I write this with tears in my eyes and a very heavy heart.

Rudy was put to sleep this morning.

If you all remember I got him April 28,2006. He came to me severely underweight, with a tumor, open frontanel, and retained testicle.

 Rudy was put to sleep because of Hydrcephalus. This condition usually affects pups way younger then Rudy.

After he had the surgery for his tumor he seemed to be doing good. Gained almost a pound. He was a little wobbly and I passed it off as him being so underweight and weak. My vet now thinks his thinness could have been partly caused by his condition, as dogs with Hydrcephalus will commonalty stop eating. Hind sight. Now that he is gone and we know why. We can see allot of things differently.

Yesterday he was walking like he was drunk so I call the vet and away we go. She says there where fluids building on his brain (Hydrcephalus). Gives me predisone (spelling?) and tells me we can try this to see if it helps. Last night was awful. He cried out in pain most of the night, he kept trying to put his head over his back. When I say this I mean, lay his forehead on his back, by putting his head straight up and over. My vet told me they do this to relieve the pressure of the swelling, and fluid. I stayed up with him all night trying to comfort him. This morning he wasn't much better, I call the vet she has a couple other meds she says we can try. I go and get them. When I got back home Rudy was having seizures. He was so stiff and shaking and trembling. So back to the vet we go. When we got there it was bad. He couldn't stand his little neck was so stiff. If you touched him or tried to move him he screamed in pain. My vet told me his chances for recovery where very slim. So I made the heart wrenching decision to do what I thought was best and stop his pain. I am a mess. This whole thing has been horrible.

Rudy was only with me for a few weeks, as he was put to sleep on June 19th, 2006.

I know he was only with me a short time, but boy do these little guys have a way of wiggling into your heart.

Especially when you have to doctor and care for them.

My only saving grace is, I now know he is not in pain anymore.

Rest in peace my little man. Be whole, be happy,

Update: November 9th , 2006.

Since I have tried to get this settled with no results I think the truth should come out.

I changed what I had first written about Rudy at the breeders request. As she called me when I was at a weak moment (Fresh in the door from having little Rudy buried) screaming and carrying on about how I needed to change the wording on my webpage, to make her sound innocent. I have since grieved and re-thought this. As a small breeder myself I cannot understand how a GOOD breeder could not have seen the things that where wrong with Rudy.

1. The open Frontanel (not one opening but 2)

2. The retained testicle (she was told from the beginning he was to be used for breeding)

3. How under weight he was (he couldn't stand when I picked him up from the airport)

4. The small tumor (This grew at a alarming rate)

The breeder wanted to blame her vet. All that aside I emailed her the very next day after he arrived and never received an answer. She claimed she never got the email. (This as we all know could be true) I took it as she didn't want any thing to do with my complaint that he was so thin. Couldn't stand.

Later when I did make contact she was very defensive. I gave her, as did my vet (whom she talked to many times on the phone) everything she asked for, she still didn't want to take responsibility for sending a unhealthy pup. She keeps saying he was fine there. She did request at one point that I send him back. This was impossible to do, as to do so would have required a health paper, which no vet in my area would have given, taken his condition.

Putting aside he was to underweight to stand, had the open frontanel, and a tumor. I purchased him to breed. I think she could have checked that he had both testicles and they were down.

As Rudy was 5 months old when purchased. I looked for an older pup for this reason. I told her numerous times, had I been told he only had one down I would have looked else where.

She has sent me some very rude and accusing emails, has promised a refund, but still has not sent one. I just want others to hear this side of the story. This person is Linda Nash , of Flashpoint kennels in Rome Ga. As I know now for a fact I am not the only one to get a sick pup from her. I can tell you how to contact the GA Ag Department and use them and the Freedom of Information Act to see complaints about her and her kennel.

It has now been 5 months since Rudy was laid to rest. This has still not been settled. The breeder wants to argue the fact that he was put to sleep. I hope no one out there ever has to see their pup in as much pain as poor little Rudy was in the end. He would scream in pain as he arced his head back. To touch him only seemed to make it worse. I felt so helpless.

If at anytime in the future she does send the refund I will post it as so. She has put me off saying she was going to have her vet pay part of it. As she feels the vet is responsible. This in the beginning I would have agreed with, but now after thinking it over, it is the breeder who put him out on the market and misrepresented this pup. She was the one who should have noticed the thinness, retained testicle and other things mentioned. She is the one who should have made good.

UPDATE 1/18/07

Please be warned  think twice before buying from Linda Nash , of Flashpoint kennels. There are great breeders out there  .I have purchased from 2 of them, this person is not one of them. A good breeder would have cleared this up and made it right along time ago. This person claims, they have not made it right, because in their opinion, I have slandered them. They need to look the word up as I have documentation for everything I have posted here. So please if you are thinking of purchasing a puppy online, let me warn you about this breeder, to save you the heartache I have been through.

 

Update 12/1/2007

Linda Nash is selling her kennel in Ga.....  Since she still has not  made good on her promise to  refund the purchase price  of Rudy this site will stay up .

Update: This is to let them that use puppy find know that they allow breeders to remove feedback.  I think this is wrong . So when you look at a breeders feed back keep this in mind . As Linda Nash was allowed to remove my feedback I left for her .