Complaint Review: Diamond Acres Kennel

I recently did a search for "Diamond Acres Kennel scam", and lo and behold, look what showed up. In reading these touching and often heart-rending testimonies, I felt compelled to share our own story of dealing with these, how shall I put it tactfully, unscrupulous "breeders".

Me and my wife had always wanted an English Bulldog since the time we first met (1991). In June of 2005, we began the search for a puppy and were drawn in by Diamond Acres Kennel. Their website was well-constructed, the Denneys professed to be good, Christian people who love their dogs.

Unfortuately, I was sucked into the allure of thinking this was fact. We made the drive to the Denneys home and picked up little Jake, then six weeks old and fresh off a plane from the Ukraine. Evonne quickly explained that they imported a lot of pups from Eastern Europe and that little Jake was in great condition and that his vaccinations were on track. We instantly fell in love with the little guy (before we even left their house), and $2350 later we were on our way back to Austin with him.

We noticed immediately how subdued and calm Jake seemed, especially as a pup. As we purchased him on a Saturday, the earliest we could get in to see our vet to check him out was the following Saturday morning. Upon examination, we were told Jake had an upper respiratory infection and a slight skin infection. More disturbingly, our vet relayed to us that Jake had a significant heart murmur, and advised us to return him to the breeder.

That same day, I placed a call to Evonne and left her an email, explaining the circumstances and faxing her the health report from our vet. Her tone with us changed noticeably, and she said "He'll probably grow out of it" and live a full life. We suggested keeping Jake and assuming his future medical risks, but perhaps getting a discount off his purchase price.

At this suggestion, we were told we had violated their policy and that she could not help us. An e-mail exchange that began as cordial and diplomatic on my part, ended in a nasty exchange with Evonne accusing us in an email fraught with spelling mistakes and syntax errors of being "gold-diggers" and claiming our vet was erroneous in her evaluation of Jake. Wow.

We kept little Jake and cared for him and loved him dearly. Our vet suggested we take him to Texas A&M, which has a highly regarded vet school and hospital. In April of 2006, we were told Jake had a severe case of pulmonic stenosis and that, unfortuately, corrective surgery was unable to be performed.

Soon thereafter, Jake began having fainting spells where he would temporarily pass out and lose control of his bladder. These spells became more and more frequent, but all the while little Jake would bounce back up ready to play. Sadly, on October 13, 2006, Jake had a spell and didn't bounce back up. He passed away at the tender age of 18 months. We were griefstricken and upset with ourselves for dealing with the Denneys. Little Jake never really had a chance in life.

Bottom line, the Denneys pass themselves off as being Christian people who love the animals they sell and present a well-constructed website purporting these virtues. The panache, the presentation, and moreover, the dogs are very alluring to potential owners. My advice to anyone dealing with these people, RUN AWAY and DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT deal with them. They do not give a d**n for the animals they sell and are making a killing off of honest, hard-working people.

We got our next bulldog from a rescue and have had nothing but good experiences dealing with them. They genuinely love, care for, and rehabilitate dogs all the time, often out of their own pocketbook. Please learn from our sad story; we learned a very hard lesson through our dealings with Diamond Acres Kennel, and lost a lot of faith in human beings through these dealings. Save yourself the grief, money, and dealings with shady characters and go elsewhere for your next special friend.

G&b marek
Austin, Texas
U.S.A.