What Should the Seller Provide? And, a WARNING for breeders

 Complacency and trust were shattered on a sunny Friday morning when I received a call from Sande Abernathy telling me that one of my puppies was in trouble.  It seems that the "perfect home" where I placed her was anything but.  The person, it turns out, is a hoarder, or "collector," of dogs.  While I thought the puppy was being sold to a three dog home, it turns out that upwards of 30 dogs were living in this private residence.  The dogs seemed to all be pure bred dogs including such disparate breeds as border collies, corgis, Australian shepherds, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, Swiss mountain dogs, Portuguese water dogs, Papillons, Schipperkes, English bulldogs, bull mastiffs among others, and, of course, French bulldogs.

The dogs were in a large, private residence on wooded acreage.  The bigger dogs were housed in crates in the garage, and the smaller dogs were crated in the laundry room and elsewhere.  The barking as one approached the house was fearsome. The scary circumstance of the backyard was of greatest concern.  Although fenced, the gate was not secure and any dog would be able to roam at will.  A swimming pool in terrible disrepair was down about a foot from being full and was completely black and opaque with algae.  The dogs could reach the pool.  I wondered what lay in those murky depths.   

The information about Frenchies in trouble became known to the FBDCA through local kennel club members and another breeder who had made a home visit and was concerned with what was observed. Hence, Sande's telephone call to me.  In addition to the poor physical condition of the property there were reports that it was in foreclosure.  There was also talk that animal control and law enforcement agencies were about to intercede. 

How were we breeders fooled so easily?  Originally, there were four Frenchies there, each from a respected breeder, and each not knowing of the existence of the others.  The hoarder is a very well respected professional woman, probably in the 99^th percentile of earning capacity.  She has prestigious employment, graduate level education and respectability.  She presents herself extremely well when she wants one of your puppies.

So, if the purpose of this article is not to name names or point fingers at a person with serious problems, what is the reason for writing?  Well, the bottom line is to remind us of our responsibility as breeders.  We must carefully get to know the people who want our puppies, and we must investigate their living arrangements thoroughly.  We must tighten up our contracts so that if need arises we can rescue mistakes.

Here are some minimum requirements that I now strongly recommend:

• Always require a home visit.  The various rescue networks and fellow breeders will help you for out-of-state placements.  One of our rescues now has over 600 volunteers nationwide.  For a donation, they will help.  There is no excuse for omitting a home visit.  Please consider this carefully.

• Make sure that the buyer has identification for the address of the home visit.  That is, is this really where the buyer lives???  Be sure.

• If you have received a "bounced" check or an excuse that promises future payments, you should probably pass on the placement.  While accidents can occur, this usually a sign of financial problems or not planning carefully for acquiring the puppy.

• Tighten up your contract.  Include fill in the blank sections for how many dogs, and the breeds present in the buyer home, and make sure the insertions are initialed by the buyer.  Clearly state how the dog is to be housed; inside the home, not in a garage or yard.  (Don't assume anything!)  Require the right to make future home visits, and the right to receive annual veterinarian reports.  If you're selling a show dog, make sure that the understanding of how and who shows the dog is clear and unequivocal.  Clearly state that if any of your clauses are violated, custodianship will revert to you.  Clearly explain your return and refund policies.  Make sure your health clauses are clear.

• Collaborate with other breeders to incorporate the good parts of their contracts in case you forgot something.  If possible have an attorney review for legality and to prevent misinterpretation.

Now, in case you were wondering.  I have my puppy home with me now.  She was returned, although some legal issues may remain.  The second Frenchie was also returned to her breeder.  It is obvious that both had been crated most of the time.  My girl was dirty, stained with her own waste and smelly.  She was thin, had stress related colitis, an ear infection, was cowering and afraid.  The other Frenchie was extremely poorly socialized, cowering and unwilling to come out of her crate.  She had a bad odor and some ear issues.  The third and fourth Frenchies are missing.  One, a girl, had reportedly lost an eye in a disagreement with a corgi, and is assumed to be in another state with a friend or relative.  The last Frenchie's whereabouts are completely unknown, and he is presumed dead.  Unfortunately for them there is no happy ending, just profound sadness.

My puppy is coming back to normal.  She has gained a pound, is eating ravenously, no longer has loose stool, and is finally interacting well with other dogs and people.

For me, so far, all has ended well, but then you never know.

Helene Neer

Petit Motif French Bulldogs

Member, FBDCA