 Horrible Experience With Dog Breeder!
I've been through a very bad experience with my purebred miniature schnauzers. At the beginning of this year, we had two mini schnauzers, Lacie and Zoe. They were sister dogs (same) dam/sire parents, just different litters. This past February, Lacie died unexpectedly in her sleep...she was only a year and a half old. I was devestated. This was my 'little girl', she was just a baby. Our five year old little boy witnessed my reaction when I realized that she had passed away. It was a very horrible day.
I wanted to have an autopsy done because I wanted to know why she died. My parents and husband finally helped me to realize that a)we couldn't afford it, and b) it wouldn't bring her back. Before we had her cremated, we gave the breeder the opportunity to have an autopsy done, she refused. She was convinced that Lacie was poisioned...she even suggested to me that a raven could have flown over my backyard and dropped something toxic, and that is why Lacie died.
The next two weeks that followed were very hard. I couldn't stop crying. Our little boy was having nightmares and Zoe, our other schanuzer, was barely eating and showing signs that she was depressed.
Thinking that things couldn't get any worse, Zoe who had just turned 2, became sick. We immediately took her to the vet. After diagnostic testing we discovered that most of her liver is missing; causing several of her organs to be displaced. She may have a liver shunt, and she had Pancreatitis. Zoe was not overweight and we never fed her table scraps.
Without acusation, I notified the breeder...thinking that she would care and want to know what was happening. I got the classic "none of my dogs have ever been sick before".
My vet confirmed that Zoe's condition was genetic and he generated a letter to support that both he and a specialist agreed her condition was congenital and genetic. I provided this letter to the breeder as per her request.
The breeder responded by mailing me a letter advising me to "return the unsatisfactory merchandise for a store credit". We were offered another dog or "as a special favour from her" , a refund....but ONLY if we returned Zoe to her.
First of all, Zoe is a member of our family, she is not "returnable", and furthermore, I did not buy a toaster from Walmart...Zoe is not merchandise. How could she ask that of us, especially after she knew what we went through with losing Lacie? I put my feelings aside and asked the breeder to think of our son. I tried to explain to her how much he had bonded with Zoe since we lost Lacie, and how it would affect him if we had to give her up. The breeder wouldn't even respond.
Returning Zoe was NOT an option. Things just didn't measure up. What was happening with our dogs was not a coinsidence. My instincts told me that there was more to the story. We felt betrayed, heartbroken and ripped off.
Funny thing is that when we first got our dogs, the breeder seemed to be very nice. But as soon as there was a problem...she wasn't so nice anymore.
I started making calls and researching canine genetics. I knew that I had to do something. I couldn't just let this breeder walk away like we didn't exist. She showed zero compasion and zero accountability. Over and over, she proved to us that she just didn't care. She even told me that I was "lucky that she even has a guarantee" and that "most breeders have none", and that she "could have easily told us, too bad, so sad, see you around". The breeder would only honour her guarantee if I gave her Zoe...which was never indicated on her guarantee. Her guarantee was vague, poorly written and was not signed or dated. I contacted a lawyer and was informed that because of this, she had nothing to protect her in court.
I did take the breeder to court. I also discovered and provided proof to the court that there were significant genetic problems in the bloodlines of my dogs. Six months later, a judge signed a court order...I got my money back for Zoe, and Zoe remains with her family...where she belongs.
Zoe has been sick several times since I won my case. We thought we were going to lose her about a month ago. We now know that something is also wrong with her intestines and bowels. She is responding well to medication...and for now, has quality of life. We take it day by day, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. I appreciate every day that I have her in our lives. She's been through so much.
I am now in the process of creating my own website to help people that want to buy a purebred dog. I want it to be a consumer protection site for puppy buyers. I am also seeking legal advice because I want people to be able to report bad breeders and also be able to commend good breeders. I think that the public would benefit because it could be used to expose non-reputable breeders. Bad breeders discredit all breeders!
There are no laws or legislation (in Canada) that protect people from bad breeding practices. I can only hope that my website will help people make wise and informed decisions before buying a dog.
If anyone has any ideas, or input regarding my experience or this website (currently being created), please do not hesitate to respond.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Last edited by schnauzermum; 01-09-2008 at 01:25 AM.
| 
Linear Mode
