Michelle Gravenhof is a fraudulent breeder and scammed me out of $765 with a biting Shiba Inu with no papers Worthington, Minnesota

I'd say the blame in this case is both the breeder and the buyer's.

The breeder should have never sold a Shiba Inu to a first-time dog owner without a complete understanding that this person understood the personality of the breed and was ready to handle an often grueling training regime. Shiba's are very independent and stubborn dogs; I often refer to them as Japanese terriers. They are prone to displaying food and toy aggression at an early age. When we bought our first Shiba from the breeder, the breeder spent hours on the phone with us talking about training techniques, what to expect and learning about our own lifestyles & experience. It was clear that since my husband and I are seasoned dog owners, having grown up with multiple 'packs' of dogs since childhood, we were ready and able to take on this high-energy, quirky breed. I also had the breeder's cell phone number and we were able to call him at any time of the day with questions/concerns.

The owner also obviously didn't understand normal puppy and dog behaviors. A puppy doesn't arrive on your doorstep house-trained (None of our AKC registered purebred puppies came home house-trained!) and is going to do silly things like run in circles/chase tail. When she was a puppy, our now 14-year old terrier would do high-speed laps around the entire house! We liked to call it "midnight crazies".

I actually tell my friends that if they want a Shiba, they should get a terrier first and get used to the behaviors. (Not those cutesy yorkies, but a real, working terrior like a Westie or Cairn, or even a Scottie). If I had a dollar every time our westie puppy nipped my little sister or me (sometimes drawing blood) when we were kids during play or just when she thought we were "messing with her", I'd be super rich. She was disciplined, however, and quickly grew out of it, becoming a very mild-tempered, sweet (albeit stubborn) dog.

The breeder, however, should have explained to you the temperment of the puppy you were getting (is he calm? low energy? playful or sometimes aggressive?) and whether or not he was accustomed to household life. Alot of people just focus on a cute picture and the color they want (particularly with shibas). I asked "what is his temperment? Does he have his mom and dad around? How's he doing? Any behavior issues?" My breeder explained that the puppy we were looking to purchase had a very sweet temperment with people but could sometimes be rough playing with his sibs since he was a little bigger than them. He also told us that we'd have to watch the puppy's eating since he seemed to be a bit of a food "inhaler". He also said that the puppy was becoming very well accustomed to being in the house (rather than in the pen where he was whelped) and quickly learned which areas were off limits.

It sounds to me like this was a poor combination of inexperienced owners, a breeder who just wanted to make a sale and a puppy with a more difficult temperment.  I wish I could have had the opportunity to take in this poor pup :-(

There are things when people tranfer a puppy or dog from one family to another that takes place in so many psycological and physical emotions for the dog. He was in strange place and only Michelle knows if there was a problem with him from get go. If a puppy is raised in kennel then they will live life as pack of dogs. If they are to be inside dogs they should be whelped in home and stay in home until adoption. In home puppy hears human voices not barking. in human house they see people making breakfast,lunch, and dinner and learn the family life rather quickly. I keep my puppies in main room for them to see and hear vacum,t.v. my children the puppy handlers once they are 6 weeks with 1st shot. I handle my puppies at least 15 times a day no longer than 15 minutes.

Point Only Michelle knows why this dog reacted to a family this way. Only the breeder can tell you where he spent his days before coming to your home. I had pee-wee for 4 mo. and I noted the other 2 boys picking on him so removed him from that situation. To ease your own mind ask the breeder where did he grow up at did he have siblings etc. and you was not the one who put him to sleep. The authoritys did. Can you post who decided he was a puppy and could never adapt to social life with humans? Thats who is responsible the persons that said your pet should be put down. You could not have made that decision alone could you? If anyone knows can you just walk in some vet and say how bout puttin rover to sleep he is a thorn in my side. I would if I was breeder and knowing the time reputable breeders put into their pack and puppies want the name of person who put my puppy down.

There are things when people tranfer a puppy or dog from one family to another that takes place in so many psycological and physical emotions for the dog. He was in strange place and only Michelle knows if there was a problem with him from get go. If a puppy is raised in kennel then they will live life as pack of dogs. If they are to be inside dogs they should be whelped in home and stay in home until adoption. In home puppy hears human voices not barking. in human house they see people making breakfast,lunch, and dinner and learn the family life rather quickly. I keep my puppies in main room for them to see and hear vacum,t.v. my children the puppy handlers once they are 6 weeks with 1st shot. I handle my puppies at least 15 times a day no longer than 15 minutes.

Point Only Michelle knows why this dog reacted to a family this way. Only the breeder can tell you where he spent his days before coming to your home. I had pee-wee for 4 mo. and I noted the other 2 boys picking on him so removed him from that situation. To ease your own mind ask the breeder where did he grow up at did he have siblings etc. and you was not the one who put him to sleep. The authoritys did. Can you post who decided he was a puppy and could never adapt to social life with humans? Thats who is responsible the persons that said your pet should be put down. You could not have made that decision alone could you? If anyone knows can you just walk in some vet and say how bout puttin rover to sleep he is a thorn in my side. I would if I was breeder and knowing the time reputable breeders put into their pack and puppies want the name of person who put my puppy down.

Ive been giving a lot of thought to this issue and my own role in what happened with Hunter, the Shiba Inu that we purchased from Michelle. Its difficult and humiliating to have to say this, but I believe now I made a mistake, not only with regard to what happened to Hunter, but in how I blamed Michelle for it and all the angry things I posted here.

Hunter had special meaning for my daughter and myself. Five years ago I had a mental breakdown and became psychotic for a few months. I wont get into the details, but my daughter was put through something no child should ever have to experience. It was devastating for us both, partly because, up until that point, we had always been very close. I lost custody of her, lost my job, lost everything but most important, I lost my relationship with her, and had to watch her go through high school with scars that will probably never fully heal. She was a cutter during that time (probably because of what happened), something I didnt even find out for a few years. Despite all this she graduated from high school with a 4.0, valedictorian of her class.

She had always wanted a dog. For her graduation, I decided to get her a dog, since she had decided rather than go off to Harvard as I assumed she would that she would stay in Bloomington and go to IU where Im at. The dog would be a way for us reunite again, a very special way to heal our wounded relationship. She was planning to live with me.

She was delighted about the dog and we spent several weeks preparing reading books, going shopping, talking about it. It was wonderful. She decided on a Shiba Inu and we both read about them, but we were both too inexperienced to realize that was probably the worst possibly choice for first-time dog owners. I couldnt really afford it but I decided it was worth it. She deserved it, and Id figure out a way to make ends meet.

We were excited when Hunter arrived and at first, everything seemed fine, we loved him. But after a few days we were both frightened of him. He was constantly trying to bite us and doing strange things like spinning. It just got worse and worse. We talked to a trainer at the vet who gave us some tips about how to deal with his biting, but it didnt work. On top of this we couldnt get him housetrained at all, he went everywhere, anywhere he wanted, even though we were box-training him so he was only out of the box in our house for a few minutes each day. We spent more time with him outside than in, but still couldnt get him to stop urinating and defecating in our house. It became an increasing struggle to get him in the box or put him on a leash, because he would try to bite us every time.

The situation deteriorated and neither me or my daughter liked Hunter any more or wanted to be around him. Neither one of us could deal with him, and rather than healing our relationship, he was driving us further apart. After two weeks of almost no sleep, we were both nearly out of our minds. We made a decision that we couldnt keep the dog and would have to give him away. We hoped that the animal shelter would take him, because we couldnt deal with him any more. At that point we still hadnt received the papers from the breeder and had decided, given the dogs strange behavior, that she probably already had a pretty good idea that there was a problem with the dog. It didnt seem like an option to us to send Hunter back to her. But we really didnt even give her a chance to talk to us about it or take him back, and we should have. That morning, we just wanted Hunter gone.

I took him to the shelter and was devastated to find out that, given his behavior, he would have to be put down rather than taken in for adoption. At that point I should have taken him back home and tried to look for someone to adopt him, but I guess I thought, where am I going to find someone to take a dog like this? Hes aggressive, he bites, he spins, hes not housebroken...he would need a special trainer, someone who specializes in dogs with behavioral issues. But the truth is, I just couldnt take him back into our house, even for a few more weeks. So I finally agreed to sign the papers to have him put down.

When I went home and told my daughter that the shelter had refused to take him, she was in near hysterics. She had cried as much as me when I told her the dog had been put down. No, no!! she screamed. How could you?! How could you?! Ill never forget the look on her face. Ive never seen her cry like that. I realized then that I had made a horrible mistake that it would have been better to keep him for a few more weeks and search for a better home for him. He deserved better, she kept saying.

I think thats true. I realize now that my anger toward the breeder was displaced I was angry at myself, and the fact that we did not receive papers from her served to influence my opinion about her culpability. I decided she probably sent us a dog she knew was a lemon, so to speak, because I had been stupid enough to purchase a pet over the Internet (something that I would strongly discourage anyone from doing).

But on reflection I think it is possible that the breeder was not at fault, that maybe the dog seemed normal when he lived with her, and that she had no reason to think there was a problem. The issue with the papers was, perhaps, just an unfortunate coincidence. Its entirely possibly the papers were mailed but were lost in the mail. Perhaps one day theyll arrive after having been lost for months and then Ill know this to be the case, without question.

But whether or not the papers ever arrive, it was wrong of me to post such angry remarks about the breeder here. I was frustrated because that was a huge sum of money for me to have lost for nothing, and especially because of how important the dog was to my daughter and I, in terms of our healing. He was my daughters graduation present, and it had turned out to be a disaster from beginning to end. My daughter left that same day and decided to live on campus rather than with me (which was probably better for her).

So my final analysis is that Michelle Gravenhof is probably a respectable breeder who had done her best to raise a healthy dog, but that an unfortunate series of events and my own inexperience as a dog owner led to situation where Hunter didnt have a chance. Once Ive made up my mind about something its difficult to persuade me to turn back, and the day I decided I had to get rid of him (ironically, thinking it was for the sake of my relationship with my daughter), I was not in a state of mind to think clearly about it. I just wanted him gone.

I grieved for him for months. In fact, I called the center the next day, thinking maybe they hadnt really put him down and had just told us that, because I wanted him back. I decided even if my daughter didnt want the dog I would figure out a way to deal with him myself. But it was too late.

I never did give my daughter another graduation present, though I would like to. Shes doing so well in college. We dont talk about what happened, and now were finally starting to be reconciled.

Ive carried this trauma in my heart all year. I spent the past month and half with kidney stones and horrible depression. Part of the hurt is knowing that I was so awful to the breeder. Its not surprising that she wouldnt want to refund my money. I didnt even give her a chance to take the dog back. When I think back about her reaction to all this, I think this situation hurt her, too. She might have legitimately cared about the dog and I was completely wrong about her, but unwilling to see it because of my own issues with regard to the situation. I think now theres a good chance that the behavioral issues didnt surface until the dog was in an unfamiliar environment, and he just couldnt cope. Neither could we.

Lately Ive been meditating a good deal about right action. Ive had the instruction written in my heart to submit this update for a long time, but resisted it. I didnt want to humble myself and admit that I was wrong. But I see now that its necessary for me to do so. Unfortunately for Michelle, Ive posted this complaint here and it cannot now be deleted. Anyone who googles her name on the Internet will find this report. So I realized I had to do the next best thing, which was to write a letter of apology and explanation about this situation. It is unfortunate that Michelle happened to cross paths with someone like me, when I was at such a dark place and not in control of my anger. The situation brought out the very worst in me.

So I make this meager restitution, in hopes that it will free me from the pain I still carry in my heart, by somehow taking away from some of the harm that I did to a person I never even met, and who Im sure did not deserve the bulk of my accusations. I read here a post from someone who had adopted a dog from Michelle and was very happy about it, which further leads me to believe I was misguided in my initial assessment.

So, I hereby officially withdraw my objections to this breeder, and apologize for any hardship they may have caused, though I doubt this update, coming at such a late date, can do much good. I consider this matter settled, at least for my side, and wish Michelle nothing but the best.

It's great if you were lucky with this breeder, but that still doesn't change the fact that Michelle Gravenhof is a fraudulent breeder who scammed me out of $765 with a biting Shiba Inu. Until our money is returned to us, we will continue to spread this message far and wide. NOT ONE PENNY OF OUR MONEY WAS RETURNED TO US! BEWARE!

I am very disturbed that someone had a Shiba Inu puppy for 2 weeks decied to kill it!!!!! I just wanted to put my 2 cents in... I am a customer of Michelle Gravenhof's. I recieved my puppy in March of 2007 (he was 2 months) & I am completley satisfied with my Shiba Inu. He is the best dog I've ever had! By nature Shibas are different than the average dog, but if you do the correct research you find that out. I'll admit my dog needed some training, but what dog doesn't??? On the second day I had him home he knew how to sit on command! It was amazing!!!! I even refered one of my friends to Michelle & he is happy with his dog. I can't imagine that Michelle would do you wrong. I had such a positive experience with her & her family. I'm grateful that Michelle & I found each other, because if we didn't I wouldn't have my wonderful Shiba. I know that my friend that got his Shiba from Michelle feels the same way. I hope that everone thinks long & hard before making a commitment to an animal they cannot handle. Thanks for listening to what I have to say.

I am very disturbed that someone had a Shiba Inu puppy for 2 weeks decied to kill it!!!!! I just wanted to put my 2 cents in... I am a customer of Michelle Gravenhof's. I recieved my puppy in March of 2007 (he was 2 months) & I am completley satisfied with my Shiba Inu. He is the best dog I've ever had! By nature Shibas are different than the average dog, but if you do the correct research you find that out. I'll admit my dog needed some training, but what dog doesn't??? On the second day I had him home he knew how to sit on command! It was amazing!!!! I even refered one of my friends to Michelle & he is happy with his dog. I can't imagine that Michelle would do you wrong. I had such a positive experience with her & her family. I'm grateful that Michelle & I found each other, because if we didn't I wouldn't have my wonderful Shiba. I know that my friend that got his Shiba from Michelle feels the same way. I hope that everone thinks long & hard before making a commitment to an animal they cannot handle. Thanks for listening to what I have to say.

I am very disturbed that someone had a Shiba Inu puppy for 2 weeks decied to kill it!!!!! I just wanted to put my 2 cents in... I am a customer of Michelle Gravenhof's. I recieved my puppy in March of 2007 (he was 2 months) & I am completley satisfied with my Shiba Inu. He is the best dog I've ever had! By nature Shibas are different than the average dog, but if you do the correct research you find that out. I'll admit my dog needed some training, but what dog doesn't??? On the second day I had him home he knew how to sit on command! It was amazing!!!! I even refered one of my friends to Michelle & he is happy with his dog. I can't imagine that Michelle would do you wrong. I had such a positive experience with her & her family. I'm grateful that Michelle & I found each other, because if we didn't I wouldn't have my wonderful Shiba. I know that my friend that got his Shiba from Michelle feels the same way. I hope that everone thinks long & hard before making a commitment to an animal they cannot handle. Thanks for listening to what I have to say.

I am very disturbed that someone had a Shiba Inu puppy for 2 weeks decied to kill it!!!!! I just wanted to put my 2 cents in... I am a customer of Michelle Gravenhof's. I recieved my puppy in March of 2007 (he was 2 months) & I am completley satisfied with my Shiba Inu. He is the best dog I've ever had! By nature Shibas are different than the average dog, but if you do the correct research you find that out. I'll admit my dog needed some training, but what dog doesn't??? On the second day I had him home he knew how to sit on command! It was amazing!!!! I even refered one of my friends to Michelle & he is happy with his dog. I can't imagine that Michelle would do you wrong. I had such a positive experience with her & her family. I'm grateful that Michelle & I found each other, because if we didn't I wouldn't have my wonderful Shiba. I know that my friend that got his Shiba from Michelle feels the same way. I hope that everone thinks long & hard before making a commitment to an animal they cannot handle. Thanks for listening to what I have to say.

I just realized some person not even related to this episode posted the last remarks.

You know absolutely nothing about what is going on here. WE WERE BITTEN HARD BY THIS DOG AND HE HAD TO BE PUT DOWN.

I'm not even going to bother reading your entire answer, because it shows how little you know. Try looking up "spinning" in conncection Shiba Inu genetic defects. The dog had no problems with his anal glands--he had just been to the vet.

Michelle, you sent us an agresssive, completely unhousebroken dog that bit us both. You can run around with your hands in the air screaming all you want about normal dog behavior, what you sent us WAS A DANGEROUS DOG.

DOGS THAT BITE MUST BE PUT DOWN.

Why would we pay nearly $1000 to turn around and put the dog down after two weeks? DOESN'T THAT TELL YOU THE HELL WE WENT THROUGH?

You, Michelle Gravenhof, may think you have gotten away with this. But I have news for you. You haven't. You, and other fraudulent breeders like you ought to be arrested for what you do.

In lieu of that, I am the organization I am getting ready to form will ensure that consumers are aware of your history before they make the mistake of purchasing a dog, or any animal, for that matter, from you.

A reputable breeder would have at least given us back something--you didn't even give us half. You didn't even give us a penny. You took our money and gave us a viscious, uncontrollable dog. And you know it.

Fortunately, this is never going to go away for you. For all your greed, it will not be worth it for you when years and years later folks look into your background and discover you are not to be trusted.

You know the truth of what went on, and you choose instead to nourish a lie in your heart. That is a bad place for deception and greed to take place, for you will turn your soul black. But you have turned the wheels of the universe against you, for wherever an evil thing is done, the universe works to bring about a balance. You may think you can cheat consumers, that you can outwit karma, Michelle Gravenhof, but you can't. Not in the long run.

You could shift the balance in your favor by stepping up to the plate and at least returning some portion of what we paid you. Half would be appropriate, in this instance, since as it is now, you have my $765 and I have nothing, and neither of us has a dog. If you would do this, I would accept this as a sign that you are, in fact, a reputable breeder, that somehow this has all been some immense misunderstanding, that you truly did send papers that were lost in the mail (why didn't you send them certified?!), that the dog showed no bizarre, aggressive or vicious behavior with you, that he was truly almost housebroken when with you and did not mark territory, and that only when he came into our care did everything change, and that you as emotionally upset about all this as we are, and that you want to put an end to this now.

If you are willing to do this, I will tender my apology and retract my statements.

Otherwise, this is not going to end here.

"A normal dog does not circle the room chasing its tail for hours, growling when you come near or when you try to take its food or toy away!"

Wrong. Tail chasing is a common playful behaviour in normal puppies and kittens. It seems that they do not recognize their own tail as part of their body. A tail is an entertaining distraction when no other playmate is nearby. They will perform this activity for extended periods of time. It is likely the puppy was not receiving the proper attention.

Though tail chasing is often a normal activity seen in moments of excitement, it can indicate itchiness or inflammation near the tail base, lower back, genitals or anus. Physical discomfort associated with these areas may be traced to external parasites, internal parasites and anal sac disease, to name a few causes.

Puppies of many breeds, including this breed, are naturally agressive in the litter. The food behavior you describe is known as "food agression". In early months a puppy will be very protective of its food growling or snapping at any attempt to remove its food from it. Once again, this is a part of establishing a pecking order in the pack. The pack leader eats first. The puppy must be shown it is lower in the pecking order and that the attempt to take away food is from a more dominant member of the pack. Once established the puppy will accept this. The same applies to toys.


"A normal dog does not the approach of a human! A normal 'puppy' does not growl, snap and frighten little children who approach it!"

In early stages of a new environment the behavior you describe is EXACTLY what a normal dog does. Growling is a sign that the dog is stressed by the intrusion of a human into the dog's comfort zone. Most new dog owners misinterpet the signs a dog will offer to warn you away, the dog instinctively does NOT want to bite or fight. Most dogs when stressed by the approach of a human it has not bonded with will begin by showing tension in body movements or a stiffly wagging tail. If you continue to approach his body will stiffen and he will emit a low growl. If these warnings are ignored he can and will bite. Instinctively he is protecting his self, his territory or members of a social group he recognizes. Your family was simply not recognized by this animal as having estabilshed a pecking order and the dog (especially this breed) considered himself dominant in the group. It is likely the fear interpeted by the dog as a reaction to his growling contributed to this. The breed you selected is well known for not socializing well to young children, especially at first. Again, you did not do your research.

"A normal dog does not make you fear for your life!"

If you intrude upon the territory of a dog that has not socialized to you and does not consider you a higher part of its pecking order ANY dog can make you fear for your life.

"We know all about the Alpha dog and we had been attempting to train him."

You had the dog destroyed after only two weeks of owning him. You have NO IDEA about Alpha Dog training, or dog training in general. First, the dog was uprooted from his kennel environment and shipped to a totally unfamiliar environment. This alone would cause a high stress level for the dog which must first be overcome before any effective training could take place. Training itself is a long term process which requires the investment of CONSISTENT time and effort. There is simply NO WAY you invested the time and effort in this animal in two weeks to properly train him. The biting and agressive behavior you witnessed, and displayed fear over, were a result of the stress this dog was experiencing and the lack of respect it had for you. Just like with humans respect is earned from dogs.

Almost no dog is untrainable, especially when obtained as a puppy. A few breeds cannot be easily socialized as it is not inherent in their nature.

"YOU obviously know absolutely NOTHING about what happened here."

What happened here is that you chose a breed unsuitable for your environment, either had inadequate knowledge or lack of interest in taking the time to properly train the animal, and had it destroyed as a result. You are upset because you are out money for a poor choice you made and want to blame the breeder.

I am not a "friend" of the breeder. I am, however, an animal rights activist and believe that your destruction of the animal was an abhorrent act.

If you have made one true statement in any of your posts it is that you should not have purchased a dog from the internet. In no circumstances should a dog be purchased without visiting the home environment the dog is bred and raised in. This is simply YOUR FAULT.


We were ripped of $765, did not see a return of a single penny. We are going to prosecute this breeder.




Tail chasing is a common playful behaviour in normal puppies and kittens. It seems that they do not recognize their own tail as part of their body. A tail is an entertaining distraction when no other playmate is nearby.

Though tail chasing is often a normal activity seen in moments of excitement, it can indicate itchiness or inflammation near the tail base, lower back, genitals or anus. Physical discomfort associated with these areas may be traced to external parasites, internal parasites and anal sac disease, to name a few cause

I was so angry in my last post that it was full of typos! Because someone out of nowhere, having absolutely no knowlege of the situation, is trying to make this horrible breeder and let her get away with THEFT.

Michelle Gravenof may have stolen our money and made our lives miserable. But Michelle Gravenof will not get away with it. The rest of my life will the devoted to letting potential buyers know what she did to us, and the horror, confusion, and fear she put our household through.

We should NEVER have purchased a puppy over the Internet, and we feel so strongly that this dog was sent to us with owner KNOWING FULL WELL there was something horribly wrong with him that we will are going to scream it from the mountaintops and over cyberspace and in the courtrooms until we receive justice.

But most of all, we need to WARN potential buyers NOT TO TRUST Michelle Gravenof as a "breeder" of dogs. A dog like that could not have come from a loving situation. PERIOD.

THIS DOG WAS DANGEROUS!!

YOU are obviously a friend Michelle trying to make her look less back. We know all about Shiba Ibus! We did months of research! We knew how to train a dog!

A normal dog does not circle the room chasing its tail for hours, growling when you come near or when you try to take its food or toy away!

A normal dog does not the approach of a human!

A normal "puppy" does not growl, snap and frighten little children who approach it!

A normal dog does not make you fear for your life!

A normal dog does not make you YELP and break your skin with a bite!

We know all about the Alpha dog and we had been attempting to train him.

YOU obviously know absolutely NOTHING about what happened here.

We were ripped of $765, did not see a return of a single penny. We are going to prosecute this breeder.

Because guess what?

WE HAVE VIDEO FOOTAGE!~~~~

The breeder is not at fault here. Dogs, in the scheme of their existence, have only been domesticated for a short period of time. It is inherent in their nature, especially as puppies to respond to the "alpha dog" mentality.

As a puppy grows it will instinctively seek out the "alpha dog" personality to try and gain its favor. Finding none, or interpeting mixed messages, it will seek to establish itself as the alpha dog. To the dog, you are not humans, you are all part of the pack; the pack needs a leader to survive - if none is found one must be established. Despite the love and companionship you receive from a dog, instinctively it is interested in survival. In nature the alpha dog always eats first and to its fill - the essence of survival. "Biting" is one of the primary methods dogs use to establish superiority as the alpha dog. There is a definite pecking order in a pack and it must be established that the dog is the lowest in the order to ensure proper behavior.

Many puppy buyers do not realize the HOURS of consistent, ongoing training that are required to establish proper behavior from a puppy - it is no different from raising a child. Consistent behavior training, with firm (not abusive) consequences for negative actions is required.

All in all, it seems the OP did not do the required research before making a purchase of this breed. The Shiba Inu is very confident in its superiority, and will gladly take over a household . It is not a lap dog, nor is it subservient. It may be small in size, but this dog is not for the faint of heart.

The Shiba sets the terms when it comes to showing affection, it hates to be cuddled unless it is what they want at that particular time. Some breeders will not sell Shiba puppies to families with very young children for this reason. Young children sometimes insist that the puppy needs to be held, the Shiba puppy does not realize that it has very sharp teeth and are not aware of the strength of their bite.

Those who purchase a Shiba should be committed to the time required to properly train this dog. Once trained it is a loyal companion, however, it must constantly be controlled as the breed tends to respond to its natural instinct to investigate and as a hunter.

This breeder is simply unconscionable. The shelter KNEW this was a full-bred Shiba Inu. The shelter had to deal with me as I stood there bawling for half an hour after they made their decision.

We weren't planning to BREED this or any other dog. We never had a dog before. We just wanted one to love. Instead we received a lemon.

We never received papers from the breeder. This is news to me that there was something wrong with the papers, which was probably why she never sent them in the first place.

This was a graduation present for my daughter which was RUINED by an irresponsible thief. We received NOT ONE PENNY of our payment, not ONE!

We will probably sue this breeder unless we receive a refund within a certain period as defined by Minnesota law.

The dog was about 12 weeks old and was shipped to us from Minnesota, to Indiana. Once we realized there was something wrong with the dog--and we still hadn't received the papers, despite all her excuses--we did not want to make the dog fly back to Minnesota to a breeder we knew was no good. We took him to a shelter in hopes that a professional there might be willing to see if the dog could be trained an adopted. The shelter examined him and said the dog, because of its breed and behavior problems, had to be put down.

It was just brought to my attention that this accusation was reported against me. I good question was asked by another individual..Did you contact the breeder? I was only contacted after the 10 week old puppy was destroyed telling me she wanted her money back.

I received an email the day Lila got the puppy off the plane saying how much they loved him and he was doing great. One week later I got an email asking if the puppy had any behavior problems with biting. my response was only the 'puppy bite'. I had told her the puppy had been playing with my two year old on a daily basis and and did not have any issues with aggressive behavior. She then stated the puppy was probably testing what he could get by with. The next email I got, one week later, was telling me she wanted her money back because she had destroyed the puppy because of aggressive behavior. They had him destroyed at a shelter, which we were led to believe, had made an assessment upon arrival that he was aggressive.

After calling the shelter, their guidelines force them to destroy a dog (of any age) if the owner claims it to be aggressive and have broken skin with a bite (I remind you this is a 10 week old puppy). The shelter never had the option to ask questions or had they known it was a Purebred Shiba Inu they would have called The Shiba Inu rescue chapter(especially for placing a 10 week old puppy).

In talking to the Shelter I suggested they should have had the owners contact the breeder to see if they would be willing to take the puppy back. In this case, I was never contacted!! Had I been contacted prior to the puppy being destroyed I would gladly have worked through this situation with many options!

About receiving the papers. I sent once without postage just to be returned and then mailed again to her. I am not sure why she claims she never got them. Maybe after receiving the papers and seeing "limited registration" she saw she wasn't able to breed him. I'm not sure and don't want to speculate, our emails prove the contact made about the transaction.

In the end, I do feel as though I am an irresponsible breeder for allowing the likes of Lila Lykins to get her hands on one or our beautiful Shibas only to have it destroyed within 2 weeks. Any Questions on our reputation feel free to contact us to get references to happy pet owners.

Did you ask the breeder to take the dog back before you put it down?
How old was the dog?