My 21yr old sister just moved out on her own and wants a puppy. She has been to the pounds and to rescues but the rescues denied her because she lives in an apt. and she can't find a dog that is a good fit for her in the shelters.
She lives in San Diego, ca I know california has puppy lemon laws but they are only for breeders or someone who sells more then 2 litters a year, so what happens if she buys a puppy from someone who just had puppies available and it gets sick? Does she have any rights? Could she get her money back? Do they have to require any health guarantee?
I have warned her not to buy a puppy from anyone unless they are reputable but she is young and thinks I just want to "ruin her plans" ughh. Maybe if she sees it from other people who have personal experiences it would give her some better insight. Thanks
Responsible breeders:
DO advertise on a site such as Kijiji. We use many sources & interview and turn down up to 25+ people for one puppy, are very selective and want only excellent homes. We do not have a waiting list for all puppies often times.
If a breeder is only interested in money, RUN.
If they want to sell a puppy under 9-12 wks. old, RUN.
You can ask for a health certificate provided at the time of sale, which is a statement from the breeders vet that the puppy is healthy and what immunizations it has had.
You can ask for a health warranty, and read it carefully. Most have requirements you must follow or it is not valid.
If they ask questions as to how much time you have with a puppy, have you owned a dog before, what happened to it, do you have small chidren, do you have other pets, etc. They want their puppy in a home that is good for the puppy's well-being. Responsible breeders do care.
Ask for references for puppy clients over one year of ownership.. Any good breeder has a stack of people that are willing to give a reference. A good breeder will stay in touch and help you with any problems AFTER you get your puppy.
I no longer allow our vet to give our name out. There's only 3 out of 40 breeders that he will refer, and we are one, but I get so many breeders calling, or people who have too many animals, small children, etc.
If there's breeding dogs running all over the house, be assured that inbreeding happens there. These are "kitchen breeders". The only way to prevent that is to have kennels and they are kept separate. Sanitation is not very high in this environment with dogs running all over the house, male studs weeing on the furniture.
Breeding dogs in a fence in the backyard without housing or good shelter that is heated, this is a "backyard breeder"--leave! LOTS of dogs, inadequate housing, small spaces, improperly cared for, THIS is a puppy mill. LEAVE and report it to the authorities.
I have placed many beautiful, healthy yorkie or maltese puppies on Kijiji, with lovely people that are wonderful homes for them.
DO NOT BUY A DOG FROM KIJIJI!!
My sisters friend just bought a Chihauhua from that site, and it died 2 days later from a disease that the seller new it had, but never told anyone and sold it anyway.
My advice is to go to your local vet and ask for a list of good breeders. They should help you.
Why would you even want to buy from one of these sites?
Good breeders RARELY use sites like these. Why? Because they have a waiting list for their dogs.
If the rescue groups have denied her a dog, then she should not have one. No responsible breeder would sell to a person who can't get rescue clearance. In fact, a responsible breeder scrutinizes their potential buyers even more.
She can go ahead and get a dog from one of these sites, if she wants to be a spoiled piece of trash. And, if she likes personally contributing to the deaths of 2 million dogs a year in shelters. And if she likes supporting puppy mills.
And, she should go ahead if she has $10000 to spend at the drop of a hat. Badly bred dogs = HUGE vet bills.
I'm fostering a small dog right now and she's going to end up with about $750 in vet bills in the span of two weeks. "Wow, she must be sick or hurt," is what you are thinking, right? Nope. She's just badly bred and wasn't cared for properly.
http://www.stoppuppymills.com
http://www.pbrc.net/breeding2.html
Generally, those puppy lemon laws are poorly written. Even if they do apply, the CA state law says that your sister could get
A. Her money back and reimbursement for her vet fees up to the purchase price of the dog
B. A new puppy
C. Money for vet bils up to 150% of the purchase price of the dog
And this only applies to pre-existing illnesses diagnosed within 15 days of getting the puppy, or congential defects 1 year after purchase. But the problem is that many congential defects can't even be certified until 2 years old. And many don't show up until later in life (alopecia, epilepsy, heart problems, PRA).
Never rely on the law to protect you. Rely on common sense and education.
http://www.dogplay.com/Breeding/lemonlaw.html
Added: "The rescue she went through said they don't place any dogs in homes without yards. I don't feel it makes you a bad home if you live in apt as long as your dog is excersied and well taken care of. My sister is a good girl just a little Naive, she is not a bad or stupid person just inexperiences"
Look at what you've said. Your sister is 21 years old, naive, and inexperienced. That's not a great dog owner. These are the types who get dogs and then dump them when they no longer have time, get a new boyfriend, or find that the dog didn't stay 3 lbs like the BYB promised. This is likely the reason that she's not having any luck with rescues - and it won't be much different for responsible breeders.
No she doesn't have any rights if there is no contract between them and they don't fall under jurisdiction of the Cal. puppy lemon law.
She could TRY and get her money back but odds are she won't. They will give her soo much hell that she'll possibly end up giving in and stop fighting. Is she wants a healthy dog and not have to worry about anything, but IF something dos come up and her rights are protected then a breeder is the way to do. That or try different shelters. Also does her lease say she can have dogs in the first place?
Yes a breeder is expensive but as the saying goes you get what you pay for.
Cons of buying from a Kijiji type shot is the fact that most of them (if not all) are from backyard breeders and puppymills; I have never heard of a responsible breeder advertising their litters on Kijiji. Thus, huge heartache. It'd be best to keep checking other shelters (they all have their own adoption policies), or to look up the breed club of a breed she is interested in and finding a responsible breeder who tests their animals for genetic issues.
This is really touchy subject. There are a LOT of bybs on kijiji, and in newpapers. There are also a few reputable breeders that feel that the "public" needs to be able to find wellbred PUREBRED, dogs somewhere! I know it is best to have all your pups placed before they are born. Realistically, stuff happens, and breeders sometimes have older pups or young adults that need forever homes too. If you wre to approach your sister more gently and "guide" her through the pitfalls of picking out a puppy she might be more receptive!
Encourage her to take her time, find a "breeder' that gives 2 year or longer health guarantees, has a first right of take back/Spay neuter contract, and asks more questions of her than she can think of to ask. Encourage her to google The Parent Breed Club of breeds she's interested in.
Try say, "whateverbreed club of america".
She might also look in breed rescues for very small dogs too.
Help her out, be realistic, and expect to look for a while and what happens will be a result of the best you could do.