Sophie’s Dog Adoption

Attention all fellow rescuers and animals lovers.

Cryrus Showkati, an animal rights activist, is presently holding a dog named Mika 4, a Boston terrier, hostage from Sophie’s Dog Adoption and is now determined to keep the dog regardless of the screening / adoption process and procedure.

As he claimed to have adopted his Boston terrier (Robby) from the BTCC ( Boston Terrier Club of Canada) Rescue, a call was made to them in hopes of obtaining good references. Unfortunately, it was discovered that he acquired that dog in a similar manner. According to three different people from (BTCC) Robby was a dog Cyrus claimed he had previously adopted from another rescue who refused to take Robby back, so they agreed to take him. Once a family had been found (out of Province) and Robby was adopted, Cyrus presented himself to the adoptive home wanting to take the dog back as he had changed his mind. He pleaded with the new adoptive home and tried to negotiate with BTCC and the adoptive family. They got very ill at ease, and asked BTCC to take the dog back, wanted nothing to do with this dog anymore. In the end, after all the trouble and pleas and pages and pages of phone records of him to them, they decided to wash their hands of this situation if he agreed to pay the vet fees they incurred so he could keep the dog (he had claimed excessively this dog was always sick, to which vets never diagnosed anything he claimed). He agreed and got to keep the dog.

It is to be noted that he is doing the same thing with Mika 4 to which at this point I have forbidden him to run her to any more vets, whether at his cost or mine, as this dog is not sick.

After speaking to BTCC, I decided to call the original rescue Robby was adopted from as they are very reputable, and it bothered me to hear that they refused to take a dog back. They had a whole different story to tell about Cyrus and how Robby came into their life. He claimed to them, that he had rescued this dog from a puppy mill and he could not keep him as he did not get along with his other dog Maya. He asked them to take Robby into their care, which they agreed. He then changed his mind and asked them if he could adopt Robby, and since he had rescued the dog and was very adament about getting him back, they let him keep Robby. He then called a while later, claiming he could not keep Robby as he was, once again, not getting along with Maya, however BTCC had a possibility of adoption for him as they have people on waiting lists. The rescue in question agreed, knowing that if Robby went to a breed rescue, he would find a good home.

I had also been told to speak to someone else in the network who had problems with him as well, and her first words were : be careful of this man. Stay away from him if you can… Unfortunately it was too late for me or Mika 4….

To this day, I have had nothing but negative references (very disturbing in various aspects) and am unable to retrieve the dog and/or receive an application from him with the information and references needed. He just wants to send a cheque and keep the dog. As I am refusing to let the dog go like this (this goes way against any of my policies and procedures to adopt from Sophie’s Dog Adoption), I have asked him again and again to return the dog and stop running her to vets for nothing. He has been told that if he really and truly wants to keep this dog, he must go through the steps and the dog must be returned to me. I had given him until Saturday April 5th at noon to return her, or I told him I would go retrieve her. Instead, he called a common acquaintances in hopes of them convincing me to let him keep the dog. He could just send me a cheque, all I really want is the money according to him.

I have explained the situation, and these people who tried to mediate, have decided now to not get involved, as it is obvious to them that there is a side to Cyrus they did not know. The story he told them, is quite different from what they are hearing from me, and knowing my reputation and procedure, totally understand and agree that this dog be returned to me. They have strongly suggested that he do so, but he refuses.

Today Sunday April 6th, I went to Cyrus house in hopes of getting him to release the dog as I had told I would. My intention upon arriving to his house, was to ring the bell and try to negotiate the return of the dog with a promise that no one else would adopt this dog until the full screening procedure was completed with him. However as I was walking toward the front door, Cyrus was backing out of his garage with Mika in the car. Surprised to see me there he immediately rolled down his window to ask why I was here. I told him I was here to retrieve Mika, he started pleading with me to not do this and while he and I were talking, a friend who accompanied me stood behind the car, when Cyrus noticed him he charged at him in reverse and my friend had to stop the car with his hands (which left a big dent on the trunk of the car) in order to avoid getting run over. By then, the person who drove me there and her spouse got out of their car to see what was going on. Cyrus once again floored the car in reverse towards my friend who moved out of the way. The driver’s spouse saw this and tried to stop Cyrus by grabbing the door handle. Cyrus proceeded to back up, while this man hung on to the door. He then stopped the car on the street, and proceeded to once again back up, this time ramming his car into my driver’s car. In the chaos, my driver opened Cyrus’ back door, grabbed Mika and retreated to her own. However she could not leave as her car was pinned by Cyrus’ car. Cyrus then got out of his car and reached for the girl in hopes of grabbing Mika. The spouse got mad! He held Cyrus back between the two cars, and ordered him to move the car out of the way. Cyrus was crying, pleading, trying to grab at the car window, which angered the spouse even more. He kept yelling at him to move his car out of the way, to which Cyrus did nothing. So he got in Cyrus’ car and moved it himself.

Of course, I was on the phone with 911 during all this, as well as the front neighbours. A lot of screaming ensued, restraining Cyrus from going to grab the dog, and so on….. finally the police arrived.

My friend decided not to press charges for assault with a deadly weapon or even attempted murder, as his only goal today was to try and help me convince Cyrus to do the right thing and hand over the dog until further steps were taken for her adoption if he so desired.

The police originally listened to both sides, and having “propriety rights” on this dog, they told him the dog was not his to keep and that I would take the dog home, and he could take this to the civil courts. Another 2 police cars arrived, 2 fire trucks, an ambulance, and things got chaotic. One police officer refused to listen to me, she only talked to Cyrus. She was rude to me, could not understand why I would go through all this chaos for a dog, and basically told me I could not do myself justice by taking the dog back. It was a civil matter, which I know and my original intent was not to take the dog, but to convince Cyrus to do the right thing, otherwise I would have taken it to court. However, the situation turning into what it did, I had the dog and was relieved. She then proceeded to tell me that if I did not return the dog to this gentleman, I would be charged with theft along with all the “accomplices” as well as they would cease her car. My friend’s spouse being a trucker who was leaving tomorrow morning on a run to the US, could not take that risk…. I had no choice but to relinquish the dog back to him. Let me tell you this little girl was terrified….

They tell me I have to go the civil way, which could take up to a year. Cyrus claims he wants to adopt this dog and says he told me from the get-go. He really offered to do me a favour and pick her up from the vet for me as I did not know him before but knew of him (as many of you might also). However I found a post on Facebook about her being for adoption, and he even brought her to an event without my consent or knowledge. I thought he was just a wonderful man who wanted to help in a one-time situation. And this is how it is ending.

I want to warn everyone out there not to be taken in by his charm and offers to help, especially with Boston Terriers. You may end up in the same situation at one point. He has told one of the “mediators” who he tried to involve that he was afraid I would let this dog go to a bad home and that he wants to find the right home for Mika….. However he is trying to convince me that he told me he wanted to adopt Mika from the beginning, which is false and as proven from the event he brought her to and his last conversation with one of the mediators.

Of course, the story has much more details on things I found out which is why at this point I am afraid to let him keep this dog, but if you want to know more, you will have to get in touch with me privately. I will not let this man acquire all his dogs by force, run them silly to vets for blood tests and things that are not needed, stressful, and in all fairness, abusive in itself. I was told by one person he was dangerous, I found that out myself today. Be warned.

 UPDATE :  MIKA 4 IS SAFE AND SOUND, BACK WITH SOPHIE’S DOG ADOPTION.

Bring any and all of your pets in for a fun photo session with Santa! Beautiful pictures ready for the holidays. All proceeds to benefit the homeless dogs of Sophie’s Dog Adoption

Saturday December 15th & Sunday December 16th
12:00PM-4:00PM
Naturalanimal & Pawtisserie
4932B Sherbrooke Street W., Westmount

For more information please call:
514-523-5052

UPDATE: The pictures were a success and can be seen here.

Marc-Andre Laporte, 59, was found guilty of two counts of animal cruelty at the St. Jerome courthouse, following the seizure of 97 fox terriers in November 2005 from his Blainville puppy mill.

When police raided the property, they found dogs matted in feces feeding on dogs’ carcasses and stronger dogs preying on weaker ones.

On Feb. 22, 2008 he will be sentenced and at the same hearing, the judge is to decide if Laporte is to get any of the 18 fox terriers that he has refused to surrender back. When selecting these dogs, Laporte referred to them as his ‘best producers’.

WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/no-dogs-for-laporte

Signatures now stand at over to 1500! If you haven’t signed yet or told all your friends to sign, please do it now. You can also add your bark to the cause & pick up a link button for your website or blog at http://rvrg.com/no-dogs-for-laporte.html

By: Stanley Popovich

Everybody deals with stress and anxiety, however some people sometimes take it out on their pets. Instead of taking your problems and frustrations out on your pets or other animals, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stress, anxieties, and fears.

When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with anxiety, the first thing you can do is to break the task into a series of smaller steps. For example, changing careers can be a stressful situation. In order to help manage this task, try to divide this goal into a series of smaller steps and do each of these tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success. This is a lot more effective then taking your frustrations out on your pet.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. Instead of taking it out on your dog or cat, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get your mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This mental timeout can help you refocus on your current situation.

In dealing with your anxieties, a person should learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of focusing on exaggerated assumptions that may or may not happen, focus on the present and take it one day at a time.

Sometimes, it helps to be able to talk to someone about our stressful situations. Talking to a trusted friend, counsellor, or clergyman can not only make us feel better, but they might be able to give you additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. This is a lot more effective than yelling at your dog or cat.

It is not easy to deal with our stressful problems, however taking our frustrations out on your pets or other people will not make the problem go away. When things are not going right, try to remember to treat your pet in the way you would want to be treated.

By: Stanley Popovich

There are many advantages to adopting a dog or cat. Adopting a pet can be a great way to reduce our every day stresses and anxieties. In addition, there are many other reasons why adopting a dog or cat can be important in your life.

For instance, pets can help us to relax and help us to focus on the good things in our lives. This can be very helpful when we are overwhelmed by the stresses and anxieties of our lives. Playing with our pets can help reduce our fears and anxieties in any situation.

Pets can get our minds off of our problems. A person could do an activity with their pet or other animals that will give them a fresh perspective on things. Spending time with animals will get your mind off of the problem and give you the energy to do other things. Most importantly, playing with animals will give you the self-confidence that you can cope and that you can get through a stressful day.

Spending time with a pet can reduce loneliness and can be a great source of companionship. A pet can help us to feel better. Also many people talk to their pets and this can help us to get their problems out in the open. Animals can be of good company to all of us and can prevent the fear of being alone during our troubles.

Taking care of dog or cat can be a great way to increase our happiness and self-confidence. There are many animals out there who could benefit from your time and talents. Doing something that will help your pet or other animals can give you a source of pride and accomplishment.

Pets are 100 percent faithful and will be by your side through the good and bad times. Everybody deals with anxieties, stresses and other life problems, and it is during those times when you need someone by your side to talk too. People in our lives come and go, but your pet will never leave you regardless how bad your problems may be.

There are also many different breeds of dogs and cats we can choose from which can accommodate our life styles. If you want a certain type of pet that will suite your life style, all you have to do is talk to a pet expert or a veterinarian. These people will work with you to determine what type of dog to get that will fit in with your household.

By adopting a pet, you will be saving a life; a life of an animal that could very well become your best friend. A pet will love you unconditionally during his or her lifetime. Don’t let a few obstacles prevent you from gaining a faithful companion in your life. Adopting a pet can be beneficial to your health and be one of the best things that you can do in your life.

Rick rebuilt my website today. Hope everyone enjoys this one better than just having the forums. Give it a few days and you will be able to find everything concerning Sophie’s Dog Adoption right here.