Juniper Poodles review: Breeder complaint 15

I purchased a poodle from EchoCreek in Oklahoma, the mother of my puppy was a Juniper poodle, Nikki. My puppy was never well: she had a non-functional gall bladder, a defective immune system, and chronic inflammatory bowel disease. EchoCreek offered to take my puppy back, but as I suspect is often the case, we were too attached to her. She lived to 11.5 years, eventually dying of cancer and breaking our hearts, but for ten years, we had to give her a very restrictive diet and also four medications administered twice daily. Since there are other complaints on this page about stomach/digestive problems, I thought I should weigh in about this because my dog's mom was bred by June.

We had a great experience with June and have recommended her to friends. Our dog does have minor knee problems, but the vet told us it's ver common in poodles. A friend who used a different breeder in NJ for her mini poodles have had similar issues. No dog is going to be perfect, and many breeds are just susceptible to certain conditions.

I have my 2nd poodle from June and she is healthy (overly so) active (again overly so) and just turned 1 years of age. she is always happy and looks at life as it is an adventure, loves to meet and greet people. June has been very good with us as we have kept in contact with her over the years and sent her pictures of our dogs. I remember picking up my 1st poodle from her and she pooped before we left, I apologized to June and she said not to worry and just picked it up. There was no hitting of the dog with anything. If I ever get another poodle it will be from June, I just hope she is still breeding the poodles if and when that happens.

I have bought a black miniature Lyla from June about 10 years ago. We loved her dearly but she died when she was 8 from illness. I don't think there is anything to do with June's breeding. Just happened. We did have 5 puppies borne from Lyla when she was 3 years old. June helped us everything. The 5 puppies we had were most amazing. We kept 1 and she is almost 9 now. June is a very knowledgeable breeder and has a lot of experience of poodles. In the future, if I will purchase another poodle, I will sure get it from June. Her poodles are very pretty.

Cupcakes12: I, too, bought a poodle from June in May of 2008 who only had one descended testicle, which meant that his neutering operation was much more expensive with a longer, uncomfortable recovery. I contacted her about this, so when she told you yours was a first, that wasn't true. I was a first time dog owner, when I brought my puppy home, and I was upset to discover that he had multiple health issues--including ear and eye infection--in addition to the undescended testicle that were costly, difficult and worrisome to treat. These were not garden variety infections, and I had to actually switch vet practices because the first place was unable to effectively treat his conditions. When I informed June of all of this, I asked for a reimbursement of $200 to help defray my additional expenses. She wasn't happy about this, which I can understand, but she did send me a check for the amount I requested. She would have taken him back, but I would never have parted with him. He's the love of my life and in spite of the issues I've had with him (including a delicate digestive system that requires a special, costly diet), I am extremely happy with my dog. My friend had bought my dog's half-sister a year and a half before I got mine. They both had the same father, Red Skydancer, and her dog has had even worse problems so I believe there must be a problem with Red Skydancer's genetics. My friend's dog needed double knee (patella) surgery when she was only three or four. This required 6 months of recovery time and cost many thousands of dollars, none of which was reimbursed by her pet health insurance company because they said it was genetic and therefore a pre-existing condition. Her dog has even worse digestive issues than mine and has to be on constant medication in addition to a special, restrictive diet. But like me, my friend adores her dog. I also want to add something that's bothered me all this time...I saw June hit my puppy with a rolled up newspaper because he peed on the floor when she brought him out to show me. Many animal professionals who have interacted with my dog have asked me if he was a rescue because of his skittish nature. The paperwork I received from June says "This puppy has never been hurt and is outgoing and friendly. Don't let your children abuse or mistreat it. It is very easy to make a frightened dog out of a happy puppy. Our puppies have been raised with tremendous love, affection and cuddling. This is the reason that all our dogs are so friendly. They have never been punished." Well, this is simply not true as I have witnessed.

I have had two experiences buying mini poodles from June. Our first dog Eve lived to 17 1/2 and her only health concerns were ones typical to poodles (ear infections ). My second pup Della is now 4 years old and very healthy. Della has an overbite but June informed me about it before I purchased her and also offered a refund if my vet felt the overbite would cause an issue down the line (it has not, she eats everything ). I trust June and have been very happy with my pups.

In the year 2000 I lost my poodle of 14 years . I emailed June that I was looking for another poodle companion . She responded and I visited her home where my poodle Tasha and I first met. Tasha is wonderful and has been the picture of good health . She is intelligent and full of personality . My only complaint is that some day I will lose my Tasha due to old age which will break my heart .
Thank you June,
Donna Babbs

I purchased a mini poodle in September 2012, he is now 10 months. I took him to a vet last week for an ear infection and to my surprise was informed that my dog only has one testicle. A genetic defect from his father or grandfather. My dog will have to undergo surgery to find and remove his other testicle and its going to be costly. I informed June of the vets discovery and she informed me via email, that my dog was a first for her. The father of my pup according to her has fathered dozens of healthy pups none with my dogs complaint. My gut feeling... that's a lie.

June is a very reasonable person and has wonderful dogs! You couldn't ask for a better person to deal with. I find it very hard to believe that she would not respond to an honest problem. She is also extremely knowledgeable about the dogs she breeds which also means you can't pull one over on her. Hip displaysia in minis is really not all that common and usually not severe enough to cause a real impact on the dog's physical life. Also hip screening is not done often by most vets and an incorrect picture an d diagnosis is not impossible. If your dog was in season or coming in season the xrayss hould not be considered for diagnosis . Also they must be 18 months old for a preliminary. reading and 2 for a final reading. In the end I know she wishes every puppy to bring nothing but joy to someone's home!

Maybe you should get a second opinion my vet said you can't rate hip dysplasia in a 12wk old pup and if it is so the dog will not walk correctly

yes I would get another poodle from June again. I'm sorry you only had your dog a short time, unfortunately we cannot predict how long we will have our poodles. We an only take the best possible care of them while we have them. We just lost our Joy (the poodle we got from June) a couple of weeks ago, she was 4 months shy of 14 years.

I am going to look at puppies next weekend by June. I was wondering memarge would you get another dog from June? We bought one from an extremely reputable breeder 5 1/2 years ago and she just died suddenly (probably cancer). She had had all of the tests, etc too. I feel as you do that sometimes it is the luck of the draw. We are anxious to get a new addition to our family so any advice is helpful.

I do not agree, in fact I've just celebrated my 12th anniversary with our poodle. When we got her as a pup, (she was 2 moths old) about 1 day after taking her home she had a cough, took her to the Animal Medical center where they diagnosed her with kennel cough. Called June right away and she immediately offered to refund our money and take her back. We told her no, just wanted to let her know about it so she could watch out for her other dogs. June was very responsive to us. As dogs get older they do develop medical problems and some of which are genetic, breeders can only do so much. It's like adopting a child, as they age they may develop medical problems but you wouldn't send them back to the adoption agency!

Sorry, I do not have any new information to share. My only advice is to take your time finding the right puppy for you, visit the puppy's home, and don't be afraid to ask questions. I believe that minimal vaccinations (or titers) and good nutrition are very important in choosing and raising a happy and healthy dog. There are some specific health tests that should be performed for poodles. (Ask the breeder and your vet.) I also discovered that "littermates" do not always work out in the same home. These are just "general" puppy tips. Best of luck! Les :)

Dear Marilyn,
Hi. We are in the process of buying a miniature poodle from June Bierwas and read your complaint about her not responding to your dog's hip dysplasia. We have met June, reviewed her credentials and met her dogs. They seem healthy and well bred. We would appreciate hearing from you about exactly what happened, whether your dog is okay, and why you think June did not respond to your problem. Please email me at: lesfox@optonline.net, or call me at [protected] or [protected]. Thanks, Les
Les Fox Midland Park, NJ (9-5-10)