Hi breeders, future buyer here. Maybe you can help with my question about “health guarantee”

[alaydealways]

I did ask on the breeds subreddit but posting here also to get the mindset of a breeder and not a buyer. I hope this is OK.

We’re looking into adding another dog to the family and are in talks with a show breeder who is overseas. While we agree on most of the contract, we disagree about providing a 1 year health guarantee.

She is overseas but she does AKC shows in the states and travels back and forward. Other red flag that I’m aware of is she doesn’t have a website, but she did provide me her Facebook, photo of her passport, mail to her house and a date stamp with my name in a photo of her and the puppy we’re interested in. I asked for this, so all in all she has proven her identity to me and I’m not worried about being scammed. Her husband is in the USA and they use PayPal or Venmo for deposits and cash upon pickup.

She will not entertain a 1 year health guarantee for the reason being that USA veterinary care is not the same (more $$$ driven) than where she is from. Is there anything else I should ask for in this case or should I just let it go and move on? Thoughts?

Ps I have tried finding a breeder in the USA but we are looking for a certain color/look and a) don’t get a reply OR b) get told so and so breeder friend has puppies, here’s their info and never hear back from 3rd party

Last: we’re looking for a Pomeranian. Not your average pom but a show quality, breeding quality pom. We have no intention to show or breed.

 

[home4good]

@alaydealways I am not sure what kind of health guarantee you are looking for, what are you expecting it to cover in one year? What are you asking for, money back under what conditions or puppy exchanged for what conditions?

Since they are a show breeder you should be able to look up the pedigree of any/all dogs involved in their kennels. That with general google/Facebook searches would probably help identify if their dogs are prone to issues in the first year of life. This is probably the main thing to look at for health clues. Online health sites (OFA and others) will give information on the older dogs, but nothing that the 1 year guarantee would cover.

Reality is that once you have had a puppy for a month you are normally so in love with it that there is no giving it back or swapping so at best it would be just getting some back. It might make you feel better but really wouldn't help with anything under those conditions.

 

[alaydealways]

@home4good Bless you, I didn’t even think to research her dogs by reg #!! this is the wording that we have in the contract which I thought was pretty standard “The buyer has 72 hours from the time of delivery/pickup to have this Pomeranian checked by their vet. If the veterinary exam reveals a serious illness or genetic defect and our veterinary concurs with this diagnosis, then the animal may be returned within this time period. Buyer will pay all veterinary fees incurred by the buyer while the dog is in their custody. A replacement dog of equal quality will be made when one becomes available within a year’s time. If the dog cannot be replaced within 1 year, seller can offer the buyer a full refund. Seller reserves the right to ask for a second opinion on any findings by Buyers chosen veterinarian. Seller will include a one-year genetic guarantee against life threatening conditions. If a life-threatening genetic condition is diagnosed within the first year of the puppy’s life, Seller will agree to refund the sales price to the buyer”

And honestly yes… healthy or not healthy, we love our dogs like they are family. We just want to know the breeder will do their best to support us should something be congenital. That said, poms are known to have patella, trachea, heck even heart issues (this is how I lost my first pom ) and we loved each to the end.

 

[alaydealways]

Update: Breeder has agreed to keep the 1 year guarantee on the contract.

 

[believerben]

@alaydealways Charm City Poms are show quality in the US.

 

[alaydealways]

@believerben Sorry I thought you were a reply from the Pom thread. Thank you for the recommendation.

 

[esmerelda]

@alaydealways Where is she from? health guarantees are not always the norm in many places in Europe. I did not get one and I did get a puppy from a very reputable breeder.

Also websites are not as common, indeed breeders have migrated away from websites to just being on social media. At least in my region. Because they are not tech people, they don't necessarily have the capacity or desire to keep up a website.

In fact in my country the best websites are the ones by the big puppymills. I joke that the worse the website the better the breeder haha. A lot of them, if they have them, look like something from the 90s.

 

[alaydealways]

@esmerelda LOL! You’re so right. A lot of breeder sites look like they’re from the 90s. Puppy is from Europe actually, so this makes sense. Thank you for your reply. Breeder and I had a long talk yesterday and she said she will agree to the 1 year health guarantee as I told her I understood common pom health issues and that despite everything I just want to know she will support us to her best ability.