09/20/2024
There are always two sides to every story… Here's mine.
Recently, one of my clients began posting things about me on social media that were incredibly hurtful and accusatory - all in an attempt to discredit me and damage my reputation.
As you can imagine, It has been very painful and traumatic for me to have to go through this, but rather than just wallow in sadness and self-pity, I’ve decided to stand up for myself and write this response in the hopes that those who may have read this person’s disparaging posts will have a desire to understand both sides of the story, and find empathy and understanding.
This story actually begins quite happily, with this client and her husband becoming the proud parents of Trigger, one of my purebred Yorkies.
They were incredibly happy with their little Trigger, and soon wanted him to have a companion, but they couldn’t afford to buy another one, so I asked them if they would be interested in our fostering program.
I told them that they could become foster parents to one of my female dogs, which I would allow them to raise as a friend and companion to Trigger, provided that they let me breed her during her reproductive years. I would still be Koko’s owner and would cover all costs of Vet bills during this time. Then, once she went into retirement, I would give her to them free and clear(no cost to them).
Needless to say that they graciously accepted the terms of my foster proposal, and happily took home Koko.
This is where the story starts to take a turn.
In order to breed Koko, I need to bring her to my house for a few weeks when she goes into heat. Yorkies usually go into heat about once every 6-8 months.
When I tried to get this couple to bring in Koko originally, they came up with several excuses, and before you know it, a year and a half had gone by without them bringing in Koko even once to be bred, which means that I’d missed at least 2 breeding cycles, and was risking missing a 3rd.
It was at this point where I started to become frustrated, because Koko was legally my dog that I was allowing them to foster, but they were acting like it was their dog and that I had no rights to breed her. Now, of course I want them to love Koko as their own, and I want Trigger to have a companion, but at the same time it’s important that they uphold their end of the agreement.
Long story short, after a lot of back and forth they finally sent Koko with a friend to Taber where we picked her up. Koko wasn’t in heat so I was hoping that being around my female(who was in heat) would help Koko go into heat. This client would keep calling me or texting me and asking when they could get Koko back.
I would try to be as polite as possible, but over time her calls became more and more demanding until they started to become threatening and even bullying.
For those of you who have never bred dogs, the breeding process is often unpredictable and there’s a very small window when they can get pregnant.
Had this client been helpful and understanding, and not kept Koko for a year and a half prior to this, I would have been much more willing to have her take Koko back home until she actually went into heat, but I couldn’t afford to miss the window a 3rd time.
Unfortunately, the situation escalated to the point where I actually received a phone call from the RCMP. The officer was very arrogant, and told me that they were pressing charges against me for dog kidnapping! I was in complete shock! I told the officer that he didn’t have all of the facts and was mistaken - that Koko was my dog, and that this family was fostering her for me. He then told me “I think I know the law better than you do”. I told him that he did know what he was talking about (which surprised even me), and that I would meet him at my lawyers office the next day because I didn’t know what else to say.
I hung up the phone and was completely beside myself. How did this get so out of control? How did my act of kindness to this couple turn into such a horrible nightmare?
As I was trying to calm down from that call, I got another call. It was the same officer, except this time his demeanor was completely different. He was soft spoken and kind, and said, “Mrs. Phillips, I’m so sorry for my previous call. I talked to the family and they told me that Koko was in fact your dog, and I wanted to tell you that we will not be pressing charges, or take any other action against you.”
Now, you might think that this is where things end, but no. It gets waaaay worse from here.
Once this couple realized that the law was on my side, they decided to do everything they possibly could to try to destroy my reputation.
So, they got all of their friends and family together and started to write incredibly mean, damaging, and false posts about me on Facebook and other social media channels.
But here’s the reality.
I’ve spent the past 15 years of my life pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into making Yorkshire Puddin’ Pups one of the best places to find a purebred Yorkie in Canada. I’ve literally helped hundreds of families find the perfect puppy that they can call their own. And every single puppy I raise is truly loved and cared for like my own.
Anyone who knows me knows that this statement is 100% true, and that I would do absolutely anything for my dogs and puppies.
My hope and prayer is that those who may have read the unkind and untrue comments from this particular client will be able to read my side of the story here, discern the truth, and realize that I’m a very kind, honest, and caring person who is justified in trying to hold her and her husband to an agreement that they knowingly and happily agreed to.
I just hope that people will see what’s really happening here.
If you have any questions at all about this situation or anything else for that matter, please email me at [email protected], or give me a call at (403) 223-8885.
Thank you for your time and understanding.
Sincerely,
Cam Phillips
