Beware Deb Sillers, Amazing Yorkies
 

I'm terribly sorry to be resorting to this review, but I've exhausted all other avenues. I paid Deb $3000 nearly 2 years ago for a dog that has yet to materialize. She's given me one excuse and hard luck story after another and I can't deal with her any more. She was one of the few people in this business I thought was honest. This is a big disappointment.

You're absolutely right it's been a long time, and I'm sorry.
The Company I hired to get me in compliance for the County here, failed to finish the permits for my dogs. Therefore I have only been allowed 6 dogs.
In small litters and limited dogs, I am limited to what I have. Since you have Cruz, You know the quality I would want to send to you.
I talked to you a few months ago, and told you of a female I would be watching. When I talked to you a few days ago, I told you she is about ready.
My health is bad, money is tight, and I'm trying the best to please everyone.
Like we discussed, I will put this baby up for sale, to refund you.
I am sorry!

Thank you, I appreciate your response here. Your return phone call came after I posted this review, otherwise I would have held back a bit longer. This was not the first time you said you had a puppy about ready to come to me, so I had doubts. I will post again after you've returned my money so everyone knows the situation has been rectified.

Seeing this thread today over my first cup of coffee made me so sad. Necessary? I question that.

I have had 24 hours to think on this and have decided to expound a bit. The main thing that bothered me with this thread was the word "beware". Usually, in these review threads, that word is reserved for reviews about the puppies a breeder is selling. Although, over the years, I have found that the reviews are not always totally accurate. I have seen breeders get rave reviews by people who like them but have very sick dogs....sick from conditions that are prevalent in yorkies that may not have specific genetic markers but clearly the same breeders continue to breed such dogs. Anyway.....that said, I have not seen any sick dogs from Deb Sillers. In saying this, I am not reviewing her breeding program ....I am just stating what I have noticed.

This was a post by a breeder who is unhappy about the fact Deb owes her money. This breeder messaged me yesterday because she was unhappy with my post. This is what I told her and I stand by it. She has bred Deb Sillers dogs for many years, so clearly she doesn't think there is a problem with Deb's breeding. I checked her website and she does still have Cruz on there as one of her breeding stock ... he is Deb's dog and was the #6 Yorkshire Terrier in the US in 2012. Anyway....here is what I told her when she messaged me:
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I stand by what I said. If you exhausted all avenues, I guess that means you had an attorney write to her?
I get that you want your money and honestly she said she owes you....
But to say BEWARE? As an observer, I found that to be offensive. It is bad enough we are overrun by badly bred yorkies as it is...someone might see that thread and think she is a bad breeder.
You got her attention...that is what you wanted right? I find it very sad it was posted the way it was. I happen to like Deb a lot.....and it has to do with her being a human being who really cares a lot about the breed. I have sent countless people to her when they had sick puppies and she is ALWAYS there to help. Matter of fact, I am going to post a story later today about how she helped me and a friend with a VERY sick puppy I took in. She spent hours on the phone with us into the night to save that puppy.
So...there you have it. I found it highly offensive..not that you bitched about the money...I get it , you want your money...but your wording in that subject line SUCKED
No other way to say it.

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Deb clearly has had financial issues .... most people know that and know the hardships she has faced. All I can say is "until you have walked a mile in a person's shoes....." and believe me I know all about that stuff. I read something once that made a lot of sense.... "be careful how you treat people on the way down, because you might meet them on the way down".

I believe there are two sides here ... I totally get that someone wants their money but they actually wrote to me and referred to it as "theft". No way do I believe Deb was out to "steal" from her. Deb has always been a kind hearted person and I know how much she loves the yorkie breed. She donated monthly (recurrent donations) to yorkie rescue for 6 straight years with extra donations in between and always thanked us for what we do for yorkies in need. As I said above she has helped countless puppies....many I saw on this forum and many I referred to her because I get contacted often and simply am not knowledgeable about breeding issues and the care of young, sickly puppies. That speaks volumes to me...she is NOT the only breeder I have reached out to for help...she is just THE most helpful one, always going above and beyond.
I am going to post another thread about a foster puppy I have now that is alive partly because of Deb Sillers. I will do that later in another new thread.

In closing, I do understand that Susan wants her money....and clearly Deb stepped up and accepted responsiblity for it. I am sure it will be resolved. Personally, I would have gone another route .. perhaps a legal avenue...but to post it here in a review thread? Not so sure about that. Kind of defeats the purpose in my mind...you want money but you want to make a breeder look bad to get it....does that help her sell puppies???? and in turn help you get reimbursed??

My reason for posting this is for the person who comes along looking for a puppy. Read this thread for what it is....avoid the word BEWARE when it comes to making a decision about purchasing a puppy. I don't ever vouch for any breeder but I also won't speak up for one I feel is selling sick and/or inferior puppies. My suggestion is to read this thread and understand it is a dispute between two breeders over MONEY owed...NOT over a problem related to breeding. If you go to the website of www.cloverhillyorkies.com you will find that she has at least one of Deb Sillers pups in her breeding program. Cruz is his name and his pedigree is there.

Perspective.

I think anyone reading the post will know that "Beware" means beware of her poor business practices and does not reference her breeding practices at all. Do you know how much it costs to involve an attorney in a claim like this? I didn't dare ask. We live on opposite coasts and I think any reasonable person knows pursuing legal channels to recover the money would be wasteful. My aim here was to get her attention, and it did work, and to warn other prospective buyers that their money may be tied up a long time. Recall the customer who complained to me when she ignored their requests for information after they'd put a $750 on deposit with her. Under the law, she has no right to spend the money we send her until we have our puppies. If I lived near her, you can bet I'd have her in small claims court by now.
I liked Deb a lot too, until her incessant sob stories became unbelievable. My life is no bed of roses either, but I don't prey on people with hard luck stories. All I wanted was to buy a dog and all I've gotten for 2 years is a promise that one would be coming. Like most people, I have to spend my money carefully.
Regarding Cruz, what does that have to do with it? He is a very cute little dog I purchased from Deb a long time ago. That transaction went well. I sent her the money and she promptly sent me the dog. This complaint is about a completely different transaction. I sent the money and have listened to 2 years of excuses about why she can't send a puppy. Deb knows I'm wrapping up my breeding program due to health. When a puppy comes, if a puppy comes, it will be likely be sold at a loss since it is no longer useful to me for breeding. I certainly don't need another Yorkie as a pet!

Too late to edit.....the saying mentioned in my fourth paragraph should have said "be careful how you treat people on the way up as you might meet them on the way down"

I know exactly what the story is....you said it and Deb verfied it.

My first post was about exhausting all avenues...if you didn't even ask how much a legal letter would cost, you answered my question.

I also said this is sad. It is.

You're Deb's friend and standing up for her. That's what friends are supposed to do.
Meanwhile I'm out a good amount of money that would be handy while I'd dealing with my own hardships. I think it's unreasonable of you to expect that I had some kind of responsibility to pay an attorney to write a letter that would have amounted to a bluff. I posted a review about my experience purchasing from Deb. In the past I have posted only great things about her, but this is a new reality. I think it would be better to leave this tread alone until the matter is favorably settled. Stirring the pot is not helping.

I know Deb and have a lot of respect for what she has done for the breed. She is not a personal friend. I like her.

I think this thread was ridiculous from the start. It was about the forum you used and your words...not the topic. NO ONE has said you are not entitled to your money. As to the legal letter, I only asked since you said you had "exhausted all avenues". Usually a paper trail is there....doesn't even have to be legal.

We bought our yorkie from Deb nine years ago we drove to Missouri to pick her up. I feel this post of cutting Deb down is not right. It sounds like Deb is doing the best she can to resolve this issue. Would I buy another yorkie from Amazing Yorkies yes I would. She is a wonderful person and her puppies are healthy fur babies. You do not kick a good kind hearted honest person down when they are down over money or anything else. You know Deb will make it right! Susan

I don't know Deb but have met a lot of YT members who bought her puppies and rave over the quality of her babies, all are so pleased and happy with Deb's healthy babies. Based on the good reviews I have seen from members that have purchased Debs puppies I have always recommended Deb when someone is looking to buy a healthy puppy. I see the title of BEWARE makes "me" think she is a bad breeder. This was not the place to air your grievance over money, don't shoot down a breeder that breds to better the bred, there are so few good, honest breeders out there now. Shame on you.

Rave Review, Deb Sillers - Amazing Yorkies

I bought one of Deb Siller's puppies 4 years ago and could not be happier. I have 3 Yorkies and this is the happiest, healthiest one of all. I can't say enough good things about this sweet little guy and the transaction I had with Deb. It saddens me to see this post because I know it will definitely impact Deb's reputation as a breeder and it should not. There are so very few good breeders available to those of us looking for excellent, quality Yorkies - to see one bashed in this way is awful. This is a breeding forum, not a business or financial forum. People come here looking for advice on breeders and see this review and naturally walk away with a bad taste in their mouth for Deb in general, when the exact opposite should be true. Unwarranted public shaming is hard to reverse and the damage has been done. I think there are so many other avenues that could have been explored to resolve this problem prior to this attempt to damage Deb's livelihood, and there is no other way to describe it. I would hope the OP has now seen the far reaching implications that her post has had, or might have, and will temper what she writes in the future.

Hopefully my daughter's post will appear soon, but she said it has to be approved by the moderator first, so I thought I would post it in the meantime and I quote -

Rave Review, Deb Sillers - Amazing Yorkies

I bought one of Deb Siller's puppies 4 years ago and could not be happier. I have 3 Yorkies and this is the happiest, healthiest one of all. I can't say enough good things about this sweet little guy and the transaction I had with Deb. It saddens me to see this post because I know it will definitely impact Deb's reputation as a breeder and it should not. There are so very few good breeders available to those of us looking for excellent, quality Yorkies - to see one bashed in this way is awful. This is a breeding forum, not a business or financial forum. People come here looking for advice on breeders and see this review and naturally walk away with a bad taste in their mouth for Deb in general, when the exact opposite should be true. Unwarranted public shaming is hard to reverse and the damage has been done. I think there are so many other avenues that could have been explored to resolve this problem prior to this attempt to damage Deb's livelihood, and there is no other way to describe it. I would hope the OP has now seen the far reaching implications that her post has had, or might have, and will temper what she writes in the future.

Rave Review, Deb Sillers - Amazing Yorkies

I bought one of Deb Siller's puppies 4 years ago and could not be happier. I have 3 Yorkies and this is the happiest, healthiest one of all. I can't say enough good things about this sweet little guy and the transaction I had with Deb. It saddens me to see this post because I know it will definitely impact Deb's reputation as a breeder and it should not. There are so very few good breeders available to those of us looking for excellent, quality Yorkies - to see one bashed in this way is awful. This is a breeding forum, not a business or financial forum. People come here looking for advice on breeders and see this review and naturally walk away with a bad taste in their mouth for Deb in general, when the exact opposite should be true. Unwarranted public shaming is hard to reverse and the damage has been done. I think there are so many other avenues that could have been explored to resolve this problem prior to this attempt to damage Deb's livelihood, and there is no other way to describe it. I would hope the OP has now seen the far reaching implications that her post has had, or might have, and will temper what she writes in the future.

I'm just trying to collect a debt that should never have gotten this old. Current negotiations still leave me short a good amount, but never mind that. The internet is a great tool for settling disputes with people who have a reputation to protect. I am curious to know about the "other avenues" that I apparently missed.
I get that you are friends/former clients of Deb. So was I. I purchased a nice dog from her in a transaction that went the way it was supposed to. That positive experience is why I tried to buy from her again and ended up with this mess. She has $3000 of my money for the past 2 years and all I've ever gotten for it is the promise a dog would be coming. Now I don't need the dog any more and she has no money to refund me.

Other avenues???...you've said in your last line "she has no money to refund me"...do you think publicly shaming her and possibly cutting off her livelihood is going to help? Is that going to enable her to magically produce money she doesn't have at the moment? I would think you'd want to also protect her reputation so that she could continue to do what she does best - produce well-bred, beautiful puppies and possibly sell one so that she could pay you the money she owes, rather than destroy that possibility and leave you with nothing. Makes no sense to me and I don't understand, still, why this is posted in a breeding forum????

This is a breeder review forum for purposes of publishing reviews of one's experience with a breeder. I have told what my experiences have been with this particular breeder. One experience was very good, another very bad. Someone buying a puppy from her will most likely get a very nice dog, and we all know how hard those are to come by, but they should be very clear and business-like, getting the terms of sale in writing, before sending money. A small deposit should be enough up until the time the puppy is ready for shipping. I wish there were some kind of escrow service for these types of sales. I think conducting the money part of the transaction through Paypal may offer some protection. This is not my first bad experience with a breeder, and some have been worse. I take no money at all from my clients until they take ownership of their puppy.
I'm still waiting for you to tell me about those other avenues you mentioned.

I have no vested interest in either side of this discussion. I have never bought a yorkie from Debbie and I do not know the OP. What I am reading about Deb’s history warms my heart. It sounds like she has provided many members here with healthy, beautiful furbabies and that is fantastic. This especially hits home with me because we purchased Max & Sasha from a “greeder”. They were in it only for the money and still are. They breed dogs with known genetic issues that end up, in good scenarios, cost the new owners thousands of dollars and in the worst case scenarios end up costing the life of the dog. I wish there was some type of regulation that would only allow people like Deb to breed but we don’t live in that perfect world. Seeing all the members come to the defense of Deb tells me that she is one of the good ones.

But there are 2 sides to every story and I can also see the OP’s side here. If I had given someone $3k and two years ago had still not rec’d what I paid for I would use every avenue available to me to get either my money or my product. I do not think this was a bad forum to post her issue. This is the “Breeder, Vet and Groomer reviews” forum. If a breeder is taking thousands of dollars and not providing what she was paid for I am thankful that someone is posting that here. I have one question for the people who are saying the OP should not have posted this here: If this post were about someone other than Deb, about someone that no one knew, no one had any history with, would you still be upset about being told that this person is taking money and not providing the puppies? After reading this thread I don’t think anyone, not even the OP, doubts Deb’s ability in the art of breeding. It is the business side of the breeding, and like it or not there is a business side, that Deb is currently lacking in.

I agree it is sad that it had to come to this. I truly hope whatever financial issues Deb is having are overcome. I am sure there are extenuating circumstances that we are not aware of and, after reading the testimonials about what a good person she is, my heart bleeds for her because I know what it is like to not be able to pay the bills. But I don’t blame the OP for posting here before taking legal action, e.g., contacting a lawyer who will charge hundreds of dollars just to write a letter. If this did go to court, the only winner is the lawyer. I know this will be a very unpopular statement but the OP did not damage Deb’s reputation. Deb did that herself. She took someone’s money, made a promise and nearly 2 years later has yet to fulfill her promise. But by her response it looks like she is standing up and taking ownership of that and will do what needs to be done to make this right. I hope both sides can amicably settle this and I wish both sides the best.

So let me get this straight....you had no problem with her having this money until recently when YOUR health got bad and you decided to retire. NOW you want the money and you are not willing to wait for a puppy any more. You waited for two years!!??!! But NOW you MUST HAVE that money immediately and you are freely admitting you don't CARE about her reputation because bashing someone on the internet is often fruitful. Let me tell you this: if it were ME you were doing this to I don't know that I would have gotten on here and been as forthcoming as Deb has been.

As someone said, there are always two sides to a story. I actually said that I understand that you want your money.... but reading these posts now I am becoming less enamored with you. You can't stand that people happen to think a lot of Deb and her pups..WHY? I see this now for what it is...you said "beware" for a reason....to turn people against her. As someone else said, SHAME ON YOU.

Have you written to her? Often a letter will put a person on notice that you intend to collect the debt. WhenEVER I want something from someone I put it in writing if I even remotely suspect my words will fall on deaf ears.

In the past two years have you ever asked for your money or were you waiting for the right dog to come along in one of Deb's litters; OR, did you, as I suspect just spring this on her because now you have health issues and money is tight? Maybe, just maybe if you had been a bit more diligent...and expressed your dismay to her this could have been settled without this tactic ?

Maybe this will help although I think it is past this now.....but you asked about "other avenues":

https://www.wikihow.com/Collect-Mone...le-Who-Owe-You

I'm not responding to this post to argue with anyone, I have no reason to. I'm not a breeder and I don't show dogs - I'm simply someone that bought a pup from Deb and was happy with the transaction. When asked if the original post were written about someone I didn't know would I be upset, that's a silly question - of course I wouldn't be upset, why would I? I wouldn't know either of the parties and would have no opinion about the matter; BUT I do know one of the parties and had an exceptional transaction with her.

Furthermore, we don't know what Deb's "promise" was to the OP or vice versa. Was there a time limit promised or even discussed? Was there a certain type puppy promised? Was there a contract that speaks to any of this? We weren't told about any of the details that might make a difference in how this was interpreted. Nor were we privileged to any of the conversations that went on between these 2 women. To say Deb has damaged her own reputation is a little presumptuous without knowing all of the facts. I, in fact, had to wait several months for my pup from Deb and he was only pet quality, certainly not "show" quality or "breeding" quality, which I assume is something specific to strengthen lines. I'm no breeder, so I'm not sure how all of that works, but I would assume those dogs that are to be used for breeding and showing are certainly not easily produced in every litter??? I also know from personal experience, to import a quality German Shepherd from top lines in Germany the MINIMUM wait is 3-5 years, so 2 years just does not sound THAT long. I'd wait 2 years for one of Deb's puppies now that I personally see the difference.

When I talked about other avenues, I guess I was referring to common human decency - understanding that people go through hard times and oftentimes by no choice of their own. I would have to look at their past track record and their intent; and before I publicly shamed or bashed them, I would have to stop and think about whether or not doing so was going to accomplish the goal I was setting out to accomplish, and if so, what exactly was that goal. Obviously, this is not a recurrent theme of Deb Siller's and perhaps the "end doesn't justify the means".

I am not vested in Deb, never had any dealings with her, however I did read I believe on her website a couple of years ago when she moved to Oregon or was in the process of moving. Deb laid it all out for all to see.
2 years ago a new member came here looking for help on whelping her females first litter, the female was in trouble, Deb must have sent the OP a PM then called the new member and walked her through the whelping, as it turned out the one or two puppies died but the momma lived. Who does that, who calls a stranger and spends hours on the phone, that alone speaks volume of Deb. magicgenie has had past dealings with Deb, yes 2 years waiting for a puppy or money back is a long time but, you do not come on this forum and smear her name to get Debs attention possibly causing her to loose a lot of business. magicgenie is a breeder herself, she knows the consequences of defacing a breeder and that was the reason for her airing out her money grievance here on this forum instead of taking Deb to court. Hurt Deb's business and magicgenie will have to wait longer to get paid back, kinda like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

I think this woman who has trashed Deb and cut her down should apologize . I am not a breeder just a yorkie lover that wants a healthy pup. I said before my little Kinder came from Deb and she is nine years old now. We need more breeders like her in this world. My last yorkie came from a dysfunctional breeder where we had to deal with genetic IBD. Again I think it is awful to try to reck a good breeders reputation. I hope all on this site can see that Deb is loved for her honesty and good breeding. Susan

Wow...what an awesome post! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I have a bunch of those stories....Deb helping people with their puppies that she got NOTHING from. She truly loves the breed .. and is a good person. I have a puppy now that i really MUST share .. I have been so busy and I am trying to decide where to share it. The time Deb spent with me and others regarding this puppy was amazing and I can tell you that if not for her I don't think this puppy would have made it. This puppy is a miracle story and I promise this week to post her story... maybe in sick and injured so people can learn from it. And as to Deb's help with her...I suppose I can just link it to this ...

I will be keeping an eye out for this miracle baby's story. God bless Deb for all she does in helping ppl pull these precious puppies out of harms way.

So because Deb is a good breeder and she has financial problems how many years should magicgenie have to wait to get her money returned, I'm assuming without interest? She trusted this breeder and the breeder took her money! Maybe all of you should help out Deb and pool your money to payback Magicgenie, that would solve the issue, right? I mean, Deb has been there for all of you I assume for free, so maybe it's time to help Deb out, just say'n

I believe you have missed the point.