How can I get a refund from a dog breeder who sold me a mixed breed puppy as a purebreed?

Question

I drove from Boise, Idaho to Princeton, West Virginia in mid-November to buy a 6 week old English Bulldog pup from my daughter's close friend who owns a male and female English Bulldog.
After the pup grew taller and leaner, I questioned whether the pup was purebred. The breeder responded to my questions and request for a refund by saying that a Boxer and an English Bulldog mix is called an American Bulldog and since I still bought a Bulldog he refuses to refund my money. I would never have crossed the country to buy a mixed breed dog. What are my options to get this back yard breeder to refund my money?

Answer 1

First, the American Bulldog is an actual breed, although not one recognized by the AKC. The UKC and registries in the UK reconize it, though. It is bred just like all other purebred lines, at least when bred properly, and is NOT the result of mixing a Boxer and a Bulldog. You did NOT buy a bulldog, you bought a mutt (as you're aware, of course).

Unfortunately, unless you have some sort of documentation that clearly states that the dog is an English Bulldog, you probably can't get anywhere with this. In order to get a refund, you'll have to part with the dog.

Personally, I would just move on. Sure, you never would have gone through all that for a mixed breed had you known, and you were scammed. That doesn't mean that the dog can't be a wonderful addition to your household.

Answer 2

This is a very fine example of ignorant and stupid BYBer's.

Sorry you got messed up like this but that is why so many of us are against them. They falsify papers, they sell dogs just for the money. The quality of the dog does not mean a thing to them.

I would take the breeder to court, if for no other reason to show that he is not a competant breeder and is selling puppies with false representation. And, if I were a betting woman, I'd bet that you get your money back and that the breeder will also cover court costs.

Help stop the BYBer's. Try to put him out of business. Report this to the licensing board and see if you can get his license pulled.

Buy dogs with Pedigrees, AKC does not check these kennels and they know nothing about what the BYBer's are doing. And in some states it is buyer beware.

Do not breed ANY dog that does not carry a Pedigree. Without a pedigree the pups/dogs are only pet quality and you will be breeding in all kinds of faults that you do not know about cause you don't have the Pedigree.

Answer 3

Unless you have papers, you're dog would be be considered a purebred by the courts, whether it actually was purebred or not. When you don't buy a dog with AKC papers, you are always risking the chance that the dog is not purebred. An american bulldog is a completely seperate breed, so the person is definately wrong in telling you thats what you have. You have a mutt, pure and simple. Its unfortuante but unless you have a contract from the person stating the dog is purebred and registered, then you probably don't have a leg to stand on, even though the other person did lie to you.

Answer 4

Do you have proof of what he claimed the dog to be? If not, I doubt you have a leg to stand on. If you do, take him to the Small Claims Court, but you will probably be faced with the choice of a refund or keeping the dog.

Are you sure you didn't get the end of the stick? If the breeder told you that an English Bulldog and a Boxer mixed is an American Bulldog, it implies that he claimed it was an American Bulldog to begin with, rather than denying it was a mix and claiming it had just grown larger than would be expected.

Answer 5

That is outrageous! An American Bulldog is no Boxer/English Bulldog mix, he obviously doesn't know squat about an American Bulldog, or English or Boxer for that matter. You were trying to buy a English bulldog right. Their are lots of different types of bulldogs, just because he gave you a "bulldog" doesn't make anything right. He is a crook, and needs to be taken to court. You were trying to buy a purebred English Bulldog, not a mutt. For those of you who think that Boxer-English bulldog mixing makes an American Bulldog, well I breed them and that's not true. I challenge you to do some research instead of just making an assumption. Here's just one website that you can go to for a little info. on the American Bulldog origin.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanbulldog.htm

Answer 6

i am sorry to hear that this happened to you but unfortunatly once you sign a bill of sale and the guarantee passes you can't do anything. but it is true that if you breed a boxer with a bulldog then you will get the american bulldog, and yes they are taller and slimmer. the appearence is like the boxer though. but if she said that she has english bulldogs for sale then she should be selling them and she needs to change her ads to post as american bulldogs. she is posting false ads and lieing to the people that are wanting to buy her pups. what you can do is call the AKC and let them know what she is doing and you might have to take pics of the pup and send a copy of the bill of sale to the AKC and point out that she sold you the wrong breed, the AKC is very stricked on what breeders do and how they do it. if she gave you papers on the puppy and it says that it is n english bulldog and you know it is an american bulldog then she can get in trouble for selling the wrong breed to people. i know people that have done this to make money and they were banned the AKC, so if she tried to breed and register the pups she would not be able to sell them as papered dogs. the AKC will have some harsh consequences. but do that call the AKC and see what they will tell you to do. make a copy of the bill of sale, registraion papers where it says (english bulldog), and take a picture of the pup and send all that to them and see what will happen. i am sorry again for what you are going through. good luck on what you do.

Answer 7

An American Bulldog is also a purebred, and is not created by mixing a boxer and bulldog. You really should have researched a reputable breeder. I don't know that you have too many options other than small claims court. Did you have a sales receipt?

Answer 8

GOOD breeders only sell purebred dogs. ANyone breeding mixes does not have quality parents to start with. They couldnt tell you anything about the background of the parents.. they often lack the knowledge of temperment and health issues in the pedigrees. People who breed mixes also dont typically bother with health tests.. they think that shots and worming from the vet is fine enough. Just adopt from a shelter or resuce. Lab/rott mixes are common enough that you can find one easily. ADDED A comment about the person who had to neuter their dog. They should have made it clear that they were seeking breeding stock, and they should have read the contract over before signing and agreeing to anything. GOOD breeders put pet-quality puppies on spay/neuter contracts for a reason. The pup they got wasnt breeding stock to begin with.

Answer 9

You went to purchase an English Bulldog not a Boxer and English Bulldog mix (= an American Bulldog?)..with a purebred there should have been papers. I would sue in small claims court, sounds as if you were deceived.

Answer 10

Sadly, I don't know that you can do much unless you want to get a lawyer and ask them. A few states do have "lemon laws" and they can cover things pertaining to pets. However, you'd have to check this out to see if it will help you.

Dog breeders, or so called, can be terrible to deal with and unfortunately they can govern what they do often with no repercussions.

I'm sorry to hear about this. This happens all too often and usually those breeders are the furthest from a breeder than you can get. If it were up to me breeders would be governed by law and have to pay for doing some of the things they do.

Good luck and I hope you get your money back!