Tagged: “protect our reputation”

Compelled to respond. . .

4 puppies Lately, we have noticed several untruthful remarks posted to our Facebook page and other places on the internet. We are compelled to respond to these remarks, both because we are committed to provide the best care for the cavaliers in our program, as we have always been, and because we must protect our reputation.  Otherwise, some people might take our silence for acceptance.  It is not.

 
A breeder called and asked that we take title (transfer) of her litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies.  She described symptoms that were consistent with Syringomyelia (“SM”), which is an extremely serious condition in which fluid-filled cavities develop within the spinal cord near the brain.  SM is also known as “neck scratcher’s disease,” because one of its common signs is scratching in the air near the neck.  She sent us video to document her belief that some or all of the puppies from this litter exhibited this symptom.
 
When we picked up the puppies, the breeder transferred title (i.e signed an owner release) to us as is common, for four puppies.  We must have title to the puppies to make sure we have the ability to get them the best possible care.  We immediately took all the puppies to the animal hospital to be vetted, at our expense, including having them examined, diagnosed and treated by some of the best veterinarians in the country.  The veterinarians did not believe that the scratching was due to a vaccine reaction.
 
We also found appropriate, loving foster families for these puppies, which is what Cavalier Alliance does. Contrary to what has been asserted, we do not, and did not, sell these puppies. Any assertion to the contrary is false.
 
Shortly after we began working with these sick puppies, we were contacted by the breeder who wanted the puppies back. At first, she offered to buy them, and for a substantial amount of money. When we refused, she hired a lawyer, which is her right, and brought a lawsuit to try to compel us to get them back.
 
The easiest thing for us to do would have been to sell them back to her and take the money.  We chose not to take the easy way out though, for three reasons:
 
– First, we were very concerned about the health of these puppies when they came to us.  They obviously had not been properly vetted, if they had been vetted at all.  It was also evident that they were suffering from symptoms that were indicative of dermatologic and neurologic issues (consistent with SM).  Their condition had to be properly diagnosed and treated by a veterinarians and specialists- once again this had not been done before we received them.
 
– Second, one these puppies had actually been sold by the breeder to an unsuspecting person who soon recognized that the puppy was ill.  That person should have been told of the symptoms in advance of the sale. The buyer returned the sick puppy to the breeder and this was one of the four puppies that were transferred to us.
 
– Finally, we do not sell puppies and we were not about to start.  We were getting increasingly concerned that there was an effort to hide the condition of these puppies, which is not right, in our view. We were committed to getting these puppies the best veterinary care we could and providing them with loving families if we could, and were not willing to sacrifice these principles for money or to advance ulterior motives of others.
 
That unfortunately necessitated us hiring our own lawyer to defend the lawsuit brought by the breeder.  After all, just as the breeder was entitled to counsel, Cavalier Alliance was, as well.  We decided to pay for legal counsel rather than accept a substantial offer from the breeder to take these puppies back, because we had no confidence that the puppies would be treated properly or that the breeder or others might not attempt to profit unfairly from the situation.
 
We are  happy to report that the lawsuit ended quickly with a judgment in our favor.  This was not a settlement – the breeder’s lawsuit was dismissed and a judgment entered against her.  We are happy to supply anyone who wishes with a copy of the judgment.
 
We are  distressed that we had to spend so much time on this, and that we were  compelled to write this lengthy description of events.  But these are the facts, the truth, and we could not remain silent while others were saying untrue things about us.  We hope that this is the end of this and that we can all get back to spending our time on caring for these beautiful cavaliers, who need and deserve our love and attention.