Complaint Review: CANYON MEADOWS FARM

Karen and Kevin Schmidt advertised two six year old golden retriever sisters for sale on Craigslist. They are a breeding farm for many types of dogs,, and these two were not longer able to breed, so were selling them. Most reputable breeders will place their mature dogs in loving homes without trying to sell them.

The dogs photos looked so pathetic that we decided to talke a look. Katrina Schmidt was very guarded with her answers and didn't answer any questions regarding their previous health issues. We asked for their health records which she said she would provide when we came to pick them up. She was asking for $300 for each dog, for a total of $600.

The dogs appeared afraid of the breeder when she brought them in. They hovered in a corner while the breeder explained that they were scared because they are so loyal to one family, and they've had their puppies removed. She tried to sell us the notion that English cremes are like that. She was unaware that I'd had golden retrievers for 30 years and knew she wasn't telling the truth.

When we brought the two dogs home, they were severely withdrawn, almost catatonic and frightened beyond anything we'd ever seen. We immediately took them to our vet within two days. Our vet immediately identified them as "kennel dogs," or dogs that have very little contact and spend most of their lives in a kennel. We then discovered they had some major health issues--one had kidney damage and the other had thyroid issues. They had other problems with their eyes and teeth. The vet put them on anti-depressants to help them adjust to living with a real family. These dogs could not even walk on wood floors.

We contacted Canyon Meadows Farm and Katrina Schmidt and demanded that she refund our $600. Treatment for these dogs would be well over $5,000 and she lied about their health status. She also did not provide us with their health history except the recent spaying and some shot information. The vet that did the spaying said he'd not treated them before.

Ms Schmidt refused to return the money. Subsequently I ran a Craigslist ad to see if anyone else had purchased dogs from this puppy mill and recieved well over 15 responses, including former employees. It is indeed a puppy mill where she is making a fortune off over-breeding dogs and horses. 

We were ripped off from these breeders and want to warn others about their horrible place.