# Dishonest Cockapoo Breeder - Ellensburg, WA



## lb105 (Feb 19, 2010)

DISHONEST Cockapoo breeder in Ellensburg, WA. 
We put down a $200 deposit on a 3 wk old cockapoo with KC Cockapoos, who advertised AKC champion parents, OFA, CERF, and Patella cleared. Two days before I picked up the puppy they told me I could have my choice between 2 remaining females. The day I got there they said they sold the other female and I had no choice, this puppy or none (4 days later I verified she still had 2 females available). When I saw the puppy in comparison with the other puppies it appeared there was something wrong with her rear end, and she was the runt (breeder said she was “right in the middle”) to boot. We took her to a vet who said her tail was docked really short. She also has a “roached” back and her legs tuck under her toward her belly instead of under or behind her rear perhaps a fallback from the tail docking? Basically her tail is docked almost completely off. When I asked the breeder about the tail docking and for the paperwork on AKC, CERF, etc. she got very defensive and told me to “shut up or pay up” and “this transaction is done” and refuses to give me any paperwork. Please don’t email that this is a mutt. We knew that and welcomed it going into the deal, just wanted good breeds behind the mutt, but never had a small dog or even one with a docked tail so didn’t know what to look for! I wonder if anyone has any ideas at what we are looking at down the road in terms of the short tail docking and the itching (no fleas, but she was pretty grimy). Also where we can report dishonest breeders like this (not a puppy mill, just liars). At this point we are taken with this puppy and she with us. Thank you!


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

Ugh, that's awful that that happened to you. There's a website called ripoff report and I would post everything on there. I've seen the report about breeders come up on the first page of google searches for them.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

On my dog Jack there is no tail there is actually an indent where it should be, he was docked. On Kechara her tail is 3 vertibre long she was docked. On Hawkeye his tail is one (maybe two) vertibre long, he is a docked natural bob. NONE of my dogs have issues with their back and I have personally never seen issues with a well done dock. Now if the tail is wretched out to place and mamed duing the process by an inexperianced person ther is no telling what could happen. IF you haven't gotten this pup yet or even if you Just got it I would sue the breeder for misreprisentation and selling a "lemon" if they have puppy lemon laws in your area.


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## Locke (Nov 3, 2008)

Cockapoos are not recognized by the AKC, so that's probably why you won't be getting any paperwork. 
As long as the spine was not damaged by the short dock, and as long as the dock healed properly, there shouldn't be future problems with the dock. The itching could be a food allergy or environmental allergy, it could also be the beginnings of a bacterial skin disease. Did the vet do any skin tests or say anything about that?
I find it hard to believe that the breeder did OFA and Cerf and patella testing when the puppy is in such bad condition. 
Be prepared for medical issues in the future. Start putting aside money just in case.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

All I had to read was "Cockapoo Breeder" and a "DUH!" came out of my mouth. No responsible breeder would breed MUTTS. That;s all a Cockapoo is is a mutt. It is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle. Mutt in every sense of the word. When you are dealing with Breeders of MUTTS you are about 99.9% of the time going to run into bad people.

If you want a good mutt, check out Petfinder and find one, don't support people who are breeding dogs just to make money because THAT is what you are doing. There are very VERY few breeders out there that are breeding these mutts with any regard to health. Money, money and more money is all they want.

Do NOT buy from these type of breeders! You are only supporting their money grubbing ways. Sorry you got burned, but I kind of expect it from these type of people. Hope you learned your lesson and don't make the same mistake twice.


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## lexilu (Jun 26, 2008)

lb105 said:


> She also has a “roached” back and her legs tuck under her toward her belly instead of under or behind her rear perhaps a fallback from the tail docking? Basically her tail is docked almost completely off.


I have a cockapoo. She too had her tail docked very short. But I may not have been used to a docked tail, having a Golden Retriever with a long sweeping tail. Lexi's nub of a tail is about 1 inch long if that, but I let the fur grow to give the illusion that it is a bit longer. Her docked tail does not affect her in the least. Did your vet say anything about her legs or rear end being abnormal? As long as the pup checks out ok, I wouldn't be concerned about the tail.


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

Do you have any pics of your pup to share with us? And do you have any pics of her tail? I have never heard of a tail dock being too short and I've seen dogs with absolutely nothing. Rotts and Ausies are commonly dock down to stubs without a problem. Does your vet have any experience with tail docking? Often times if they don't it's because they are adamantly against it and their judgement toward the procedure is often clouded by their emotions. Given your interactions with the breeder we could speculate at the possibility that the dock was done incorrectly and somehow caused her current problems. But the more likely scenario is that you got your dog from a poor quality unscrupulous breeder and that the short tail dock is just coincidental to all her other problems. Unfortunately this is a risk when you don't fully research your breeder, and mixed breed breeders are even more risky to deal with. As the others said please report this breeder to the rip off report and the better business bureau. You could also try taking her to court for fraud and selling a sickly puppy. Hopefully you've learned something from all of this and will be more diligent when researching your breeders in the future. For anyone considering buying a dog from a breeder, you should always get copies of the health & registration paperwork before paying and NEVER give a deposit that is non refundable or transferable.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I have no suggestion on recourse but this is why you ask for CERF, OFA etc. before you see the puppy, before you even put a deposit down. 

What is done is done.. I would take out a PetPlan Health Insurance policy on your new puppy and do it now. IF you don't need it after your dog is 2-3 years old, you can always cancel it. 

Good Luck with your puppy. If you ever get another dog I suggest either a recognized breed or a shelter dog.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

lb105 said:


> When I asked the breeder about the tail docking and for the paperwork on AKC, CERF, etc. she got very defensive and told me to “shut up or pay up” and “this transaction is done” and refuses to give me any Thank you!


It appears you know this is a mixed breed dog; what AKC paperwork are you expecting? The parents might be a cocker spaniel and a poodle but the offspring are nothing but mutts. Nothing wrong with mutts but I don't understand what good AKC paperwork does you


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## lb105 (Feb 19, 2010)

Thanks for all the reply's, especially about the tail docking. I will look into the health insurance. I've learned a lot through this experience, and just pray this little dog lives a long healthy life. She is a sweet playful little girl!


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