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CB Dog Breeders Review of K9 Pines
K9 Pines

K9 Pines review: Bad Breeder 34

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7:17 pm EDT
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Melisa Smith is a bad business women. I bought a Siberian Husky from her and when I sent her my paperwork for my AKC papers she never sent them to me. She then made up all sorts of reasons why she never sent them to me. Unfortunatly for her I caught her in her lies. She also sold a 2 year old Siberian Husky to my sister and when they took him to the vet the vet said he was 12 pounds under weight and had heartworms. Melisa said she was selling him because he would not produce blue eyed dogs and that is what she wanted. So he was useless to her.
This women is down right horrible. She treats her dogs bad and does not take care of them.

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34 comments
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Matthew Johnson Realty
, US
Nov 17, 2021 8:39 am EST

Do not buy from K9 Pines. Do not listen to her desire to discredit your truth, or lead you to here cultivated reviews she allows posted… because trust me, it’s tough to find a place to review them other than AKC which I will be doing.

My shepherd Hobbes is 9 years old and now is melting with degenerative mylopothy. Had to carry him out of his first walk the other day.

Her crazy response to me calmly asking about the situation has led me to hours of reading reviews.

This lady is a monster, and breeds with no science to support health.

Let me save you time and report this breeder so we can save a few GSDs from such things. Hard to believe after reading how many hundreds of dogs she has neglected.

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Mar 03, 2019 4:53 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Lady, you need to quit trying to BS people about your dogs obvious genetic problems, and my question as a responsible German Shepherd breeder and owner is why hasn't the AKC shut you down yet?

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Gturner
, US
Jun 28, 2017 8:00 am EDT

We bought a female German shepherd dog from Melissa Smith just over 8 years ago. We had her hips evaluated once she turned two because she had a rear end wobble. The OFA evaluated her with severe hip dysphasia. Sadly she did not live to see her 8th birthday...we had to put her down due to intense pain that could not be managed. At the very least, Melissa Smith should do OFA testing on her dogs. Watching your beloved dog suffer is heartbreaking.

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Oct 27, 2016 5:09 am EDT

My kennel manager did not sell Bailey Tyler a puppy. We have no idea who Bailey Tyler is. This is why this page should be taken down. Anyone can say anything about anyone.

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Bailey Tyler
, US
Oct 18, 2016 2:11 pm EDT

Our dog has an undescend testicle hook worms and was underweight, Melissa should be investigated at the least!

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Bailey Tyler
, US
Oct 18, 2016 2:05 pm EDT

Our recently purchased pup at the cost of 1350 was underweight and riddle with hook worm.We now have to treat our other dog for it as well.The vet doesn't know if he will get rid of it as he could be a carrier.We did not get papers which I suspect is a non signing of the purchase agreement, which by the way is only to benefit Melisa.She should be shut down if she can't afford to feed the dogs, or treat them.For the money I should receive a healthy dog. 9/16/2016

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
May 24, 2016 6:35 am EDT

I disagree with the above entry. If this puppy was in such poor condition when you adopted her (adoption/pet price) why would you take her? Don't say because you felt bad for her. The purchase contract that you signed clearly states, you agree the puppy is in good body condition. You tried to back out of the purchase before you even met her, then after having her for 2 days wanted to bring her back. I agreed to take her back, then you told me you were keeping her (obviously another lie). I told you when you took her it was time for her to be dewormed and started on heart worm prevention. Puppies eat poo and adults eat poo, it happens. No way was this puppy starved or abused your accusations are unfounded and I wish I had seen the signs that you were not ready for a dog when you took her home. I also believe in Karma and had you told the true story that you were wishy washy about even having a puppy and that you did not think you were ready and that once you got her you confirmed you were not ready and by rehoming her else where even confirms you were not ready. Puppies like dogs, sense when people are 'not right' and do not care to bond with them. Although in our conversation you clearly stated she was a bit shy but as sweet as she could be. That after the first day she was getting used to you. I guess you just felt the need to hide behind the keyboard like so many others and complain with your version and not the whole story. I just pray where ever you got rid of her at will take care of her.

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Whitton
, US
Mar 02, 2016 5:36 pm EST

Bought a beautiful Brindle German Shepard, was told she had a sister that was dominate and did not let her eat. After taking her to two difference vets, I found out her excessive hook worm problem was from her starving and eating her own poo. Buyer beware so at first I was going to give her back to K9 - but instead gave her to someone who will work with her and help her. She was skin and bones when I got her and her behavior seemed to be from being abused more than from an "older sister". My heart is breaking as I feel in love with this beautiful sick puppy and hope the new owner will try it's best to get her to eat food and not poo. Also it had a problem with it's arm where the joint was weak this could have been from starving or the damage hook worms will do. I will never buy another puppy unless I can see where the puppy has lived and see it's sire and mother. I believe in KARMA with my whole heart and the heartbreak this woman has caused to me and this poor animal, well...

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Jan 20, 2016 7:18 am EST

Sindy Young, As you stated you did not purchase your husky from me. The dogs I owned are in the 4th/last generation on this pedigree. The dogs in the pedigree in front of that I never owned nor can be held accountable for how they are bred. The sheer fact that you felt the need to bash me over a puppy you purchased else where with dogs in the pedigree from 10 years ago blows my mind. I do not in breed and the fact that you can not post a pedigree from dogs I do breed from should speak volumes. You Sindy have done nothing but post MORE FALSE INFORMATION and I wish there were a way to STOP outright LIES for being posted. Your opinion based on this pedigree is CRAZY.

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Sindy Young
, US
Sep 14, 2015 2:31 am EDT

First, let me be clear that I have NEVER purchased a puppy from K9Pines - however I DO have a dog that comes from her lines (bred from dogs either owned by her or associated with her kennel by name). The Pedigree Soup I have found in this dog's pedigree is absolutely awful! It may be true that not all of the inbreeding and line breeding is the responsiblity of K9Pines, but there are some clear cases of these types of breedings, found in my own pedigree at Generations 4 and 5 away from my pup, that ARE examples of these types of breedings taking place within her kennels.

Please do not purchase from this kennel - at the very least she is not careful with pairings she makes and based on the above comments, she does not breed with an interest in improving the breeds she works with.

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Justin365k9
Boston, US
Jan 07, 2015 3:07 pm EST

The fact that a "breeder" is attempting to argue that cryptorchidism isn't genetic is hilarious. Nothing is even more hilarious than arguing that cryptorchidism is only defined as a lack of a testicle. That is highly untrue. Cryptorchidism INCLUDES testicles that FAIL to drop, and yes this is 99% genetics. The remaining 1% is the rare chance the testicle gets caught on another organ and fails to drop. However, clearly there is a theme here, I've seen numerous complaints of cryptorchidism from her purchasers. What does that tell you? Her dogs are carriers for the gene, so instead of being a responsible breeder and removing these said dogs from her program, she instead goes on a soap box about how it isn't genetic nor her fault (even though science tells us and proves that it is). How ironic.

What concerns me even further is not only does she breed dogs lacking testicles, but she clearly does zero further health testing. There is a total of three K9 Pines dogs in the OFA database, out of how many dogs she's been breeding? Doesn't she boast breeding for decades? Then why aren't their tests for the hundreds of other dogs she's bred? And only hip tests? Why weren't their elbows done? Why weren't they DM tested? Clearly she does not give one ### if your dog deteriorates right before your eyes before their third birthday.
(Oh wait for it, I can't wait to hear about her soap box of hip genetics. The simple fact is that testing your dogs and only breeding the best ones significantly reduces the chance of hip problems in the future. Do not let her manipulate you into believing whatever excuse she has for not doing them).

Are those even shepherds ? Their conformation is all wrong. Collie type heads, oversized bulky structures, lack of angulation, awkward expressions and eye shapes... What have all y'all been conned into buying? I know her puppies are cheap but seriously, you'll save a lot more money down the road if you actually go to a reputable breeder. You know, the ones who run all proper tests (hips, elbows, DM just for starters), work their dogs, and only breed the best (that have both testicles for starters). I love the fact that she claims to know a good working dog "because her husband is a cop". That'd absolutely insane. I guess I should be an expert in recognizing good working dogs too then? Lol! I would love to see this woman try to put a single Schutzhund title on any of her dogs. She'd be so clueless she'd have to hire someone.

And why have so many of you had to wait months for AKC papers? I have never had a breeder need to mail them to me months after my purchase. I've gotten them on the spot, or mailed in on the spot and received a week later. Are you even positive you have authentic papers? Are you even positive the information listed on them is correct? I suggest you all inquire with the AKC and request DNA results on the parentage of your puppies. If people want to breed incorrect colors, that's fine by me, but at least do the bare minimum health testing. It's very sad to see this lady single handedly ruining hundreds of German shepherd dogs. If you wanted something "pretty", you probably would of had better genetic luck at your local shelter.

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orangefishfishing
, US
Jan 03, 2019 9:45 am EST

Are you a medical professional?

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Mar 03, 2019 5:01 pm EST
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Your absolutely right about the undescended testicle problem, it is an inherited trait that is passed down though a gene, not all cases are genetic, but the majority are. This woman has to know that, it can be found in gsds all the way back to certain families in the old DDR type gsds..

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Mar 03, 2019 5:04 pm EST
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Thank you, Melissa, for giving the rest of us responsible gsd breeders and owners a BAD name.. I hope that the AKC bans you for life, you deserve no less.

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Jan 06, 2015 10:31 am EST

Tabatha, I am sad to see that after 2 years you decided to put this review here even though I tried to come to the table. Pictures of the litter mates being healthy proof that the others in the litter were fine is proof they are not sick, they did not need to go to the vet to prove they were fine, the pictures were taken days after your puppy was at the vet. The certificate of travel that was sent with the puppy was dated and signed by my vet. I even took pictures of him while we were at the vet. He appears healthy in all photo's. Your initial vet visit as you stated 'Those tests came back negative'. At some point a puppy's health and well being is out of my control. I offered a $200 refund on his purchase price once his contract was returned. The sales contract states no warranty on anything contagious as they can catch things at any time.

With the litter mates being normal here and yours not, and it not my call as to how to treat the situation. It is not my call to treat or not to treat, it is not my call when you are across the country from me. Yes I was nice the entire time and never once was rude, we actually never spoke, I spoke with your husband every time.

When he was neutered, did they find the testicle in his abdomen and remove it? If so, he was BORN with 2 testicles there for it is not a hereditary trait. All of my males have 2 testicles undescended testicles are not hereditary, being born with 1 testicle is. The information posted about Cryptorchidism is very true. However when a puppy is BORN with 2 testicles it is not cryptorchidism. Crypt =missing; orchid = testicle; ism= condition of. Missing = not born with. Being born with 2 testicles is normal, bad timing of dropping through the ring to be in the scrotum is not genetic. It is bad timing of not descending in a timely manner. Yes it does cost more to have to neuter if the testicle does not descend before the ring closes. Is that something I can control or keep from happening? Totally out of my control. I have several different stud males, all of which have 2 testicles.

I encourage others to read the guest book on my website to read what the other 170+ entries have to say. Not every breeder or business owner can appease 100% of the people 100% of the time. I try my best. After 22 years, there are bound to be problems that can not be resolved.

After all I am working with live animals and not shelf stocked DVD players. Genetics happen, life happens, death happens, sickness happens. I try to work with each person and resolve issues when they do arise. www.k9pines.com Please know that I am a person and hiding behind a keyboard to say things that are untrue, hurtful, spiteful is something I myself would never choose to do. Thank you for reading my sides of each of the complaints.

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Tabatha Wademan
, US
Oct 27, 2014 11:08 pm EDT

Several things I want to comment on: NO ONE should buy a dog from K-9 pines. NO ONE. I am making this claim based on the below FACTS and the events that occurred afterword. In October of 2012 my husband and I purchased a brindle German Shepherd puppy named "Beethoven". We live in California and therefore a kennel check or physically picking up the puppy was not possible and he was flown to us on October 9th. Within 24 hours of getting the puppy he was throwing up and having bad diarrhea. We took him to the vet on 10/11 and the vet treated him for dehydration and checked him for parasites and any type of bacterial infection - to rule anything out. Those tests came back negative but the dog continued to decline. We went back to the vet on 10/13 and they took blood and sent it out to a lab to check for Parvo. Although all signs pointed to parvo - he had all the symptoms and 99.9% of everything else had been ruled out- we wanted to be 100% sure in order to treat our dog and save him. A blood test is more accurate than a Snap test (something Melissa tried to contend with me until she found out that we did the blood test) it came back positive and we had to take the dog back to the vet on 10/14 and then transfer him to a different Vet hospital for around the clock care. Luckily - he beat parvo and pulled thru after 4 days of intensive treatment. We have had him for 2 1/2 years now and he is a great companion and addition to our family but there are several things that I find disturbing about how Melissa handled the situation. One - as a business owner - that specialize in breeding dogs- I found her to be extremely unprofessional. We were in constant contact with Melissa from the beginning of the entire process and as the dog's condition worsened so did her attitude. Initially she offered to cover half of the vet bills - which she later refuted. She also tried to say that the dog got parvo either "on the plane" or while in our care - which both my vets that treated the dog (at two different independent offices) said wasn't possible due to the incubation of 3-7 days of parvo - where the dogs has no symptoms. We got the dog WITH symptoms. We gave her the benefit of the doubt while we were doing the testing but the dog's testing was all done within 3 days of receiving him and receiving the positive diagnosis. I understand that flying across country and changing homes can/is stressful for a puppy – but it wouldn’t give them Parvo or speed up the incubation period. My problem with Melissa is that once he was confirmed with having Parvo her attitude was that it wasn't her problem. Her claim was that since she had a "vet" certificate of health (which was not dated - only signed!) from 10/08 - it wasn't her responsibilty. How as a breeder could you ever have that stance? No reputable breeder would allow that to occur without trying to rectify the situation. Her solution to us- was to send the puppy back in exchange for another dog. NO JOKE. After spending almost 3, 000 dollars total in vet care (not including the payment to her for the dog and airfare just vet bills) that was her idea of a solution. We also were told that the choice to treat and try to save the puppy was on us - we could have let him die and avoid the cost. (nice right?) There was no thought or consideration to the trauma of dealing with the entire ordeal placed on our family - it was all about what she felt was correct. We sent her copies of all bills and tests ordered and at one point - she said that the reason she wouldn't pay for part of the vet bills (which she had earlier said she would do) was because in her opinion- my vet overcharged me for certain procedures and her local vet costs less. A couple of things to that – I live in Southern California and she lives in North Carolina – I am sure her vet costs less because the cost of living is less compared to where I live, it is a moot point. I cannot expect to get her gas prices or grocery prices or house prices either – nor could I take my dog to a vet that she “approved” of due to location. Melissa should have refunded our money that we paid for the dog – due to the fact that the vet bills were so high. I get that animals get sick – but we received a sick dog. My husband had talked to her on the phone and thought she was a good person – the facts proved otherwise. When we got the dog (as she claimed in “healthy condition”) he was only 12 POUNDS – at 14 weeks. That is NOT a healthy weight for a normal male german shepherd puppy. To date he is only 65 pounds – which is small. I am sure that getting Parvo at that important stage of development stunted his growth which is a shame since he is a beautiful dog. Also – he also ended up with Cryptorchidism (which she cannot blame on me) since we purchased him as a companion that was not a huge issue but there is clearly a theme here since multiple other people have reported underweight sickly puppies and the same genetic defect. My advice to anyone looking to get a dog is to follow the below (of which my vet has also advised) only buy a dog from a breeder that allows you to visit the facilities. They can allow you to “observe” from a far or in certain conditions that will still allow them to safely care for their animals. Buy from someone that is located in your same state. This is important because different states have different legislature and many breeders are located in states with less enforcement. In the state of California we could have sued for the reimbursement of the expenses for the dog due to receiving an animal labeled healthy when it was sick (accordingly to veterinary records) but since the actual kennel is in North Carolina and has different statues we couldn’t. I have all correspondence with Melissa in email form and I would be happy to share with anyone looking into buying a dog from her to help them see what they will be getting into. She denied that she sent me a sick dog and sent me a picture of the littermates as proof that her dogs were healthy. (Literally – a picture was her proof. No vet records or anything concrete) the only thing we can do is try to help other people from having to deal with the same circumstance we did and create awareness. This post was long because I felt it was important to include the all the facts instead of a genera overview. If anyone is looking for a German Shepherd rescue (rescue is ALWAYS better than a kennel!) I know of 2 great ones in the Los Angeles area that also gets puppies and I would be happy to pass that information on.

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hempens
Mars Hill, US
Apr 29, 2014 1:33 pm EDT

I purchased a beautiful male puppy from Melissa in August 2013. When I took him for his first vet check up not only did he have an undescended testicle (Cryptorchidism) but he also had an umbilical hernia. I immediately contacted Melissa and was told the testicle would drop and the umbilical hernia would be ok. I bought him for a family companion not to breed, so whether he had one or two testicles did not matter. However, when questioning the vet about neutering him, she said to go into the body cavity to retrieve the other testicle would make the procedure more expensive and if we left it in tact, it could possibly cause him cancer down the road or other medical issues. Also if they did not retrieve the testicle he would continue to act like an intact male. Needless to say, we had him fixed because that was our original intent.

I was also told by the vet that this condition, (Cryptorchidism) is an inherited trait. I researched online and also got further confirmation of this genetic defect. According to an article in Veterinary - Answers.com, " It is particularly common in miniature and toy breeds such as Pomeranian and Yorkshire Terriers and some family lines are known to carry the gene in certain breeds including Boxers, German Shepherds, and Stafford shire Bull Terriers. Since cryptorchidism is genetic, it is easily passed down family lines"(Veterinary - Answers.com "Spotting and Treating Cryptorchidism in Dogs)) The Editor also suggests that all male relatives should be checked for the condition and that it is wise to remove them from the breeding pool. Other research showed that males and females can be carriers of this gene as well. This being said, it is very interesting that my dog and several others on this post should have come up with this same condition.

I am writing this post because consumers DO need to be aware of the possible condition in their male dogs and additional costs involved in the neutering. The cost of these puppies is not cheap and people do expect to get what they pay for. However for us, the other positive qualities we have found in our puppy are what make him so special. He has a wonderful temperament and is great with children and other animals. In this respect, Melissa did a wonderful job.

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Looking for a breeder
Baltimore, US
Feb 18, 2014 2:42 pm EST

I've sent numerous emails and Facebook messages and only got one reaponse. After reading this and actually being in contact with other buyers, I will not be purchasing a puppy from K9 Pines. It sounds like this lady needs some help gettin her things together. It's ashamed because the dogs are beautiful.

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Dec 31, 2013 11:53 am EST

No clue who you are Champion of dogs, your opinion of my dogs is of zero importance to me. Obviously your serious desire to spew venom about my dogs that you know nothing about seems to be your goal. I wish you well in your endeavors and encourage you to educate yourself in regards to a testicle failing to descend OBVIOUSLY you are the one that does not understand there is ZERO rationale as to WHY one fails to descend. What IS KNOWN is it is a recessive when they are BORN without one. I am a vet tech by trade so YES I have seen BY ultra sound that a dog was BORN with only one testicle - it was a Great Dane. Buyers beware that I realize I can not please 100% of my customers 100% of the time as some can not be pleased that makes if fair for all. Please visit my website and read the guest book there are over 170 entries there with their email address's not a hide behind their sign on name attempting to discredit my program name.

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Dec 31, 2013 11:45 am EST

Lucas Neira ~ I sent you a message and still have not heard back from you. Please contact me asap. I am not even sure you got a puppy from me. www.k9pines.com for all contact info

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champion of dogs
Lake Wales, US
Dec 16, 2013 9:05 pm EST
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You are and idiot if you think undescended testicle is not a trait! It is a hereditary defect that carries on. Having one testicle means one has not dropped. In 45 years of dogs I have never seen one without one at all, and if you have then there is something really wrong in your breeding program. I thing your dogs are mixes or so inbred they have falling pasterns, back hocks in the rear, heads with no stop at all, and colors that go with a lot of other breeds! BUYER BEWARE!

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Mar 03, 2019 4:49 pm EST
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I absolutely agree with everything you said here, and your right, buyer beware!

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LucasNeira
, US
Dec 16, 2013 1:46 pm EST

Ive been trying to get in contact with Melissa for a year now regarding my gsd paperwork. She hasn't given me any kind of answer. I've used different emails and called countless times with no response. I just want my dogs registration that is all. I don't want to fight about it. I just want his registration that I paid for.

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Dec 15, 2013 11:55 am EST

To the anonymous person that just posted that the puppy you got from me has one undescended testicle. My warranty is very clear covering an undescended testicle, which you agreed to the terms. I wrote you a very long and nice reply regarding the puppy you got and you obviously know what I wrote is true. As you did not write back. Did you take him to have an ultra sound to see if he was BORN with one testicle or are you just going with the diagnosis of undescended? An undescended testicle is not a genetic defect. A puppy born with one testicle has genetic tendencies but science has not found a gene that can cause that defect. So there are not genetic tests that can determine if a puppy will be born with one or no testicles. An undescended testicle is not the same as one being born with one testicle. Undescended means it did not drop into place as it should before the inguinal ring closes (explained to you in the reply email) All of my breeding males have both testicles present and descended, there fore your THEORY that they are carriers of a gene that has yet to be identified does not fly. Please continue to educate yourself and not slander my stud males who are very much in tact with both testicles descended. As for the comment of him being half the weight he should have been you never said one word about his size or weight the day you picked him up or in any of the email messages. Why would you purchase a puppy that was under weight and not in good condition? We are a closed kennel for the safety of our dogs and puppies. Report me to AKC for what? How do you justify saying anything or any dog or puppy is being neglected or treated cruel? I have never ever been charged with any such crimes, your insinuation that I have is out right slander. I am very curious why you would post such c*** about my giving GSD breeders bad names and not have ANY evidence to back what you are saying. My dogs and puppies are very well taken care of thank you very much. Obviously you thought enough of my dogs to come here, visit with me, and purchase a puppy from me. Funny now that your puppies testicle did not send you want to spread hate and discontent. You think my dogs are in jeopardy and encouraging people to call AKC for what reason? AKC inspects my kennel and my dogs and I am in full compliance. Thank you for your concern if that is what you call it. I would appreciate you not attempting to make my kennel a place not to purchase a puppy from. You obviously thought enough of me and my dogs to purchase one. Hopefully he has a wonderful home since there are no checks and balances to insure that he is being taken care of now, especially since one of his testicles did not descend.

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Mar 03, 2019 4:47 pm EST
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Replying to comment of K9PINES

This woman doesn't know what she is Talking about in regard to an undescended testicle not being an inherited trait. Ma'am, I beg to differ... This trait can be and is passed down from gsds that have inherited the gene for it. Not all cases are genetic, but the majority aee...

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GSD Owner
, US
Dec 07, 2013 9:51 am EST

First of all this woman is not what she seems. She sold us a GSD pup that was half the weight that he should have been (seems to be a theme), she would not let us see the parents (also a theme with her), one of his testicles didn't drop (not only a theme with this woman, this is also considered an inherited trait, affected dogs should not be bred and should be castrated. The parents should be considered carriers of the defect and a breeder should thoughtfully consider whether to breed the carrier parent or not.) This woman gives a bad name to GSD breeders everywhere, report her to the AKC, the standard penalty for anyone convicted of animal cruelty involving dogs is a 10-year suspension and a $2, 000 fine. I am very curious as to what the will find on that property.

Contact the Compliance dept:
AKC Investigations and Inspections
8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC [protected]
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]

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Vicki Hodges
, US
Jun 09, 2019 3:52 am EDT
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Replying to comment of GSD Owner

Regarding contacting the AKC :
I would like to mention the fact that the AKC requires breeders to furnish a puppy's new owner with said puppy's AKC puppy papers at time OF PURCHASE, failure to do so can be grounds for permanently banning said breeder from the AKC. So for all of you who have paid for a puppy and are having a hard time getting the papers you need from the breeder to register your puppy, please take the time to contact the AKC and make a formal complaint. Your complaint matters! The AKC takes a very dim view of breeders that are selling puppies as purebred, AKC registered dogs but not providing the buyer with the paperwork at time of purchase. The reason for this is to protect the buyer from unscrupulous breeders and to protect the integrity of the AKC.
Thank you,
As a responsible GSD owner and breeder, I feel compelled to inform innocent people of their rights when purchasing an AKC dog.
Also, if a breeder won't allow you to see its dogs /puppy's living area, take heed! There's NO good explanation for refusal, I've never heard of a ''Closed Kennel/for the protection of our dogs!'' protection from what?

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Aug 18, 2012 8:10 am EDT

In Response to the June 3, 2012 complaint

As unfortunate as it is we were feeding Diamond Dog food and had been feeding it for over 2 years. It hit our kennel hard and we are working towards a resolve with the dogfood company.

Unfortunately this person did not contact me to tell me her puppy was having problems until she had the puppy for almost a month.

The course of Salmonella infection for puppies is a roller coaster. It gets better and it gets worse. It attacks various organs and the test for it is inconclusive in just about every testing incident. Google test salmonella puppy. It is a very bad bacteria that hides in the cells during antibiotic therapy and can take 6 months to be completely free from their system. The 'test' for Salmonella is not accurate as it only tests to see if it is currently (that day) in the blood stream - if a blood test is given). If it is in the organs or even the brain parts of those organs also have to be submitted and even then if it is intracellular the test will still be negative. The bacteriologist I have spoken to on numerous occasions told me that it is the nastiest bug out there and that is why the CDC got involved as it was affecting people. All the people did was touch the dog food bag or the dry food and ingest dust particles from the food or just touching the bag. Google Diamond Dog food and Salmonella and you will read all the people, dogs, puppies that were affected.

5 weeks of In and out of the vet is very sad for the puppy and the owner and the others that were affected pursued Diamond and got a replacement puppy from me. However this woman was very upset with me and it pains me to know that. This is completely out of my control.

The puppy did not die from distemper. It never had any symptoms of distemper, seizures shortly before death is sad for the puppy and hard for the owner but this is one coarse of the bacteria and if affects the brain as well. The puppy never had any symptoms of distemper and seizures before death is not a distemper diagnosis.

I have written to this woman since she submitted her complaint and tried to help her to understand that what the puppy went through was due to the Salmonella. I am unsure how she feels at this point. I know my heart goes out to her and the puppy. She did say in one of her last responses that she wrote when she was hurt, angry, and not understanding how or why the puppy could not be saved. I think after I sent her all of the information we have a better understanding of what and why things went from good to bad. Melisa Smith

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Aug 18, 2012 7:56 am EDT

In Response to the December 5th 2011 complaint: The person filing the complaint is the girlfriend, she did not drive to NC to get the puppy. They initially wanted their money back before even getting the puppy because their dog had sired a litter and they were just going to keep one of those puppies instead. The puppy left my possession in excellent body weight and great physical condition.

The puppy was taken to the vet within 2 days of arriving and the vet and told them he was not eating due to stress. The following week the vets in the practice deemed the puppy unfit for sale as per what she says. A puppy not taken care of properly can be dead in a week. The key is that he left healthy and in excellent body condition. The contract signed that day even states that it is agreed upon by both parties the puppy appears to be in good body and healthy or the puppy should not be purchased.

How a person opts to take a puppy to the vet or not or how their vet chooses to treat their puppy is out of my control. I can lead a horse to water but I can not make it drink. Even though the puppy did not have a necropsy done as per the sales contract nor were medical records ever sent I still offered a replacement puppy even though my warranty (any breeders warranty) does not cover anything contagious. As for the boyfriend getting sick within 3 days (which is what she told me on the phone) of bringing home the puppy, Google Gardia and incubation period and you will find that it has a 10 day to 2 week incubation period. If boyfriend was sick it was not due to the puppy making him sick.

This website allows people to make complaints I get that and it allows me to post rebuttals, I am appreciative of that as well. One thing I have learned in my 20 years of raising GSD and SH is that I can not please 100% of the people 100% of the time. This small hand full of reviews also does not measure up to the 150+ positive reviews on my website that people that are very satisfied with their dealings with us and many have come back for another and or refer others.

I encourage you (the reader) to take the time to pick up the phone and give me a call [protected]

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Jul 30, 2012 2:40 pm EDT

In response to the March 19th 2011 Complaint, once the 6 month period was up and the testicle did not decend, and the heart murmur did not get better, the buyer got a new puppy and got to keep the other one too. Just as my sales contract states a replacment will be given if a serious genetic defect is present. The testicle is not a genetic defect and neither is an umbilical hernia. The heart murmur could be construed as a genetic defect or could be the result of a mutation. Either way the buyer chose a new puppy and we are still in contact. I do not know why she has not reposted the outcome. Melisa K9-PINES

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AnimalLover76
Newark, US
Jun 03, 2012 1:26 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This was my first time dealing with K9Pines, And i believe she sent us a sick puppy, he only lived with us a month. He was a husky. And we spent over 7, 000 trying to save him. She tried to blame it on the dog food recall, but his test came back negative. He started having seizures, and they wouldn't stop. We put him down because the vet believed he had distmper. Whick Melisa doesn't believe he had, we will get his test results in a week. I have heard plenty about her now, she offered a replacement puppy, which i do not want. I hope she gets shut down, because she does NOT deserve to breed dogs, these poor animals are suffering because of her. Any breeder that will not let you see where the puppies are being kept is hiding something, prolly how filthy the conditions are. I will get justice for my puppy, he went thru alot in his month with us..and Melisa could care less. Shame on her, she is no dog lover, but a money lover.

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siberian
, US
Dec 05, 2011 5:13 am EST

i am not a competitive breeder. i drove 12 hours from NJ to purchase a siberian husky puppy from melissa smith. The puppy wound having to be euthanized after only 2 short weeks of being in our home. . He was deemed unfit for sale by 3 different veterinarians. We thought the puppy was too small when we bought him, however we were not showed the mother of the puppy or the rest of the litter. There was absolutley nothing we could have done to save this puppys life we did everything we could. Spent all of our money and we were not refunded for any of it. Melissa said that she was not responsible for any of the vet bills because she was not there to make any decisions for testing and nourishment., All she offered us was a new puppy, which was the last thing we wanted from her. She started to ignore all phone calls and emails. She also blocked me off of her facebook where i was mostly contacting her through. She became extremely rude and unprofessional and was making ignorant comments. Bringing in a new puppy to our home to keep our other husky company was supposed to be an exciting and fun new experience. All in all we lost 400 on the puppy, $300 traveling expenses and over $2000 in vet bills to keep the puppy alive. And not to mention my boyfriend was treated for Giardia which he caught from the puppy and wound up having to miss 8 days of work. so therefore we lost out on money because of that as well. But most important we lost our new puppy Frankie. Which myself, my boyfriend and my other dog Cody quickly became attached too.

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Hope63
Slatington, US
Mar 19, 2011 2:04 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I bought a gorgeous German Shepherd from her. This little guy had the greatest personality ever! I fell so in love with him till I got home and found out he had 3 genetic defects: A heart murmur, an umbilical hernia, and one undescended testicle! She said the heart murmur was an innocent one and would go away as he got older. She wanted me to give him 6 months for the other testicle to drop. I am still waiting for her to stop making excuses and replace my puppy or refund my money!

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K9PINES
Saluda, US
Aug 17, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

This complaint is not legitimate and is unfounded. Produce documentation that anything I sold was unhealthy. Instead of trying to spread lies.

This website allows anyone to say anything about anyone. Including competitive breeders.

If you want to read what real puppy buyers have to say about the puppy they got from us, visit my website at: www.k9-pines.com and see what real puppy buyers have to say about the puppy they have purchased from us.

This person obviously has an Ax to grind and the Internet will allow anyone to say anything including making up stories and lies.

Melisa Smith
Owner of K9-PINES