I live in Israel so I do not think it would be possible to adopt a retired doxie from another country. And why whould people sell retired doxies? Would they not just wand a good forever home, not just sell them? There are far to many dogs in rescues without having sell those they no longer want.
Hi Tikki, I have been absent from this site for several years, for a variety of reasons. First, I couldn't figure out the new format. Then we had some human health issues, and then my precious, most beloved Libby died of a brain tumor. I was a mess and couldn't even look at a dachshund without bursting into tears for quite awhile after she went to the Rainbow Bridge. I swore up and down that I would never have another dog, would never open myself up to the deep, dark sense of loss that I felt from her passing. Then, I began my annual journey to Florida alone. For the previous eleven years, I had never driven that distance without my Libby acting as my "co-pilot on the trip. The drive is 1774 miles from my home to our annual rental in Florida. It is usually three days of driving and two nights in dog friendly motels. After driving this route for eleven years, I knew every dog friendly hotel/motel and rest area with doggie comfort areas on our route. So, the first day I started out, bright and early as I always do to avoid commuter traffic, without her in her car safety seat in the back of my car. I had been driving for several hours when I pulled into a rest area without even thinking about it. My hand unconsciously reached for her leash, and then it all came crashing down on me all over again. Libby was gone, I did not need to stop at a rest area for her convenience, and I felt the pain as acutely as I had during the months after her death. I am guessing this was around 9:00 o'clock in the morning. I sat there in total misery until a complete stranger tapped on my closed window to inquire if I was okay. I must have been sitting in that rest area for over six hours crying because it was beginning to get dark, as it always does early during the winter in New England. I assurred the stranger that I was fine, locked the car and went into the rest room, all the time thinking that I had to get a grip on my emotions, that Libby would always be in my heart, and that maybe, just maybe, I should think about getting another little girl to love. Since I had made very little mileage this day, and since I was exhausted after my emotional purge, I stopped at a motel, got a pizza and was in bed, fast asleep by 8 o'clock and actually slept until 8 oclock the next morning. I think it was the first time since Libby died that I slept through the night! So, I had two plus more days of driving, and thinking and came to the conclusion that I would adopt. Because I had been in dachshund rescue for so many years, I started inquiring with rescues. I think a lot of these people had lost any sense of compassion in the years since I was active in rescue. Some rescues told me I was too old and that they didn't adopt to anyone over 65 years old. Others turned me down because I don't have a fenced in yard, and one rescue was downright cruel, telling me that I hadn't taken very good care of my previous dog, Libby, because she had died at 11 years, 9 months, relatively young for a dachshund they said. For goodness sake, she had a brain tumor, was in severe pain, and ultimately had a grande mal seizure that left her blind and in excruciating pain. The veterinary emergency room I had taken her to, called in a canine neurologist who told me she exhibited all the classic signs of a brain tumor, that due to her age, surgery was not an option and the kindest thing would be euthanasia. He said that the sedative he had given her would wear off soon and she would be in screaming pain and terrified of the sudden onselt of complete blindness. As we had already been seeing her own veterinarian for two weeks when her symptoms first started, and since her own vet wouldn't listen to me when I told him something was terribly wrong, I could only agree with the canine neurologist. Libby died quietly in my arms and I was beyond grief, so I would like to know how the rescue that said I hadn't taken care of her thought I could have prevented a brain tumor. Anyway, I had heard that some breeders and show people placed their retired dogs and began a three month search for another little girl. One lovely lady had a little 5 year old girl and said I could meet her in May after she inspected my home, got references from non family members and paid a fee. Between March and May, this little girl had another dachshund jump on her back and would be looking forward to surgery, months of rehab if the surgery was successful, and the lady did not feel that in all good conscience that she could adopt this little girl out and would keep her the rest of her life regardless of the outcome. So, I was back to my search. Eventually I spoke to another lovely lady who wanted to meet me first. She was an AKC Breeder of Merit, and was very understanding of my emotional lapses when speaking of the love I had shared with my Libby. I was invited to her home and met my Annie Moon, who was pregnant and would be available the following September. I was approved and she and her husband told me the fee and compared to the price of a puppy, it was reasonable. So I went back to New England at the end of my stay in Florida and waited. In September, 2018, I drove back to Florida and picked up my Annie Moon. The search wasn't easy, but it was worth it, although Annie has a lot of emotional issues herself, but we totally bonded on the three day ride home and she is the proverbial velcro dog. I tell you all of this because I think I can answer why good and responsible breeders sell some of their retired dogs.
A Breeder of Merit (you can look up the requirements) has done DNA testing to rule out known dachshund diseases so they will not be passed on to offspring. They must produce a certain number of show ring champions, and conformation to the breed standard, health, and temperament are first and foremost in in any breeding. They have a lot of time and money invested in the dog /dogs that are nearing or have reached the end of optimal breeding ability. In the case of Annie's breeder, she would not breed a dog over 4 years old. If she wanted to continue to continue breeding, she would have to make room for any new dogs coming into her home. Thus she interviewed me, got numerous reference letters from friends and others who knew me and my Libby, from our veterinarian, and studied photos of my home and yard. If I had lived closer, she would have come in person to see for herself. The last, and to my way of thinking, the most important reason they charge a fee to prevent the dog from being put into an illegal dog fighting operation as a "bait dog," to be torn apart by fighting dogs in training or for practice in killing. It is my understanding that so many "free to a good home" dogs end up in this tragic situation. They have people who dress up nicely, who visit and take free dogs and turn them over to the dog fighters for bait. It is horribly illegal, but apparently quite frequent. Therefore, a charge of $400.00 or so not only helps the breeder continue his/her program, but the bad people collecting dogs for dreadful reasons aren't going to toss a dog costing that much money into a dog fighting ring to die a horrible death, so the fee actually is a little insurance policy for the adopted dog.
So with that said, how are you and your dachshund on stilts doing? I would love to hear from you.