8 month old GSD puppy PTS after only owning for 19 days !!! - Page 1

Just over 4 weeks ago a family came to view a 12 week old male puppy that I had for sale but after looking at him they asked if their children could play with my 8 month old female in the adjacent large play area.
I did let the parents know that she was available as she still had soft ears and that it were not likely to change because of her age and that was the only reason she was available as she was never going to make a conformation show dog. She was very healthy, extremely active, loved to play tug and chase a ball.
After watching the children and her playing and running fetching her ball, the whole time being extremely gentle with the children in general being a perfect add for any prospective buyer.
Of course this family fell in love and asked if they could have her and I agreed, thinking that their situation and her temperament would be perfect, they also owned and a 7 year old GSD and a Rottie that was also 8 months. They also lived on an acre of land so lots of room for her to run and play.

Wind the story on 1 week later I get an email saying that they were very happy with her and no problems at all, her and the Rottie were best friends ( photo to prove it) but my puppy was not eating as well as they thought she should and did I give her 1 or 2 meals a day ( I had told them before leaving and it was written in my puppy pack 2 x meals because she was so active it had been difficult to keep weight on her).

Two weeks later another email telling me that they had regrettably had to put her to sleep as she had Hip Dysplasia and that she had already suffered enough pain during her short life and they didn't want her to suffer any more WTF, they also attached a copy of the vet bill and their payment receipt from me asking that I pay them back.
I was devastated, felt like my heart had been ripped out.

My immediate response was that Prior to paying a cent that I wanted the xrays sent to a specialist and I would pay for that but they refused my offer.

They had booked her in to be speyed and asked their vet to put an xray through to check her hips as she had been limping. The vet xrayed prior to the surgery and thought they were ok so she was speyed. When the owners picked her up, ( this is when things become cloudy ) the vet tells them that the hips are not perfect but she is only 8 months lets re xray at 12 months and send them for grading. I have no idea what transpired here during this conversation but the owners decided to have her euthanized.

I rung the vet concerned who gave me a rather hurried rundown of what transpired (as she was busy?) but she claimed that she did not say that the puppy had Hip Dysplasia only that the hips were not perfect.
My next step was to ring and speak to the Veterinary Clinic Manager who basically reiterated the same story that the owners were not told that she had HD. I then asked that the xray be sent to a specialist radiologist who reads xrays for our AZ scheme here as I had already asked the owner and they had refused. Said vet then tells me that the xrays were not of good enough quality and would be undiagnostic for HD and that They required the owners permission first. I also asked why did they allowed a health puppy to PTS, answer was because they were the owners and that is what they asked to be done.

I then email puppy buyer asking if the vet actually said that she had HD ......... so far no answer to that but now they have stated that they give permission for a specialist viewing the xray.

Some one is telling lies .... puppy owner or vet .... I do want to have the xray assessed but I won't until I have the truth first.

It would be so easy to give them the money and be over it but I sold

That is terrible! I'm so sorry you've been put through that - and the poor pup!

I'd be going after those bastards with a baseball bat... terrible situation all around...

Wow, I would be terribly upset and angry...to put it mildly. Did they ever try to contact you at all? This is just one more incident that confirms why I could never be a breeder. I would literally be heartbroken.   Of course, this raises another question in my mind. How could a vet in all good conscience put an 8 month old pup to sleep that didn't have something severely wrong with it? An innocent 8 month old pup!!!!! I'm getting more upset as I write this. Grrrr I hope you get to the bottom of this.
The best,
Char

I wouldn't believe the vets, they are a bunch of crooks, they all now work on commissions like car salesmen...UnF.....believable ..check your state law,but they had to give you the chance to take her and do your x-rays...how do you know,in fact,that they xrayed her...maybe they sold her and are telling you this....All I can tell you is that every now and then, you will find people that will brake your heart and you would wonder if all the sleepless nights and sacrifices growing puppies are worth it..........But then I think about the people that my puppies have changed their lives and they call you years later to thank you.........Good luck

I am not sure about laws in the US, i am quite sure that they are similar to English laws, but it seems to me they would not be able to successfully claim because they unreasonably destroyed the young bitch and did not allow you to remedy the situation. Further pups are meant to be x-rayed at 12 months for HD and ED, sooner x rays will not give an accurate readings because the hips and elbows are still developing significantly. 

I am not a lawyer but it is only my opinion and therefore do not take responsibility for any comments made of this forum..... If they persist I must insist you seek legal advice. 

I have been breeding for 8 years and only have 1 or 2 litters a year --- my tattoos are only up to 46 so that tells you how many litters I have had and this is my first dissapointment, I thought that I was a great judge of character. This puppy was a joy to own and she is in my avitar running as always, I thought she deserved better than being a kennel dog if she was not showable BOY was I wrong.
Of the puppies that I have sold, many keep me informed of their progress as they grow up and of their acheivments along the way with lots of photos.

For some reason the end of my first post is missing but what it was supposed to say was that I sold them a happy healthy puppy. There is no way I would have let her go had she shown any signs of being lame.

My puppy folder, as I always point out, states for new owners to contact me first if they have a problem of any kind with the puppy, I think it is time to revamp my contract.

I'm not saying you did anything wrong, but I probably would have never sold to a family with young kids, a 7 yr old gsd and a puppy Rott. 1 acre doesn't give one more time and I just don't understand why someone wants another pup when they have one. Seemed like salmon from the beginning. Id tell em to piss off.

Chaz,
Many of my puppies go to homes with young children with no trouble what so ever these children were 5years old & 7 so not babies and they were very sensible with my dogs, both puppies and adult ones.
I also take a great deal of notice of the way children react with my dogs before making up my mind to allow them to have a puppy, I also watch the way adults react also, I am never afraid  to tell a person that they should go and look else where as I won't sell them one of mine.

These people did not ring any alarm bells for me.

I will not sell puppies to people who have babies and toddlers as for one thing they don't have the time and another it is easy for younger ones to be bumped or nipped by a playful puppy.

It is very unethical for veterinarians to euthanize healthy dogs. Check with your laws.If they actually say that Hips were good and she was healthy enough to be spayed (I don't question what you write), that veterinary would have reacted highly unethical. What in the world were they thinking, putting her down after spaying her?? Unless they messed with the anethetics....

Like I said, I'm not saying you did anything wrong. It's not so much the kids or their age. It's the kids, a dog and they already have a puppy. Why do they want another? And I would be more apt to sell to someone with a baby. Babies sleep, eat and crap. 5 and 7 year olds are just getting started in school. One is in kindergarten and the other in 2nd grade. These people should be worried about teaching the kids the alphabet, how to read, math, taking the to dance and soccer. But the kids arent even the red flag for me.