Stolen golden , Ottawa

[Sunrisehaven]

Tuuka was not neutered as he is a registered hunting trial dog(He is a champion in hunting trials)

The "rescue" had been stalking the person that owned tuuka. The guy who owns tuuka has a kennel run for the dog. They were trying to say that the dog was covered in poop. was skin and bones(If this dog was neglected he could not have recovered in less then a week) And that there was dog poop in the food dish. Most times they said tuuka was outside with no water or food. Ive seen pics of the kennel run since i am in dundas(near hamilton) and this guy is from ottawa. If This dog spent every day outside in minus 30 then this dog would have frost bitten ears. He doesnt i will post the pics i took of him at 530 this morning.This dog is in excellent health. There was no interest in the reward. we just wanted to make sure that the dog got back to his rightful owner(who cried when we met to give him back tuuka)

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

If I understand correctly , he was stolen because someone thought this dog was neglected. I know there's at least one organisation in Ontario that does that. If there's a case of animal abuse / neglect , they go in and steel the dog because they know spca won't do anything about it. So yes , these people go in and "save" the dog themselves. I'm all for it. but in this case , I think there was a big misunderstanding ..... but then again , we never know the whole story ......

I agree and I am so glad that Tuuka is being reunited with his family.

[CearaQC]

Originally Posted by Sunrisehaven

Tuuka was not neutered as he is a registered hunting trial dog(He is a champion in hunting trials)

Wow, well please call the owners and tell them to come join this forum!! They could give pointers on working with dogs in the field and off-leash.

Plus, Tuuka's a nice golden and Belle thinks he's very handsome.

Am very happy they have him back nonetheless.

[Frenchy]

He looks so confuse in the first picture but what a great looking dog ! I'm glad he's back home

[lizwoods]

how do we go about finding out if these people have "rescued" any other dogs? My dog is also missing, we live 20 min south of Ottawa. She was outside doing her business and 30 min later she was gone. She probably wandered off but as we were putting up the lost dog posters Ive noticed alot of dogs disappeared under similar circumstances in the last few weeks. Who do we contact to get information?

[CearaQC]

Ummm had a crazy thought this morning.

Is there a way that the vet can test to see if Tuuka gave an unwilling sperm donation?

The whole "rescue" story smells of utter B.S. and my instinct nags that something else is going on.

[dhansen]

Morning all. I am the proud owner (father ) of Tuuka. We are very happy to report that with the help of Sunrise Haven that we were finally reunited with our family member.

This whole situation appears to be the result of COMPLETELY misguided intentions. The culprits took him because someone said he wasn't being fed and that he was always outside. True, he is outside alot (he is a bred sportsdog, he loves being outside) when the temperature allows and he also has a dog house with 1.5 inch insulation which allows him get very warm anytime he wants to. As Sunrive Haven can attest, he is very well fed and extremely healthy dog.

The culprits clearly did not do their homework. They did not in any way verify that their was an actual problem and their methods (besides being illegal) are just plain wrong. The unfortunate thing is that I have no doubt they have done this before (they were very efficient and had a truck with unregistered plates) and they are probably responsible for separating many dogs from loving families just because they haven't done their homework. We were obviously very lucky to get Tuuka back but I imagine there are many others who have no been so fortunate.

[CearaQC]

YAY!! *happy dance* Tuuka's family came to visit the forum!

You are the type of family I'm very interested in hearing from because of what Tuuka does. Please don't hesitate to give us all some pointers in the training section.

The field/hunting stuff is something I'm just dying to train my dogs to do, but there is no trainer within a few hundred miles and I don't know much about that type of training. Hubby is a hunter and we have two smart doggies that are just itching to learn new things. Belle I think would make a better find-n-flush birds kinda dog and Sheeba would be better at retrieving.

Anyhoo... I felt for you and your family about what happened with Tuuka. I still can't help but think the whole "rescue" bit is a coverup for something else. I hope Tuuka was not mistreated in anyway and will not have any problems resulting from what happened while he was away from home.

Please post more pictures of that handsome fella!

[clm]

All for the sake of misguided good intentions.
Thank goodness he's back home.

Cindy

[BusterBoo]

Originally Posted by lizwoods

how do we go about finding out if these people have "rescued" any other dogs? My dog is also missing, we live 20 min south of Ottawa. She was outside doing her business and 30 min later she was gone. She probably wandered off but as we were putting up the lost dog posters Ive noticed alot of dogs disappeared under similar circumstances in the last few weeks. Who do we contact to get information?

I was just about to post the same question as I figured you live close to where Tuuka was taken from. Coincidence???

Hopefully Mya can be found soon

[SARAH]

Originally Posted by aslan

Yeah the stolen plates kinda intrigue me. And I would soooooo be pressing criminal charges, hmmm trespassing, break and enter, theft. Then take them out back and kick the snot out of them. Yay for tuuka's parents tho.

Halleluja!!

[Chris21711]

That is great that Tukka has been re-united with his family.
I'm missing something here and am puzzled (could be we had no hydro this morning and I didn't get my first coffee until 9.30:sad, but how does a dog from Ottawa end up in a rescue in Dundas, that is quite the distance. Can someone help me understand better?

[Love4himies]

I too think it smells suspicious to me. Maybe I don't know the whole story, maybe my mind works overtime, but they seemed to want to offload the dog when it went public.

Could they have had a female in heat waiting for Mr. Tuuka's arrival?

[justme3]

Amazing to me how some people think they know what is best for other people dogs, I am glad the golden is home where he belongs.

[Sunrisehaven]

Its very common for rescues to get dogs from other area. And usually we transport from one area to another driver who continues on the transport to the next person to get the dog to the rescue group.

This "rescuer" told me she had a dog that she wanted us to take. And so we said we would. We would not have taken the dog if we had known they stole the dog. Tuuka was as i said in another post in excellent health. This "rescuer" who sent the dog to me wouldnt have used the dog for breeding. i am actually surprised she hadnt neutered him. Though i think it was cuz the dog had been in the paper and all over the internet.

Glad to see you Joined Tuukas Dad And Thanks for the pic last nite of tuuka at home. Glad to have helped you get your dog back. And Hopefully with the OHS and the police we might be able to reunite other people with their lost dogs.

[t.pettet]

This 'rescue' sounds a little over zealous and misinformed but wish they'd come to red-neck lanark and rescue some poor creatures chained to dog houses 24/7. I heard that one of my neighbours hounds produced a litter outside that literally froze to death before SPCA was informed and confiscated the dog. NICE!

[CearaQC]

Originally Posted by Sunrisehaven

Glad to see you Joined Tuukas Dad And Thanks for the pic last nite of tuuka at home. Glad to have helped you get your dog back.

No fair!

You mention a picture and don't share it.

tsk tsk

Just kidding.

[dhansen]

CearaQC, what kind of hunting/training are you interested in?

[CearaQC]

Basically the stuff they do in the field competitions. Toss out the dummy and fire off a shot, dog goes to get it with direction from the handler, usually hand signals and maybe a whistle. Another one is the blind, where the targets are laid down and again the dog follows commands from the handler.

But we don't have a lot of open fields here for that sort of thing and mostly forested areas. However, I still want both dogs trained to behave out in the bush in a working mode and not get goofy. I really wish there was a good trainer in the area, but there's only the woman who teaches sit/stay and not much else.

Keep in mind I've only had Belle since November 2007 and she was a rescue dog who was pregnant, so now I have two dogs. Neither one is trained for anything other than sit, down and give paw. I have two utterly blank states just waiting for training.

I'm not interested in competitions, but rather practical uses. I think Belle would make a better find-and-flush dog because she is keen on following deer tracks and hare tracks without direction from me. She's alert and a good observer. Sheeba however is a go go go type, gotta get things done. She was that way even in the whelping box before her eyes were open.

[dhansen]

I should start by clarifying that Tuuka is not the champion mentioned in previous posts. He is a trained hunting dog and can do the handling you described but he has not even begun hunt tests much less is a champion.

Before beginning hunting-oriented training your dog(s) have to have their sit and heel down cold and they have to respond to a whistle. Without these basics, you can't start retriever training.

There are also many dogs that no longer have the love of retrieving that we assume they do. If throw a dummy, do your dogs run for it like it was the last one on earth or do they plod out to it like it is more of a chore?

What area do you live in?

Dean

[CearaQC]

I had a post going earlier but then the power went out for about an hour.

Does Tuuka work with the whistle?

Both dogs love to chase items thrown with zeal but are not real good at bringing back yet. Right now they are in competition mode and want to out run each other to get the thrown items first. If two balls are thrown, both will try to figure out a way to be able to carry both and usually end up dropping one while picking up another. It's funny. When the snow finally goes away they will be both introduced to outdoor water and we'll get some training dummies. Right now all we have is 2 toys and 2 balls.

Sheeba is too much of a puppy full of energy nowadays to really train much. I spend most time draining her energy and then practice sit, down, shake paw and basically learning how to learn new things. Neither dog understands stay at the moment. Lots of work to be done with both of them. Doing heavy work now with the leadership by sit and wait for meals and sit and wait for doors and wait for permission to get on furniture. I don't allow the dogs to attempt to get away with stuff or cheat. And especially don't allow tug of war activities. They enjoy testing their boundaries. But we can take away stuff and put our hands in their food while they eat and there are zero problems with food or item aggression. Belle does great walking on leash and always has her head up looking forward. Sheeba on the other hand just wants to jump and bite Belle's ears or sniff the ground.

Not sure if you've heard of the Canine Good Citizen type training. Both dogs will go through that routine, but not likely to be tested, as the nearest test official is in Rimouski, Quebec.

We are in Quebec, the Gaspesie peninsula. Nearest hunting trainers that I was able to locate are either in Nova Scotia or PEI. Maybe there are others that don't advertise online. Seems like there'd be another trainer in our location, because there are lots of hunting guides and outfitters that use dogs. I will try to speak with some and see what they have to say.

Anyway, I don't want to continue tying up this thread and going . Maybe when you get PM rights we can chatter there or start a new thread in the training section. I'm sure others would be interested in some specialty training also.

[dhansen]

Do you want to start a new thread in the training section?

Dean

[LCol]

This case has interested me because my friend lives in the same neighborhood as the dog. She had told me on numerous occasions about how horribly the dog was treated by its owners. Many of her neighbours too have actually been worried about the dog as he was kept outside on a daily basis in a small little fenced-in enclosure with a small wooden doghouse. Apparently there was no visible insulation in the wooden house, no water bowl present, and food mixed with feces. One man apparently saw the dog outside one evening when it was much colder than -20. The dog was always seen outside or kept in the garage. It is laughable that the owners act like they "treasured" him and the fact that they also stated that he was stolen while running an errand is funny because neighbours have witnessed him outside in that enclosure every single day for the entire day- not just when the family was out "running an errand." The articles in the paper obviously do not tell the story of how much the dog suffered and of course the owners will not admit to it.

It is unfortunate that the dog was stolen however it sounds to me that whoever "stole" him was trying to give him a better life by dropping him off at a rescue, only to be sold out by another so-called rescue. Hopefully the owners will treat him better as a result of this incident and hopefully they will not just keep him caged up in their garage.

[t.pettet]

I agree. If you're going to 'rescue' a dog have a good home waiting.

[dhansen]

LCol, sounds to me like you and your friend are making assumptions without full information. I will attempt to provide additional information on the points stated.

1. Yes Tuuka is outside most days. He is a hardened sports dog (hunting dog). He is fully capable of handling the temperatures and does not enjoy being inside. As Sunrise Haven would attest, he is a very happy healthy dog showing no signs of distress. The vet we had him to yesterday also says he is happy and (outside of the kennel cough which he acquired why he was out of our care) is in perfect health. There are many people (probably most, I guess) that believe dogs are indoor animals and probably most dogs are suited for the indoors but Tuuka is not that kind of dog.

2. His enclosure is 5x12 which is the same size, if not bigger, than most boarding kennels use.

3. You would have to be inside the dog house to see the insulation. The walls are over 1.5" thick with house-grade insulation. I suppose I can rely on the fact that he is outside most days and is still perfectly healthy to back me up. Again, please refer to Sunrise Haven or Tuuka's vet to attest to his health and happiness

4. Correct. No water bowl present. He chews the plastic ones to bits and beats the metal ones around during the day which causes enough noise that the cops/bylaw would be at my door. The bowls had to be removed. He gets his food and water in the morning and in the evening.

5. The only ways food was mixed with feces is if a) he made a 'deposit' during the day before I got home from work b) there was a thaw and unearthed those hidden treasures all dog owners are familiar with AND c) he did not finish his food from the previous day. Given that his feces and food are almost identical in color AND he is surrounded by a privacy (lattice) type of fence then your friend (or whoever) must have been inside his run before even thinking of being able to make that claim.

6. The owners (we) did state he was stolen while my wife was running an errand. That is exactly when it happened. I'm not sure I understand your point.

7. If you knew the effort and expense that when into finding him then you would not doubt he was treasured. We sent over 200 posters to vets, breeders and kennels. My wife spent many hours on the phone to attain 4 radio interviews and 2 newspaper articles in order to 'get the word out'. I made several trips to areas well outside of Ottawa, including Quebec, to check out tips where people 'may have seen a dog meeting Tuuka's description'.
And as Sunrise Haven says 'tears were shed' upon our reuniting. Never question my love for my dog. Nobody has even come close to earning that right.

I am sure many people believe many different things about whether dogs should be inside/outside or how pets (dogs, cats, etc) should be handled but just because Tuuka was outside does not give anyone any right to take him. If the individuals who claim to have been concerned about his welfare actually were concerned then there are proper avenues to address those concerns. No one has the authority to steal a dog.

[CearaQC]

That was well-written Dean, and thank you for making a civilized reply without heated arguments. Other people in your shoes may not have been as polite.

To others that wrote negative things about the owner (when he is a member of this forum and is able to read everything written), dogs and cats have lived outside for thousands of years in all sorts of weather before humans got comfy heated homes. They also survived without immunizations, cute pet clothing, yummy treats, decorated leashes, winter boots or carrying cases.

And during the last century, pet owners have been bombarded with commercials and advertising talking about pets holding a status just like humans - part of the family. I'm not saying that pets shouldn't have a family member-like status and personally I prefer to keep my pets indoors, but some people do not. That is their choice. We should not judge others and definitely not accept rumors as true without checking the facts and situation. Some pets do not like to be indoors and are happiest outdoors. It is not logical to assume all pets should have the same treatment, when we do not know their individual circumstances.

How would you feel if someone intruded on your lives without knowing all the facts?

Like my dad always told me, when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

[chico2]

IMO,no dog/cat should be left outdoors in -20C weather,insulated doghouse or not:sad:
I do not know enough about"hunting-dogs"to comment on their treatment,but I am supposing cuddles and a warm bed is foreign to them.
As far as I know,from this Forum,Goldens are very social animals,family-dogs,who need to be with a family,not alone out in the cold.
How can anyone say,a dog is happy out there all alone 24/7,I just cannot believe that is the case.

[Ford Girl]

I'm with Chico2, hunting or not, golden or not, the dog should be inside and should have water. Not saying a few hours in the warm afternoon sun isn't ok but I strongly disagree with the whole he's a field dog - he's out side excuse. And yes, goldens need to be part of the pack, your dog is a field animal and a pet.

Now that the owners know the impression they give as pet owners, and how the community sees them as dog owners, will this change? If my dog was stolen cuz of suspected abuse I would certainly reevaluate the situation to ensure it never happens again. (i.e. bring the dog inside, priovide water, clean up poop, re-enforce the fencing, etc...)

I agree that all the pet attributes we have given animals over the years but refering to things we've done as humans to include our pets as family members can't justify leaving the animals unattended outside.

During the past century kids use to drop out of school in grade 2 and start working in factories, and women weren't allowed to vote. So I dont think refering to the "good old times" does this situation any justification.

How come when the animal was missing eveyrone was like.."hey, why was the animal out side unattended?" And now it's..."oh, he's a field dog - that makes it ok" I don't agree with that at all.

This being said, I agree with the owners, the proper channels were never followed, the concerned neighbours may have seen something thay made them uncomfortable and did wrong in stealing the dog. But the dog shouldn't be outside all day with out water. :sad: Neither is justified.

I think the concern is warrented 100% as is the owners right to not have his dog stolen.

What if the owners first post was...."Hi, I have a golden who stays outside all day without water, he's secured in a kennel, but we keep him outside in a run all day because he's a field dog"...

[badger]

I don't see any mention of long walks, interaction with the family, etc. Do you not think this is important? He probably wacks his bowls around because he is bored. This is not an ideal life for a dog.

[dhansen]

Folks, I appreciate all your concerns.

I have a happy, healthy dog and most important I have my happy, healthy dog back.

For those of you who were involved in his return, I appreciate your efforts tremendously.