Heartfelt Shelties review: Donna Dotterer 4

I too purchased a puppy from the litter mentioned in the above complaint. This woman must be talking about a totally different breeder as her experience and my experience could not be more different.

This is my 6th Sheltie, my first from Heartfelt Shelties. I do not live in Ohio and discovered Heartfelt Shelties after much searching and investigation on the web for the perfect puppy for us. I have raised all of my Shelties from 8-10 week old puppies to adulthood. From my first call to Donna to inquire about a puppy Donna couldn't have been more caring and helpful. She wanted to make certain I understood that she would not ship a puppy as it is a terrifying experience for a dog to be crated and put in the cargo pit of an airplane, and she did not want any of her dogs going through this. It was obvious from the beginning call that the dogs and puppies at Heartfelt are raised as part of the family from the moment they are born, and as a parent cares about his children, these dogs and puppies are treated and loved with the same care.

Our little guy who came to live with us is smart, happy, and the most well socialized pup I have ever owned. "Heartfelt" is the absolute best name for the way Donna lives and raises dogs. To not let a puppy walk on the ground, run, yip, express joy through being handled and cuddled as they grow is nearly animal abuse. I work in a nearby animal shelter as a veterinary assistant and I can assure you that none of them espouse the methods mentioned above for raising any puppy.

Our wonderful puppy has no fear of new people, other dogs, or new situations. He is the most joyful little guy ever and that could have only come about with being loved and handled from the moment he was whelped. To watch him run through the wet grass, jump to try and catch raindrops on his tongue;, "puppy wrestle" with another little puppy owned by our neighbors;, catch on to the newest agility "contraption" in only one or two tries and be so proud of himself when he has learned it;, let the little 3year old girl in the park timidly pet his head as he rewards her gently with puppy kisses...what joy this brings us, and we thank Donna and Heartfelt every day for the wonderful dogs she "produces"!
I will not hesitate a second to purchase another dog from Donna/Heartfelt Shelties and am grateful she is in this business!

I purchased a puppy from the same litter as the puppy in question. He is our 4th Sheltie and the others were from another breeder. Our previous breeder was a wonderful couple who cared very much about their Shelties, and who they were placed with. Due to the death of the husband of this couple, the woman cut back on her breeding, and did not have any puppies for us. After searching for a new breeder, we found Heartfelt Shelties. We liked what we saw on their website, and even asked our previous breeder what she thought. She was very supportive of our choice as well, so we contacted Donna and have never been sorry. Our puppy is wonderful. He has all the good Sheltie qualities, but is not over sensitive or ultra hyper as some Shelties tend to be. Our puppy is very intelligent and learns quickly. He is also very loving without being clingy or exhibiting separation anxiety, he is comfortable around both men, women and children. Throughout the process of choosing the right puppy for us, and making the transition to our home, Donna has been very helpful and supportive. I have written her and called her, and she has always found the time to answer any questions I may have. It was obvious to us that she, and daughter Emily, care about their puppies and want what is best for them. It has been very apparent to us that our puppy was handled regularly, and was familiar with common household noises which helped in his transition to our home. I would highly recommend Heartfelt Shelties, and would not hesitate to buy from them again myself. I can understand that the woman who did not get to take home the puppy must have been terribly disappointed, but I would say that if Heartfelt Shelties didn't care about their puppies, she would not have had a problem getting the pup.

I now have my second Sheltie from Heartfelt Shelties. Our current dog was purchased this spring, replacing our beautiful Sheltie therapy dog who passed away. We did visits with her to a hospice care center and, upon her death, she was honored by the care center alongside human volunteers who had passed in that year. She was touched by many hands and in that way touched many hearts. Unlike many shy Shelties, she loved her job there and arrived each week with obvious joy and anticipation. I must add that therapy dog certification organizations would not agree with a rabies "###." I have had Shelties from other breeders. Heartfelt is hands down the most ethical and caring breeder I have encountered. These puppies are healthy, socialized from birth as part of the family, and grow up to be wonderfully smart and loving companions. I have attended dog family reunion picnics held by this breeder and met 25-30 families (and their dogs) who own Heartfelt Shelties. Every one of these dogs was happy, social, and friendly, with a wide array of individual talents and owners who encouraged them to be great in every way that they could be. Having had Heartfelt Shelties, I would not buy from any other breeder. Donna has a great sense of how to partner her puppies (and she knows each one individually) with adoptive families where there will be a fit between the dog's personality and needs and the family life style. As a lover of this sensitive and amazing breed, I applaud the care with which she places her puppies. Perhaps some breeds are more able to live in a home where they are restricted. But Shelties are family and for them to be denied the freedom to reach their full adult potential would be a very sad situation. I am sorry the complainant was disappointed and unhappy, but sometimes things happen for the best. Hopefully she will think again about what it really means to have the life of a "fur kid" in one's hands.

There was absolutely no breach of contract in this matter. We felt that after much discussion with our vet and between us that our puppy would be more suitable for someone else. If you visit our "Rants" page you can read the many loving letters we have received over the years. We are like a family and I dearly love the updates and pictures/videos I continually receive. We cannot please everyone, there are individuals that can't be made happy and lash out with insinuations and falsehoods. We wish her only the best in her endeavor to find the puppy that would suit her.

She had indeed followed us and waited for the "right" puppy for a considerable amount of time. At first she seemed to be a very loving puppy buyer. .We have no doubt whatsoever that she spends a lot of money on her dogs and they are taken care of in many areas. After meeting with her several times (because we started seeing more and more red flags) and between her phone calls, texts, and emails, we decided to let her know our decision and return all of her money plus the food that she had dropped off for the puppy. We tried many times to talk with her on her visits to tell her the health issues she could possibly be causing. We feel that we made the right decision for the puppy and continue to feel this way. I'm terribly sorry that she was hurt, we would never do that willfully to anyone.

Some or the red flags she told us included:

-Her previous sheltie was sick even before the age of one with "unexplained" arthritis. We were told that her vet cured the arthritis in less than a year. I saw this connected with the fact that according to her the dogs spend little time out of her arms, stroller, or baby carrier.

- Every one of her dogs have abnormal health issues. She felt that she was cursed in picking unhealthy shelties.

-She told us that her puppies are carried around the house the entire time until they are housebroken.

-They are in a stroller and had to be carried in and out of places because of germs. In the park her dogs would not be allowed on the ground because of goose poop.

- No one was going to be allowed to touch the puppy because she didn't know where their hands had been. I don't understand the logic behind this statement and doing therapy work.

-She has her vet only ### her dogs with a rabies needle because she could then say they were vaccinated against rabies without having a dose of the vaccine. Any responsible dog owner has age appropriate vaccines and wormings, especially those in therapy work.

-They were either in a play pen or a crate when in the house. A small area of floor was gaited off for him to play. Puppies/dogs need to exercise and grow strong especially when they are young or their bones and health will be compromised. We didn't want our puppy to be raised and not reach his full potential by being either in a stroller or carried via a baby carrier the majority of their lives.

-The new buyer of the puppy was not a friend of mine as she states.

-I was inundated with letters from her friends some of which were very rude. Our dogs go where we feel their best interest is met.

Our mission is to have healthy puppies/dogs with superb temperaments and a loving companion/agility/therapy/conformation dog. We have stood by this from day one and will continue to do so in the future.