Briarbrook Kennel
Reviews and Complaints

I contacted this breeder about a shepherd puppy. She wanted one thousand dollars for an unregistered male and advised me she has never had any issues with hips so they do not bother with any health testing on breeding stock. I thanked her for her time and elected not to go and look at puppies. Too bad because the adults are beautiful.

Just for the record, this boys beautiful all black brother was just put down at 6 years old, diagnosed with lymphoma... All the Chemo in the world could not save him, we tried. Lasted 3 months after diagnoses.

hello i am from mass i bought a german shepherd puppy two years ago from briarbrook kennels i had my choice of five puppies my son who was sixteen at the time helped pick him out we had three we really wanted i am 57 i only own german shepherds i love all dogs i just fit with shepherds my dog is the most beautiful shepherd walking the face of the world is very healthy and active he is the smartest shepherd i have ever seen i tell people i would not selll my dog for fifty thousand dollars think this story is bull here is a picture he will be three years in july

We have a puppy from this breeder and she is a genetic mess... she is a Maltese (allegedly) that was born July 24th, 2017 (again, allegedly) and when she was sold to my friend, she was sold with a severe malocclusion. A malocclusion is an overbite that is genetic and will only be present in dogs whose parents have them. The parents of my Maltese should have never been bred and furthermore, this puppy should have never been sold by an ethical business. When I messaged BB about this, all they had to say was the following (first my message to them):
Good morning. I wanted to contact you to let you know that one of your Maltese pups that was bought by a friend of mine last fall was given to me over the weekend. I took her to my vet this morning and she has been diagnosed with a severe over bite and will need professional dental surgery. This is going to cost upwards of 2000 dollars, not to mention the ride to Boxborough Mass. I respectfully request some financial assistance for this procedure as this should have been detected before the dog was sold and you shouldn't be breeding Token and Bindie if their pups are going to have this kind of issue - words from my Vet.
BB's response:
I'm sorry, our puppies are all sold as pet quality. There are the possibility of "faults" as you describe and are mentioned in the bill of sale. I understand you don't have the bill of sale because we didn't sell you the puppy. It is worth noting that neither bindi nor token have an uneven bite.

I do have the bill of sale and instead of arguing with them, I have taken the right steps and had the puppy's teeth fixed so she doesn't have to live with holes in the roof of her mouth. She is the sweetest puppy even with her issues... but then again, love makes all the difference.
Anyway, my two cents from my experience with these losers... it's all about the money.

Just curious, has anyone purchased a yorki from them and it turned out to be a silky terrier. Yorkie and silky look exactly alike as puppies but as they grow they look nothing alike.

Just an example of the responses coming back from shiba people who've dealt with you, or who are picking up the pieces of your breeding/selling disaster:::

"As a Shiba rescue volunteer, that 'isn't' a breeder I included on my list of responsible breeders I refer possible Shiba owners to. I have personally rehomed 5 of their Shibas due to lack of wanting them back after they've been sold. I've been in contact with many people through the years who've visited the kennel, and one Shiba owner in the area who purchased there because they felt so sorry for the dog. Sadly, when I met the owner and dog several years ago, the dog was older, had already lost one eye to glaucoma, with the second eye not looking good. I can't stress enough to always thoroughly check out any breeder you might be considering, be sure to make contact with as many breed rescues as possible, often the volunteers have more horrific information about some than anyone could imagine."

"We initially looked there and decided they weren't for us! We have friends that got their Shiba there and has had total reconstruction surgey on one leg at 2 years old and will need it on the other leg as well. She's an amazing Shiba but has had a tough time"

"I wish I had seen this a year ago. My boy _____ is from there. At the time all of the research I did suggested they were reputable. Something did feel a little off on the day we picked him up though. Plus he came home with a case of kennel cough which we didn't find out until a couple of days later. Today, _______ is so far happy and healthy. But knowing what I know now I will never do business with them again. They are very well disguised. They certainly duped me."

"About 11 years ago I got a Shiba Inu from them, it was a bit weird, I didn't know about puppy mills back then. But my shiba from there died of cancer last year. I never wanted to deal with them again after we got our puppy, something didnt feel right. Now I know, my gut was right. After adopting a dog from 'reputable' Shiba Inu breeder, I know how things should be."

"My ________ came from them, after a failed adoption attempt our hearts were sad and we decided to purchase a shiba instead. They had one available and we jumped on the opportunity. Let me start by saying that _____ is now healthy and the greatest friend I could ever ask for. When got him at 15 weeks we took him home to discover he had a uti and girardia (sp) he had food aggression and did not appear to have been raised under foot. They were helpful in the beginning, but I later learned that he was not bred there, just sold by them? I know now after research that they are not so great, and yes they have many breeds. I love my____, and if I had to do it again, I would. I'm happy I found him and am not sure that if another family had that he would be alive. His aggression was awful and almost got the better of me, but I stuck with and always will."

"BB is famous in New England for being a mill. I've had the (not so pleasurable) experience of physically going there. Horrified is all I can say. (And it's no where near as bad as it gets :( ... )"

" I was hoping that she stopped by now, but evidently not :( She has many resources and deals with brokers also. Back then she had GSD's and Shiba, now I know she's got at least 5 breeds. Her place is huge and there are a minimum five dogs in a kennel that I could see. Dirty, smelly, some not getting enough food, no real love or attention, bred to make money only..back when I was there there were well over 100 animals I would have guessed."

This is all within 24 hrs of my post, and the comments are still coming. I haven't yet posted among the German Shepherd groups... you can expect this list to get MUCH longer once I start discussions on other breed pages and rescue pages!

Shared via FB public use policy, names of people and pets removed.

Monica, I only recently became aware of your existence and knew nothing of your reputation. When I found your website and saw that you have 5 or more breeds, I immediately got concerned. I posted questions to you on your page asking that you share your ethics as a breeder and answer some other questions that usually separate millers from A+ breeders. Rather than answering the questions, you immediately blocked me from your facebook page. Since you were unwilling to provide transparency on your breeding business and your 'heart' for the dogs, you have made it very clear what kind of breeder/seller you are. It is disgusting and concerning that you sell 5 or more breeds because any A+ breeder does it PURELY for the love of ONE breed, rarely ever two breeds, and so you will only find that A+ breeder to have 1 or 2 breeds. Those A+ breeders are also more than happy to share all information about themselves as breeders, including their beliefs about breeding, how they breed, what they have done to eliminate any genetic issues (which I also asked you), and beyond. A+ breeders never have any complaints because they meet buyers expectations from start to finish and beyond. Since I've posted this red flag to all the shiba groups (and soon the GSD groups and other rescue pages), there are already several comments from people who have either been to your place, or adopted from you who AGREE how disgusting your place is, how sick their dogs have been, etc. People like you are nothing but filthy low-lives who can't be bothered to have integrity and care for other living things... you use the dogs as your source of income, to the tune of probably $10, 000 or more per month with all 5 or so breeds. The fact that you also buy from other mills makes you even worse of a person to support the filthy caged breeding. I and my rescue friends will continue to expose you until you close your business. Period!

Just curious Monique do reputable business owners buy from places like in the pictures posted below? This is where the puppy you sold me came from! Feces and grime on the walls. No lighting in the facility.No records kept on any of the puppies and dogs that are only known by ID #'s. You sold me a sick dog end of story! I called you to let you know our puppy was sick and request an appointment with YOUR vet. You insisted you make the appointment. However you told me that they were booked and couldn't see my puppy but the vet told you to give us antibiotics so to come pick them up. Funny your vet had NO knowledge of this. You took it into your own hands to give my puppy prescription medication that could have been detrimental to her health. The puppy you sold us was also NOT properly vaccinated per NH law! If all this has slipped your memory please refer back to the letter you received dated February 14, 2014 from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, markets & food. Better yet maybe I should post it for everyone to see! Our puppy has had continuous health issues since day one and you have never helped us in anyway! Please keep priding yourself on you A+ rating from the BBB I will be contacting them next. You can say all you want but pictures and Vet bills don't lie.

https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/101-problem-puppy-mills.pdf

You need to submit a complaint to the State Vet Dr. Crawford. What she is doing is against the law! Please contact me. I had a very similar experience!

It is hard to find a ethical breeder, but never purchase an animal from a breeder you are not comfortable with and does not take exceptional care of their animals. The parents should be on site, and the animals should be social and without many health issues. The problem with puppy or kitten mills is that queens and ### are over bred, not socialized, and not given proper nutrition or care. Many times unethical could care less about their breeding programs, and this results in genetics problems, shorten lives, unsocial puppies and kittens, and costing the owner thousands of dollars in vet care and special diets. That is if the animal even survives, or not given up to a shelter because of these issue or mechanized. I got lucky when searching for a Bengal kitten, and found an ethical breeder. It was a wonderful experience, and I love both of my felines. I had done a great deal of research of the breed, but had not done as much on a breeder. I am sorry about your dog's illness. It is a serious disease for a puppy because it has not developed a strong immune system. You have every right to be concerned because just like any URI problem, it quickly could have turned into pneumonia or other serious diseases. I hope your puppy makes a quick recovery. I also think you should find another vet. He should have taken your concerns seriously. Enjoy being a puppy parent!

The kennel you guys are all reviewing is on this list. I would stay far away from there.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://dogtime.com/reference/dog-laws/19772-hsus-list-101-problem-puppy-mills-in-america/amp&ved=2ahUKEwje5KyT3u3cAhVMMt8KHTeEBR84ChAWMAZ6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw1TfiKuRmZF2aITMJ7E5CWm

We bought a male German Shepherd puppy from them on March 15th, 2017. He has been very calm, healthy and easy going with my two young children (3 and 8). Today is the third day at our home and this 8 weeks puppy already knows to go to the bathroom outside! He is amazing. I don't see the same problem as the other people complained. It looks like a regular place to me - I mean if you want it clean and nice then go to a 5-star hotel? So far, we are very happy with the addition to our family. Not like the other breeders, this place does not ask you to fill an application form, and tell you if the dog is a good fit because you have young children, or you don't have young children, blah blah blah. Attach a picture of Max sitting in our yard. He is so cute!

I got a German Shepherd puppy from them as well. He had diarrhea the first day. We went to their vet after about 5 days of his non stop diarrhea. He said he is a very healthy puppy but did have tapeworms from fleas most likely in their kennels, but this isn't uncommon for kennels he said. The puppy had gone from 20lbs to 17lbs. Claimed it was just due to two different scales. He gave the puppy a single shot and said he'd be fine. Week later, puppy's diarrhea had not gone away but his appetite did. He stopped eating after that we brought him to our vet. Our vet says the stool sample we brought was packed with tapeworms, bacteria, and the next day the results came in positive for Giardia. Our vet said that these worms must have been in him since he was at Briarbrook because they had already been through their full cycle and then some. Our puppy has also gotten too thin to ignore. Other things we told our vet seemed to concern her, but Mr. Smiley had no concerns whatsoever. I hadn't looked at reviews for this kennel or their vet "Mr. Smiley" but once I did... sure enough other people with the same issue. Mr. Smiley may or may not be a bad vet but I have a hunch that if your dog comes from the Briarbrook, which he checks up on every 10 days (so he says), then he has less thorough approach to checking over your puppy's condition. His review in general though seem to point towards him doing as little as possible. Do yourself a favor and don't get a dog from this place but if you do BRING THE PUPPY TO YOUR OWN VET!

Hi, I'm 12 years old (almost 13). But I'm very mature for my age. I've been doing so much research on dog breeds and my family and I have been looking for a dog for about 6 months. I love the Shiba Inu, and then I found Briarbrook Kennel in Pittsfield, NH. I want to make sure that the puppy we get is healthy and perfect; so we can bond with a new part of the family without worrying that it's going to get sick soon. On their website, all of the reviews are good, saying that the kennel is clean and the puppies are healthy. But these complaints sound terribly awful, and I'm sorry for all that has happened to your beloved puppies. I'm not sure whether to trust the Briarbrook Kennel or listen to you guys. Help?
-MP

I need to post a retraction to this comment as I cannot delete it. I have been in touch with Monique since last week and she has done well by this situation! The one who first answers my complaint was NOT her. I have found Monique to be very helpful and upfront. She is standing behind this puppy and our purchase. Please do not take all the complaints as Gospel and give Monique a chance to respond. If there are any issues, please talk directly to her before jumping the gun like I did.
Sincerely, Wanda Chapman.
Twilight Kennels

My daughter bought a GSD puppy from them 31/2 weeks ago. The poor thing has had diarrhea from the time she was picked up. Paperwork states that pup was seen @ their vet and treated for Giardia. Well, she has it still! In my 35 years of Animal Services I have never owned nor supported a Puppymill. I would never sell a sick puppy or one with explosive liquid stools. I have always and will forever send a healthy pup or Rescued one home with a 3 week supply of good food, Eagle or California Natural, all pups or dogs that have papers the papers are turned over once that Animal is spayed/altered. ALL my registered puppies go with a puppy registration form, a photocopy of their parents lineage and photos of the parents. This "Kennel" won't even give me the Sire/dams registered names for me to look up! So, we paid $800.00 for a sick puppy mill puppy that has cost us another few hundred dollars by itself. Now I get to call my clients and tell them that their beloved pet has been exposed to Giardia. Pay for their fecals and treatments. And it puts a stain on MY name and business. 35 years I have been Rescuing, training, breeding Service dogs, boarding and I have not ever had a dog with Giardia. Until we got "Abbie" from BriarBrook!
Not amused. Next complaint is going to HSUS and AKC as the papers were NOT transferred with the puppy! Horrid horrid treatment of Animals. It is all about the $$$$.
Ps. "Abbie" is a spastic pup with NO house manners! Very typical, of Puppy Mill pups! She has never seen the inside of a house to learn basic house rules. Just dumped in a kennel room to spread Giardia to all the other puppies there. BEWARE! BUYER BEWARE! Do NOT support this Puppy Mill.

You may have seen my complaint from a year ago about my sick yorkie puppy I purchased from Monique at Briarbrook Kennel. An update and new complaint on this puppy mill! My Yorkie Angel is a year old now. I reported the company to as many places as I could. I could only be hopeful that my puppy would get better and live a normal life. She is my child. Best thing that would happen to me. A year ago Monique only contacted me due to the complaints and having her be investigated. She asked me to take my post down. But i put it as resolved instead. It is not resolved. My puppy was sick for months. Finally she got better and created herself a loving personality. She became healthy and loves to run outside. I ended up noticing that she had 2 rows of teeth! Her baby teeth were not falling out. They never did. I had to get them surgically removed to prevent gum disease and pain. This is a genetic issue some dogs get. Monique did not breed my dog. She came from Missouri.(disclosed on her pedigree) This was not dosclosed to me verbally before purchase. I had the option to trade my puppy in for another yorkie. Absolutely not. After speaking with Monique that day i never heard from her again. She wanted the complaint off and that was all! A year later i went to bring my puppy for her yearly exam as well as a check up due to her left eye beeing white and cloudy...something that just came on a week ago. My vet tells me that Angel is 100% blind in her left eye and is likely to happen to her other eye. She has juvenille cataracts. The cause of this is genetic. I now need to go to a specialist for further treatment. I will keep posted on what i find out from a specialist about her disease. Do not buy from Monique and Briarbrook Kennel. She also sends her puppies off to be sold at neighboring pet stores! She has no love for these animals. Just a way to make money! I have spoken with A LOT of dog owners who have bought from breeders! Breeders keep in touch and check in on their animals! Others like to follow on facebook to be able to see them growing and post on their website. Others get letters in the mail hoping all is well and reminded of the contact info and hope to be repeat customers. Others receive collars and name tags. My dog received a year of suffering and will continue to suffer. And we all know who is to blame!

Hi, My name is Kimberley G and on Feb 27 2014 someone posted a comment on this page under the name KimmieAnne regarding an issue that I was having they illegally took my complaint from another site and listed it here, I did not in any way post this review to this site. This matter has already been settled between the breeder and myself and I believe this review needs to be removed as not coming from the original source which would be myself. I have already removed the review in which I myself posted. This one was not authorized by me or supported by me. I think this website should remove it at my request as well as the owner of the Birkenwald Kennel Teri as being invalid.