Yes we have no available Puppies

The death of a dog is never easy.  There is an emptiness that begs to be filled.  No dog is replaceable, of course.  But life goes on, as they say.  Puppies are cute.  They are also annoying and time consuming.  While you are grieving, the demands of a puppy can prove wonderfully distracting and fulfilling.

Thus, The Handsome One and I visited a local rescue group and submitted an application.  We alerted our veterinarian's office, giving our permission for them to talk behind our backs to a representative from the rescue group.

The rescue group committee approved our application and invited us to make an appointment to pick out a puppy.  We did.
 

This rescue group has a storefront where they display the adoptable animals.  Cats and kittens occupy the front area.  Through a double door into another room, you find dogs and puppies.  We'd seen some pictures of the "available" puppies on the rescue group's website.  I recognized some of those puppies there, waiting behind bars, including puppy x.

With a volunteer hovering over us, we met some of the puppies.  Eight week old puppies are not accustomed to being on a leash but we had to attempt to get to know each youngster while he was more focused on the strange thing around his neck then on us.

A placard accompanied every enclosure offering a name and description of the occupant.  There was an Akita/Boxer puppy in the first cage.

There were two runts in the second cage (one of them puppy x), three other pups in another cage, all from the same pit bull mix litter.  Our esteemed volunteer had been fostering this litter.  She told us a little about the personalities of the individual pups and advised that these puppies were accustomed  to being in a home with dogs and kids and whatnot.  Yes, yes.  Early socialization.  Very good.

I asked how it is that they know so specifically what is in the mix of these rescued puppies.  Reluctantly admitting she knew nothing about the Akita/Boxer, our volunteer raised her nose to reveal a virtue clearly greater than ours, saying that the pit bull mother was chained to a basement wall left on her own.  Then the owners got tired of caring for the puppies and gave them to the rescue. 

Um.  Huh?

We met about four puppies.  Just as we were declaring that we liked puppy x the best, a large woman with a meritorious demeanor entered the room.  She and our volunteer huddled out of earshot.  Then our volunteer returned to tell us that puppy x was not available after all.  Oops.  Sorry.  She usually knows everything that is going on with HER fosters.  But we can pick another! 

 

Is this why pet shops still sell puppies?