Pet owners heartbroken after dogs die weeks after adoption; BC SCPA investigating
Posted June 15, 2022 6:44 am.
Last Updated June 15, 2022 11:15 am.
Several pet owners are heartbroken after the dogs they adopted from the same Fraser Valley rescue died weeks later.
“One minute he was alive, the next I’m picking out his urn,” said 17-year-old Alisha Woodward, who got a 10-week-old-puppy from a dog rescue in the Fraser Valley in March.
All Alisha Woodward has left of her dog is a collar, favorite stuffed animal, and the urn that carries his ashes. She bought a 10-week-old-pup from a dog rescue in the Fraser Valley in March. (Courtesy Alisha Woodward)
She says her dog, Asher, started showing signs of illness just days after adopting him. He continued to get worse, and weeks later, Woodward says he was diagnosed with canine distemper — a highly contagious viral disease that is often fatal.
“Having him pass away the way he did, it did really affect me at the time because instead of giving him a peaceful send-off that I hoped, he died having a seizure in my lap,” she said.
Alisha Woodward’s dog, Asher. (Courtesy Alisha Woodward)
Woodward got Asher from Furbaby Rescues, a registered charity in Chilliwack, which adopts out dogs for fees that range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand.
She is not the only one who says she’s heartbroken to lose a dog to canine distemper just weeks after getting it from the rescue.
Emalynn Beaune says when she first took her new dog home, she had energy. However, the dog was soon unable to eat.
“We thought maybe, of course, it’s just like nerves … Then we decided we made a vet appointment … So they urged us to run some lab tests, which were just about $1,000,” she told CityNews.
“Extremely surreal, right from the get-go. We’ve just got this dog, now she’s not eating, and then taking her in and doing the testing with her. She was on antibiotics right away,” Beaune recalled.
“So we were hand feeding her antibiotics. She was on like some special food … we thought she may pull through. But then on April 4, she had really low energy and she had a seizure at home.”
Shortly after, Beaune’s dog was put down.
Emalynn Beaune says her adopted dog quickly started showing signs of illness. The pet had to be put down. (Submitted by Emalynn Beaune)
Barb Rahn says she was also among those who adopted a dog from Furbaby Rescues and was left devastated.
“He was this tiny little perfect puppy and he didn’t deserve this. He deserved so much better and my heart is broken,” Rahn said.
“And we had this puppy for three weeks and after $7,000 basically in vet bills and his adoption fee, we’re left after three weeks with absolutely nothing to show for it.”
Barb Rahn says she is among the people who adopted a dog from a Fraser Valley rescue that later died. (Submitted by Barb Rahn)
Many other similar stories have been shared in a Facebook group, which admins created to warn others about the rescue. Most of the owners say they were told their dog had up-to-date distemper vaccines.
The BC SPCA is investigating as the rescue claims no wrongdoing.
The SPCA tells CityNews there is an open investigation into Furbaby Rescues but wouldn’t share details, saying it doesn’t want to jeopardize its probe. Another animal welfare group says it has also received complaints about the rescue.
Kathy Powelson with Paws for Hope explains that without regulation or standards in place for pet rescue groups, if “things go bad” families don’t have a place to go “to get any kind of redress.”
Meanwhile, Suzanne Parent is taking Furbaby Rescues to small claims court.
While her dog Millie didn’t die, she spent $1,200 on the adoption fee and then over $4,000 in vet bills. Her insurance claim was denied because of a “pre-existing condition.”
“This dog arrived and the back end of it was concave. You could see every rib, you could see every vertebrae down her back. Anybody would know the dog was not well,” Parent told CityNews.
“I wouldn’t have taken her to small claims court if she was the only sick dog, but she knew she’s selling sick dogs.”
In an email to CityNews, the owner of Furbaby Rescues says the charity has helped find homes for over 1,000 dogs in six years. They say all these dogs were fine before being adopted and that they did not intentionally adopt out sick dogs. They also say they halted adoptions after seeing a vet report that confirmed a distemper diagnosis.
Facebook messages seen by CityNews appear to show Rahn told the rescue about her dog’s positive test just days before Woodward and Beaune got their dogs.
Barb Rahn says she is among the people who adopted a dog from a Fraser Valley rescue that later died. (Submitted by Barb Rahn)
While Beaune — whose dog passed distemper on to another dog that also died — received a refund from Furbaby Rescues, the others say they did not. All are hoping to see the group held accountable.
“I just don’t want to see this happen to anyone else,” said Rahn.
