Puppy died

PCwiggum

Hi, not sure if this is the right place may be should be in the pet forum??. I bought a teacup yorkie last week and he passed away sunday morning after spending a day with the vets. The vet says he was clogged with worms. The seller says she did worm him and is sort of implying it was the vets fault. Now she is not returning my texts or calls as I'm looking for my money back. Should she be liable to refund what I paid for the pup? Any advice please?

Sponge Bob

Get a written report from your vet, the poor critter could not have developed an infestation in a week. You may have to threaten the small claims court on the vendor. If from Donedeal or Buyandsell initiate a dispute for repayment in full.

foggy_lad

It is buyer beware and you should really have looked for some receipt from a vets or chemist for the worming dose, many puppy farm type sellers will tell you they have wormed and done all sorts but at the end of the day they know that the pups they are selling are sick as they don't spend anything on them, and once they have your money and the pup is handed over it is your lookout.

You could report the seller to the ISPCA as a potential puppy farm but most people don't have a full name or address for the people they buy puppies from and mostly only have a mobile number.

Nody

You should read the stickies about puppy farms in the Animal & Pet forum as you appear to have walked right into one (oh and private sell so as per the post above buyer beware; SCC will not help).

smellsfunny

Theirs nothing you can do since it was a private sale. Just one of lifes tough lessons.

mdebets

I'm not seeing, where you all get it from that it was a private sale?
OP, if it was a private sale, nothing you can do from a consumer point. But if it was a commercial seller, you can get a refund or a replacement dog.

foggy_lad

mdebets wrote: »

I'm not seeing, where you all get it from that it was a private sale?
OP, if it was a private sale, nothing you can do from a consumer point. But if it was a commercial seller, you can get a refund or a replacement dog.

Indeed if bought from a pet shop or a business you do have rights but these would be very hard to assert as the seller will just say the pup was in perfect health when handed over to you.

swingking

OP rescue a perfectly healthy dog from one of the many animal shelters in future. Don't feed breeders greed.

the_syco

PCwiggum wrote: »

I bought a teacup yorkie last week and he passed away sunday morning after spending a day with the vets.

Poor doggie

Report the person/shop/etc that you got the puppy from and boycott the place.

dan1895

swingking wrote: »

OP rescue a perfectly healthy dog from one of the many animal shelters in future. Don't feed breeders greed.

Good luck with that. It's easier to adopt a child.

wingnut

dan1895 wrote: »

Good luck with that. It's easier to adopt a child.

+1 with some of the organisations at least.

Tipperary animal lover

Sounds like a puppy farm pup, poor thing, never buy privately plenty of rescues with to many pups looking for homes now!!!

washiskin

If the breeder is registered with the Kennel Club it might be as well to report her to them. Might not yield you anything but she should be banned from breeding & exhibiting for selling a poor little creature in that condition. ISPCA, as Foggy Lad already said, should be made aware of this too.

ShaShaBear

Unfortunately, your first mistake was paying for a "teacup" yorkie.
If you received papers with the dog, as I'm guessing you would, since you paid for the dog, then report them to the IKC and send them a bill from your vets.
If you got it from a pet shop, apply to the Small Claims Court (do not get a replacement :rolleyes: )
If you did not get papers, and did not get the dog from a pet shop, well then you were well and truly swindled and the poor puppy came out the worst.

borderlinemeath

The OP implies that it was a private sale as he refers to the 'seller' and not the shop. The majority of pups are sold through private sellers, the worst of these advertise on the likes of donedeal or gumtree, where there is no vetting and the ad is displayed almost immediately.

OP, unfortunately this is one of those situations where you have no financial clawback. Unless you purchased from a responsible breeder* who is willing to stand over any puppies that come from their litters then you may be just wasting more money on your phone bill trying to contact her.

How many weeks old was the pup OP?
Did it receive any vaccinations from the 'breeder'?
Did you get any registration papers with it?
Was it registered with the IKC?
Was it microchipped?
Did you visit the breeders home?
Did you see the pup with its siblings and mother?
Did the breeder have multiple dogs advertised or were there more dogs at their home?
Did they show you the dog in the home or outside?


*The fact that you refer to the pup as a 'teacup' yorkie sets alarm bells ringing for a start. There's no such thing as a teacup yorkie/jack russell/any small breed of dog and no responsible breeder would refer to their pups as such. Miniature is another word bandied around with small breeds when in fact there are very few recognised 'miniature' breeds, such as miniature dachshunds or pinschers, and these were bred for purpose well over a hundred years ago to work and their small size aided their work, these days teacup/miniature feeds the consumer want for handbag sized dogs. Basically you've bought a runt bred from runts to ensure a small sized dog. Problem is the runts are usually the sickest or the weakest of the litter but unscrupulous breeders use them to make smaller dogs. They will be susceptible to more infections due to the fact that as the weakest of the litter they tend to not get enough of their mothers first milk which contains essential nutrients to build their immune system, their healthier siblings beat them to it.

OP if you want a puppy, please read the sticky in the animals and pet issues forum before you buy. Do your research on your breeder, or if possible rescue a dog. I'm fostering a beautiful little black scottish terrier cross at the minute for a local rescue, they always get small dogs, even pure breeds in. Please remember the cute puppy phase only lasts a couple of months, during that time puppies will chew, destroy things, need housetraining, multiple vaccinations and worming, perhaps puppy socialisation classes too. Getting a rescue dog at perhaps a year old will take away all the hassle of rearing a puppy, and socialisation is vitally important for puppies in order to lead a happy life without issues with other dogs, people, children etc.

borderlinemeath

dan1895 wrote: »

Good luck with that. It's easier to adopt a child.

+1 with some of the organisations at least.

While there are restrictions to adopting a rescue dog and it can be frustrating, the reasons behind it are for the protection of the animal at the end of the day. Rescues are run on a voluntary basis and a lot of unpaid work goes into rehoming a dog that has been surrendered or abandoned or found as a stray. The rescue will evaluate the dog and see whether it is suitable for the person that wants it. There's plenty of reasons why a person or a family is deemed 'unsuitable', such as the age of children not suitable for the particular dog, long working hours, unsecured garden or area for the dog, and in particular if the person is unwilling to let the dog sleep indoors, it's usually a sign that the dog is not going to be 'part of the family'.

So many dogs are given up because they are bought and then the family doesn't have 'time' for them or children come along and they aren't properly socialised to live with the child and are banished into the garden. Dogs are living creatures and have been domesticated over thousands of years, they give their owners unconditional love and then are basically given up when something 'more important' comes along.:(

FYI, just on the exaggeration, a friend of mine has been waiting 5 years to adopt a child - she managed to rescue a dog within a couple of weeks:rolleyes:

charlietheminxx

borderlinemeath wrote: »

While there are restrictions to adopting a rescue dog and it can be frustrating, the reasons behind it are for the protection of the animal at the end of the day. Rescues are run on a voluntary basis and a lot of unpaid work goes into rehoming a dog that has been surrendered or abandoned or found as a stray. The rescue will evaluate the dog and see whether it is suitable for the person that wants it. There's plenty of reasons why a person or a family is deemed 'unsuitable', such as the age of children not suitable for the particular dog, long working hours, unsecured garden or area for the dog, and in particular if the person is unwilling to let the dog sleep indoors, it's usually a sign that the dog is not going to be 'part of the family'.

So many dogs are given up because they are bought and then the family doesn't have 'time' for them or children come along and they aren't properly socialised to live with the child and are banished into the garden. Dogs are living creatures and have been domesticated over thousands of years, they give their owners unconditional love and then are basically given up when something 'more important' comes along.:(

FYI, just on the exaggeration, a friend of mine has been waiting 5 years to adopt a child - she managed to rescue a dog within a couple of weeks:rolleyes:

I totally agree. It might be a hassle for the week it takes to get everything in order/get a house inspection but it assures a good fit for with the pet and owners.

OP I'm sorry to hear of your puppy. The fact the seller won't reply says it all. Avoid puppy dealers like this in the future and spread the word as much as possible.

dan1895

Friend of mine got the most lovable, friendly, healthy Westie on DoneDeal. A dog I've taken care of many a time myself for many days/weeks at a time with no hassle despite my 6 foot "walls that he will jump over" and my "long working hours"

cwboy

dan1895 wrote: »

Good luck with that. It's easier to adopt a child.

Agree with that. I tried to get a rescue dog a few years ago and they made life very difficult.

Bought one instead and she is happily running around our house as I type.

keithclancy

cwboy wrote: »

Agree with that. I tried to get a rescue dog a few years ago and they made life very difficult.

Bought one instead and she is happily running around our house as I type.

Good for you, but the majority of people that go out and do what you do because they can't be bothered to jump through "hoops" are the reason the dogs are in the shelters in the first place.

Heres an example:
http://www.dogactionwelfaregroup.ie/documents/adoptionprocedureforweb.doc

We have set requirements as listed below:

• You must have a secure fenced in garden.
  
• We do not rehome to people in rented accommodation, unless they have a written letter from the landlord giving permission.
  
• Dogs MUST be allowed in the house. We do not rehome dogs that are kept outside all the time.
  
• We do not home dogs as guard dogs.
  
• We do not rehome pups to families with children under four years of age.
  
• We do not rehome pups to families that are working fulltime, puppies need time and attention and cannot be left on their own for more that four hours a day.
  
  
• There must be daily exercise provided for the dog.
  
• If a pup is adopted from us then it must be spayed/neutered once it reaches 6 mths of age.

Seems like common sense stuff to me to be honest and it seems stupid to buy a dog from a puppy farmer when the puppy farmers are the reason that the dogs are in the shelters in the first place, not because you are the problem, but because you are fueling a market that creates the problem.

The Animal shelters are filled to capacity, my Sister adopted 2 that were to be put down due to overcrowding and yet people still breed dogs to make a few quid and sell to people that get them on a whim/birthday or house alarm replacement

Going through some minor "hoops" as you put it seems pretty minor since you'll probably have the dog for at least 10 years.

I mean, how many 'hoops' do you have to go through to drive a car ?

Same checks should be mandatory for people buying a dog from a breeder imo.

ShaShaBear

keithclancy wrote: »

Good for you, but the majority of people that go out and do what you do because they can't be bothered to jump through "hoops" are the reason the dogs are in the shelters in the first place.

Heres an example:
http://www.dogactionwelfaregroup.ie/documents/adoptionprocedureforweb.doc



Seems like common sense stuff to me to be honest and it seems stupid to buy a dog from a puppy farmer when the puppy farmers are the reason that the dogs are in the shelters in the first place, not because you are the problem, but because you are fueling a market that creates the problem.

The Animal shelters are filled to capacity, my Sister adopted 2 that were to be put down due to overcrowding and yet people still breed dogs to make a few quid and sell to people that get them on a whim/birthday or house alarm replacement

Going through some minor "hoops" as you put it seems pretty minor since you'll probably have the dog for at least 10 years.

I mean, how many 'hoops' do you have to go through to drive a car ?

Same checks should be mandatory for people buying a dog from a breeder imo.

Realistically, questions that a reputable breeder would ask before he or she even agreed to sell you a pup. Of course people work full time, but provision should be in place for a puppy. And of course the dog may need to be outside on occasion but why bother get one if it is permanent? And of course some may like the characteristic of protection and guarding in a breed, but it should never be their sole purpose as a pet. Puppies nip and scratch and grow much, much faster than toddlers, which can make for some horrific accidents which are always blamed on the dog.

TLDR?
If you went to a truly reputable breeder, you would be jumping through the same hoops

Sponge Bob

dan1895 wrote: »

Friend of mine got the most lovable, friendly, healthy Westie on DoneDeal.

I'm sure your friend met the daddy and mammy Westies when they bought the pup. Nothing wrong with Donedeal or Gumtree if you go to the breeders house and see the parents.

It's when you pick up the dog in a service station or the so called 'breeder' meets you 'half way' that you run into trouble like the OP. No reputable breeder will EVER object to your coming to see them at their premises or house, end of.

PCwiggum

Thanks for all the replies, I bought the pup through an ad on done deal. I realise now how naive I was as it was my first pup - I didn't realize how many heartless people there are out there, but a valuable lesson learnt. I have contacted Done Deal and their advice is to contact the ISPCA which I will be doing, at least hopefully I can prevent them from doing this to somebody else.

Procrastastudy

Sorry to come in and do what I normally do but caveat emptor only goes so far. It can get to a point of misrepresentation. The thing in this scenario that stands out, for me, is the breeder said the dog had been wormed.

I'm not sure how much this dog was, how much it would cost to put in a claim or indeed whether or not the small claims court would handle such a claim but, I would say that there is enough to get you in front of a judge/registrar.

Practically speaking it's probably more hassle/cost that its worth and it's going to come down to who the judge finds more credible but if it was possible to take this to the SmCC I'd be doing it out of sheer bloody mindedness (for the sake of €25) and hoping I got a Dog loving registrar.

Just my 2 cents OP - some probably more sensible advice given in the foregoing posts.

Nody

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Practically speaking it's probably more hassle/cost that its worth and it's going to come down to who the judge finds more credible but if it was possible to take this to the SmCC I'd be doing it out of sheer bloody mindedness (for the sake of €25) and hoping I got a Dog loving registrar.

Last time I checked the SCC only handles sales dispute between individual and a business; not two individuals (and as it's likely a puppy farm dog there would be no business entity involved in the sale).

ABajaninCork

You do have to do your research carefully. We got our Shih Tzu from an ad on Done Deal. Now, as I was fairly new to the country at the time, I did not know the reputation. But you still have to do your research, and you do have to use common sense, whether the dog is KC/IKC or not. Just because the dog has papers, DOES NOT mean the breeder is reputable.

With our fella, we went to see the breeder at their home. We looked at the facilities, and looked at what the puppies were given to eat, and how they were treated. Breeder was more than happy to provide vet records proving vaccination, gave us advice on feeding and training the pup, gave us a bag of food when we picked him up. They were also happy to look after him when we went to a family event a few weeks later when he would've been left for some time (although we made alternative arrangements for care). They kept in contact, and we even took the dog down to show them.

I'm just telling you my experience to show there ARE good breeders who advertise on Done Deal. We had a good experience. So many don't. That's why you have to be careful.

dudara

Posters - please leave the Animal Welfare and Puppy Farm discussions out of this. The Animals & Pet Issues forum is there for that purpose. Please stick to the Consumer Issue.

dudara