buying sick puppy-LINK to kennel

[smkie]

check this paragraph out
Your puppy is guaranteed for a period of three days (72 hours) to be free of illness. This health guarantee does not include stress induced illnesses such as stress induced hypoglycemia, coccidia, worms, and kennel cough. A letter from your vet is required in the event of a problem. This guarantee is limited to replacement only. Money refunds will not be made. Veterinary expenses are not covered (without prior consent.) All freight charges will be paid by the buyer. This guarantee is not transferable to a second party, should the original buyer sell the puppy.
:yikes: :yikes: does not include kennel cough!! Does not include worms?
so terribly terribly sad. yeah they wouldn't have the puppies in thier living room either huh..not in a "clean enviorment"

oh and you only get a replacement, another stressed and genetically weak dog. Not your money back.

 

[adoptashelterpettoday]

Um..I never knew that worms or kennel cough or coccidia were stress related illnesses. I guess the worms magically appear when the dog gets stressed?

Obviously this person knows more then any of the vets I know.

 

[ToscasMom]

Stress causes worms?

 

[otch1]

Hi angelmom... want to have some fun with this?! I believe these people are actually brokers. I do not believe they own and house the 48 bitches with litters right now and 32 bred bitches due to deliver within the next 6 weeks. Their contact number is in Minnesota. There is no North County Kennel licensed in Minnesota. There is also no brokers, boarding or breeders license issued to a Mike and Lucy Gerald. Reccommend you call and state that since you are not allowed to pick your puppy out yourself, not allowed to see their kennel. there are over 125 dogs/pups currently in their kennel, (acording to my calculations) you'd like to know what organization/county issued their license, as you were unable to find it. Letting them know you're "sure they understand that you want to ensure you are not buying from a mill or broker", and you just want to look up their license, should illicit an interesting response!

 

[Charliesmommy]

Reccommend you call and state that since you are not allowed to pick your puppy out yourself, not allowed to see their kennel. there are over 125 dogs/pups currently in their kennel, (acording to my calculations) you'd like to know what organization/county issued their license, as you were unable to find it. Letting them know you're "sure they understand that you want to ensure you are not buying from a mill or broker", and you just want to look up their license, should illicit an interesting response!

Otch, you're so smart! I'd love to hear what kind of response that gets!

 

[otch1]

Read your other post right now. Just to clarify, you've already seen your puppy on their site, know which one you're getting and were you actually going to pick this puppy up in person? Now, it is has an infection so you have to wait a little longer for this same puppy?

 

[Boemy]

Please do not get a puppy from these people. Please, please, please. This is a puppy mill! We can help you find a yorkie / maltese mix from a shelter or rescue, I'm sure. Or, heck, I would even recommend a backyard breeder breeding a pet dog and advertising in the newspaper over this kennel. (Not that I approve of backyard breeding on a small scale either, it's irresponsible, but pet dogs at least are having some human interaction and quality of life!)

 

[otch1]

Hello again angelmom. Have to go do group play for boarders right now. Will do more homework for you on these people, when you're able to get back to me about questions in last post. Check Better Business Bureau, Minnesota, next. (What county are they in?) Back soon.

 

[~Jessie~]

PLEASE don't support this place... it's absolutely disgusting!

 

[~Jessie~]

QUESTION: Why don't we post pictures of all the adults (especially the mother)?
ANSWER: We of course, like to make sure that the pictures that we post on the site represent the dogs fairly. Many dogs are just not that comfortable about getting their picture taken! Grooming, bathing, and vaccinations are given in the grooming shop, the same room we use to take the adult photos. Some of the dogs are just not that happy standing on a grooming table, with a strange, noisy, object shoved in front of their face (the camera, click, buzz, whir ;-) ) How many of you like your photo taken? How can we make a dog "smile" that is not happy on the table? I'm too old (I know I'm only 42, but my legs are 84!), with 4 knee surgeries, and just can't get down on the ground or back up again to take pictures from the dog's level. Often, we have photos of these adults - while they're not suitable for public viewing on the website, we can e-mail them to you privately. Taking dog photos is very hard. The person holding the camera can't just reach out and adjust the dog. The person holding the pup can't see what the camera sees. AARRGGHH! Maybe it wouldn't be so hard if we weren't so picky The other reason that it's tough to get good, representative adult photos, is that once the ladies start to cycle, their coat goes through changes every cycle, and every pregnancy. Just about the time the coat is nearly nice enough to photograph, she's back into "season" and blowing her coat again

PUKE

 

[jason_els]

Here's a complaint lodged against them at Rip Off Report.

Another complaint from Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS):

North Country Pets (www.mixedbreedpups.com), Ironton, Minnesota
Malti-poo with Portacavel Shunt who died four days after purchase.

Pages listing litters and upcoming litters immediately arouse suspicion that this breeder has a puppy mill. There are numerous dogs and puppies at this facility. The owners deliberately cross breed their dogs to produce mixed breed puppies, also know as "designer" dogs. Another indication of a puppy mill: the owners do not allow prospective buyers on the premises, claiming that humans transmit diseases to puppies. In fact, the opposite is true. Dogs have certain worms and illnesses that can be transmitted to humans (for example, roundworms, sarcoptic mange and giardia). The following paragraph is quoted from their website:

Can we visit and see the pups? - We used to answer this with a resounding YES! However, we recently had an experience with a pup that became sick shortly after going to her new home. The pup recovered nicely, but the only way this pup could have been exposed to this virus was through casual contact with visitors, as we have NEVER dealt with this virus before. No, you don't need to worry about getting a pup from us, but we really do need to safeguard the health of our puppies, for the puppies' sake, our sake, and the buyer's sake. Unfortunately, even the most diligent, clean, well-meaning visitors can bring a disease to our kennel that can spell disaster for our puppies. Think of it this way - hospitals don't allow visitors into the nursery area. Baby and Puppy immune systems are not fully functional for months.

And yet another sign of a mill is the fact that the puppies are not raised in a home:

Are the pups raised in the house? - No. Frankly, no-one could have litters of puppies like this in a clean, healthy, environment in the house. And, we have a small grooming shop and boarding kennel, so we're at work in our kennel anyway. Mike and Lucy generally begin their day with the puppies at about 6 am, and finish up about 5 pm, with a final walk for the dogs at about 9 pm. The kids, Elizabeth (12), Charles (5), Rachel (3), and Eleanor (2) love to play with the pups. The babysitter has a scheduled time to bring the three little ones out the "shop" to play with puppies every day.

 

[ChRotties]

great investigating, guys!

We responsible ppl should start our own bureau of investigations:

D.O.B.I
Dog
Owners
Bureau
of Investigations

 

[jason_els]

Iams has done a study over the past several years, with over 7000 females, and 17,500 litters, that shows that breeding every heat cycle (on average, females cycle every 6-10 months) is far healthier for the female dog and the puppies too. We were surprised to see this, after hearing for the last 40 years, how important it was to "give Mom a rest."

I just emailed Iams/Eukaneuba about this claim. I will let you know what I discover when I hear back from them.

I am also curious about their AKC inspection. Could an AKC member check and see? I haven't registered my guys yet (I know, I know but I can't do it online so it gets put on the backburner) so I'm not a member.

 

[FoxyWench]

i couldnt find anything through AKC about them or inspection

 

[angelmom]

My husband was going to pick up the puppy today at the airport. This is about 20 minutes from our house and they go there on Thursday's to ship other puppys. The breeder is about 2 hours from us. Yesterday the breeder called and said the puppy has a cold and they would like to keep her with her mom for another week. I called there today and they said the vet checked her out yesterday, and that she is wheezy. They have her on an antibotic and are nebbing her. They said she doesn't have a cough and is playing. I searched bbb and didn't find anything under their kennel name, but 2 resolved complaints under Lucy's Lake country kennel when I put in their address. This is for their grooming I guess. The picture of the puppy is no longer on the website, and after I called to buy her it was up with sold on it. I have not put any money down on her, and after my husband and I reading all these responses I'm sure I will probably not buy her. I am a sucker for a cute face though and was really looking forward to having her here after waiting for a while. Any other investingating anyone can do would be great. Where would I look to find their license #, or would I have to get it from them?

 

[jason_els]

Where would I look to find their license #, or would I have to get it from them?

These are issued by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. You can contact them at:

Minnesota Board of Animal Health
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: 651-296-2942; TTY: 1-800-627-3529
Fax: 651-296-7417

Minnesota does have a pet lemon law:

Minnesota Pet Lemon Law

Minnesota's law applies to both dogs and cats. It covers anyone required to collect state sales tax for the sale of animals. This includes stores, kennels and backyard breeders.

Buyers have 10 days to document contagious or infectious disease in their pet, one year to document congenital or hereditary defects. The seller is then required to either replace the animal or refund the purchase price, and to reimburse the buyer's veterinary expenses up to the purchase price of the animal.

Unlike many states, Minnesota also requires the seller to produce advertised registration papers within 90 days. If the seller does not do so, the buyer can keep the animal and demand a refund of half the purchase price. Or, if the buyer wishes, he can return the animal for a full refund.

Here you can read the text of the law as it is published by Minnesota.

 

[ToscasMom]

Angel, why don't you let the people on this board use their connections to find you a puppy via a bona fide breeder? I think everything I am reading here adds up to a mistake buying a puppy from this person. There are people on this board who know a great deal about dogs and have many ways to help you find a healthy dog from a breeder who isn't afraid to guarantee their dogs beyond 72 hours. Everything about this puppy mill is a red flag to me.

 

[smkie]

or you could always do a rescue sorry i just gotta say it. Victor was a rescue. He is a purebred english pointer. He is the love of my life and now we are paying back the kindness of his Save_our_strays by his passing his therapy dog test and becoming a pets for life volunteer. Truly those dogs are every bit as good as any dog you are going to buy from a breeder. THere are as many cute faces there as anyone could ever hope to see..and best yet..you would be doing the "right thing" by saving a life and allowing another place to be opened up to a foster for yet another dog that needs it. The cost is less, the pay off of a gold star in your book of life worth everything. Unless you yourself are going to do the show circuit and then be a breeder why do you need to go to the expense? IT doesn't guarantee a perfect dog to get one with papers. Someone out there has papers on VIc and they lost him, or dumped him i don't know which, but i got the dog and i got the best part of all. Ok i am done Good luck with no matter which way you go.

 

[jason_els]

In truth, you shouldn't hesitate to ask for their license nor should they hesitate to provide it. Be aware, however, that licensing doesn't say anything about the conditions the animals are in. The bare minimum requirements make for grim living for any animal and much worse for animals that require human contact to become pets.

As you seem hesitant about making a decision here, the most I can do is to say that by giving them your business you're helping them to stay in business. You're helping to keep dogs locked in cages with little or no human companionship, constantly bred until the day they die, and kept in conditions where veterinary care is slim to none. These are people who lie about their dogs. Do you want to buy something so important as a new family member from someone who outright lies to you? If you do, well, that's your choice. We'd be happy to help you find a great dog who is already looking for a home or put you in contact with Maltese or Yorkie breeders if you decide to look elsewhere.

Are you even sure that a Maltese or Yorkie is for you? Have you done the dog selectors available online? Different breeds have different behavioral traits and even within breeds there can be big differences. You want to be sure that this breed suits your lifestyle. If you don't know what you want, try the various breed selectors or ask us. We love questions about what kinds of dogs to get

I can't stress, above the health issues, how important it is for puppies and their mothers to have human contact from the beginning. It's what makes dogs such unique pets. Dogs who do not have this extensive contact can have behavioral problems most owners won't tolerate or be willing to pay to help resolve. I'm not saying they're doomed. There are exceptions and there are skilled behaviorists and trainers who can help resolve these issues, but it's a long, taxing, and expensive process. This is why so many of these dogs end-up in shelters and are, ultimately, destroyed.

I urge you to tell your head to tell your heart that it's in the right place, but at the wrong breeder.

Raising ANY dog isn't easy. There are a lot of late night potty runs, cleaning of poop, pee, and puke, training nightmares, and I'm positive there's a Shoe Fairy that scans your closet for your best shoes and then deposits one of them right in front of the dog when you're not looking. There is socializing, obedience training, vet trips and bills. For all the time and money you WILL put in to raising a puppy, you want to be as certain as possible the dog will be worth it and sadly, many puppy mill puppies aren't.

When I got my dogs I looked for a breeder near me. When I eventually collected my guys, they came from West Virginia but one of the few pumi people in the country lives very close to me and it is through her support and that of the breed club and the breeder himself, that I felt comfortable getting my dogs.

Please let us know what you decide. Whatever you choose, we'll help you as best we can. Again, this isn't a snob thing. We just want you to get a wonderful dog who will be the best dog you can get, fit in to your family, lead a healthy life, and give you years of pleasure. There are people on this board with enormous amounts of experience in professional training and breeding and it is the voice of experience they are speaking with when they urge you to get a different dog. We want you to be happy, not miserable or heartbroken and everything we're offering here is done in that spirit.

 

[Whisper]

Yikes. No, no, no. Stay as far away as you can from these "breeders."

QUESTION: Do we have any housebroken pups or adults for sale?ANSWER: Generally not. Occasionally we'll have an adult purebred dog for placement in a home, but that's pretty rare, as most of the adults go to local pet homes when they are retired from breeding. Our pups are generally placed by 8 weeks of age or so. Rarely, we may have pups that are 8-12 weeks of age, available beyond the waiting list. Pups don't generally take long to place once we place their photo on the Puppy Page as being available for open adoption (without deposit). You can watch the Litter Page for news of available puppies, and to see photos of all the pups too.

.

Meaning once the dogs are no use to them as puppy producers they sell them off.