Bought dog and gave back to breeder who won't give money back

mattuk80

mookiandco wrote: »

Whilst I agree that the OP's mother has no automatic right to have her money back, £500 is alot of money and it is a very expensive lesson to learn. However, the OP's mother is unwell, she got the dog on the basis that she truly believed she could care for him and she did not become unwell on purpose. No doubt the OPs mother is heartbroken. To lose £500 is an added blow.

We have bred dogs for years and always stipulate that we will have the dog returned to us for any reason if the owner cannot care for them. We remain in touch with every single person who has purchased a dog from us and hold a party every year when all our doggies and their owners come back.

Whilst I accept that reputable breeders (as I like to think we are) will do their utmost to ensure that they choose the right owner for a pup, sadly we can only go on what we see and what we are told. We have turned people down on a few occasions. No doubt the OPs mum was in a good frame of mind and came across well when she went to buy the dog. The breeder probably could not tell that the OPs mother had underlying problems that would resurface.

In all the years of breeding we have had pups only returned to us twice. The first time was when the lady had purchased the pup without telling her husband. The husband contacted us a few days later and told us that they dearly wanted to keep the pup but infact the lady had cancer and they were not sure whether she had long to live. He feared that if she passed away he could not care for the pup. We accepted the pup back and did not feel that it was fair on the pup to be resold to another home so we kept her. We refunded the ladies money in full including her deposit.

The second time, the lady called a week after taking the dog. She said she had not been out of the house since getting the pup because she could not leave the pup on her own even for a few minutes as quite simply she loved her too much and could not bear to leave her. The lady realised she had made a mistake. She returned the pup and we gave her a cheque for the full amount paid. The lady did not want to take it but we insisted. We later sold the pup to someone who had previously had one of our pups. We did not sell her for the same amount as the first lady but it was more important that the pup went to a good home as soon as possible.

The amounts we sell our pups for can be as much as £1500. If it was as much money as this I wonder how many people would still feel that the OPs mother deserves to lose such a huge amount.

In these circumstances I would suggest that the OP speak to the breeder directly and explain the circumstances. I would certainly not encourage the OP to get the dog back as she has already said she cant look after it. The dog requires stability and quickly. If she paid a deposit perhaps she could ask for the rest of the amount minus the deposit. The OP should not demand or insist and should show some sympathy to the breeder who has no doubt spent the money and does not have it readily to hand. Perhaps say that she would be willing to wait a couple of weeks to give the breeder time to get the money together or accept it in installments. Perhaps offer to pay for or assist with placing an ad in the local paper to readvertise the dog.

This is a sad situation for all concerned, especially the dog and I hope that the OP manages to resolve it amicably with the breeder.

Thank you for your comments, much appreciated. Thanks to everyone for their advice. My mum is still quite ill at the moment and as a family we've decided to put this down as an expensive lesson at look to the future and not dwell on what has happended. Thanks again, Matt.

almond

what has happened to the puppy? poor little thing, why people would buy from breeders i will never know, when poor little dogs are in rescue homes waiting for owners , give me a rescue dog any day, common as muck just like us ! or heinz
57 ,now its all messing about with nature labapoodles and charging money for it.
A rescue dog is loving and grateful (our in the case of our lucy) a spoilt little madam, lets hope the poor little thing has found a home

philatio

Some harsh comments but have to agree with them.

1. Why pay £500 for a dog when there's loads at rescue centres for free?

2. Why get a dog without thinking through the care involved?

I'd consider it a £500 fine for stupidity.. and move on.