4 years ago
I adopted a puppy from this business through a fos...
I adopted a puppy from this business through a foster family. I'm very happy with my new pup but things are tough going. Firstly, the $450 adoption fee claims to cover vaccinations... Except those vaccines aren't administered by a licensed vet, so any organization (e.g. airlines, behavior schools, dog boarders), won't recognize them. So even if puppy actually was vaccinated, we had to repeat the shots regardless. As well, Main Street Mutt Rescue has no phone number because apparently it's a business from the nineteenth century. As well, they've not responded to any of my emails or questions about puppy. (EDIT: they eventually did, and even got us in touch with the families who adopted the siblings of our pup, so we could all cross-reference health stuff.)
So through some veterinary investigation, we found that she has giardia, demodectic mange, kennel cough, and an abdominal infection resulting from some type of insect bite. We were told that the kennel cough and the bite infection could very possibly have been from after adoption, but the giardia definitely predated that. Mange is a little more complicated, so it's difficult to lay the blame at the mutt rescue, but their startling unprofessionalism, lack of communication, and opacity in presentation are all kind of red flags that we should have noticed.
I would advise folks who are looking to rescue to go elsewhere. There are plenty of shelter dogs and puppies around Whatcom that need adoption and their shelters will continue to provide clear communication after adoption and they actually administer vaccines properly. I am happy with my mangy puppy, and every puppy is a lot of work, but there's clearly something missing in how this place conducts business.