Thyme and Sage Ranch in WI

[dhurley52]

Has anyone heard of them? I was looking at pups that were rescued and they seem to have a lot.
She has dogs from 3 different puppy mills that were closed down.
I sent her a email and am waiting to hear back from her...
So I was just wondering if any one from YT had heard about them , if so let me know please!

Diana

[oopsmyhalofello]

I have never heard of them but did find some info by googling they name. You can just type in the name of the ranch and her name and come up with stuff. The little i've read so far would send some red flags imo

Thyme ans Sage Ranch Complaints - Puppy Mill Sick Dog

Thyme and Sage Ranch Jennifer Petkus Complaints - My Adopted Puppy Died

[dhurley52]

I want to thank you for the info ..I never thought of even checking ..I did read the letters from her site but failed to go deeper..

Again thanks,

Diana

[MollysMum54]

After reading all that, i would love to put the evil jennifer in a very small cage and leave her out in the snow and invite dog owners everywhere to come and throw things at her and watch her slowly fade away!!

[thelgso]

I was considering adopting a puppy from Thyme and Sage Ranch but after reading the "beware" posts, I was concerned. Being a very experienced internet user and knowing that some people's compliment and complaint posts are less than genuine, we decided to drive down to the Ranch to see for ourselves. I think the first thing people who consider adopting a animal that was rescued from a puppy mill is that these are not premium health animals. There is a reason the mill was shut down and the animals were rescued...because the conditions were awful. Upon our arrival, we found our way into the house where the puppies are romping about. This is not a residential house but rather a house just to show the puppies to prospective adopting families. There is another kennel on-site and the adult dogs are kept in there but the "puppy house" is where the action is. When you first come in, Jennifer welcomes you and tells you a little about the different puppies and will help steer you to the right area to find what you might be looking for. There are 20 or so puppies in the house that are not housebroken so there is a urine smell. Jennifer and her volunteers try to keep up with all accidents but the puppies do walk through the pee and get it on their feet. As such, the puppies will smell a bit. And Jennifer makes it clear that these puppies have not been to a vet, she and her volunteers give the puppies their first shots and do their best to adopt out only animals that are healthy enough to be adopted. She tells everyone that their first step is to get a vet appt. She also tells people that if the vet finds anything wrong that is serious, you can get a full refund or exchange. I've adopted 7 rescued animals before and there are no guarantees that you have an animal in perfect health. Bottom line is that if you can't afford or don't want vet bills, you really shouldn't own any pets...they go hand-in-hand. Anyway, after about an hour playing with 6 or so different puppies, we settled on a very shy Lhasa-poo male. I suspect he has some kennel cough and needs a good vet check, something we have scheduled for tomorrow. I hope he is well but as I think I've made clear, I cannot be certain. I could never expect Jennifer or her volunteers to be certain. She rescues so many animals that there is no way she could afford to have a vet staff, not ideal for certain but what is the worse? Do you let the mills continue to treat animals the way they do or do you dedicate your life to rescue and do the best you can. There is no inhumane treatment at the Ranch. Sure, I'd like a pet store setting and my puppy to be vet checked prior to adoption, but think of that expense. Many pet stores buy from mills, either knowingly or not so is that a good option? There is a ton of info on the internet about adopting a rescued animal, it is not for everyone and it is your responsibility to go in armed with knowledge. Here is the best analogy I can think of: would you buy a car, 1000 miles away, without having seen the vehicle on eBay? This works for some people, and doesn't for many others. There are responsible breeders out there and if you are uneasy about adopting a rescued dog, then find one of those. You may very well still have a puppy with a medical condition that you are responsible to treat.

Bottom line: Jennifer has a personal conviction to shut down puppy mills. To do this, she needs to adopt out as many rescued animals as possible. If you consider adopting one of these animals, do your homework and know exactly what you are doing. Know your responsibilities and consider giving Jennifer and the Ranch volunteers a break. They really are trying hard and I bet none of us volunteer more hours towards our favorite charity or cause. I'll keep you updated on my puppy’s health.

[oopsmyhalofello]

Originally Posted by thelgso

I was considering adopting a puppy from Thyme and Sage Ranch but after reading the "beware" posts, I was concerned. Being a very experienced internet user and knowing that some people's compliment and complaint posts are less than genuine, we decided to drive down to the Ranch to see for ourselves. I think the first thing people who consider adopting a animal that was rescued from a puppy mill is that these are not premium health animals. There is a reason the mill was shut down and the animals were rescued...because the conditions were awful. Upon our arrival, we found our way into the house where the puppies are romping about. This is not a residential house but rather a house just to show the puppies to prospective adopting families. There is another kennel on-site and the adult dogs are kept in there but the "puppy house" is where the action is. When you first come in, Jennifer welcomes you and tells you a little about the different puppies and will help steer you to the right area to find what you might be looking for. There are 20 or so puppies in the house that are not housebroken so there is a urine smell. Jennifer and her volunteers try to keep up with all accidents but the puppies do walk through the pee and get it on their feet. As such, the puppies will smell a bit. And Jennifer makes it clear that these puppies have not been to a vet, she and her volunteers give the puppies their first shots and do their best to adopt out only animals that are healthy enough to be adopted. She tells everyone that their first step is to get a vet appt. She also tells people that if the vet finds anything wrong that is serious, you can get a full refund or exchange. I've adopted 7 rescued animals before and there are no guarantees that you have an animal in perfect health. Bottom line is that if you can't afford or don't want vet bills, you really shouldn't own any pets...they go hand-in-hand. Anyway, after about an hour playing with 6 or so different puppies, we settled on a very shy Lhasa-poo male. I suspect he has some kennel cough and needs a good vet check, something we have scheduled for tomorrow. I hope he is well but as I think I've made clear, I cannot be certain. I could never expect Jennifer or her volunteers to be certain. She rescues so many animals that there is no way she could afford to have a vet staff, not ideal for certain but what is the worse? Do you let the mills continue to treat animals the way they do or do you dedicate your life to rescue and do the best you can. There is no inhumane treatment at the Ranch. Sure, I'd like a pet store setting and my puppy to be vet checked prior to adoption, but think of that expense. Many pet stores buy from mills, either knowingly or not so is that a good option? There is a ton of info on the internet about adopting a rescued animal, it is not for everyone and it is your responsibility to go in armed with knowledge. Here is the best analogy I can think of: would you buy a car, 1000 miles away, without having seen the vehicle on eBay? This works for some people, and doesn't for many others. There are responsible breeders out there and if you are uneasy about adopting a rescued dog, then find one of those. You may very well still have a puppy with a medical condition that you are responsible to treat.

Bottom line: Jennifer has a personal conviction to shut down puppy mills. To do this, she needs to adopt out as many rescued animals as possible. If you consider adopting one of these animals, do your homework and know exactly what you are doing. Know your responsibilities and consider giving Jennifer and the Ranch volunteers a break. They really are trying hard and I bet none of us volunteer more hours towards our favorite charity or cause. I'll keep you updated on my puppy’s health.

Curious since you seem to have a vested interest of some sort in defending this person maybe you could answer a question that I have after reading the links. How does this person come by all these dogs from shut down puppy mills? Sounds like she always has tons of dogs, do you have links to the news stories of the hundreds of rescued dogs and puppies she has saved?

After reading the complaints about her I think it was clear that she is a broker and goes under the guise of being a rescue. And from what I know of rescues they would treat the dogs and ensure they were healthy before adopting out.

[Wrenee4]

Well... she does clearly let everyone know that these are dogs that have been saved from puppy mills. She asks the maximum cost for a dog is only $275...so really if you get a pup from a pet store first they don't tell you were they are coming from and the price is WAY WAY WAY more!! These are dogs that have been saved! If you get a dog/puppy from puppy mill you have to know there will be vet bills involved.

[Wrenee4]

Originally Posted by oopsmyhalofello

After reading the complaints about her I think it was clear that she is a broker and goes under the guise of being a rescue.

I never thought about that though.....that would be horrible!

[thelgso]

Originally Posted by oopsmyhalofello

Curious since you seem to have a vested interest of some sort in defending this person maybe you could answer a question that I have after reading the links. How does this person come by all these dogs from shut down puppy mills? Sounds like she always has tons of dogs, do you have links to the news stories of the hundreds of rescued dogs and puppies she has saved?

After reading the complaints about her I think it was clear that she is a broker and goes under the guise of being a rescue. And from what I know of rescues they would treat the dogs and ensure they were healthy before adopting out.

I don't really have a vested interest in Jennifer or the Ranch, I just seem to be the only one posting who has adopted from there....and I didn't even get a Yorkie mix so I really have no business on this forum.
I found out about the place on petfinders.com. They are also the local county animal shelter and I did some research on this and in their resolution, they say that there have been no substantiated complaints. Here is the deal, she could be a broker or whatever but I can tell you it didn't "feel" this way when I was there. It felt like she was working her butt off, taking all her Saturdays and Sundays to host adoption appointments. Maybe this is some sort of elaborate scheme to make a hundred bucks per adoption but I'm a naturally suspicious of scams and if this is one, they really have something going because I'm fooled. I wouldn't know about the actual mills shut down since I am new to the area and only learned about the place a month ago...I did a google news search and found nothing but this is rural (trust me, I just drove it) WI and the big cities near her are maybe 400 in population...probably not much news coverage. Again, I'm just giving her the benefit of my doubt after I did what I consider to be due diligence. I just encourage anyone who is considering adopting from her or anyone else for that matter to do their homework before jumping in head first. At this point, I'm really not that interested in standing on a soapbox about this subject. I just want a healthy, happy puppy who I hopefully helped save from a mill. If she isn't as advertised and she's doing something less than honorable, I'm don't know what to say other than God will sort it out.

[sheepielover]

If there is any question as to Jennifer's motives, I hope this helps to clear it up. I attended a puppy mill auction with my rescue group last March in Thorp, WI. Jennifer was there and PURCHASED 34 puppies to the tune of around $4000.00. She was overheard telling people she thought it was "kind of fun" to bid against the rescue groups and drive up the prices of the puppies. My group, along with the other groups there are there simply to get these dogs out of bad situations and we were wroking together - Jennifer was the only "rescue" that refused to cooperate with us. The rest of us got together in order to not bid against each other and save as many animals as possible. We only purchase as many as we can afford to have treated by a vet - I spent over $400 on the first vet visit for the puppy I purchased. Everyone at the auction knows these are not healthy animals to begin with, but by purchasing dogs and not getting them proper medical attention, you are not helping at all - you are just causing more misery and heartache for whoever ends up with the animals. Jennifer tells people that she takes every puppy she gets into her personal vet and that the money from adoptions goes to cover vet costs. Obviously, from what we know about her, that is not the case. Jennifer used to have upwards of 75 dogs/puppies on petfinder at any given time, and recently they have all been removed - where did all the puppies go???

[sheepielover]

Also, since she has apparently stopped listing on petfinder.com, she has ads in the Star Tribune and JS Online Pets for puppies for sale. This woman is out to make money, plain and simple. She is not doing this to help animals.

[thelgso]

Originally Posted by sheepielover

If there is any question as to Jennifer's motives, I hope this helps to clear it up. I attended a puppy mill auction with my rescue group last March in Thorp, WI. Jennifer was there and PURCHASED 34 puppies to the tune of around $4000.00. She was overheard telling people she thought it was "kind of fun" to bid against the rescue groups and drive up the prices of the puppies. My group, along with the other groups there are there simply to get these dogs out of bad situations and we were wroking together - Jennifer was the only "rescue" that refused to cooperate with us. The rest of us got together in order to not bid against each other and save as many animals as possible. We only purchase as many as we can afford to have treated by a vet - I spent over $400 on the first vet visit for the puppy I purchased. Everyone at the auction knows these are not healthy animals to begin with, but by purchasing dogs and not getting them proper medical attention, you are not helping at all - you are just causing more misery and heartache for whoever ends up with the animals. Jennifer tells people that she takes every puppy she gets into her personal vet and that the money from adoptions goes to cover vet costs. Obviously, from what we know about her, that is not the case. Jennifer used to have upwards of 75 dogs/puppies on petfinder at any given time, and recently they have all been removed - where did all the puppies go???

Again, I don't really have a vested interest in going back and forth but I feel compelled to tell state facts rather than hearsay. You stated that she tells others that she takes the puppies to the vet...this is just not true. I adopted a pup from her and she clearly stated to me and everyone else that day that she does not take these pups to a vet. She administers the first shots and wormer herself but does not take them to the vet. Since you clearly have this basic fact wrong, I'm forced to question the rest of your “facts”. Maybe you want to shut her down for personal or professional reasons, we just can't be sure. As for her real motives and business practices, I couldn't say, I have no knowledge...I'm just a simple engineer with no experience of this biz. I know that my puppy was relatively healthy (ear mites and a little kennel cough) and aside from the stubborn animal and his house training trials, he's a good pup.

[sheepielover]

It is not "hearsay" that she tells people she takes the puppies to "her vet" - she told my fiance and I, as well as several other people from rescue groups. Also, don't you find it a little strange that being a "rescue" - as she calls herself - there are no legal records or documentation of these mills she supposedly "shut down"? She stated on petfinder last March that the puppies were from a mill that had been shut down, when in reality they were from the auction. The other thing I find less than coincidental - and you should too - is the fact that suddenly she no longer has puppies listed on petfinder, but rather has them "for sale" in newspapers as far away from where she lives as Minneapolis but not in any of her local papers? My interest has nothing more to do with anything than wanting to protect innocent animals from going through more misery and protecting adopting families from getting sick puppies. She is a broker - nothing more - and she should call herself that. Calling herself a "rescue" gives a bad name to other actual rescue groups - other rescue groups who actually take care of the animals they receive into rescue, rather than throwing them into yet another disgusting situation. I think you would be hard pressed to find a rescue group - or even a shelter for that matter- who does not have the basic series of vaccinations for their animals. You said Jennifer administers the rabies vaccinations herself - in the state of Wisconsin, they have to be administered by a licensed vet, so what she is doing in that aspect alone is illegal.

[shebamo35]

I adopted a Yorkie mix from Thyme and Sage Ranch. He was 8 weeks old and the runt of the litter. He is so amazing. Everytime we have a family gathering I have to do a coat check to make sure that no one is trying to take him home..."-)..... I would recommend this rescue hands down and would adopt from them again. Just keep in mind these animal are from mills and where never taken care of.

This is for Sheepielover..... for someone that adopted a dog one time. You sure seem to think you know so much about this rescue and person. So I have question for you......Do you know what color PJ she wears to bed at night...... because for all the information that you seem to have about the rescue..It sounds like you live there.....

For anyone else that is interest in giving a animal a chance at a real life and home. Please go check this rescue for youself and than make your decission..... Have a great day....!

[shebamo35]

When I read the post about the puppies and vacc. No where in there did he say anything about the rabbie's shot..... Any pet owner knows that a puppy can not get a rabbie shot until they are about 4 months old.