It's funny because when we were looking for Chip, we had set out saying that we were going to get him from a reputable breeder. We had anywhere for $750 to $950 to spend, but most of them in our area were about $1500. We looked and looked. I finally found and ad in the washington post online classifieds (I know, I know, bad place) that advertised "Teacup Yorkies" (Red flag #1) that were in our price range. At the time I had no idea there was no such thing as teacups. Hubby gives them a call and they said that they were actually in PA at the moment and all the puppies were sold but one and they would be back with him around noon the next day (Red flag #2). We went up there that day with the intentions of bringing home our first dog together. I was 19 and Adam had just turned 21. We had only been married for 5 months at that point and Chip was Adam's 21st birthday gift. We got up there, knocked on the door, rang the doorbell, and no answer. We put a note on the door and left. We got a call about an hour later apologizing that they were in the basement and they had sold the last puppy in PA the night before. We were really bummed and I was frustrated to tears. We were so desperate for a dog we
ALMOST went to Petland!!!
We were actually on our way when we get a call from the people again saying they forgot they had a puppy (BIG Red flag #3) and were willing to take $200 off the price for our inconvenience (Red flag #4) if we wanted to take a look at him. Of course we said yes and drove as fast as we could in rush hour traffic to get there. As soon as we walked in the door we saw this adorable little puppy in an ex-pen in the front foyer. He had a cute little blue bow in his hair and was as cute as could be. Adam went to pick him up and Chip scooted backwards from the sitting position and whined. He was petrified. When we were holding him, he just shook all over and wouldn't take any treats from us (Red flag #5). They told us he was going to be able 5 lbs, even though he was 2.6 lbs at "8" weeks old (he was actually only 7 weeks, red flag #6). They told us he was eating Purina Pro Plan for puppies. They gave us a large Ziploc bag full, took our check, and off we went. They never asked us any questions about us or did any background checking, nothing (Red flag #7). We spent I think maybe 30 minutes there before we were out the door with our new puppy. He threw up on the way home (Red flag #8), but I figured he was just stressed. We got him home and he wouldn't eat, barely drank, and would just sit on the other side of the room from us, shaking. When he did explore some, he acted like a scared cat in a new environment. The only person he did warm up to immediately was my friend's 3 month old baby and that's cause she was ignoring him completely. I don't know a whole lot about breeding, but I'm pretty sure a young puppy should not be that scared if it is raised in a proper environment with lots of socialization and love. We left food and water out for him and he seemed only slightly interested. In hindsight I did notice him pick up some of the food, but it would fall out of his mouth (Red flag #9). I didn't realize it then, but he didn't know how to eat solid hard dog food. He threw up once again before the night was over. By this point, he trusted us enough to know we weren't going to hurt him and wouldn't leave our side. We felt bad for him after all he had been threw throughout the day and decided to let him sleep with us, just this one time
but were too scared to have him up in the bed, so we put blankets and pillows down and let him sleep between us on the floor. He actually laid there all night long and didn't move but a couple times to potty. I got up, went to work, and was there for a few hours when Adam called me and said he had thrown up about 5 more times, still wasn't eating, and looked very weak. I told him to take Chip to the vet, which we were going to do anyways for his first check up. He took him to the vet and called me again... he said the vet had told him she wanted to do all kinds of tests and mentioned a bunch of illnesses that it could be, all of which were life threatening and would cost a lot of money to treat and care for. We talked and it killed me, but I told Adam there would be no way we could afford a sick puppy and that we should bring him back to the "breeders". We had a 7 day health guarantee (Red flag #10). He agreed and we were both sad. He drove back to the "breeders", which was about an hour away. Adam said that Chip was laying on the passenger seat with his tongue sticking out and mouth open. He gets to this person's house and they immediately give him some wet food and an antibiotic of some sort. Adam said about 5 minutes later, Chip was acting like a completely normal puppy and was playing with their Chihuahua. During this entire time, I had decided that it didn't matter that Chip was "sick" and we would find a way to take care of him. I think I called Adam's phone about a hundred times, bawling my eyes out. He had left his phone in the car, of course. I finally figured after about 2 hours straight of trying to call my husband that it was too late and Chip was probably already signed back over to them. I cried until I couldn't cry any more, when my phone finally rang - it was my husband. I answer the phone and he responds back with a "HIIIIIII!!!!" I asked him how in the world he could be so happy when we just gave Chip back. He then told me that Chip was fine and he was on his way home WITH Chip in the car. Of course, our story doesn't end there - Chip has severe allergies, a "mildly loose knee", and temperament problems. After looking at his papers later and reading a lot on YT, I did a google search for his breeder's name. I didn't find much out other than he was on that USDA list or whatever it's called and that he was an Amish puppymiller from Lancaster, which would explain why the people we got him from were in PA. They were brokers and the man, I learned, after doing some research on him, had spent some time in jail. I did read that someone in the puppymiller's family, who lived next door to Chip's "breeder" had shot almost everyone of his dogs (which was about 100, I believe) because an inspector came by and told him that all his dogs needed to see a vet immediately. My theory is that the family owned this mill and they were all in it together. Chip's mother very well could have been one of those dogs that were shot.
All in all, we both learned a lot from our experience in this and from being on YT. I wouldn't trade Chip for a hundred show quality yorkies and I love him to pieces, but I'll never buy a dog like that again... not without doing my homework and not without doing a lot more research. I could chaulk it up to being young and naive, but I don't think that's the case, because it happens to a lot of people of any age. Since getting Chip and adding Smokey (as a rescue, from a puppymill), I've been doing a lot of learning and educating others about puppymills and brokers. I've helped friends research breeders and point them in the RIGHT direction and gotten involved with rescue adoptions. I've tried turning what was a crappy, horrible situation for both of my dogs into a positive one that is educating for all and next time I get a dog, I'll know better or I'll get a rescue. I think everyone who's had a bad situation should share at some point or another to educate others to avoid the same situation. I think the only way we're ever going to get rid of puppy mills or at least minimize them is for all of us who've had experiences to be active, get involved, and make the public aware of what is really going on. People will listen if enough people talk.
Wow, I really didn't mean to make such a large post.