Adventure Kennels- Michele Koenig / dogs are not akc as claimed
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Review updated:
Contact information:
Phone: 713-542-0533
adventurekennels.com
We bought great dane puppies from this breeder when they were 8 weeks old. They are almost 6 nonths old and I've contacted Michele several times in regards to their AKC papers that were promised in contract. There has been one excuse after another as to why she can't send them. We paid $3000 for two AKC pups in April 2015 (that came with gastro parasites from her kennel as well) and she will not hand over their papers. I really liked her when we met but she is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
More Adventure Kennels- Michele Koenig Complaints & Reviews
- Adventure Kennels - refusal to refund deposit [2]
- Adventure Kennels - non-responsive, unethical dog breeder
- Adventure Kennels - extremely unprofessional, filthy, major concerns for the animals
- Adventure Kennels - advertised akc great danes [1]
- Acres of Adventure Kennels - akc paperwork on puppy [1]
- Adventure Kennels - never sent akc papers
Date
I also bought two puppies in April (wondering if ours are litter mates?) and have had the EXACT same problems. It took a couple of months to get the parasite issue under control and now 7 months later I have no papers for them. I have contacted her multiple times and the last time I got a response was in early August saying she had misplaced the folder with all the buyer's information. She asked me to text her my address and she would get the papers in the mail the next day. Still haven't received them.
Ludanes- they may very well be littermates! We finally received their papers but it was another fiasco. If you want to talk further about it feel free to email me at movingheaven at yahoo dot com.
Adventure Kennels owner Michele Koenig's response: I appreciate that the complaint posters were frustrated with the time it took to have their AKC paperwork in hand from this litter. I was frustrated myself with getting the paperwork straightened out with the AKC and the amount of time it took to receive it. However, I did respond whenever contacted by my buyers and let them know what was going on with the paperwork. The puppies were still not old enough to have needed their paperwork for showing or breeding so it was a frustrating matter, nothing that was detrimental to the use of the dogs. I made another mistake by sending the wrong paperwork to one of the posters and to make up for my mistakes, I granted them full AKC registrations instead of the limited AKC registrations they purchased. At no time was there a Thank You for the $1000.00 gift that I gave for their inconvenience. If would be nice if something positive could be said just as easily as something negative. As far as the worming issues, buyers were informed we were having problems with roundworms when the pups were going home. It was listed on their medical record along with a note to their vet of what they were treated with and that they needed to be treated again within 10 days. If it were not followed up with in a timely manner once home, I could not control that. I do make mistakes, but I do my best to keep my customers happy. Some people will not be made happy no matter the situation. I apologize to you both again for the delay in the paperwork and am doing my best to make sure papers are in hand before pups go home whenever possible. Now that this is past I hope you both enjoy your beautiful Danes. The pictures you have sent of your Great Danes are beautiful.
I would so be willing to wait to get full reg and not have an issue with it. I met her; she's awesome. Her dogs and pups are awesome. It takes a true gift to be able to do what she does. -Marquis
I have purchased a Rhodesian Ridgebacks from her and she won't respond back to me or send AKC papers to me. I'm wondering now if my pup is AKC. . My suggestion is don't do business with them
Hello, we are the Scott family. My family bought a 6 month old female dane from this breeder (Michele Koening-Adventure Kennels) on October 19, 2013. We named her Millicent and call her "Millie" for short. She was a wonderful addition to our family and still is a special part of our lives. I am relieved to see this complaint board, as I feel it is important to share the issues my family has faced with our dane, and potential buyers can weigh our experience into their decision. On March 7, 2015, Millie was diagnosed with glaucoma in her right eye and was confirmed to be blind (Millie was not even 2 years old yet). This disease comes on suddenly and can cause blindness in a very short time, and there is no cure. We were shocked, sad, confused... Even if we could have afforded to have a specialist perform surgery, the chances of Millie seeing again was not likely. To make matters worse, I learned that this condition would spread to the other eye and the timeframe was usually within 8-31 months. This is a very expensive condition to take care of. In order to manage the pressure in her eye and discomfort, there were four different eye drops that needed to be given 3 times a day - three for the "bad" eye, and one for the "good" eye. The drops alone cost almost $200 and would only last about 1-1/2 months. Add the cost of pain and infammatory meds and visits to the vet and you're now talking hundreds of dollars. My vet, and also other readings, informed me that this is a hereditary problem and that I needed to contact the breeder. I wrote an email to Michele Koening on April 18, 2015 and received NO response. In August 2015, we and the vet decided it best to have the "bad" eye removed. The drops were too expensive and the eye continued to decline. It was better for Millie's comfort and overall health not to have the eye. So, one thousand plus dollars later, her right eye was removed. Sad, right... it was. But we got through it. Millie adjusted well and was still as happy as always - and after all, she still had her left eye... that is until January 7, 2016. The glaucoma took her left eye as well. She is now completely blind (not even 3 years old). I wrote again to Michele Koening on January 8, 2016, giving her the latest details on Millie. I was surprised to actually get a response back from her on January 10th. She claimed she just received my email and that she would "be happy to discuss my concerns and would like further detail on "her" condition." Then goes on to say she "vaguely" remembers me contacting her - "but must have forgotten about "her" situation." For someone who claims to be a "professional" breeder of champion dogs and good blood lines, and how they love their dogs, and blah, blah, blah - There was absolutely NO hint of concern or apology in Michele's response. She referred to Millie as "her." There was no concern for Millie's well being, for the emotional and financial stress this put on my family. She "vaguely" remembers...she "must have forgotten." Seriously!?! And then proceeds to make me feel bad by saying "We have had a lot on our plate since adopting 4 kids last year and I've had some medical issues that have overtaken the rest of my attention." "I'll be in touch as soon as I can look over everthing on Monday." Well, it's way past that Monday - never heard from her. We all have life issues to deal with, but Adventure Kennels also has a responsiblity to uphold what they claim to be on their website. Especially since people put their trust and a lot of money into what this business claims to be. Millie's left eye was removed just last week, January 17, 2016. Another one thousand plus dollars... The good thing is she's recouperating and healing well. And hey, there are no more eyes to worry about this happening again. It is remarkable how well dogs adjust. Millie still is very special to us. Noone ever wants issues like this, you know. You think you found a dog that comes from a good, caring breeder, a dog that suits your family - you love it, care for it's needs, spend time with it... and then one day a disease takes both eyes. Wow! Well, life goes on. But I write this so maybe someone else might be spared the troubles. I have copies of all the vet bills and medical notes. If anyone wants to contact me to discuss, please do. 214-727-6372
I want to second everything the OP wrote. I purchased a dog in early January of 2016. When I picked up my puppy I was told that I would get my AKC paperwork in the mail. That gave me a bit of pause as I have always received registration papers as soon as I take home my dog. Anyway, fast forward three weeks and I still hadn't received them. I text Michelle. Don't hear anything (she was very good about calling and texting when I was interested in the puppy). After a few days, I email on February 2. Nothing again. I can't believe or understand why she is not answering. I knew in December that two of her kids were getting married and that she was busy, but not answering at all is unacceptable for a business.
I had some friends come over and really liked our dog and were asking about the breeder. I decided to email Michelle again on February 23 to ask if she had any left from the litter my pup came from. She emails back in less than an hour. Are you kidding me?!?! You couldn't answer about the paperwork 20 days before, but within 45 minutes when you think there may be money involved? My second red flag about this kennel (I had a third when we were conversing, but I won't get into that). She gives me an excuse about DNA testing and what-not saying that I will get them in the mail soon. I tell my husband all that transpired. He decides to do a little search because something smells rotten. That's when he came on this board. Now I am nervous our dogs aren't AKC, we were lied too and I will never get my paperwork. I got in contact with one of the commenters above. I was told that I was the fifth person to contact them. So obviously, this is a reoccurring theme with this breeder. What exactly is going on? Why isn't she handing out paperwork? Is the $25+$2 a puppy too much to register the litter? She is getting $1600-1800 a pop for each of these puppies, so why the hassle with the papers? If she hasn't registered the litter, she better get on the stick. After the litter is six months old the cost goes up dramatically. She also states that she is a registered breeder with the AKC. I believe that to be a lie as I can find no information on her or the kennel on their site. In today's day and age, you really should be more careful on how you run your business. Bad customer service will get around as quick as lightening. I am active in 8 different Dane groups online. Two of which are strictly for Texas Danes. I always wondering why no one ever mentioned Adventure Kennels when someone asks if there are any litters for sale. I mentioned them once when I first got my girl. It was like crickets. A few of the people were even from the same city as Adventure Kennels.
My husband is talking to a lawyer about taking her to small claims court for fraud if we don't get our paperwork by the middle of March. Is my dog perfect to me without being AKC? Yes, but what comes into play is being lied to. She touts all sorts of health guarantees and bloodlines. How can I be sure? She has lied to so many people. What really makes me sad is I can't trust her enough to purchase another dog. Our family was really looking forward to adding another Dane in the near future. Especially because she breeds litters from a cousin to our first Dane that we purchased in Kentucky from the Excalibur line. It's such a shame she is running her business deceitfully. She has beautiful dogs and was very affable upon our first meeting. Now she seems to be very dodgy. I guess time will really tell. I'll update if we finally get our AKC papers.
Thank you to all the posters. I couldn't find the breeder info on akc website. Which lead me here.
Looks like I will not be buying from adventure kennels.
Michele,
I find it interesting that your response includes blaming me and stating that "Some people will not be made happy no matter the situation"... And a thank you for the "$1000 gift" of giving us full registration? Are you kidding me? The papers never stated they came with "limited" registration. I suggest you update your site and buyer's agreement to reflect the terms "limited" or "full" if you have not already. This way you can advertise truthfully and avoid any confusion when your buyers come back wanting what they paid for. I'm not a difficult person to deal with, but when I give someone a substantial amount of money I'd like to get what I paid for.
I have had so many people contacting me that this has happened, from multiple litters, that it seems to be a pattern. My suggestion to anyone is to consider all the experiences on this board before handing over any money. Responsible breeders don't breed this many breeds of dogs, nor do they breed harl x harl danes or harl x fawn. We love our puppies but the buying experience was frustrating and I wouldn't recommend this breeder unless you like being ignored or deemed high maintenance.
I contacted Michele Koenig in Feb. 2016 after our Dane had passed away. We were looking for another Dane to add to our family and to restart our breeding program. I tried to do some research on her and didn't turn up much (I unfortunately didn't find these reviews until later). She was very kind and helpful and full of information, she sent pictures and videos up until she got our deposit. Throughout waiting for our puppy to be ready to come home I had to ask several times for pics/updates on Resi (what we named our puppy) I only got one response two photos taken off a computer screen and her stating she would send more. She never did. She stopped replying. I had to send texts, emails and eventually call her phone just to verify the day I could get Resi and confirm I would be there that day as I was now not feeling comfortable. I was told she was having family medical issues and getting ready for her sons wedding. the day we met Michelle and she handed us Resi, I was a little taken aback. She was smaller than any Dane pup I've seen at that age. I noticed her eyes were cloudy and figured it to be her baby blue eyes turning dark. On the way home my son kept finding fleas on her and we went to the vet's office before coming home to get her a Capstar for the fleas and make her puppy check up appointment for the morning. Later that night we noticed some gunk build up in her eyes, I figured she had an eye infection. At her vet appointment less than 24 hours after picking Resi up we got the news that she was partially blind. Our puppy is blind in her left eye (her left eye is deformed and shows no pupil or not one to be found through the scarring) and partially in her right (right eye has a fixed pupil and scar tissue), she has reduced tear production in both eyes. I immediately sent Michele a text and an email. I received no response. I picked up the written report from the vet and sent it over, I finally got a response and Michele said she was surprised. Michele asked for a second opinion (this was not in her contract) I had no problem agreeing to this and took her for a second appointment with another vet, she started the exam and when she got to Resi's eyes she stopped and said Resi needed to go to a specialist immediately. She even showed me how Resi's left eye was cone shaped. I spoke to Michele and she agreed to work with me to make it right. The family and I were concerned about Resi's future and by this point I had found these reviews and talked to some of you. We did not want to give Resi back just for her to end up being sent home to another unsuspecting buyer. We had the knowledge to help Resi and we would stand by her and care for her. I told Michele we wanted half our purchase price back to put towards Resi's bills. She agreed (after trying to offer us another pup instead). No refund. I emailed her and gave options on how to send the refund. I was told she couldn't send by paypal because she had already reached her daily limit from another draft going through. She said she was at the hospital with a family member and would send when she could get somewhere to learn how to send by Chase quick pay. I sent her detailed instructions and pics on how to send via quick pay. I still received no refund. I had to file a chargeback on our CC to get our refund she promised. I will be filing a complain with the AKC and the State licensing department. Our puppy should have NEVER been sent home this way. An ethical breeder stands by their pups, since Michele did not, our family will. I have no problems with anyone contacting me for more info, my number is 817-896-0674
WOW!! I have been doing research on great danes and have actually been looking at her website. I noticed when I was looking today that she had some pups marked down to $1000 from $1600+. I felt it was kind of odd so are started looking for reviews. I am so glad I found this and now know not to get from this breeder. Thank you for all the information.
We recently bought a puppy from Michele with Acres of Adventure Kennels with full AKC registration papers. No issues with puppy or dealing with her kennel. Puppy is healthy when we took to the vet and we got AKC papers when we picked up the puppy. I know she is very busy and not only running a kennel but also raising a family. We met with her several times before deciding on which litter we wanted. She was always willing to answer any of our questions and educate us. We look forward to working with her in the future!
I wish I would have seen this before we purchased our puppy. Our boy was born Febuary 24th. We got him May 20th. He came with fleas and scars. Took him to the vet the vet the next day where the vet was about in tears. He had roundworm from being exposed to fleas for so long, tapeworms, intestinal parasites, and yeast infections in both ears. My husband contacted the breeder (which I believe is I wish I would have seen this before buying our puppy from them (I believe it was actually Michelle's daughter) about health guarantee because our vet told us they should be responsible for covering those initial bills from the above issues and she states that the health guarantee only means she will take the puppy back but will not return any money or pay any vet bills. We love him and have him better and would never return him! All we want now is our paperwork we were promised. I wonder if I'll ever get it or hear back from them...
We bought our Great Dane April 2, 2016 from Michele Koenig as a registered AKC dog. She assured us the AKC papers would be in the mail as soon as possible. A month went by and we patiently waited. Then I started calling, leaving voice messages, & texting repeatedly. She was always excellent about answering & responding back to texts as we were looking to purchase our puppy. Now she won't respond or send papers to us. My level of frustration is TREMENDOUS. If anyone is thinking of purchasing from her or has similar issues, please contact me at 409.781.1447.
We purchased our puppy in April of this year and also have not received any papers. I unfortunately did not see the board beforehand. Puppy had fleas and worms, as well as a horrible case of ear mites. After our check cleared, she stopped communicating. We will never purchase from her again.
I purchased a boxer puppy from Michele. When she delivered the puppy she told me they had wormed her several times and that she forgot the microchip and AKC paperwork. The puppy became sick and lost weight, we took her to the vet 3 times now. She had a parasite and is now doing a bit better. It has been expensive. I called Michele about the AKC paperwork and microchip and she was leaving on a cruise. Since then I have called once a week for over 2 months and now her voicemail box is full and cannot receive messages. She won't respond or answer.
I liked visiting with Michele when we were looking at puppies. I had a few concerns and should have trusted those. Two times we visited the kennel and waited over an hour outside the gate for someone to come let us in despite calling and texting. I am disappointed that she is not honoring the contract and considering legal action since I can't get her to respond on her own.