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CB Dog Breeders Review of For the Love of Shepherds
For the Love of Shepherds

For the Love of Shepherds review: dog breeder 8

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12:47 pm EST
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In April 2017 we purchased a German shepherd pup for $1, 500 from this breeder in Goshen VA. The dog became extremely anxious and randomly aggressive towards members of the family at 10 months old. It tried to bite my son and lunged at my pregnant daughter.

We brought it to a Veterinarian in PA who examined the dog for an hour and concluded that it was "a loaded gun, " especially after it tried to attack the vet. The vet provided a written exam that stated that the dog should be returned to the breeder and kept from strangers.

The breeder agreed to take the dog back but said she will try to resell the dog after training it. She refused any compensation to us.

Update by nahcllib
Dec 07, 2017 3:18 pm EST

Correction: the gsd pup cost $1000

Update by nahcllib
Dec 08, 2017 10:58 am EST

One more note: The PA veterinarian does much of the canine evaluations for the PA State Police Department. He told me he has no fear of dogs. He asked that Samantha the breeder call him to discuss his concerns. As of our last conversation, she had not called. She told me she knows the dog is fine. "I just know" she said. "I don't need to call."

Update by nahcllib
Feb 16, 2018 2:33 pm EST

As of February 16, 2018, samatha still has not contacted Camelot Vet in Uniontown to discuss the vets evaluation that the dog is a "loaded gun" due to its skitterish, paranoid behavior. The owner of Camelot Vet assesses many of the german shepherds from the Western PA state police barracks. He said this behavior is atypical and worrisome.

Any time overbreeding or interbreeding occurs there is the possibility of this sort of thing. Although we don't have evidence yet that the dog was bred improperly we are looking into it.

Many people agree that this is a breeder to avoid. I wish we had known that before spending $1000 but that is life. PLEASE DO RESEARCH before selecting a breeder.

Update by nahcllib
Feb 16, 2018 3:20 pm EST

In all fairness I have not seen other people complain about this breeder, but her response to this situation is why many people say she should be avoided in the future. I just don't think she has the experience to address a situation like this. It is unfortunate but rather than talk to the aforementioned vet about his analysis, she swept it under the rug and refused to hear him out. While I do appreciate her taking the gsd back, I don't believe she is taking seriously the warning that this dog is extremely dangerous and unfit to be around children. the gsd should have been placed with someone with a lot of land and few humans about.

Update by nahcllib
Feb 16, 2018 3:45 pm EST

When the aforementioned vet concluded his December analysis, he told me this is just the fourth time in forty years he has recommended returning a dog due to safety issues.

believe me none of us took this lightly.

Update by nahcllib
Feb 22, 2018 9:03 am EST

The way he the vet did the evaluation was fascinating to me.

First he allowed the dog to continue aggressively barking at him in his office but did not make eye contact. The dog clearly looked to me as his "safe place" and eventually settled down when the vet refused to acknowledge her. Next the vet asked me and my daughter to leave the exam room and wait in the hallway while he attempted to bond with her. After about 15 minutes he asked me to reenter.

What happened next blew my mind. The dog attempted to attack me! The dog which had been laying on my lap in the car for an hour waiting for the exam was now barking and lunging at me. The vet said this exam revealed how quickly the dog became agitated by an "outsider", even one that she kinew well and trusted previously. He said this fit the description of a worrisome dog, which is "a dog bite waiting to happen".

Update by nahcllib
Sep 03, 2018 5:42 pm EDT

AVOID THIS BREEDER! Very unethical

Resolved

We are ending this dispute. It does no good to continue this back and forth. God bless the breeders and we wish them the best. Wish we could have seen eye to eye on this matter but such is life.

8 comments
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LoveDogs2010
, US
Feb 17, 2018 8:58 pm EST
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The man making all negative complaints here is just upset that his young daughter (20s) that originally bought the dog did not get a refund. The night that his daughter returned the dog he called me 7 times in a row and was texting me aggressively and very angry. I have all texts to and from both parties locked in my phone. This right here shows his character and what kind of people they are. He thought I was a young women and he thought he could over power me and threaten me into giving back their money but I do offer a limited time guarantee that had expired. Had the circumstances been different I may have considered giving them a new puppy but they could not even train this dog and there was nothing wrong with her other than she needed to be TRAINED! I did not brush them under the rug I simply felt threatened and did not wish contact them any further due to his aggressive behavior. The vet papers that were sent back from his vet states that he recommended the dog be returned to breeder, in the notes it has listed owners problems. He told me to call this vet but I have my own licensed vet and dog trainer, that I take my own dogs to and I trust them 100%. The vet did not make any notes for me to contact him and he did not try to contact me. I have all copies of the health records! I also have a signed contract that says we recommend professional training and they declined and no longer wanted to go forth with additional training. The new owners were responsible for taking care of this dog and training her. They never trained past puppy obedience class. Anyone who has knowledge of the German Shepherd breed should have known that training plays a huge part in your dogs life. The young couple claimed to have had tons of experience and and promised me they would take good care of her. I am really picking when homing my puppies and here I just made bad judgment on picking the best home. I went out of my way to help this young couple in anyway I could and I can't believe how they have treated me during this process. They never even bothered to call back and even ask me how the dog was doing. Well the dog has since been taken to my vet, a behavioral specialist, and a trainer and re-homed with a very nice couple that Love her so so much! All that really matters here is the well being of the dog! She is extremely HAPPY and spoiled! My dog, this was her second litter, I have framed copies of all Pedigrees, OFA hip and elbow evaluations and all owners are so happy with their puppies, some have two or more. We are crazy about our dogs and love them so much! I don't need to explain myself to anyone because once you meet our dogs and us you will see for yourself that we treat our dogs like our kids, they only have the best, I could go on and on, they are so spoiled! As far as the unhappy person here, you are the only one! Please stop telling lies about me and harassing me repeatedly! If you still feel the need to continue to tell your stories please contact my father so he tell you about our 33 years experience with German Shepherds, maybe he can enlighten you on the breed!

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CNV
, US
May 29, 2018 5:58 am EDT

They are not the only one, and yes my dog ended up going to a very reputable trainer whom referred to Annaka (shepherds name) as a very alpha female with very high prey drive...

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LoveDogs2010
, US
May 29, 2018 6:27 pm EDT
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Replying to comment of CNV

Mrs. Vavala, The dog in question here had a very different personality and very different situation, and very different life style the first 10 months of her life. She had no training or guidance and was kept in a apartment for hours and hours a day. If you read the above comments and get some of the facts. And she was not high drive or alpha female. She was scared to death when she came back to me, not aggressive! I am sorry to hear about what happen to Annaka, but German Shepherds have to start training when they are puppies not 3 or 4 years old! I don't know the whole story here but if you would like to talk about Annaka you are more than welcome to contact me. Thank you!

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bjhjjh
, US
Feb 17, 2018 7:13 am EST
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We just took this GSD to the vet yesterday - she was VERY WELL BEHAVED and when we told the vet what was said about her previously he could not believe it and reiterated what we said that her previous behavior issues were due to the owners lack of knowledge and training for this breed. She went right up to the vet and also to other customers in the waiting room with their dogs - with NO AGGESSION OR ANXIETY towards any of them. I think the whole thing with the previous owners is that they just didn't want her after she grew into a large dog and are looking for someone to agree with their assessment so they can try to get their money back. This is a very loving and experience breeder who knows her dogs - she has been doing this for years and, as said previously, never had any complaints. People who say she should be avoided are only saying this in response to what they were told by the previous owner who don't know what they are talking about.

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bjhjjh
, US
Feb 12, 2018 1:10 pm EST
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We are the new owners of this supposed "aggressive" dog and totally disagree with the previous owners assessment of this sweet dog and the wonderful breeder she came from! If anything, she was more afraid of other people which we believe was due to being mistreated in some way by the previous owner, especially from a male. She is the sweetest most loving dog that had a bad reaction to being suddenly surrounded by a lot of new people at once which she was not prepared for since she had never been socialized before being forced into this stressful situation with strangers. If she truly was a dog that shouldn't be around people, it would have been seen way before 10 months. We have owned 2 shepherds previously and know what to expect from this breed - they need lots of training and socialization which we are more than happy to provide. She is very happy living with us and our chocolate lab - gets plenty of exercise and lots of love. She has already met my 88 year old mother-in-law and her German shepherd with NO SIGNS OF AGGRESSION only 2 days after she came into our home. The breeder was kind in taking her back rather than having something bad happen to a dog that didn't deserve it and giving her the time and patience with the training she needed - it is clear that they know and love the dogs that they breed and try to ensure that they get into the right home. We already told Samantha that if we ever decide to get another puppy, she is the only one we would come to get it from and will tell everyone we know that loves German shepherds to come to her.

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Jlr100
, US
Feb 11, 2018 10:11 am EST
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The dog in question has since been placed with a loving family with other dogs and people in the home and she has adjusted extremely well. She has been to two different vets whom both agree it was simply lack of training for the dogs previous behaviors. Any knowledgeable German Shepherd dog owner would agree that training is a HUGE component to this breeds behavior. I personally have one of this breeders dogs and he is the most gentle dog i have ever met as a result of training. The current owners of the dog in question in the comment are extremely dumbfounded by the previous owners complaints as they simply can’t see this dog haveing a single bad bone in her body. The breeder did take the dog back from the previous owner and did not have any obligation to retried money as she already provided a 90 day no questions asked money back garuntee. 10 months later is a bit late to ask for a refund. She does also state if at any time you cannot care for your dog she will happily rehome or keep the dog to allow it to have a loving home. I searched for months before choosing a breeder as i wanted a reputable breeder with great qualifications and this is the ONLY one to meet and exceed my expectations. This is the first and only complaint i have ever seen and i couldn’t disagree more with this complaint.

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Jlr100
, US
Feb 11, 2018 10:13 am EST
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Replying to comment of Jlr100

I failed to mention she did not “resell” the dog. She set it up as an adoption without a rehoming fee. She is not out to make money, simply out to share her love for the breed

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Jlr100
, US
Feb 11, 2018 10:16 am EST
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Replying to comment of Jlr100

Also being from a Pennsylvania state police family i can firmly attest that whatever “vet” this individual took this poor dog to was in no way involved with the PSP as that vet is located near the academy in Hershey pa not Uniontown. Have a good day