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Advice Please: I'm interested in 9wk old puppy for rehoming


Boomer Watson
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Hello.  I've got myself on a waitlist for a pup in a future litter from a Lab breeder, however have been notified by the breeder that the very new owners of a 9 week old pup from a previous litter (diff Dam and Sire to my waitlist) wants it rehomed; claiming the pup is biting, has drawn blood, and won't settle in the crate, crying.  I've been fortunate to have had three beautiful Labs in my life from pup age and honestly, I can only imagine this is normal puppy behaviour.

 

However, I want to know if there is anything I should look out for when viewing this puppy; for example I thought a vet check should be needed to ensure the puppy hasn't sustained any injuries from the humans or their older 9yo Staffy, or if there is some sort of inherent condition if this behaviour is beyond usual puppy standards.....?

 

Also the breeder said she will not be refunding the purchase fee to them if the pup is healthy/normal, therefore is it proper process if I do wish to take the pup to pay the original fee to the family wanting pup rehomed; should I have some sort of contract with them in case something in the near future arises that may indicate from the pup's time with them.......?

 

Thanks for your advice :)

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I have no ideas re:money changing hands...I would have thought you would get pup from the breeder after she regained control of it , but...

Anyhow, I do hope everything goes well. A vet check is a must - good plan :) Puppy will probably be unsettled and ill mannered due to changes , but it sounds as if you've done it before :)
best of luck ! 
puppy pics are very desirable on D O L  (please?)    :D 

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I think a vet check is in order. As for payment, well I wouldn't be paying the breeder unless they have already refunded the current puppy owner. Otherwise they are double dipping. At 9 weeks of age the breeder should be the one who you have a contract with, all being well with the vet check. A pet owner is not going to be around to help you out. If the breeder is not willing to back her 9 week old pup I would be having serious thoughts about whether I'd want a pup from them - ever.

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Maybe from the breeders perspective, they think it’ll be less hassle if the puppy is transferred directly from the previous home to yours hence the money not being refunded etc. Seems a bit backwards to me

 

i had a pup come back from my last litter (11 weeks old, similar story - typical puppy behaviours and unrealistic expectations) Although resettling a puppy back with the breeder and then rehoming seems more traumatic, for me it was important to spend at least a few days assessing the puppy - not only to ensure the puppy wasn’t the vicious beast the owners had said, but also to make sure nothing bad had come of his 3 weeks with them. The previous owners were told any expenses I felt necessary such as a vet check or behaviourist visit were to be taken from their refund and I would refund once I was happy with his condition. Thankfully he was totally fine and now thriving in his new home 

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Thank you all for your replies.

The pup is with the original purchasers down the coast, they were to bring the puppy back up to brisbane southside for return to breeder this Sunday.

 

Inbetween this, the breeder contacted me to see if i was interested taking the pup (for rehoming).  I said yes i was interested in viewing the pup; how do we go about this...., long into short: breeder agreed with my suggestion that both myself and original owners bring pup to breeders residence and we can all view the pup's behaviour.  I stated I wanted a vet check but breeder has not said she'll undertake it or not; breeder stating my concerns to the owners, they came back saying the pup is fine and nothing has happened to it.  I still want the check done.  We will all be meeting this Saturday.

 

So essentially the breeder has been passing info back and forwards between myself and the owners, she's not refunding the owners their money.

Who is responsible for paying for vet check, if the pup is healthy; do I pay the owners (no, not the breeder), and do I pay the full price they paid.....?

 

Thanks again :)

 

Edited by Boomer Watson
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Good suggestions above. I'd also read up a little on behavioral screening for baby puppies. The vast majority of Lab pups are sweet, cute and land sharks and it's likely that the family had unreasonable expectations.  But there are a small number of puppies in any breed who are off kilter from the start. For example, if the pup won't make eye contact or relax when held, I would be concerned. 

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29 minutes ago, Boomer Watson said:

Who is responsible for paying for vet check, if the pup is healthy; do I pay the owners (no, not the breeder), and do I pay the full price they paid.....?

 

Buyers normally pay for health checks. (Vet can also help with temperament testing... they see puppies day in and day out and many develop an eye for behavioral problems). You should agree on it in advance, as well as what happens if problems turn up. 

The full price?  Open to negotiation.  If all is well and the original price was reasonable, I would pay full price.  Pups are hard to get these days. 

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If you and the current owner meet at the breeders and you decide to have the pup, make it on the condition the pup gets a clean vet check within 48 hrs of you taking it. As for payment, if the current owner has paid in full and they own the puppy outright , they are free to charge whatever they want to for resale. That’s got nothing to do with the breeder now. It a private sale between you and the current owner. 
It’s tricky if the breeder has not refunded and officially taken back ownership of the pup. 
you really have to decide between a private sale between yourself and the current owner, with a condition of the vet check,

or walk away completely and wait for the next opportunity. 
If there are pedigree papers that have already been processed in the current owners name, they need to sign them for change of ownership. If the pedigree paperwork hasn’t been lodged you need to speak with the breeder about having them in your name. Same with microchip paperwork. Establish what stage it’s at and who is currently stated on the chip as owner. 
if you decide not to take the pup, I assume the breeder will take back ownership of it? It would be interesting to know if that happens, whether there is any refund to the current owner, and what price the puppy is re-offered for. 
 

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50 minutes ago, Scratch said:


you really have to decide between a private sale between yourself and the current owner, with a condition of the vet check,

or walk away completely and wait for the next opportunity. 

 

This is what it seems to come down to and I for one would not be happy with this. Scratch has made very good, valid points.

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3 hours ago, Rebanne said:

This is what it seems to come down to and I for one would not be happy with this. Scratch has made very good, valid points.

I would not be happy with an arrangement like this.  You should not be asked to negotiate with the current buyer - that is the job of the breeder.

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Quote
On 9/3/2020 at 4:55 PM, Dogsfevr said:

As a breeder we buy the pup back ,reassess & rehome at any age . 

 

 

yes.....I would be running a mile from this arrangement. Is this an ANKC registered breeder?

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I initially thought that the breeder may not have been 'taking the puppy back' due to distance and ravel restrictions/difficulty etc - but it appears that is not the case.

 

Whilst it could all go great and be a win for everyone (including the pup), it has the potential to be a minefield. 

 

As well as the above mentioned issues with paperwork and vet check fees, there also needs to be questions about who is responsible if something comes up health wise later - breeder could say 'you didn't buy it from me - see the person you bought him from' and the other owner could say 'we only had him a week - see the breeder'.   

 

Vet checks are great - but they are only a 'moment in time' check, and if I was a vet seeing a pup who had gone through so much mentally, emotionally and physically (changes, travelling etc) so much in the last 2 weeks, I would be giving a bit of leeway in the range of normal if something wasn't 100% perfect (obviously not things like a heart murmur etc - more like 1-2 degree in temp, or slightly dehydrated or wiggly puppy V pain response etc). 

 

I know of a pup which was sold and a week later seen to be limping slightly.  Breeder contacted and vet check recommended.  Vet found nothing definitive on the check (pup was a tiny wiggly squeaky poppet) and recommended wait and come back in a week if no better.  Seemed to improve so 'case closed'.   Came out a few months later that the pup was dropped by one of the children resulting in a greenstick fracture.  It was a melded family with step children and friction around boundaries and different parenting styles etc - so the husband (father of child) decided to hide it so wife (who was the step mother) would not find out and crack it 'cos the rule was the children should not be picking up the puppy unsupervised (duh).  He gave the pup human pain meds (lucky he didnt kill the poor thing) before the vet visit.    It only came out when the lower front leg started turning out due to the different growth rates.    Thankfully no long term harm done (never developed arthritis etc - just looked odd) and they ended up being a great family and owners.    BUT - the morale of this story is that people do dumb stuff when they are under pressure

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