I recently purchased a puppy for $1500 from Barkworks. After having some initial reservations about buying a puppy from a pet store, the manager assured me that there was a 15 day health guarantee and 1 year guarantee on health defects (I later learned that this is actually a California state law and all pet dealers have to follow it - it does not actually mean that your puppy is healthy when you buy it... Although they are supposed to disclose if it is sick). I went ahead and purchased the puppy. A day later his nose started running, the next day his snot was green. I took the dog to the vet and she said that he had a nasal infection and gave him a shot of medication. He didn't get better, so I took him to the vet the next day (now 4 days after I purchased the dog). She took chest x-rays and found out that the dog had a respitory infection. The vet took blood work and found that the dog had elevated modifier cells that are only present when animals have chronic infections. She indicated that the dog was sick for at least a week, likely longer. Our puppy is currently being hospitalized for the severe infection and will have to stay in the hospital for the next three days. Our vet indicated that she has seen several puppies and cats from Barkworks with respitory infections and pneumonia and expressed concern over the way Barkworks monitors its animals' health. So far, we have incurred over $900 in vet bills (in two days) and will continue to incurr fees until the dog is healthy. I am happy that the puppy is in good hands with our family and with the vet, but Barkworks did not take the appropriate steps to ensure our puppy's health. I hate to think what would have happened to our puppy if he ended up in another family. If you buy a puppy from Barkworks, immediately take him to a vet for health screening (do not take the puppy to the vet they recommend - make sure to get the name of a reputable vet in your area) and be prepared to shell out some additional money. I will never buy a puppy from a Pet Store again and will never go into Barkworks again to look at the dogs... I know that they are not being properly cared for and are sick. Also, Barkworks will not reimburse you for taking the puppy to your vet... They will only pay for the puppy's treatment if it is taken to their vet [provided he diagnoses the puppy correctly]. Think twice about buying from Barkworks.
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