Vet Gets Into Physical Fight With 'Backyard Breeder' Who Brought In A Pregnant French Bulldog — And Police Sided With Her
"My only job is to advocate for pets, and that's exactly what I was doing."
Banana Images | Shutterstock We've all heard the phrase, "Adopt, don't shop." The expression is meant to encourage the adoption of dogs and other animals from rescues and shelters instead of backyard breeders. In most cases, these amateur breeders do not provide adequate care for the animals, nor do they practice ethical breeding, which can cause countless issues, from health defects to aggression.
An ER veterinary tech, known as @ginger_chicken on TikTok, recently came to blows with one such backyard breeder while on the job. In a nine-minute video, she shared the details of the disturbing experience, defending her use of violence.
The vet got into a physical fight with a backyard breeder who brought in a pregnant French Bulldog.
This encounter occurred several weeks ago when the vet was asked to assist with a dog in labor. As soon as she saw the dog, she knew something was very wrong.
For starters, the dog was a French bulldog, a breed that does not do well with pregnancies. "If you have a pregnant French bulldog, you might as well go ahead and save up three grand, cause they're gonna need a C-section," the vet said. This dog was no different in that regard, though she looked particularly unwell.
"I noticed that it's extremely emaciated," the vet explained. "The nails are so [expletive] long. This dog can barely walk. Like, it was not in good shape. Definitely should not have been pregnant, let alone in labor by itself."
She then asked the owner how long the dog had been in labor before she came for help, and got a shocking answer: 13 hours. Rather than showing any concern about the state of the birthing dog, the owner only seemed concerned about the puppies, asking if they would survive.
Just as the vet was informing the owner that the puppies were likely not alive, she noticed something incredibly concerning. "The dog turns around, so I'm looking at its butt, and there is a half a puppy hanging out of its vulva," the vet recalled. "I was like, 'How long has that puppy been hanging out like that?' And she's like, 'I don't know, about six hours.'"
At that point, the vet told the woman that this puppy and likely the others were "definitely dead." That’s when things got heated, and not because the owner was grieving the animals.
The owner was upset that she would not be able to make money by selling the puppies.
"She lost her [expletive] mind," the vet said of the owner. "She starts screaming at me, 'What the [expletive] am I gonna do? I had to pay for this [expletive] to get pregnant. I'm supposed to be making money off these puppies. What the [expletive] am I gonna do now?"
It was clear that the owner — or rather, breeder — did not care that the poor animals were suffering or that they were dead. She only cared that she would not be able to make money off of them.
As if things couldn't get worse, the situation quickly escalated. According to the vet, the woman got in attack mode and neither party was willing to back down. The vet, who described herself as 5'3", 115 pounds, and "not afraid of a fight," punched the woman in the nose after she charged at her. The cops were then called, and after watching the security footage, they determined that the vet was acting in self-defense.
Be sure to do adequate research before getting a dog or other animal.
The vet clarified that her message was not that all breeders are bad. However, you must do your due diligence to avoid supporting unethical breeders like this one. As this story showed, backyard breeders are motivated by profit, not animal welfare.
"Responsible, proper breeding entails much more than simply putting two dogs together," Paws.org explained. Backyard breeders often do not give the animals appropriate veterinary care, are not knowledgeable about how to breed responsibly, and do not conduct necessary genetic testing.
The vet shared in a follow-up video that, although the owner promised that she would take the French Bulldog to another vet for a C-section, she did no such thing. When animal control conducted a welfare check, it was clear that she merely put the dog back into a crate with no further veterinary care. They also found 30 other dogs "jam-packed in cages with feces."
On the upside, animal cruelty is a felony in the state where this took place, so the breeder was arrested. While no puppies survived, the mama dog is living her best life in a medical foster placement.
Mina Rose Morales is a writer and photojournalist with a degree in journalism. She covers a wide range of topics, including psychology, self-help, relationships, and the human experience.
