It was *not* a puppy mill.
The woman responsible for this is just an idiot.
Previously she was a reputable shower who did not breed at all.
She supposedly got "sick" and let everything go to hell.
Her initial dogs ALL came directly from MY dog's breeder who shows them and has actually only bred 2 or 3 litters in 20+ years.
The point I was trying to make is that an irresponsible flake let the dogs mix and match with no regard to their welfare.
One of her dogs is the sister to my dog and also the sister to the #1 Ibizan Hound in Canada.
There are *no* Ibizan Hound puppy mills ANYWHERE.
The breed exists in the US in mere hundreds of hounds.
They are nearly imossible to buy because the actual owners/breeders are fanatical about *not* breeding casually or indiscriminately.
And, FYI, I became friends with the my dog's breeder and only ever paid for her gas to meet me halfway so she could -give- me 4 of her dogs because she thinks so highly of how I care for them.
I have the papers and never sent them in because I do not intend to ever breed them.
These dogs are *all" like "family" to me and I really wish you could've saved your "rant" for someone who isn't already in agony over the situation.
Not that it's any of your business, but -every- dog I've ever owned either came from the pound or was given to me for the sake of its best interests.
I used to adopt the unadoptables from the local SPCA, fix them up and give them to friends and family.
The SPCA knew I was "vioalting" their return for surrender policy but didn't care because I saved many dogs from certain death because they were too old/ugly/beat up/abused to be otherwise adopted.
I think you missed the point of the puppy mill rant. It was not aimed at you or this breed, but at the comprehensive issue of "papers." You and this rescue organization are doing fine work.
This is true. It took my daughter a year to "qualify" and find a willing seller. As it is she had to agree that the seller could buy the dog back at will if any neglect was suspected.
Now the truth squad. Ibizans are hunters. That does not mean they help people hunt. It means they do the hunting. They prefer rabbits and squirrels, but will settle for cats if they are available. While I was caring for my daughter's beezer I had to provide all kinds of safe rooms and hidie holes for the cats. I nearly lost a cat.
They can also be one person guard dogs. You should not have one if you are not willing to monitor it around guests and strangers. If these rescued dogs have not been properly socialized, they could be dangerous.
Having said this, they are the most beautiful dogs in the world. They are faster than greyhounds, agile enough to chase down jackrabbits, and really strong. But they have trouble being subordinate.
My room-mate runs a horse rescue, and she does basically the same thing with horses, except that she hardly ever lets them go after she gets them, since most people won't stick to her strict standards for adoption. So we have a lot of horses who stay at her barn for a long period of time. They're a part of the family. :-)
Our horses almost all have issues, so they're not terrific candidates for adoption, except to very special homes.
Thanks for all your hard work with these Ibizan Hounds. Doggs are the best friends one can have, imho.