I purchased a Shih Tzu puppy from Thressa Robbins from Robbinsnest of Shih Tzu's in Michigan. The puppy was born on 11/5/06 and weighed 5 ounces at birth. Thressa was very quick to answer my phone calls and emails prior to the check being sent, but once payment was received our correspondence was not as frequent. He was picked up on 12/23/06 at 6 weeks of age.
I was informed by Thressa the day he was to be picked up that on 12/22/06 he was brought to her veterinarian for a scratch on his eye. The day he was picked up he was given eye drops from Thressa that didn't contain dosage information, or vet information.
The first day of having the puppy he had bloody diarrhea, was barely eating, and wasn't playful. I informed Thressa of this, and she said diarrhea can be common when they are stressed and going to a new home and she assured me he was a healthy puppy.
On 12/26/06 we took our puppy to Elmhurst Animal Hospital ($113) where he weighed 2 pounds (Thressa said when he left her house he weighed 3lbs, but the vet said it was impossible for him to lose an entire pound in such a short time frame). He was put on baby food to try to get him to eat, medicine for diarrhea, as well as different drops for his eyes because the vet said the kind we were given were the wrong kind for his condition, and we were told to call them at the end of the week to see if he started eating and if the diarrhea improved. 2 days later we had to rush the puppy to Elmhurst Animal Care Center. He still wasn't eating much and was getting worse.
I called Thressa and let her know of his condition. He was unstable and would have died if we didn't treat him immediately. Thressa said we should just return him to her and she would give us a healthy puppy. Since he was so sick, the doctors said a 4 hour road trip would surely kill him. Thressa asked that we have a basic CBC test done ($121). He was a very sick puppy and needed intensive care. We took the puppy home 6 days later ($974.50) and had to force feed him and medicate him.
Throughout this time, Thressa never answered her phone when I called, and the emails I sent were rarely responded to, and when they were the emails were brief, and more often then not she would say what a healthy puppy he was prior to exchanging hands.
Once home, although he had a few promising moments, he just wasn't improving and his eye was continuing to get worse. The veterinarians recommended that we take him to an eye specialist. We took him to Eye Care for Animals in Wheeling, IL on 1/8/07. Prior to taking him to the eye specialist, I contacted the Veterinarian's office that Thressa took our puppy to for the initial treatment of his eye. This is the same veterinarian's office that she used to work for.
I requested information from the office asking about the treatment and diagnosis her veterinarian made. They were unable to locate records of her bringing any puppy in on 12/22/06 or any record for any puppy brought in for a scratched eye in the previous two months.in fact after I called the vet's office Thressa sent me an email saying that the vet's office called her and she said they felt I was blaming her for his condition.
I explained that his veterinarians were requesting all his records and I was seeking information and that was the basis of the conversation. The veterinarians at the eye specialist informed us that our puppy would require surgery that would cost up to $2474.94. He wasn't healthy enough for surgery, and it was unlikely they would be able to restore his vision ($151.82).
After speaking to several of the veterinarians, they told us that either something didn't develop properly with this puppy, or that because he left his mother at such a young age that it affected his health, and that the stress of changing hands just wasn't worth bringing him back to Thressa, since she would euthanize him anyway and that if it was to be done it should be done by people who loved him and cared about him. Thressa told us to go ahead and do it and that she would reimburse us for the euthanasia as well as removal of the remains ($110). On 1/9/07 we put the puppy to sleep.
Thressa refunded us the purchase price of our puppy ($700) which was received on 1/16/06, along with the check; she sent a copy of her guarantee form and highlighted the section that stated she the breeder was not responsible for medical expenses that we might incur. Thressa said she would mail a check on 1/26/06 for medical expenses.
On 1/31 I still had not received a check for the medical expenses so I called her, and sent her emails and she didn't respond. I sent a certified letter to Thressa on 2/6/07 requesting payment. This letter asked that she send a certified check for the medical expenses via certified mail, and that if she didn't send payment it would be in my best interest to bring this to court. I also asked that all future correspondence should be sent through US mail.
Upon the receipt of my letter 2/16/07 Thressa responded via email.
Mary, Rec'd your letter today - and because of the "threat" which I NEVER said I wasnt going to pay that money, I will putting a block on my email address's and etc from you. I will no longer have anything to do with you or any of the people you have referred to me. Youhave been hurtful & slandering throughout this episode and I do not appreciate it. I have went ABOVE AND BEYOND what any breeder would have done for you.
I referred people to Thressa Robbins prematurely and have recently retracted those referrals because the veterinarians that saw our puppy said Thressa was not a reputable breeder. I have learned that reputable breeders would have never released a 6 week old puppy. Reputable breeders would have never released a puppy with a scratched eye to begin with, and responsible breeders would have take taken full responsibility if the puppy became sick within the first week of changing hands. She had plenty of time to send a check without my having to send out a certified letter costing me even more money.
On 2/19/07 I received a check from Thressa for $350 for medical expenses. It was a personal check instead of a certified check as requested, and she mailed it regular mail instead of certified mail.
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If you are considering doing business with any breeder I urge you to find a reputable breeder. To help assist you in finding a breeder you should know that reputable breeders don't just breed any male to any female. They should have a distinct purpose and that purpose is not for profit. They don't have more then one or two males on the premises, and they often use a stud service to find just the right match.
Reputable breeders don't sell puppies to make a profit, or just because they like the breed. Reputable breeders do not breed dogs younger then 2 years of age. Reputable breeders will offer to help care for the dog if a situation requires medical expenses and they will put that in writing! Reputable breeders have extensive waiting lists.
Don't be fooled by breeders who say they will take the puppy back if you cannot keep them. All breeders know that by saying they will take the puppy back it can make them look reputable. Don't be fooled by many of the things breeders say because they know in order to continue their business it's necessary to look like a reputable breeder and they know just what to say. Responsible breeders never let their puppies leave their home any earlier then 8 weeks of age. Reputable breeders also either show their dogs, or used to show their dogs.
$1414.32 was spent in medical bills alone. More then twice the amount we paid for the puppy and Thressa only paid for $350 of that. It's unbearable to see what my 3 young daughters have gone through. I tossed out several of the dollar figures because I hope these dollar amounts will pop off the page so that you and your family can be spared not only the expense, but more importantly, the emotional pain that can go with it.
The information in this post is based entirely on facts. I would swear to it in a court of law, with one hand on the bible, with my other hand on my children. People may write a rebuttal to my post. Maybe they are her friends or family, or even another breeder friend or the vet's office that she worked for; maybe they actually did have a good experience with her. I don't know, but I can tell you that there are some things that we shouldn't chance, and I believe this to be one of them.
If you have had a similar experience with Thressa or another breeder, I hope to encourage you to share your story. We can't stop this type of animal cruelty if it's not addressed. I have learned from my mistake, and hope that I can help somebody avoid the same mistakes I made.
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