Check out this lovely kennel

[tempura tantrum]

The horrible thing about these types is that it's usually pointless to write them. They've heard this so many times, and they're so set in their own ways, that it never occurs to them that what they are doing is really hurting the animals they claim to adore so much.

I've gotten to the point where I just don't bother to say anything anymore- I work on prospective buyers instead.

And I agree, it just shows you how many people are obviously ticked with their policies, that they specifically write a disclaimer telling you not to criticize them! I think as a prospective buyer, I would take one look at that and at *least* have some questions as to why someone would need to write something so vehement...

btw- completely off topic Rubylove, but I didn't realize you were in Australia! Actually, my boyfriend's originally from around Perth (he now lives in Broome, and that's where I met him). Definitely miss the country, and hope to go back soon...maybe for vet school??

 

[Rubylove]

The horrible thing about these types is that it's usually pointless to write them. They've heard this so many times, and they're so set in their own ways, that it never occurs to them that what they are doing is really hurting the animals they claim to adore so much.

I've gotten to the point where I just don't bother to say anything anymore- I work on prospective buyers instead.

I'm starting to think that. I'm hoping to move into education - especially for children - with the RSPCA and also with my own business. It's less soul destroying!

And I agree, it just shows you how many people are obviously ticked with their policies, that they specifically write a disclaimer telling you not to criticize them! I think as a prospective buyer, I would take one look at that and at *least* have some questions as to why someone would need to write something so vehement...

And every second word on their very wordy site is something to do with money, upfront payments, no refund etc etc. It's easy to see where their priorities lie.

btw- completely off topic Rubylove, but I didn't realize you were in Australia! Actually, my boyfriend's originally from around Perth (he now lives in Broome, and that's where I met him). Definitely miss the country, and hope to go back soon...maybe for vet school??

Ooh I'd love to go to Broome. It's so pricey though - bizarre, it costs less to fly to Sydney than it does to Broome. And there's no way I'm driving - I can't sit still for more than two hours!!

 

[tempura tantrum]

Yeah- I feel as if I've gotten *far* more positive responses by talking to people who are interested in getting a dog (but don't know where to get one), than by trying to reason with unscrupulous breeders. I've persuaded more than one eager couple to leave a pet store after quietly taking them aside and advisiong them against an unstudied purchase.

After getting my head bitten off by a few of the puppymill types, I gave up on them- as long as they're making a profit they don't care. Another thing I've noticed- many of these breeders view their dogs more like livestock than they do pets or family members. They see them as a means to an end rather than an end in and of themselves. People with this type of viewpoint are almost impossible to convince- they see us as rather kooky people with too much time on our hands, and get the idea that we view dogs as little people in fur coats, or substitutes for children.

And (LOL- off topic AGAIN! ) that IS bizarre that a flight to Broome is more expensive than Sydney. I noticed it myself, and just couldn't figure it out. I stayed in Broome for 6 weeks while studying abroad and absolutely fell in love- I think about it daily, and have convinced myself that I must become fabulously wealthy so I can own a summer home there. Cable beach was incredible- my hometown newspaper (the Seattle Times in Washington State, USA) rated it as the most beautiful beach in the world! I think I would have to agree- completely magical!

 

[sparks19]

I sent them an email as a "potential buyer" I asked them a bunch of questions and told them I was looking at a few different breeders but hadn't decided on one yet. I asked all kinds of questions I knew they would not be able to answer.

here is my email to them

I am interested in goldendoodles and have been for some time but I do
have some questions your site doesn't answer. When did they have their
hip and eye certification done? (their OFA and such) and what did they
score? I of course will need the papers to prove this before any kind
of transaction is made. Since you breed so many puppies how do you do
the socialization? What kinds of things do you do? How many hours a
day does each pup get?
What are the requirements for someone to purchase a puppy? Do you do
house visits? What does the contract for these pups entail? Is there a
spay and/or neuter clause? Can I use them for show dogs? Are they
registered?

While I am looking at other breeders I will base my decision on the
answers I receive to these questions. Thank you

here is theirs to me:


While we thank you for your Goldendoodle inquiry, your answers can be located on our website.

I appreciate the fact you have so many questions, but I am sorry...I don't do "sales pitches" to obtain business from those seeking a puppy.

My website is very extensive and there are many, many emails, photos, letters and cards from our past customers who can attest to how wonderfully loving, intelligent our GOldendoodles are. How many hours do I put into my dogs and puppies? More than you can possibly imagine. This email is being written after midnight and I just finished working with my puppies and I have been with them since 7am. I personally work longer hours as a breeder than I ever did while in the military! Let's put it that way.

If you actually take time to go through our website, you will see that your questions can be answered and yes....your questions are discussed on our site. If you like what you see on our website, we welcome you to join our doodle world. If not...we wish you the best on your doodle search.

I wrote them back and told them that response told me everything I needed to know about them. They cannot answer simple questions therefore they are a puppy mill. They sell to ignorant unsuspecting people and when they get someone who knows a little more than the average Joe they blow it off.

 

[Rubylove]

Have you got an abusive answer back yet??? lol...

 

[mrose_s]

basset hounds (apparently) ready for kids to play with???
they arnt toys, they are animals.

 

[mrose_s]

good job sparks, that was a good idea and really does show how they ddeal with people that wont buy

 

[mrose_s]

AND OMG. you look at the "doodles available" page and they talk about purposley crossing a poodle with a retreiever! and they picked the sire for his logng legs, not because he passed all tests etc. i cant believe that, then they held they female down?!?!?!!!! ARGH i hate that! then call it natural? they had to force it to happeN!!! I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW!!

 

[makenzie71]

Actually if you guys would like to pursue the matter:

Lakeridge Kennel
165 four lakes dr.
cleveland (North Carolina) 27013 united states
704 - 278-3647

Report them to the Human Society. I find it hard to believe that so many puppies and dogs can be kept in good conditions...if they are kept in good conditions and all the dogs are actually healthy, then there's nothing we can really grieve about asside the fact that they're selling puppies we don't like.

By the way, the Iredell County Humane Society's contact is:

ICHS
P.O. Box 1617
Statesville, NC 28687

Physical address is:

2643 Fines Creek Dr
Statesville, NC 28625

Number
(704) 871-2594

Email
[email protected]

http://www.iredellhumane.org/

 

[juliefurry]

that just made me mad. They have weimeriner (sp?) golden retriever cross puppies that look like black labs but have more brains and common sense. That is not a really good thing to say I have no idea why they think labs have no brains or common sense.

 

[MayasMom]

I live near Cleveland, NC. I can't believe these people are a couple towns over. It makes me sooooo mad. I'm sure they are contributing plenty to the overpopulation of our shelters around here.

 

[makenzie71]

marketing gimmick...they want to sell puppies.

However, all the labs my family have owned, though they've been great hunting dogs, had the intellegence of sticks (as opposed to the rest of the dogs we've owned which were very smart but otherwise useless...lol).

 

[Selkhet]

The part that really got me was the "...if you like what you see on our site..." Well call me a prude, but what kind of people would actually LIKE what they see on that site? I'll tell you who:
Ignorant + Uninformed = SUCKER

 

[jess2416]

I live near Cleveland, NC. I can't believe these people are a couple towns over. It makes me sooooo mad. I'm sure they are contributing plenty to the overpopulation of our shelters around here.

Yeah I noticed that they ship from Charlotte/Douglas Airport which is about 30 minutes from me.

 

[Selkhet]

(They were talking about genetic markers for hip displaysia - which have never been found as to date, and probably will be a very long time in the coming) Also, Vetgen? One of their affiliates no doubt, who won't blow the whistle on them. Or even worse, will straight up lie for them.

We will definitely have our breeding dogs DNA profiled once such markers become available through Vetgen. Once this becomes available to us, we can then say with confidence that our breeding dogs who were given clearance would NOT cause any of their offspring to have a genetic health issue.

I found this particular paragraph very amusing. They went on and on in great detail about how even a dog which OFA has deemed "free and clear" can get hip displaysia, and that there is never a guarantee that a dog will not develop it.
First of all, OFA does not deem any dog "free and clear" - that is a misleading statement. All OFA does is measure the space of luxation in the hip joint and grades it on a number scale. That's it. They don't give guarantees.

They can tell you which dogs have a higher disposition for the disease, and which ones don't. But then it's up to responsible breeders to only breed from their "excellent" or "good" rated animals so they can be reasonably sure their pups will have good hips.

Any breeder who guarantees perfect hips is an idiot. It would be like guaranteeing a new mother her baby would never in his life break a bone. Of course it could happen, but with a little care, the odds can be lessened.

 

[juliefurry]

marketing gimmick...they want to sell puppies.

However, all the labs my family have owned, though they've been great hunting dogs, had the intellegence of sticks (as opposed to the rest of the dogs we've owned which were very smart but otherwise useless...lol).

I just meant if they are intending on selling puppies they should not bash other breeds. I have a lab and I think she is a GENIUS! She was the easiest dog I have trained and learned sit, down, roll over, and stay (well sort of we're still working on it) in about a month. I just don't see reputable breeders making bad remarks about breeds other than the ones they are breeding (well in these people's cash breeds they are trying to ruin).

 

[Molly_Moppet]

They do actually have a spay and neuter clause. It's down the bottom of their purchase agreement. Not saying this justifies what they do or anything, but, yeah they do have one.

 

[motherofmany]

(They were talking about genetic markers for hip displaysia - which have never been found as to date, and probably will be a very long time in the coming) Also, Vetgen? One of their affiliates no doubt, who won't blow the whistle on them. Or even worse, will straight up lie for them.

Actually, VetGen is a very good company that provides an invaluable resource for breeders. I used them for DNA profiling and storage and vWD testing.

http://www.vetgen.com/


I am shocked that this obvious puppymill knows about them..... do they actually use them? It's not cheap. The USDA does not require DNA profiling and storage. AKC and UKC do for frequently used sires, but they have their own kit. But these people aren't registering through AKC or UKC.

Okay, so went back and looked at their site. They have a poor little bedraggled Bedlington and VetGen does testing for CI which they brag about with very little understanding. (gag)

*edited to add, if anyone who lives close to them wants to try and get them shut down, try going through USDA. I didn't see where they are licensed and mass producing kennels are required to be USDA licensed.

 

[motherofmany]

I guaranteed hips. Well, to be perfectly accurate, my contract stated that should the dog develop dysplasia, the purchase price would be refunded and corrective surgery at a reduced price would be made available through my vet. (Puppy buyers were also educated about proper joint care) I did this with confidence because for 12 generations, sires and dams were OFA Good or Excellent and for 2 generations of my production, every dog produced was OFA Excellent or Good with one exception, one puppy that tested Fair- you see, I required all my puppy purchasers to bring the dogs back for OFA (which I paid for) because I wanted to know what was happening across litters, not just with my show and breeding prospects.

Somehow I doubt the mill this discussion is about would ever do anything like this, but it is common among reputable breeders to guarantee hips and to do testing beyond breeding stock is becoming more common.

BTW, my last litter is now 6 years old, and still, no hip problems

 

[sweetbassets]

I also noticed on all of their "Go doodle" plans that they only garentee or the only "health warranty" they are providing is "Life Threatening Genetic Health Warranty"?!
So they are not taking any responsibility for the many genetic defects that can cause poor quality of life but may not necessarily cause death?! And on the "platinum" plan it only covers for 4 years and you are paying $4000. On that same plan they offer a one time, accidental death replacemert/coverage during the same 4 years of genetic coverage? I wonder what they concider "accidental", and will what they require to prove it "accidental"? They definatly don't give a sh*t who gets their dogs.
Did you also see how in the "Basic" plan, everything was A La Carte(sp?) $875 for the dog, if you want it vet checked add $100, $35 for fecal testing ,ect.....
What's the point of geting the dog Vet checked by them if you don't even get the Vet records until you get the dog. Then if it showed that their was something wrong with the dog they wouldn't do anything unless it's a "Life Treatening" genetic defect. But, of course that is ,only if you paid more $$$ for the more exspensive plans.
I feel sorry for all those poor dogs and puppies, and for the ignorant people who buy from them!! It's their fault I guess for not researching breeders to stay away from. I keep picturing these people laughing and shopping, and then I picture over crowded ,dirty kennels filled with sick little puppies and dogs. Hopfully that isn't true, but no matter what, this place makes me sick!