Funnily enough David, your contract is pretty close to the one that I got from
a very well known breeder in Germany for my boy. They do not ‘guarantee’ hips
and elbows, they guarantee that they’ve done the best that they can and the
rest is up to us. That puppy turned out to have elbow dysplasia. I informed
him of that fact so that he would know not to use that combination again but
did not expect a replacement puppy or anything else. His elbows were fixed, he
was neutered and now he is a well loved pet who works performance events. I
had to look elsewhere to bring that line into mine (which I’ve done very
successfully).
To be honest, I don’t see why we would guarantee hips and elbows for 24 months
when you have no control over what is happening in the home during that period
but then again, I take responsibility for my own animals and don’t expect
miracles or money back from a breeder who has done his best but is still hit by
a recessive gene.
Mary-Anne
Sent from Windows Mail
From: David Fritsche
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2017 6:56 PM
To: Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
This discussion reminded me of the puppy guarantee I often give to buyers. I do
the best I know how, but occasionally the gene gods sabotage me. So here's my
guarantee:
I’ve Been Thinkin’
I’ve been thinking and that is not always a good thing. We have never received
a contract from a stud owner when we bred to their dog. And we have never given
a contract to a bitch owner when they bred to one of our males. Yet, when we
sell a puppy, people expect a contract and guarantee from us……
Hummmmm????
I am not against the contract and guarantee, but with puppy lemon laws and
governmental intervention into our breeding world, it makes one wonder if it is
worth it. I think I will write a new contract sort of like this:
Guarantee: We guarantee that we took the time to make phone calls and talk to
everyone we know who might have information about our lines and the stud dogs
lines, and we have conscientiously made every attempt to breed a health litter
and to not double up on known faults nor to interject health issues into our
puppies. We cannot guarantee the honesty of the people we talked to or the
accuracy of the information we received. Nor can I absolutely guarantee that my
judgment in doing this breeding was totally objective or accurate. I’ve made a
mistake or two in my life and I hope that this litter is not one of them. I can
only guarantee that I have tried my best to do the right thing.
I guarantee that this puppy is the product of genetics, and as such I do not
know what the end result will be, I have only made an educated and calculated
guess. I do know that my time and experience in breeding makes my breeding a
far better chance than the uneducated novice in the newspaper, but it is still
a ‘chance’, none the less. I made a decision that both you and I will have to
live with, or if for some reason you decide later on that your decision was a
bad idea in taking this puppy and you decide to not live with it, please return
the puppy and I will live with it and see that it is taken care of. That
commitment is good for the rest of its life.
I guarantee that this puppy will have some physical illness or problems along
the way. You will need to select a good vet now and establish a relationship
with them. Just as you visit your doctor, dentist, and other health
professional, so will your new puppy have to have physical care. This is not a
machine that I assembled, and which I can rebuild. It is a biologically alive
formation, put together by the natural process of reproduction. It is no more
perfect than you are.
I guarantee that eventually, this puppy will grow old and die. I do not know
when or from what, but it will, and when it does it will rip your heart out as
it will mine. I will worry about this puppy from the time you take it until I
hear that it has passed from this life. I guarantee that if you don’t
periodically let me know how it is doing, I will call to ask. You see, I
brought it into the world and I do not take that responsibility lightly.
In reality, that’s about all that I can really guarantee. Now enjoy this little
angel. Make sure it always has fresh water and is fed regularly the best of
food. Give it a good bed and shelter from the elements. Most of all, give it
yourself. It is designed to have human companionship and to serve you, so let
it. Take time to be with it, train it and give it a job. Do not brush it aside
when you are busy with your human stuff, for it does not understand about your
rushing here and there and doing things without it being with you. No, it can’t
always be with you, but take time to come on down to the floor where it lives
and play with it, cuddle it and be part of its world as it is trying to be a
part of yours.
If you are too busy for this, please go to the toy store and get a stuffed
animal for a pet. They do not get sick, do not need attention, never need
feeding and will never die. That is, unless some real life, genetically
imperfect puppy gets hold of it… then it is toast!
Now that I have given you a picture of my puppy and of what is and is not
guaranteed, let’s see your new ownership guarantee. What are you bringing to
the table that warrants my entrusting this most valuable of creatures into your
care? “Let the buyer beware” is only half of this equation. Let the seller
beware also!
OK, forget it. Our club has a recommended contract and we have one also, but
sometimes I wonder if we have so institutionalized the breeding process and the
selling of puppies that we have forgotten some things, including good old
fashioned common sense. Our public has become used to guarantees in 15
languages for products that are supposed to be perfect, even though they are
made is some third world nation by other imperfect people. Consumerism has
spilled over into the world of dogs and we are increasingly the victim of the
gods of genetics that we cannot know or predict.
Someday, we will have German Shepherd gnome projects and know all the genetic
markers for every conceivable problem and, in breeding away from them all, I
wonder if we will like what we produce? Possibly then, we will not have to
alter our guarantee, but will alter the standard to reward the mechanized
assembly of correct parts without regard to the beauty and grace that we honor
now in our ignorance.
Dave
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