Kairos French Bulldogs – Scam Artists, Thieves and Liars

An update: Thank you to everyone for your support, your emails and your phone calls. As of now, both the website and the Facebook page of this person are down, which is pretty much the best we could hope for – and faster than I’d expected, too. She’s crying about how it was ‘all a mistake’, but we all know that’s just code for “it sucks that I got caught”.

Lesson learned – do not underestimate the power of social media. It can definitely be used for good.

Again, thanks for everyone’s support. Now I can tell Sean he doesn’t have to drive to Peterborough with a baseball bat after all, and we can spend the lawyer’s fees on a nice celebratory dinner.

In 21 years of breeding French Bulldogs, I do not think I have ever been as angry as I am at this moment.

I have had photos stolen off of my website before, but NEVER to the blatant extent that these conniving, conning scam artists have done.

Visit this page: http://kairosfrenchbulldogs.weebly.com/our-dogs–puppies.html

Better yet, don’t give them the traffic, and just have a look at this screen cap –

Kairo French Bulldogs are scammers, thieves and liars

Stolen photos on the Kairo French Bulldog website

Anything look familiar? It should, because EVERY SINGLE photo except for the one photo circled in red is of my dogs (and even more infuriatingly, four of them are now deceased).

That’s my couch. My basement. My yard. My whelping room. My dogs.

Many of you knew my beautiful Tessa, who passed away last year at fifteen. That’s her, in the second photo, sitting with my beautiful Ellie, whose ashes we scattered at Cherry Beach.

The cream in the next photo? My lovely Mae, who I held last week as I watched the vet relieve her suffering.

The little puppy with the stick? That’s Maggie M’s Sushi.

On the couch? Sushi’s sister, Penelope, along side Ellie and Sailor.

The dog with the monkey in its mouth? That’s Sailor, with Mr. Monkey, her ‘honorary third puppy’.

The two little puppies that these MONSTERS say are out of Sushi? One of them was my baby boy, who passed away at fifteen days old as I held him in my hand.

Actions really do speak louder than words, and this is no ‘accidental borrowing’ of a few photos – the claim that most thieves make when caught in the act. These scammers INTENTIONALLY stole my photos, re named the dogs in them, and claimed them as their own.

If their ethics are so lacking in this respect, what does that say about the rest of their behavior?

I will be posted this EVERYPLACE, and I’ve already contacted both their web host, and my lawyer. If you’re in the Toronto area, these con men have a ‘partner’ on the French Bulldog board who has been pimping their puppies for them, and they’re apparently also all over Kijiji.

USDA Licensed and Inspected Dog Kennel

USDA Inspected Kennel Kills 1,000+ Dogs

As some you might remember, I wrote a while back about the CFIA’s requirement that any puppies under eight months of age which are imported into Canada for “commercial purposes” must come from a USDA Licensed breeder.

Here’s a link to the original article:

https://www.bullmarketfrogs.com/blog/2010/01/cfia-partners-canadian-breeders-with-usda/

CFIA defines ‘commercial purposes’ as a dog imported by anyone who has ever bred a litter, shown a dog, judged a dog, trained a dog or trialed a dog – in other words, any dog OTHER than one imported by an individual as ‘just a pet’ (By the way, if you are wondering how the CFIA determines if the person you are importing a dog from is “USDA approved”, they use this on line USDA Search tool, which can be accessed by anyone – http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/LPASearch.jspx )

CFIA seems to believe that forcing Canadians to import only USDA inspected dogs will somehow ensure that the dogs being imported into are healthier than just ‘random’ bred dogs. The rationale might be sound – after all, CFIA likely feels that, if we only allow meat and poultry that has passed USDA inspections into Canada, why not apply the same restrictions to puppies?

The problem is that almost any kennel can pass a USDA inspection – or, if they fail one, they’ll be given almost unlimited chances to get their facility up to par.

In this most recent incident, as reported on Pet Connection, a mass distemper outbreak illustrates just how much of a fallacy the USDA “stamp of approval” really is:

More than 1000 dogs were euthanized as a last resort to thwart a canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreak at a USDA-licensed Kansas kennel, reports Dr. Bill Brown, Kansas’ Livestock Commissioner.

Am I supposed to feel better because the U.S. Department of Agriculture was “riding shotgun”? No, in fact their involvement makes the situation all the more deplorable. Canine distemper is completely preventable. How did the lethal combination of overcrowded, unclean conditions and inadequate vaccinations — the only way canine distemper can run rampant –  manage to slip under the USDA radar?

Are Canadian breeders supposed to feel better knowing that the CFIA has now limited us to importing dogs which have come from conditions like these? It’s clear to all of us that a “USDA Inspected” label means nothing more than a verification of the fact that this breeder just has too many Goddamned dogs. You don’t see a lot of three or four dog hobby kennels rushing out to get USDA certified – that’s reserved for the forty, fifty, one hundred dog or more breeders, the ones who raise their dogs, as the Pet Connection article says, like livestock. And USDA inspections might work just fine for livestock, but they are failing for puppies over and over and over again.

The CBSA border guard who confronted my friend when she didn’t have the appropriate paperwork for her Scottish bred, expensively imported puppy said that they are paying close attention to breeder imports, because “Breeders lie”. Given a choice between being limited to my future breeding stock coming from a USDA Kennel that churns out puppies like widgets from a factory, or being a big old liar, I know what I choose.

The better question is, what does CFIA choose – and what do we, as Canadians, allow them to get away with choosing for us?

Banning Puppy Mills = The Commies Win!

Black Helicopter mocking at its very finest, courtesy of the Daily Show!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Big Red Dogs
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Belle & Bronx – breaking the backyard breeding cycle

Bella and her 7 Neopolitan Mastiff babies

Bella and her 7 surviving babies

Updated: Belle went into labor at six this morning, with Kelly at her side. Ten puppies, three of them dead – but the seven live ones are doing fine so far. Kelly isn’t convinced that Belle is done yet – she said that everytime she turns around, it seems like another puppy falls out of Belle!

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Kelly is a sucker for an animal in need.

Her house is filled with them – kittens she couldn’t say no to, one eyed Frenchies, senior citizen Bullmastiffs, a pair of miniature horses, an Amish work horse rescued just before it went to auction, a draft mare who spent her life pumping out foal after foal.

With a heart like this, it’s no wonder her attention was caught when she came across an ad reading “Moving, Can’t Take Them With Me”.

The dogs the ad referred to were a pair of intact, pure bred Neopolitan Mastiffs – a five year old dog, and a three year old bitch. The owner, who truly seems to have cared for his dogs, had ran into some financial and personal difficulties. He was out of money, out of dog food, and was about to be out of a place to live. He had to place the dogs, immediately. Oh, and did he mention that the bitch was pregnant – and due any moment now?

With a story like that, you can imagine the kinds of responses this ad was getting – people who saw the chance to buy a ‘breeding pair’ of Neopolitan Mastiffs as a golden, money making opportunity.

Kelly immediately knew where this was going to end. The bitch, already on her fourth or fifth litter (her owner didn’t seem to have an exact number, although he did have pictures of her with her previous litter of twelve (!) puppies), would be continuously bred until she or her uterus gave out.  The dog would spend his life chained in a yard, siring litter after litter,  and offered at stud to anyone willing to pay a fee.

Kelly was determined to stop this from happening. She contacted the advertiser, explained that she’d give the dogs a good home, and offered him cash on the spot. He jumped at it, and she arranged to meet him.

Pulling up in front of the tiny house, Kelly was greeting by the sight of two Neos lounging on the sidewalk, while their owner sat on the stoop. The dogs were happily greeting everyone who passed by, thumping their tails and offering their heads up for a friendly scratch. They were definitely drawing a crowd. Kelly promised to do her best to take care of the dogs, paid their owner, and loaded them into her truck.

Once at home, Kelly has been spending as much time as possible with the two dogs, getting to know them, making them comfortable and trying to asses their temperaments.

Bronx - Blue Brindle Male Neopolitan Mastiff

Bronx

The dog, Bronx, is a heavy set blue brindle – slightly aloof, which is normal for the breed, but very dignified and calm. He’s already bonded tightly with Kelly, and would likely be happy to transfer that affection to an owner he can call his own. Like most Neos, he’s not safe around small dogs or cats – he’s very prey driven, and would definitely chase them, given a chance. He’s not tested around children, and will not be placed with them. He’s a healthy dog, but he has a horrible cherry eye, which Kelly will have fixed while he’s being neutered.

Kelly would like to see him be placed as soon as possible into a great home, and is willing to have him brought back for his neutering and cherry eye surgery, which is scheduled for April 12th. She’d also like to have him properly evaluated by  a trainer, to better determine the right home for him.

Belle, after four days good feeding

Belle, after four days good feeding

Belle, the little brindle bitch, is a very sad sight indeed.

She’s at least forty or fifty pounds underweight, and so emaciated that her spine sticks up above her back like a ridge. Her sunken ribs make the bulge of her pregnant belly even more poignantly prominent. Kelly had her xrayed, and she is carrying at least eight puppies, on frame that is barely able to support her own weight. It’s enough to break your heart.

In spite of this, Belle has the most winning personality. She’s a foot sitter, a leg leaner, and head butt-er. She craves affection and companionship, and is tightly bonded to Bronx. She’s outgoing and calm, but is also untrustworthy around cats or small dogs, due to her high prey drive. She’s a beautiful girl, and will make a wonderful pet for someone willing to open their hearts to her.

Belle will be placed once she has whelped her puppies. Her puppies will also be placed, on very rigorous spay/neuter contracts. There will be adoption fees for the puppies, and donations are welcome from anyone interested in adopting Belle or Bronx.

Their veterinary fees are high, and growing higher, but Kelly is determined to do whatever it takes to get them fit, healthy and ready for their new lives.

If you are interesting adopting Belle, Bronx or one of their puppies, please contact Kelly directly, via email. She’s located just outside of Orangeville. If you are willing to foster Bronx, or to do temperament testing or evaluation on him, please contact her as well.

I’ll be posting details on the puppies as they grow, and I do have lots of photos of Belle and Bronx, which are here —

http://www.flickr.com/photos/frenchbulldogs/sets/72157623618290313/

If you blog, or if you belong to Toronto or Ontario area mailing lists, please pass along Belle and Bronx’s information to anyone you think might be interested in offering them a home. Adopting these two dogs might not end backyard breeding, but it breaks the cycle for Belle and Bronx, and for their children.

Pasado's Take a Page from the HSUS Playbook

Did anyone else receive the “help us care the 600 puppy mill dogs!!!!” email from Pasado’s Safe Haven?

I hadn’t heard about the case at the time, but I immediately found some links to it, and was surprised at the lack of mentions of Pasado’s in all of the coverage. Lots of talk about a small, grassroots group called “SPOT” (Saving Pets One at a Time) and Everett Animal Services, but nothing about Pasado’s. Huh.

Today in my inbox, I found this article about the rescue efforts. What immediately jumped out at me was this paragraph:

Some groups, including Pasado’s Safe Haven of Monroe, have challenged Snohomish County for not enlisting their help caring for the rescued dogs.

The help isn’t needed and the dogs are receiving excellent care, Lubrin said Monday. It’s also important to keep the dogs in one place as investigators continue to develop a possible criminal case, she said.

Shame on Pasado’s for taking a page from the HSUS fund raising playbook, while the grassroots groups actually housing the animals are crying out for donations. Doing a few pro bono spays on the seized dogs hardly justifies this kind of misleading fund raising. I hope they plan on turning over the money raised to the shelter that’s currently almost going broke caring for the dogs.

I’m not holding my breath, however.