# returning a puppy to breeder,



## xxwelshcrazyxx

If a puppy was bought from you and after a couple of weeks the new owner brought it back as it didnt work out, how much would you re emberse them for the return of that puppy, not the deposit I know that. But would you return all the cost or part of it as the puppy would be weeks older and you would have to rehome an older puppy. Any advice on this one


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## Spaniel mad

My Mums labby had pups last year. One of the girls was returned a couple of weeks later and they demanded all of their money back or they said they would chuck her in a kennel. She gave them all the money back and then for week and weeks after they kept phoning saying they wanted more money. I was like how can they demand more money from us. What do they think we are, money growers. They said they are going to report us to the RSPCA, she told them to go ahead as we have nothing to hide. They still carried on phoning and in the end we had to phone the police and get them done for harassment.


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## Jess2308

If it was just a couple of weeks, and the puppy was returned healthy then i would give them all of their money back.

A couple of weeks is not long enough to know if it is working out or not with a puppy and if the people weren't willing to put some work in and let the pup settle i'd rather have it back and rehome it to someone who would...


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## davehyde

to be honest if the pup had no health issues i would be loathe to give them anything just for changing their mind. cant be fickle.

but on the other hand what do to for the welfare of the pup?

i would probably end up giving them just enough to relinquish the pup.

but if it hadnt been registered with kc or there was joint ownership clause in the contract i would probably have it back and tell them to do one.

after all they had a puppy pack from me they cost lots of money lol.


all hypothetical as i dont breed.


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## Guest

If it was a puppy of mine, I would re-imburse the full amount just to get my puppy back safe, end of.


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## cav

Im not sure we would need get it straight to the vets and go from there but i would have the puppy back!


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## Guest

I would take the puppy back 100% but no re-imbursements would be made until I was safisfied that it was still the emotionaly stable puppy that had left me! And to any potential new owner the pup has become 'the one that was left'
Not meaning to sound hard but change of mind is my book is a totally unacceptable reason to return a living breathing thing! AND I would have hope that I would have had the nouce never to have sold the puppy to such a home in the first place!
If the reason for return were due to sudden health issues to the owners I would of course refund fully immediately!
May sound hard! but thats me! Hope I have not offended anyone!
DT


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## ad_1980

If it was me - not that iv'e ever bred a dog before, i would give the money back, i wouldn't care about the money so long as that puppy was back in my safe hands.


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## terriermaid

i've heard that a lot of people offer half the money back ,but it would still depend on the situation


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## Jazzy

We got our puppy from someone who had had her a week and it wasn't working out because they got offered full time work. They gave us the paper that the breeder gave them and it stated she would have the puppy back and find a home but she wouldn't give them any money back. Probably why they didn't return the puppy to her.


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## Dundee

Strictly speaking, they can't actually expect any money back, although the danger is that they will try to recoup it and sell the pup to someone else. I dont' think there are any hard and fast rules. Like most, my priority would be to get the pup back - although I'd hope that I had selected a home that would not just give up after a couple of weeks so it would be because of a major problem and therefore would give a full refund (after a vet check). Some will refund after taking out expenses involved in readvertising etc, but I think the main concern would be to stop the new owner selling the puppy on to get their money back.


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## tiddlypup

most breeders take the pup back and give them money back when pup is sold on,minus any food,vet etc costs


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## Guest

My nan has had poodles all her life and last year when her Smokey died i knew she would get another pup soon after. 3 months later she found her perfect puppy and it was related somehow to her previous dog, although a different breeder. a week after having the pup my nan become ill and found looking after the pup a struggle so asked the breeder would she take it back. They did without hesitation and gave her a full refund. My nan is so upset that she had to give her new pup back. Shes feeling better now but said although she would love a new pup she is scared that her ill health could return preventing her from caring for it properly. I feel sad for her as its the first time in her life when she hasnt had a poodle in her life. Not many rescues seem to have an older poodle and she wont have anything else but this breed. She also cant travel far


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## nat1979

I homed a puppy at 12 wks for £250 and within a wk the puppy was back i gave them the money back £150 but not the deposit of £100 i then re-homed him again for £150
But when the same puppy was homed again at 14wks he came back again at 7 months i did not give any money back and the dog was re-homed for free
and now he is in a great home with other whippets 

Both of the homes he went to the people seemed great and when i done my home checks i could not find anything wrong the reasons i got was he keeps jumping up at the kids (well all pups do that) and the other reason after 4 months of having him was he is not getting on with my other dogs

But know he is living with 4 kids youngest is 4 years and 5 other dogs and is getting on great with both kids and dogs he even sleeps on the kids beds and eats out the same bowl as the other dogs


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## Spellweaver

We had trouble with the one the pups from Evie's litter - well, not with the pup, but with the new owner of one of the pups.

She seemed like the perfect buyer - she had two children, but they had a labradoodle so they were used to dogs. They had been to Crufts and spoken to the border collie people there, and knew about the exercise requirements, and the need to keep them mentally stimulated. Her son was 11 and wanted to learn to do agility once the pup was old enough. She asked us to keep the pup for an extra week while they went on holiday rather than take the new pup with them. I did a home visit and they had a secure garden; their labradoodle looked well cared for, and the kids seemed relaxed both with their own dog and with our dogs when they came to visit the pups. There was an instant bonding between the boy and the pup - it really felt as though they were going to be forever friends.

Yet, after just one day, she wanted us to take the pup back - because, she said, he had bitten her daughter through her jeans and made her leg bleed (this is an 10 week olf border collie pup!) and that she was putting him in a cage and wasn't letting him out until we got there. She lived in Norwich, which is a 6 hr round trip for us, but we went straight back.

We actually arrrived almost an hour before she was expecting us - and the pup wasn't in a cage; he was playing on the rug in front of the fire, with the labradoodle and the two kids. He came running over to us and my OH picked him straight up and said he'd put him in the car while we discussed matters - whatever happened, we were not going home without the pup! The little girl had no mark on her, and the bitten jeans were conveniently in the wash so I couldn't see them.

I told her I didn't believe a word of it, and that I didn't know why she wanted us to take the pup back (probably money!) but that we would certainly take him back home with us. I said she could have her money back less the deposit, which she agreed to without a murmur. (The poor boy, however, was in tears - he didn't want the pup to leave)

The pup was so happy to be back home with us we decided to keep him - he's our Quinny!


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## bichonsrus

Nicci said:


> If it was a puppy of mine, I would re-imburse the full amount just to get my puppy back safe, end of.


i find myself in the same situation, i have said i will take him back unconditionally, i will definatly be checking he is ok before money goes back to her, she made a stupid excuse that her other bichon doesnt get on with it! He has been here at home with lots of other bichons, she says oh he misses his brothers, well i only have one brother left anyway. I still want him back , stupid people, should i warn other bichon breeders incase she goes to them or just leave it, she should be allowed to maybe do this again to someone else, what do you think?


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## shortbackandsides

I took a pup back after 6 weeks,i resold him,them paid the 1st owners back in full minus advertising fees


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## noushka05

i would reimburse the full amount just to get the dog safely back, otherwise i would be frightend they sold it on.


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## Indie

Question how long a period would you pay the money back ie if they bought the pup back say 9 months later would you give them the money back?


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## Jess2308

Indie said:


> Question how long a period would you pay the money back ie if they bought the pup back say 9 months later would you give them the money back?


No.

Once they'd had the dog more than about 6 months i would only give money back at my discretion, it would depend on the circumstances and whether the puppy had any problems when it came back. But i dont think the owners should expect anything back if they'd had the dog that long.


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## Indie

Thankyou i was interested how long breeders would leave it.


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## Jess2308

It depends entirely on the circumstances i think. I dont have anything set in stone, but an older dog (12 months or older) i would rehome for free rather than sell so thats one thing you have to bear in mind as well..


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## Sleeping_Lion

I've been watching a thread with interest on another forum, where puppy contracts were being discussed; it appears this sort of purchase does come under the sale of goods act, and so 'purchasers' have the same rights as if they were taking back a pair of curtains that didn't quite match.

Just revising my contract (that I have yet to use) and this is from the KC's ABS contract:

'The Purchaser(s) shall have 21 days to have the Dog examined by a practising veterinary surgeon and shall have the right during a period not exceeding 7 days after such examination to return the Dog because of a defect on production of a written report from the said veterinary surgeon, at which time the Purchaser(s) will be refunded the full purchase price. 

Should it become necessary, the Purchaser(s) should be aware that the return of a Dog can be very difficult, especially emotionally and having drawn the attention of the Purchaser(s) to this, the Breeder cannot be held responsible for any distress caused by the return of the dog.'

Although it might not be verbatim as I've been forwarded it by a colleague to possibly use as part of my contract.

It all gets very formal, but I suppose there is sometimes the need unfortunately.


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## Indie

I've not had good experiences with contracts.


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## Sleeping_Lion

I haven't used mine yet, so can't really comment, but have read through a few of them to pick up what I'd like to put in mine. I've got endorsements as part of the contract as well, which I know quite a few breeders don't bother with, but it can't hurt to have thing's there in black and white with a signature to say all explained fully etc, etc.


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## noushka05

Indie said:


> Question how long a period would you pay the money back ie if they bought the pup back say 9 months later would you give them the money back?


I personally would at any age, my pups owner knows this but i think shes like i am & wouldnt part with him for a million pounds


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## xxwelshcrazyxx

thanks for all your veiw and recomendations, this is something I have wondered about. I think if a someone purchased a puppy and then paid their deposit for that puppy that would mean that they are pleased with the pup and want to go ahead and buy that puppy when it is ready. They have obviously thought about buying a puppy in the first place and read the adverts etc, so they know what they are wanting to buy. So if they were to bring the puppy back to a breeder just because it didnt settle in, or pup dont get on with other dogs after two weeks then this isnt a good enough reason as it takes weeks and weeks for a puppy to fully settle in and there are bound to be teething problems, but if it was because of health reasons that have only just happened and not an on going thing then they would be able to take their puppy back. It is not right to say "oh me and my partner have now split up and we cant keep the puppy is rubbish, as that would mean they had problems in their relationship for months before they had the puppy.
It must be hard to know what too and what the breeders would have to pay back.


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## Indie

noushka05 said:


> I personally would at any age, my pups owner knows this but i think shes like i am & wouldnt part with him for a million pounds


My Rough Collies breeder is like that i can return her at any point in her life.

Another point with contracts how far would you go when your puppy is homed to check with the new owners the pup is ok?


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## Traceyall41

Hi, just wanted to ask. Sold a puppy to a family five days ago. Contacted after to check settling in ok, all good. Now puppy returned to me. due to other dog not liking it. They are demanding a full refund. But using threats and police. To gain full refund. What would you do? Be nice guys I'm new to the forums. Thanks


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## rocco33

What does your puppy contract say? What did you agree before you sold the pup - did you not go through this with the new owners when vetting them?


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## PennyH

Hi Tracey, I am not a breeder, but would not think a full refund is in order. After all, they have had the puppy for 5 days - who knows what their older dog has done to her in that time? And you will have to re-advertise and re-sell a pup you are not sure what has happened to in the past 5 days. You can't say 100% she is fine. How do you know she hasn't been allowed out / near other dogs /picked up germs etc?

Why on earth are they threatening police? Thank goodness your pup has come back to you - they are obviously not the people you thought they were! I would offer a refund less the cost of re-advertising and keeping her until you can sell her again - but as I said, I am NOT a breeder!! (I couldn't let them go and would end up keeping all pups!!!! LOL )

Good luck and let us know what happens next.


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## bay20

i am not a breeder and there are many others on here that are and can offer their opinions but they dont sound like the nicest people so i would just give them all their money back and be glad to see the back of them personally, if you dont have a contract that is.


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## Westy

A responsible breeder would accept that they had made a mistake homing one of their precious puppies with such ignorant people and so give a full immediate refund to get their puppy quickly and safely back.

Then be extra careful about homing the poor soul next time.


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## Rafa

If it's only been five days, I would be inclined to give them back their money.

They don't sound like very pleasant people and I'm sure you don't want them, or their threats, in your life.

Is the puppy safely back with you?


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## Meezey

What does your puppy contract say?

I'd make sure I had the pup back in my care and give them a full refund, think of it as a lucky escape for the pup.......


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## rocco33

Shame the poster hasn't come back to confirm what is in her contract (or if she has one). 

So, will just say I say to puppy buyers I will always refund the purchase price if they should find they can no longer look after the puppy. In the contract it says I will take off any costs incurred, however, for me the priority is getting that puppy back and I would rather pay a full refund (regardless of the age of the puppy/dog) than see it for sale or end up in rescue.

That said, I vet my puppy buyers very carefully and have not had a puppy back yet. But it does mean I turn away a lot of potential homes (including perfectly adequate ones that others would accept), but it gives me peace of mind that my pups are going to excellent committed homes.


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## Meezey

rocco33 said:


> Shame the poster hasn't come back to confirm what is in her contract (or if she has one).
> 
> So, will just say I say to puppy buyers I will always refund the purchase price if they should find they can no longer look after the puppy. In the contract it says I will take off any costs incurred, however, for me the priority is getting that puppy back and I would rather pay a full refund (regardless of the age of the puppy/dog) than see it for sale or end up in rescue.
> 
> That said, I vet my puppy buyers very carefully and have not had a puppy back yet. But it does mean I turn away a lot of potential homes (including perfectly adequate ones that others would accept), but it gives me peace of mind that my pups are going to excellent committed homes.


As should everyone, I don't breed, and I'm 100% I'll never go down that road, but if you are going to do it you should have covered off every eventuality.. We all like to think that everything will go right with owners/breeders and get it right every time, but best laid plans and all that, but should always have a plan of action.... I'd pay more to get a baby back if I had to, I was responsible for bringing it in to the world and no matter what I HAVE to be responsible for it until it passes, once they leave my home, they would still be my responsibility.... There is a reason I won't breed lol


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## LJR

I would absolutely give a full refund, when you breed a pup it is your responsibility to find it a good home. It appears that this is not a good home, take puppy back, give them the money and be grateful that it happened sooner rather than later.


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