I've been looking at pet cats/kitten ads and there are LOTS of complaints about pet owners' posts being flagged for stupid reasons. I don't know: didn't like the descriptions of cats, or the ad was too long, or something. So I'm not surprised some jerkface decided to let you know how "expert" he is.

Beautiful dog and I hope you find a good home for him. :-)

[KamaAina]

12. "not generally spayed or nurtured until later in life"??

That's "neutered". :dunce: Is someone casting asparagus on you and Toby? What, is FR down or something?

edit: Or, could it be Freudian? Doesn't sound like the "nurturing" type to me!

[Rhythm]

14. "Sigmund Fraud, call your office!"

:eyes:

[newmajority]

13. Fuck those elitist AKC asswipes

You should remind them that their way of thinking led to people like Adolf Hitler and Prescott Bush.

[Lyric]

15. ***UPDATE***

After I chewed his ass in a reply to his original e-mail, this is the response that I got:

Sorry for the misunderstanding Ms. ######. My intention was to inform
all potential dog owners of the difference between family dogs and
show/breeding standard dogs. May I suggest using a contract with
potential buyers to protect your interest in someone overusing your dog
as a stud. I would be more worried if it were a female. Do not forget
to transfer ownership.

I very graciously mailed him back again to let him know that I know as much or more about this process as he does, that I have no intention of Toby being "overused" because he's not going to be a stud dog AT ALL, and that we had already been planning to use an adoption contract, but that we wouldn't be transferring legal ownership to anyone until Toby is neutered.

Grr.