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California Members...any info on shelties rescued from fire in Riverside??

Discussion in 'Rescue Chat' started by dmeyer123, Jul 20, 2014.

  1. dmeyer123

    dmeyer123 Forums Enthusiast

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    Last night, right before bed, on the 11:00 news, they reported up to 60 shelties had been rescued from a house fire in Riverside, CA. I can't find any more info than that. Nothing on the internet, that I can turn up. Nothing on the Southland Sheltie rescue site. Has anyone heard anything??
     
  2. dmeyer123

    dmeyer123 Forums Enthusiast

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  3. Judyg

    Judyg Premium Member

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    That's a lot of Shelties. I would not be surprised if it was a puppy mill of some kind. So sad. I hope they find good homes for them.

    It's the only information I can find too!
     
  4. Mignarda

    Mignarda Forums Enthusiast

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    The dogs were supposedly in excellent condition. Perhaps it was a very large-scale backyard breeder, or even an upscale hoarder. Notice they referred to them as "miniature Shelties." Is this just a manifestation of ignorance, or were they breeding actual miniature Shelties? Hard to say.
     
  5. tofu pup

    tofu pup Moderator

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    The one dog pictured looks like a nice Sheltie (ie. one that was bred with a goal in mind), though it's hard to say from that angle. Makes me wonder who the people were (though I'm sure something will spring up on Facebook if they're part of the ASSA community).

    I'm guessing that the "miniature Shetland Sheepdog" statement is a mere failure of journalism.

    All that said, 61 dogs is a lot of dogs. And it's interesting that they were all signed over. If this was a long-term, treasured, goal-oriented breeding program, you can bet that the owners wouldn't just sign every one of them over (even if they had just lost everything in a fire). Their local friends and fellow breeders would step up and offer temporary safe homes for the dogs, a few here, a few there. By signing them over to the shelter, they guarantee that every dog will be spayed/neutered. I can't imagine [insert name of any successful show-breeder you can think of here] just signing all the dogs over immediately, unless there was an issue of neglect or abuse.

    I hope the dogs find good homes. If they've been well-cared-for, that certainly raises their chances.
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2014
  6. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    New comment on the article:

    Kathleen Faulconer
    Hi, I am Kathleen Faulconer with Southland Sheltie Rescue ,. We are very much aware of this sad situation, and are here to help in any way necessary. We have been in touch with the Rescue Coordinator at the Riverside Shelter and these dogs are not in any danger. We have a good relationship with this shelter and they know we will be there to help in any way needed. From what I understand, the owner was a reputable breeder and conformation judge of long standing. The dogs are healthy and well cared for. She did the right thing to get the dogs to safety as quickly as possible. In the upcoming days, please check our Facebook page above for updates. Thanks!
     
  7. Judyg

    Judyg Premium Member

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    That is interesting news on the owner. I wonder why the she was so willing to give all of the dogs up though.

    My husband used to be the planning director for Riverside County says there are 3 different classes of kennels and maybe she didn't have the correct permits to have that many dogs. She would have needed to have a class 4 kennel for 41 or more dogs. He does not remember issuing a class 4 permit in that area.


    The planner in him went for a search and found she had a permit for up to 10 dogs. She had none of the required paperwork or permits for more and that is why she probably relinquished them.

    It's probably very sad as her breeding program is gone, and she is most likely facing some huge fines.




    Here is another story on the fire:
    http://ktla.com/2014/07/20/61-dogs-rescued-3-people-displaced-after-riverside-county-house-fire/
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2014
  8. Mignarda

    Mignarda Forums Enthusiast

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    Hard to see how one can be a responsible breeder when one has that many dogs and neither a contingency plan nor adequate insurance to cover disasters without foisting responsibility for your dogs upon the public and/or private organizations.
     
  9. tofu pup

    tofu pup Moderator

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    Sounds like she did the right thing, considering the circumstances. I'm glad that they're all likely to find happy homes. (Let's face it, it's probably nicer to be one dog out of two or three than one out of sixty.)

    I really appreciate that all of the articles take the time to state that the dogs are healthy and in good shape. It's easier to get hits with an "OMG hoarder-breeder-kennel full of starving, filthy dogs!" story. Certainly the houses-of-horror exist (they shouldn't), but it doesn't sound like this is one.
     
  10. Sharon7

    Sharon7 Moderator

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    Holy cow. I grew up in Riverside myself but not sure where that location is. The pics do show healthy looking Shelties. I just can't even imagine how someone would take care of that many dogs without a LOT of help. At least they are all safe.

    Judy, maybe if your pup doesn't work out, you could look into adopting one of these Shelties. I wonder how long it will take to get homes for that many needy pups? :uhoh:
     

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