our puppy died of parvo?

Question

we bought him from a breeder last Sunday. He was sick all night long. I called her to let her be aware of this situation. I took our new 8 week old pup to the vet that morning and he was tested positive for parvo...the next day our puppy died. Now the breeder wont help on vet bills, or give us our money back...Do I have any rights on this???? Broken hearted family:(

we did an oral agreement on the sale of the puppy but we never signed any papers. I do however have the bank slip of our withdraw amount for the dog 35 minutes before we picked the puppy up, I kept the newspaper clipping of that day...Also the vet tool a blood sample for proof of the puppy was from her litter. This is a definite lesson learned...What gets me is if she even cared about her puppies, why in the world keep the ad running in the paper..and also why not care about taking responsibility for her part in this whole tragedy:(

Answer 1

I hate to say it but you got burned on this one. It happens to us all. Next time go for a written anything really, something to proove it saw a vet and it's healthy and how much you paid and any "return" policy.

I honestly don't think you have any legal rights cause you have no proof of anything. All you can proove is you have one of her puppies. You can't proove how much money changed hands if any. All she has to do is say she never got any money from you or got less then what you gave her and their is no way to dispute that.

However all you can do is put out an ad in your local paper stating your experence with this breeder. Aslong as you can back it up, ie sating I bought a puppy from this breeder and with in X amount of days it came up sick only to have it come down with such and such and it passed. Most local papers will do this for free. And hopefully it will make other buyers aware of this breeder. You can't say she got the puppy ill or her other puppies are ill. Also state that she does not want to help you with any compinsation and you believe the puppy to have been sick before you bought the puppy. If you tell her your going to take out an ad then it might get some action but don't hold your breath.

Now this might get you sued in civil court, but it sounds like you are hedding down that road anyways, counter sue her for the amount of the puppy and half the vet bills. Do your homework!!! Proove that this is something that she should have known about. You must find all roads she can come back with. If she take you to civil court then she has to asnwer in court why the puppy passed in such a short time. It seems rather extreme but I don't give people many chances to do things right as it should not take long to say I'm sorry cause it did nto take them long to take your money. I have seen this done and my firend got sued and thay had to expline in court about their animal and they got back all out of pocket expense. also look up animal buying laws in your area. Some places have pet and breeding laws. You might be able to fight back that way. As it sound money and court is all this person undestands.

I'm sorry for your loss. It is tuff. However next time look into free places to adopt pets. I liek pet finder. I adtopt older dogs but they are clamer and most likely went through trainnig school. There are many free sites for pets you just have to look really hard. But it's worth it. I adopted a bother and a sister and I love them to death and they are 10 so they are calm but still have lost of life in them. I really hope this helps you!

Answer 2

First of all, I need to say how sorry I am that you are going through this. It will depend on the contract you had with your breeder. And they (breeders) know this is possible so most times, the contract is full of loop holes and there is nothing you can do. Take it to an attorney for advice on how to proceed.

I bought a dog from a breeder in Missouri and the puppy required a "well-puppy" exam within 72 hours of receipt. I got the exam, and emailed the breeder and when the dog contracted parvo 4-5 days later, I got nothing from the breeder but an email saying they were sorry but the dog was well when they sold it and the parvo could have come from the vets office as much as them. It is a nasty death and it cost me a $1500 in vet bills trying to keep the puppy alive in addition to the cost of the puppy and heartache.

Answer 3

What an unethical S.O.B! Any "Professional" breeder would not hesitate in returning the money. Do you have any witnesses that went with you to pick up the puppy? Another thing is PARVO is VERY VERY contagious so any other puppies are VERY likely to have it as well! It is likely you are not alone.

IDEAS...
Maybe run a ad to see if others bought one with the same problem.

Ask neighbors to jot down license number of irate people visiting this "Breeder".

You talk to neighbors of the Breeder and explain what a jerk this "breeder" is under the guise of getting information on her for a lawsuit (Actually won't work but it will make the breeder nervous when he hears about it).

Talk to a lawyer friend and see if it is OK to run a ad warning others to avoid this "Breeder".

Park an old junk car with a sign inside the windows in front of their house warning others not to buy puppies from this person..unethical, etc. (And to leave their phone number if they already bought a sick puppie to slip it in the window).

Have the lawyer friend draft a letter to scare them. (Court costs, etc. might do it).

Good luck. Wouldn't the world be a better place without people like this?

Answer 4

Whether or not you have rights depends on the state. However there are things called Puppy Lemon Laws. I have provided a link in the source section to a sight that list these laws by state.

If your state has a lemon law you are entitled to the full refund price of the puppy in most cases however, the breeder is esponible usually for vet bills. However, my issue with this scenerio is that you purchased a puppy from a breeder that had Parvo which should have been innoculated against. There is a shot for parvo, therefore, if the breeder told you the puppy had his shots you may also have a fraud case.

If you find you have laws protecting you in your state, you should contact a lawyer, or in the event you cannot afford one, write a stern letter, with a copy of the vet bill/diagnoses, and state that you will file if they do not comply. The law is on your side in this case, but make sure the letter does not threaten anything other then LEGAL recourse. No insulting just right to the point. If you do make physical threats or insults you could pretty much cost your case.

"I bought X puppy from X person on X date. Puppy became ill x hours after purchase, was taken to x vet wher eit was diagnosed with x illness. As per x puppy laws in x state, I am demanding the refund of my purchase price of x, and the vet bill, which is attached. If you do not comply in x days I will have to take all legal recourses avaliable to remedy the situation."

If you are not in a state with a lemon law, you are in a bad place you can still try to sue but are not likely to win unless puppy was stated to have shots.

Answer 5

Did you take the puppy for any walks from teh time you picked him up until the time he was sick? A puppy can pick up parvo very quickly... a puppy should never be allowed to walk on the ground outside, especially grass. I've seen perfectly healthy puppies go and get sick within a week because the owners didn't do their part of the guarantee. Also whenever you get a puppy, whether it be from a breeder, petstore, friend, etc.. it should be taken to a vet as soon as possible. Not when it gets sick.

Answer 6

Depending on your state, you may be able to sue under the puppy lemon law. Do a search for it in your state. There should be some implied warranty, even if the "breeder" gave you nothing.

In the future, do more homework and buy from a "good" breeder. If the person you bought from was one, you wouldn't have this issue. It is sad that so many people claim to be good breeders and then when there is a problem, they will offer no help.

Good Luck!!

Answer 7

well did you get aletter or oral agreement from breeder saying if anything happens to pupy shell refund your money

with my puppies i offer a health guarantee which if the pup gets parvo within 3 mos. after selling to buyer i will refund half the money or they can wait until next letter

you can try court but you prolly wont win unless there was an agreement and paperwork is much better
sorry

Answer 8

Im afraid you don't have the rights to get ur money back........ Unless there is a lemon law in your state?

Answer 9

If you have signed a health guarantee contract with the breeder, then you have right. but if not, sorry.