On Tuesday, Reddit user @DreamsAndChains posted a text message exchange between herself and an "acquaintance" that immediately horrified every dog lover—and anyone with a beating heart—who read it.
According to @DreamsAndChains, she had received a tearful voicemail from a female acquaintance, begging her to take in her ill, untrained, 7-year-old pit bull mix, Luna. If she didn't, the woman said she would have to put her in a shelter, where she would likely be euthanized due to her age and condition.
"[Luna] still has accidents inside sometimes but we're working on it," the woman wrote in a text message later. "I need her out by the end of today [because] I'm moving in with my mom tomorrow and she won't let me in if Luna is with me. Can you come pick her up today? I don't have a car."
As any dog owner knows, when you decide to get a dog, you commit to adjusting your life choices based on their needs—not the other way around. This woman is also asking someone to make a spur-of-the-moment decision to take in a dog.
But it gets worse. The woman followed up by writing that she's "only asking [for] $350 for the adoption fee" and could give her all of the things she bought for Luna for "an extra $100."
@DreamsAndChains responded by saying that she wasn't looking to buy a dog, especially one that wasn't house trained and would probably require a lot of veterinary care. She explained that she was only doing this because she didn't want Luna to end up in a shelter.
This didn't go down well with the woman. "I spent way more than $450 on her and all her vet stuff and supplies. I'm taking a loss here. I just want some of it back if she's going to be your dog now," she wrote.
On the Reddit thread, which now has more than 3,000 responses, people couldn't get over the woman's request. "Sounds like a backhanded way to sell your dog," wrote Redditor @RedMeatTrinket. "I have never, ever given up a pet. It's been difficult at times but a pet is for the entire life of the pet."
Redditor @cheapbitoffluff added, "This person should never be allowed another dog." And Redditor @meowThingWong wrote, "Sickening, that's demanding ransom."
@DreamsAndChains politely responded that she would be happy to pay an adoption fee if she were looking for a rescue dog, but that's not the case here. "I already have two dogs and am not looking for or wanting another one. I would only be taking her because you said otherwise you need to put her in a shelter."
Reddit
The woman continued to push back, and then proceeded to guilt @DreamsAndChains. "If you don't take her and I need to put her in a shelter, she will probably be the first to be gassed since she is old and has health problems," she wrote. "Please just adopt her, it's not that much money and it will save her life."
Another Redditor @scottyb83 wrote, "What's really sad is that she's more worried about the money than the dog. ... If the shelter would pay her $450 and tell her they would be putting the dog down, she would gladly take it."
Another user, @mycousinisamethhead, responded, "What kind of sick person does this to someone who’s willing to adopt your animal and take care of it."
Reddit
@DreamsAndChains finally put her foot down on not paying the $450, but said that she would try to figure out a solution.
In response, the woman wrote, "Figure it out quick. She needs to be picked up within hours. My place is in Pittsburgh, by the way. If you can come today, I will compromise at $250 but ONLY today." @DreamsAndChains was under the impression Luna was in New Jersey, where she lived, and not hours away in Pittsburgh.
@DreamsAndChains called her cousin, who lives in the area, and managed to convince her to pick up Luna and give the woman $100 to boot. Thankfully, she was able to rescue Luna, who showed very clear signs of abuse and neglect.
“The crate she wanted to charge us for was filthy and rusty, as if the dog had been locked in it for long periods of time and was just peeing all over," @DreamsAndChains wrote. "It looks like the dog hasn’t been bathed in ages and also has nails so long they’re curling under her feet.”
She added that Luna is "very sweet" and that she's "just glad she’s safe here now."
Her cousin took Luna to the vet, but when they reached out for her medical history, the previous owner wrote that it was too late in the night to chat and that if she's hoping she'll cover Luna's veterinary bills she's "out of luck."
Still, “it’s a happy ending," @DreamsAndChains wrote about the encounter. "Luna gets medical care and an owner that loves her. Cousin got a new best friend. I can sleep better tonight knowing the pup’s away from this awful human. ”
And for more proof that for every awful human there's a kind soul willing to help, check out This Marine Vet’s Dog Rescue Story Is Going Viral and It Will Make Your Day.
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