I was in Orlando, heading to the AKC Delegate’s General Caucus to hear the candidates for the AKC Board, when my phone rang. It was a puppy owner and, of course, I answered it!
The puppy owner was rather distraught, his voice was not steady—my heart sank. I asked, “Is Gomez okay? Is he injured or bloating?” The man answered, “He is okay—but we just can’t keep him.” I was relieved but also shocked, along with instantly unsettled as I was currently 1,800 miles away.
This puppy was initially placed with a family where the dad had previously had a Bloodhound. They knew Bloodhounds were big, smart, independent, drooled, and could be messy. I found the family to be delightful, the boys mesmerized by our adult Bloodhounds and the puppies. We had all the talks about all puppies needing time, love, attention, training, and structure, along with physical and mental exercise. They were curious about AKC dog activities, including dog showing.
The boys named the puppy Gomez, and they loved him so much. The photos I received were of them wallowing with him, running in the backyard, at the local park, etc.
I had been to their home (about 90 minutes away from me) three or four times, doing nails and showing them how to do them while the pup was little, and to do some dog show practice. All things seemed fabulous!
This was/is a very fit family. They walk at least once daily and they walked Gomez daily as well.
Gomez was shown a couple times by me locally and they came to watch, stayed at the dog show, sat ringside asking questions, and enjoyed a dog show day. It all was kind of perfect!
As Gomez grew, being loved and snuggled by a couple kids and walked by dad was not enough. Gomez was bored, and when outside, home alone, he found his own fun things to do: eat the baseball gloves and other things left out by the kiddos; and dig up anything dad or mom had planted in the yard. Very typical behavior for a pup not yet one year old. Their bottom line was that they felt that if he stayed, they would have to crate him or kennel him all day when they were gone, and they felt that was not a great life. So, they knew their contract was firm: If you can’t keep the dog, it is returned to me!
The owner returned Gomez on his one-year birthday. It sort of broke my heart, as his littermates were celebrating with their families and he was getting rehomed. When he arrived, he was thin. My husband and I commented about his weight, especially since I had seen him and shown him for his first AKC point less than two months prior.
It’s so stressful and it really hits & hurts a breeder’s heart!
How did I get that Placement wrong?
What the heck happened?
When can I get my puppy back?
Please let my dog/pup be okay!
Our fast observation was that he is a big, sweet, mushy, affectionate dog who was unaware of his size and just wanted to love and be loved. He lacked some general house rules and structure, so we taught him about crates and boundaries of rooms to go into or not, took him to a couple dog classes (he loved everyone and every dog there); and we increased his food. We were falling back in love with him and thought that if we don’t have the perfect home for him soon, there will be no way he’ll leave us. But we also did not think keeping him would give him the best life either. What to do?
We entertained a home in California, but that ended up not to be his perfect fit. Then the absolute best, most-perfect home and family asked to be considered. Squeal!
The new home is on acreage and backs up to the national forest. His new daddy works in law enforcement and will track/trail with him, and his new mommy is a former vet tech, an EMT, and a volunteer firefighter. Both are excellent dog trainers, and his new human sister is an animal lover. Plus, he has another Bloodhound and a mixed dog to help him learn the pack rules and to play with!
His new family thought: new life = new name, so Gomez became GUNNER! The first night they welcomed him as a full-fledged family member with total house privileges, introduced him to their other two dogs, and snuggled and loved on him. (Well, he does rather demand and/or need that.) The next morning, in the cold snowy Colorado mountains, they leashed up Gunner to walk their property and show him the fun possibilities he was in for. Then, they called me and sent me photos of him already looking like he had been there for months!
During the next few weeks, he went to the local school and the fire department, more so to meet people in the community and to give him more of the love and attention he loves. Gunner and his new dog pack, veteran Bloodhound Ellie Mae and a mix named Gumbo, became a real dog trio! And his human family managed to teach him many basic commands and found that he learns fast and really does want to please. And—they let him be a dog!
I think so. Gunner needed a different home that met his needs, and he got that… and then some. I am grateful the initial owners recognized that they were not meeting his needs and returned him properly. He is the first pup to ever come back to me, so I take some ownership that perhaps I may have made a poor initial choice. Guess I also learned something, and will even update my puppy application and other agreements going forward.
Gunner is living his best life with the best family!
