Bought a 7 m old female GSD with hip dysplasia - advice please - Page 2

Cheers, pargat. I don't send mine back either and I don't get a warm, fuzzy feeling about a breeder who would require that before making restitution.  It's a sad world for dogs when they are treated like used kitchen appliances.

Personally, if I trusted the breeder enough to make a purchase, I trust them to find the pup a suitable pet home. I have only returned one pup, the other I found a nice pet home that both the breeder and I agreed upon.
Unfortunately there are crappy breeders out there that either resell or euthanize broken puppies.

If the buyer noticed limping or favoring of a leg within 2 days of receiving the pup how did the breeder not notice? IMO, the breeder knew or didn't care to get it checked and knew the dog had an issue but sold her anyway. An ethical breeder would pay for the xray and a refund, if not, the shipping as well.

NA7, who knows? Could be the dog wasn't limping, or the breeder didn't pay enough attention. Could be that during the transition, the dog did something to aggravate it and cause a limp where there was none. Could be the dog limped before, then stopped and the breeder assumed pano or soft tissue strain, etc. Lots of reasons it could have happened exactly as the buyer states. I'd be mortified if I were the breeder, frankly, if I hadn't noticed, but I spend a lot of time with them so the chances of that are not great. For a larger kennel and a subtle limp, it's an easier scenario to imagine.

I'd rather be responsible for rehoming the dog myself.

Blitzen, do you mean as buyer or breeder, you'd want to rehome the dog yourself? I'd want the dog back to get taken care of then rehomed if possible, since in this case the buyer didn't have the dog very long and doesn't know it as well as the breeder should (emphasis on should).

It makes me sad to hear the term "puppy lemon-law". I can't imaging returning a dog with a medical problem that can be treated, but then I don't breed or show my dogs. I did purchase an 8 month old GSD dog once who was found to have a potential hip problem on exam 2 days later. Fortunately the hips were okay, but returning the dog was never an option in my mind. I bond quickly with German Shepherd dogs.

My mali has dysplasia, broken pelvis, and nerve damage in the rear end. found out at 6 months. Vet said it looked like he was hit by a car. He was never injured while I had him and he was always with me. The breeder broke contact with me when I asked for help with the medical expenses, but thats what you can expect from backyard breeders. If one of my buyers ever comes to me saying that the dog has dysplasia, they will get the option to keep the dog and a full refund regardless of if they choose to keep the dog. Thats the least a breeder can do for the emotional strain it puts on the owner. And it is cruel to require the owner to part with a beloved animal before they can get a refund. However, I would not expect my breeder to pay for the expense of shipping.