SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

WR, a bit of an aside here, with apologies:

SackofSorry, thanks for weighing in for us on the humane limits of shipping a puppy. So my question is, if you were an exporting breeder, I bought one of your puppies, and you arranged to have it shipped using a pet shipper/cargo company you worked with in your country, and if I then asked you by email whether the puppy would need to be held overnight in his crate somewhere between connecting flights, making his first journey a 24 hour trip, would you think I was being a worry-wart, and decline to answer my question like this breeder has?

It also seemed strange that we weren't given a heads up by the breeder about a ship date after I sent her my address she'd requested for the shipper. We only know he's coming because a cargo service importer at our end called on Tuesday (so they had to get my number from her). But the flight I was told to meet originates a 19 hour drive from her kennel, so I assume the pup will be flown from his breeder's city to the cargo facility in Istanbul. I called the airline but, with no airwaybill number to reference, they couldn't check his itinerary prior to Istanbul, though the same airline serves both cities. I found no earlier AM flights from her location to Istanbul, just evening flights the day before. Looks like it is not uncommon for this area of Eastern Europe to have layovers. There is a Live Animal Facility at Istanbul Airport, but I cannot find out any further details. Right now I am this close to forfeiting my deposit and cancelling. The American breeder who originally referred me to this European breeder, and who has imported from her before, texted me not to fret, it'll be okay, "...just bring lots of baby wipes and water, as he'll be a mess." I am not worried about his poopy mess, I'm worried about his mental stress he'll be subjected to!

No apology needed.

Please keep us posted on your sweet baby and when they get home to you.

No, Superesse, I wasn't that kind of breeder. I would expect someone to be worried about their puppy and what was going on, and I'd have tried to answer any question they had, period. I'd be worried about what the puppy was going to face.

I worry about any kind of discomfort a puppy is going to go through. That's just me. However, I wouldn't expect it to have long-term consequences in a puppy that is responsibly bred, and responsibly raised from temperament-tested stable parents. Stable temperament is stable temperament. A poopy crate one time does not change a puppy's temperament. KWIM? Look at all the garbage that some rescue dogs go through, and they may come out to be normal, stable dogs while others may be basketcases. If there is a long line of stable temperament behind the dog, one long flight situation shouldn't break that. At the same time, I wouldn't want to do it which seems contradictory to what I'm saying.

SackofSorry, I really appreciate that, it was from your heart, and I understood the push-pull of what you wrote.

Our girl started out her life as a bottle baby, she was a drama queen from the day we took her home, and 9 and a half years later, not much has changed, so that has colored my impression of the breed. But this breeder has all kinds of titled dogs and I accidentally may have chosen her Alpha male, he is a tough looking hombre on the photos she sent. So I want to take care of him from the moment I pay for him....

Still no reply from her, however. :(

So another day, another silent email inbox...and I called the cargo company and this time we were able to get his Airway Bill Number, and the agent confirmed the 10 week old baby is leaving his home city the night before the trans-Atlantic flight arrives here.

So at least, we now have his flight numbers and learned that he WILL have to spend his first night away from home in a Live Animal Holding Facility at the world's newest, largest cargo handling facility at Istanbul, Turkey! The airport website claims they have personnel trained in the protocols and laws of Live Animal shipping, the international air pet shipper's certification of their procedures, etc., so I hope all that means some TLC for the little guy.

18 more days, ladies!!!

Aw… I’m soooo glad you found out some information. I absolutely HATE to be in the dark…I guess it comes with this site.

Anyway, I hope this new information will make your wait less torturous.

Whatsright, have you searched for miniature dachshund rescues in your area? Sorry if you already addressed this. Maybe you could find a young dog or puppy there. The rescues usually have the history of the dog and it's been checked for health issues.

There is a senior golden retriever rescue in my area and I look at that site often as I'm thinking of getting one. I have two tiny dogs but I sure miss having a Golden Retriever to sit o the porch with me.

Yes, actually that was the first place I went. And I filled out a form that asked me everything but my oldest son’s shoe size.

Anyway, she called me back the next day and told me that it’s her understanding that only one of my dogs has been neutered, and I said that she was wrong, that every one of my dogs have been neutered. So she argued with me and told me that’s what the vet told her. I explained to her that all of my dogs came to that vet in the last couple of years already spayed, and that the dog she was referring to was the only one that had been spayed since we had been patients there. "Oh" she said.

Then she proceeded to tell me that she was going to close out my application because my vet had explained to her that none of my dogs have been vaccinated. I checked my records, and they are I think one month late on making their trip to the vet. Last month was quite a hard month financially, so I had put it off till this month.

So, anyway, she was very snotty, and told me that "if" I got my dogs vaccinated up-to-date, I can fill out another application and she would think about calling me back.

So, no. I’m not interested in working with her.

I’m so glad I didn’t send that money off to Florida because I feel certain in my heart now that it was a total scam. It’s just so hard to know.

In fact, I’ve just decided that I’m going to just let it go. If I see a puppy or if one of these places that I have notified give me a call, then I will check my finances and see if I can.

I’m just gonna enjoy my babies that I have right now, and I’ll watch "silly dachshund puppy videos" on YouTube! (To give me my dachshund fix!)

WhatsRight, I'm sorry and somewhat dumbfounded that you are having such a tough time finding 1 little dog!

How much of this do you think is due to rarity of the miniature Dachsund?

One difference between that breed and my big bad GSDs is that you don't find many Dachsunds surrendered for having become unmanageable, like you can a badly-started GSD. If a GSD isn't well socialized before about 16 weeks, it's natural suspicious nature makes for a lot of unpleasant encounters. I have read that statistically, the highest percentage of dogs in shelters are pit bull or pit mix dogs. We see that a lot, locally. And every Shepherd I've found in our regional shelters always has a warning about it needing to be the only dog, and often needing a home without kids or cats! I conclude such dogs have been surrendered for being scary or for having actually bitten someone, like one beautiful 90 pound sable male we looked at had done.

But your experience with the adoption process is another hurdle. Ironically it can just be easier for people to buy a puppy from a classified ad or a Facebook page than to go through a critical adoption process and have to pay hundreds for the dog, as well. Backyard breeders don't ask too many probing questions, we have noticed.

Keep Calm and Carry On, right?

There are probably two basic reasons why it is difficult for me to find a miniature dachshund.

First of all, they are very beloved. There are few behavioral issues, except they can be a little snotty from time to time, and bark a lot.

Also, of course, if you want a new puppy, the search gets even more difficult… Especially if you don’t want to go through a puppy mill. I could get an adult dachshund from a rescue, but I would be concerned about the socialization with my other four dogs, and to be honest and selfish, I really really want a puppy.

But I am thinking that my biggest hurdle is the money. I have found plenty of beautiful miniature dachshund puppies - even near me, but they are priced way out of my price range. Full disclosure, I was willing to pay up to $750 for a puppy. But any puppy for less than that is suspect of being from a puppy mill, or a scam.

There are dachshund puppies even in my area, but they range from $1500 - $5000. And I just can’t justify that kind of money.

Ah. We have the same dilemma: 'hold out for fantasy puppy' versus 'need a dog yesterday'! This is rough.

But rationally, it is going to be hard to find a puppy from a quality breeder for under a thousand, I think. Whereas you've seen there may be mini dachsunds available from rescues, so that looks like the best way to get you one...except the timing is so out of your hands.

On the puppy fitting in, no guarantees the other dogs would be tender to it. For some consolation, just think: a full grown wiener dog is about the same size as a 2 week old German Shepherd....so do what you gotta do, I guess.

I'm waiting too. Breeder hasn't answered my questions to her, even after we freakin' called her internationally. I don't think she is fluent in English, since she messaged us back "send me text." Then she did email me the next day, with a new photo (from her website gallery that I'd already seen) and she promised me a note later that day. I responded telling her the news we'd already learned from the shipper so she wouldn't have to draft an English response to those questions, and repeated my other 2 questions about if the puppy is getting used to a crate by now, and to tell me in her currency the payment balance. Nothing yet. She may be having some kind of a crisis, because the shipper knew her, seemed surprised we had heard nothing, and said she has a baby (human) that may be sick. Who knows...

So we'll both have to keep WAITING.

One of my daughter's friends got a new Dachshund puppy and I saw him over the weekend. He's almost 3 months and brimming with personality. I laughed because his name is BILL. I asked her why he's named that and she said in honor her late Grandfather (named Bill) who always had Dachshund doggies. I hope you find your perfect baby soon.

[This message edited by Jeaniegirl at 7:22 PM, Thursday, May 11th]

I know I have said this twice before…just in this topic alone. But…

I actually think I have found a puppy!!!

Every morning I wake up very early and once again search the internet for a mini dachshund puppy. I found one lady not too far from me this morning, but she was too expensive for me.

THEN…I happened on a site I had never seen before. It had an actual phone number, so I called it. It was so amazing to talk with someone that sounded like a real breeder. She said she had an "Isabella" dachshund puppy available NOW. (That is a silverfish coat color). My H and I aren’t thrilled with the look, but who really cares at this point.)

But then she said she had a red female that is presently 4 weeks old. She would be ready for sale by mid June!!!

She is twice what we had decided we could justify paying. Then we realized that our anniversary, both our birthdays, and Mother’s / Father’s Day were were all within a couple of months, and so we have tentatively planned to share no gifts for those occasions to make up for the cost of the puppy.

She gave me her phone number, her website, and her physical address. I checked online and it is areal address. AND…she is only about 4 hours driving time away!!!

She is sending pictures this afternoon.

She said I would have to send a deposit of $100 (only) and I would pay the rest when I went to pick up the puppy. This sounds real to me.

I am sooooo excited!

What do y’all think???

The fact you talked to an actual person and were able to check her out, sounds legit! I so hope it works out! Sounds exciting to think of a 'pick up pupppy' Road Trip!

So she has puppys who were born 1 month apart? I'd do an internet "satellite" terrain search of the address if you haven't already "viewed" the lay of the land. Just to see what she has going on...

I don't know if it is this way with Dachsunds, but with German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers, quite a number of backyard breeders advertise coat colors like Isabella, Liver, Blue, white and panda (mix of white and dark) that are not accepted by the dog's breed clubs even though they are still "AKC" eligible, having registered parents. Sounds like she is more of a hobby breeder? Even if she is, they often price their puppies as high as the big name breeders, I've noticed. But she is not asking for a huge deposit, either. Check if she has done any genetic testing on the parents, yet don't be surprised if she hasn't. It does sound like a possibilty. Would she accept a check? That would be nice.

Another thought might be to call veterinarians in that area and ask if they know of this breeder? I mean, the rescue did that, right?

edited for typos and clarity!

[This message edited by Superesse at 3:02 AM, Friday, May 12th]

Ok…… tonight she sent me pictures of two puppies. One was an Isabella color… A red undercoat, and a slight fawn/silver tone on top. The other is a red colored puppy.

The Isabella dachshund is 10 1/2 weeks, and the red dachshund is four weeks.

She says that she breeds puppies, but that both of her sons, and a very, dear friend also breed puppies Within an hour or two of her home. She says when they are ready to find homes, that they bring them to her house since she has been doing it for so long. I think she has more than just one breeding pair.

Oh, and I did Google the physical address. She is in a bend in the road, with lots of land behind her. She says that the puppies are raised in her home with her grandkids, and of course, lots of other puppies, so they are very well socialized.

Anyway, we decided that we agreed… That the older puppy should have a home. I asked her why no one had chosen that puppy, and she said that a woman had put a deposit down, and then, when it came time to go get the puppy at eight weeks, she did not have the money. So she was not asking me to put down a deposit and just accepted that woman’s deposit for me.

My husband and I decided we wanted the older puppy. She was so beautiful, a beautiful color, she had an angelic face, and great big hound ears! Also, she was going to be the smaller of the two which we prefer. And that thing about needing a home really made us very happy. It ended up costing us $250 less than the red puppy, although that consideration was an afterthought.

Anyway, I’m sure I’m leaving so many things out about the whole situation. But this woman was texting back-and-forth with me for over an hour. She answered every question that I ask. And finally, when we said that we were going to take the Isabella dachshund, I ask her how should I get the $100 deposit to her tonight. She asked me when I was thinking about coming to get her, and I said TOMORROW! She said that would be great, and that I should come at 7 PM, and that I could just bring the entire amount… I didn’t need to send the deposit tonight.

I hear what you are saying about the breeding. We of course don’t plan /want to breed her. When I asked her about how a red (mother) and chocolate (father) produced an Isabella, she said that, in order to produce an Isabella color, there had to be a recessive gene in both parents, and that the particular breeding pair that were her parents, did both have the recessive genes. She said she has had all of her puppies checked out by the vet and started their worming, etc. at four weeks. She also provides a one-year, genetic guarantee on the health of the dog. Of course, the papers will come with the dog, but that doesn’t interest us. We will be spaying her as soon as she’s old enough.

So do you hear what I’m saying? Tomorrow at about 2 o’clock I’m going to leave to drive to pick up my new puppy!!! It is FINALLY happening!

Her name will - of course - be Isabel! Not sure if that will be her first name or her middle name. But all of my dogs have two names. My friend in Washington state suggested "Rosie, Isabell" because she is a red dachshund with Silvertones. I’m also thinking of the name "Bella". Maybe "Bella Rosa". I could use "Isabel" when she is in trouble!!! 😊

Any suggestions from y’all???

In my breed, the Isabella puppies are the result of both parents carrying the dilution gene. And the Isabellas often have coat problems (in my breed) which often result in a bald dog as an adult, requiring extra skin care and sun screen when outside, etc. You may want to look into this with Dachshunds, if it's the same in that breed. I don't personally know.

Sack, I did a quick google search and found the same is true for Dachshunds.

Isabella and blue dachshund puppies will look normal up to around 6 months when their fur starts to thin out.

Since the fur is too thin it will fall out at the follicle and irritate the skin. Itchiness, soreness, and flaky skin soon follow, to make a dachshund that much more uncomfortable.

A higher risk of skin infections and skin cancer... Isabella dachshunds can also suffer from other rare health problems, like heart problems, eye infections, and hyperthyroidism.

Thanks for caring, and for the information. It’s all so scary, isn’t it?

I have been reading a lot about these issues, and it’s scary. But then I googled "mini dachshunds" and it talked about how they are likely to have terrible back issues and knee issues, etc. and I have had dachshunds all my life and none of them, or the ones other members of my family had, ever had any of those health issues.

So we have decided to just have faith she will be OK. And if she isn’t, we will deal with it. It’s not like my life has been smooth sailing to this point!

I leave in 1 hour to go get her. I wish there was an emoji of peeing your pants!!!!!

By the time you read this you will be on your way to getting your fur baby. How exciting that you are making the move at last to take on Puppy Motherhood, with all the ups and downs it can bring! I'm crossing my fingers for you that everything about this situation checks out fine. Who said "you get the puppy you're meant to get?" 😀

Now if you get there and fall in love with the other puppy, I'm sure she'd be open to taking a deposit. Have a safe and fun trip, WhatsRight!

Meanwhile down at the ranch here, I'm torn between mooning over my little guy - who is supposed to 'start crate training' writes the breeder, only days before he is to leave home for good - and pondering a previous pup I admired, who has now become available again after a day or so off their website. Always works like that, right?

After I hadn't heard Peep from the breeder in 4 days, I'd revisited a previous breeder's website and saw their 2 week older and bigger puppy is amazingly still up for grabs. He has the sweetest, kindest eyes and big boned face of any pup I've seen this year. Sitting in the lap of his owner, he is almost up to her nose. They also posted a video of him being walked through a McDonalds in that country; dogs can go in restaurants there. He's 2 weeks older than the one I've been waiting on and $500 more expensive, but he's past ready to go at 12 weeks...ooooh ooooh OOOOH.....WH says "Leave it alone!" So we will accept our pup, too, even if his most recent photo isn't quite so appealing, sporting a dirt brown nose from rooting in the yard, and he looked away from the camera...I know, kids and dogs don't always pose for the perfect photo!

Commitment time is here!!