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McG Shepherds Plus William Keiser, Janice McGivney-Keiser Dog breeder sold defective Australian Shepherd puppy and refuses to take responsibility Internet
In May 2011, we purchased an Australian Shepherd puppy from McG Shepherds Plus after finding McG Sheperds Plus on the United States Australian Shepherd Association's website. Within twenty-four hours after picking up the puppy, we had to bring him to a veterinary hospital where he spent the next twenty-four hours in intensive care. At the time, the breeder blamed us for the incident even though the doctors confirmed that the dog must have been sick at the time we picked up the puppy. Rather than working with us, the breeder deflected all responsibility and told us that we spent too much money on the puppy's emergency veterinary care.
Several weeks later, the puppy showed signs of a neurological problem when he started wobbling and his eyes rolled back continuously for a period of time. We rushed the dog to the vet and were able to save his life. We subsequently consulted a neurologist who was unable to pinpoint the cause of the problem without putting him under for an MRI. Given the age of the puppy at the time, neither we nor the vet thought that this was a safe procedure. The puppy recovered from these symptoms. The breeder had advised us of similar symptoms that occurred before we picked up the puppy but told us that her veterinarian had given the dog the "all clear."
When the puppy was five months old, he was diagnosed with cataracts in both of his eyes. We had noticed that he was slowly losing his vision. He underwent cataract surgery, which cost approximately $6,000, to save his vision, and he likely will need additional surgery to fully restore his vision. The opthamologist advised us that the cataracts were a congenital defect and that we should advise the breeder so that the breeder could warn the owners of the puppy's brothers and advise them to have their dogs' eyes examined. Rather than doing so, the breeder told us in a letter that we were at fault for the cataracts and may have exposed the puppy to "new environmental undertakings" or "treat[ment by] veterinarians [who] are not in tune with drug sensitivities etc[.] for the specific herding breeds . . . ."
Over the course of our short period of ownership of this otherwise wonderful puppy (who now is six months old), we also had other problems with the breeder, including problems obtaining the dog's AKC papers in a timely manner because the breeder was engaged in litigation with the sire's owner or owners. We were not advised of this legal issue at the time that we picked up the dog. The breeder also has lied to us in email and phone correspondence about this litigation and our knowledge thereof.
During our phone, email and personal interactions with the breeder, we dealt exclusively with Janice McGivney-Keiser but, when we picked up the puppy and signed the contract, learned that she was not the owner of the dog. Instead, her husband, with whom we had no interaction, was the owner.
We are filing this Ripoff Report to warn potential dog buyers and to caution them against purchasing a puppy from this breeder.