LEUllman

What do you think?

From NY Times today: "Owner sent the dog back 3000 miles on a plane with no one to pick her up."

Dog Bought Online is Unloved in New York.

fjm

I think the part that astonishes me most is that someone paid $7,500 for a dog they had never even seen!

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

Sivaro

What a prick. How can you just abandon a dog like that. I dont care if things are working out or not, just for because you no longer want it doesnt mean you can just throw it on a plane and turn your back on it.

He could have had his money back within 48 hours, if there were issues with the cat and children, he wouldnt have held onto the poor dog for a week. I think he is crapping on and using excuses cause he decided he really didnt want the dog.

Sivaro

No not really, ppl pay me big money for my pups and I have to put them on a plane also. But I query them, grill them, find out as much as possible. I would hate it if that happened with one of mine. I tell everyone, if you dont want the dog for whatever reason, its to come back here.

JE-UK

I saw this article too. I'm not sure it's as one-sided an issue as the article implies.

48 hours is a very very short time period to decide if a dog is a fit. I had a look at the breeder's website, and they seem to be happy to sell/deliver a dog to a buyer without a meeting. This would make me uncomfortable with a puppy, but it makes me REALLY uncomfortable with a trained dog. Without some sort of owner/handler training and education, the trained dog quickly becomes a confused and unhappy dog. The website seems to be saying that they have addressed this by providing a training dvd. I just don't see how that could be effective.

Even for protection dogs, they say that on-site training and transition MAY be necessary.

My impression is that the breeder is at least partially at fault here. Not excusing the callous actions of the buyer, however!

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"Yes is so much important than No." Dominique Barbier

Rowan

The article is very "he said-he said." It's hard to tell who, if anyone, is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me... Unfortunately, in this case the dog got the short end of the stick. I'm just relieved she didn't end up in the animal shelter or worse.

I personally have concerns with a breeder who would sell a dog over the internet "blind," without any sort of screening of potential clients, and especially without actually meeting the buyer. I'm not saying that's the case with the breeder in question as I haven't pulled the website, but it sounds like they will sell to just about anyone with a credit card. (The fact it's a GSD also gives me pause as that's a LOT of dog for an inexperienced handler/owner.) But: caveat emptor!

That's not to say a breeder shouldn't sell a puppy or a dog to someone who then picks him/her up in person. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to interact with someone in person to get a true read on them. While I can tell a great deal about a person through e-mail exchanges and phone conversations, there's a lot to be said for the face-to-face. Not that people can't fool you (ie., sociopaths, etc.).

I think this is why I have a problem with online dating. In person, I can weed out the bad apples in one conversation or less. It's much more difficult over the internet, e-mail, phone, etc. LOL

fjm

I bought Poppy from an online ad - after several days consideration, hours on the phone to the breeder, a dozen emails, a 6 hour journey, meeting both parents, and playing with poppy for nearly three hours! I think the issue is more the "instant gratification of see-want-buy-have: give us your CC details and we will ship the pup tomorrow no further questions asked. I find the idea of buying a "fully trained" dog - presumably trained to guard, given the breed - without meeting the dog or the trainer extraordinary, especially if the dog is also to be a family pet housed with children. I know it happens, but to me it is treating a living creature as a commodity.

__________________

To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

spoospirit

I see problems on both side of the issue. And, not knowing what the actual circumstances were of their conversations, it is hard to comment on it.

However, I have a big problem with the breeder!! 72 hours to decide if a dog is a good fit for you or not? Doesn't make any sense. It isn't enough time. Selling a dog unseen and not knowing anything about the family who is taking the dog? Doesn't work for me. Something is very wrong with the screening process or the breeder totally lacks one. Refusing to take one of his own dogs back to the point of leaving it abandoned at an airport overnight?! Just plain WRONG! Responsible breeders take their pups/dogs back no matter how much time has passed. This guy sounds like he is in it for the money and has no real care for the dogs he has. You bought it; you own it! These are not items you purchased off a store shelf. They are living creatures.

The dog was aggressive and bit people and was apparently oblivious to its training. The breeder didn't know this? There is no way that I can see that a good, loving, well trained dog left the breeder and ended up completely the opposite when it arrived at its new families home. I get a strong feeling that either the dog was misrepresented or the breeder simply failed to do his job in making sure that the new family was capable of managing this particular animal. This is one of the bully breeds. You would think that the breeder would have bent over backward to make sure that this family was knowledgable and capable of handling it.

In any case, I don't believe the breeder did his job and that is why this incident happened in the first place.

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