Dana,
I, unfortunately, am very aware of the so-called breeder in North Benton, OH that you are talking about. She lives only about 15 miles from me and I've been to their place. I would never buy from her, ever! First of all, she will not show you the parents. She makes 6 figures a year from breedings. That was told to me by one of our store managers who's mother is friends with the breeder. Cages are stacked on top of each other in a barn. As far as just finding out about leukemia, she's been ill for quite a long time, not just recently. I haven't looked recently but for a long time she had a running ad in the Ohio and PA newspapers, and who knows how much farther she extends her advertising. I'm sorry you got scammed. I do ship but if you would have made the trip, you could have visited me and picked out your pup, seen and played with the parents, shown the pedigree, which I have available on my website. And speaking of shipping, you can make reservations up to 10 days in advance of shipping and as little as 24 hours in advance, however, you can cancel those reservations, all it takes is a phone call. And the pups must have a health certificate from a licensed vet. As big of an operation that she has, I'm sure she does all the shots. She has been known to sell sick pups before. Do you have the vet's health certification? If you do, I'd call them direct and see what information you can get from the vet. If you get no where, let me know privately and I will find out.
I just did a little research to check out their website and came across this link, interesting reading:
http://www.petstorecruelty.org/Buyin...r%20beware.htm
"Fairview Kennels, North Benton, Ohio (fairviewmaltese.com; fairviewyorkies.com)
Fairview Maltese/Yorkies advertises weekly in the newspaper puppies for sale & online. I bought a Maltese from them. She had 3 for me to look at all in individual cages. The dogs were clean and well groomed for me to see. This probably sells the puppies as she was a previous groomer. I was told the puppy I purchased was never outside or on the ground until I purchased it. The dogs came from a kennel not attached to the house. She would not let me go in there to see the parents. The dog was so excited to get away from there she couldn't eat for a few days and lost 2 pounds. She was scared to death of all noises inside the house and outside, which would be understandable with a dog that had been kept in a cage. She ran continually as she had been set free. If I accidentally step on her toe or tail she wants to attack me. I have had many dogs as a child and adult and never had a dog with this kind of behavior. I believe the dog was caged until I got her and this is why her behavior is like it is. She is coming along nicely and so far seems to be healthy. I believe Fairview Maltese/Yorkies is a puppy mill because of my dog's behavior."