First and foremost, do not be fooled by the Shangri La grounds that Saving Grace is on. It is quite a beautiful, serene setting, dogs are milling around and seem very at ease, and the staff appeared to be nice and accommodating at the time. I adopted a Treeing Walker Coonhound from them in September 2021 and had no idea what I was getting after I adopted him. Looking back, I found it curious that the intake person who was handling my adoption process asked, "how long do you plan to leave him in a crate?" My boy, Nigel, at the time was 2 1/2 and I thought, surely, he can handle the crate for 8-9 hours while I am at work, so that is the response I gave her. I should have clued in that when she bristled with my response, something was wrong. She mentioned he was a very active dog and would do very well to be at doggy day care a few days a week, and that he should not be in the crate more than a few hours at a time. She also told me Nigel was returned twice because, "his owners did not have the time for him and left him in the crate too long." This seemed plausible because a lot of people get a dog and don't always have the time to take care of them. Finally, she also mentioned he was in "detox, because they were over-medicating him with Trazadone" and that he was "addicted to Trazadone." Trazadone is a sedative and is not uncommon to be given to a dog who is anxious.
Little did I know, a few days after I had adopted him, the second, and I mean SECOND, I put Nigel in the crate, he shakes uncontrollably and starts howling incessantly. Me, being naive to the situation left him for literally no longer than an hour thinking he would bark it out for a few minutes and then settle himself down, came home to a dog who almost pushed his way out of the latched door of the crate, was panting excessively, was in a puddle of spittle, and the neighbors told me he barked and howled the entire time I was gone. What I witnessed was a full-blown panic attack. His pupils were dilated when I let him out of the crate he was pacing, and I could not calm him down. Long story short, I wanted to return him as this is what our contract agreement said I had to do if it isn't working out.
Here is part of our email exchange Me: "Are you open on the weekends? I have no flexibility in my schedule at work right now as we are extremely short handed. I do not want to give Nigel back period! I have grown extremely attached to him, but he is a difficult dog. It devastates me thinking about what he will go through once again to be up for adoption. I wonder who, what family, or person will adopt him, and if he will be in an even better situation than he has been in with me? I am not a heartless person and I struggle deeply with knowing this is not working. I have never returned a dog and you make it sound like this is a random, whimsical decision. I certainly do not want to drop him off in the dark, unmonitored and know this would exacerbate his abandonment issues. He was returned twice before I even adopted him, and I am sure he was returned because of his severe anxiety and panic attacks that he has when his owners are out of sight for as briefly as thirty seconds. I have tried everything in my power to give him his best life, but I cannot take my dog with me everywhere I go, which is what I have been doing for four months. Simply put, he absolutely cannot be in a crate because it traumatizes him the second he is in it. He shakes uncontrollably, howls, barks incessantly, drools, pants, and paces, and this happens as soon as the crate door is shut. It is absolutely horrific and heartbreaking to see this unfolding. With weather temps that have been as low as 17, it is unfair to keep him in my car while I run basic errands. My other option is leaving him unattended and roaming at free will in the house. I have done this one time and was gone 13 minutes. Within those 13 minutes, he destroyed the blinds on the front door and scratched a chair in the living room. So, what are my options here for him? When will this change or get better? His behavioral dog-trainer said it could be months, a year, or maybe never. I have had dogs all my life and have never experienced a dog with such severe panic and anxiety."
Their response: "I understand this is a difficult decision for you and the return is also difficult for Nigel. We are not open on the weekends as Saving Grace is a private residence. Our hours are M, T, Th, Fr 12-6pm and Wed 1-6pm. We try to take return appts prior to when adoptions start but, can be flexible within the hours we are open. I was just being honest with you as to what is in his best interest now and how our returns operate. Let us know when you can bring him."
I have opted to keep him simply because I refuse to let them have him back knowing they won't be transparent with the next people interested in him or maybe worse, he could be euthanized? Take home message, know the breed you are getting and DO NOT USE THEM! read more