legit breeder, puppy mill or scam?

[Leo]

hi all, 

Im new and naive to the puppy world and am in need of some advice. my wife recently researched puppies for our family, we have a few children who are getting older and are ready for the responsibility of having a pet. 

she also has allergies to pet dander and has been hesitant to adopt a dog. her research led her to the "doodle" family and she focused on a specific breeder who breeds exclusively american labadoodles. the website claims that the dogs are "purebred, multi generational Labradoodles that
have perfect, fleecy, HYPO-ALLERGENIC,NON-SHEDDING Coats, square lines and great   conformation!  Premium lineage, Premium breed!"

my wife called the number and spent an hour on the phone with the breeder. everything seemed great. The breeder even arraigned for us to visit someone local who had adopted a labradoodle from her three years ago. the owner had nothing but complementary things to say about the breeder, and my wife reacted well to the dog. The breeder was warm and friendly, she answered all our questions and was readily available by phone and email. my wife decided to go with this breeder and made two payments three weeks apart. 

since then she has been very difficult to get in touch with her. for the past two and a half weeks she hasn't answered the phone once and has only responded to a few emails when the tone has turned somewhat aggressive. every time we call the business phone number it rings twice and gets forwarded to a cell phone which says the voicemail is full. she did email that there was a death of a young child in the family and she has been extremely busy. she sent a picture of the puppy my wife had chosen and said there would be more pictures coming. that was a week and a half ago and we havent gotten another picture. the only contact we had since then was this past Friday when she tried calling and left a message that she tried to call but wouldn't be available for a few hours. I've tried to call and surprise surprise, it went to a full voicemail box. my wife has emailed her on friday and yesterday and hasent gotten a response. 

at this point im very concerned about the whole transaction. I am very untrusting and think that we are being scamed.  I also dont want to over react and panic about something which is taking the normal course. How much contact should i be having with the breeder before the dog is delivered?

the puppy is now 6 weeks old and the breeder says she doesnt release them before 10 weeks.

thanks for listening 

any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Leo]

i paid with a credit card. i can dispute the charges up to 120 days after the first charge so i have plenty of time to if i choose to go that route. i was able to track where one of the pictures were taken using the geo tracking tag and i have that location ( i know it a little creepy that i was able to do that) i googled the location and it looks like a ranch with plenty of land and a stream going through the property. at least that was somewhat comforting. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Maybe those things you mentioned, Adina, but guaranteed hypoallergenic is NOT a good breeder, any way you cut it if someone as allergies......  The DRC gets lots of doodles from people who believed the hype and couldn't cope with the reality.  Multi generational (as in 4th or greater) is the way to go if they want the most likely allergy friendly coat, but to guarantee it and call them pure breed?????

Perhaps not scam, but definitely misrepresentation.  My thoughts are that you would get a puppy, it just may not be the perfect dog you think you will be getting.  Please do more research to figure out if a doodle is for your family or perhaps a pure breed dog.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Lots of hype on the breeders website.

"North America's only Holistic Breeder!"

"They are athletic and loyal and the easiest to train of any breed, as well as  offering a life span that exceeds 18 years!"

"We breed only multi generational dogs to GUARANTEE the non shedding, hypoallergenic qualities, of these brilliant family dogs."

Although it appears that there is a 3 year health warranty - it is for a replacement dog.  It also is not well spelled out.

All warning signs.

[Leo]

looking into this breeder, there are many red flags. my wife was sold when she went to visit a dog that ame from the breeder and she loved it, didnt have any allergic reaction and was told that it didnt shed. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

But another puppy from the same litter might shed like crazy. That's the thing about mixed breeds, there is no real consistency from one to another. Just like one of your kids might have your hair and another one might have your wife's, you can have shedding and nonshedding doodle puppies from the same parents. And until the puppy is a year old and has gone through the coat change, there's no way to know that he won't affect your wife's allergies as an adult, even if he doesn't bother them as a puppy. Many doodles end up homeless because of this. 

Please read this article and have your wife read it as well: 

http://www.labradoodletrust.com/allergy_info.html

From the article:

You may also be ok with a Labradoodle puppy as tiny puppies don’t shed, but when the coat changes in adulthood, he could cause a life-threatening allergic reaction. Obviously, this would be tragic for you and tragic for the puppy you now love, who will need a new home.

We cannot stress strongly enough that allergy testing with puppies is futile.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh, that is unbelievable tripe. Guarantee not to she'd. Lifespan exceeds 18 years.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is really terrible. It sets so many people and so many dogs up for failure and heartbreak. No responsible, caring breeder would do that. 

[Leo]

the  more i look into this "breeder" the worse it gets!

[Adrienne]

Not sure if it is a scam or not. The good thing is that you paid via credit card so you are able to recoup your money. Why did you have to make a 2nd payment? Have you paid in full already?

If she is telling the truth about a death in the family, maybe she is genuinely "busy" and trying to cope with the loss. Like others have said, there are a few warning signs so I'd proceed with caution. And, make sure that your 120 day period to dispute the charges does not expire.

I am hoping for the best. Good luck.

[Leo]

second payment was the balance of the total cost. its been almost three weeks and she still hasn't answered the phone. the voicemail is full and the recording doesnt say a name, only a generic greeting. im basically at the point where i want to dispute the charges and find another breeder. this time someone local and reputable  

[Adrienne]

That may be the best thing to do, especially if your gut tells you that something isn't right.  This is a relationship that should last for the lifetime of your pup.  If there is no trust, there is no need to proceed.  If I were you, I'd start the process to dispute the charges.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with this. It really is best if you can meet the breeder and the breeding dogs, and see the facility. The "testimonials" are from people who may not have done so either. Everyone loves their puppy, and health problems rarely show up before a dog is older. So recommendations mean nothing, and the breeder certainly isn't putting you in touch with others who may have had bad experiences. Many an internet puppy mill has gotten glowing on-line recommendations.