ellz

OK....been doing some thinking whilst tackling housework.....dangerous combination! Do you have a local Community Legal Service nearby? Or a lawyer friend who would write a letter on your behalf? Send this guy a certified letter on a legal letterhead telling him that under advice you require a copy of some form of certification as to the death of the puppy and that upon receipt of this you will seek further advice with regard to compensation. This might at least a) get you the necessary documentation to make a decision as to how you compensate him b) throw him a loop because he is probably not expecting legal correspondence and it may buy you some time to make further enquiries with the ACTUAL vet and not the nurse with the God complex c) make him call off the dogs because he cannot push you around as he obviously would like to.

Did you speak to a vet or did you speak to a receptionist with a God complex?

I have heard of a situation recently where a vet contacted a state canine control in regards to a breeder who apparently had dogs continually appearing at his surgery with the same health issues, I'd have thought this is a similar type of situation, so maybe if you approach him and explain, he may be more willing to assist and at least tell you whether or not the puppy you bred is alive?

Yes to a dog which needs to be with its people, but like most dogs they do appreciate the occasional "me time" so 24/7 company is NOT an absolutely essential thing provided you give a lot of yourself to the dog when you are with it. Yes, they are a heavy breed and have been known to cause bloodshed when solid body parts collide with something smaller and/or softer. And they like to play and they play HARD! I do NOT agree that they are not suitable for smaller children. I have raised two children from birth with Staffords around them and found that almost without exception, the dogs behaved themselves with the smaller children in a manner in which they tend not to with older children or adults. My Staffords taught the younger two how to walk and were frequently seen being dragged around the house and yard by the tail, all with a huge good-natured grin on their faces. BUT a disclaimer here is that as with ANY dog, supervision is essential. However, I'd be more inclined to trust my "Nanny Dogs" with my children than some of the larger, more boisterous Gundog or Working breeds, and that actually includes my American Cocker Spaniels. As for Staffords having a short temper and striking out at strange dogs. NOTHING could be further from the truth. A well-bred, well-socialised Stafford from a good breeder in the RIGHT HANDS is no more at risk of doing this than a SWF is. In fact, possibly less so. There is an old saying that a good Stafford will not start a fight, but once started, he won't walk away from it. I have found this to be more the point. Part of the "problem" with the Stafford is that they are very intuitive and their handlers need to be alert and aware of what is going on around them, and that includes body language and unseen "signals" from other dogs. IMO, part of being a good Stafford owner is managing your dog and the situations around you and not placing your dog in a position where it has to defend itself or in a situation that may escalate or be misconstrued.

Ethoxyquin is an anti-oxidant (ie preservative) and most dog foods contain preservatives of some kind or another. It is what stops any fat content from going rancid in the packaging.

Black Bronson, if you're going to quote, then do me the courtesy of quoting the entire paragraph IN CONTEXT and not just picked at to suit your own argument. The only thing I will agree with amongst your statements is that of not getting involved in other breeders' politics. I've been around the dog scene for a very long time and am sick to the back teeth of having to fight other people's battles. If I want to use a stud dog and that dog is the BEST match for my bitch, then no matter who owns it, I will enquire. If they say no, then I move onto Plan B (there is always a Plan B). And likewise, if somebody I don't like contacts me and asks to use a dog of mine then I will consider it IF I believe that the match is a good one. I will not deliberately go out of my way to step on another breeders toes but I am doing this for the benefit of my breed and I will not allow personal likes or dislikes or petty politics to stop me from making the best decisions accordingly. If somebody doesn't like that I've used, let use or purchased from or sold a puppy to another source...then that is THEIR problem and not mine. I'll make my own friends and enemies thanks.

I think you'll find that the rules and regulations state that the papers are actually "owned" by the registering body and technically are meant to be returned to them upon the death of a dog. Of course, I'd bet pounds to peanuts that very few people actually do this, but you could try telling him that is what the rules say.

You'd have to ask the breeder that. Until the OP clarifies the situation and maybe asks the breeder, nobody can say anything for sure, it is all speculation.

I think the point is that the puppy IS apparently registered but on MR which the purchaser didn't want. It would be interesting to find out if my theory about the breeder not downgrading the registration is on the mark. That is what I believe has happened. ALL puppies in the litter have been put on MR, and rather than pay the money to downgrade to LR, the breeder has said MR or nothing but because the purchaser didn't wish to pay the "full" price, they have sold the puppy without papers instead. The inference to MR and the breeder being dodgy is more the OP pointing out that if the breeder had been dodgy, they wouldn't have offered MR in the first place because it wouldn't have been available. That's how I read it anyway.

And.....

Well that's how what I have highlighted below reads to me. That's not how it reads to me? It would have been nice to have limited reg. papers at least. I didn't want full registry as I have no intentions to breed or show. I was offered full rego by the breeder should I have been interested in breeding or showing but no mention of limited reg. papers. At the end of the day, no damage has been done I suppose. I do have a beautiful dog, the sort of dog with a temperament that I have always dreamed of. My other dogs are also beautiful but there is something extra special about my beautiful girl.

I have lit a candle as well. Thinking of you Jed.

The dog IS apparently registered, but on Main Registration which the OP didn't want. As I suggested, chances are the breeder didn't want to, or couldn't be bothered downgrading the registration from Main to Limited. Depending upon when a puppy is sold, often the registration papers are NOT available at the time of the sale so non-production of the papers isn't necessarily a sinister thing. There can be many reasons for this.....not back from the controlling body, stud documentation not signed by stud dog owner for any number of reasons, breeder waiting to grade puppies prior to selecting those who are going to be registered on Main and those who are going to be registered on Limit.....just to name a few.

Not guilty! I couldn't remember the name of the registering body and whether it was a Club or Association, hence my usage of the word "organisation".

My guess is that the breeder took the "easy" way out and registered all of the puppies on Main and couldn't be arsed downgrading to Limit so that was why Limited Registration wasn't offered. I'm still a bit curious as to why you would have copies of the parents registration, your dog is registered and yet the breeder didn't give you so much as a photocopy of the registration papers of the dog itself??????

Are you positive? If you only saw photocopies of their registration certificates, you won't know what colour they are (unless they were coloured copies). Limited Registration and Main Registration certificates are printed on different coloured paper with different coloured ink.

BTW, the "breeder" having copies of both parents' papers doesn't necessarily make them legitimate OR a registered breeder. Many "breeders" can provide copies of parental registration certificates, as given to them (or other people) by the breeders of the parents. It is whether or not the litter and puppy are registered and the "breeder" can provide the puppy registration certificates, whether they are a registered breeder with the state controlling body and whether they are current members and hold a prefix that says whether or not they are legit.

A few years ago, I fed Supercoat exclusively and recommended it to my puppy people. Then it seemed to change in formulation and my dogs' coats didn't look as good, they started scratching and their output was voluminous and revolting so I stopped feeding it and have never bothered to try it again.

Only the breeder and registered owner can apply for upgrade/downgrade.

I'd like to say no, but I've seen evidence to the contrary so I'm happy to sit on the fence.

Murky area. I KNOW of people who have APBT which were imported from the USA and are dual-registered as AST with the AKC and whichever "organisation" it is that registers APBT.

Registration can be upgraded to Main from Limit (and downgraded from Main to Limit) once upon application to the relevant state controlling body. I have done this. I sold a dog to a guy in Victoria with the proviso that at a later stage if he wished to show, a (specialist judge) friend in Melbourne would evaluate the dog and if he felt the dog to be of sufficient merit, I would upgrade the rego to MR. I had to write to the TCA, the owner had to write to the TCA and the upgrade fee had to be paid at the same time. It was taken to council for consideration and the upgrade was done. I'm not sure if the same procedure still applies.

I was asked on air the other night during my ABC radio interview with Annie Warburton what Flame's value is. It caught me on the hop initially as I'd never really considered it. But in the end I said that she was worth very little to anybody but me and my family.

1. There is a pick in every litter, but whether that pick is a show/breeding prospect is an entirely different story. 2. If a purchaser wants a Main Register dog, then they can simply "shop around" until they find a breeder who will sell them one. I'd bet pounds to peanuts they are out there in every breed. But in SOME breeds, you can pretty much guarantee that a breeder who will sell an unknown with no "strings attached" is probably little more than a registered BYB. 3. Limited Registration is essentially the equivalent of having a dog purchased with "no papers". The BIGGEST and by far most important detail is that the paperwork shows that the dog is purebred and the breed that it has been portrayed as. Purchase a puppy "without papers" from many sources and you'll be lucky to get that kind of identification guarantee. 4. Not every reputable breeder sells their puppies with strings attached. But generally those who do, don't so much want "control" but simply want to ensure that the puppy is reared into a healthy, sane dog in the same manner in which the breeder would have done so themselves. 5. There is no shame in having a dog with Limited Registration. What it DOES mean is that most breeders care enough about their prefix and bloodlines to not want to see them perpetuated in ways over which they cannot control but WILL invariably be blamed! 6. Showing desexed dogs isn't JUST a pet parade. There is an old saying "it is a shame he/she had never been bred from, but it is a sin had they never been seen!" I see properly run desexed classes and a desexed title as yet another avenue to evaluate potential additions to my breeding program. Some of the best dogs I've ever set eyes on have been desexed pets in somebody's backyard. And if they'd only had Limited Registration papers, I may well have been able to find out who bred them so that I could "go to the source".

Wood chips would I'd imagine...they're usually quite strong smelling at the best of times. I'd also be worried that they'd harbour spiders and bugs. Sawdust and chaff are easy to keep clean thank goodness!!