Thyme & Sage Ranch - Jennifer Petkus

This ranch appears to have lost its affiliation with Petfinder.com due to animal neglect?

Is she still running the county shelter? Sure hope the county administration didn't make the mistake of giving her the 2009 contract.

Do you have more info on this? We just adopted a dog and it died. How do you know petfinder dropped them? Please let me know. Thanks

Just Curious wrote:

This ranch appears to have lost its affiliation with Petfinder.com due to animal neglect?
Is she still running the county shelter? Sure hope the county administration didn't make the mistake of giving her the 2009 contract.

I was wondering what happened myself. I almost adopted a dog but when I saw all of the posts from folks who have had problems with sick dogs as well as the news clip I backed out. As far as petfinder goes I have checked and there are no listings at this time from Thyme and Sage but I haven't seen any indication as to why this is. Does anyone know?

I have heard the same thing, that she was kicked off of petfinder. We also purchased a puppy from her last fall that died from parvo...when we got a replacement from her, that one also died from parvo...we never got a refund and she simply blamed the deaths on stress...Buyer beware, she is just another mill trying to sell her story to unsuspecting people in search of a companion.

She opted to relist her postings under Richland County Animal Shelter vs. Thyme and Sage Ranch. I don't know why.

I believe she is under a lot of pressure to clean up her act due to the poor conditions she keeps her animals in. She is now posting under Richland County animal control and for some "mysterious" reason a majority of the "rescued" dogs she had available are no longer listed. She is not a rescue, but someone taking advantage of people and using this as a tax break. Please adopt from a reputable shelter.

She did get the 2009 contract....someone needs to find an investigative reporter to check out all the allegations. Sickening.

Myself, family and friend have adopted a total of 12 dogs from 8 weeks to 5 years of age in the past year. They are all doing great.... I would recomend her rescue to anyone that is ready to take on a animal that was neglected by the mill not her rescue. I hope some day to help adopt more of her dogs with family and friend. Jennifer keep up the amazing work that you do !!!!!!

Her shelter has been pulled from Petfinder while they conduct an investigation. There are double digit owners that have pumped a LOT of money into puppies they adopted from her. Most then died. She bought puppies at the Thorp auction, bidding against legitimate rescue organizations. She then resells them for more money than she paid for them. She is not fully vetting them, not spay/neutering, and not getting them well before peddling them. Hers is the worst kind of shelter or 'ranch' as she calls it. She purchases from the millers and brokers them to innocent buyers. Stay clear of her... Buying a puppy from a pet store has a better chance (and that's not good) than getting a dog from her. At least at the store, they have to have a complete sheet from the vet. Buyer beware and then some!!! Find a good, yet reasonable breeder. My sincere advice, stay clear of her unless you want heartache.

MEEE wrote:

Do you have more info on this? We just adopted a dog and it died. How do you know petfinder dropped them? Please let me know. Thanks
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You are not alone--many others adopted puppies from Thyme and Sage that died with a week. My friend and I happily took puppies home in early November--her's died within two days and mine was gravely ill but made it after intensive veterinary care costing $1,800.00. Jennifer is unethical, abusive and has no business wholesaling animals to unsuspecting people who just want to love them.

My family adopted a puppy from the Thyme & Sage ranch almost 2 years ago and our dog is doing great. I had a really great experience with Jennifer and I would go back there in a heart beat. I am a firm believer in VERY good conditions for animals and I think she does the best she can.

Anita, you're one of the lucky (and I do mean lucky) ones who got an animal from Thyme and Sage that made it. Obviously, you haven't read all the heartbreaking posts on this website or on the complaints board web site. I personaly know of several others who adopted animals from Jennifer and they also died. She refused to refund their adoption fee and wouldn't return calls or reply to them. She is very pleasant when you go for your first visit, but after she takes the money, you're on you own if anything goes wrong. Her idea of making good is to offer you another sick animal--yes, I do know of people who were in this situation and the second animal also dies of Parvo. Jennifer does not do the best she can or she wouldn't continue to bring more animals in when she can't provide the care and attention they so desparately need. If you go back there is a heart beat for another dog, I hope it doesn't get broken like so many others.

We also got a puppy from Jenn. It died after 1 week and 800.00 in vet bills. Jenn will not refund our money. I would not adopt from her. She is not a good person...

I think we have a group of haters on here. She has adopted more animals out with most likely a 5% or less complaint ratio. She is not a puppy broker or auction bidder as outlined above. Go check her out....one of the best "true" rescue's around......Hey Judy, didn't your friend get a refund?

my friend has groomed dogs form her before....Positively disgusting ! Huge abscesses that reeked and oozed. Her whole house smelled bad for days. I know she took pictures and called the police, but they didnt even come look at the dogs or pics. Its appalling that richland county would continue doing any sort of business with this woman and that no news channel in the area has done investigating and shut her down.

Any rescue that places sick dogs into the unsuspecting publics homes is no rescue at all. Jeff on here writes that there is a 5% complaint rate for her?? Well that sucks if that 5% all died or were seriously ill because she did not vet them. There are many other rescues in the state of Wisconsin that have a 0% complaint rate, hopefully the general public will go to these groups to get their new pets from. Jennifer has no business taking more puppies onto her property when she isnt even properly vetting the ones that she has right now. She might have started off being an ok rescue, but its seems to me that she is in way over her head now and someone needs to step in and stop this nonsense. Its too bad that Richland County wont do anything about it.

Robert wrote:

Myself, family and friend have adopted a total of 12 dogs from 8 weeks to 5 years of age in the past year. They are all doing great.... I would recomend her rescue to anyone that is ready to take on a animal that was neglected by the mill not her rescue. I hope some day to help adopt more of her dogs with family and friend. Jennifer keep up the amazing work that you do !!!!!!

You adopted 12 dogs yourself in the past year? That in itself sounds as ridiculous to me as the way Jennifer runs her business? Why do you have so many dogs? are there no limit laws where you live?

When Thyme and Sage Ranch was on petfinder.com they had pages and pages and pages of available dogs...many listed as "puppy mill pulls". Petfinder lists dogs at 25 per page. It appeared that, at minimum, Thyme and Sage would have 75 dogs posted at all times. Now that they appear on petfinder as Richland County Animal Control only about 5 dogs are shown. When you go to Thyme and Sage website (not petfinder) just a few dogs are available. Where did all these dogs go?
I now see ads in the WI State Journal for Thyme and Sage - looking to sell rescued dogs.
Perhaps its would be helpful if this organization would post something on their website to clarify.
Lori Roberts, Richland County
laroberts1@wisc.edu

I stand corrected. Richland County Animal Control now advertises 20 dogs, not 5. Very few are puppies.
http://search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/she...

Jeff, my friend got a refund of the adoption fee but not the $750.00 it cost for the vet bill for the one day the puppy lived. Jennifer said she didn't authorize the care of the puppy and that it could have been returned to her to treat--what a crock that is! I know of other people who Jennifer would not even refund the adoption fee. I think if we actually knew of all the complaints about Thyme and Sage, it would be much more than 5%.