Judy O'Shaughnessy -- San Ramon Unethical dog breeder San Ramon California

I was very distressed to discover that this person may still be breeding and selling toy dogs. I had purchased a maltese-poodle puppy from her 13 years ago, and -- while he very quickly became a beloved member of our family -- from the outset he had numerous health issues.

These issues included congenital blindness in one eye; a luxating patella (which we had repaired surgically); ongoing problems with his anal glands (failure to express them naturally, and susceptibility to abscesses); and, ultimately, heart disease and failure. I discovered the first issue -- blindness in one eye -- just days after I brought him home as an eight-week-old puppy and noticed that his left eye looked abnormal in the photos I'd taken of him.

I immediately took him to a veterinary ophthalmologist who diagnosed him with retinal detachment in that eye, as well as a cataract, and confirmed that he did not have vision in that eye and that it was a congenital defect. When I contacted the seller, she implied that it must have been something I had done to him.  Just imagine.

In all fairness, she did offer to take him back -- but by then I wanted to keep him because I had fallen in love with him, and I suspected that if I didn't keep him, he would be euthanized or re-sold to someone else.  I ended up taking care of my little malti-poo guy for 13 wonderful years. He was a great little dog with a big presence, and he had a full and happy life in spite of being beset by so very many health issues.

The bottom line here:  Buyer beware. The genetic lines that this individual is propagating are not sound, and one would also have to question the ethics of the vet she uses to give them a clean bill of health.