Puppy Forum and Dog Forums banner

Help Needed - Dishonest Breeder

904 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  3GSD4IPO
Hello,

I am a new puppy owner, and recently went through a breeder to purchase a Pomsky. I live in a 1 bedroom condo and due to building restrictions as well as consideration for the puppy I wanted to keep the size to approximately 25-30 lbs. After discussions with several breeders, I settled on a breeder that seemed very reputable and provided answers to all of my questions and details on projected size which she mentioned would be approximately 25 lbs. My puppy is only 4 months old and is already 26 lbs and based on discussions with my Vet he is going to be 50 lbs+. I am in a very difficult situation due to my residency restrictions regarding pet sizes as well as consideration for the quality of life for him to live in my apartment at this size.

Any recommendations on how I should proceed? It kills me to think of needing to try to return to the breeder or give him up but I do not know what to do...
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
With a lot of mixes like that, between breeds of such disparate sizes, accurately predicting adult size can be difficult, and all too often unethical breeders will tell people what they want to hear. Even in purebred dogs, you will get dogs outside standard size, who wind up smaller or larger than typical.

Your options as I see them are 1) Keep him, and hope he doesn't wind up over your complex's size limit; 2) return him to the breeder; 3) turn him over to a rescue to be rehomed; or 4) rehome him privately, making sure that you neuter him before the new owner takes him home. Another option is to move to a different apartment without a size limit, or even a house with a yard, but that's probably more difficult than any of the other ones.
I agree with LeoRose. Mixed breeds are inherently unpredictable, and it's always a risk that the combination of traits you get isn't the one you want. Without more information it's hard to say whether the breeder made an honest misjudgment about your pup's adult size or was just trying to make a sale. If you signed a contract that requires you to return the pup to the breeder if you can no longer keep him, that's likely your best option should he outgrow your apartment's weight restrictions, but if not I suggest you work out a contingency plan now so you can weigh the pros and cons before you're being forced to choose. Sometimes people in these kinds of situations will be lucky enough to have family or friends they can send the dog to live with until they can sort out a living situation that works for everyone, but in other cases moving just isn't going to make sense and you'll have to focus on permanent rehoming.

Even if the breeder deliberately mislead you about the size, you have little to no legal recourse. Some states have 'puppy lemon laws', but these typically only apply to illnesses or hereditary disorders the puppy is suffering from when the buyer receives it, so this situations wouldn't be applicable. Otherwise, it's pretty much a situation of 'buyer beware', and if you want to negotiate a refund or similar you're basically at the mercy of the breeder. It sucks, and I'm sorry, but I want you to be prepared if you do have to give your dog up.
See less See more
I had to look the designer mix up.. and yes, it appears the dog will take after the Husky side of the breeding rather than the Pomeranian side (often happens with such a very large size difference between parents).

What everyone has said so far is true. I will also add that MOST of these people breeding designer dogs are anything but reputable. It is too bad you did not just get a Pomeranian or other small dog breed considering your size restrictions in your apartment complex.

I hope you can find a way to make this work as I am sure that by now you love your dog.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top