Please help!! Advice needed!!

[Nick & Jen]

My wife and I purchased a male mastiff from "Iron Mountain Bull Mastiffs." We first sent the $500 deposit through western union. They received the check but through accidentally threw it in the fireplace. I have emails saying they received it. I had no problem giving them the deposit again, but I wanted to be sure that it wasn't cashed through western union. I contacted western union and had to file a $30 claim on what happened. Let me tell you, this is no walk in the park with western union. First was the language barrier, second what the length and time, third was receipt of purchase. This was taking months! In the mean time, we sent another check for the balance of $1300. I have scanned and documented all the payments and corresponding emails with the owners of this. We received the dog and had it for a few months while the western union company was researching the issue. I kept getting phone calls from the breeder that they "WANTED THERE MONEY!!" I kept informing them and giving them the reference # to my claim with western union so they could understand the pain of going through this. finally, after 5 months, Western Union said they would issue me a check, that week, I go to my work office, and I have a message from the breeders screaming at me that they want there money, they are going to call my boss and get a lawyer. I had FINALLY HAD IT WITH THEM! screw the $500 dollars! I don't think they understand the countless hours I spent on the phone with western union! But... with all said and done, I find a website that the breeders posted that said, "my name and how bad of a person I am and not to do business with my company" This is not right at all! I have all the documents if anyone would want me to email them. "Iron Mountain Bull Mastiffs are criminals themselves" I have recently received emails that they breed father to daughter and back. I am starting to research and the symptoms may be do to this. My wife and I have spent thousands of dollars trying to figure out our mastiff's skin problems. "Black Spots all over, constantly gnawing on feet, scratching all the time, red spots under arms, ear infections.... We have traveled all over the midwest to find a cure or at least some help. We even found a specialized skin vet that can't figure it out. Please respond to this thread or email me at "strongbad51334@yahoo.com"

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Im sorry you have been through this, it sounds awful however I have to say if I was a breeder and someone owed me $500.00 I would want my money, especially if you have their puppy. Your issue with Western Union would make one bit of difference to me, its an issue between you and WU, not you and the breeder if I am reading you right. Sorry, sounds like you have had a lot of hassle with WU, but you are lucky the breeder let you have your pup without full payment. As for them bad mouthing you its not big and its not clever.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

**wouldn't make one bit of difference**

 

[Nick & Jen]

Totally agree with you on "part" of this. But what I don't agree with is the fact that they recieved the deposit and threw it away.... NOT MY FAULT... I went through a lot to help them get the $500 *again*, and sent them $1300 for the other part. I took screenshots of the website saying "Nick & Jen Deposit Recieved". I don't feel as thought I'm *lucky* after the fact that I have been recieving complaints from other purchasers from this breeder that there dogs are having the same skin issues. I will go to any length to help someone, but when they start threatening my wife... my wifes work, myself and threatening to call my boss and company. Thats where I draw the line. I had to call the sheriff to my work because they were leaving me threats on my voicemail. The sheriff called them numerous times telling them to stop.. finally, he told them, "one more call and the sheriff will be pressing charges"

 

[chuckorlando]

Well your work and boss have nothing to do with it. So they should never even go there. But as a contractor I would have sued you long before 5m. Normally just a letter from a lawyer and the cost of that letter added to the bill is enough. I understand what your saying, but that would mean nothing at all to my bill collectors.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Going to your wifes work etc is low, and I can see where you want to protect your wife and yourself, that is a low blow and no it isn't your fault they threw the cheque away, but accidents happen. You got your pup, they got their money, maybe its time to put it down to a crap experience and call it a day?

 

[Nick & Jen]

Thank you Mooshi! Thats how I feel, but since our dog is having all these skin issues and we have been getting emails from buyers of the same breeder having the same symptoms, shouldn't they be looked into? I spoke with a breeder from Minnesota and they said so many people filed complaints on the breeders that they had to move to another state to keep breeding.
As you can tell, I don't have a problem paying for a good dog, but when they breed father to daughter and I find about it later, I have concerns.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Sadly until there are better laws governing breeders there is probably little you can do. The fact that they let you take the pup without 'full payment' in my eyes would ring alarm bells and would have made me think they are just in it to make a quick buck. There is no way on the face of this earth my breeder would have let me take my TM without full balance payment, in cash, on the day of collection.

 

[thelady_v2010]

The breeder lost the check, though. So they have to wait for the process of making sure the check was actually lost. That is the cost of doing business. If you don't want to wait for your money, don't lose the F'n money order.


I am sorry you dealt with this. I would pay them and be done with it.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

You have a point but no breeder worth their salt would let a pup go anywhere without full payment before the pup leaves the house. Would you hand over your car keys to the new owner without all the money? No way!!

 

[Penny1960]

I think that sent they made the payment .they should not have had to go though the work of getting the money back from W.U. The breed should have had to do it.payment was made done deal.they sound awful.so sorry

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

In an ideal world yes, but this isn't an ideal world and that's not the way it works.

 

[DennasMom]

Considering it was the breeder's fault that the money was lost, they should have been MUCH more accommodating for getting the check REsent. They sound like they are NOT nice people.

So sorry you've had to go through all this.

The money deal is over and done, finally, right? So you can move on?
No more pending phone calls or sheriff visits??

The skin issues sound like allergies... but I would have thought a vet specialist would have figured that out right off the bat.
I have heard Line Breeding spoken of in a good way (to solidify good traits), so I would try and leave that issue behind you. Try and move forward.

I'm assuming you love this dog and want to keep him, so I'd do everything you can to put the past behind you.

If looking at this puppy just brings up bad memories, don't you have a contract with the breeder to return him? (maybe even for a refund?)

I would scour the contract and see what exactly the breeder signed up to be responsible for, if you do find this is a genetic skin problem.
I found this article, which was pretty interesting: http://www.ivis.org/journals/vetfocus/21_3/en/2.pdf

Good luck with everything.
And Please share some pictures of the puppy - we all love puppy pictures, here!

 

[musicdeb]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Can you post a pic of the pup's skin? Generally, mastiffs are allergic to chicken and grain in kibble which causes severe skin allergies and ear infections. What are you feeding the pup? How old is the pup?

 

[CeeCee]

Unless, I'm missing something here, I'd put this all the breeder and file it under lessons learned for the breeder. I know when someone sends me a check for $500, I don't lose it. And if I do, then it sucks to be me. And if I give you what you bought without the full payment, then I better damn well trust you. If I don't, well then that's on me too.

I think you were more than generous and went out of you way to do the right thing for everyone.

Sorry about your pup. I hope it gets better quickly.

 

[Bbb]

http://media.wix.com/ugd/8c5b21_81e67700ace0205ad6169977ec661a84.pdf?dn=The+Mastiff+and+Skin+Problems.pdf. Check out this link, sounds like mastiff pyoderma.

 

[ruthcatrin]

If Weatern Union issued a check to the breeder in the breeder's name then the breeder should have been able to ask them to re-issue. If the breeder prefered to have YOU do so then then they should have been willing to wait through the process. BUT if it was that much of an issue that they didn't have the final $500 then they shouldn't have sent you the pup till they got it.

Having said that, Chuck is right, they did have legal grounds to sue for that $500 since you had the puppy and they didn't have the money. Their fault or not. You could have canceled the Western Union and sent them a seperate check. But calling your work was out of line.

Regardless, if you're worried about them bad mouthing you then thats between you and them and your lawyers. Continuing to bad mouth them yourself does not help the situation and potentially makes it worse.

Line breeding, such as father to daughter, is not unusual, however you might think of it. If neither parent had similer problems it can be rather difficult to prove its a fault of inbreeding vs something else. Can you list what has been checked and tested for as well as pictures? Maybe someone here can offer some insight.

 

[chuckorlando]

I have checks come up missing a few times a year. Lost in the mail, got wet, torn, what ever. My clients will cut a new check. If you dont trust a person with 500 bucks then you should not do business with them. I understand why you would want to wait. But if your dealing with good people you have no worries.

On the other side, if these folks have tarnished your name maybe you need to call a lawyer. There is no reason for that crap. This is a business matter not a personal one.

From my understanding line and in breeding can be great or terrible. If you have good genes then you are stacking all the good and locking in a line, look, temp, etc. If there is a flaw though you are stacking the flaw. If the dog has a recessed gene or something that takes a mate with the same issues for it to come to life then you just opened that can of worms.

It's the proof of cause that makes it reality or slander though