Complaint Review: Brenda's Oorangs Airedale Terriers

Report from several sources:

I purchased an Airedale Terrier from Brenda (Smith, Wilson) now O'Neil. The pup arrived dirty and ill. Blood tests showed the pup was anemic. During the following two years, and several thousand dollars in medical bills, the pup died of cancer. Brenda Smith'sanswer to my loss was that she would sell me another pup at a discount. She also stated that I was telling her the pup had been ill so that I could get a free pup.Brenda's standard retort to any complaints is "Get a life."

I have been contacted by a person who received a pup with hip dysplasia, and a deformed leg from the same litter. Hip dysplasia is a genetic disorder, that could be present in any pup purchased from Brenda Smith.

Another contact received a pup whose jaw was so deformed that the canine teeth had to be ground away so the pup would not chew his jaw.

I also had a large Airedale from Brenda's. His name was Max. He wasn't as sad a story as some of the others you told about, but he did have some issues. He was Penn Hip Tested as a puppy and was found to have about 57% laxity on one hip and about 52% on the other. Both most likely to cause dysplasia problems later in life. He had a little bit of sagging around the eyes which the name for it escapes me now. Not really serious unless you intended to show him. He had constant reoccurring lameness in his front leg which I never could get a definite diagnosis on, and he had serious allergies resulting in hot spots which we were able to get somewhat of a control on after a lot of money spent and a lifetime of a special diet and allergy shots. This is all in the past now but I did try to contact Brenda with some of this info thinking it would help her in her efforts to breed healthier dogs only find that she really didn't care. Max was an awesome companion and other than wave the magic wand and make him 100% healthy I wouldn't have changed a thing, but I do think it's awful for her to be making a living by being irresponsible and disrespectful to both animals, and their perspective owners.

Dear Airedale people,


I purchased a seven month old female puppy from Ms.Brenda on July thirteenth, 2012. The puppy was the only female, and Brenda pointed out that she had an umbilical hernia. She seemed so sad that I took her immediately. After a few days she became a happy puppy. Then just over two months later, she became lethargic.  After six weeks , twice in the Puget Sound Veterinary Referral Center with two ultrasounds, weekly blood tests at my vets, it was determined that she had deformed kidneys. Four the last four months, I administered 500ml subcutaneously and various medicines on the prescription renal diet. She was always cooperative and sweet. At times she did enjoy being naughty. She started a precipitous decline on February 5th and was put to sleep two days later. Eight months and 13 days old. She was a lesson to everyone who knew her. Brenda O'Neil  has not returned my phone calls . What to do about Ms. Brenda O'Neil?

I too obtained an Oorang Airedale almost 7 years ago.. This dog is a wonderful companion.. His name is Teddy and love him to death.. Unfortunately, he has always had some medical issue since the beginning.. He at an early age was taken to the emergency vet on 3 different occasions. He acted like he was in shock, his heart rate was slight.. He had to be hooked up to all sorts of IVS and go thru numerous blood tests.. He always bounced back... Than just this past year he had this large swollen area under his neck that would not go away.. Finally after almost a year of going to a vet and having needle biopsies, I took him to a surgeon and it was removed.. It was the size of the surgeon's fist and was sent to a pathology lab.The results was a reactive lymph node.. During the same surgery, the surgeon noticed blood coming from his lower left gum. He then took X-rays of the jaw area and did a punch biopsy of the bleeding area.. The punch biopsy of the jaw area came back as a cutaneous epulis. In English, as disease of the jaw bone, where the disease acts like a cancer ( but is not a cancer) and eats away the teeth and jaw.. SOOO, I had to go to a veterinary dentist, who ended up removing his lower jaw back past his lower canines.. The consensus from both surgeries, was that the jaw disease had caused the reactive lymph node that had grown under his neck.

Now, this all happened in April and May of 2013... In Nov. of 2013 he ended back in the ER, as he could hardly move, had a 106 temp. and once at the ER had a slow heart rate... His white blood count was up and they did X-rays and an ultrasound.. Only thing unusual on the ultra sound was a small looking polyp on his spleen and some calcification on his spine. Again, he was hooked up to IVS and spent the night at the ER.. Went home the next day.. The only thing doctor could assume, was that one week prior to this incident, he had had 3 different vaccinations.. Could have affected his immune system..It has been a month now since this last incident, and now I can feel a lump or swollen lymph node the right side of his chest and now another under the armpit of his right front leg... Have you or anyone else who had purchased Oorangs from Brenda Smith, experienced any of these health issues with their Airedales??

This dog is wonderful, but the place he came from was a dump and the conditions there were awful!!! Someone should be looking in on the conditions there, and I believe many of those dogs are very ill..not well taken care of and inbred!!! I have spent thousands of dollars on medical care in 7 years on my dog. Just with the 2 last surgeries, I spent over $10.000 !!  I want to know if any of his symptoms or illnesses happened to anyone who purchases a dog from Brenda..