Anyone have a bad breeder experience to share?

Question

Maybe a few people will be enlightened if we share our personal experiences....here is mine. 2 years ago, my mother in law got a shihtzu puppy as a "something to look forward to when she got out of cardiac rehab" Suffice it to say, she spent the next 14 months in and out of the hospital then passed away, so I had this dog from the time he was 10 weeks old....his parentage is unknown to me, no papers, etc. I am no expert, but I have had dogs of every size and configuration for many many moons- Let me tell you about Porkchop- the worlds most awful dog- He has been lovingly cared for, housebroke easily, etc. He has the worst skin problems ever, he virtually lives on Benedryl or he will scratch himself till he bleeds, we have to keep him trimmed down to 1/2" of hair or less or he will also get hot spots, he lives inside, eats only Canidae, has all his shots, etc. He has the worst tempermant of any dog I have ever encountered- growls at everything, snaps at you without provocation, etc

Continued- he refuses to go outside voluntarily, and will go to the bathroom on the patio if you do not take him out to the grass....one of his litter mates had cherry eye and a herniated umbilical cord both of which had to be surgically repaired before she was 6 months old. These are the fine examples of the breed you get when purchasing a puppy from someone who has no idea what they are doing and thinks that just because she has 2 dogs that look alike, they should be producing more.....

yes he was cheap she paid $100 for him, I know this is not the way to get a dog, just hoping that maybe personal experiences being shared will help illuminate that fact, so maybe, just maybe, we won't see so many "Where can I buy a cheap whatever?" questions posted here.....yes, I am hopelessly optimistic!

Answer 1

If so many dog owner wannabes weren't such lazy, penny pinching, illiterate morons, there would be no room for bad breeders to do their business.

Answer 2

Here is mine, i have 2 actually
1) my sister purchased her golden retriever with AKC papers 5 years ago from a backyard breeder (this was before she knew what they were). No parent health testing has been done. the dog is now 5, she doesn't really look like a golden retriever (the only similarity is the coat color) she is very small for her breed and she has the following health problems: she has a mild form of hip dysplasia, she has allergies to everything, she has to be on specialized food at all times. Her allergies include most grains, corn, turkey, potatoes, etc. You can imagine how easy it is to find food for her! All in all, she was pretty expensive to purchase in the first place, and with all her health problems my sister ends up spending a large sum of money on her health care. The saddest part of it though, is that the dog suffers from all these issues which could have been avoided if the breeder tested both parents and removed them from breeding stock.
2) case 2 my friend. she has a giant schnauzer which she purchased from what appears to be a reputable breeder. He was purchased as a pet, and she was assured that although parents were not tested for hips lines are clear and she had a full health guarantee. Well he is 7, and just recently underwent hip replacement surgery. His hip displasia was severe and he developed arthritis. He could not walk and the only thing they could do was a hip replacement surgery to help him out. The surgery was more money than i wish to mention, lets just say she had to take out a loan, surgery, follow up treatments and physical therapy he had to go through because during the surgery a nerve was damaged. Not to mention the stress the dog and my friend had to go though during several month prior and post surgery. He will never be able to be a very active dog, but at least he can walk without pain. Of course, hypothetically she could have returned the dog, but after having him for so many years she could not do it and didn't want to (she loves him). Again, this could have most likely been avoided have the parents been tested.

Answer 3

I've been lucky in all the dogs that I've purchased for the most part... simply because I did a lot of research.

I did get a puppy from a breeder, start training it, did a preliminary hip X-ray at 9 mos (you don't want to do too much training before you know whether the dog will be structurally sound) and found out that he had moderate dysplasia (although was not having any symptoms). The breeder offered to replace him or refund my $$ only if he was euthanized. I refused, stopped training him, gave him to my sister who did a really nice job keeping him lean and in condition. She trained him to retrieve soda from the fridge.. and he knew the difference between Pepsi and Mtn Dew... fantastic brain.... He had NO symptoms until he was 8 years old and is now 10.5 and steadily needing more and more meds... but he's had a GREAT life. *IF* this dog had been sold as a pet and not x-rayed and was kept in condition noone would have ever known that he wasn't just "getting old". I "lost" the money I spent on him... but it was worth every penny.

Answer 4

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Makes you wish a list of references could be found on breeders so you could find out if they are really reputable, or if they just "claim" their own reputation.

We had a similar experience when we first started raising rabbits. We bought a rabbit from a breed, and the day it happened it jumped from my daughters arms and broke its leg. We called the breeder, and she said she would do nothing about it, since it was our responsibility, and I understand that.

However, a year later I wrote an article about how we successfully treated this rabbit, and are able to use it in our breeding program. Next thing I know, she has written an email to all the top breeders in the country telling how we are a fraud, we tried to steal from her, and warned everyone not to sell to us or they will be swindled. Great way for my kids to start their 4H project, by some adult bashing them to every breeder she can think of! Needless to say, after years of getting to know people, this lady has a bad reputation for this type of thing.

Well I hope the temperament of your dog changes through time!

Answer 5

Well, the key is to get a dog from a GOOD and reputable breeder. It would not take Einstein to figure out this pup did not come from a good breeder. But I bet he was cheap.

Answer 6

i adopt my pets,
but I work for a rescue and we have had several byb breeders call and ask us if they can adopt some of our purebreds before they are fixed!!!!
nope!
we always alter before adopting!