Vito is the most joyful, happy little dog I have ever encountered. Despite a really poor start to life he
holds no grudges and lives his life with a constant grin on his face.
Vito is the product of an unethical backyard breeder (BYB) from Saskatoon, SK. This BYB breeds dogs
for money, fuelled by the pet market and preying on people who don't do their research before getting a
dog. Vito was sold to a family who were looking for a plaything for their toddler. The family took Vito
home when he was 4 weeks old. Puppies should stay with their mothers and siblings until they are
around 8 weeks old. Vito was taken away much too early and as a result he missed out on some crucial
socialization.
Vito's owners kept him barricaded in the kitchen. He didn't get to go outside, play with other dogs or
meet strangers. When Vito was 4 months old the novelty had worn off and they owners didn't want him
anymore. They placed an ad on petfinder.org and I adopted him quickly. The family then decided they
wanted to get a chihuahua so their daughter could carry it around. Yikes!
When I picked Vito up from his owners house his eyes were huge as he took everything in. His initial
reaction for the first few weeks was "WOW! COOL!" Anything and everything was amazing to him. He
loved it all. It was exciting and fun to him to be a part of a family where he had doggy brothers, got to
go for walks and car rides, play with toys and wrestle to his hearts content. We had to work at his
house training as he had only been taught to go to the bathroom indoors. We also worked at socializing
him like crazy since he didn't realize he was a dog and had no concept of doggy body language.
I began taking Vito to puppy obedience. He was incredibly intelligent, quick and eager to work. I entered
him in beginner agility and he was amazing! His drive and enthusiasm were awesome! He was brave,
fast and attentive. He was my agility dream dog and I was very excited at the prospect of competing
with him someday.
When Vito was 7 months old we had him neutered. He was bilaterally cryptorchid which means that
both testicles were trapped in the abdomen and didn't descend. This is a serious problem as it can lead to
cancer if left untreated. The surgery was invasive, painful and expensive. I called the "breeder" to let her
know that her bloodlines were carrying this problem. Her response was "What is that?" She didn't know
what it was, nor care. She didn't remember breeding Vito, even though she produced him not even a
year before. Her only comment was "Too bad you can't breed him". I was livid. I couldn't believe
someone could produce animals without any concern for their well being.
I continued to work with Vito. I was determined that he would someday compete in agility at the
National level and we would show that BYB. In the summer of 2004 Vito's gait started to be 'off'. Every
few steps he would hop on his left hind. It became more and more frequent to the point where he was
limping. I had him xrayed and was devastated with the results. Vito's hip looked like swiss cheese. He
has what is known as Legg-Calve Perthes disease. The blood supply to the bone was compromised
which caused it to die off. It was very painful for poor Vito.
We opted to surgically remove the head of Vito's femur. He had a good chance of living a normal life.
We couldn't leave him in his present condition as it was getting progressively worse and more painful. I
couldn't bear to euthanize an otherwise healthy, happy young dog. In September 2004 Vito underwent
surgery. He seemed to come out of it ok but a month later he still wasn't using his leg. It was painful and
he refused to put any weight on it. I took him to his physiotherapist. She felt a sharp piece of bone in his
hip so we went back to the vet for xrays.
The xrays showed that a piece of the hip bone had been left behind after the first surgery. Vito had to
undergo yet another surgery in October 2004. Poor guy! Within a week of the second surgery he was a
new dog. He began to slowly put his foot down when he was standing, then gradually putting weight on
it. He seemed more frisky, happier and pain free. We started to do weekly physio sessions which
included a session on the underwater treadmill. Vito's progress amazed us all. He is now using his leg for
walking, but still carries it when he runs. He is a miracle dog and his love of life is very inspiring.
Vito spends most of his time sitting outside on the step with his eyes closed, his face to the wind and his
nose busily taking it all in. He LOVES to be outside. If he's not outside he's often asking to be let out.
I've never had a dog that I had to convince to be an inside dog before. I'm sure if he had it his way he'd
never come inside. He also loves to eat crab apples as they fall of the tree, and patrol the yard for
intruders such as cats!
PLEASE do not buy pets from BYB or pet stores. A lot of people are unaware of the consequences.
There are thousands upon thousands of dogs waiting to be adopted in shelters across the world. There is
no reason to be breeding pet dogs when there is a vast abundance of them already. Just because a dog
has 'papers' does not mean it is breeding quality. When looking for a pet PLEASE consider rescue and do
not support the business of breeders that are unethically mass producing puppies for the pet market.
Mass producing dogs without the knowledge or care to do it properly results in dogs like Vito that are
riddled with genetic defects. I do not wish my heartache upon anyone as it is extremely painful to watch
your pet suffer from a condition caused by poor breeding. It is also extremely expensive to attempt to
remedy these problems. Please make adoption your first option! There are purebred rescue associations
if you have a specific breed in mind, or consider a mix from your local shelter. Alternatively you could
research responsible breeders who do the necessary health clearances prior to breeding their dogs. A
great place to get information about reputable breeders in your area is from your local kennel club. I
hope that Vito's story may help save some people heartache, and in turn save some homeless dogs' lives.
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