Puppy return - Page 1

Need an opinion. I have a puppy buyer that wants to return a male WGSL shepherd after 3 weeks. Buyer states that the male 12 weeks old is dominating her 5 Boston terriers. The person claims to be the top in home dog trainer in the city yet she constently calls me for advise. I will take the puppy back no problem. He is very very nice. My question is should I return her money? This was not a test drive. There is a contract. No where does it state a return of money. I'm not out to take her money but she does bare some responsibility.
My lesson is to stick with my gut feeling. Should have not sold her this dog.
Just looking for thoughts.
Thanks Mike

I might consider refunding part of her money but I doubt I would refund it all. I would also want to see the puppy before I agreed to anything.

I'd take the puppy back and tell her you will resell the dog and give her the price you received less X number of dollars per day for its care and feeding minus any vet bills incurred. Odds are you won't owe her anything and the dog will be a in better place. Make sure she signs the transfer when you get the dog if it's AKC registered.

return $..., she could have just re sold the pup w/o telling you, or left it outside, or dumped it in a shelter she did what is right, give her same courtesy and refund. You don't want to make her experience with GSD breed a bad one, who knows she might recommend you to other people who would be perfect for your dogs, don't burn your bridges with people who mean you no harm...it didn't work out, it happens...

Yes, take pup back, tell her you will refund after you resell.

I wouldn't charge for the care of it, you bred  it. Do what is right for the pup. If you didn 't sell it to her, you would be caring for it anyway.

Mike,

Since you admit you had some misgivings in the transaction in the first place, I think I would agree with LF's post as the way to go with this transaction. If the buyer had waited 3 months or three years to ask you to take the dog back, then it might be viewed in a different light. If the buyer put down a non-refundible deposit, then that would not be due returned to the buyer, for whatever reason.

Yep full refund, buyer came to you.  Thank god...

GSD Admin & Blitzen gave you good advice, my 2 cents;

Dogs/pups are not automobiles or appliances that can be returned this easily, as GSD Admin said have a look at your pup and then provide a partial refund to this so called top in home dog trainer in the City. Making mistakes such as this one have consequences and she needs to accept responsibility.

Simple formula, all this person has done is to board your puppy for 3 weeks, find out what the local boarding kennels would charge for a 3 week stay for the pup, and that figure is the amount of her refund.

Tell her this is due to a restocking fee, much like most department stores charge if you return furniture after several weeks. She purchased a brand new appliance and is returning it used.

 

Kim

 

 

I got a young puppy back after a few weeks because the owner was allergic. When they returned the dog the owner cried like a baby. I gave her a full price refund.

Another situation -  the owner got a divorce didn't want to be bothered taking care of a dog and said so. Took the dog back told her the same terms which BTW were stated in my contract. If I can sell the dog, she'd get her money back less the other fees. 

Then 2 littermates come back from North Pole, Alaska, I was in PA at the time. I had to pay the shipping to get them back which was almost as much as their original cost back in the 80's. By that time in my dog breeding career, I didn't even try to find home for returned dogs, I kept them. The buyers got no refunds on them either. Ironically 6 years later one of those buyers asked me if would give her the price of a show puppy since I never gave her money back. Guess what I told her.

Sometimes buyers are culpable, sometimes not.  Returning the purchase price has always been determined case-by-case for me but I always got the dogs back one way or another. A written contract given at the time of the sale can go a long way to making sure the dogs  you breed are taken care of. The age of the dog is also a factor as it is in this case. However, I would still not give a full refund to this buyer unless I had a very big change of heart about the way she represented herself as an experienced trainer. She is culpable IMO.

 

I would never ever ever give back the deposit. Deposits are non-refundable, sorry.