Lewis' Story - pet shop pup

I tell this story to anyone who meets my beautiful boy..

We'd had a Golden Retriever for a few years and were looking for a dog with a similar temperment that would shed less. We learnt about Groodles and thought this was our answer. After searching for a year or two, we finally found a store in Springvale Rd in Nunawading, Victoria, who had begun to sell Groodles. We went out to the store and asked where the puppies came from and naively we accepted their answer when they told us the puppies came from a reputable breeder in country Victoria. Sounded lovely. So, we watched the pups and played with them and eventually brought our little fella home.

That first night we handed him something to chew on, a pigs ear I think. We sat close to him and my husband went to pat him on his back when he turned around and absolutely ravaged his hand, drawing blood. This was a nine week old pup! We didn't think a lot of it at the time but this was just the beginning.

Within months he was becoming dangerous, threatening to attack anyone or anything when food was near him. We persisted with training and consulted dog behaviouralists who insisted that this behaviour may never be changed.

We returned to the puppy store and tried to get some more answers about the breeders and our boy's parents and maybe if other people were experiencing similar difficulties with this litter. If nothing else we thought that we were doing the right thing by informing them. They weren't interested.

A couple of weeks later we were out for a walk and met a lady who, coincidentally had bought a female Groodle from the same store around the same time. Unfortunately, for her family she was just too much and she was given up to the pound.

I continued my research into this store and eventually found a website that listed this store as an outlet for a well known puppy mill in Victoria. I was devastated, I couldn't believe that in my stupidity I had supported these heartless criminals.

That was six years ago. Today, Lewis commands all kinds of attention due to his puppy like energy and beautiful manners. It has been one of the most difficult endeavours I've yet to encounter but Lewis means a lot to us and he's now a fantastic family member. The worst part I guess is that we have to segregate him when he eats but he handles this well and no longer am I frightened of him.

We wonder though, what might happen to these terribly unsocialised dogs in the hands of people who won't have the perserverence and dedication. It's tragic and an absolute travesty that our world has turned to manufacturing lives.

It just doesn't work and it's just not right.

Jodi