Beware of pups from Vom Vollkommen Kennel in Amarillo Tx - Page 2

If one is a member of the GSDCA and wants to be listed as a signer of the Breeder's Code, that person must offer a written guarantee with every sale. It's  up to the member what that guarantee says. In some AKC breeds it is almost impossible to sell a dog unless the seller offers a written guarantee. Good and bad I think.

Most every dog breeder I know personally offers some sort of contract; it might be something as basic as guaranteeing the health of the dog for a limited period of time. The few I know who don't offer contracts sell all their dogs for the same low price. They might suggest to a buyer which dog might fit them best, but in the end the buyer makes the final decision.

Most contracts that I have seen don't offer a replacement on the replacement. The breeder is hardly my definition of a backyard breeder just from looking at her dogs. They are titled, breed surveyed and x-rayed. This was horrible luck. Unfortunately breeders don't have crystal balls and genetics is not black and white. There is an inherent risk when buying a live animal be it a dog, cat, horse, goat, bird, fish etc. Sorry for your losses.

Yep, puppies are a crapshoot. We all take a risk every time we purchase a puppy, My suggestion would be to try to find a 1-2 year old; even from this kennel you are talking about that has been at lease Preliminary x-rayed. Good luck. Nan

First, I apologize for (edited) breeder comment. But I looked for over a year here and overseas to find the right pup and and yet now we have back to back tragedies - I don't expect that to happen from a knowledgable breeder. Second, the callousness of the entire situation/industry - we are so sorry, BUT if the replacement pup is defective we are so sorry again but tough luck. As far as we are concerned we are dealing with family members - and if the first doctor tells you I committed malpractice so won't charge you for the 2nd operation - BUT IF I screw that up too you're on your own. This is absurd! I admit I'm old school - if I cause the problem or pain I feel terrible and will do any and everything I can to make it right. I don't want another dog from Vollkommen, even though none was offered, and you obviously can understand why. I also don't give a hoot about the money we've invested in both dogs - it's about principle. A simple heartfelt "what can i do to make it right and perhaps ease your pain" would have gone a long ways. But the real irony is the kennel keeps your money even though they provided the defective pups - really? Regarding food, we used Sam's Exceed for Izzy per Terry's written instructions and I've always second guessed that. For Chica it's been IAMS for the most part - she eventually got tired of it. Lastly, and hard to swallow- we are done with German shepherds and that's the only dog i have ever owned.

A buddy of mine had a 8 month old pups prelims everything looked great 3 months later the pup hips where shot. Come to find out the women who purchased the pup had a 9in lift on her truck and let the dog jump in and out of it's kennel daily. Not saying that this is the case here, but I wonder how much environment plays apart of it

Just a comment IMO those 2 foods are awful!! I would never in a million years consider them to raise a pup on let alone an adult. Years ago, many, I bought a pup and had her shipped to me. Sire was OFA excellent, dam was "a" fast normal. Her mother was fed the old (that's all their was in this brand) Diamond formula with corn, soy protein etc during her pregnancy. The pups were raised on it. This pup was about 12 weeks old when we got her. She had severe HD diagnosed at 10 months of age but never clinical signs. Of course she was spayed. Her brother's hips were the same. Mine had good elbows, he did not. I never got a puppy back but she ended up living till 12 1/2 and was hands down the best dog I have ever owned.

Never thought I would see this kind of post about this breeder. Terry is one of the most honest, ethical, knowledgeable, and hard working breeders out there. I would also suspect environmental causes. If you are looking to breed, get a bitch that is old enough to have passed certification, as someone suggested earlier.

Hugh Wilson

Severe HD can happen out of the blue from generations of clear dogs. IMO it's a stretch to blame severe HD on environmental causes or food. Most breeders I know do not guarantee a replacement dog against much else other than health for the first few weeks.

I know her from many years ago and she is a very responsible breeder of top quality German shepherd dogs. She bred to my male Prongo vom Esselberger Tal, SchH3 many years ago. Tanya Wisler

1GSD1, I've fed my GSDs Iams MiniChunks for more than twenty years now, and not only have I not had any issues with the ones I had from puppyhood being dysplastic, ALL of them, including the rescue dogs which came to me as adults, have enjoyed reasonably healthy lives and lifespans of 14 to 16 years of age. The senior dog I presently have came to me as an obese dog with multiple calcinosis circumscripta masses on his hind feet and an active episode of discoid lupus; he's been on Iams MiniChunks for three years now, along with very specific supplementation to suppress the discoid lupus outbreaks, and he is thriving at 11+ years of age with no recurrence of the calcinosis condition to date. All my dogs get vegetables, fruits, fresh eggs, dairy products, cooked and raw meat, and just about anything else I eat that's also safe for dogs to eat, in addition to their Iams, and I have no complaints. So to say that this food is one of the 'most awful' dog foods on the market is nothing more than YOUR opinion, and I'd really need to see the research work you're getting your facts from that suggests feeding this or any other commercial dog food that meets the nutritional needs of canines contributes to the development of hip dysplasia in any dog that is not already genetically programmed to be developing the condition from birth. I would allow that choice of feed, along with amount and method, can exacerbate the development of the condition, but to date I have seen no documentation that feed choice, amount or method, alone or in combinations, can create dysplastic joints from joints which were developing into correctly-formed structures in the first place.