Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/23/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We got a puppy from the breeder on 5/20/2023. The puppy was not a good fit for our family. He was very scared and jumping on the kids. The puppy had fleas and ticks and he was itching excessively. The puppy was 5 months old, the breeder explained he was potty trained, and explained puppy is able to go outside and potty with prompts and this was not the case, he would not go outside to potty, he had diarrhea with blood in the stool on first 2 days, and then diarrhea got better but he was still would only go potty inside even after we take him out every 2 hours. We returned the dog on 5/24/2023. We paid $****. She emailed the contract on 5/22, we never signed a contract because I didnt feel comfortable with it. after we spoke about returning the dog. The breeder provided the instructions to care for the dog only on 5/22. The breeder is not providing refund. They offered to provide another dog instead. However the owner, **** is not letting us choose the puppy we want. Neither is allowed to come see other dogs to choose from and see which one is a better fit for our family. She is offering 2 adult dogs which we thought to pick one of them. Every time I ask to meet the dog she ignores my messages. She obviously dont want us to give a dog we want or give a refund. My oldest ****** years old has special needs and require 24 hour total care. She was asking for a dog so badly to help with her emotional needs and provide companionship. That is the only reason we wanted to buy a dog. So selecting a dog that suits her needs is very important. If we can get the refund we can buy another dog for my kid from another place. We could have rehome the dog, but wanted to return it to the breeder thinking that is the good option for the dog and also we will get a full refund. Now she is selling the dog for ****+ but yet we dont have our money or the dog. We feel like we are taken advantage of. Im not going to settle for a dog anymore I want the money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Ms. **** placed a deposit with us for an 8-week-old puppy. However, on 5/20/23, she decided to pick up a 5-month-old male puppy instead, believing it would better suit her family. During the puppy pickup, which included her, a female friend, and her three children, I dedicated almost 2 hours to thoroughly explain what to expect and all aspects of puppy care, including that the puppy ate twice daily. At the pickup, I made it clear that the puppy had not yet received flea and tick prevention medication due to his age. I informed her about our practice of using **** dishwashing soap, leaving it in the puppys coat for approximately 5 minutes to maintain a flea-free environment. Additionally, I advised her to schedule a vet appointment in the next couple of days to establish proper care for the puppy, including flea/tick prevention and neutering recommendations. I also emphasized that it is normal for a puppy to take a few days to adjust to new surroundings and the family, even though the puppy was already wagging his tail during kids' interaction with him prior to their departure. Furthermore, I explained that some regression might occur due to the stress of moving. This include going potty in the house after being outside. I also explained to her about dogs reading the people around them, including their mood and feelings and that their behavior may change based on what they sense. 
  
  I provided Ms. **** with chews and a gallon-sized bag of the puppys current food, along with the recommendation not to change the puppys diet but if she was going to do it, it must be done very slowly and only after he had become accustomed to his new home. However, on the second day after bringing the puppy home, Ms. **** expressed frustration due to the puppys diarrhea and frequent accidents, which from her texts turns out occurred only during one day. Despite spending considerable time explaining the proper procedure for transitioning food, it appeared she immediately made changes, resulting in diarrhea, as indicated in her texts. She also mentioned that they were "back to feeding him twice daily", which indicates to me that she also changed his feeding schedule. On the third day, when Ms. **** told me she didn't have any more puppy food that was originally provided with the puppy. I met her the next day and gave her another gallon-sized bag, which, as it turned out, remained unopened because the puppy still had food in the first bag.

  Ms. **** claimed that the puppy was itching/scratching after she first brought him home. However, during our almost 2-hour conversation at the time of the puppy pickup, the puppy did not exhibit any itching behavior. Additionally, she mentioned that the puppy remained in the yard for two hours after arriving home. I had previously informed her of the potential risks associated with the puppy being exposed to grass, such as allergens, ants and fleas, which tend to reside in tall grasses. Upon the puppys return to me, I thoroughly inspected his coat and skin for any signs of fleas or ticks but found none. The puppy did not experience diarrhea and did not display any jumping behavior. Furthermore, approximately one week later, the puppy underwent a veterinary examination, which confirmed the absence of fleas, ticks, or any diseases.

  Ms. **** expressed dissatisfaction with the puppys tendency to jump on people. I had explained to her that this behavior is common in puppies, particularly if they previously learn that jumping is acceptable. I advised her to enroll the puppy in obedience training, but she said she doesn't have the time because she is the only one that has to do everything. I have again explained, that puppies may jump on people, especially when they become more relaxed, seeking attention or due to previous tolerance of such behavior. Despite my extensive explanations on how to handle puppies during the pickup but Ms. **** repeatedly urged her children to pay attention to the instructions instead of listening to them herself. I also provided support throughout the few days that Ms. **** had the puppy. Furthermore, I sent her an email containing information on dog obedience training and recommended viewing free puppy training videos on ******** She mentioned that her daughter, ****, had already been watching these videos and was very familiar with how to care for and train puppies.

  In my belief, Ms. **** brought the puppy home without fully comprehending the level of commitment involved in owning a new puppy. It appears that she either did not listen to, failed to remember, or deliberately ignored the information provided during the puppy pickup. Once the puppy began experiencing loose stools, she became overwhelmed with her work and household responsibilities, especially since she was the sole caretaker for the children and the puppy (as indicated in the texts). I believe that being a first-time dog owner, she found it challenging to deal with the puppy and decided that she would not have to deal with the puppy if she returns him, despite the support she received from me. I believe that once she returned the puppy she became upset because she wanted a refund, even though I had mentioned on multiple occasions and the contract clearly states that there are no refunds for voluntarily returning a puppy without attempting to resolve the issue. Additionally, I believe that either out of anger or frustration, she embellished what truly happened to damage my reputation as a dog breeder and my business.

  Considering that Ms. **** acquired the puppy for her children, one of whom is disabled, I offered her a choice of two fully trained adult dogs (3 years old or younger) as I believed it would be most beneficial for her and her family. However, she continued to complain, stating that the dog was the wrong size or color. Eventually, Ms. **** decided to take home an 8-week old male puppy and she will be picking him up on July 8th.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/29/2023

  Complaint: 20223090
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I paid the deposit $500 for a 8 weeks old puppy in January 2023. The breeder said she will have a puppy by ******. That is why I paid the deposit. But on 4/6/23 she emailed me saying they only breed for fall/winter and talked me into buying an older puppy( see the emails and texts). Since I paid the deposit I had to get one from her and the kids were expecting one for summer. So I decided to get the older one. It was not my intention at all to get an older one. She claimed that it is mostly crate and potty trained. But it was not the case.

  The puppy was not friendly at all initially. He was very very scared. He was drooling excessively and was hiding behind her all the time we were talking to her. It wouldnt go to my kids. She had to bring him near them. He was not wagging tail as she said. She only spent one hour of her time not 2 hours as she said. During that time she mainly explained about how to groom him and his feeding, and answered some of our questions like if he is going sleep at night and the song we have to put etc. But I feel like I have the right to listen everything about that dog especially since that I paid $3000. She didnt mention anything about regression of his trained behavior or nothing or that he just got deworm medicine which can cause diarrhea. I asked my kids to pay attention to what she said because they had been preparing to get a puppy for so long and they wanted to be involved in his care. I hoped a great dog for my kids and a good experience from this breeder that is why I paid this much. I could have get a dog much cheeper otherwise. The puppy wont get in the car and she picked him up to put him in the car and then when we got home he wouldnt go out of the car. I tried ************************************************************************************************************** yard as she said. I messaged her saying he is not coming inside and she said to leave him there and he will come inside eventually. Also we dont have any tall grass in our yard for him to pick up tick and fleas. The lawn is treated every 2 weeks by professional mowers. 
  

  The puppy was so sad and nervous and wouldnt eat anything until the evening of that pick up day and ate only a little and started having diarrhea next morning. I may have added a couple of grains of the new food I have, but he didnt even touch that. He only selectively ate the food she gave. I threw away rest of the food from the bowl since he was not eating. He didnt p*** the first day. The next morning he started having diarrhea. I dont know what caused him the diarrhea. In the contract she mentioned puppy will have diarrhea since he was just dewormed. I didnt know that until I read the contract which was sent 2 days after, by that time he got better. So until then I was thinking what I did wrong to cause him this. I didnt have any idea he is going to have diarrhea on the next day. This came as unexpected. 
  
  She sent me the directions and what to expect when the puppy come home and even the contract (which I havent signed) only after 2 days of getting the puppy. I missed all the initial support because of that. If I had gotten it at the same time I got the puppy, it would have been a different experience for me. She knew I am a first time dog owner and she should have made sure I have all the details I have to have good experience with the dog and even for the dog to have a good transition to our home. 
  He had diarrhea 8 times the next day and most of them was inside home and 2 times he had blood in the stool. I mentioned this to the breeder in the texts. The 3rd day morning he woke me up at 4 am and I went to check on him, he had diarrhea with blood and peed all over the crate and on his toys and blanket and it was all over his body. I had to clean the crate and throw away the blanket and toys and cleaned the house since wherever he went was soiled. I cant carry him since he is a big ***** pound puppy. I had to give him bath since he had p*** all over. He wouldnt eat food the next day also, only eat a couple of nibbles here and there.

  Then the third day he ate twice a day. I didnt try changing his schedule as she claimed, it is just he wouldnt eat food. The dog was on a diet that only sells online.  I ordered the food online. She is the local dealer of that food. She said the food will take 2-3 days to come. Once the food she gave was about to ran out I reached out to her and asked what to do and she said to give him cooked plain rice mixed with his kibble until she can get me some food. I tried to give plain rice mixed with his food as she mentioned. But he didnt even touch it. I didnt want to give another food from local shop and cause any issues. She brought the food but I still had a little left from what she gave earlier and he was not eating much so I didnt have to open the new pack she gave me. I returned that pack untouched when I returned the puppy. I tried my best to keep the puppy even with the struggles I had initially, but the dog was not eating anything and was looking so sad and miserable on the 4th day also. I was sure that this dog wouldnt be happier at our home. That is why I finally returned it. You can see from the text messages she shared, once the initial issues are gone I gave it a try again. But the dog couldnt adjust with our home at all. But the breeder keep saying I voluntarily returned the puppy without trying.
  
  I had the vet appointment scheduled for the puppy. But just the date before the appointment, because of the struggles I had with the dog and his extremely anxious behaviors, I decided this breed of dogs with this size are not a good fit for my family. I thought it is better for the dog to be with the breeder so she can place him with another family who can better care him and I can get refund so I can get another breed of dog whenever I am ready from somewhere else.
  
  Before I return the puppy I asked about the refund and she kept saying she will discuss it when I return the puppy. When I returned the puppy I begged her to give me my money and I even told her she can keep the deposit. But she didnt agree and said she can only give a puppy but no refund. I saw that even asking several times she is not helping and thought I will get a dog later. But my kid got emotionally distraught and wanted a puppy so badly. Since I already spent $3000, I couldnt go anywhere else, so I reached out to her again for asking for a dog. She replied about 2 adult dogs. But for whatever reason she wouldnt reply for my messages if I can meet the dogs she offered. I just didnt want to get one blindly and end up as the first experience. I even told her if she cant resolve this I need to look for other options. She didnt respond or tried anything after to resolve that. I dont have any intention of ruining her reputation. I tried my best to resolve this issue. Every time I try to resolve this she pushes me to get the puppy back. A responsible breeder wants the best for the puppy they raised and tries their best to match with the correct dog to the buyer. As you can see from the messages it was so hard to get a reply from her whenever I reach out to her about meeting a new puppy. Since she was not responding to my messages that is why I reached out to BBB to get my money back. After that, I tried to resolve the issue again and we talked again and came into agreement to pick up a 8 week old puppy. But seeing the way she blamed me for everything and the lies she said after she talked sweetly until I agree to get a puppy and even fixed a pick up date, I am not feeling comfortable getting a puppy from her again. I am requesting my full refund of $3000.

  If I get a puppy again from her it is going to be a stressful experience and not a happy moment for my kids. I believe getting their first puppy need to be a happy experience for my kids not a stressful event. Also, now my trust with this breeder is broken. Without trust it is not possible to buy a puppy and make sure I get the support with the puppy which I need for the first few days or weeks. I kindly request my money back so I can get a puppy from somewhere else and get this experience behind for both me and the breeder. As I mentioned to her before I am even ok with her keeping the deposit and giving the rest of the money back.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ****