read and decide for yourselves
 

I am going to try to make this short. Our Journey began almost 2 years ago with our first Yorkie purchase from Firebrand Yorkies out of Wisconsin. Its not an easy decision since we live in NY and relied on the breeder to help us pick out the perfect puppy. Which she did. So when my husband and I decided to get a 2nd we didn't think twice and returned to Firebrand Yorkies. This puppy (Arlo) was out of the same parents as our first. We received our puppy on Friday October 3rd 2014 and he died on November 2nd 2014. How you ask?!? He had a CONGENITAL liver disease. A shunt. Nothing anyone can control.Like most breeders you are given a health agreement. Not everyone's is the same. Ours was a 2 year agreement. Offering a refund or replacement if the puppy should die from a congenital disease and an autopsy was performed.
One week after we got him he was hospitalized and kept overnight for monitoring. He couldn't maintain a temp and they tested his blood for bialacid levels which were high before and after fasting. These results were an indication there was something going on with his liver and our vet recommended we see a specialist. Which we did. His diagnosis was that of a liver shunt also. With his recommendation and our vets affirmation we decided to treat it medicinally until he got bigger so we could have the surgery performed. He was only 1.67 pounds when we got him. Sadly we didn't make it to that point with him. In the meantime I had been in touch with the breeder to keep her posted on his well being. She believed it to be hypoglycemia. Feeling as though I was in a rock and a hard place listening to her or my vet I did what she asked of me also. Bought baby food and honey and syringe fed him 2x a day just to be sure so when I called her from the vet on sunday November 2nd in tears because our dog passed away I did not get the response I was expecting. She yelled and screamed at me. Telling me I killed her dog and hung up on me. 2x. Mad, sad and befuddled my husband and I opted to have the autopsy. Hoping once these results came back she might understand. Her last contact with me was a text telling me my vet and I killed her puppy and my contract was void. We chose to send him to Michigan state for the autopsy as a means of getting an "unbiased" opinion. The results confirmed our suspicions. He had a congenital liver disease which resulted in his death.
I cant understand who responds like that? Not sure where to turn next I contacted Wisconsin state attorney general. With no response still from her I sent her a package (certified too) with ALL the information in it including her signed contract asking her 1 last time to end this amicably and return me the purchase price of the puppy. To this day I still have never heard from her so this is where I am left. Sharing my story. Wondering what kind of people out there have had a similar experience and why breeders wont take responsibility and honor something they signed?? Clearly I did not kill this puppy and I have the paperwork that proves it.

I'm very sorry for your loss and for how you were treated by your breeder. Thank you for sharing your tragic story with us and for alerting people about your breeder. I hope your heart heals and that you can someday soon smile about memories of your little pup who passed away far too soon.

very sad story from your breeder at the least you are owed a new puppy, but often it is hard to accept a new puppy from a breeder like the one you are dealing with. She is scared and trying to intimidate you, and she has to know the vet is correct since the autopsy is from an esteemed vet school. I would say you have a tough fight on your hands. You could probably get money back but I will bet it will take lots of perserverence on your part. I checked her website out and I can see she has some pricy yorkies so I assume between the vet bills and the purchase price of the dog you are probably close to $5,000 into to it, maybe more. I would definitely try taking her to court if even small claims court, I think you would have a strong case. Good luck and keep us posted

look into puppy lemon laws in WI I know bunches of states are passing them. you can do a lot of his type of research on your own and then perhaps pay a lawyer to write a very threating letter, sometimes that is just enough to force them into action. People like her are expecting you to back down since most people do.

where is Springville?

Yikes so extremly sorry you have to go through this. I would get a lawyer it sounds like she's not a real great person. I did notice some red flags on her website as well. I hope everything works out and I'm so sorry for your loss.

I am SO sorry. I know the pain of seeing a young puppy die due to a congenital illness. I had one as a foster and we had her at a specialist and were prepared to spend whatever it took; but her congenital anomaly was so bad she could not be saved. Made me sick. I have never really gotten her out of my mind...she never had a chance.

I would not let this woman go. I would hire an attorney and do whatever I could to make her pay. Yelling at you that you killed a puppy who had a congenital defect? Horrid.

I looked at her site and the first words that jumped out at me : We breed tiny,
I don't know her or her breeding program, but most breeders who use those words do NOT put the pups welfare first. It is all about the bottom line: money and using that "tiny" word to get money from people. Tiny = teacup in my way of thinking...some just avoid using the teacup word but the breeding remains the same . :(

What a very sad story, I am so sorry to hear this :cry: it does seem like legal pursuit is the best course since your case is clearly documented if you are financially able to do so.

What a horrid person and a traumatic experience for you all around..


I'm sorry for your loss, first and foremost..


I think you have done an admirable thing by naming and shaming this breeder here and others will be able to use your experience when they start the process of purchasing a puppy.


You've done nothing wrong and you are right to expect her to honor her contract. How appalling, the things that she said to you, which I feel are being said out of spite.


I'm not sure if it's worth hiring a lawyer or not but I do think it's worth you making a few calls to find out.


Good luck xxxxxxxx

I am sorry for your loss and can't imagine the pain you must be going through. I would definitely take her to small claims court at the very least. You could also try sending a threatening letter like someone else has already suggested that worked for a close friend of mine when in a similar situation. I hope you see justice for yourself and your pup.

So sorry for the loss your your lil baby. I agree with others, if for nothing else but principle I would pursue this . I believe the breeder is trying to intimate you thinking you will "just go away" as I am sure others have done.

I would copy and paste your post onto her Facebook page. I would end it with the fact that to this date you have not heard from her. Why should she only have positive posts with people singing her praises? She didn't hold to her contract and she is trying to intimidate you. She needs to check on other puppies from that litter and not breed theses dogs again. Yep - I would definitely post on her Facebook page.

She will just remove it. And, while I hate to say it, the people who "follow" her are not going to believe negative stories. I see this all the time.

So this is Jason. My wife Meg is the one who did the typing last night. Springville is south of buffalo ny. As far as people not believing the neg stories I agree with you. However the upper hand I believe we have is we already have one dog from her. So we're not just a made up story. We are seeking action against the breeder. I also wanted to add our contract is different from the one now listed on her site. It was changed 48 hrs after our conversation about my dogs passing. Also now her shipping weight requirements have changed. Arlo was his name from the breeder but we changed to cash. Cashes weight was 1.69 on day of shipping and was 1.69 30 days later. It's just crazy to me how not to honor things. As far as wi pet law there isn't one. But this has been since turned back to the att gen in ny. Our lemon pet law here is great 180 days full refund and vet bills with in those days. So this is hopefully in our favor. Thanks for all the kind words.

Oh, I understand, but the people who believe some of the things they believe about some of these breeders defies anything I understand. I am not familiar with your breeder, but I know of some who have sold very sick yorkie puppies for years and there is all sorts of info out about them....yet people continue to pad those breeders pockets. Just insane.

I am happy when I see someone like you share your story...because while many won't listen, even if one does it is a good thing.

I really hope you get your money back.

Oh, I am so sorry. My heart aches for you. As if losing the pup isn't hard enough to have to deal with this stress so unfair. I admire you for pursuing this for all the others you will help.

Your story makes me so sad. I'm so sorry for the loss of your little boy. This breeder definitely needs to be held responsible.

I'm very sorry for what all of you have gone through, and I do hope that you get justice for both of you and Cash. File a ripoff report, too.

Looks like the breeder has come on this site and made one post. I'm glad you came on here and told your side of the story first. A breeder would have to be quite audacious to blame anyone else for a dead pup when an autopsy proves the presence of a liver shunt. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...-nm-ships.html

Shared a link on her FB page. Please feel free to spread the word. We could use the help. You all are awesome

Zook4mud you should go to this section of their facebook page and post a review: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireb...763?sk=reviews

She just dont want to fork over her christmas money to remburse you. She can not just change the contract without both of you signing the changes. You have a vet to prove your case. Call better business to and make a report. Let. Her know if she does not handle this in a timely manner your lawyer will be contacting her. As you have vet proof the puppy was born with this. Next step small claims court. Let her know you would rather settle this out of court.

Some people play this cgame when they are in the wrong. They manage to turn it around like there the victim.

Hello YorkieTalk.com forum readers,

My name is Jen and I volunteer as the Social Media Admin for Firebrand Yorkies. It is my responsibility to manage the Facebook page and recently YorkieTalk.com for Firebrand Yorkies.

I am quite shocked at the hurtful comments many of you have left in response to Zook4mud’s post about the devastating loss of their beloved new puppy, Cash. It is my understanding that we are all human and we must bestow kindness and compassion to all others. We are taught not to jump to conclusions or cast judgement without yet hearing both sides of the story. It is easier to take the vigilante route, especially in a format such as this forum as you need not take any action beyond providing your vindictive opinions.

A wise person takes the less travelled, patient route, they seek to gain perspective before casting stones. I hope that all of you will calm down and understand that there are two sides to this story as there are with every story. Please wait until you have heard both sides before tearing this breeder apart. I do not even know both sides of the story yet so I cannot answer any questions or provide insight on the issue at hand.

Now, something I can provide insight for. I have known Diane for 2 ½ years, if I could choose a single word to describe her, I would choose benevolent. This may come as a shock to you as you have all assumed that Diane is a greedy human being with no ability to be empathetic or caring. The fact is that the situation is quite the contrary.

Beyond caring for her Yorkies, Diane regularly offers up her time providing encouragement and companionship to her family members and friends. Her door is always open to anyone who is in need and is comfortable sharing a bed with a dozen Yorkies.

Diane loves Yorkies and I do not say this lightly. Every single puppy who comes in and out of Firebrand Yorkies is treated like family at the Firebrand household. The dogs live, play, eat, and sleep in the same space as their owners. Previous buyers frequently return with their Yorkie babies for dogsitting or playdates because of the Yorkie family atmosphere that Diane has created in her home.

Diane also loves to share that love with her buyers. When she sells a puppy she feels as if she is giving a child up for adoption. She screens buyers to ensure that the puppies are going to the best home possible. I am sure that she was just as devastated at the loss of Cash as he was a member of the Firebrand household for the first twelve weeks of his life.

Even after being financially advised to increase prices, she continues to accommodate discounts for buyers as she feels that money isn’t an important part of the equation. The most important part for her is the puppy’s health, well-being, and integration into their new family.

As many of her recent buyers are aware, Diane has been suffering from health issues. She will go out of her way to veil how serious the issues actually are as to not burden others with worrisome news. I speak for Diane here as I tell you that the health issues are as serious as they come. Yet, she continues to provide service for her customers to the best of her abilities because she loves her Yorkies and wants nothing more than to share that love with other families.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Kwan

This thread has been a clear example of this type of behaviour that YorkieTalk.com is trying to curb. I am utterly disappointed that this has been behaviour prevalent enough that it warranted a post such as the one linked here:

Everyone Please Read: Going Forward, We Must Post With More Respect Toward Others

We did send A letter with the help of our lawyer. It had to be signed for so we know she received it. It stated 7 days she had or it would be pursued and yet she ignored it. That was 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the bbb tip. We will file today. Our review is surprisingly still on her FB page. And we have over 400 views on this page. Hopefully that's 400+ lost customers

Jennifer - this is *NOT* the type of behavior that YT is trying to "curb". This post is by a member who is looking for support - and THAT is what she was given. This thread is HER side of the story, not the breeder's side. This member was given nothing but support, compassion, and understanding. If you think that is wrong, then you are at the wrong forum for your beliefs. If the breeder wishes to tell her side of the story here, she is more than welcome to.

Dianne has been great. That's why we spent ove 5000$ with her. But when it came time to have honor your passion and business she has failed us. I'm not saying anything against her. I'm more than hoping she replys on here. I have 28 page of back up. I'm looking to reconcile any way besides court. But I need to have the other side to work with. She has been very sick we know. We have other dog drone her. We talked texted all the time. This is why we express our story. Sorry but I work extremely hard to take care of my family. The expenses I concurred dying that month were extreme. Again to those who read ty. And those who take 1 side or the other.....28 pages of black and white. Shame on you.

The highlighted sentence made me almost lose my coffee this morning.

Amazing that you "volunteer" for a person charging what she does for the pups she sells.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

So sorry for the loss of this puppy and the anguish of those who loved and cared for the pup. Also, sorry for the poor health of the breeder.

That being said, it seems like some hard facts are being ignored here. So fortunate the previous pup they purchased is in good health, however this pup was not. Documentation of professional vet treatment and unbiased autopsy documentation are the bottom line. There was a contract, and the breeder must uphold their end of it.

It is so unfortunate that these folks have to experience the contentious aspect of living the contract along with their grief of Losing their pup.