My family purchased a Scotish Collie from Stirling Collies in MN. After several phone and email conversations with the breeder, Diane Stirling. Our wants and needs were thoroughly explained to her; including personality type of dog we were looking for, necessity to be good with kids and other animals, healthy (explained current medical costs of another pet and the loss of an elderly dog-so it was imperative to receive a healthy pup) etc She assured us of her knowledge, expertise, her ability to place the appropriate dog to family and so forth. We placed a deposit and emailed regularly to keep updated on a chosen pup, until she was ready to come home to us. The time came for the pup to come home to us-she needed to be shipped via airplane. There were a few additional costs that weren't explained to us previously, but I figured it was an oversight and we were anxious for our new family member to arrive and so she was paid for in full.
Upon pick-up we noticed that the puppy was very hyper but figured she was nervous from the plane and new environment. Within a short period of time Diane was contacted by us because the pup's immediate vet checked showed that she had Coccidia-a very contagious parasite-and was discovered that she had had a minor surgery, which was never disclosed to us prior or during purchase, shipment etc (which Diane later stated that she didn't think it was a bid deal because common surgery). We had to incur the vet bills for the Coccidia, had to have our other pets checked and a family member contracted it which caused 1 week of pain, ruined a vacation and incurred additional Dr bills.
Then the dogs personality showed her to be a barker, extremely hyper, aggressive and violent with other animals-including one of our other dogs. This behavior is completely unlike a Collie, completely the opposite of the demeanor of dog we asked for and an indicator that something was wrong. At 3 months old she was viciously attacking our other pet, requiring hospitalization, and more vet bills. Diane was contacted multiple times via phone and email. She never reimbursed any vet bills. She refused to give an exchange or refund. Stated that it sounded like something was wrong with the pup and the behavior was nothing like a Collie and she hadn't experienced this before (which you think would cause alarm to her and the necessity to resolve this for our sake and the pup's). But, instead, she said it was our dog and we had to deal with it and recommended putting the pup in the POUND, EUTHANIZE her or performa an EXORCISM, as she felt the dog may have been possessed. Furthermore, she went on to suggest that perhaps our children kicked the pup in the head and caused this aggression. Now, she tried to accuse us of abuse, including innocent children, rather than resolve the situation. Does it make sense for us to go through all of the hassle, expense, research, professional trainer, vet etc for a dog that we purchased with intent to abuse??? Also, it is completely immoral for a breeder to recommend the pound or euthanasia for one of their pups.
Diane continued to contact us multiple times, even had her friend contact us, to harrass us. She seems to have multiple personalities, lies and is very odd; she continued to contact us after being asked to kindly refrain from any further contact-unless she was going to be responsible and have appropriate business ethics. We have witnesses to these incidents and written email correspondence to confirm these allegations. We truly think that she and her company are immoral, unethical, poor business dealings and perhaps mentally challenged. We are placing this complaint online, with the BBB and AKC in hopes to not only inform potential future clients of their misconduct, but also make a positive change in the future of their poor dogs and litters.
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