Petland Purchased ShihTzu Puppy, had genetic defects that showed up right away then another genetic defect tht necessitated having him put down. ripoff Saskatoon Saskatchewan

Why buy a dog when there's so many for free. If you are wanting a pure breed dog it's usually cause you are a breeder yoursef, or you enjoy the image of owning a pure breed comes with.

I think anyone who pays hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a dog is being scammed. That is if you are like most who are looking for a companion or family pet.

I see a too big of a connection between pure breed dogs and them being struted around as fashion Assecories. If that's what you want to do, and you have the money to do so then it's all up to you how you spend your money.

I just think the fact that many people buy dogs when so many are free and many are killed cause no one wants them even when they are free.

Susan,

Chances are the reason they won't give you the breeders name, is that they don't have it.

Most pet store puppies come from puppymills- but not directly.

The petstore buys their pups from a broker (the first name you probably got is the name of their broker). Where the broker gets the pups is the scary part. They will take their 'order' from the petstore and find puppies in puppymills around the area or country that fit the bill. Puppies will be bought for as little as $150-$300 from the puppymill.

The broker then goes back to the petstore with the puppies and sells them for a nice $500-$700. The petstore then makes another killing on the pups turning them around for anything from $900 to i've seen up to $2500, and you the consumer are the one loosing out in the end.

Its a dirty little secret of the pet trade, that needs to be spread to the public.

Petland owes you a full refund. Make sure to get your vet documents each and every of Errol's problems. You may need to go over your local store's heads to the district manager or corporate headquarters. Check up on your area's puppy lemon laws.

I'm unsure of Canada's laws myself, but I know in my state they're pretty strict and the seller would owe you a full refund or a replacement puppy- take my advice, stick to the refund and find yourself a qualified breed-specific breeder!

Errol was not fed any of the foods on the tainted list at menufoods.

The Vet verified that this disease is, indeed, genetic and cannot be contracted through ingestion of any kind of food, tainted or otherwise.

I would like Petland to change their policies regarding the care taken to obtain genetically sound dogs or just not sell puppies or dogs at all! If they can't be responsible about it, then don't do it. It's simply cruel to both the animals and their owners to market genetically compromised pets who are doomed to either a miserable short life and/or an early death.

If they can manage to bring in genetically guaranteed pets with a written 5 year health guarantee concerning genetic defects like most reputable dog breeders provide (I know because I've seen them), then Errol's death and my sadness will not have been for nothing.

Susan

Have you heard about the tainted pet food? And, has that definitely been ruled out?

Have you written a letter to corporate headquarters? And, if so, how did they respond?

What would you like them to do to make you happy?

The reason I bought Errol at Petland was because they seem to be working with the SPCA and they do adopt pets out for the SPCA from their store. Errol was not such an adoption.

I inquired about the name of the breeder but they only gave the first name,,,they said it was their policy, something about privacy. Yes, that should have tipped me off.

When Errol began having ear infections, I came back to Petland but just got the runaround...ie,..the manager isn't here right now, call back tomorrow...or "Let us look up the paperwork and we'll gat back to you". They never did, of course.

They knew about potential defects alright. So many others have complained about genetically defective dogs from Petland that they now, apparently, don't bring in many puppies anymore. One friend who bought a cat from Petland found it dead a week later. Of course, I learned all this AFTER buying Errol.

I just thought they were reputable because the SPCA backed them up and the store looked clean enough.

The reason I bought Errol at Petland was because they seem to be working with the SPCA and they do adopt pets out for the SPCA from their store. Errol was not such an adoption.

I inquired about the name of the breeder but they only gave the first name,,,they said it was their policy, something about privacy. Yes, that should have tipped me off.

When Errol began having ear infections, I came back to Petland but just got the runaround...ie,..the manager isn't here right now, call back tomorrow...or "Let us look up the paperwork and we'll gat back to you". They never did, of course.

They knew about potential defects alright. So many others have complained about genetically defective dogs from Petland that they now, apparently, don't bring in many puppies anymore. One friend who bought a cat from Petland found it dead a week later. Of course, I learned all this AFTER buying Errol.

I just thought they were reputable because the SPCA backed them up and the store looked clean enough.

The reason I bought Errol at Petland was because they seem to be working with the SPCA and they do adopt pets out for the SPCA from their store. Errol was not such an adoption.

I inquired about the name of the breeder but they only gave the first name,,,they said it was their policy, something about privacy. Yes, that should have tipped me off.

When Errol began having ear infections, I came back to Petland but just got the runaround...ie,..the manager isn't here right now, call back tomorrow...or "Let us look up the paperwork and we'll gat back to you". They never did, of course.

They knew about potential defects alright. So many others have complained about genetically defective dogs from Petland that they now, apparently, don't bring in many puppies anymore. One friend who bought a cat from Petland found it dead a week later. Of course, I learned all this AFTER buying Errol.

I just thought they were reputable because the SPCA backed them up and the store looked clean enough.

The reason I bought Errol at Petland was because they seem to be working with the SPCA and they do adopt pets out for the SPCA from their store. Errol was not such an adoption.

I inquired about the name of the breeder but they only gave the first name,,,they said it was their policy, something about privacy. Yes, that should have tipped me off.

When Errol began having ear infections, I came back to Petland but just got the runaround...ie,..the manager isn't here right now, call back tomorrow...or "Let us look up the paperwork and we'll gat back to you". They never did, of course.

They knew about potential defects alright. So many others have complained about genetically defective dogs from Petland that they now, apparently, don't bring in many puppies anymore. One friend who bought a cat from Petland found it dead a week later. Of course, I learned all this AFTER buying Errol.

I just thought they were reputable because the SPCA backed them up and the store looked clean enough.

Susan, I am sorry to hear that you lost a loved one.

This shows why it is important to do careful research before buying any animal. If you were unsatisfied with the seller, you should have considered going somewhere else. You were right to initially inquire about the breeder. The fact that the seller refused to tell you should have been one of the red flags that could have alerted you to potential problems.

Do you have any reason to believe that the seller knew of these problems at the time of sale or that the seller did not properly check out the breeders?