Main Street Mutt Rescue Has Sketchy History
A Bellingham dog rescue reneged on its approval for a woman to adopt a puppy after she asked questions about the group’s vaccination and health protocols.
Main Street Mutt Rescue is the organization that cut off communication with the woman who insisted on knowing the rescue’s procedures before she adopted a puppy.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about Main Street Mutt Rescue’s sketchy vaccination practices. In 2015 I wrote that the rescue adopted out unvaccinated dogs that weren’t spayed/neutered.”
In my post I wrote that a woman adopted a 7-week-old puppy from Main Street Mutt Rescue that hadn’t been vaccinated or dewormed.
The rescue’s founder Amy Millman also placed an unneutered adult dog w/out an adoption contract, health certificate, or proof of vaccination.
I wrote that if Ms. Millman didn’t accept help and change her procedures, she “should get out of dog rescue because she is either unable or unwilling to prioritize what is in the best interest of the dogs she says she’s trying to help.”
Apparently she never took my advice.
(Note: Amy Millman never responded to the questions I sent her about this incident.)
Email Lays Out Potential Adopter’s Concerns
Last month a woman sent me the following email regarding the article I wrote about Main Street Mutt Rescue in 2015:
“I found Main Street Mutt rescue on Petfinder when I was looking for a puppy to adopt. I found an adorable litter of pittie mixes and I was overjoyed. After my application was approved I was looking up the shelter to show my friends the litter when I noticed the mediocre rating on Google reviews. After many of the reviews stated having troubles with vaccines and other health issues I started to get more nervous.
I did some more research and found this article as well as complaint filed to the better business bureau. The BBB claim stated that the dog had preexisting medical conditions that were not mentioned and they would like a refund, and as far as I am aware the issue was not resolved by MSMR.
Because I still had my heart set on these adorable pups I decided to address my concerns to Amy and the foster parent directly. The specific issues I raised were whether there would be some record of the vaccinations administered, how they were administered, and whether they had been checked by a vet.
The foster parent was as helpful as I believe they could be and said that to their knowledge the puppies had not been to a vet, that the vaccines as well as the microchip would be administered at the time of adoption (by whom was not specified, but I assume the foster parent or Amy herself), and that they would be dewormed at 6 and 8 weeks. They also said I would receive a voucher for the neuter/spay. They even sent me a photo of the vaccines which was the “Nobivac Canine 1-DAPPv”.
(I am not a vet so take what I say next with a grain of salt, but from what I read certain vaccines are not recognized unless administered by a vet.)
Amy was MUCH less helpful in my opinion. She simply said that she has no idea why there would be negative reviews and that I would get “a document stating what they were given and when”. As far as any of my concerns, they were not addressed and when I continued to press I was promptly told that I could no longer adopt the puppy because “they got too many applications and miscounted”. This was AFTER I was confirmed to adopt one of the 3 remaining puppies in the litter.”
Potential Adopter Makes Questions Clear from Outset
Here are the texts between the potential adopter and the person fostering the puppies.
Several statements from Main Street Mutt Rescue in this text thread about its vaccine protocols raised red flags for the potential adopter. You’ll also see several misleading statements regarding the rescue’s general health protocols.
Having done her research about Main Street Mutt Rescue, the potential adopter said from the outset she wanted clarification about the rescue’s vaccination and neutering policies.
This answer is not accurate.
Most veterinarians don’t consider vaccinations valid unless a veterinarian or licensed vet technician (LVT) administered them.
Furthermore, you can’t get get a health certificate for your dog unless a veterinarian or LVT vaccinated it.
Airlines won’t allow your dog to fly without a valid health certificate. Most dog boarding and dog daycare facilities won’t take dogs that don’t have valid health certificates and/or vaccinations.
And saying vets “should” accept vaccinations administered by a rescue means nothing. It’s just a statement to falsely assure potential adopters that the vaccinations the rescue gave are valid.
The reality is, regardless of what anyone thinks, if your dog isn’t vaccinated by a veterinarian or LVT, you cannot get a health certificate for it. Period.
Like I said, it’s true that you have to get a clean bill of health (ie, a health certificate) from your vet if you want to fly with your dog, but you can’t get one until a veterinarian or LVT vaccinates your dog.
The potential adopter said she’ll adopt the puppy when she gets clarification regarding Main Street Mutt Rescue’s vaccination policy.
The puppies’ foster tells the potential adopter that Amy Millman approved the adoption.
I’ll address the statement in the 2nd red box first.
Most rescues don’t vaccinate their dogs at adoption events. The larger ones, like Seattle Humane Society, have their own licensed veterinarian(s) on staff that vaccinate their dogs. Smaller rescues usually have their dogs vaccinated during vet exams.
In addition, it usually takes “ten to fourteen days” before a vaccine provides reasonable level of protection. If a rescue vaccinates a puppy/dog the day someone adopts it the vaccine may not provide adequate protection for several days.
Furthermore, bringing an unvaccinated puppy to an adoption event could expose it to dangerous viruses that vaccines given the same day may not prevent.
Finally, dogs sometimes have adverse, life-threatening reactions to vaccinations that require immediate medical treatment.
If the dog vaccinated at an adoption event has a severe reaction at the event or on the drive home it could die before it gets medical treatment.
Reputable rescues have their dogs and puppies vaccinated before an adoption event to ensure they have a minimal level of protection. They can also get medical attention immediately if the dogs have an adverse reaction to the vaccination.
Regarding microchips, the American Veterinary Medical Association, says “microchips should really be implanted under supervision by a veterinarian, because veterinarians know where the microchips should be placed, know how to place them, and know how to recognize the signs of a problem and treat one if it occurs.”
And you should note that in this text the potential adopter says for the third time in 24 hours that she wants to know Main Street Mutt Rescue’s vaccination protocols.
The potential adopter asks a some new questions. Has a vet examined the puppies? Are the puppies being dewormed?
While it’s true that reputable breeders have a veterinarian certify the health of their puppies, reputable rescues have all their puppies/dogs checked out by a vet before adoption to ensure they’re healthy.
Main Street Mutt Rescue’s website even says part of the adoption fee covers vet visits.
I think it’s unconscionable that a rescue would adopt out puppies or dogs without a vet exam.
And the foster’s statement about deworming is problematic. At the time of this text exchange the puppies were about 6 weeks old and hadn’t been dewormed yet.
Puppies should be dewormed when they’re 2 weeks old and then every 2 weeks until they’re 12 weeks old. These puppies should have been dewormed 3 times when the potential adopter asked if they’d been wormed yet.
Not long after the potential adopter said she wanted some assurance that the puppy wouldn’t have any pre-existing health problems, the foster told her the adoption wasn’t going to “work out” because they “miscounted” the adoption applications.
Potential Adopter Dumped the Same Day She Expressed Concerns to Director
The potential adopter also had a brief text exchange with Amy Millman in which she raised the same concerns she expressed to the woman fostering the puppies:
The potential adopter made her vaccination/health concerns clear to Ms. Millman. She also specifically asked if veterinarians, airlines, etc. would accept the vaccinations.
Ms. Millman responded somewhat defensively that she didn’t know what issue there could be with vaccines even though she had to be aware about the complaints about the rescue’s vaccination procedures since 2015.
She also failed to note that veterinarians and airlines wouldn’t consider vaccinations valid if the rescue vaccinated the puppies.
Ms. Millman stopped communicating with the potential adopter after she asked if a vet would exam the puppies before the adoption. That same day, the foster told the potential adopter that the puppies were no longer available for adoption.
Simple Questions Help Identify Bad Dog Rescues
A few years ago I wrote a blog post called, “10 Questions That Can Identify Fake Dog Rescues.” In it I say that the first thing you should do before adopting a dog from a rescue is conduct an internet search on the rescue and its founder.
If anyone has written bad reviews about their experience with the group you should find it in seconds.
The potential adopter’s internet search for Main Street Mutt Rescue turned up complaints about its vaccination and health protocols.
Here are comments from people who adopted dogs from Main Street Mutt Rescue that raised her concern about the rescue:
“Any animal “RESCUE” facility whos adoption fees go up 200$ based off the cutness of an animal is straight trash. I get trying to make money but 1000$ to rescue a puppy….. Your trash….. We already have to get 1000 $ worth of stuff and new pet rental fees etc… And saying it’s to ensure financial responsibility is A lie, just like the “vaccinations” you provide that aren’t administered by a professional (or accepted by airlines, etc).” 5 months ago
“I adopted a puppy from this business through a foster family. I’m very happy with my new pup but things are tough going. Firstly, the $450 adoption fee claims to cover vaccinations… Except those vaccines aren’t administered by a licensed vet, so any organization (e.g. airlines, behavior schools, dog boarders), won’t recognize them. So even if puppy actually was vaccinated, we had to repeat the shots regardless. As well, Main Street Mutt Rescue has no phone number because apparently it’s a business from the nineteenth century. As well, they’ve not responded to any of my emails or questions about puppy. (EDIT: they eventually did, and even got us in touch with the families who adopted the siblings of our pup, so we could all cross-reference health stuff.)
So through some veterinary investigation, we found that she has giardia, demodectic mange, kennel cough, and an abdominal infection resulting from some type of insect bite. We were told that the kennel cough and the bite infection could very possibly have been from after adoption, but the giardia definitely predated that. Mange is a little more complicated, so it’s difficult to lay the blame at the mutt rescue, but their startling unprofessionalism, lack of communication, and opacity in presentation are all kind of red flags that we should have noticed.
I would advise folks who are looking to rescue to go elsewhere. There are plenty of shelter dogs and puppies around Whatcom that need adoption and their shelters will continue to provide clear communication after adoption and they actually administer vaccines properly. I am happy with my mangy puppy, and every puppy is a lot of work, but there’s clearly something missing in how this place conducts business.” a year ago
Note that the dog had some health problems that a vet should have identified and treated before adoption.
Reputable Dog Rescues Welcome Your Questions
The potential adopter’s discovery of these complaints led her to ask 3 questions listed in my post:
Can I see this dog’s health certificate?
Has this dog had a comprehensive health exam?
Is the dog up to date on its vaccines?
Reputable dog rescues with nothing to hide are happy to answer questions from potential adopters. It shows they take adopting a dog seriously. It also shows they understand the commitment and responsibility that comes with adopting a dog.
Most sketchy rescues, however, will cut off communication with an adopter who asks lots of questions.
How this woman conducted her search for a puppy to adopt is a textbook example of why it’s critical to carefully research any potential dog rescue and ask questions about any concerns you may have before you make a commitment to adopt a dog.
She ended up adopting a puppy from the Seattle Humane Society. Here’s how she described her experience to me:
“As far as Seattle Humane I asked them all the same questions, and they answered all of them without fail. The pup was 9 weeks when I got him and he had a full vet exam and had a sheet with his vaccinations listed. Overall, a much better experience! “
I want to emphasize that the vast majority of dog rescues in Washington are run by people dedicated to saving dogs from euthanization and finding them homes where they will thrive.
Asking some pointed questions helps you identify the dog rescues you should avoid. These questions can also help you find reputable dog rescues that will help you find a fantastic companion.
Hi. I would like to add, that said applicant lied multiple times on their application. Home ownership as well as level of experience were among the few discrepancies we noticed. When questioned about self admittedly being a first time adopter they then backtracked and stated they had actually owned similar mixed breeds before. That is why we decided to back out. Not because of them trying to check the validity of the procedures. As for the vaccines and microchipping. There are many ways rescues and shelters can run and operate and yes, there are veterinary clinics that will accept self administered shots on the first round. In the contract adopters sign there is a portion that tells them if the pup gets sick for any reason in the next 10 days they can contact Amy and she will cover all vet bills.
Thanks for your comments. I didn’t identify the person fostering the puppy but since you made this comment people should know you were the foster.
I haven’t seen the adopter’s application so I can’t say anything about what was true and what wasn’t. I will say that if lying “multiple times” on the adoption application was the reason you revoked the adoption you never mentioned it in and of the texts. You said it was because you “had too many applications and miscounted.” Also, if she lied on the application, why did you approve the adoption?
Regarding vaccines, I didn’t say that no veterinarians accept self-administered shots, but most of them do not. So what if someone who adopts a dog from you can’t get a health certificate from their vet because MSMR did the vaccination. Do they have to start calling vets all over Washington to find one that will sign a health certificate? And what if they aren’t near the vet they find they will sign a health certificate? Will they have to drive hundreds of miles to get it?
Also, the statement that vaccinations are safe if not administered by a vet isn’t true. As I said in my post, if a puppy has an adverse reaction to a vaccination that wasn’t administered at a vet’s office it needs immediate medical attention and could die if it doesn’t get it.
And I don’t agree that there are “many ways” shelters/rescues can operate. Sure, not all a run the same, but that doesn’t mean all the ways they run are in the best interests of the dogs. Reputable rescues don’t vaccinate dogs the day they’re adopted. Reputable rescues have their dogs examined by a vet before they’re adopted. Reputable rescues don’t wait to deworm puppies until they’re six weeks old.
As I noted in the story, this wasn’t the first time someone questioned MSMR adoption and vaccination policies, so clearly this is an ongoing problem for years that still hasn’t been addressed.
I was a foster for Main Street as well. When the dog I was fostering showed severe agression to the pup I had fostered as well. I immediately called Amy and asked her to take the aggressive dog back. Amy told me to take her to the local humane society, as she had no where for the dog to go. I told her I would hold on to the dog until she found a suitable foster. A few weeks later she took the dog back. I then got a call from the humane society, saying the dog i had fostered was surrendered to them for euthanasia. She had been brought in by a young girl, with Main street dog tags and her name. The girl said the tags belonged to another dog. After telling the humane society where the dog belonged and who the rescue was, they put her up for adoption. She was adopted by a great family according to the humane society. Stay away from this rescue, they are in it for the money.
I have a lot to say.. .. these were MY. Puppies and MY mama dog! My family went homeless in 2021 after covid hit. Our Dog Sammy (we miss her so much) was pregnant. I had to place my children with their grandparents and my fiance and I were resorted to a car with 3 dogs….. Sammy included and pregnant to boot. It was the start of summer around July and Sammy still had about a month to go. We places our larger and smalller Chihuahua with our oldest son and were desperately searching for a foster for Sammy and her pups.
Sammy was in prestige condition and was a dog who was amazing. So protective!
Such a wonderful animal!
My mother put a post out to her friends about our situation and someone recommended Main Street Mutt Rescue.
My mother trusting her friend and me trusting my mother, I neglected to do enough research on them.
The owner told my mom that they have a foster for my dog and it was a family that had another dog but lived on a farm with lots of land for her to run and that was Sammy’s favorite thing to do Run!
Since we lived previously for Sammy’s entire 2 year life on 14.7 acres, we thought this would be perfect considering keeping Sammy in a car at all was not an option especially not pregnant and at the start of the hottest part of the year!
So we did what we thought was right.
Had we known what we were in for…… I would have rather pitched a tent with her and those pups or even released them to the humane society.
It’s a long story from here, but the original agreement was that she (Main Street Mutt Rescue) was to take Sammy and foster her and the pups and we were to get the first pick (we had housing lined up but needed to wait 2.5 months before our new.place was ready) so it would have been perfect timing…. But we were willing to allow Main Street Mutt Rescue to keep and adopt out the remainder puppies and even keep all the proceeds.
Sammy was a rescue dog when we got her and found out when she was pregnant she had never had her shots like the owner had told the original foster home we got her from them at the start so MSMR agreed to have Sammy looked over fully by a vet upon arrival and when it was safe MSMR was to vaccinate her through their “vet” and the puppies as well. MSMR was to chip Sammy also when it was safe to do so and fix her prior to her return home.
NONE OF THIS HAPPENED.
In fact Sammy had 12 puppies in her litter, and we got photos of them at the fosters home and all seemed well, we were told we couldn’t go see her as it would disrupt her at her foster home and could turn her away from feeding the pups. So we stayed at Bay though it was sool hard and we missed her so much.
We told MSMR that Sammy was an aggressive dog and could not be around other dogs and no kids and thrived well with a one owner situation as Sammy tended to be very dominate and jealous when she formed attachments with people.
When we seen how much she was asking for the pups online we were floored!
Then we never got a pick of the litter in fact we didn’t even get the last pup!
We seen them going. Going and when we tried to contact MSMR to get Sammy (figuring if they are selling the pups they no longer need Sammy) also we were starting to get anxious because she had not even told us she was selling them when she did, and she would not answer any of our calls or emails or text messages.
She sent my mom one message and told my mom that Sammy was starting to get aggressive with their dog…. That is most likely if that dog got any where near her pups chances it would have got bit with how she was.
But she never told us that she was going to use this as an excuse to get rid of our dog…. Next thing you know she is SELLING our dog Sammy on her web site!
We kept trying to reach her and let her know that was not part of the agreement and we indeed wanted Sammy home desperately!!!
No response from her
Nothing!
Also she put on Sammy’s listing that she was good with kids and other animals and that was DEFINATLY NOT THE CASE.
We stressed this to her from the get go!
So no one or no animal would get hurt.
Still no reply from her.
I had to downright send messages to her saying that if I didn’t get my animal back that I would 100 percent be down at her store and picketing her business that I would contact kgmi and Bellingham harald and who ever else would listen to what I had to say about what she was doing!!!
Finally she wrote back saying that she no longer had Sammy.
Skipping to the end, when I finally got her to tell me where she shipped my dog and I found out it was the Skagit Humane society and that Sammy was on the Euthanize list for about 2 days out because she was brought in by MSMR and told to them she was to be on the unadoptable list.
SHE SENT MY DOG TO DIE!!!!
I had to come up with several hundred dollars to bail Sammy out of there, and just in time!
MSMR just told me that they had been in business 15 years and they were shutting down their business when I threatened to sue. And she did too. On her page for a while it said they were taking a much needed “break”.
None the less she blocked.me on fb and never was heard from again.
I literally just came across this and was reading through it and my jaw hit the floor………
I thought it was time for my story to finally be heard.
This place is a joke. She should have criminal charges against her for what she does to animals and to their owners!
She claims she is a “Rescue shelter my ass” no Rescue shelter brings animals to be killed.
She fails to tell people that she is partnered with a shelter that puts animals down if they aren’t adopted in a certain time frame.
I now wonder how many animals she (MSMR) has taken to Skagit to get them off her hands and do her dirty work.
I wish she would get charged!
Someone needs to investigate of she is still taking animals there.
I hope this helps.
I also have all the fb messages still between us!
If you want them.
There is always two sides to every story I’d like to hear the other side of the coin.
I told her what I was writing and asked if she had a response but she never got back to me.
One of these organizations is trying to keep us from our pet that we entrusted to their care . They haven’t let us know where our loved one is , or be involved in any way . Now they are threatening us with charges of neglect and abuse . Without any communication directly with us . We just want our loved one back , healthy and with his forever family .
Which organization is doing this?
P.A.C.K. people for animal care and kindness.