trubluebandog abcalert maria bryan review: foul attitude, faulty dog, lack of accountability 3

The most unaccountable breeder we have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Everything was ok until we complained about the dog. He was not picked up until he was 4mths old and in the extra time he spent with at the kennel, something must have happened or he was just genetically not a sound pup - it does happen but she refused to accept that fact. He was frightened of every sound, ran behind the lounge or anywhere he could at the slightest startle.

The first thing he did when he got home was hide in the garden for 3hrs and we could not coax him out. It took us years and thousands of dollars in training and care to try and get him to stand his ground and several experts told us he will never be right because he is just genetically not sound. He is far from what was advertised. I sent an email after several phone calls to express our concerns and we were met with the most dismissive attitude and complete lack of care or accountability. It seems it is all fine until something is wrong. Now 4 &1/2yrs later, he has been diagnosed with genetic elbow problems and can hardly walk around our yard.

We never once suggested that all her dogs are like it. We never once suggested a lack of quality in her breeding. We DID suggest that THIS particular dog is not right but she refused to even look at him. We offered to bring him up to meet her - drive all the way from NSW to Charleville but she didn't want to know. At every opportunity, she looked for reasons that it could be our fault. He was scared the day we brought him home. He was scared of my wife the minute she picked him up. There was nothing we could have done at that point. Since then, he has been loved and is mainly an inside dog and a treasured family pet and a real character but we wouldn't put our lives in his hands.

Today we went to her site to get her number and let her know about the elbows and get some feedback and we see her making an example of us about one of the initial emails we sent to her saying he was in bad condition - he was - plain and simple. Perhaps he was attacked, perhaps he was kicked, perhaps just a genetic throw back ... but he was and is still not a sound, stable Bandog or Neo .. He runs away from intruders, running around barking but is scared to approach. he is ok from within a vehicle - ferocious in fact but behind the gate at home, he will not approach if there is an intruder on the other side. If anyone can get close to him, he backs off and only in rare instances have we seen him stand his ground.

Walking him at 6mths old, he would jump and run to hide behind me at ANY sudden sound .. walking past shops and wind flapping a sign on an awning, people suddenly coming out of a shop doorway .. anything! He is much better now after a LOT of work which makes me think it is more how he was treated in his first few months at the kennel and not genetics but many argue that with me. Some trainers I spoke to in QLD suggested that many of her dogs are fright biters and have similar issues but I can not confirm it of course as I do not know any other owners. Again, I never said anything about any other dog to her, just the one we have. Our vet has also suggested that he is partially blind. The first time it was suggested was when he was 6mths old and the many symptoms he displays suggests he isn't right in the head or he cant see. he barks at people he knows well including our kids until they get very close then he wags his tail in recognition.

I know that sometimes some dogs will not turn out the way they are expected - that's nature. To speak to us they way she did and refuse to acknowledge or look at our concerns was one thing - we basically counted our $1000 loss (in that we wanted a loyal family 'guardian') and loved him regardless but to now see her making some example of us on her site and threaten to publish our emails is the last straw - and against the law.

We had no intention of making this public but we feel it now necessary to share our side of the story. Our initial contact with Maria was friendly, fair and from the point of view of a consumer that has just spent $1000 on something that was not as advertised - we were obviously unhappy. Her reluctance to hear us out and subsequent attitude, turned the conversation quite sour.

As seen in the image below, we have sent many, many emails to her - most unanswered or replied to in a completely dismissive way and we got nowhere with it so it was best to move on to save us any further stress. I am sure many of her dogs are outstanding - that is why we bought from her - but this is not and has never been a sound animal. Most breeders agree that it happens and most breeders want to know more so they can address the problem. She did NOT in the slightest and that is our main concern.

We have heard many other stories and rumours about her operation, the conditions the dogs are kept in, their general demeanor ie timid/shy dogs, fright biters etc but we can only state the facts as we know them from our experience. All in all, her care factor is ZERO unless you are calling to compliment her. If you have a problem, you're probably best taking it up with DFT as we should have. We love our dog and he is now part of our family but it doesn't feel good when a stranger approaches, the dog hides and puts his tail between his legs and the person approaching says "look at that big dog, what's wrong with him... is he scared of me? hahahaaa" ... not the dog we intended on buying. He is a visual deterrent at best but even then, one can quickly see he is a shy dog and most then will try to call his bluff. Not the sort of thing one expects from a stable Bandog/Neo.

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