I learned a valuable lesson when I bought Hagrid. I too paid for breeding/show rights. I was given an excuse of why she did not have his paperwork and contract 'in hand'. He was supposed to come with AKC registration, but after 1 year still no paperwork. And I've heard similar excuses. (We are going to be using an outside stud for our next breeding and yes, the stud dog owners do have to sign the AKC paperwork - but it can be done online in about 10 minutes.)
Now, I know the red flags. It takes a strong person to walk away when they are standing surrounded by puppy cuteness. I fell in love with him and allowed myself to believe the breeder's lies. Now that I look back, the red flags are glaringly obvious - but hindsight is always 20/20.
AKC was absolutely NO HELP. They won't enforce contracts or help you get papers. ESPECIALLY if there is a problem with the registration/paperwork. It says right on their website they are a registry only not an enforcement company and that people should get the paperwork/puppy registration number when they pick up the puppy. They basically say to work it out with the breeder and it's not their problem.
I feel for you. I too know what it's like to pay xtra for a dog I expected to be able to show and breed. (I did anyways, but not with AKC - after all, they are not the only registry out there, just the most popular.)
Without a contract, a lawyer will have a difficult time getting your breeder to send the paperwork or give a refund.
BTW, your breeder's excuse of her printer not working is so lame. When I needed my puppy contracts printed (and my printer had died), I went to the library and printed them there. Where there is a will there is a way. Now, I know when I deal with other breeders including stud dog owners -contract must be in hand before I pay a dime.
