The dilemma of Dixie

[Art]

Dixie is a six-year-old Puli. I am a fit  72 year old. I think about Dixie every day and would like her back, or at least would like to know that she has a loving new home, but I can't get any answers from the person who said they would look after her. Dixie was one of two Pulis that my ex-wife purchased. Before we met in 2015, she purchased her first Puli, Chewie in South Australia. When she was in the USA in 2020, stuck during Covid, she purchased her second Puli, Dixie, from a Colorado breeder. In 2020. At that time, I was stranded in Australia while my wife was in the US.. Chewie, Dixie and my wife came back to Australia in 2021. In September 2022, my wife abandoned the dogs and myself, later taking the house from us. Chewie, Dixie and myself were on the road and eventually we settled in Queensland for a while. It wasn't working in Queensland and out of desperation, I planned to move overseas to a place I could afford. I was having trouble looking after two dogs by myself but I loved them both. I contacted a Puli breeder in NSW with my story and I was surprised to hear that he would have the dogs on his large, 13 acre property and he would use his contacts to re-home them. I dropped the dogs of with much heart-ache, in August.  I stayed in touch to learn of their progress and I received a few updates from him. Just before I left for overseas, in early September, I had a call from the new owner of Chewie, the older Puli. Chewie had found a loving home and the new owner sent photos of Chewie and his new home and adventures. I cried with relief and thanked him. We are still in touch and I am grateful. My attempt to move overseas did not work as smoothly as I'd hoped. The reality proved harder than the many You Tube videos I'd watched for weeks beforehand. I was niave I suppose. I returned to Australia after several weeks and looked for a place to re-settle. Eventually, I re-settled in South Australia near the beach in early November. The Puli breeder who took Dixie has not communicated with me in months, even though I have emailed and called him several times, causing much anxiety. I am willing and able to take Dixie back now. I can look after one dog now, very well. If Dixie has been re-homed, I want to know and I want to touch base with the new owner to make sure she is OK and her quirks are understood. I want peace of mind regarding Dixie's welfare, as she is a sensitive dog. A couple of weeks ago, the new owner of Chewie saw the NSW Puli breeder at a dog show and kindly asked about Dixie. The NSW dog breeder would only say that Dixie has been re-homed, with no further information. I am not sure I believe this. If this was the case, why wouldn't I simply be told? Something is not right. If anyone has any information, or suggestions regarding Dixie, or her whereabouts, what I can do, etc, please share.

Dixie's Chip # is 981-020-037-277-013  (She was chipped in the USA and my ex-wife's name is probably the reference name, 'Potanin')

 

 

Here are some phots of Dixie.

[Mairead]

An Australian breeder helped out with rehoming TWO dogs, at least one not of his breeding, that is already a HUGE favour they have done for you, especially in the present climate where good homes are being filled with oodles and popular purebreds. 

That you keep changing your mind about wanting the dog back could be the reason they are now less than enthusiastic to you. 

Let it go, and go volunteer somewhere with dogs. 

[Dogsfevr]

The person who helped rehome them is under no requirement to hand out the info & i wouldnt either .
We also dont share the details of any dogs we have assisted in rehome .

You gave up  ownership of the dogs & thats where it ends .
Consider yourself lucky to be in contact with one of them but it sounds like you want more than just seeing her & if she is in a nice settled home thats where it ends .
You dont get to waltz back in all this time & turn the dogs world upside down again  & i dare say thats the vibe this person is getting especially involving the other dogs owner into finding out .
You are no longer the dogs owner its that black n white .

[asal]

53 minutes ago, Dogsfevr said:

The person who helped rehome them is under no requirement to hand out the info & i wouldnt either .
We also dont share the details of any dogs we have assisted in rehome .

You gave up  ownership of the dogs & thats where it ends .
Consider yourself lucky to be in contact with one of them but it sounds like you want more than just seeing her & if she is in a nice settled home thats where it ends .
You dont get to waltz back in all this time & turn the dogs world upside down again  & i dare say thats the vibe this person is getting especially involving the other dogs owner into finding out .
You are no longer the dogs owner its that black n white .

You have a point

I took on a dog for a chap that had to go overseas with option to visit anytime he was in Australia.

It was a nightmare 

After each visit he would cry up to a week missing his human.

Had to give him two options. No more visits or take him back permanently. He chose option 2

So all happy then

Some dogs are fine with sharing but his boy just became too upset

Edited Tuesday at 06:42 AM by asal

[Art]

On 2/12/2025 at 2:08 PM, Mairead said:

An Australian breeder helped out with rehoming TWO dogs, at least one not of his breeding, that is already a HUGE favour they have done for you, especially in the present climate where good homes are being filled with oodles and popular purebreds. 

That you keep changing your mind about wanting the dog back could be the reason they are now less than enthusiastic to you. 

Let it go, and go volunteer somewhere with dogs. 

I don’t keep changing my mind. I am only concerned about the dog. I want the best for the dog. If she’s in a happy home I will be at peace but there are red flags. The first dog was filthy and smelly when he was handed over. That’s a red flag. The second dog is very sensitive and if she’s still with the breeder I am concerned that she’s being neglected. In that case, I want her back. All I want is certainty that she’s OK and in a good home. The breeder is so heartless that he won’t give me closure. 

[_PL_]

This is the thing wth surrenders. We get them in rescue also. To be frank, you gave up your dogs and that's that. 
There's nothing to force anyone to have contact you. Or to give your dog back.
Some adopters specifically say NO, to involvement with the old owner. You have to respect their decision.
There's nothing you can do if they don't want to keep in touch or send photos through for the re-homer to forward on (keeping confidentiality). Even the breeder who, is her legal owner now. Has no obligation to further contact with you.
Sorry, I only know what you've written here.... You're coming off as a bit stalkery, suspicious and accusatory, not sure I'd want to get involved with your 'closure' either. 

[Art]

12 hours ago, _PL_ said:

This is the thing wth surrenders. We get them in rescue also. To be frank, you gave up your dogs and that's that. 
There's nothing to force anyone to have contact you. Or to give your dog back.
Some adopters specifically say NO, to involvement with the old owner. You have to respect their decision.
There's nothing you can do if they don't want to keep in touch or send photos through for the re-homer to forward on (keeping confidentiality). Even the breeder who, is her legal owner now. Has no obligation to further contact with you.
Sorry, I only know what you've written here.... You're coming off as a bit stalkery, suspicious and accusatory, not sure I'd want to get involved with your 'closure' either. 

The breeder initially seemed as though he would be reasonable and understanding of my plight. I thought he would be the best option for my dogs, his connections and understanding of the breed seemed to be the best option for my beautiful dogs.
 

I had thought he would let me know how they were doing and when they were re-homed. Instead, he rushed me through the initial drop-off. He never took time to sit down and talk through scenarios or opinions. We never signed anything. we didn’t get a chance to formulate a plan or a contract. I imagined the dogs would be sleeping inside the house but they were put in a cage-run. The breeder was very slow to give me reassurance or communication after I’d left. I simply wanted to know they were OK. The first dog found a wonderful home after two months, but he was dropped off in a filthy state by the breeder. I always offered the breeder money for getting the dogs a good home and letting me know they were settled. He didn’t respond. I offered him money to get the second dog back. He simply Ghosted me. My situation was similar to a parent going through a life crisis and having the kids fostered for a while. Two dogs was too much for me after my wife left, but now I have regained stability and one dog is fine. I want some human understanding and I want to know my second dog has not been abused. If she has a loving home I will be happy. I do need to know this though as I have lost trust in the breeder. Who would refuse to give a concerned owner some peace of mind? That sort of person would also not be trusted to take kind care of an animal. I want to know if Dixie is in a loving home or if she is able to come home to me.

[Dogsfevr]

2 hours ago, Art said:

The breeder initially seemed as though he would be reasonable and understanding of my plight. I thought he would be the best option for my dogs, his connections and understanding of the breed seemed to be the best option for my beautiful dogs.
 

I had thought he would let me know how they were doing and when they were re-homed. Instead, he rushed me through the initial drop-off. He never took time to sit down and talk through scenarios or opinions. We never signed anything. we didn’t get a chance to formulate a plan or a contract. I imagined the dogs would be sleeping inside the house but they were put in a cage-run. The breeder was very slow to give me reassurance or communication after I’d left. I simply wanted to know they were OK. The first dog found a wonderful home after two months, but he was dropped off in a filthy state by the breeder. I always offered the breeder money for getting the dogs a good home and letting me know they were settled. He didn’t respond. I offered him money to get the second dog back. He simply Ghosted me. My situation was similar to a parent going through a life crisis and having the kids fostered for a while. Two dogs was too much for me after my wife left, but now I have regained stability and one dog is fine. I want some human understanding and I want to know my second dog has not been abused. If she has a loving home I will be happy. I do need to know this though as I have lost trust in the breeder. Who would refuse to give a concerned owner some peace of mind? That sort of person would also not be trusted to take kind care of an animal. I want to know if Dixie is in a loving home or if she is able to come home to me.

You decided life elsewhere was more important than your dogs so understand you dont get to do the high & mighty route.
You could have stayed in Australia & made it work for the dogs.
You are  back & have decided i want the dogs .
Every post you are add more details of supposed things & keep in mind breeders read these posts so im sure the Puli community being small this has already been shared so anything not factual will have been noted .

We had a similiar scenario with a dog we breed ,returned to us as they where moving overseas & didnt want to take as it would be XWZ after their 3 years & where worried about quarantime on return which we applauded them for thinking off the dog in that respect .
The contract was keep her or find a good home .This dog COULD NOT be in our house with other dogs so she needed to be rehomed & was to an amazing family .
Owners overseas informed well then they went like your coming across all high n mightly ,im entitled,i want & then sent a lawyers letter of demand which was obvious it was a friend who had done it with no clue on what they had agreed to .
They want all the private details of the new owners .Um no the privacy act exists for a reason ,they claimed on trips home they wanted the dog for sleep overs ,yeah like the new owners are going to send there dog off for a sleep over with people acting untrustworthy .
We informed them of what was going on & they agreed with our stance & Thanked us for advocating for them & the dog .

Your not going to get anywhere if your communication is like it is here ,it reads big Red Flags