Complaint Review: Darlene's Chihuahuas - Chickamauga Georgia

My niece has purchased several chihuahuas from Darlene Swafford. I have had the priviledge of meeting Darlene and touring her facilities on several occasions.  Darlene's facilities are nicer than anything you can possible imagine.  She takes equal if not better care than most private owners, and she has mutliple dogs to consider.  Each dog stays groomed, has miniature bedrooms set up with access to go outdoors, and she has a private birthing area for mothers who are nursing their babies.  Her facility is impecible to say the least.  Darlene breeds, grooms, shows, and rescues chihuahuas.  I am a rescuer and she has helped me place numerous dogs, not just chihuahuas.  She has done several local television shows to help educate the public on proper breeding, showing, and grooming.  Her love for animals is evident in her lifestyle and I can't imagine she would ever do anything to harm another person or animal.  I am sorry for the chihuaha that had surgery, and its a tragedy.  However, I would vouch for Darlene Swafford any day. I have no doubt in my mind that she had her dogs vet checked to make sure this was not genetic.  I have referred many people to Darlene to purchase a chihuahua, to view her rescue dogs, for grooming, and for just basic education on how to breed properly.  She holds the standard that all breeders should strive to achieve.  I am very proud to have met such a great lady and have had the priviledge of her assistance with rescue and education.    

My name is Darlene Swafford. I have been loving, breeding, and showing Chihuahuas for many years. ALL of my puppies get a full health examination at my local vet, Dr. Rusty Smitherman in Lafayette, Georgia.(706-638-3507) He would be happy to tell anyone who is thinking about purchacing a Chihuahua that I would be the person he would buy from himself. The parents to the puppy mentioned have never had any problems with their knees or have I been told by any other person who bought one of their puppies that they had any problems. The sire is a champion. And that couldn't have happened if he had such a problem. After speaking to the buyer I did take both parents to the vet for a check to be sure they were still clear of any problems. They were both cleared.  The buyer also told me when we discussed her dogs surgery that her dog was over weight. If you do any kind of research you will find that that in itself can cause a toy breed dog to injure their knees. That is why I did not give her her money back. I am really sorry her puppy had to have this surgery and I wish I could have done something to make the buyer happy. She also reported me to the Georgia Department Of Agriculture. They did come to my house and saw both parents along with all of my other dogs and gave me a very good review. I am also inspected by AKC and they also gave me a very good review. The inspecter from AKC was Penny Butler and she even mentioned that it was so nice to come to a breeder who had Chihuahuas that ALL looked like such good specimens of the breed. Please feel free to come to my house at anytime and make up your own mind about the quality and health of my beautiful Chihuahuas.
Thank You,
Darlene Swafford