Dear Editor,
My husband and I purchased a Yorkshire terrier from a Barrhead County breeder on Oct. 16. The breeder is a registered breeder and belongs to the CKC. During her first checkup on the 23 of the same month she was diagnosed with luxating patella in both of her rear legs, one was stage 2 and the other was stage 3-4 (1 being moderate and 4 being extremely severe). The only treatment for this condition is an expensive surgical procedure that costs $1,500-$2,000 per leg. The vet strongly suggested that due to its advanced state that the breeder would have certainly known that this puppy had something wrong with her legs at the time she was selling her. After receiving medical records from her first check-up (she was still in the care of the breeder) the vet noted that she had some irregularities with her left leg and told the breeder to keep an eye on it (we were never told of this or shown the vet record from her first checkup).
Being the animal lovers that my husband and I are, returning her for a new puppy was never an option, we had fallen in love with our new little Bentley. After booking her in for the surgery we called the breeder and explained our situation. I wasn’t expecting a full refund I only wanted some help to pay for the expensive surgery. I was extremely disappointed with the way we were dealt with, at no point in our conversation did the breeder offer an apology for the circumstance we were in, or offer any helpful suggestions. All she could say was she knew nothing of this condition and that we should try and get pet insurance to cover it. I explained that because this condition was pre-existing they would not cover anything. After much deliberation her final offer was that she would refund us $500 (we paid $2,000) of our money or we could return her for a “newer and faster puppy” as she explained it.” If returned, Bentley would have gone without the surgery and would have lived a painful and short life, or they would have had her put down. We refused both of these offers and will pay out of pocket for the surgery. I though that because we bought from a registered breeder we were protecting ourselves from a situation such as this, but after talking to the vet, SPCA and the CKC, it is buyer beware. If you are considering buying a new puppy, do your homework. Get testimonials from other customers and request to view their vet check-up.
Alyssa Gaultier
