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Would You Issue a Refund?

18K views 159 replies 47 participants last post by  wolfstraum 
#1 ·
I am hoping some of the breeders will weigh in on this...

My husband and I purchased a GSD from a reputable breeder after quite a bit of research and lurking around this site. I've seen very respectable comments regarding this breeder and breeding program here and elsewhere, and the 13 week old pup we brought home was amazing and everything we'd expected.

We had the pup for less than 72 hours.... within the first day, both my husband and my son began to exhibit signs of being allergic (my husband later admitted that he had felt the same symptoms when we had visited the breeder several weeks earlier, but at the time he thought he was coming down with a cold). My husband contacted a good friend of ours who works for a large local medical center - as a favor he did a quick skin test to be certain, and it was positive. We had no reason to believe he was allergic prior to this (we also had no reason to believe that he was allergic to Penicillin, as he'd taken it multiple times in his life, until the day he had a severe anaphylactic reaction to that and landed in the ER - no idea if the two are related!).

After a long and heart-wrenching discussion, we decided we could not keep the puppy and subject our son to a youth of allergies or allergy medication. I immediately contacted the breeder, with the end result being that I returned the pup to the breeder the following day.

I did not discuss nor request any type of refund upon returning the puppy as it was upsetting enough to begin with, however, I did contact the breeder afterword and ask if considerations for either a full or partial refund would be made given that we tried to do the right thing and return the puppy as quickly as possible.

I was told that a refund is not possible, and per the terms of the contract, which we were never asked to sign, we are not owed a refund. My husband and I are reasonable people and we understand that finding suitable homes for puppies is a time consuming process, however, it's difficult not to feel as if we were "taken" assuming the puppy was re-homed, especially if it happened quickly.

Do you feel we should pursue this further? I am NOT suggesting that I intend to take legal action in any way - I have simply not yet responded to the breeder's original response, and I'd like to know if other breeders would consider a refund under these circumstances.

Thank you in advance.
 
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#3 ·
Wow, tough one. Not a breeder, so not really the response you were asking for, but I will give it anyway.

I think the nice and respectable thing would be to issue you a partial refund. You returned the puppy when it was still young, young enough to rehome quickly.

But it would be a generosity on the breeders part. The breeder fulfilled their end of the bargain. You got a lovely healthy puppy. It's your situation that keeps you from keeping the puppy. Not the breeders fault. So I see their side as well. I would not fault them for not refunding money. But I do think it would be a nice gesture.

Sorry about the turn of events it must be tough on you.


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#7 ·
:thumbup:
Integrity and ethic goes a long way.
 
#6 ·
I think you did the right thing. The breeder may not "owe" you a refund, but I don't see how any respectable person would not do it. There is nothing wrong with the puppy and you had it less than a week. The breeder can sell it to someone else. Also, you were nice enough to *give* the puppy back. If it were me and had I known the breeder would not be willing to issue a refund (even waiting until re-selling the puppy), I would have used a standard "first right of refusal" and offered the puppy to the breeder to BUY back. That is typically how most dog purchase agreements work. You are not obligated to GIVE a dog back even if a breeder makes it sound that way, you are usually obligated to offer the breeder the chance to "get" (ie, purchase) the dog back before selling it to someone else.
 
#9 ·
I agree with, the respectable thing to do would be to give you a refund.

You had the puppy less than 72 hours, it must have been heartbreaking for you to return it, especially for your son:(

I'm not a breeder, but I would have refunded your money, contract or no contract.

I would have felt like a thief if I had kept your money and turned around and sold the puppy making double off it:(

Can you pm me the name of the breeder? Someone I would scratch off my list...
 
#10 ·
it concerns me that you were never asked to sign the contract. When I purchased my dog we had to have the contract signed before we were allowed to take the puppy, but she doesn't owe you, I agree at least a partial refund is totally reasonable though
 
#12 · (Edited)
eww I missed the part that you never signed a contract...I think I might bring up the fact to the breeder that you never 'signed' a contract because you weren't asked to.

So in reality, there is no written contract:(

You could also say, ok give me the puppy back and you sell it..?
 
#13 ·
I'm a breeder, and I give two weeks, 100% money back refund for any reason or no reason. After two weeks, I do not refund cash.

The breeder should do what is right. If the breeder paid for shipment, then I would refund that. But beyond that, the breeder should give you your money back.
 
#17 ·
Most respectable breeders would issue refund but in same instance if you didnt explain about the unforseen circumstances of your son's unknown allergy then they may feel pup was returned without good reason if was me would pursue it but would also explain why pup had to be returned and wasn't fault of pup or you because u didn't sign contract therefore contract isn't legally binding but good luck and yes pursue don't give in too easily otherwise they have had money for this pup twice over once when you bought pup and again when resold

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#18 ·
You did not sign a contract - most breeders have pretty similar terms...you have x number of days to return a puppy....

IMO, as this was unforeseen, you should get at least 75% refund, if not 100%.....you could have just resold the pup and recouped your money...but did the morally/ethically correct thing by returning the puppy....I would much rather get a pup back in this situation than have the buyer place the puppy who knows where.

Lee
 
#19 ·
If I were you, I'd ask the breeder what their intentions are with the puppy. If it is to sell it, then I'd ask for 75% of the proceeds of that sale (or whatever % you are comfortable with). If the breeder says no, I'd ask for the puppy back and sell it yourself.

If the breeder is well thought of, as you indicated earlier, I bet you can sell the puppy quickly with the help of folks on this board.

In the mean time, keep the pup crated in one room of your house and contain the allergens there. Start regular training and do what you can to move that pup forward until you are able to sell it.
 
#20 ·
My contracts stated that within 1 week I would take the puppy back for whatever reason(as long as puppy was not injured while in new persons care and they didn't want to pay vet bills, etc) and issue a full refund.
If it was after that time, then I would take puppy back and as soon as puppy was sold, the original buyer received their money back then or however much I got for puppy's second home.
 
#21 ·
ask for the pup back. i mean you did pay full price for him. in the end it is ultimately your fault but not giving someone their money back because they owned a pup for less than a week is shady.

depending on the breeder it might be hard for them to get another buyer for the pup but taking your money and then selling the pup again is stealing.
 
#22 ·
Thank you all VERY much for your insight. I truly appreciate it.

Unfortunately, this has been going on several months. My original e-mail requesting a full or partial refund was sent shortly after the dog was returned (this alone was quite expensive in terms of gas and time, as it was ~1000 miles of driving in one day), however, after not receiving a response for several weeks, I forwarded the original e-mail to the breeder again and noted that I had originally sent it almost a month earlier and had not yet heard back (my fault for not being more on top of this - I totally accept that).

Over a month had passed by the time I received a response stating that "...I do not offer refunds, as was listed in the contract. I am not in a position to offer money back as pretty much whatever comes in, goes back out for rent, feed, heat, and vet care for the dogs... "

In the response I received, the breeder also noted that on the day I returned the puppy, the puppy's eyes were completely red/bloodshot, stated pictures were taken of the puppies eyes, and noted that, among other things (such as bathing him, which we did not do in the less than 2 days we had him in our home) it could be due to him straining against the leash. We do not have a fenced in yard - which the breeder was aware of and actually stated was "preferred" (that way the puppy is not "left outside" for long periods of time to fend for itself) - therefore, when I took the puppy out it was ALWAYS on a leash. My neighbor has two large mixed breeds, and they were often out in her fenced yard. The puppy did get excited and strained on the leash EVERY time, anxious to see the other dogs. I was certainly very upset to hear that this had happened, but ultimately the breeder stated that it had cleared up within a week and there weren't any other signs of problem or stress.

At the time I received the reply, it didn't sound as if the puppy had been re-homed, and the breeder's website hasn't been updated in months.

Again, thank you all so much for your insight. I just wish I had asked MUCH earlier!!!
 
#23 · (Edited)
it's in your contract no refund then it's no refund. i understand the breeder's side. i may not like it but i understand it.

has your family members been around any other dogs? was there an
allergic reaction?

you have a contract but you never signed it. the breeder didn't
ask you to sign the contract?

you get a pup, your family members become allergic. they didn't
know they were allergic to dogs before you brought the pup?
that seems sketchy.

i think there's more to story than you bought a pup then an allergic
reaction developed.

a puppy strained so hard against the leash untill it's eyes became
blood shot, really?
 
#26 ·
believe it or not I had a dog that I sent out as a pup that was returned because of size .
not so much the dogs size , but how the owner and the dog looked together .
got lots of very positive feed back regarding the dogs stable temperament and drive .
then out of the blue when the dog is close to two years I get a call and the guy says he isn't happy with the dog because he didn't grow as big as he expected and wanted . He said he is a big man , one of these man and a half and he feels silly like walking a poodle silly because of it . Asks if I want him to sell the dog or do I want the dog back. (which has additional air transport charges to bring the dog "home"). Obviously the guy no longer wants the dog . I felt he would take the easy solution , not screening , or really caring to place the dog in the best interest of the dog . Who knows where he could end up --
Without hesitation I said send him home. Gave full refund and paid all expenses . 100%

dog came back in good condition . thanks for that . 25 inch male .

dog was re-homed to a person who had dogs from me previously .
a person who is an animal wrangler for movies and other media .

loved the dog . he did some scenes as a "wolf" and other walk ons in shows .
 
#27 · (Edited)
Doggiedad. The allergy thing. Yes. You may be around dogs but then when a puppy is licking you around the face etc. you discover the allergy which you had never noticed before. And for some it can escalate.

It is true - when you only get one side of the story you don't hear the other side, but I think the OP was simply asking what other folks would do given the situation and not planning legal action. I am just glad they figured it out early on. The bloodshot eye thing concerns me though as I have never seen that. I actually don't think I have had a 13 week old pup really pulling hard either though. Or a breeder NOT preferring a fenced yard. To me that is a second layer of safety.
 
#28 ·
as for allergies . I had a woman buy a dog from me who had grown up as a child with one of my dogs in her family home.
she adored the dog and wanted her own kids to experience this special connection .
she came several times . sat for hours in my living room with pups piling over her . that litter was not good timing for her .
just over a year later she contacts again and is ready for a pup.

invited to come to visit any time after the pups are over 5 weeks.
guests are never rushed , so they can come as often and stay as long as they want .
never a problem.
choose a pup .
send pictures of pup and the kids . pup on bed getting nails painted. right in the thick of things.
but as time went on the lady began to have congestion , allergic response , which she was really puzzled about.
got tested . dog allergy .
tried everything in her house cleaning . then one time her throat closed up and she could barely breathe.
bring the dog back -- full refund.

these are the things that people who come on to the forum asking about being a breeder don't even think about . You owe it to the dogs .
 
#29 ·
I would buy the puppy back. If I was very short of money then the OP might have to wait for a refund until I resold the puppy.
 
#30 ·
Yes, I intentionally left out the bit about the red/bloodshot eyes in my original post because I was hoping for un-biased responses, and I thank you for those. I apologize if anyone feels that was deceptive of me.

Here is my point: I returned the puppy in the condition in which it was received, which was 100% healthy, adorable, and happy. Had I noticed something as concerning as red/bloodshot eyes, I would have contacted both the breeder and a vet immediately. I was on good terms with the breeder, and upon returning the puppy, spent close to an hour there talking about the puppy and various other things. At no point did the breeder inspect the puppy in front of me, and I never heard anything about the red/bloodshot eyes until AFTER I asked for a refund (please keep in mind it was well over a month until I received a response to my original email). I have no way of knowing what happened to the puppy in that period of time. Had this been noted when I returned the puppy and pictures taken in my presence, I would have taken full responsibility and been entirely too ashamed to even ask for a refund in the first place. Personally, I'm confused as to why the breeder didn't contact me immediately upon noticing that something was wrong to try to determine the cause.

Regarding allergies, yes, per the allergist my husband saw after his reaction to Penicillin, it is absolutely possible to develop allergies later in life. He literally almost died on our kitchen floor from a severe reaction to the Penicillin, which he'd taken several times in his life prior to that incident (PSA - NEVER take a new medication when you're alone, please! If I hadn't been there to call 911, he wouldn't have made it... It happened THAT fast). We only have two family members with dogs - one is a Cavashon (a Cavalier King Charles/Bichon mix), the other is a Lhasa Apso. Both "hypoallergenic" breeds, and we live over 300 miles from our family, so we are rarely around them. Our neighbors with the two dogs I mentioned in my earlier post are a bit reclusive, and we've never even interacted with their dogs - they do not walk them, they only let them out in the fenced yard. Other than that, most of our friends live in small apartments in the city, and I honestly can't name one that has a dog. So I'm sorry to say that we truly didn't know and certainly didn't expect this situation to occur.

Finally, I would like the opportunity to resolve this situation with the breeder before I PM anyone. I do understand where this could create a financial hardship for the breeder, and I am doing my best to do what is morally right - I do believe the dog itself was exceptionally well-bred, and I prefer not to give anyone a bad name until things are fully resolved. In the meantime, all I can advise is to carefully discuss "Return Policies" with breeders you may be considering! I WILL give you my word that you will hear back from me when things have been finalized, one way or another.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply!
 
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