Pedigree puppy turns out not to be...

[jesspip]

We bought a KC registered Working Cocker bitch a few months ago. She is from a respected KC reg Gun Dog breeder and we researched very thoroughly beforehand to get what we wanted. She is to be my husbands new gundog and has lots of FTCh in her lineage. (We are a rural family who shoot and have 3 other dogs).

Everyone has commented how much like a black Labrador she looks, from the beginning and we thought we should just wait for her spaniel-hair to grow on her ears etc. This hasn't happened and she not looks like a black lab with huge ears and a docked tail. She is, however, the worlds most adorable dog, house-trained already, not a massive chewer, and knows about 7 commands already. She is 5 months and we all love her dearly.

Yesterday the breeder called me to see how she is getting on. I mentioned she looks like a lab and he said that was why he was phoning as another purchaser has said the same thing and wants a refund. The breeder now wonders if one of his labs got to the bitch before he took her to the stud. He has suggested that he will do a dna test to check.

The problem we have is that we have all fallen in love with her (my 3 kids adore her), so taking her back for a refund is not an option, but this is all the breeder is offering. However, we didn't want a made up/cross breed (Cockador) we wanted a Working Cocker. (She will still make a great Gundog though I am sure). We will have to give up her KC registration and we will not be able to breed with her (if we had wanted to). Also the breeder said that the lab he suspects has bad hips and we might be lumbered with that as well....

Can we demand a refund and still keep the dog, or what % refund could we expect? I don't know what to do. Any advice?

Firstly have the DNA test done...

After that, if the lab with the bad hips is her sire, it doesn't mean she will develop hip dysplasia, even if by bad hips the breeder does mean has an issue rather than just a high score - they aren't directly inheritable...so yes, you may have a higher chance of it happening, but, they may also be fine.

Barring medical issues, does it really affect you in anyway?

She is a mongrel. A mongrel means mixed breed. It isn't meant in a derogatory way it just is. So no, I wouldn't expect to pay full price for a mixed dog.

Regardless of getting a dog she loves the OP should seek a refund because she has not gotten what she paid for.

I can't believe that man is a reputable breeder to have allowed this to happen.

That doesn't mean she's any less lovely btw.

Thank you all so much for your lovely helpful replies. It helps to read a lot of other opinions, not just me and my family's. Msadorabelle, before we got the phonecall from the breeder I just thought I would wait for her to grow into being a bit more cockerish, grow all the long curly ear hair etc. Perhaps the dna test will say she IS a cocker and just looks labby? But she is like if you had 2 photos of a lab and a cocker and just cut it up and mixed and matched! Can I add photos from my iPhone?

Yes you should be able to. I'll try and find a pic of my old boy when he was younger and we can compare!

Really looking forward to the photo [smile
Nothing better than puppy snuggly faves

Faces

Am I the only one who thinks breeder is trying it on, trying to force OP's hand so breeder can keep the full value? I'd be seeking legal advice.

Thing is, if she wants the dog back would she resell it as a cross?

Would this designer cross be less valuable than a pedigree hunter from multiple generations of accomplished gun dogs??

£400 for this cross. Preloved dog similar price. Wonder what OP paid.

An almost identical thing happened to a friend of ours, his pup looked like a cocker when he bought it and within a few weeks the breeder contacted him to say that half the litter were labxcocker (it can happen) as his lab dog had got at his bitch, his son saw it but because bitch had already been mated to the correct stud dog said nothing as didn't think a litter can be fathered by 2 different dogs.

The breeder was also a gundog man, he assured them that in gun circles it wasn't an unusual mix and successful at their job but offered to take pup back to use themselves or train and sell on. Of course the family were already attached and kept him. He is the most adorable dog but looks rather odd having a docked tail when he is almost the size of a lab with very little cocker appearance.

The breeder offered refund but they didn't take it, they wouldn't have returned the dog anyway. There are plenty of springer/cocker/lab mixes working successfully as gundogs.

I know hips and knees can be issues for labs (our lab-pointer cross has ruptured both anterior cruciates and needed two operations), but I would expect that the breeder's lab boy should have his hip and knee scores, and if these are OK, that might give you some reassurance, jesspip.

Shouldigetascooter do you know what area of the country this happened to your friend in? It's an identical story. Not Boston, Lincs by any chance?

Sorry Jesspip, it's Northern Ireland, this was about 7 years ago. They stayed in touch with breeder and bought another dog from them a few years later, full cocker. It was a genuine mistake that the breeder was mortified about. I hope you find some resolution with this. I know in my heart I couldn't give the dog back but I would hope the breeder would give some sort of refund as dog is not the breed you thought you were buying. As for suitability for shooting I imagine your pup has the same potential as either breed. I do hope it all works out for you.