my sister got a cocker puppy a few weeks ago.when she took it to vets last week they saw it was going blind in 1 eye.she went back to the breeder as vet said it was born with it and was passed on from mum or dad.
when she told them they said they couldnt help as the dogs wasnt theres they just looked after them for someone else and gets some money from the pups for doing so(it was her name on pedigree form).there was about 7 springers and 6 cockers plus 1 lab.
only after tempers got rasied did they phone the man who owns the dogs he has agread to give my sister her money back wanted her to leave dog with them and hed send money on of course she didnt and hes got to fetch dog from her at weekend.but he said he would keep the dog him self to breed from.this whole set up seems very wrong to be.would just like to here others veiws on this.
my sister is heart broken she went without so much to save for this pup and has put alot of work into her.her 4 year old boy will also be most upset when she goes

Anybody can put their name on the pedigree form, how about kennel club documents? did she have those for the pup, if so I think I would make sure I let the kennel club know the problem and the names of the stud/bitch in question, obviously the proper checks on mum and dad hadn't been done

have not yet seen k.c forms.said not ready yet didnt think anything about it at time as my friend reg her pups at same time and hadnt had hers back.
we was going to let kennel club know.

Your sister has bought a puppy from something like a 'puppy farm'. The blindness (which name escapes me at the moment) is an inherited problem and, I think, that it is more than likely that the dog will go completely blind. If your sister returns the dog, it sounds like she will be put back into the 'breeding programme' or sold again.

I rescue cockers and have contacts with small rescues who will make sure that she is looked after for life. I know your sister will lose money by not returning her, but the dog is likely to lose much more. Please contact me - for more advice if nothing else.

yes vet did say she would go completely blind.she didnt want her to go back to breeder,as they wanted to use her in breeding,and she didnt want anyone to go though what she is at moment.
i will talk to her tomorrow and let you know, she would prefer for her to go to a loving home rather than back to those people.
its took her a long time to save up for this pup as a single mum of two (this is why she cant keep a blind dog)shes finding it it very hard and has not yet told her son that his puppy has got to go to a new home

she is most upset she brought a puppy from a bad breeder,even more now you said they are a puppy farm.
how do you know the diffrence between a small breeder and a puppy farm.

A 'small breeder' is very unlikely to have as many dogs as that, for a start! The dogs are likely to be housepets who also get shown - I would expect the breeder to proudly show rosettes etc won by the dogs. Was there any evidence of this? Did she see the certificates stating that both sire and dam had no eye problems?

hi the cocker was a working spaniel,she didnt know they had to be tested for their eyes.
we didnt see all the dogs as mum and pupies was in house so we had no reason to think she had all the outhers outside.
we was shown working trails papers.
this was a very expensive lesson for my sister who has now got to go without again to get her son a puppy.

Sadly your sister is paying the price for not buying from a specialist, reputable breeder. A good Cocker breeder will often be involved in showing/working their dogs & will make sure at the very least that both parents of a litter have been annually eye-tested for PRA. They will also generally be a member of at least one Cocker Spaniel Club (all club members agree to follow a code of ethics for responsible breeding) Your sister's puppy cannot have PRA as he/she is too young, so I'm assuming the blindness in one eye must be due to a congenital cataract (congenital cataracts are under investigation in Cockers but the mode of inheritance is not known yet) If the other eye is healthy, then it should be possible for this dog to lead a reasonably normal life & there are many owners who would be willing to take on a partially blind puppy. Cocker Rescue has successfully rehomed a number of totally blind Cockers in the past - get your sister to ring Mrs White (Cocker Rescue) if she needs further advice. Her tel no is 01929 552863. Obviously, from a legal point of view, your sister is entitled to return the puppy & claim a refund from the seller (not the breeder), but knowing this pup could end up being bred for profit by someone so suspect would make me think very hard about handing the pup back.

If you want to contact me privately, I could let you know whether this seller/breeder is known in Cocker circles - most of the puppy farmers are known to us. There is also a TV programme currently researching puppy farms/irresponsible breeding & the producers may be interested in your sister's story.

Jane

will contact you when i have more details.
thankyou for your help and as i said before she does not want this pup to go back to the breeder.will give rescue a call and see if they can help.

Only a small number of Working Cocker breeders eye-test their dogs as many of them don't believe there are eye problems in working lines - your sister's pup certainly proves this isn't the case doesn't it? A further contact for you is Mrs Rhodes who is Cocker Rescue Officer for Working Cockers specifically - her tel no is 01273 890701. I understand she is very knowledgable & helpful in relation to Working Cockers.

Classic puppy farm story. they always say there looking after them , i had a cocker exactly same. fortunaly i learnt quick to buy from a breeder but often they lie:( just like this