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Post by sibemom on Aug 22, 2004 3:39:04 GMT -5
This topic came up yesterday between a woman I work with who is getting a Doxie from the breeder I got Willow from. We were talking about Health Guarantee's from breeders. She feels that she is completly safe getting a dog from someone who offers a guarantee, as opposed to a home breeder who offers nothing. This is my feeling on this subject: Yes having that peice of paper does show to some degree that the breeder is taking responsability for any major health issues that might come along but also knowing that most people will not enforce the options of the contract because after having the dog for a length of time, how could you return it for another? I know it is safer to have that peice of paper in hand when you go home with your pup, but would any of us actually return the dog after bonding with it, loving it, etc... Maybe in the first few months but usually the health issues do not show up till much later. I could never do that, and this is where she and I got into a heated debate. I still feel that most breeders know this so even though they give that guarantee how many dogs actually get returned? Some contracts state that they will pay for extensive medical costs in the event that something would show up, but most only give you the option of returning the dog, and then we know what happens from there, it gets PTS. I guess for me I take my chances. What I get is what I get and deal with it. What do you guys think?
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Post by ripley on Aug 22, 2004 4:30:16 GMT -5
I'm actually dealing with something similar to that right now. The lady who bred Ripley has been hearing my anger over Ripley's possible patellar luxation, and she's said that she'll stick to her side of the contract, meaning that she'll buy him back. Well hell no! I'm attached to this dog already. If it had shown up at 10 weeks of age, you bet I would have sold him back to her, but at 10 months of age, I'm attached to him and I don't want to give him up. So, short of just trading him in for a new & improved dog, the guarantee is worthless. Health guarantees give me no peace of mind at all. I'm probably not going to part with a dog that I've had for a year if a health problem shows up (Although I might if it was my SAR shepherd, since they need to be in excellent health) As for the breeders.. I see more and more breeders offering a health guarantee instead of trying to PREVENT the problems from arising in their lines. For example, breeding a dog with hip dysplasia, and then offering a 3-year health guarantee. . I do think it's a reputable thing to offer in ADDITION to good breeding practices. When I get my GSD, I'm going to want a health guarantee (Just in case.) but more importantly I want to make sure that there will be no obvious NEED for the health guarantee.. A guarantee doesn't mean that the dog is of good quality.
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Post by Willow on Aug 22, 2004 8:44:17 GMT -5
Well, I suppose if someone is purchasing a dog with breeding in mind, and would exchange the dog if any of the guaranteed health problems showed up, it might be helpful to have a guarantee, but for the ordinary dog owner like you and I...IMO, it's just another piece of paper, and is pretty much useless, for the reasons you have already stated.
I have never had a health guarantee on any of my dogs, and never had any serious health issues with any of them either, except for my rescue dogs. Sure, I could have turned them back in to the rescue's and gotten other dogs, but the reason someone adopts from a rescue is to give a dog it's "forever home", so you do the best you can afford for the dog and you keep them.
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Post by Richard on Aug 22, 2004 8:48:30 GMT -5
With Rocky, we were very thorough with the breeder in the questions we asked and what kind of breeding program they had, illnesses in thier lines....ect ect.....I guess they musta though we were in overkilll mode but with a large breed dog like a GSD, well, you know, it's stuff you need to know about.
As well, we also had a 2 year warranty on Rocky....ok, that sounds weird but it was true....as RG and Ann said, I wouldn't give back Rocky after that time anyway..there has been too much bonding going on and he's been patterned to us and our lifestyle....what I did ask about was if there was a way to compensate for any health problems during that time (i.e. HD) if it did arise....this to me is a more logical method of dealing with a breeder in an ethical way. No person in thier right mind would turn a dog back over to a breeder (although, around here, there was a guy with a GSD who's hips completely disentigrated after a year and a half....it was so bad, he had to be PTS...how sad..) but there has to be a happy medium in all of this too.
Both sides in the agreement have to take responsibilty for the dogs health....the breeders side of it starts at the screening stages for the parents and continues on after birth of the litter....the owners side is to keep the dog healthy and safe...that includes not burning the dog's hips out too early...too many times I see people taking puppy's for long hikes and walks thinking it's good for them...yes, it is in a couple of years but at 2 to 6 months, not a good idea physcially for the puppy.
The key word in all of this is Responsibility...both sides need it and it has to be maintaned..there are things that happen that are unexpected....that is life but there are also a lot of things we can ask questions about and stuff that can be prevented...that is also important too.
-Richard
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