Quote:
Originally Posted by QuickSilver  Please do not get a puppy shipped to you. There are a ton of horror stories out there, as some people here have personally experienced. The problem is that once you get the puppy, you really have no recourse if something is wrong (puppy is sick, not the one you selected, etc). Technically you can sue, but the hassle and cost of a lawsuit is not worth the time, and in the meantime, the poor puppy is in the middle of it all.
I know $1500 - $2000 is a lot of money, but you if you consider that you are getting a friend for the next ~15 years, it's not so much. Think about how much you are really paying per year, or per day for the peace of mind of having a healthy, well bred dog.
Please also consider rescue. The dogs there are usually much cheaper, and you will be giving a dog a second chance, which is priceless. |
Exactly! As I said before I had a great experience getting my Princess from a referred breeder across the country, and I recommend them every chance I get-but they have turned out to be a rarity in the puppy business (they actually breed for health and temperament above all else). But it only takes one mistake and one bad experience to get an idea of how bad things can go-although I paid out the wazoo for extra airline services-ensuring my dog was never outdoors, temperature controlled "live animal cargo area" (still not sure what live animal cargo area means) paying for an airline contracting kennel to care for my dogs during the flight and a separate kennel to care for my dog during the flight stop to ensure they weren't lost-were fed, pottied, walked, kennels cleaned etc-but my Elvis came to me in poor health and later had health issues-he also showed up without the agreed upon papers, and his full vet records (he was 2 yrs when I adopted him) he has epilepsy cluster seizures-I'd have to sue the breeder I got him from and she is out of state, not to mention because our contracts were agreed on via online contract my only recourse is to send him back for a replacement puppy...how can I just send him back to someone who wasn't giving him the care she said she was and furthermore I believe she knew he had a seizure disorder (thus her never sending his complete medical records) and figured that shipping him to someone far away would be a way of unloading an ill dog, with me having little recourse other than to send him back at my cost and later taking expensive out of state legal action. I just can't recommend people get a dog from a breeder they don't know personally and haven't met and inspected the person actually does "business" as they state they do. I thought I had done it right (boy was I wrong) despite multiple phone calls and correspondence, questions and getting what I thought were honest and "good" answers: I really had no clue or way to verify anything other than what she told me herself. I wouldn't do it that way again, no matter the situation (for me it was because he was what I had been looking for and thought I had finally found-a "teapot" Parti boy at an age any health issues would be already known). One bad experience like mine cost thousands, trust me, I mean thousands beyond the just the purchase cost of your pup...veterinary bills are no joke when they start piling up...and they do very quickly.