Breeder concerns? - Page 1

Hi.

Does anyone have concerns or issues (puppy health and/or contract/claims/documents) with Appleridge Kennels? If so please share them here.

I have a young pup from that kennel and while I love him to death and so far, believe him to be of sound health, I have some serious concerns with the actual breeder, her claims, her behavior after the sale and her lack of follow through on keeping her own word and adhereing to her own contract.

 I have since been in contact with other owners who have similar and in some cases, far more serious issues with her breeding practices and her kennel. One TN based owner has already filed suit. Another owner directed me to a link showing that there were very serious allegations made by numerous owners against this kennel while it operated in Canada.

The breeder is currently marketing "Appleridge" puppies born in Canada on her website even though she is living and operating her breeding program via Appleridge Kennels right here in the States. When I first met with her at her home, she told me that ALL of her breeding stock and pups are home bred and hand raised by her and her family only. So how is she currently marketing a litter that is in Canada? 

My personal goal is not to tarnish or trash this breeder but rather, to ferret out the truth and see to it that she provides official documents to back her marketing claims and that she adhere to her own contract. Anything less is unacceptable. 

Thank you. 

Wow...nothing like preparing for a problem,  before there is a problem.

    Maybe she has family that lives in Canada...

    Is there REALLY any problem with the pup you got?.

What exactly are you hoping to gain with this post? Maybe a bunch of gripjng cockaroach 's to crawl out of the woodwork....

    If you like your healthy puppy....WHY this post?

That´s exactly what I thought - no real problems, an at least up to date healthy puppy - so what?
In case you made your research prior to buying you should know where you bought.

Ekana, sent you a PM...

Sent you a PM too

I was just going to send PM. But, then the more I thought about it the more I feel I should warn others. I wish someone had warned me. This is by far one of the worst breedesr I have ever come across.  I can only share my experience.

I have been on the forum long enough to know people will jump in and defend the breeder. Sometimes it's warranted. This time it is not. 

I am posting now as I feel we all have to look out for each other. People may read this forum and if I can warn one person and stop them from going through what I went through than it is worth it.

I paid $2500 plus shipping for a show/breeding pup. Pup arrived afraid of her own shadow.  Calls that were instantly returned during the sale process got ignored once the purchase made. I mean this "show" puppy cowered at everything, urinated on herself, was the most timid, fearful dog I have ever seen. I tried to work with her. I even got professional assistance.

Then, I can't remember the exact month but I want to say 7 months or so she started being stiff upon rising. Then, would preceed to limp. She started dragging a hind leg and bunny hopping.

I had x-rays done and she had severe hip problems. After weeks and weeks of hundreds of calls, breeder finally offered a replacement pup with a repeat breeding. Why would I want the same breeding? I feel that hips notwisthstanding (even the best breeders can end up with a pup with hip problems) selling me such a poor tempered dog as a breeding and showdog was not ethical. I asked for a refund.

To everyone that will jump on here to say it was diet or whatever..I did everything right. I have had dogs before..all mutts and was an experienced dog owner.

Now, I know stuff happens but this breeder sold me a pup as a showdog with severe temperament and health issues. Then, stopped taking my calls.

Like i said...even the best breeder can have a pup with health problems. To me..what happens next determines who is an ethical breeder and who is not. It's what happens after the discovery that counts.

I did return the pup. I'm sorry to all who want to bash me for that but it was the right decision for me. I didn't want too as she was my first registerded GSD that I had waited my whole life for. I paid to ship her back but did not return the papers as I had her registered in my name. I wanted her to admit that she sold me a "lemon" as a showdog and did so on purpose.  I want to say the pup was 12 weeks when she first arrived.  I later saw my girl pop up on the internet with her offering the pup for sale. No mention of any hip problems. She had renamed her and magically the dog somehow now had papers. I never saw a penny or was offered any different breeding.....I was out around $3500. Just like that.

Now, this was the 2nd horrendous experience I had trying to purchase a pup from a breeder. I researched Appleridge but as a GSD newbie did not know enough...what to really look for. Later, I found out all the horror stories about appleridge and that she had fled from canada and why.

I'm sorry. Normally, I try to keep all bad comments to a PM. But, I just dont want anyone to go through what i went through....

Like a lot of people, I learned my lessons the hard way. My third purchase I knew better. And..pup number 3 now  has 8 titles in 5 different areas and she has passed Hips, elbows, cardiac, thyroid, shoulders, DM, full dentition, MDR1, and Von Willebrands tests. We are working on CDX and tracking and going for BH this year. I hope to breed her this year as well.

I know people will critize my decison to post this information. You all know me...I have been on for 4 years. I have posted my full name and address and phone before. I have nothing to hide. I'm just a nobody with 1 dog who is trying to learn and compete with my first registered GSD (not including the appleridge pup).

I was attracted to Appleridge for the "old style" advertising she did showcasing straight backed dogs and versatility.

I now know that these "old style dogs" exist all over our breed and in particular where my dog's genetics lie...east german.

Anyways, sorry again but I don't want to just PM on this as we all need to support each other. I wish people had been open with me. Like the original poster, people came out of the woodwork after my ordeal and shared their bad experiences. The OP is right to be weary as this breeder will not follow through with her contract and will absolutely break her promises made. Just not ethical.

To OP....I am sure you are getting nervous at the lack of response from her when you try to contact her. I have been there. I am not going to blame you. Its not your fault. A newbie can do all the research but if you dont know what you are researching than it is fruitless. I understand your need to vent. People here probably cannot comprehend the amount you have probably contacted her and to no avil.

I wish you the best of luck with your dog. I hope everything works out for you. I truly, truly do.

Sarah

Wow, I have read the incoming responses and am saddened to find out that so far, my red flag moments and suspicions about this breeder are dead on accurate. Aside from the first two comments by Kitkat and Susie, (who either have NO clue about business tranasactions, contracts and doing business in good faith....and/or are personally connected to the breeder!) your experiences have shown me that my concerns and negative experiences with this breeder AFTER the point of sale, are not isolated to just my pup but rather are shared by many others.  What I don't understand is why anyone would want to be so accommodating, willing to show vital documents on her computer, say that all such documents are on an accompanying dvd that one gets at time of pick-up, then not include those documents in the dvd, dance around answering questions directly & honestly about them and then refuse to send these vital and required doc's to a customer when asked to later on.

What was once viewed by me as accommodating behavior on her part, has since turned into difficult, hedgy and shady. By her own claims, she has decades of experience as a top quality GSD breeder. To call my male pup the FEMALE "pick of the litter" is something that even a novice breeder wouldn't do. She claims that every pup is selectively and carefully bred by her and at her TN kennel (only) so she can be sure that only genetically pure dogs of high quality are what she produces yet she has had numerous "accidental & unplanned" litters and now has a litter in Canada? How can that be? Anyone with a pulse can spot a female dog in heat a mile away, and at least 7-10 days before she is even fertile yet Annette's dogs are getting knocked up accidentally and by untested males? And it has happened on far more than one occasion?  C'mon! 

Making a statement in your own sales contract that every pup is evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and has been cleared of any/all defects, is a statement that must be supported by official veterinary records, not handwritten notes on a breeder multi-pack pamphlet! She has yet to provide me with a single vet receipt or record. That is just plain wrong. I even offered to contact her vet directly so she wouldn't have to do it. All she needed to do is sign a release, authorizing me to access my pups vet records. To date, she refuses to do this too. Why? 

Stating that all of her breeding pairs are NN rated so she can guarantee on her website that none of her pups can ever get D/M is wrong! There are no such guarantee's as even NN rated dogs have been known to develop Degenarative Myelopathy!  I advised her of this yet she still advertises the guarantee. How is that ethical when not all of her pups even come from parents who have been tested?  In fact one such dog (who had been tested) isn't NN rated, rather he is a documented carrier which poses a higher risk of developing D/M than a NN rated dog! He is one of her most popular stud dogs too. My pup's sister has an inverted vulva, a defect easily diagnosed by a licensed veterinarian yet her owners were never told about this defect until after their  pup developed uti's. It took their vet mere seconds to notice and diagnose the birth defect. They too, have yet to receive vet records and other vital documents from the breeder. 

So you see, and as was stated in my original post, my concerns about her demeanor and business practices after the  point of sale, are concerns that have now caused me to question her credibility too.

This has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love my pup.  While he does appear to be healthy, he's still far too young to know for sure. This is where the test results (that she has promised but has yet to provide!) would have true meaning and value. While I do have many years of firsthand experience with this breed, I am not a veterinarian. Nor is this breeder. Only as my pup ages and has certain tests of his own, will I know for sure if he is developing okay and without any issues.  In the meantime, when it comes to purchasing a pup?  Until or unless she follows through by delivering what she has promised and is contractually obligated to deliver, my advice would be for you to find another breeder.

 

Wow, I have read the incoming responses and am saddened to find out that so far, my red flag moments and suspicions about this breeder are dead on accurate. Aside from the first two comments by Kitkat and Susie, (who either have NO clue about business tranasactions, contracts and doing business in good faith....and/or are personally connected to the breeder!) your experiences have shown me that my concerns and negative experiences with this breeder AFTER the point of sale, are not isolated to just my pup but rather are shared by many others.  What I don't understand is why anyone would want to be so accommodating, willing to show vital documents on her computer, say that all such documents are on an accompanying dvd that one gets at time of pick-up, then not include those documents in the dvd, dance around answering questions directly & honestly about them and then refuse to send these vital and required doc's to a customer when asked to later on.

What was once viewed by me as accommodating behavior on her part, has since turned into difficult, hedgy and shady. By her own claims, she has decades of experience as a top quality GSD breeder. To call my male pup the FEMALE "pick of the litter" is something that even a novice breeder wouldn't do. She claims that every pup is selectively and carefully bred by her and at her TN kennel (only) so she can be sure that only genetically pure dogs of high quality are what she produces yet she has had numerous "accidental & unplanned" litters and now has a litter in Canada? How can that be? Anyone with a pulse can spot a female dog in heat a mile away, and at least 7-10 days before she is even fertile yet Annette's dogs are getting knocked up accidentally and by untested males? And it has happened on far more than one occasion?  C'mon! 

Making a statement in your own sales contract that every pup is evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and has been cleared of any/all defects, is a statement that must be supported by official veterinary records, not handwritten notes on a breeder multi-pack pamphlet! She has yet to provide me with a single vet receipt or record. That is just plain wrong. I even offered to contact her vet directly so she wouldn't have to do it. All she needed to do is sign a release, authorizing me to access my pups vet records. To date, she refuses to do this too. Why? 

Stating that all of her breeding pairs are NN rated so she can guarantee on her website that none of her pups can ever get D/M is wrong! There are no such guarantee's as even NN rated dogs have been known to develop Degenarative Myelopathy!  I advised her of this yet she still advertises the guarantee. How is that ethical when not all of her pups even come from parents who have been tested?  In fact one such dog (who had been tested) isn't NN rated, rather he is a documented carrier which poses a higher risk of developing D/M than a NN rated dog! He is one of her most popular stud dogs too. My pup's sister has an inverted vulva, a defect easily diagnosed by a licensed veterinarian yet her owners were never told about this defect until after their  pup developed uti's. It took their vet mere seconds to notice and diagnose the birth defect. They too, have yet to receive vet records and other vital documents from the breeder. 

So you see, and as was stated in my original post, my concerns about her demeanor and business practices after the  point of sale, are concerns that have now caused me to question her credibility too.

This has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love my pup.  While he does appear to be healthy, he's still far too young to know for sure. This is where the test results (that she has promised but has yet to provide!) would have true meaning and value. While I do have many years of firsthand experience with this breed, I am not a veterinarian. Nor is this breeder. Only as my pup ages and has certain tests of his own, will I know for sure if he is developing okay and without any issues.  In the meantime, when it comes to purchasing a pup?  Until or unless she follows through by delivering what she has promised and is contractually obligated to deliver, my advice would be for you to find another breeder.

 

Ekana- your original post, and you second more detailed post are horses of two completely different colors.

And you will NEVER find me defending an unethical breeder, in fact I will be first one to say this is the kind of information  that needs to be shared to help stop this type of breeder.

   You are more than encouraged smiley, to share "facts"of your experience with this kennel. This is the only way this type of breeder can be stopped from doing this to others.

    You don t just start a thread by saying you have a healthy pup from a breeder, BUT.....