Insulting and rude when our new puppy became ill
We bought our border collie from John Atkinson of Whiterose Sheep Dogs in York. We were impressed by his website and wanted a border collie from a working line as we have had working line border collies for the last 40 years. They have all grown into beautiful, well natured dogs and been valued members of our family.
When we collected our puppy we met his other dogs and the other puppies in the litter. Our puppy presented as well on the day.
The first day at home he was sleepy, but as he had just had the upheaval of leaving his family and change in surroundings and we know puppies of his age can sleep up to 20 hours a day and he was eating and toileting well, we had no cause for concern.
Early the next morning he was unwell - unable to stand up. We rushed him to the vet who said she was very concerned for him and he needed to be admitted to hospital. As we had only just brought our puppy home she asked if we had been in touch with the breeder as she said the breeder would have a responsibility for the cost of his treatment. She said the breeder may want to take the puppy back to his own vet. We couldn’t get in touch with John and as our puppy was dangerously ill we admitted him to hospital.
We did manage to get in touch with John shortly afterwards and I was shocked by his response. I was obviously upset as I was talking to him as I was worried for our puppy. He had no compassion at all. He didn’t ask what was wrong with him, which I found strange as he had four other dogs in the litter, and I expected him to be concerned as to whether it was a communicable disease which may affect the other pups as well as having a genuine concern for our puppy which he had bred.
Before I had even got the words out he was saying “I don’t want anything to do with it”, “just put IT down”, “It sounds very dodgy- the vet is just trying to bump up the costs”. He accused me of feeding the puppy, or letting him pick something up, that had made him ill.
There was no suggestion that the illness was caused by a toxin. In fact, the vet said it was most likely meningitis, a bacterial infection or an auto immune condition.
Our puppy was hospitalised for two days and is still undergoing treatment almost a month on but we are hopeful he will make a full recovery. So far the vet’s bill is over £1,600.
When we heard from the vet that he was doing a little better I messaged John to let him know. His response was rude and insulting, just implying that I had caused the puppy’s illness - he even accused me of treating him like a toy. Strange as when we collected the puppy he and his partner said they could see what a good home the puppy would have. I am certainly competent and experienced, having raised four border collie puppies over the last 40 years. I have been a member of an agility club, been a helper in two training clubs and instructed a puppy training class for some years. My dogs have won prizes for obedience in Emley show and I have taken part in agility demonstrations at local agricultural shows. My parents bred German shepherds and my father was a dog handler by profession. I have a library of books on the subject of canine care and behaviour. I respect and love my dogs and they do have a caring home.
I was shocked at the rudeness and John’s total disregard for his responsibilities to me as a consumer, not to mention his lack of concern for the other pups in case they might be affected.
The vet has now diagnosed the illness as juvenile cellulitis. Despite Mr Atkinson’s accusations this was definitely not caused by anything I have done. It is a condition where the puppy’s own immune system attacks its skin and can be fatal. Although not contagious, as it has a hereditary component, multiple puppies in a litter can be affected. I have informed Mr Atkinson of this and advised him to consult his vet about the wider implications for any of the other puppies in the litter and further breeding in this bloodline.
I would warn anyone who buys a dog from this man to be aware that once money changed hands he didn’t want to know and instead of showing compassion, concern , or even just basic manners, he just insulted me and told me to euthanise the puppy.
It doesn’t appear that this business has a process for dealing with a situation when a puppy becomes ill shortly after collection and John certainly did not behave in a professional, courteous manner. To tell me it has never happened before and to blame me was totally unacceptable.
I have taken legal advice and am taking the matter further as I am entitled to recompense from the breeder. I would have thought a reputable breeder would be aware of this and act accordingly.