Less than a year ago I bought a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy from National Breeders (now American Breeders).in retrospect, I am embarassed for having been so duped. I had spoken to someone from the National Breeders on the phone and they assured me that they were not a pet store and did not sell puppy mill dogs. When I arrived to visit, I was shocked by how much the place resembled a pet store, and voiced my concerns.
They sat me down and pulled out a scapbook containing articles about pet store in New Jersey and complaints made against them and too pride in telling me that they were not in that scapbook. At that point, they had taken the puppy out and handed him to me, and of course I was in love.
Still hesitant, they showed me pedigree and told me that they were so sure their dogs were healthy that they provided a guarantee. They were so nice and comforting, and I was so in love with my new puppy, that they had me sold. I went home with my new dog and a list of instructions on how to train him.
Immediately, I noticed something was wrong with my puppy. I took him to the vet, and he was diagnosed with kennel cough. She also said that he was quite clearly a puppy mill dog, that we had overpaid, and they dog was considered not-fit-for-sale.
We immediately called National Breeders, and the warm, friendly people who had sold me the dog seemed to have disappeared. The people on the phone were abrupt and dismissive, but finally agreed to pay for his kennel cough medication. A few months later, my dog stopped walking. He would lie down on the pavement and refuse to budge. My vet diagnosed him with hereditary joint problems. Again, I contacted National Breeders, and they sent me to their vet for a second opinion. Their vet, after barely looking at or touching my dog, declared him fine and made his report to National Breeders.
The training materials they provided were also a scam. They sent me home with instructions telling me to keep my puppy in his crate all day except for a th about four 30-minute play sessions. Any qualified trainer can tell you that is absurd. As National Breeders offers free training fot dogs bought at their store, I have got to wonder what qualifications they have.
I beg you not to buy a dog at this store. It is so tempting to fall in love with one if their puppies and want to rescue one, but the only way to stop them is to put them out of business by purchasing dogs from reliable breeders.
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