Please help: returning puppy

[feelinghorrible]

Hi all
I'm currently feeling like a horrible human. We bought a golden lab yesterday. Myself and my partner had dogs growing up but not since we've been living together. We also have a 4 month old DS.
We love the puppy! He's got a gorgeous temperment, obviously painfully cute and all round a lovely pup.
The problem we're having is that it seems my son may have had a reaction to the dog. When we introduced them yesterday, the pup licked DS arm before we could stop him. Not long after, DS had runny nose and eyes, sneezing, seemed to have a wheeze of sorts and a red sort of rash in the spot he had been licked. He was then very distressed and hard to settle. We removed him from the room of course. Was fine with the pup until these symptoms occurred and was smiling at him and chatting to him. When we woke DS this morning, (he sleeps 11 hours) the rash wasn't gone but was faded and his eyes and nose seemed a lot better. However, when we bought him downstairs where the pup was running around, the sneezing, runny nose, eyes and rubbing and little wheezes started again after 10-15 minutes and DS is now distressed whenever the pup is in view.
I feel horrible because I hadn't even considered that DS could have an allergy. We have a cat who he has never had a reaction to but that being said the cat isn't close to him most of the time.
I'm crying nearly as much as DS and my anxiety is working overtime. I feel awful for DS and awful for the dog as he deserves a family that can dedicate themselves to him whereas now with this happening I feel too paranoid about DS. How can I keep a dog that can't be in the vicinity of my child?
My question is, where do I stand on returning the dog? I was told they would have the dog back within a week with a written letter from a vet stating that the dog was ill but nothing for this sort of circumstance. We bought him from a pet shop attached to a house and the man selling the pups sells them on behalf of the breeder. It was very legit. I'd be lying if I said we're not concerned about the £500 we paid as we were more than willing to pay this for a beautiful dog but of course, if we can't keep him we have lost £500. If not I feel I will have to rehome him ourselves before he gets too attached to our family as that is even more unfair of the dog. How would I go about this?
I'm going to ring the man we purchased the puppy from shortly but am trying to compose myself first and console DS so I just wanted some help and support. Please no nasty comments I know how horrible I sound!

"He has offered us a full refund AND is also happy for us to rehome the pup (which will be done after a thorough research of appropriate rehoming centres)."

I hope this is true.

I'm not accusing you of lying, but I do hope you haven't hopefully misinterpretation things.

You got this all agreed and arranged in well under 19 minutes, and it seems hugely unlikely that he would simply agree to give up both the cash and the puppy on the strength of your threats to take action ... threats which he knows (as well as you and we do) that you will be perfectly free to still carry out once he has returned your money, while allowing you to retain the puppy.

In fact, if he refunds your money and allows you to retain the puppy and paperwork his position is much more precarious, than it would be if he refunded upon return.

So, yes, I am really struggling to believe this.

I think there is a very good chance that, when you meet to collect your refund, you may find that he does actually expect you to return the puppy and paperwork.

Hi all,

Just for clarification, I half sped wrote the outcome post.

When I called him I wasn't rude and didn't make outright threats but was very polite and insinuated that I knew something about his business was amiss. He spouted some tripe about customer service and keeping the customer happy and sometimes these things don't work out and the puppy isn't right for the family etc. He was nice as pie (out of fear I assume). He said he would call the breeder (his "gaffer") to see what he could arrange to resolve the situation. He called back and told me that where children and allergy issues are concerned "it happens sometimes and there's nothing you can do about it". He offered us a full refund MINUS our deposit. We paid £100 in the morning to secure the puppy. So we are getting £400 back but a full refund minus the deposit.

I made it very clear to him on the phone that I was very happy with this offer and outcome and thanked him for his customer service and said I appreciate what he does to ensure a happy customer. He was clearly more concerned about himself than the puppy's and saw them as business.

Obviously I am not appreciative of how this man works at all but, when I go to see him I will ensure he believes this. Of course, there's a chance that he will pull some sort of trick but the plan is to convince him I'm a very happy customer so that he believes I wouldn't report him. I didn't outright say that I would but I insinuated towards the fact that I was concerned the breeder should be "checked out". I think he's probably under the assumption that I wouldn't know what I was doing if I tried to report him.

We'll see what happens when we go to see him later but we will NOT be taking the pup with us, my mom is coming to watch him. If we forgo some or all of our money then too bad but he is not getting the puppy back! He will go to a rehoming centre no matter what!

Never mind the money. Contact a breed specific rescue. Get the pup a new and caring home.
You bought from a puppy farmer. You can't expect him to act ethically.

We are taking the puppy to a rehoming centre regardless of money as stated

Vets have nothing to do with KC paperwork either. You sign the form that your breeder gives you and send it off to KC to change ownership. For future reference.

We only paid £550 for our lab. I don't think his breeder was in it for the money, she was just breeding a good dog. Still had all the tests done.

We saw him in the breeders home with his mum at two weeks and six weeks before we actually picked him up at eight weeks. He's a beautiful boy, good pedigree, fantastic temperament and hopefully we'll get another pup one day as the breeder kept his sister with a view to carrying on that bloodline. We actually found her after asking around on Mumsnet. We're still in touch.

What rehoming centre? A tiny pup should not be in kennels. What about the breed rescue?

@herotherhalf

Not sure where I said anything about removing the dog from its mother before it had a home to go to, maybe you've confused me with someone else in your rush to froth at me.

What I said was the "reputable breeder" © that MN is so fond of is actually an autonomous individual who can choose how and when they want to sell their puppies.
Some will want a home visit, some will want birth certificates and a photo of said puppy every few months, some are happy to deal with people remotely... they all do things differently. That is a fact.

That doesn't make me part of the problem.

Maybe direct your ire at someone else who requires educating.

Well done! I think you've done a great job overcoming your anxiety to deal with the problem. I hope it works out re. the money.

This is a Labrador specific rescue in the Midlands. Worth contacting them for advice. They will hopefully be able to place the pup in a foster home. www.facebook.com/EastMidlandsLabradorRescue/?fref=ts

If this is all genuine, he's trying to shut you up as he couldn't be less legitimate. You could send someone else to get the money so you're not involved, and certainly report immediately. Take all of the advice here about how to best rehome a puppy, please - but do pay extra attention to the person who told you not to fall for any notions of hypoallergenic dogs, or such nonsense, because that would just be adding insult to injury. Do not get a dog. Do not keep adding to this.

I do agree that sometimes it's hard to tell as they're crafty and manipulative, but, actually, it wasn't here . . .

Not sure where I said anything about removing the dog from its mother before it had a home to go to, maybe you've confused me with someone else in your rush to froth at me.

It was evident from the OP that the pups were not with their mother. That presumably did not register with you when you decided to wade in and criticise all those who called the breeder/seller into question and conclude he was involved in puppy farming. You have no excuse now, as it has been clarified for you several times throughout the thread, yet you still try to defend your position instead of accepting that you were wrong.

So no, I didn't confuse you with someone else and you are indeed part of the problem.

Anyway, I've said my piece and I'm not going to waste any more time debating it with you. I suggest you also find something more productive to do. You might consider getting someone to explain to you what the colloquial definition of "froth" is for starters. If you think I am frothing at you, you've had a very sheltered life.

Thanks for your input. The handle you flew off is over there >

Don't get me wrong I'm the glad there is a "happy" outcome but honestly OP I can't for the life of me understand why/how you ever thought this was legit!!! You were so convinced.

So you brought a puppy from a shop, which was being sold by a man who would share the profit with the breeder. You never saw the mother. They wasn't really bothered about where the puppy was going, the vets apparently have the KC papers, the puppy was dirt cheap. Your child wasn't even taken out the car seat when you went to meet this puppy (who would share its life with your son!).

I'm sorry, I honestly cannot believe how naive you were. Seriously.

I have just got a puppy 2 weeks ago. I met the mother AND father as well as the rest of the litter. The litter was in a loving home surrounded by warmth and toys etc. They were well fed. I was allowed to see the parents hip scores. I asked a million questions and every single one was answered. I was allowed to go and visit several times before they were able to leave their mother at 9 weeks. They asked me questions to make sure I was a suitable buyer for this puppy. They made a home check (it's a large breed and they wanted to make sure I wasn't living in a tiny flat). I received a receipt and all KC papers with the dogs full family tree history.

THAT is how you buy a puppy that has been responsibly bred from decent people OP.

I know you didn't purposely set out to buy the puppy this way but your naivety is worrying especially as you said you've had dogs before. It comes across that getting the money back was just as important as rehoming the puppy. I genuinely can't believe the difference between you getting your puppy and me receiving mine, and now you never once thought there was something wrong.

And please do not ever get another dog.

Bit harsh SparklingRaspberry - pretty sure naivety doesn't make a person the devil incarnate totally devoid of the intelligence to own a dog.

But if we're going to jump up and down about owning a dog, pretty sure many people would tell that you if you were that much of a responsible person, you would have adopted a dog from a rescue rather than buying a puppy.

Sure, you may have bought a particular working breed of dog to round up your sheep which may have been the reason you bought your dog rather than rescued one, but I'm just pointing out the irony of your post.

Don't be ridiculous Raspberry Firstly OP can't get another dog in the foreseeable future because her ds is allergic. And it is easy to find yourself in the position of having to rehome a much wanted pet due to allergy wherever you buy them from.

OP you NEED to report him to your local authority - they are responsible for licensing professional breeders and pet shops - I suspect he does not have a pet shop license - ring the council

If you're thinking of getting a puppy major charities and the vet profession have been promoting the puppy contact for YEARS - read this:
puppycontract.rspca.org.uk/home

Fortunately legislation is changing!
www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/newsroom/news-releases/new-defra-puppy-legislation-step-in-right-direction-but-must-be-fully-resourced/

No need to be so bloody rude!

I took the OP assurances that this was a legitimate breeder and clearly don't have the right radar to detect a puppy farmer. Obviously I wouldn't have advised that if I'd had realised it.

It is perfectly reasonable to find a good home for a puppy yourself if it is well bred and legitimate.

We had one litter only and sold the puppies to good homes after very careful vetting. As I said one home we refused.

Some of the replies on here are so judgemental. The puppy selling/breeding situation in this country is ridiculous. It needs properly vetting and regulating. I say this as falling for a front... turned out to be a puppy farm. A few of us with the same breed discovered this via our fb group.
I questioned my breeder on the phone and refused to pay a deposit until i had seen the puppies with mum. Visited and saw the litter with 'mum' who was KC registered. Me and my dad quizzed him on why he'd chosen to breed this one and only litter. His young child played and socialised with the litter.After an hour we bought a pup.

Turned out it was all a front and the bastard was lying through his teeth! The mum wasn't even the pups mum. I reported to the council and RSPCA. Despicicable. Awful to find out you have been duped good luck OP

Hi OP, the breed specific rescue you should contact is Labrador Rescue South East and Central. You can contact them on www.loveyourlabrador.co.uk

Our Labrador came through them and they will ensure your pup goes to the right home, they are very experienced and do home checks etc.

Bit harsh SparklingRaspberry - pretty sure naivety doesn't make a person the devil incarnate totally devoid of the intelligence to own a dog.

SparklingRaspberry didn't say anything like that, but the OP has been unfathomably naive. There are some very sophisticated fronts for puppy farms out there (selling from private homes, having a quiet bitch masquerading as the mother etc). But this isn't one of them. It is clear that OP has done absolutely no research. And despite what she says, does seem more concerned about her money that the puppy - her last post states a 'good outcome' because seller has agreed to refund, but she's no closer to finding the poor pup a good home?!

But if we're going to jump up and down about owning a dog, pretty sure many people would tell that you if you were that much of a responsible person, you would have adopted a dog from a rescue rather than buying a puppy.

No, there is a world of difference between buying a responsibly bred pup and supporting a puppy farm. Rescuing a dog can be a great thing to, but can be absolutely the wrong thing to do in certain circumstances. I don't have to feel 'responsible' because someone else has abandoned their dog at a rescue centre. The best thing to do is to try and prevent dogs from ending up in rescue centres in the first place, and getting puppy farms closed down would make a big impact on this.

Don't be ridiculous Raspberry hmm Firstly OP can't get another dog in the foreseeable future because her ds is allergic. And it is easy to find yourself in the position of having to rehome a much wanted pet due to allergy wherever you buy them from.

You'd be surprised how many people in the OP's position decide to 'give it another go' in a year or so Barbarian, and wind up sending another dog to a rescue centre.

The allergy situation is almost always avoidable. I would expect any family considering a puppy to be spending as much time as possible with both dogs in general and examples of the specific breed to get to know it, in addition to several visits to breeder to meet mother etc both before and after any pups are even born. This would particularly apply to any young family members that had not spent much time around dogs before. If rescuing from a centre, this would also be an expected minimum. The chance of an allergy turning up after this level of consideration would be low.

It honestly sounds like the OP just woke up one morning and decided it would be great fun to buy a puppy.

Thank you Nemo

Barbarian - the OP didn't even take her child out the child seat when introducing the puppy and the child. Any sensible person would introduce them for lengthy time, not just for health reasons, but to get them used to each other. I certainly wouldn't buy any animal without taking my children to meet them properly (if I had any)

strokethefurywall - I don't care if it was harsh it's the truth. I have strong opinions about people who buy/adopt any animal without doing it responsibly.

There is also a MASSIVE difference between your 'points'.
There isn't anything wrong what so ever with choosing to buy a puppy instead of rescuing. Sure, I also suggest rescuing before buying a puppy. And for your information I did look into rescuing the breed I was after, a German shepherd, but the rescue organisation wouldn't rehome one to us because the ones available in our area weren't great with children, and we have lots of kids in the family. Unlike the OP, they asked questions.

Regardless of how you look at it, and whether you think it's harsh or not, the OP has been incredibly irresponsible and embarrassingly naive when it comes to buying this puppy.
If she's right and she has had dogs in the past then I question how she ever brought this pup whilst thinking it was all genuine. As horrible as it sounds, she doesn't deserve any animal if she can't be bothered to 1) research, and 2) do it properly!

It's not a golden lab it's a yellow lab, there is no such thing as golden in Labrador retrievers, they are black, chocolate & yellow. Golden is the term used for a golden retriever.

Sorry had to be said..

Red - I thought that but didn't want to put in my post in case people accused me of being petty!

Another point to back up the fact the OP didn't have a clue what she was doing