Complaint Review: The Animal House - Dianne M. McInnes

I am truly sorry for your experience with The Animal House. Dogtown and Trade Days are known all over for being part of the puppy mill problem. You should always buy from a reputable breeder that knows what they are doing, knows breed standards, gets proper prenatal care for the mom, and doesn't breed every heat cycle or until the mom drops dead from exhaustion.
Reputable breeders do not sell puppies to anyone that wants one and certainly never sell at flea markets or roadside. Reputable breeders always and I mean always have a very specific and tight contract with the purchaser.

The breeder insists on the return of the puppy to them if for any reason the purchaser can't keep it regardless of age or if health problems arise. Reputable breeders breed to better the breed and spend plenty of money on health testing for parents and puppies. They do not breed defective dogs. If someone is selling several breeds of puppies you don't know if the puppies are mixed breeds because they obviously have several breeds of females in heat and several breeds of males to service them - a litter can have more than one father.

The different health problems you and other buyers have or will have are the results of breeding poor quality dogs, breeding siblings, or parent - puppy breeding. You may think you aren't paying much for a puppy but in the long run you pay way more in vet bills or the puppy pays more because you can't or won't afford the bills and euthanize it or worse dump it at a shelter. I can hear you -"I'd never do that...." neither would the millions of owners of other puppies until the pups become expensive or become adults that aren't so cute or their kids get bored with them. Check out your local shelter or rescue and you'll see all of the "I would nevers..." Trade Days and Dogtown sound like they are no different than puppy and dog auctions.

I volunteer at a rescue and work at an obedience school so I see lots of dogs that are thrown away for many "reasons." Everything from puppies and their moms, because someone didn't spay or neuter, even with free and low cost clinics, to elderly dogs that are old and tired and forgotten. The treatment of the breeding dogs is nothing short of "hell on earth." If you feel that is an exaggeration just check out www.puppymill.org or search the internet. Some of the breeding stock never see sunlight, smell fresh air, or feel grass under their feet.

AKC registered means nothing anymore. They don't support restrictions on breeders because they make a ton of money from the millions ofdogs registered each year. There is a local so called breeder that registered 3,000 puppies last year alone - "puppy mill."

The Boston Terrier that was mentioned in response to your complaint shouldn't be bred. None of the puppies purchased from The Animal House should be bred. The dogs obviously come from a less than desirable or reputable person so who knows what health problems the parents or grandparents have. People do it to make money and they don't consider the cost to families like you or to children like your daughter.

In short, I don't write this to upset or criticize you but please just realize it was an honest mistake on your part, love and care for Gidget for the rest of her life, buy from a reputable breeder next time by checking with the breed's national club or better yet look into breed specific rescue organizations (they often have young dogs or puppies - check out www.petfinder.com), and bring up your daughter to respect living things.

Well it has been 8 months since I purchased Gidget my little 1 lb. chihuahua from Dianne McInnes. However, now at 10 months old she is 9 lbs., long bodied, short legged , under bite out of this world !! And the vet I work for is pretty sure she is NOT FULL BLOOD Chihuahua --- he thinks maybe some Pekingnese, or something is MIXED in there!!! Even though I finally received papers to register her I figured why spend any more money BECAUSE I'm pretty sure papers are fake. I went to Canton this past month...I looked for her at dog town but I didn't see her...should have taken her back and asked for a REFUND. We love our Gidget - however, we do call her our special child. She is quite unlike any dog I've ever owned. IT is a shame that Dianne is still allowed to sell and claim pure bred dogs after all the articles I've read with claims against her. I guess we all live & learn.

Kim, after taking awhile to consider my response to your complaint about Dianne, I want to offer my apology on offending you by telling you to be patient. At the time I wrote the post, it was sincere, and not written to hurt you, only what I was feeling at the time.

I have since had my first litter of puppies by the Boston Terrier that I bought from Dianne. I phoned CKC for their papers when they were 2 days old, and had the papers in hand for each puppy by the time they were 6 days old. I remembered back to when I bought from Dianne how she made me address the envelope also, and although I was lucky enough to get my papers within reason, it was still an anxious wait for me too. With a 3-4 day turnaround on breeders getting their puppy papers from CKC, there is no reason ever why Dianne shouldn't have these papers in hand when she sells a puppy. Now that I know the other side, why is she selling 7-9 week old puppies and still not having the papers with her? What is she waiting for?

I will be in Canton this month to sell the puppies I had from this litter, with papers in hand. I wonder if I will see her?

I guess also by reading the sickness posts here that I am lucky that my Lily came home with me...My memory is really coming back to me now. I recall that one of the Bostons had a "cherry eye", and Dianne said that the straw she had the puppies in had just irritated it. I know now that it was probably an eye infection. My Lily has had nothing but top vet care and more love than any dog could want. I guess she is lucky I picked her.....Forgiveness asked, and I hope you accept.

I'm glad that some customers have had GOOD transactions with Dianne McInnes but consumers commenting that I should have patience is rather irritating. I feel that for the MONEY I PAID(FOR A REGISTERED Chihuahua) for the dog, well deserves papers and return phone calls or e-mails OF WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED NONE. It has been since March 4, 2006 and to this date of May 16, 2006 I cannot get Dianne to respond by e-mail or telephone and I have still received NO papers. My complaint stands AS IS.

I purchased a registered Boston Terrier puppy from Diane at Dogtown in Canton, Texas in April of 2005. My papers took a week or so longer to get to me than I would have liked but they did get here within the first month of my purchase. The papers are not auto-generated. They are done on an individual litter basis by CKC (Continental Kennel Club) which is who all of Diane's litters are registered by. Diane, and the buyer collectively, are held waiting until CKC gets those papers to her so that she CAN mail them out.

Have a little patience, and you will get them as soon as she does. My experience with Diane was good. She talked with me on the phone regarding the papers and she did mail them as soon as she received them. A year later, when she owed me nothing of her time, she talked with me on the phone for one hour regarding the breeding of dogs and was very friendly and went out of her way to answer my questions. Of the hundreds of dogs she sells each year, she remembered me and my puppy very well, and was very interested and proud of how well my dog is doing. The quality of my dog is unsurpassed. My vet says she is the best example of breed he has ever seen.

If your complaint was one of a sick puppy, or one with physical damage, etc. and Diane would not respond to you I feel like you would have a valid right to complain here. On this occasion, I feel like you are a little hasty to place her on the Rip Off Report due to not receiving your papers in two weeks after purchase. I agree that Diane should contact you back, but she sure can't control the mail. You'll get the papers, I'm sure.