Desperate Advice Needed - Page 2

Requiring the return of a dog before restitution is an old trick breeders use to get out of honoring their contracts. They know very well that most people are not going to want to return the dog. When I was breeding I would never have wanted a buyer like that to have another dog anyway. I would have been only too happy to refund their money rather than place another dog with a person who would glibly return a dog they had for longer than a few weeks.

You don't buy puppies for breeding, period. The breeder ought to know better even if the buyer does not. You may buy a puppy you like, hoping that it will pan out, but you don't buy puppies with the sole intention of breeding, or you will be disappointed quite often. Breeding animals are adults or young adults already health tested. Anything too young to certify with one body or another is a puppy...no big deal that it came with a puppy guarantee. Buyer and seller are both inexperienced, it sounds like. The big deal is that now they want to change the registration. That's the problem. Limited is not equal or greater than full. 

We all start somewhere, and yes, I fully admitted I am not an expert.  I am green.  But that doesn't make my situation any less deserving.  I did the research I thought I needed.  Trust me, I have learned a very valuable lesson in all of this.  And I will certainly make different choices in the future.  However, I am in this pickle now, and would like to get a resolution.  And I am asking for advice since I am a rookie and would just like some assistance in finding the best way to approach them on this since many of you are breeders yourselves or perhaps have been in this situation.  My instincts were that what they are "offering" is unfair.  And what I was led to believe was just talk to help them get rid of a dog.  I am still baffled that they expect me to continue to care for this dog for a few months until they have the money to return to me.

The GSD world truly marches to a different drummer. In most every other large breed it is just expected that any dog much over 6 months of age sold as a breeding prospect have preliminary xrays or there is no deal.  Breeders of GSD's get away with a lot more than any other breeders I know. Try to sell another 10 month old large breed sporting, herding, or working dog without those xrays (and often a load of health checks like Pn and DM) and the only response will be from newbies.
 

That are probably hoping that  you won't give the dog back so they don't have to honor the contract.

I thought several of us told you what you should do...

Get an attorney to help you write a letter if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. Like I said, politely but firmly say you will accept nothing less than a full registration puppy. Then sell one of them if you can't keep both, or give the dysplastic dog to a family who will care for it. He may be fine as far as soundness once he's done growing and mature, and his muscles develop. Puppies can limp w/dysplasia at that age and then mature out of it. Keep him lean, put him on joint supplements (something like Adequan, maybe) and swim him a lot. Minimize running, especially on hard ground, until he's older. 

Thank you Jenni.  Yes, advice was given.  I was just explaining myself.  :) 

And Blitzen, their offer was that they will refund me in a few months but I have to return him.  I previously told them I would keep him to give him the care he needs, but they came back again with returning him.  I sure hope they aren't looking to re-sell him.  Thing is...I made sure with the OFA paperwork that they WILL publish him and his results on the website.  I feel that is only fair.

His OFA paperwork would be preliminary though, right? Are they now posting abnormal prelims? I didn't think prelims got posted on the site...could be way wrong. I've never done OFA prelims; if a dog is 1, just send to SV. 

And yes, I currently have him on a chewable supplement, along with a powder supplement with dinner.  He is also already lean, so I am managing that.  I also limit his exercise, but yet, giving him exercise as well as it is needed, of course.  I also found that Victor dog food offers a grain free joint food, so I just ordered that food and looking forward to seeing what that is like.  Hopefully it will help.  I have RA myself, so I kind of "get it" as far as what he needs for treatment.  He does get an aspirin too if he looks to be in pain, but quite honestly, he is such a happy go luck boy that you wouldn't know until you closely watched his footing and positioning.

Oh, maybe they won't then?  I guess I assumed they did.  It hasn't shown yet, but I did check the box.  I have never done prelims either.  Only certification.