Opinion: Why I wouldn’t buy a dog from the SPCA

Joan Coull, Special to The Gazette 

Opinion: Why I wouldn&#8217;t buy a dog from the SPCA

Joan Coull with her two golden retrievers, Maggie, left, and Daisy: “I do not want a labracockadoodleshihtzu. I want to know the nature of the breed and I want a puppy that has not been damaged by the previous owner.”

Vincenzo D'Alto / The Gazette


I am tired of hearing what a terrible person I am from holier-than-thou, self-proclaimed animal lovers because I did not buy my dog from the SPCA. Here are three of the reasons why I did not:

1. When my son wanted a dog, he went to the SPCA and chose the most pathetic dog he saw: an adult Shepherd-Lab-Rottweiler mix. The animal was cowering in the corner of his cage and my son’s heart went out to the dog. It took three months after getting the dog home to get it to come out of the basement; the dog was terrified! But with a lot of love and patience, he managed to gain the dog’s trust. The dog, however, had issues with other males and would get into fights. After three years and many fights (the last one causing 18 stitches to my son’s dog), my son decided to put the dog down. It broke his heart. That dog should never have been sold by the SPCA. Its dominant nature was probably why the previous owner gave the dog to the SPCA in the first place.

2. Friends of ours decided to buy at the SPCA after losing their beloved family pet. They chose a Lab-Rottweiler mix about a year old. The dog had toilet-training issues, and after eight months of having their carpets, beds and couches sprayed with urine, our friends decided to give up the fight and return the dog to the SPCA. It broke their hearts to do it, as they knew it would be a difficult dog to adopt. That dog should never have been sold by the SPCA either.

3. My daughter chose her dog at the SPCA also, a Golden Lab-Boxer mix. That was five years ago. The dog has spent most of its life in the garage in her cage as she is too dangerous to be trusted with my daughter’s young children. She snaps at them. But the family is hesitant to return her to the SPCA because she will be put down. This dog, too, should never have been sold by the SPCA.

When my husband and I decided to get a dog, we knew we needed a dog that would be good with our four grandchildren. We chose a Golden Retriever because we knew of their reputation with children and their loving and gentle nature. We got Daisy as a pup and have trained her the way we want her to be. Daisy has never let us down.

I have bred Daisy twice, resulting in two litters of eight puppies each. My puppies were raised inside my home. I encouraged children to come and play with them so they would be used to children. Prospective buyers selected their pups at four-weeks-old and we encouraged them to come back over the following four weeks to spend time with their pup, and to give us a chance to get to know them as the new owners. I kept in touch by email with these new owners, as well.

I defend my right to know what kind of animal I am bringing into my family. I do not want a labracockadoodleshihtzu. I want to know the nature of the breed and I want a puppy that has not been damaged by the previous owner. It is a responsibility to my family that the animal fit in with our lives. It is very painful to love an animal and then have to give it up.

So all you SPCA supporters who are so ready to put me down for my choices, I hear that the SPCA has a male who adores fighting with other males, a dog that urinates on everything and another that bites children. These poor animals need your help, so off you go to the SPCA and buy them up! As for me and mine, we will decide what we want in an animal and choose accordingly — so that our animals do not end up at the SPCA.

Joan Coull is self-employed in accounting for small businesses. She lives in Sainte-Rose, Laval.

