Melissa Sauls of Akela Cockers responded to an ad I had on PuppyFind for a show quality female cocker spaniel. She sent me the required reservation fee on October 31, and the dog was removed from the market. After receiving no further communication from Melissa Sauls of Akela Cockers, I contacted her via email regarding the dog. Her daughter responded and claimed that her mother had some issues and was going to be unable to afford the price for the rest of the dog even though she claimed her mother wanted her very badly.
After a few months of sending emails back and forth, I offered to take 3 of the puppies Melissa Sauls had on her Akela Cockers website (and pay her $300.00) as payment of the remaining balance she still owed on my dog. My business partner and I also drove all the way to PA to deliver my dog and pick up the puppies from Melissa Sauls' parents who met us in a parking lot after being over an hour late with 3 dogs that had soiled themselves on the ride. They did not even give me a receipt which is where my troubles began.
My business partner and I drove home with the 3 dogs. My business partner kept one of the dogs for show purposes and I kept the other two for breeding purposes. Melissa Sauls knew from the beginning that I was a hobby breeder and would be breeding these dogs. She also knew that my business partner hoped to show the male she bought. I have several emails from her stating she would register the litter (2 puppies born to the litter) and forward me the litter registration so that I could register the little CH sired female.
The other dog I kept was a red/white male who was already registered. I had these dogs for a week when the male popped a cherry eye and I had to have that repaired ($175.00). During that procedure it was discovered that the male only had 1 testicle. A fact I was not made aware of prior to the medical exam conducted prior to the cherry eye surgery. I sent numerous emails to Melissa Sauls begging her to paper the female and also gave a report on the condition of the male.
I wasn't expecting Melissa Sauls to do anything about the cherry eye but wanted an explanation or even a comment about the fact that the male only had one testicle. She responded to my emails at first with updates on my dog and how well she was doing and comments about the cherry eye but she never responded about the one testicle or the progress on the AKC registration. I even went so far as to offer to pay the litter registration fee just to get papers on this female.
We picked the three dogs up in March and in June I involved AKC who advised me that regardless of the amount of money I had paid to register each and every puppy from every litter and every dam and sire at my kennel, there was nothing they could do to assist me short of contacting Melissa Sauls and Akela Cockers. I provided AKC with copies of ALL the emails from Melissa Sauls and Akela Cockers to which their reply was that it was my tough luck because I didn't have documentation showing the breeding of the puppy.
My stance on that issue is this. I gave AKC the name of the Sire and Dam. Both are AKC registered. I was even willing to pay to have the dog DNA tested to determine if these were her parents but AKC never bothered to even respond to me after their June 12 letter so I sent one to them instead in August after I sadly sold the unregistered dog to a wonderful pet home.
I informed AKC and Melissa Sauls at Akela Cockers that I would be posting a notation on my website for any and every one who was considering buying a dog from her or out of any of the dogs she has bred. She basically repaid my kindness by lying to me about getting papers on the CH sired female. Melissa Sauls even went so far as to say she was only charging me $300 for the female to help offset the cost of coming to bring my dog to her parents and pick up the three puppies from her Kennel.
It burns my biscuits to think that I did this to myself by trying to assure that someone didn't lose their reservation fee instead of just keeping the money and selling the dog to someone else. The very worst thing is that this woman, Melissa Sauls, at this kennel, Akela Cockers, now has my dog unless she's sold her. The last time I went to her website she was decreasing the price of the dog. I notice today that her website is all but removed compared to what it used to be. There is only a homepage now.
I am very disappointed in the way AKC chose to handle this matter as well. They are all about pushing people to register their dogs but when you report to them that someone not only sold you a dog on the promise of sending papers but that same kennel mentioned right on their website that they were reducing prices on dogs so they didn't have to register them, they say there's nothing they can do?
Well, it's too bad I don't work for AKC because Akela Cockers would have been on the top of my list for a kennel inspection.instead, it will probably be me they show up to inspect. Also, if AKC doesnt have it in their power to prove paternity on a dog or lineagewho does? DNA capabilities and having both parents registered with AKC should be all it takes yet AKC refused to get involved in the issues?
Please beware when considering buying ANY dog from this woman or her kennel. It is my opinion that the business practices employed by people like Melissa Sauls and Akela Cockers give reputable hardworking hobby breeders like me and many others, the name puppy mill!
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