Complaint Review: Diamondsun Kennels - Albany Prince Edward Island

I have read the diatribe from my American neighbors to the South, and I am not surprised...after all, they ARE Americans, and they are very much different from Canadians.  Now, for an unbiased opinion.  I have no horse in this race.  I am an independent consumer who certainly believes in fairness.  The complainants definition of "fair" is what they want, when they want it.  That is just plain selfishness.  I have bought three GSD's from Diamondsun's over the past few decades.  All three dogs have been perfect.  They have lived very long and healthy lives, and other than the normal shots and being neutered, they have been completely healthy. 

Diamondsun's has produced championship dogs.  Karen cares a great deal about each and every dog she produces.  She has called to see how they are doing.  I am a smart man.  I learned to read a very long time ago, and the contracts that I have entered into with Karen have been more than fair.  These people claim they have defective dogs.  The contract is clear that they ought to have returned the dogs to Karen.  They chose not to.  Instead, they wanted money.  The contract is clear.  You get no money.  You return the defective dog and you get a replacement dog.  They chose to keep the dog.  By doing so, they chose to incur the costs associated with that decision.  THEY SHOULD STOP WHINING ABOUT A DECISION THEY MADE.  IF I WAS FACED WITH THE SAME DECISION, AND DECIDED TO KEEP THE DEFECTIVE DOG, THEN I WOULD PAY FOR ITS CARE AND NOT COMPLAIN.  THAT IS WHAT LOVING PET OWNERS DO. 

They need to stop blaming the breeder for a genetic defect when he breeder has already set out that possibility and the remedy in the contract they agreed to.  Every 10 years I will replace my GSD, and I will always replace them from Diamondsun's. In fact, my dog from Harley von Diamondsun had absolutely no issues. I am the proud owner of Diamondson's Hailstorm (Hailey), Diamondson's Harlequin (Harley), and now Diamondsun"s Greystorm (Storm).  You can only wish that you have dogs as great as mine, and I owe many years of happiness to Karen McPhee.  I would recommend her dogs any day.  If you want a fantastic, healthy, and extremely well mannered GSD, start with a Diamondsun GSD.  You will never, ever, regret it.   

Well, we got our second German shepherd from a Maine breeder, who charges much less than Diamondsun Kennels. And neither of the two dogs that we bought there have developed noticeable hip-dysplasia problems. So other buyers of German shepherds would do well to buy American, especially as the gas is cheaper down here (as we Americans like good prices and actually have some consumer clout). At least here in America, families stick together by helping their parents with rip-off companies like Diamondsun Kennels; maybe they eat their own in Atlantic Canada, especially with the economic recession?

OK...Here we go again...hummmm
First you state that your dogs are suffering from Severe Hip Dysplasia and according to your Vet you need surgery ASAP, hummm Then you state that now your Vet says they don't need the much required surgery that they are not severe enough...hummmm Then you state you are struggling Seniors and being taken advantage of but yet you purchase another dog after stating that you could not afford the surgery for the first two...hummmmm

Now, once again you are stating that your dogs are suffering from "Crippling Hip Dysplasia" your exact words and you are Seniors being taken advantage of....hummmm Well give up the crap and get on with your life you are just making a jack a*s out of yourself with every entry you write. You can't think of anything more to lie about so once again you are changing the subject and trying to crap on Canada, well not only do other Canadians disagree with you but so do people from your own state,  thats because here we don't and won't put up with your crap we see right through people like you so go crawl back in the hole you crawled out of and take care of your "Severe, not Severe, Crippled, not Crippled what ever they are dogs according to you.

Myself and others have hear enough of you crap and lies, so do yourself a favor and give it up. Also, blaming the previous entries on your family....hummmmm yup can't take blame for your own crap, throw your family in front of the train. Yup, your just a loser no matter what way you look at it...

Have a nice day....

Well Finally you people have come to the conclusion that your attempts at slandering a quality breeder have gotton you now where. You folks seem to have really lost site of the fact that you were looked after when this all started and like many, but not most, Americans you are looking for something for nothing. Your attempts at slandering not only Diamondsun Kennel and also Altantic Canadians by calling us Rednecks ? Please, have a look at your own educational and goverment systems before knocking ours. At least as Canadains we know about our provinces...more then is taught in your schools. I truely hope that your Shepherds live a long and happy life...but your plan to finally move on with this should have been done a long time ago.  

Most responses to date have been my caring siblings trying to protect their victimized parents, but this final discourse is from dog owner Patricia Vadas herself:

"We're DONE arguing with crazy, juvenile people like you, i.e., Karen MacPhee's cartel. She has proven to be a disreputable breeder who argues and tries to blame the customer for all of her dogs' health and genetic problems. With all of her arguments and accusations in Ripoff Report, she has proven that her words and guarantees in the contracts are worthless. MacPhee is a liar and thief. We're stuck with crippling hip displasia in 2 of her half-sibling dogs and she doesn't care. End of this horrible experience and our correspondence."

There are good reasons that laws are being enacted in the USA to prevent senior citizens from being taken advantage of. Perhaps Atlantic Canada will catch up someday, but that's unlikely because the federal government shells out more money to Quebec (every time that they cry racism) than to them. So many of us Americans wonder when we'll be annexing Atlantic Canada to save it from redneck poverty.

Oh this is too funny, not only am I now a brainwashed Idiot but I am verbally abusive....well I guess you can dish it out but you can't take it, it must be lonely in your little world...oh wait, thats right you have dogs to keep you company and ones that NO longer need surgery I forgot...haha

Its nice to see though that even with Tons & Tons of education one can still sound and look like and Idiot so I guess I am not the only one in this club, I would say you are the President. Oh and to quote someone too...BAZINGA....Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory.HAHAHA

Also, Is nice to see you are making friends every where you go....telling people to shut up and mind their own business just because they disagree with you....hummmmm In case you haven't noticed this is a public site. I too would be embarrassed if I finally realized that others were seeing and reading all the crap I have been slinging so I can see how one would get defensive.

Also, Congrats to York, Maine I too am a happy customer and hope you enjoy every moment with your new puppy.

Well I have to say....I do finally agree with something you said, "Useful conversation is over..." ONLY... it was over the minute you started typing this crap and that would be from the beginning.

Now, you too have yourself a nice day, because I know I sure will thanks to your last rebuttal...heeeheeeheeee

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For the proud Canadian, your words come straight from Karen MacPhee's mouth, so you might as well be her, as brainwashed and verbally abusive as you are. For us, it's about BOTH the money and the dogs, as we've paid good money to rehabilitate them; what part of that don't you get? Moreover, you admit to getting flawed dogs from her, but still seem content in your ignorance. To paraphrase Jackson Browne, it must be nice to be a happy idiot.

For the York Mainer, I'm glad that you got a good dog from Diamondsun Kennels, as we wish you no ill on other customers or dogs. But MacPhee didn't keep her guaranteed promise and instead of negotiating, she stonewalled us until we made a formal complaint on this web site and elsewhere. So now we've got our response, which shows her to be an unprofessional redneck, which may be "becoming" to you but not us. And she seemed more interested in putting our ailing dogs (not that she wanted either of them back!) to death, rather than trying to rehabilitate them as we've done. So she totally botched her dealing with us, regardless of how she has dealt with other customers, i.e., bad karma. And the customer is always right, if a business wants to keep its customers...

To whom it may concern:
My family and I have a beautiful 6 month old male GSD who came home with us in September, 2011 from Diamondsun Kennels in PEI Canada.  He is an absolutely beautiful dog and the new love of our two daughters lives. 
We did a lot of checking around for a reputable and caring kennel to get a good stock of this breed that would make for a great family pet.  The best we could find in our opinion was from Newskeet Monks Monastary in upstate NY but they have a 2 year waiting list and their dogs are over $3000.00 each.
We considered another reputable Kennel in Maine who's pups range from $1800.00 to $2400.00 but met 2 of their dogs and found both of them to be too aggressive!  One is a beautiful black/tan male and the other a sable coat female who is very aggressive!  I know a good part of this is environmental and not genetic but I thought why take the chance.
After making a few phone calls to an old friend of mine who moved to New Brunswick Canada many years ago and who has tremendous knowledge of this great breed he suggested that I call Karen McPhee at Diamondsun Kennels in PEI.  Although his background with GSD's has been to train in search and rescue and police service, he understood that we didn't want a working dog but a family pet with show dog quality.  Well I challenge anyone to find a better breeder for $800 a dog!

Although a small breeder FYI-(that's a good thing) we found Karen to be very knowledgeable and a tremendously caring breeder for her dogs.  Yes she is a small townie from PEI but I dare not say that is a bad thing!  We are very pleased with both Karen and Diamondsun Kennels and would highly recommend her dogs to anyone interested.

In conclusion, I wish to express that there are no guarantees in life maybe other than taxes and death I suppose but to badger this lady the way these people have done now for over 3 years on this site is just too much.  
My final note is that my friend who has a Newskeet shepherd was so impressed with our handsome bi-black that he asked where we got him from but when I told him how much we paid for him he nearly swallowed the gum he was chewing!  In other words wow! what a great dog for the money.  

Yup we hit a NERVE.... not only are you full of yourself, you think I am Karen MacPhee, well I am here to tell ya NOPE I AM NOT...sorry to correct you but read previous reports if ya can that is, I stated that I had issues with my dogs but at no time asked Karen MacPhee for money to pay for any of it. You act as if you are the righteous ones here and your job is to inform the world with info which could be no farther from the truth, and talk about current events that happen on buses that have nothing at all to do with the subject at hand, well I could sit here all day and name names and current events on US soil but then again that is just you trying to muddy the waters and get readers confused and off the subject, YOUR own words from previous rebuttals says it all, SORRY ya can't delete them and make others look like liers, sucks to be you.

Deal with your dogs and give up the B.S. readers can not only go to Karen MacPhee's website and see that not only do her dogs have at least one but multiple championships, that in my books is NOT a puppy mill and if you thought it was, then why did you not buy one but two dogs off her???????? I feel bad for you that people reading these reports are going to see what I saw when I first read them, that you want money and obviously will go to great lengths to get it...Also, nice that you dog no longer needs surgery???? The question now is then why are you still looking for money?????? Yup, thats right its the money NOT the dogs...

Thanks again for the laughs, makes for great fictional reading...You have yourself a great day and feel free to keep me up on current events, never know when I might miss something.

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To address the 2 latest comments by supposedly satisfied customers, I can collectively say that we've not lost the focus on keeping our dogs healthy. Our female dog doesn't need surgery because of the Adequan shots, so that's what we're doing; a dog-owning friend or ours gave us good advice that our veterinarian corroborated. If our dog does get worse, then yes, we'd strongly consider putting her down as we've done with our past two German shepherds that lived to older ages. Duh!

Nope, no nerve was hit; just our frustration in dealing with cretins. But it's weird that supposedly satisfied customers would rail against other customers who haven't been as lucky as they have; such lack of empathy seems sociopathic. A good businessperson satisfies all customers, not just some of them. But then again, the "Proud to be a Canadian" person sounds exactly like Karen MacPhee, so we're assuming that's who we're talking to here (nice try at deception, though). Her degree of vitriole, after she promised to not respond further, suggests that her business really is hurting because of our whistle-blowing. Mission accomplished!

Yes, we didn't do our homework to figure out that Diamondsun Kennels was a puppy mill, but now that we know, we want others to learn from our mistake. We (as humans) all make mistakes, but it's how we react to them thats most important. We're trying to help other people here, unlike the supposedly satisfied customers who lose objectivity in their ridiculous, supposed defense of all things Canadian. Perhaps they also have justifications to defend the murderous Asian on the Canadian Greyhound bus, too?

We believe that informed readers (unlike the two recent commenters) will understand our buyer-beware message. Our story never changed, despite the attempts at obfuscation by MacPhee and others. After all, if you cant dazzle em with brilliance, baffle em with BS (mission not accomplished by them). Grow up and quit wasting yours and our time!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you people make me laugh i can't stop laughing at the lies after lies you have told, you change the story to fit whatever crap you are slinging at the time. I have obviously hit a  nerve with you by the sounds of your rebuttal....TOOOO FUNNNNY....haha

****2. The reason that we haven't undertaken surgery for our younger dog is that our veternarian has recommended that we wait until things get worse for him*****
 
The above statement taken from your own rebuttal, what Vet in their right mind would say lets just let the dog suffer for awhile until it gets really bad then and only then will we operate, you just want MONEY and by Karen MacPhee not giving it to you you take to slandering her name and kennel....well please tell me what Kennel has almost everyone of there dogs with at least an  American Championship or Canadian Championship or International Championship or all three titles, that is not the way a puppy mill would be run so as far as a puppy mill you are grabbing at straws and you are making for great entertainment and good reading if nothing else...just sayin...

I not only have dogs I have horses in which I have Chiropractors and Vets visit on a regular basis to keep my animals happy and health but NOT once in my life have i asked someone else to pay for it and yes if the animal is suffering it should be dealt with in a humane way, I am NOT a fan of having it done as i just lost one of my little dogs of almost 14yrs to cancer in which i had no choice as he was suffering and we kept him with us as long as we could but in the end it was a matter of letting go so he didn't have to suffer, you have lost the focus here with the dogs, you are not worried about their well being you are more worried about letting anyone and everyone know about how educated you are and trying to make the world not buy another dog off of Diamondsun Kennels...well NEWS FLASH the kennel has more credibility  then you ever thought of so I don't think your little slander letters are gonna do a thing.  As for myself and others reading this we can see the number of times you changed your story to suit the moment... but thanks again for the laughs and glad to hear you have some schooling behind you, wouldn't of guessed it but good for you.

Now, maybe you can use some of that education to look after your dogs which were the focus here but soon got lost when you thought you could get a free hand out.

Still laughing... thanks again

Happy New Year from one very satisfied Diamondsun Kennel customer.

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You folks have really lost site of what's important....I've read your past posts and you claim to be highly educated. If you are such intelligent then why didn't you do your homework before purchasing your dogs from Karen MacPhee if you now claim she is running a puppy mill ? Any one who knows any thing about puppy mills would know that the breeder first of all would not provise you with any form of a guarentee. Second the breeder would not allow a buyer anywhere near thier kennel to see thier dogs. I can tell you first hand that I have been to Karen Macphees kennels and seen all of her dogs and her operation...it is no puppy mill. Her dogs are very well cared for and well looked after. I have dealt with other breeders how are most certainly running puppy mill and would allow you no access to thier facilities, not let you see thier litters or provide a guarentee. For being such smart people did you not do your research ? I have purchased a quality german shepherd from a breeder in the USA and ended up with a dog that had the worse call of HD that my vet had ever seen at a year old. The breeder offered a guarentee and was the same one I received from Karen when I purchased me two german shepherd dogs from her. I have worked in the service industry for over 30 years and I can assure you that your statement of the customer always being right is far from the truth. You folks need to be more concerned about your dogs and stop trying to get something you don't deserve. From what I've read, and knowing Karen, she has been more then fair to you. Really you need to stop bad mouthing a quality breeder and look after your dogs.... 

Egads, everybody knows that there are good and bad businesses throughout North America, duh! We never tried to say otherwise, but only that it's common in Maine (which isn't the whole USA, by the way) for dog breeders to guarantee their work. And we never generalized that all Canadian dog breeders are bad, just because of one bad apple, i.e., Diamonsun Kennels. But bad apples can spoil whole batches, such that PEI would do well to tighten up its dog-breeding regulations like that seen in Maine. Really, who in their right mind could argue vs. such half-your-money-back guarantees? Yes, we expect and get that here in Maine. Apparently, the docile Canadian is also very insecure and defensive about his/her Canadian heritage. Get over your small-person complex, with therapy if possible, geez!

Just because you're friends with Karen MacPhee, doesn't mean that we should just shut up and go away. Really, it's the principle of the thing, and the customer is always right. Those in our family who aren't retired do have good jobs and we've been fighting this for years to alert others about how bad Diamondsun Kennels really is, so that others don't goof and buy from MacPhee. Indeed, she first tried to blame us for not keeping our dogs healthy, until she learned otherwise, then she backpedaled to say that hip dysplasia (HD) just happens and to get used to it. Well no, people should just buy from better breeders, rather than Diamonsun Kennels, which really is a puppy mill. Hopefully, PEI citizens have other, better dog breeders that they can go to in Atlantic Canada?

Finally, if the defensive Canadian had read all of our discourse (rather than just talk to bitter MacPhee), (s)he would see that weve successfully raised several German shepherds over the last few decades, including one that has become a successful police dog for American anti-terrorism efforts. When we visited this dog some time ago, he was still glad to see us! The only two (of the six) dogs with significant HD were from Diamondsun Kennels, half-siblings from the same sire there. In contrast, the defensive Canadian thinks that its better to kill loved, but ailing, dogs, rather than put time and money into them to keep them healthy. So logically, who is the poor dog owner here? The idiocy of the docile Canadian just adds to that of MacPhees past, boneheaded comments. When you can score A+ in a college-logic class like I did, and publish in scientific journals like three of us have done, maybe then you'll be ready to argue with an IQ higher than your age? Just saying

No I do not work for the Breeder but do take offense to the crap being slung around in regards to the breeder in which I have two beautiful Shepherds......by people who cant seem to get the two dogs they have taken care of but then get a third????????? I have to wonder if they even have the education they like to talk about???

I have friends who have purchased dogs from so called breeders in the States also, and have had big issues and have NOT been reimbursed any money and others who have purchased dogs that are suppose to be Pure Breed and come to find out they are nothing but garbage in which the papers they were promised never ever came so don't start slinging trash about things you obviously no nothing about and then try making this look like all we do up here is run puppy mills...In case you don't watch TV, a lot of the puppy mills being raided and people being charged are right in your own back yard.

I have visited Diamondsun Kennels when we got both our dogs and was very pleased with the treatment and the time she spent with us and the fact that she showed us both parents was great. I think it is about time you let it go and get a life and stop hanging on the money issue, it seems like you just want money, well maybe a job would be the way to go. Then and only then  maybe you could take care of the dogs after all isn't that the issue here or is it the money??????????

LOVE LOVE LOVE my Diamondsun babies, Thanks Karen MacPhee

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Wow, now it's become a national issue of patriotism, given the diatribe of the docile Canadian customer! So now (s)he has to defend a bad business in the same country. Such knee-jerk subjectivity makes we wonder if this person works for Diamondsun Kennels.

Anway, we read just fine, as we all have college degrees and some of us even have doctoral degrees. And we take care of our dogs just fine, and they aren't suffering because of the time and money we put into them (please read more carefully or go back to school, just saying...). And here in Maine, dog breeders do give half your money back if there are behavioral or physical problem with dogs. We now have a third German shepherd from a Maine breeder, and he's doing quite fine because he lacks hip dysplasia (HD). Most German shepherd owners never have their dogs X-rayed to realize that HD is the problem. We cared enough to have such veterinary work done, when our two Diamondsun dogs started limping for no good reason. Business owner Karen MacPhee gave us money back for one dog, but not the other, because she felt that she knows more than our veterinarian about how to treat them. Egads, such sin of pride!

I don't even Know where to begin...but for starters I better make sure I spell everything correct don't want to get an "F"...Well here it goes, I also have not one but two German Shepherds from Diamondsun Kennels in PEI, Canada. I have had shepherds all my life and with that I also know that there comes certain issues with health as with any other breed. It pays to do homework and check out breeds if you don't have the money or knowledge to deal with the breed in question then maybe you shouldn't get that breed, stick to other breeds that have less genetic problems...just saying....

Our first shepherd from Diamondsun Kennels developed a growth plate problem in which one of the growth plates in his front leg closed early and caused his leg to twist and his elbow to be displaced as he kept growing. We contacted Karen MacPhee about the issue and she was nothing but helpful and "NO" we did not ask for money back and did not expect any...we took our male to PEI to the Vet College and had surgery done at which it cost us the better part of $2000.00, we did this so he would not suffer or have to be distroyed as our contract states from Diamondsun Kennels and replaced with another, unlike some people who obviously can't read!!! If issues arise the breeder is only responsible for the replacement of that puppy and that is the deal with all responsible breeders...try reading, they don't give money back its not Walmart...

Our second shepherd is a female and she is beautiful, but she did injure her back playing in the winter and slipped on some ice and again we did "Not"ask or expect money back from Diamondsun Kennels, I take her to a therapist for massage and acupuncture when she needs it at $40.00 a treatment and don't expect Karen MacPhee to pay for this, it is something that happened and therefore, it is my responsibility to make sure she is happy and pain free not Karen MacPhee's.

In reading all the reports that have been posted I hope that other breeders take note and stay clear of you, you seem to think the world owes you something and are grasping at straws obviously if you can only think of yourself and not the welfare of your dogs. If they are suffering that much then maybe you should think about putting them down to stop the suffering and then maybe you can find something else to do with your time. Also, as far as being retired and accusing someone of taking advantage of seniors...maybe you shouldn't have dogs period if you are that strapped for money let alone expect someone else to pay you bills. Get a life and deal with the problems yourself and take responsibility stop expecting someone else to pay your way. Its time you grew up as you stated you are a senior start acting like one and not some 3rd grade child...

In closing I "WILL" in the future have no reservations on purchasing another dog or dogs from Diamondsun Kennels and recommending them to others. Yes, I have had issues with both Shepherds but that is not the fault of the breeder it is just something that happens and can happen in any breed but it is the buyers part to research the breed and make sure they are able to deal with whatever happens. If you are not able to devote the years or money to care for the animal then maybe its just not for you...and that goes the same with whether its a pure breed or mutt...

One very satisfied Diamondsun Kennel customer since 2007...
Thanks you Karen MacPhee for two beautiful Shepherds and a ragdoll cat to boot...

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Karen MacPhee loves to fight. And she thinks that she knows more than the veternarian, wow. Instead of such risky surgery, which could make the situation worse, we're giving our dogs (including our our male dog Niko) Adequan shots - $38 USD per month with a 1-hour round trip to the vet. And we've had really good luck with these shots. Indeed, I know people whose young dog has hip dysplasia (HD) and they had the expensive FHO operation done. The dog didn't improve.

We love our 2 dogs very much and are trying to do our best for them. When Anka (our female dog) was 3.5 years old, she struggled to get up. It was a very sad sight. She looked like she was 10-12 years old. Now with the shots, she (being 6 years old now) gets up as a normal dog would. The shots have definitely helped her. The shots will cost as much as the surgery would for both of our dogs' lives.

We have the right to decide how to treat our dogs for HD. In 2.5 years, we've spent $705.78 USD for Anka's shot. If she lives 10-12 years, well spend at least $2000 USD, not including time and travel to the vet. And the important issue here is the dog's well-being and pain-free existence, which should be MacPhee's main concern, too. When I asked her for a mere $300 as compensation for Ankas supposed guarantee, MacPhee flatly refused. This ridiculous problem has been going on for almost 4 years!

I can't believe MacPhee, who is too emotional, immature, ruthlessly nasty, and totally unprofessional. Buyers beware! She shouldn't be name-calling and belittling customers, especially senior citizens like us. Just seeing her true colors via e-mail flames should warn people of her inability to handle problems well. She is out-of-control and a poor businesswoman! Her "guarantee" means nothing, but we'll continue to write complaints here until she does the morally right thing and honors it for Anka (as she did do for Niko before her generosity ran out). Our request of $300 is less than what MacPhee compensated us for when Niko showed HD problems, so when she pays it, it would close this terrible matter and shed never hear from us again. The customer really is always right, else they will (a) take their business elsewhere and (b) urge others to do the same.

I'll try to attach copies of bills for Anka, which have been significant.

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Dear Pat,
I would just like an update, you had mentioned that your Vet wanted to wait until your boy was older to do the operation, which is fine, if that is what he thinks is right, but  has it been done yet?  If so how did he make out? If not how old does he plan to wait? I beleive he is definatly old enough by now.

Although some customers of MacPhee's are happy, that doesn't include us. Hence, we've bought a young German shepherd from a Maine dealer who does guarantee of half our money back, if there are hip-dysplasia or other unforeseen problems. A good dealer guarantees his/her product, as the customer is always right.

I have been following this report for a few months now and had to chime in.

As I'm writing this I'm looking at my very happy, very healthy, and very spolied GSD. Lily will be 6 in two weeks, she was from one of Harley's litters. We have her checked over every year at her regular vet visits and every year they comment on how good her hips are.

I am sorry to hear of the health issues of these two dogs but have to say we have had no problems with our girl or with Karen.

After getting our girl I actually suggested Karen to a co-worker looking for a mature dog. Karen provided one of her retired females free to my co-worker so long as they paid the cost to have her altered.

As we know situations change and a few years later when her husband passed away and due to a move she was unable to keep the dog Karen took the dog back and found her a new home.

I have to say we have found Karen to be a true professional.

Peter 

MacPhee really should give up trying to defend herself against very real charges of unethical dog breeding and selling behavior. Just saying that happy dog owners outnumber us doesn't prove anything; show me, don't tell me!

One Maine dog breeder didn't sell to us because we wanted assurances that the German shepherd wouldn't have genetic problems that cause hip dysplasia, but as the above dialog has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt, no one can provide that guarantee. MacPhee's past accusations of our dogs' hip-dysplasia problems being from our pet-handling skills just shows how ignorant this hillbilly dog breeder really is!

In sum, MacPhee hasn't addressed our concerns in our last letter because she can't without implicating herself even further, much like a struggling fly gets even more trapped when struggling in a spider web. Certainly, MacPhee could do the world a favor by retiring from being a dog breeder.

I am through with this display, my happy puppy owners far outweigh you guys  who are just changing the stories to suit yourself.

The fact no other breeders will sell you a dog says something , and you can't blame me as I couldn't possible even know who you contacted.

 The whole Army can't be out of step!

K

Karen;

We've been trying to (a) reason with you and (b) hold you accountable for your dogs, contracts, and spoken promise as a "morally responsible breeder" (according to the Canadian Kennel Club's bylaws). We haven't really threatened you or contradicted ourselves as you accuse us of. Both of our dogs were supposedly guaranteed, but both have significant hip displasia (SHP) that you've finally admitted is genetic after much arguing and mudslinging about it being our fault (even though moderate to severe hip displasia can't occur from environmental conditions). Moreover, these dogs never jumped nor did agility training. But we didn't get any apology, which isn't surprising. To quote you from 4/26/09, "There is no possibly (sic) way I could assure you a puppy would have good hips". To quote our 5/2/09 letter to you, "State of Maine lemon laws state in the case of a serious problem with a dog... if a buyer decides to keep the dog, the breeder should return 1/2 of the purchase $. I know St. of Maine laws do not apply to you, but they are fair and protect both parties." So please transcend your bitterness with such a partical refund, to end this argument that you can't seem to end equitably.

When we went to PEI to see your facility in 2005, I asked about the clause in your contract stating that the dog(s) need to be returned if they have SHP. You told me that you wouldn't want the dogs back if such were true, saying "What would I do with them?" I held you to your word, which is why I bought the dogs from you in the first place. Now, after the fact, you're trying to change your story.

My husband did take our male dog (Niko) all the way to Dr. Kern in Portland, ME, a 5-hour round trip. He told us to WAIT on the operation until Niko was older and charged us $100 USD for the visit. So we've gone with his advice, taking excellent, but pricey, care of both or our dogs with numerous (9 each per day), supplements and regular (monthly, not weekly) visits to the vet for $30 Adequan shots, which is helping combat SHP but will need to be done for the rest of their lives. The shots really seem to be helping, as the vet has been able to hyperextend both of Anka's legs fully without pain. We love both dogs very much and will do whatever it takes to help them, but crippling by lameness and arthritis are inevitable for them. By avoiding premature surgery that could prove fatal if complications occur, we've chosen a less-invasive method to treat Niko. One would think that you'd know that, being a dog breeder.

We've been talking to you for 2 years via letters and e-mails, to try to get you to honor your guarantee of Anka, which you retracted because we didn't do surgery on Niko (yet) at the vet's recommendation. As Debbie said, you'd have been better off to return 1/2 our $ back, rather than experience such justified, negative publicity. I have paperwork from OFA, vets, etc. to support my case.

Allthough you now claim that our 2 half-sibling dogs' SHP are flukes of nature, the fact that they came from 2 different mothers suggests that you haven't properly (a) checked x-rays for mother dogs and/or (b) properly followed the genetic outcomes of your sire dog (Harley von Diamondsun). To quote our 5/2/09 letter to you, "Most people don't go through the trouble and expense in having their dog's hips x-rayed at such an early age as we did, so they find out later on". Hence, lack of other complaints isn't evidence that other peoples aren't having SHP problems with their Diamondsun dogs. Indeed, perhaps the present internet complaints will convince others to come forward with their own grievances, or at least help others avoid an unprofessional dog breeder to skirt the big problems that we've had to deal with (both from dog-health and irresponsible-breeder-response standpoints).

-Patricia A. V

Sept06/2006

Hi Karen

Pat vadas wanted me to give you a heads up on her pup neko, she had him neutered today, and also had his hips done.both hips are only 25% in the socket, and the vet said he will have moderate to severe displacia. she is so upset because she loves him to pieces, the vet, who is my  vet is very accurate on his x-rays reading.

she has noticed him having somewhat of a problem going upstairs, puppies are some what ockward with that, but it makes sense now that she got the diagnosis.

inmy experience i know that he is stillgrowing, but usually by that age the hips are somewhat in, just a bit loose, but his are not like that at this point. she wants to know about the contract and the hip guarentee on something like this, i am not sure she would give him up as he is such a sweet dog, but the caring for him and anything that has to be done is of concern

thanks debbie

My reply on Sept07/2006

Hi Deb,

I am so disapointed to hear that, tell her to send the x-ray to OFA for an official report, He is guaranteed. She can keep him as  what would I do with him right. When she is ready she will get a replacement.

I try so hard NOT to have this happen but every now and again it can pop up. I wish it wasn't with her pups after her just letting go of the older ones ;-(

talk soon.........Karen

Diamondsun says -   Above you can clearly see a replacement was offered as per the agreement. At no time in any conversation did Pat want to return the dog(s).Also puppies should NOT be doing stairs.

In a letter following dated Sept30/2006

Pat stated, and I quote " since the TPO surgery may be the only way for niko to live a longer and relatively pain free life, we request that you reimburse us instead of a pup replacement"  She also sent me the OFA report, Moderate hip dysplasia, and a Vet quote for the surgery at $2465.71(surgery was never done)

Diamondsun  says-  again here is pat in her own words asking for a money repalacement instead of a puppy,but then she stated a puppy was never offered, hmmmmm straying again from the original story?

I am not arguing  the facts any longer, the truth speaks for itself, sick of the lies......

Pat , have you ever thought that maybe the reason other Breeders won't sell to you is because they read what you are writing.I have never spoken with any other breeders about you so you are on your own there, can't put that blame on me. You are shooting yourself in the foot.

You have contridicted yourself more then once, now you are saying I didn't offer you a puppy when in truth you refused it.  so many lies you can't keep them straight. I am not sure if I can up load the original letters from you to this site,  but if I can't anyone who want to see them can email me and I iwll send them to you, you can see first hand what was really said.

Debbie just to refresh your memory, you can go back and read the first reports,I could  repeat it all but there really is no point.

I have no problem admitting that she got 2 shep with HD from the same dad,and you are right debbie if it was 1 in 40 it may not a big deal,  Harley consistantly produced large litters 8-12 in his 11 years of breeding, and YOU have no idea how many have good hips, he may very well have a 1 in 40 or better.......

Pat would have faired out way better had she been upfront with me and kept me informed ,and not lied to me and threatened me etc, and her commment about no one wants to sell to her also proves it is not just me...why doesn't she buy from your breeder?

I have many many  happy puppy owners,and  Yes, I do take it personally, dogs are not just a business to me,they are my family!

Say what you want,anyone who knows me or visits can clearly see the truth ;-)

Pat , have you ever thought that maybe the reason other Breeders won't sell to you is because they read what you are writing.I have never spoken with any other breeders about you so you are on your own there, can't put that blame on me. You are shooting yourself in the foot.

You have contridicted yourself more then once, now you are saying I didn't offer you a puppy when in truth you refused it.  so many lies you can't keep them straight. I am not sure if I can up load the original letters from you to this site,  but if I can't anyone who want to see them can email me and I iwll send them to you, you can see first hand what was really said.

Debbie just to refresh your memory, you can go back and read the first reports,I could  repeat it all but there really is no point.

I have no problem admitting that she got 2 shep with HD from the same dad,and you are right debbie if it was 1 in 40 it may not a big deal,  Harley consistantly produced large litters 8-12 in his 11 years of breeding, and YOU have no idea how many have good hips, he may very well have a 1 in 40 or better.......

Pat would havefaired outway better had she not lied to me and threatened me etc, and her commment about no one wants to sell to her also proves it is not just me...why doesn't she buy from your breeder?

I have many many  happy puppy owners,and  Yes, I do take it personally, dogs are not just a business to me,they are my family!

Say what you want,anyone who knows me or visits can clearly see the truth ;-)

To further respond to MacPhee, our purchase contracts with her state that we could bring the dogs if not satisfied, but when we addressed this with her, she didn't want the dogs back. When we asked what she'd do with the dogs if we brought them back anyway, she didn't respond. She probably would've euthanized them to avoid the major expenses like we have now, which is why we didn't bring them back. Our female German shepherd's Adequan shots alone cost $30/week, but at least she is able to walk better now. To get these weekly shots, it's a half-hour trip each way. Hence, don't accuse us of not religiously taking care of our ailing dogs. The MORAL thing for MacPhee to do is stop the unprofessional bickering and refund half our purchase cost for our female dog. That would be smarter than continuing to dig a bigger hole, which is definitely getting big enough to be MacPhee's "grave".

Yes Debbie, it's definitely wierd that MacPhee says that she has nothing to hide, yet she tries to rationalize how it's our fault that we have two of her dogs with significant hip displasia. In reality, she has everything to hide for running a puppy mill that animal-rights activitists would be appalled at (and hopefully will rally against). Creating animal misery is bad enough, but trying to perpetrate it by blaming others is even worse! MacPhee definitely isn't an animal lover, not to mention her sociopathic nature.

why wouldn't anyone be upset getting 2 dogs from the same breeder with HD......i don't think anyone that seeks out a reputable breeder expects that......

this breed is at risk for HD as well as other genetic issues,......although having two pups out of the same parent with it should require the breeder to look at the results of the breeding and issues from and stop breeding that parent, thats what i would call a responsible breeding program to better the breed.......if the breeder were to breed that same parent and 1 out of 40 pups had HD that would be something that might pop up as a fluke......but two in a short period is a bit unsettling...........

if a gsd were to come out with a genetic issue like (Pannus) and eye issue, most reputable breeders would banish that parent from the breeding program, to keep breeding would be totally unethical.........

Karen did give 1/2 back for the male, but i still don't understand her refusal to give 1/2 back for the female????? these people are spending alot of money to try to preserve this HD issue and keep the dog moving.........they love these dogs and are willing to care for them and give them a chance to live a relatively normal life.......as normal as possible with this genetic issue........its an easy out, to blame HD on inviroment, which is totally ridiculous in this case................and i am always Amazed when i hear this fraze from a breeder "i have nothing to hide" Again, Karen, wouldn't it have been easier to just give back 1/2 which isn't a huge amount of money compared to what these people are going to have to spend for a lifetime maintenance of these dogs?

debbie

I have to agree with MacPhee that German shepherds generally have genetic (hereditary) problems that include hip displasia; that's probably the most-honest thing she has said throughout her vicious attempts to discredit one of her former customers. Indeed, this dog-genetics problem is addressed in the second Darwin Awards book! The customer is always right, so is MacPhee really someone you'd want to deal with? May the buyer beware!

Arguing over moderate vs. severe hip displasia is pointless, as our friend Debbie aptly points out. She had no trouble getting half her money back because her dog had the wrong temperament; that's what professional dog breeders do who care about their reputations more than money. Other dog breeders have provided the guarantee of a free puppy if they provide a dog with significant hip displasia. We weren't able to get such a free puppy from MacPhee, but that's probably meant-to-be because we would've just gotten another dog suffering from significant hip displasia (with resultant high costs to us, not really "free").

We went to Canada to buy two dogs at Diamondsun Kennels because we thought MacPhee was a reputable dealer. But her vicious outbursts to our valid complaint show her true colors and lack of human decency. My advice to her is to go ahead and post our past complaints word-for-word, much of which has already been addressed in our complaints and responses here. When we originally complained to her, she completely stonewalled us because she thought that she could get away with it. Moreover, it's apparent that she takes things very personally, rather than to professionally deal with customer problems.

MacPhee also doesn't deal with reality very well, if that's not totally obvious already. First, the Canadian Kennel Club only investigates complaints if you pay an exorbitant fee. And they normally don't go after bad breeders like MacPhee because that would cost them membership fees, which is a conflict of interest. Second, the Better Business Bureau didn't "agree" with her as she claims, but rather couldn't resolve the problem via mediation. They don't have the regulatory hammer to bring bad breeders like MacPhee in line, as they depend on voluntary good will for their member companies. But MacPhee wouldn't cooperate to resolve our hip-displasia issues.

We were thinking about getting another, hopefully healthier German shepherd puppy from another breeder, but changed our minds because MacPhee has apparently badmouthed us to others. Perhaps such dog breeders also have significant inbreeding problems that they don't want publicized like we've had to do for MacPhee. Again, may the buyer beware!

 Just to respond to Debbie ,  You got 1/2 your money back the same as they did. Very good point!!!!!  That breeder did the same as I did. That is what Pat asked for! I offered a puppy back as per the agreement, on BOTH dogs she declined, her choice. AS for avoiding bad publicity, that wasn't going to happen either way as I have several threating letters from Pat ( which I can post if anyone wants to see them , amazing how nasty and old helpless retired person can be) and she had already contacted the CKC  and the Better Business Brureau ( to no avail as they agreed with the way I handled things) so she was already on her way to try dis-credit me right from the start.  The she stated that I basically convince them to come to Canada is a bold face lie, it was totally by their choice to both purchase and to drive up to pick up their pup. I in no way " convinced " them to make that drive,  I will finish by saying there  is not a GSD breeder alive who has NOT produced HD, the longer you are in it and the more pups you have the more you may see, but as for as HD being hereitry through X-rays we have managed to go from ranking about 3rd to 40th, so progess is being made in the breed.

No point flagging a dead horse

There are just some people in this world you just can't please, no matter what you do!! That is just a fact in life!

i am a friend of Patricia's and know these dogs since they were puppies. i am honestly shocked that this breeder has not been more supportive in dealing with these issues.........

i own gsd's myself and have for years........i am very educated on genetic issues and when i see two puppies from the same parent having HD there is something very wrong..............i find it hard to believe this problem hasn't shown up in other siblings.......alot of buyers are ignorant of such issues and don't x-ray early on to check the hips, if HD is present it may take a few years to show up, and at that point the arthritis sets in, so i am guessing alot of the owners of these siblings are blaming the HD on age or arthritis......

if i had to deal with such issues i would expect a breeder to stand behind what they are breeding and be of some help/support and do the morally right thing........to expect these dogs to be returned and PTS is ridiculous. i would think a breeder would be glad to know someone was willing to keep them, care for them, etc.

i had just purchased a male gsd from a breeder in NH..........he has some temperment issues and when i realized at a year old this was a genetic flaw i contacted the breeder, i wasn't going to give this dog up, i was attatched to him at this point, but it certainly wasn't what i had searched and researched and paid good money for........temperments aren't generally guareteed but she gave me 1/2 my money back because the dog was not what i expected coming from this breeder.........she never got defensive about this problem, she wanted to do the morally right thing and keep her good kennel name............

this is how it should be with breeders, puppies sometimes are a crap shoot, but running a business breeders do need to stand behind what they are breeding, otherwise whats the point...

Pats female is showing lameness already, i feel so bad for her.showing lameness at such a young age is not a good thing, and i cannot imagine what this dog will be like in a few years......the male will soon follow........i think Diamonsun should have just given them 1/2 back for the female as well....it doesn't matter whether they operate or not, they are spending $$$$ on caring for them in the way the chose fit..........being in business myself working with people and being in moral standing is the way a business should be run........Diamondsun could have avoided this bad publicity if she had just complied............

debbie

Here are my comments to the latest diatribe from MacPhee:

1. I agree with her about hating a liar & thief, which is why her business (Diamondsun Kennels) is definitely a puppy mill. We were originally pursuaded to drive into Canada because she was supposed to be better than U.S. breeders of German shepherds, given problems of inbreeding south of the border. Such inbreeding is done to keep a high pedigree, but the downside is that double-recessive mutations can cause problems like hip displasia (& we've probably all seen the movie 'Deliverance' for human examples of the sad problem). Americans no longer need to go north of the border for German shepherds, because things are definitely not better there. In fact, given how venomous that MacPhee is being (the proof is in the pudding with her rednecked responses), I'd also suggest that Canadians go elsewhere. There are certainly better ducks on better ponds.

2. Our present & past complaints & responses have all been reviewed by people in our family with PhDs, including someone who scored A+ in college logic. Hence, it really is laughable when a backwoods puppy-mill breeder tries to convince consumers otherwise with major misspellings, grammatical problems, etc. I'd rather go to an educated breeder myself, & won't make the same mistake again in the future. The advantage that readers have is to NOT make that faux pas in the 1st place.

3. The "confused" responder seems to take what MacPhee says word-for-word. No, our 2 dogs NEVER competed, but we did decide to take them for training when we realized that they needed to keep their joints moving for longer mobility (which wasn't at a young age). Our dogs never were subjected to "Iron Man" training by any means, just the normal stuff that you'd expect dogs to do. But if a consumer really wants to have ailing, in-pain dogs for a BIG challenge, then MacPhee is your breeder. I wonder if the "confused" responder works for MacPhee?

4. Finally, please keep in mind that we've had three other German shepherds over the past two decades, including two western-style ones that lived to old age and one (an eastern-style work shepherd) that we ended up selling to a Maine policeman for anti-terrorist training (something that the dog is pretty good at). Hence, all the crap that MacPhee keeps saying about our dog-raising talents can be safely ignored. Let the buyer beware!

As I wrote in my previous rebuttal, I think the confused one in this matter is you. Did you bother to take the time to read your contract when you purchased your dogs ? It VERY clearly states that it is not a money back guarentee and if your dog has severe HD it will be replaced. From what you have written it seems that there is alot of confusion over the interpretation of the xrays.

You should consider taking the xrays to another vet and having them read, have you ever thought that perhaps your vetis wrong ? If you are that conserned perhaps you should seek another opinion. If you have allready received the moneies back that you asked for don't you think that the breeder has gone above and beyond for you allready ? Remember your contract, no money back ...

I fully ralize it is not an asy thing to deal with as I spoke abut earlier I have a shepherd who has severe HD but he leads a very normal and happy life. I trust my breeder and my vet and both have been very helpful.

You really need to consder what is the best thing for your dogs and stop trying to get something for nouthing and maybe look at where the blame for the HD needs to be redirected. From what I read it appears that part of the reason for it is because of your early age training. Open your eyes you have been dealt with very fairly and in most cases would not have received anything fom the breeder. Count your blessing that you are dealing with one that cares about the welfare and well being of her dogs. 

The money that MacPhee did refund to us (for our younger dog) has gone towards medicine, vitamins, and high-quality dog foods that are benefitting both of our dogs, but our costs are much more than she has offered to cover. Hence, Diamondsun Kennels has displeted our funds, especially considering that we're retired now. Taking advantage of senior citizens is just plain cruel.

 answer for Diamondsun

This statment along shows the dishonesty of these people, unreal just how many times they have contradicted themselves, and they wonder why they cna't make any progress L0L!   They are stating that I only offered them a sum of money when  in truth it was them who ASKED for the the sum of money and I paid it!. Maybe they should have asked for more to start with. ( oh ya, it was for the operation, I was helping to pay for an operation, right, that was it)  , they didn't expect the drugs and dog food to cost more then the operation that never got done  but I  disleted their funds, it was THEIR choice to go this route, not mine!  . And since when has anyone ever sold a dog that they were expected to pay for all the dog food etc they consume? That makes no sense, but then again , what in this case does make sense, You can only con someone until they catch on ( wink)  nice try though! 

Maybe you should go get another job or a hobby or something as you obvisouly have too much time on your hands, If you really want to take the time and ask around instead of makeing up your own tails you will find I am very easy to get along with, I will go out of my way to help someone, and I trust everyone until give a reason not to.  And the 2 things I hate in life is a lier and theif!

When I read the response I actually had to laugh, I mean how childish! IF we can't trust someone because they make a typo, I guess there isn't many people in this world to be trusted. LOL  You went all the angles you could, YOU asked for the money back for your older Shep and I gave you EXACTLY the amount you asked for,but now you complain it wasn't enough, KEEP IN MIND< YOU ASKED FOR THAT AMOUNT, so don't start issues over it now, and you wonder why no one trusts you. LOL forgive me if I still don't trust you when you tell me one thing and do another. You also tell me your dogs are competeing, tracking , Obed etc and chasing frisbies ( which we all know is hard on the joints) etc, but then can't get up in the morning. Have you not read a million times that HD is only considered to be partially hereidary and part ENVIROMENT!!! So when considering the number of offspring Harley has, and the that his hips are OFA rated  GOOD,  it makes a person wonder WHY you got 2. Really make you think, Are they pushing the dogs too hard as pups, it is a know fact you can wear joints out at a young age if exercising too much in the first year, hmmmm interesting concept, but no, you wouldn't be responsible for anything,I am sure your dogs were over 2 when you started working them right? so  lets just blame the breeder. Then factor in that you want $$ back, ( which your agreement states a no money back guarentee, you get a replacement)  but I did try to be nice and give you the money you requested, but then where did that get me?  Why be nice when you slander me and try to discredit me anyways. You tried to cause issues with CKC, they laughed at you, you tried the BBB ( better Business Brureau) They closed the case and said it was a joke,so I guess the whole Army can't be out of Step!!!! And you said your Vet won't do the surgery, well if your dog is in that much pain maybe you should go to another Vet! That dog should NOT be suffering, that is not right!!!!!

Some interesting reading from OFA (((Redacted)))

Controlled exercise is indicated to prevent or relieve the inflammatory process that leads to the pain associated with arthritis. The amount and difficulty of the activity is determined on a trial and error basis. Exercise should start with short leash walks and be gradually increased until the dog reaches the desired level of activity. If clinical signs start to reappear, the amount of exercise is scaled back to a level that will not cause clinical signs.

(((Redacted)))

It is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The degree studied the relationship between the speed of growth of young dogs and the development of common skeletal diseases such as elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia. A common conception is that rapidly-growing breeds have a greater risk of developing certain types of skeletal illness

Anyone who is reading this is more then welcome to contact me with any questions as I have nothing to hide!! I have had Shepherds for 20 years and my incidence of HD is VERY low, but no breeder can ever say they never had a dog with it, it can pop up,even with generation of Good hips, all we can do it our best to prevent it, but it can always be eviromently caused also.  ( and Yes, my left hand types faster then my right so I do make lots of Typo's LOL)

We must respond to the dog breeder (Karen MacPhee) and the apparently satisfied, Canadian customer who is appropriately called "Confused", as follows:

1. Can you really trust a breeder than can't spell or follow basic logic? What's the chances of getting two dogs with the same father (Harley) with significant hip-displasia problems? Statistically speaking, that's not what typical dog breeders deal with; time to learn some genetics! And although MacPhee quibbles over how severe hip displasia is for our two dogs, based on differences among experts, that doesn't change the fact that both our dogs have trouble getting up in the morning, etc. Our providing them obedience, etc. training keeps them active and should allow them to walk longer in their lives; who in their right mind would think that keeping them sedentary would be better for them? If MacPhee really believes this, she definitely makes it obvious that she's running a backwoods puppy mill.

2. The reason that we haven't undertaken surgery for our younger dog is that our veternarian has recommended that we wait until things get worse for him (which we're hoping doesn't happen anytime soon). There is no dishonesty about this decision; we trust our veternarian more than an uncooperative, dishonest dog breeder who prefers to cover up her problems with slander. In contrast, our older dog really is having major walking problems now, but MacPhee hasn't offered to help her in any way, shape, or form. The money that MacPhee did refund to us (for our younger dog) has gone towards medicine, vitamins, and high-quality dog foods that are benefitting both of our dogs, but our costs are much more than she has offered to cover. Hence, Diamondsun Kennels has displeted our funds, especially considering that we're retired now. Taking advantage of senior citizens is just plain cruel.

In sum, we want to make other potential buyers beware, so that they don't run into the same problems. It takes a long time to build up a good reputation, but not very long to destroy it, as Diamondsun Kennels is doing (terrible karma).

Hi,

I would like to Thank all those people who have read the follow allegations about me and took the time to contact me personally to find out the truth. It is easy for people to put reports on this site even if it is wrong or injust, but non the less they are able to do it.  All we can do is smile and think how petty they are to have to try destroys someone  to make them feel better. On the contrary, I have actully sold many dogs /puppies to people who have read this report, so maybe I should be Thanking them  LOL.

Either way, I am glad peopel have the insite to contract me directly to ask questions as I certainally don't mind answering them

Karen J MacPhee

Diamondsun Kennel Reg'd GSDs

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I too have purchased two german shepherd dogs from Karen Macphee. A female and male from the same litter back allmost 10 years ago. We lost our female a year ago due to health issues that had nouthing to do with the breeder. My male is still going strong and is very healty. I found Karen to be very upfront and a very caring breeder. We spent alot of time and effort to find a breeder who was as outstanding as Karen. My question to you is if you were reimbursed by Karen for half of our purchase price to help out with the cost of surgery, why wasn't the surgery done ? If your dog is suffering then why would you not have had it done if she was allready given you back your money ? And then to ask for more ??? This realy doesn't sound like a caring owner to me. I also have a 4 year old german shepherd from a breeder in the US who has been X-rayed and has severe HD. This was found when he was a year old. He still lives a perfectly normal life and shows no ill effects.  You need to reevaluate your thinking.. a german shepherds life span is only 10 to 12 years at best. In my opinion you are looking for something for nouthing and are putting your monatary needs before the health of your dog. To anyone looking for a german shepherd dog if you have any questions please contact me I would have no problem at all recommending Karen MacPhee or Diamondsun Kennels.    

In response to Patricia's claimes she has a written sales agreement that was read adns SIGNED by her, that clearly states the dogs are garenteed and a replacement will be given IF the dogs do indeed have Severe Hip Dysplacia and cannot lead a normal life. In NO WAY have I not lived up to my contract, but in fact she has been trying to chane it to suit herself. Her 2 dogs both have Moderate hip dysplacia as repoted by OFA . OFA is the Foundation used to grade hips and elbows to determine if a dog has good or bad hips and rates them accordinly. The x-rays are read by 3 vets and they have to agree on the final decision regarding the state of the hips. Pat claims that OFA is  wrong and her Vet says they both are severe, so her 1 Vet is a better expert then the 3 who from OFA whose speciality IS grading x-rays?? Not one time but 2 times? Also her dogs that according to her cannot lead normal lives have  completed 3 levels of Obedience and tracking? Interesting isn't it! I did agree when the first dog was brought to my attention to give her 1/2 her money back to do this operation to help her out  as she couldn't afford the operation that he just had to have, now 2 years later I find out he NEVER had the operation at all!!!! Another lie on her part, she didn't even contact me to tell she she didn't do it, just took the money and did nothing. Now that the dog has been dignosed with HD she wants more money. So I am suppose to hand her over more money so she can probably NOT do something again? It would have been one thing IF she did the operation or atleast was up front with me and told me she didn't do it, instead of me having to ask her several time how the operation went before she finally said he didn't have it, as she claims another Vet said he didn't want to do it yet, hmmmmmm another interesting story. She is also bad mouthing Harley saying he is producing all these bad puppies, well I would hope if people are having any problems they would contact me as the ones I have been talking to are more then happy with tehir Harley pups and on more then one occasion have bought a second Harley pup. So to me that is sounding like Slander on her part . Harley is OFA to have GOOD hips and NORMAL elbows. , that is what is recommended for breeding. She got 2 dog which is unfortunate but it is also proven that HD is not totally hereitary, Enviroment also plays a factor, to much exercise to early in life can lead to HD.  Pat also is claiming her dogs will probably only live to be 10 years old, the average life span of a German Shepherd is 10-12 years, so now she is wanting money back on a dogs that are doing Obed, Traking and will probably live it's expected age?

I have many many many more very happy people who just love thier puppies and have had no issues. I am not saying I don't get the odd dogs with HD, EVERY german shepherd breeder does, it is a fact of life that we try to avoid the best we can , and if it does show up we try to work with teh people to do what is best for everyone concerned, ( as in teh case of her first dog) but then you always get that one person that wants to abuse the system. Peple are more then welcome to contact me if htey want more info on this issue, I have nothing to hide ;-)