Complain about a product or service

National Breeders Association

Middletown, NJ

Hannah of Hayward CA (09/15/06)
We purchased a beautiful Boxer November 2, 2004 from National Breeders Associaton in Middletown, NJ. From day one he was aggressive towards us and got along horribly with all other dogs. We were told he was 8-9 weeks old, until they conveniently wrote 11 weeks on the papers as I was paying for him. He had kennel cough when we brought him home, however, National Breeders Assn. said this was to be expected. Our dog also had diarhea for the first six months of his life. We tried every food out there; hard, soft, organic, expensive, cheap, and nothing seemed to help very long. Finally a vet told us he probably had a mild case of Cholitis.

Heather of Jersey City NJ (3/5/05):
My husband and I went to National Breeders to look at a Cairn Terrior. When we got there, they put us in a room to play with the puppy. He was so cute! While playing with him the puppy had a slight cough, which the guy informed us was nothing. And if the vet said it needed medicine they would pay for it. After starting with a price well over $2,000 and going down to $1000, we decided to buy the puppy. They assured us that the dog was not from a puppy mill!

The puppy came home and his cough worsened, so on Tuesday morning I rushed him to the vet. The vet informed me that he had an upper respiratory infection and his stool showed he had a protazoan. He gave us medicine and sent us home with no charge. The puppy had been at my home for about 5 days and had not eaten anything, so I called the vet again. He assured me the puppy would start eating, but to go ahead and bring him in the next day.

When I got home that day the puppy was laying on his side with foam coming from his mouth. I immediately rushed him to the vet! The vet gave the puppy fluids and sugar, which made him much better. He told me he would have to keep him overnight to see what would happen. That night he called to tell us the puppy had become critically ill again and to call him tomorrow morning. I immediately called National Breeders who informed me that I could bring the puppy to their vet and it would be free of charge or receive reimbursement. They seemed to care more about the financial aspect than the welfare of the puppy.

The next day when I went to vet to check on the puppy he was doing much worse. The vet told me that he needed to put be put to sleep, because he was in severe pain and very ill. My sweet little puppy that I had for only five days was gone! When I called the breeders, crying, I told them that the puppy had to be put to sleep, he had a liver shunt (congenital defect). The owner informed me that the vet could not do that and I needed to return the puppy. I was so upset! I took the phone to the vet who argued with the breeder, the breeder said he had to make some calls and let him know what to do. The puppy was crying so hard in the back I could not stand it. The vet decided he would just put him to sleep and if he had to he would return the puppy to their vet (ironically his twin brother is one of National Breeders' vets) and tell them he died of natural causes. Luckily, the breeder called a few minutes later to inform him he should put the dog to sleep and just send reports of the blook work!

After all this trouble, I wanted to find out where this dog had come from. He had been sent from Atoka, Oklahoma. I called my mother, who lives in Oklahoma, and asked her to go and check the place out. Luckily Atoka is a small town and it was easy to find them. She called in tears, she said it was a horrible place, a puppy mill! I was angry! I have contacted National Breeders to get a refund and the owner has given me no problems.

George of Newfield NJ (12/5/04):
We bought a puppy on 10/02/04. It had a cough so we took our puppy to the vet, he said he had kennel cough and gave her meds. I called the breeder and informend them of what has happened. After her meds, she got worse. She had a lung infection and needed to stay in the hospital for four days. We did this because by now we love her. So $850 later, I sent all the paperwork and asked when I would get my money back.

They said I needed a letter from my vet, so I'm waiting for the vet to send a letter to them.

Elizabeth of Highlands NJ (11/19/04):
The dog got sick shortly after purchase with kennel cough. I still haven't been reimbursed by their insurance company. The dog is aggressive and has bitten me twice and ripped my clothes. He even tried to bite the trainer. He barks excessively and I have been warned by the condo association about it.

I was told by the salesman that this is a good dog to train to go in a litterbox. The dog is defecating all over the house and urinating. He has even ripped up my sofa. The salesman told me he would only be five pounds, he is well over eight pounds and is still growing. I saw on "Dateline" a segment about how this breeder gets their puppies from a puppy mill. These people are no better than used car salesmen!

The vet told me he has severe behavioral problems that needs long term attention, there is no quick fix. The owner refuses to reimburse me. He told me that training would solve the problem, but I have already had the dog to training twice and I am doing everything they tell me to do with no luck. I suffer from anxiety due to the death of my brother in the World Trade Center. I thought a little dog would alleviate some of the anxiety. Yeah right, this is the puppy from hell.

Melisssa of Wall NJ (11/4/04):
I purchased a boxer puppy from Natinal Breeders on Oct. 1st. I noticed when I had her in the cubicle to play that she had diarrhea and was shaking her leg. I asked about it and she said it was from the deworming meds. And her leg seemed to be from scratching. Well I took her to the vet on their list for a free visit within the time for the guarantee on Oct 4th. The vet said she has kennel cough and was "unfit for sale".

I found out she is from a puppy mill called I Love My Puppy, associated with Petland. They told me they got her from a breeder in Kanasas. Well that's not true -- she is from Missouri, as I found out from her microchip. Also I asked for the AKC papers and they said they didn't have them yet, it would take 2 months. As of now which has been a month I have not seen any reimbursement for my vet bills as promised. She also had tapeworms. Did I mention the dog was $1755.00?

Lauren of Middletown NJ (7/19/04):
My boyfriend and I had purchased a puppy from this store july 14th 2004 upon arrival home the dog started acting very sick. After a trip to the vet I was told the dog should not have been sold to us due to advanced kennel cough and possibly fluid in the lungs, a letter of "unfit for sale" was prepared. After this I returned to the pet store and spoke with one of the owners. When I had told him I met several other people who were waiting for reimbursement months after the fact the owner assured me of a refund in 8 weeks. I declined and thought he was solely responsible for this since the dog was sold to me sick.

I told him what a horrible business he was running and told him I would let everyone know not to buy a puppy from here. He informed me I was only 23 and did not know enough people to hurt him and if he lost my business it didn't matter. He told me to just return the dog like it was a shirt or something. After feuding back and forth over this poor sick puppy he thought he was doing me a favor by sending me to a vet who, come to find out, is the doctor that examines these dogs initally and that this store has some type of agreement. So after him making me believe he did me some sort of favor, he really just sent me 20 minutes out of my way to one of his buddies to patch this dog up.

As sick as this dog is and as much as its taken to nurse him since he won't eat or drink and coughs constantly I would not give this dog back to a company who treats its animals so poorly.

The dog was $2,800.00 originally but we walked out with only paying $1,599.00 strangley enough but on a payment plan with an out-of-control interest rate of 24 percent that only brings us up to that cost again. The money we have spent over the last couple days between bringing the dog back and forth and all sorts of vitamins and supplement and other products to try and nurse this dog is unreal.

Howard of Elizabeth NJ (1/18/04):
My wife and I financed a Maltese pup for $1,699 and when we got the puppy home he wouldn't eat. We tried every kind of food for 2 days and then we decided to take him to the vet. The vet told up that the puppy suffered from an upper respiratory infection and at that time he could give us an unfit certificate or we could try the antibiotics for 7 days and then return to him when the medicine was finished.

In my contract it stated that I could have the puppy treated at no charge and be reinbursed any medical bills. When I contacted National Breeders and told them about what happend to my puppy they immediately said bring the puppy in so that they can care for the puppy at no charge to me. But they also gave me a credit slip as a receipt for the puppy. They have had my puppy for 3 days and have failed to call me with any updates.

Jacqueline of Toms River NJ writes (1/29/03):
On January 4, 03 I purchased from the National Breeders Association in Middletown a Silky Terrier. The dog cost me $1,600. I was under the impression that this was a reputable business and all dogs came from reliable breeders and not puppy mills. I have had my dog for 4 weeks now. He is a biter, growler, humper and cannot be paper trained. We are taking him for training on Saturday the 2/1/03 for the biting problem, however, I do not think it can be rectified. The dog is spiteful and bold for his size.

I am a 65 year old widow who was looking for a small, loving lap dog, instead I got a small dog that thinks it is a pit bull. I went into my savings to buy this dog and found out I just threw away $1,600. Something I didn't have to lose in the first place. It's worse than gambling in Atlantic City.

The damage that resulted from this purchase is the fact that I lost $1,600. which would have been worth the investment had I had a dog that would have been my companion. The second is the bites I have had on my arms and legs from this puppy who just will not obey and is afraid of nothing. I am a diabetic and can not afford to be bitten by a dog. I wanted a loving companion dog and nothing more. I haven't even attempted to return the dog because I know what their policy is, after two weeks forget it. So I have. He probably will end up in the pound and I will be out a great deal of money which I really can't afford to lose at 65 years old. Everyday, another lesson is learned.

Holly of W. Conshohocken, PA, writes (1/2/03):
I bought a puppy on the 23rd of November and noticed on that day in the store that the puppy had a severe cough. I told the woman that was showing us the dog and she told me that the puppy was fit for sale and that the vet had just seen him.

So we bought the puppy and by the next day, his cough had gotten much worse (it sounded like a smokers cough, but with lots of phlegm). Once I arrived home in PA on the 30th, I called my local vet and made an appt. His diagnosis was that the puppy had bronchitis and needed medicine. I then called the store where I bought the puppy and told them that the puppy was sick and asked them what I needed to do to get reimbursed. The woman that I spoke to said that I needed to submit the bill to Sue in their billing department as soon as I could.

The following Friday, I hand-delivered my vet bill to their store in Middletown, NJ. The person at the desk told me that it would take 10 business days for me to get remibursed. So I waited 13 days and still had not heard from them. I then called Sue in the billing department and asked what was going on with my claim. And she told me that I had not submited everything that needed to get submitted, and that I was missing a written letter from my vet saying that the puppy was unfit for sale.

I told her that when I called to ask what needed to be sent they only told me to send the vet bill. Then I told her that I would get the note from my vet and get it to her as soon as possible. So on the 19th of December, I picked up the letter from my vet and faxed it over to her. After faxing it to her on the 19th of December, I then waited 10 days and still did not hear from her, so I called and asked what was going on with my claim and she then proceeded to tell me that she could not reimburse me becase the dates differed on the documents and that it was past the time frame that they could remimburse me.

She sat on my information for 35 days, without any contact. She knew when I first submited my bill that there was info missing. Why would she not call me to let me know? I spent a fortune on the little puppy; it is the least that they could do. If I had bought the puppy in PA, the "puppy lemon law" would require them to remimburse me. They had my bill on the 29th of December which clearly states that the puppy had some sort of illness.

Amy of Oceanport, NJ, writes (10/29/02):
They sold me a purebred pug from a puppy mill that got sick with kennel cough, then it got pneumonia in his right lung and we had to give him back to the pet store for our money back. My emotional damage was and is horrible. I fell in love wth my dog and then only to find out that he got sicker was even worse and we couldn't afford to medicate him so we had no choice but to return him. I have been upset about it ever since.

Agatha of Middletown, NJ, writes (5/3/02):
On Saturday, April 13, 2002 I purchased a male Shih Tzu puppy, which was born on 2/17/02. Not even 8 weeks old. They have given me false information on their form ie., breeder's name and kennel; Reg. #'s of the sire and dam. I have contacted the kennel in question, but they do not deal with National Breeders Association.

I further contacted the American Kennel Organization and the registration numbers that they gave me are not AKC registration numbers. I further contacted a Breeder in NJ and he stated that the National Breeders Association is a puppy mill and the puppies they carry are not AKC fit.

I purchase the puppy for $950.00, which they probably paid less than $50.00 for. They originally quoted me $3,299.00. $950.00 is a very large sum to pay for a puppy and I cannot show the dog and it isn't full breed nor registered with AKC.

Chris of Shrewbury, NJ (11/17/01):
I bought a puppy from "National Breeders," which is really just a pet store. I relied on their guidance as expert "breeders" but what I got were hard-sell tactics. We bought a puppy (Lab) for $1,000 and brought it home. Our cat (quite large and territorial) attacked the dog, and proceeded to urinate and defecate about the house, and destroy our furniture. My wife who was 6 months pregnant at the time and I decided this was not a healthy situation and regretfully returned the puppy.

We were offered a credit which I begrudgingly accepted. After researching legitimate "breeders" and how they would have reacted to us as potential dog owners, their responses were overwhelmingly against us owning a dog at that time. We lived in a very small house with no yard, we both commuted to work full time, we had a cat with a history of aggression towards other animals, and we were pregnant! I clearly communicated all of our qualifications (ie small house, cat) to National Breeders who had us believe that we were the perfect candidates for a puppy - they said we need only walk the dog twice a day for 15 minutes, and that it was a great time to break in a dog before the baby came. The even went so ar as to claim that "the cat would become the dog's best friend!"

Despite my explanation that the cat situation was unhealthy for my family (any doctor will strictly order any pregnant woman to stay away from cat waste (no cleaning the litter box) because they can contract something called Toxoplasmosis which can deform or kill the unborn baby) the owner would not let me out of a contract stipulation on the sales receipt that allowed for store credit only for returned puppies. I explained to him that I had only had the puppy for a few hours, was returning him in perfect condition for resale, and could not use a credit since it was obvious I could not have a dog in my house with the cat.

The owner replied, "you made an adult decision to buy the puppy now you must live with it...go try and sell the credit." After almost 2 years and about $300 spent on newspaper ads, I have yet to sell this credit. I almost sold it twice to people that I know, but they both pointed out some small-print on the credit that stipulates it only be used toward a "special order" puppy. When I clarified with the owner, this means that they order the breed of your choice for you upon redemption of credit. Who would possibly buy a puppy that they can't see first?

Misug of Brick, NJ (10/04/01):
On Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001, my sister and I went to National Breeder Association looking to possibly purchase a puppy. We saw a Pekingnese puppy that I liked, so a sales rep. by the name of Shelly took us into a cubicle where we could sit and play w/ the puppy. She then came in and explained some of the "warranties" to us.

Of the various warranties she had conveyed to us, one in particular was regarding a 30-day money back guarantee if anything didn't work out with the puppy in our house. This was mentioned in response to my concern with purchasing a puppy that possibly would not be acceptable in my parents' house in which I live. I told Shelly about my hesitancy about my parents, particularly my father. During the course of our conversation, not once was it clearly stated or stressed that any money put down would be an absolute committment to buy.

The sales rep was very anxious to sell us the puppy -- she practically slashed the price in half. She also kept stressing to leave a deposit of a significant amount. So therefore, upon discussion with my sister and our understanding of the 30 day warranty, I put a $300.00 deposit down to hold the puppy, until I paid the rest of the deposit. ALthough at the time I was aware that the deposit was non-refundable, I was sure of the 30-day warranty as a back up, so I still left the deposit. We left the store at closing time which was approximately 5:00 pm. When I got home and told my parents about my purchase of the puppy, my father forbade a dog entering his house.

At this point, I had no choice in the matter. I couldn't contact the pet store to inform them that I couldnt make the purchase after all because they had already closed for the day. The next day, Monday Oct. 1st, my sister called up National Breeders and explained my situation to one of the reps who had answered the phone. She told my sister that she couldn't refund my money, but would have to speak to the owner, who would not be there until Wed. My sister told her that I would not be purchasing the puppy and to take the puppy off of hold for it to be sold to someone else and we would discuss the matter of the refund when the owner came in.

I called the following day to see if the owner would perhaps be in, but he wasn't. I called the next day and left a message with one of the owners, Joe, to call me at work. Within some time, I received a call back from Joe and then started explaining the unforeseen circumstances in which I could not purchase the puppy and asked for a refund of my deposit. He denied me my refund on the basis of the store's policy. However, I explained to him that regardless of the policy, I did not physically take possession of anything, and I was in good faith notifying them as soon as possible so that they wouldnt hold the puppy that I couldnt take. In addition, I thought it would be better that I cancel the agreement rather than take the puppy home and obtain my money back under the 30-day warranty. However, when I mentioned the above, the owner denied any warranty and insisted that they could not give my money back under any circumstances.

Basically, I feel that they just took my money.

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