A puppy may be coming home?

[zippy-kat]

dixie,

i hate to be the __ (looking for the right word), but please remember to keep in contact with the humane societies/shelters in the area... these ppl seem sneaky--wouldn't put it pass them.

{{hugs}}

[lizbud]

Candy,
I believe this to be only a matter of "Contract Law", and
could be settled in small claims court.Small claims(anything
under $2000 ) is handled by this court.No attorney is needed
in this court. I personally would feel better talking to a good
"Contracts" attorney before filing a case in court. They would
need to read the wording in the actual contract. Contract law
is pretty "cut & dried". The Judge would decide whether they
fufilled their end of the contract. It's not up to you to prove
anything. You should however get supporting letters from
the school that the dog attended stateing the class was not
completed. Also the biting & stitches incident should be
verified for the Judge. Don't be too intimidated by the fact
that they are lawyers. "There are lawyers& then there are
Lawyers". They might not know "diddley about"contract law"
My daughter is a very knowledgeable attorney. If you want,
you can e-mail me a copy of the original contract & I will forward
it to her to read & offer advice. All The Best, Liz.

[Dixieland Dancer]

WOW! That would be wonderful. Thanks a lot!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Maybe Liz's daughter will be able to give you some advice.

I do not understand why the owners are being so ugly and misleading. Obviously they do not care enought about the dog if he is too skinny and seems to be aggressive. So, Cooper is staying at a relative's home while they adjust to the new baby? Adjusting to a baby takes alot more time than adjusting to the weather change? So instead of him staying with the relative, why couldn't he have stayed with you so that you can work with him? Do you think they are going to have time to meet with the trainer if they are so busy with the baby?

Why won't they just let him go! Why do they care now all of a sudden?

[Dixieland Dancer]

Originally posted by DoggiesAreTheBest


Why won't they just let him go! Why do they care now all of a sudden?

I wish I knew!

He did say last night when I talked to him that Cooper is no longer skinny. He said they have increased his food and he is at a good weight of about 73 pounds. Dusty is 75 so if he is telling the truth then he is around where he should be. I haven't seen him since Dixie's birthday party and he was VERY skinny then. One way or another, I will be telling them I want to see him.

I am wondering if they have given him to the brother in law permanently and this is just a smoke screen so I won't know. I did tell them after I worked with him, I would try to rehome him in a environment where the people have had experience training dogs in the past so they could make sure he was counter conditioned for his aggressive behavior! Perhaps they understand he will not be having ANY contact with them.

[Dixieland Dancer]

An update!

Liz contacted her daughter (I believe she is a contract lawyer) and forwarded her a copy of the contract that Cooper's owners signed. She said it is an enforcable contract. I will be contacting the State bar association to get a referral and a consultation to see where I can legally go with this.

I will do everything possible to get Cooper back and find him a new home!

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Dixie, good for you, I'm glad you got this information. It sounds to me like they have given Cooper to the brother-in-law, no doubt about it.
I think they were to busy with their corporate lives to bother with Cooper and thought he could take care of himself, or left him to the kids to take care of. I think they felt they were living the perfect life with the house, the kids and the perfect dog only it didn't turn out that way. I do believe the answer is to get Cooper back and see what the problem is and the longer it goes on the worse for Cooper it will get. For goodness sake who knows what they are feeding him for one thing, how did he gain all that weight so quickly. Well, I for one will breathe a sigh of relief when you get him back.
Dixie you are the best.
Jackie

[Corinna]

I know this is going to sound bad,but I think if they are in a very good firm maybe making it uncomfortable for them at work can go a long way. Lawyers need to have their reputations especially in large firms . They are told to deal with personal problems and not let them come to the office. I think I would let them know you will make life uncomfortable if they don't compliy with the contract they signed. I also would put exact times and dates in a regestered letter so they can't say we did't receive any thing . I'd send it to their work that way who ever opens the mail knows too. I also would have all the other puppy owners make statements as to the condtion at the party. If you have pictures of all the dogs at the party get them to geather. I had this problem with a horse not a dog . I avodied court by all the above actions, The guy was worse he was a judge in our county.
Good luck Hope you can get good help from others.

[aly]

Originally posted by Dixieland Dancer
The guy said that Cooper is a big part of their life and they owe it to him to try to work it out. How much more time are they going to waste?

Maybe give them the benefit of the doubt. They made a big step by getting a trainer. I commend them for that. They probably don't think they are wasting time. There might be a chance of fixing the problem. I'm sure the trainer will tell them to spend more time with their dog. This seems like it *could* be a good solution. If it doesn't work, then you could always take him back.

I just think we all have too little details without seeing the situation firsthand. Try not to worry Candy, this could just be blown out of proportion. On the other hand, it might not be so its good that you're prepared to act.

[Albea]

Candy:
I do hope there is a legal solution to this problem. Those people don't deserve the benefit of the doubt. They had you running around in circles for too long. In the mean time, it's poor baby Cooper who has to adjust to new situations. Who knows by now if anything they have told you is the true. They may be counting on the fact that you will not drive four hours (of course they don't know you) to meet with the trainer, if there is a trainer in the picture.
Good luck in your search for a good lawyer.

[kobieeli]

Whew! I just had a marathon reading session getting caught up from the beginning of this thread....

What a horrible situation, Candy. It seems to me that this couple is being difficult just to spite you, that they know they're in violation of the contract, and that they are lying up a storm as well. Why do people go out of their way to get marvelous dogs and then neglect them, mistreat them, and generally make the dogs miserable?

And honestly, if the PARENTS are behaving this way, guess how their CHILDREN will be in another few years! Idiots. They know they have no one to blame but themselves for this problem with Cooper, and they just don't want to face the music and do what's right. (The right thing would also be for the entire family to go through training, not just Cooper--this is hardly the dog's fault!) Instead, now they're scrambling for help, backpedalling on answers, and acting like they care. Right. Too little too damn late.

I hope your meeting with the state bar people goes well today, Candy, because you definitely need to act on this. I know you won't rest until you're at peace with Cooper having the home he deserves.

[AmberLee]

I've lost track. Was the meeting yesterday? Any hope/new status?

[Dixieland Dancer]

The meeting with the trainer is on the 16th. It is a Thursday and will take place about 4 hours from where I live. Unfortunately my co-worker is on vacation this coming week and I am not able to take off. If I was, I would go too! Since there is only two in our department, the boss said no when I asked him if I could take Thursday off also.

I am going to demand that the dog be brought back to the original owners house so I can go see him on the 18th. We will see.

I still have not been contacted by the Contract Lawyers office. I will follow up with that on Monday.

[Pam]

Candy, like Kobieeli I just now caught up with this thread. First of all, let me commend you for calling to check on Copper! That right there shows that you are a breeder who cares about her pups. I doubt that many breeders do that. I have gotten all 5 of my dogs from breeders and only had one follow-up letter. The breeder was being forced out of her home (had been renting and the house was being sold and was going into an apartment.) She had asked me if I could take Whitney's brother because she knew Whitney was in a good home. Unfortunately I couldn't at the time. Anyway, I say all of that only to point out that you are obviously a very caring, concerned breeder (not that anyone on this board needs reassuring!!!)

Secondly the tales this family are spinning are amazing. When I read that their new trainer is in the Guinness Book I almost laughed out loud! Come on! Get real! It sounds to me like the dog has probably been given to the brother-in-law or at least plans are being made along those lines. Just too much is not ringing true here.

Thirdly, I agree with everyone that your contract sounds like your best chance of getting Copper back. The wording in it couldn't be clearer. I do hope that you can work through this legally and be victorious!

Candy, I know how much you love Dixie, Dusty and all of these pups. You must be heartbroken just thinking of the possible damage that has been done in his development. Hopefully things will wrap up quickly and you can get him back and start to repair this damage. The fact that he was in a crate in the basement makes my blood boil!! I will be thinking of you on Thursday and anxiously waiting for your update. Prayers are going up that you will be successful in getting Copper back.

[Pam]

Any news yet Candy? I know yesterday was the meeting between Copper's current owners and the trainer. Did they give you any feedback? Will you get to see him tomorrow? You're in my thoughts!