Hello all,
I will try keep this as short as possible.
My Partner and I have been in the market for a St Bernard puppy for a little while now and 6 weeks ago we came across a breeder who ticked all the boxes and seemed like a really nice lady.
we went out and met the pups and were smitten with one in particular. later that day we called and asked if we could bring this pup into our family.
She agreed and we made the deposit straight away.
everything was coming along nicely as we prepared for our new pup until 3 weeks ago (the pups were 5 weeks old) she sent us a text informing that she has made a mistake and should have kept our puppy and not sold him (she had kept one of the others). Her reason being was that "everyone has told me how stunning he is" we have come to realise, although she has never admitted this, that he is the only rough coat pup in the litter. she wanted to put the puppy on main pedigree papers (we only wanted limited as it would only be a family pet) and she wanted to be co-owner.
we replied that we would need to think about this as we weren't sure what this really entailed and if we were comfortable signing as co-owners. she assured us that we didn't have to go through with this if we didn't want to as she was keeping the bloodline through her pup.
I asked her to send us through the contract so we could at least have a look it.
2 weeks go by and nothing has been sent through, naively i am not following this up because i don't really want this to happen and am hoping she has decided against it.
then on a Sunday night we get the contract and it is all fairly standard to do with not breeding, taking care of the dog if any health issues occur etc.. except there is one little paragraph right at the end that says "i will have co-ownership and be entitled to one semen sample"
I reply back that the wording is vary vague and that we wouldn't be particularly comfortable signing this and we would like to stick with our original agreement and have the puppy on limited pedigree papers.
the next morning i get a text message saying "I'm sorry but this isn't going to work out, please send me your bank details so i can refund the money".
after many messages and pleading from me she has refused to answer any questions or try to sort this out.
we were due to pick up our puppy in 5 days and this has thrown our world into a spin. my partner and i have both taken time off work, bought crates, collars and everything you need for a new pup but more importantly had our hearts invested in our new puppy. we have been looking at photos every week, going out to visit him and planning our new future.
I'm not sure if there's anything we can do or if we have any rights in this situation but it seems highly unprofessional and unethical.
Is there anything we can do or are we helpless in this situation??
thanks in advance for help offered!
