Re: Responsible Breeding Question

In Reply to: Responsible Breeding Question
Posted by:  Lisa Clark
Posted on:  August 30, 2001 at 17:15:05

: A little over a month ago, my husband and I adopted a one year old male supposed pure bred JRT from a woman my husband works with. I say supposed because we have no proof, but we do own another JRT and the new guy looks and acts like a jack. I brought him to the vet the other day because he started lifting his rear leg when he walked. The vet took x-rays and he has a torn cruciate ligament and she highly suspects he has Legg Perthes. I always thought the dog walked a bit funny when we first got him but I attributed it to the fact that his previous owner kept him in the crate most of the time; a crate that was too small for him, and his walk seemed to improve (up till the other day) in time. I'm not asking about the ligament or the Perthes, I know what they are and we are consulting with an orthopedic specialist on the treatment. My husband told the previous owner about the situation and she said she was going to tell the breeder about this. Unfortunately, I don't know who the breeder is (previous owner didn't volunteer the information and I'm guessing she won't tell us anyway) and I'm suspecting that they aren't JRTCA registered anyway. I'm not looking for any kind of compensation, I just don't want them to breed again or at least not to use the parents of my little guy again. I read the Breeder's Code of Ethics on this site but didn't really see this situation addressed. If a registered breeder sells a dog (unknowingly) that has a disorder, what responsibility do they have? Are they supposed to pay (or help pay) for an operation that could correct or help the situation? Are they supposed to take the dog back and/or offer a replacement? What if the original owner sold or gave away (as in our case) the dog? Would that negate any kind of responsibility? Sorry for being so long-winded. Thanks for any information, you do a wonderful job here.

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Hi Lisa,
All of this would depend on what your contact with the breeder say, and some breeder offer to take the dog back, replace the dog, or offer a refund of some type. Since you got the dog from a third party if I am reading this right, I don't know what to tell you. If they are a JRTCA breeder and you can find out who it is, then you can report them to the Breeders Committiee.

No they shouldn't make this cross again if the dog indeed has Legg Perthies but that isn't going affect some breeders, that don't sign a COE. If there are not memebers of the JRTCA there isn't much you can do but check with yourlocal state laws. Some states have Puppy Lemon Laws and you would need to contact your attorney general to find out if yours is one of them.