Last week a woman told me she adopted a dog from Scalawaggles Pet Rescue that had kennelcough and tapeworm.
Benny had both kennel cough and tapeworm when he was adopted. Photo credit withheld.
She’s the second person who told me she adopted a sick dog from this rescue.
The other was Kayla Hanus. She told me she adopted a puppy with bronchopneumonia from Scalawaggles. The rescue eventually reimbursed her for roughly half of the $1400 she spent on vet care that saved his life.
The woman who contacted me recently said she and her husband adopted a cute 2-year-old mutt named Benny from Scalawaggles last December. According to her, Benny was “very skinny, reeked of urine, and was shedding pretty badly” at the adoption event.
BENNY HAD KENNEL COUGH AND TAPEWORM
As she and her husband left with Benny, Scalawaggles founder Sherry Halfon told her, “oh he might have been exposed to kennel cough, so we gave him a bordetella vaccine to be safe but he doesn’t have any symptoms.”
No reputable dog rescue would ever adopt out a dog that could have kennel cough. It would wait until it was sure the dog was healthy.
Within two hours of arriving at his new home, Benny “was hacking terribly, almost non stop.” Since the incubation period for kennel cough is about a week, Halfon most likely knew he had it when the couple adopted him.
A couple of days later the woman noticed white eggs in Benny’s stool. A vet exam showed that Benny had “an advanced case of tapeworm.” Benny was also infested with fleas.
Coincidently, the most common tapeworm in dogs “is caused by swallowing a tiny infected flea.”
BENNY INFECTED BEFORE ADOPTION
The incubation period for tapeworm after a dog ingests an infected flea is about 2-4 weeks. The vet also said he had an advanced case of tapeworm.
This means Benny could not have been infected after his adoption. It also means Scalawaggles probably never took him in for a vet check in Washington before the couple adopted him.
Benny also had extreme anxiety problems and was not housebroken. Photo credit withheld.
Benny also infected their other dog with kennel cough. They paid over $500 for a vet to treat the dog and monitor it for pneumonia.
BENNY NOT HOUSEBROKEN, HAD ANXIETY PROBLEMS
Benny had other problems that Halfon didn’t reveal to the adopters. She told them Benny was “90% housebroken” and only had “1-2” accidents in the 6 weeks the rescue had him.
But Benny was not housebroken. Not even close. He repeatedly peed on their carpet, rugs, and bed.
Eventually the couple had to leash him in the house or put him in his crate to prevent him from peeing everywhere.
Benny’s adopter also said he suffered from extreme anxiety:
“…I don’t believe for a second that this dog was inside a house while he was in their care for that 6 weeks. He was terrified of walking in or out of the kennel. He refused to go through any doorway regardless if it was inside or outside. We’d have to pick him up and carry him from room to room or nudge him through the doorways. (He eventually figured it out and started going through on his own). He was unable to walk on a leash. He was afraid of every noise in the house, everything from the dishwasher, to water running in the sink, to the vacuum going. This seems highly unusual if he’d spent the last 6 weeks inside a house, where these are everyday sounds.”
Benny’s uncontrollable urination and extreme anxiety eventually took a toll on his adopters. After about 6 weeks they returned him to Scalawaggles.
ADOPTERS TAKE FINANCIAL HIT
Benny ended up costing his adopters much more than his $400 adoption fee. They spent about $800 in medical bills for Benny and their dog that he infected. They spent another $250 to remove the urine stains/smell in their house.
Scalawaggles eventually gave them a $400 reimbursement, so they ended up losing $1000.
Adopting out sick dogs isn’t a new problem for Scalawaggles. I first heard about it in this email I received last June:
“There have been reports of Scalawaggles Pet Rescue adopting out sick pets. They have been known to have adopted out puppies with parvo in the past. They had an adoption event at the Benson Pet Pros in Renton 2 weeks ago and there have been pups that tested positive for kennel cough. One pup ended up with pneumonia. Sherry Halfon is the Founder and Director of this organization. There’s a rumor that she is running more of a puppy mill than a rescue.”
Ironically, the daughter of Benny’s adopters also got a sick dog from Scalawaggles:
“My daughter adopted a young dog a few months ago from there. The dog was extremely skinny,
The day after his adopters returned Benny, Scalawaggles listed him available for adoption with no mention of his anxiety and peeing problems. Photo credit withheld.
reeked of urine, her hair was falling out, and she had kennel cough, who in turn gave it to my daughter’s other dog. I didn’t realize this had happened with my daughter’s dogs, until after we adopted a dog from there, about 6 weeks ago and I mentioned it to her.”
SCALAWAGLES RESCUE MUST STOP SELLING SICK DOGS
Most shady rescues with this problem bring in dogs from other states and adopt them quickly without medical exams or behavior assessments.
These dogs usually travel to Washington either together in crates or in close proximity to each other. One sick dog can infect all the other dogs on a transport, so the potential problems they cause can increase exponentially.
These dogs suffer needlessly from untreated health/behavior problems. Other dogs suffer when they contract contagious pathogens from these sick dogs. Adopters suffer financially by paying thousands of dollars for vet care Scalawaggles didn’t provide. They suffer emotionally because they must address the dog’s unexpected health and/or behavior problems and, in some cases, make the tough decision of returning the dog to a rescue.
The day after Benny’s adopters returned him to Scalawaggles, Halfon brought him to an adoption event to sell to another unsuspecting person. He’s still listed on their website with no mention of his anxiety and peeing problems.
Halfon and McGriff must stop recklessly bringing sick dogs into Washington and selling them to unsuspecting adopters. If they don’t, adopters will continue to rack up thousands of dollars in vet bills for treating the sick dogs they adopt. Their dogs will also continue to infect other dogs and needlessly suffer from untreated health problems.
I don’t understand if adopter thinks this is such a bad place why return him to face the same issues?
MY thoughts exactly!!!
My thoughts exactly!!!!!!!!
Very sad that a so called rescue is adopting out sick animals. What’s also sad is those adopters allowed the dog to go BACK to the rescue after stating how horrible it was. Idiots, everywhere! Poor dog :'(
They didn’t know how bad this rescue was until after they returned the dog.
This is untrue. When they adopted they told us they had family who loved their dog and that’s why they came to us. Now it’s changed? I have photo’s showing the dog wasn’t in the condition as he was in these photos!
To Dogspot.com -I need to set some facts straight here on behalf of Scallawaggles Rescue . Firstly, I had the Terrier Benny mentioned in the article in my home as a foster pup for over a month in California – From 11/7-12/1/17 and during this time – he was not only crated , house trained and socialized with several other of my foster pups at that time . He was a playful carefree and healthy boy – with no display of anxiety what so ever I am appalled that you as a writer would make accusations based on what an unnamed person would – in this cased Benny adopters . . Where your supporting facts ? HERE ARE MINE
Benny was in fact Neutered on 11/27/27 . I personally delivered him and then fostered him . He was examined prior to Neuter and no fleas were present there deworming was deemed by our vet as necessary. Additionally per the adopter’s claims that Benny was in their words” very skinny ” is another misleading claim
Benny’s weight at time of exam was 11.40 , considered normal healthy weight
Another misleading claI’m is that Benny wreaked of urine and shedding badly. I doubt that was the case at all – I see a happy lady in the adoption pic smiling
MY question – If this were in fact the case- why would anyone want to adopt a urine wreaked dog and one that is shedding badly . All these accusations are I feel a way to discredit Scallawaggles . Please feel free to contact me with any questions in to further support Benny’s care – I can send you video of our lil guy on my home and his neuter and vetting documentation. LET’S WORK ON FACTS NO ACCUSATIONS
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Thanks for responding. I never said he was not neutered. It says that on the picture of him from the Scalawaggles website so maybe they should change it. You really aren’t providing facts though.
You say he wasn’t shedding and didn’t smell like urine. The adopter says he was. It’s your word against the adopter’s. Facts are irrevocable statements, like a vet bill showing the dog have fleas, kennel cough, and tapeworm. It is virtually impossible that Benny got it after he was adopted since the incubation period is 2-4 weeks. That is a fact.
And showing a smiling lady in a picture doesn’t prove that the dog didn’t stink. At least 2 other people have told me the dogs they adopted from you smelled like urine.
No reputable rescue would adopt out a dog with tapeworm, kennel cough, and fleas. And once again, a vet diagnosed this almost immediately after he was adopted, so he didn’t get them after he was adopted. He may have been perfectly healthy when he was checked by a vet in late November but he was adopted two months later, so that vet examination proves nothing other than he was ok 2 months before he was adopted.
You bring up a very good point. Their word against ours! Great point!
But their story is strengthened by the fact that other people who have adopted sick puppies from Scalawaggles have virtually the same stories; this indicates a clear pattern of adopting out sick puppies.
Scalawaggles takes dogs from bad rescues such as the Animal Debt Project (said to be banned from pulling from LA County shelters). ADP abandoned dogs in boarding, placed a waiver dog with a pet owning family with tragic results. Irresponsible slingers tend to find each other. And yes I have screenshots.
Did anyone catch that the ad says the dog isn’t neutered? No reputable rescue would ever let an intact animal out of their care. Barring any serious medical reasons why they couldn’t get the dog neutered…there is no excuse for this at all.
How sad for the family that was just trying to find a family member.
Benny@was in fact Neutered- here are the facts Neutered on 11/27/17 at VOSPCA Animal ID # A37250590 –
He is listed as unneutered on the website so someone should change that.
As stated before we don’t respond to drama and sensationalism. This being said, we tried posting evidence refuting this claim but Robert didn’t approve the post. Once again proving the witch hunt. If you want to see it contact us directly on Facebook or our website. Oh and Jennifer, Benny was neutered prior to his adoption.
Thank you!
Scalawaggles Pet Rescue
I haven’t seen whatever post you mentioned so please resend. I will say I don’t put up posts that unfairly attack other posters or are blatant lies, so that could have been the reason.
Pointing our shady rescues that are selling sick puppies isn’t “drama” or “sensationalism.” It’s providing information. Stop doing it and people will stop sending me stories about sick puppies they adopted from you.
Get a dog from the animal shelter. Vet checked, free vet care for a month, microchipped, vaccinations, spayed or neutered,1 year pet insurance for under $100. They usually have been socialized with other dogs, potty trained if small dog, know simple commands. You may not know the animals history. Found out my guy lived on the streets his first year of life, after the fact. He was about a year old when I got him. Has separation anxiety, but who wouldn’t under the circumstances. Love Auggie.
Have had my very loveable Jack Russell Auggie for a year and a half now.
It appears that this blog is just looking for the negatives in private adoption agencies in Washington State. What has the author of this blog got against people who are sincerely trying to help dogs get new homes ? For every one adoption that goes wrong there are many that go right. The author of this blog is, for some reason, bad mouthing all those resues, including Scalawaggles, for the sake of promoting this blog. Author – get over yourself and look at the facts, not sensationalized trash journalism.
I don’t have anything against rescues in WA unless they are harming dogs and ripping people off, which is what Scalawaggles is doing. I’m sure some of their adoptions are successful, but several people have said they adopted sick dogs from Scalawaggles. Most reputable rescues NEVER adopt out sick dogs. Scalawaggles is bringing sick dogs and adopting them out right away without a complete vet exam.
Here are some facts for you:
Four major pet store chains have banned them from having adoption events.
I’ve seen thousands of dollars in vet bills that people dogs had to pay to treat the sick dogs Scalawaggles sold them.
Scalawaggles refuses to send me their 990 tax forms as required by the IRS.
Based on their claims they’ve collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees but refuse to show how that money was spent.
Scalawaggles claim these accusations are false, but they have yet to send me any documentation to prove it. If you have any facts you’d like to share please send them to info@seattledogspot.com.