I cannot believe the condition she was in

G

gary987

New member
Edit: Mod reached out and told my comments ended up being locked, but I wanted to say thanks to everyone for advice and support!!

We have a Bernadoodle who we’ve groomed since she was a puppy. She’s about a year and 4 months old now and her mom takes beautiful car of her. She always comes in brushed and calm and beautiful. She’s a great dog to work on. She’s part of an angel breeding program where the breeder still has ownership/ medical responsibility over the dog, but the dog lives full time with a different family for free. It seems like a pretty good idea and I’m sure there are some breeders who do it right! Well, she came in toward the begging of march and her mom told us that the breeder was taking her back to breed her in a few days. She’d be staying with the breeder until the puppies were weened and then she’d get her back. So we gave her a “pregnancy cut” and a day or so later she was sent to the breeding program. I was a little off put because I felt like the dog was still so young, but I figured the breeder knew what she was doing.

I saw her again after she got back from the breeder and I’m horrified.

This dog came into the salon a MESS. She’s crying, barking, leaking milk trying to escape and she’s completely matted. Mom is super upset and asks us just to make her comfy. We take our time with her, she calms down and when I get to her tail I wanna cry. She used to have such a gorgeous silky long tail and it’s a completely matted ball now. I spent 20 minutes dematting it and trying to save it which I did but so much of the hair wasn’t able to be saved. We of course made her look beautiful and by the end she was so happy.

Mom comes in and almost cries because of how much better she looks. That’s when we find out that the breeder sent her home when the puppies were 3 WEEKS OLD. No wonder this girl was such a mess! The worst part? Mom is contactually obligated to let the breeder breed the dog 2 more times.

I don’t mind breeding when it’s done ethically but come on. I just can’t believe that a doodle breeder would ever let a dog be in that condition. It breaks my heart and I know her mom is seriously upset. I’m upset. I just needed to vent.
 
@gary987 In addition to the BBB (Better Business Bureau), which honestly doesn't have a lot of "teeth" in many states, I would also try your state's Animal Control (usually determined by county / city, and if the breeder is in another county / city, report to both) - and I might also check with your state's "Attorney General Office" (type that in and add your state) - because there may be a business complaint available as well. Some states also have a statewide "dog breeding complaints (state name)" hotline / email form, and some states may consider the removal / separation of the puppies at only 3 weeks old (oh my goodness) to be "animal cruelty," so you could add that (along with your state name) and use that as a search term / complaint form as well.

I would highly consider making all complaints in writing. If there are photographs available of the dog's condition, include those. If there are dates available for grooming (looks like you have them - keep a copy of them and any notes, good job!) - include those.

If there are vet records at any point (you'd probably have to speak to the owner for this and have her coordinate) - highly consider including / preserving those.

Also - if the dog is part of any breed club, like AKC, or UKC, or anything like that, or some type of "Doodle" Club that you might have in your state / area - you might consider cc'ing (carbon copying) the clubs as well, but these folks may just try to hide things under the rug.

Personal opinion, your best option is likely to start with any "Animal Control" and/or "Animal Cruelty" or "Dog Breeding Complaints" in your state, and keep a copy of all records and all written correspondence (and take good notes for any phone calls). You are also highly likely to need the owner's cooperation in this, but it sounds like the owner is pretty upset and likely to appreciate your help / preservation of records.

Obligatory disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer or legal-trained person. Information and procedures will vary by state.
 
@rakeshreddy See that’s the thing is that I have no idea how the puppies are being cared for, I can just go based off of how I saw the mom. But you do make a good point, I’ll reach out to her mom and suggest she makes a call
 
@gary987 If they pulled the dam away from them at 3 weeks then they will not be doing good. Lack of nutrients and lack of critical socialization skills, those dogs are going to end up being behavioral nightmares.
 
@gary987 Not at all. It happens every decade or so. Anytime a dog breed gets popular you see more and more “breeders” overbreeding, adding in ridiculous clauses to their contracts, overcharging, and not caring properly for the mothers and sometimes the young. The way they see it, they made their money from that dog now it’s the babies health they care about…
 
@gary987 Honestly, she should just spay the dog and break the contract. She could get you, and a vet to corroborate the condition the dog was in, and that she was separated from the pups at 3 weeks. The “breeder” would be stupid to take any action.
 
@gary987 Angel breeding programs, especially with Doodles, are largely puppy mill schemes. It's cheaper on the breeder to send off a pup or two from every litter to these guardian homes - the breeder handles whatever medical bills might pop up, but the 'owner' houses the dog, feeds it, grooms it, puts basically all other expenses into the care of it. This program is how these breeders can increase their puppy production whilst still saving money and space.

All of the puppies in this program are bred asap, usually at or around the 1 year mark. That's about the youngest age that the average puppy buyer believes is ok to breed a dog.

The dog in question was most likely bred and shoved into a cage during the length of her pregnancy, and those 3 weeks, she was nursing her puppies. Puppy mills these days have grown smarter. They have their main facilities that look clean, polished, and comfortable. Tell the puppy buyer that this is where their beloved dog will be kept while nursing her puppies! In reality, they're kept in a shed out back away from the public eye.

This was probably the only time she was groomed during the period between this visit and the pregnancy groom.

Quite honestly, Mom should reach out to an attorney. There being a contract makes this a legal matter, and an attorney is going to be more adept at parsing through and seeing if that contract even has a legal basis.
 
@gary987 There are NO good doodle breeders and this exemplifies the horror of them. They put dogs in homes to avoid inspection ls triggered only by number of animals on site. That dog was also WAY to young to breed and needs to be examined by a vet immediately.

That said, the owner is NOT contractually obligated to breed this dog. She needs photos of the matting, the dog and medical reports from the vets. Then she is obligated to report immediately to animal control for abuse. Dogs are property (like it or not) and she owns this dog in the eye of law. Block the breeder on every platform, file a police or animal control report, and SPAY that dog.
 
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