Hilltop Pups LLC Health Warranty and Purchase Agreement
This contract is between Hilltop Pups LLC administered by Bev Eckert (hereafter “Seller”) and _______________________ (hereafter “Buyer”) and is entered on this date pertaining to Microchip #________________________ Sex: _________ D.O.B: ___________________
Sire Name: _______________________ Dam Name: _______________________________
SELLER’S REPRESENTATIONS: The following conditions apply to the sale of the afore mentioned dog: The Buyer has THREE days from the time of possession of puppy to be examined by a veterinarian and to personally inspect the puppy. Any request to return the puppy to the Seller must be made within this time period and must be accompanied by a written statement from a veterinarian describing any problems found. Failure to have the puppy examined within 3 days voids the health warranty. Your dog is guaranteed against Genetic Defects until 2 years of age. Due to the varying kinds of food and environmental conditions and the fact that puppies have immune systems that take time to mature, we highly recommend NuVet Plus Wafers immune system builder to help them maintain optimal health. Based on the benefits from NuVet Plus Wafers we will extend this guarantee another 2 years. To qualify for this guarantee extension, you must give your new puppy NuVet Plus; which is tracked through Hilltop Pups’ tracking number located Resource Page of www.hilltoppups.com or www.nuvet.com/91606. Failure to do this makes the guarantee extension null and void.
Related reimbursement is limited to purchase price. Qualifying genetic defects for reimbursement are those related to hip, heart, elbow, eye, PRA, and vWD. Reimbursement for genetic defects will be made only when a second opinion from a qualified veterinarian and proof of surgery expenses are provided where quality of life is severely impacted. An official OFA hip rating will qualify as a second opinion. In the rare case of death, the puppy will be replaced free of charge; a necropsy report completed by a qualified vet must show the cause of death was caused by a genetic issue. Shipping fees are at the buyer’s expense. Seller agrees to re-home the dog should the original purchaser so request. Warranties shall apply only to original purchaser. Transfer of dog ownership shall void this agreement. Seller makes no guarantee this dog will not shed or cause an allergic reaction. Buyer understands that Seller's prediction of coat type, height, or weight at adulthood are estimates only and are based on Seller's goal to match puppies with families appropriately. This dog must be spayed or neutered by 9 months of age; failure to do so will void the health warranty. Proof of spaying/neutering by 9 months of age, such as the receipt of your Vet Bill, must be provided to Hilltop Pups via mail or email by one year old and is required for any warranty reimbursement. This puppy is being sold as a family pet and does not convey with breeding rights. If this puppy is bred, the purchaser agrees to pay the seller ten times the purchase price of this puppy for every litter produced. Under no circumstances shall the Seller be liable to the Buyer or to any third party for a dog that has been subjected to abuse, accident, negligence, or any damages resulting from or in any manner related to the dog. This warranty does not include viral illnesses, infections, improper bites, or hernias. The Seller guarantees the puppy against fatal viruses for 72 hours. This includes Distemper, Parvo, and Corona.
The guarantee does not include coverage for common parasites as they can be easily contracted in their new home and environment. Puppies and Dogs sniff everything, plus lick their paws clean ingesting parasites daily. This should be considered a reasonable expectation and the Buyer’s financial responsibility. Stress of a new home and the thrill of new surroundings can cause enough stress for a stress-related outbreak; allow puppy several naps each day. Those common parasites include all worms, coccidia, and giardia. While in our care, we have wormed your puppy at least 4 times and we have taken all preventative measures to reduce the risk of these common parasites. The risk for contracting these parasites continues until the puppy is on a monthly heartworm preventative. Plus, at 4 months old the puppy’s immune system has matured to the point where the puppy can fight off most parasites with its own immunity. This agreement does not include any illness due to the ingestion of foreign objects, food, chemicals, physical injury, or issues whose cause is unknown or may have an environmental link. Upon execution of this contract all veterinary care and its associated costs are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the Buyer.
CONSIDERATION: This dog, identified above, is being sold for the sum of $ 3,000.00, Sales Tax: $ 210.00 (Sales tax is applicable when you take possession of the puppy in the state of Indiana.)
MAINTENANCE: Buyer agrees to maintain this dog in good health, provide preventative health care including, but not limited to, inoculation, internal parasites, and where indicated heart worm preventative medication. It is agreed that your Dog will be housed indoors and fed a quality food. It is also agreed that you will maintain the dog at a healthy weight. Buyer agrees to postpone strenuous, repetitive exercise (such as agility training or running miles a day) until a minimum of one year of age. Buyer agrees to provide basic obedience training within the first year of ownership. Buyer agrees to never place this dog in a shelter, pound, or similar facility including a research laboratory.
FULL AND FINAL AGREEMENT: The parties agree that this writing represents the entire Agreement between them and that no other representations, either oral or written have been made regarding the dog described above. The parties further agree that no changes in this contract shall be binding upon either of them without written modifications signed by both parties. Buyer agrees that he/she understands this contract fully, and that this contract is under the jurisdiction of the State of Indiana, in the county of Dubois._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
By signing this contract I agree that I have read and agree to the terms and conditions stated in this document and the attached warranty guidelines.
Buyer Name: _______________________________ Address: ___________________________________
Buyer Signature: _________________________________ Date: ___________________
Seller Name: Hilltop Pups LLC, 1059 E Jasper Dubois Rd., Jasper, In 47546 - Phone Number: (812) 630-5099
Administered by Signature: _________________________________ Date: ___________________
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Hilltop Pups LLC warranty guidelines and further explanation of benefits:
Hilltop Pups LLC takes great pride in producing what we believe to be the healthiest Goldendoodles available. The reduction and severity of genetic diseases is a very important role as a breeder. However, we want to make it clear that we do not believe it is possible to produce 100% healthy dogs 100% of the time. Quality of life and health depends on lifestyle, healthy foods, and exercise. We aggressively seek to reduce the number of affected dogs we produce by studying genetics, yearly eye examinations, DNA testing, and OFA testing of all our breeding dogs.
We prioritize genetic problems, aggressively avoiding those that cause early death. Presently, American Golden Retrievers live an average of 10 1/2 years; that means about half of the Golden Retrievers live longer and the other half live shorter lives. Our breeding goal is that our dogs live to be older than 12 years of age. Right now, cancer is the main cause of death among American Golden Retrievers. Thus, we breed only the English Golden Retrievers that came from bloodlines registered as Russian Kynological (Kennel) Federation (The RKF); those dogs that have been health tested back 20 years in their ancestry. Most of our poodles trace back to RFK registration as well. Just because a dog is registered AKC does not mean it was produced from health tested parent dogs. Always ask for proof of testing. As with GANA and RKF both parent dogs must be fully health tested and passed to be registered with said club.
However, there are other diseases that cause early deaths in Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and Goldendoodles; thus our list includes the following. Limiting these diseases in our dogs is our top breeding priority!
- cancer
- uncontrollable epilepsy
- severe heart disease
- severe immune-mediated diseases, like autoimmune hemolytic anemia and muscular dystrophy
- swallowing disorders (dysphagia), such as megaesophagus and cricopharyngeal dysfunction
Our next priority is inherited problems that cause a lifetime of discomfort or pain to the dog; require expensive treatment or severely limit the dog's activity through much of its lifetime. Diseases we put into this category include:
- moderate and severe elbow and hip dysplasia
- moderate heart disease
- PRCD-PRA
- PRA 1
- vWD - von Willebrand's Disease
- osteochondritis dessicans
- severe ear infections
- atopic dermatitis
- immune-mediated diseases like lupus
Lower on our priority list are those problems that can be easily managed with exercise, diet, care and/or inexpensive medication which cause no visible effect on the animal and require no treatment. In their mild form, none of these issues are serious enough for us to do more than monitor in our breeding program.
- hypothyroidism
- ichthyosis
- mild elbow and hip dysplasia
- allergies
- hot sport
- mild heart disease, such as mild mitral and tricuspid valve dysplasia
- missing teeth
- incorrect bites
Health screenings, such as those registered with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF), are a critical part of our investigation into our breedings; both before and after. However, we acknowledge the inherent weakness of this process; most health screenings tell us only what the dog's health is at one period of time. They do NOT tell us the dog's lifetime risk OR its genetic makeup. DNA tests offer more potential but at present not all the diseases above mentioned have a DNA test. We carefully follow testing and as more tests become available we can utilize them.
As we make our breeding decisions, we keep in mind that there are no perfect dogs in the world. This point is so important, let me say it again...THERE ARE NO PERFECT DOGS! Breeding is not a manufacturing process; instead it is a matter of making tradeoffs and weighing risks. Therefore, we are avid students of genetics and seek to make our breeding decisions based on sound science. We seek to manage risks since completely alleviating them is not possible.
You can be sure that we will discuss all of this thoroughly with our buyers and we will stand behind our decisions with our warranty. We also expect our buyers as dog lovers to contribute to Goldendoodle breed's health history by informing the breeder of any genic issues so they may be researched and/or illuminated from the breeding program. Please submit any and all genetic screening tests and provide your breeder results.
We do a tremendous amount of work to reduce the risk of genetic defects but we don't want to mislead you--it is NOT possible to successfully avoid all genetic problems in a breeding program. To expect this of a breeder is foolhardy. For example, in a Swedish study of elbow dysplasia in Golden Retrievers, even when dogs cleared of the disease were bred, 31% of their offspring were affected with elbow dysplasia. However, this percentage grew substantially when one or more parent was affected, even with mild disease. So, screening methods that we use are not perfect but they have been shown to reduce rates and severity of genetic disease so we use them. However, we also encourage researchers, foundations, and registries to continue to refine and advance screening methods.
With our extensive screening efforts over the last 18 years, we have experienced very few genetic problems. We cannot promise you a perfectly healthy puppy, but we can promise that we have used our experience and expertise to create the healthiest puppies within our capability and we will stand behind our puppies for their lifetime.
Our puppies are guaranteed for 72 hours from the time the puppy leaves Hilltop Pups LLC to be free of fatal viruses for which we vaccinate against. This includes Distemper, Parvo, and Corona. Not covered are Coccidiosis and Giardia, because they are commonly found in puppies and may or may not cause symptoms. We are aggressive in making sure our puppies are parasite free at the time you take them home. The challenge is stress on the young puppy’s intestinal tract causes parasites to multiply to a point where the puppy will start to show signs of contamination. The excitement of new surroundings, new people, and a new routine can cause enough stress to cause an occasional stress-related outbreak. When detected early Coccodiosis and Giardia are not life threatening and take just a round or two of inexpensive medicine to control the outbreak. Coccidiosis and Giardia are hard to control and detect in older puppies and adult dogs because at four months old the puppy’s digestive system is fully developed and the dog’s own immune system will control the parasites.
In completion, temperament remains the top priority for our dogs and puppies. We make every attempt to breed only dogs free of the problems listed above and who possess the ideal Golden Retriever, Poodle, and Goldendoodle temperaments. Producing such traits as eager, alert, friendly, self-confident, reliable, and trustworthy; avoiding traits that include timidity, nervousness, or hostility toward other dogs and/or people in normal situations.
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We appreciate you trusting us in providing you and your family with your beloved pet.
Explanation of why safe guards for breeders are put in place and why a line must be drawn at some point. I will refund up to the cost of the puppy, which is an industry standard and lawyer approved my warranty guarantee states. I am a good breeder and this is what good breeders do, bad breeders would say, "The puppy was yours when it left their property."
#1 I have no proof that you do not have pet insurance on your puppy and you are double dipping getting me to pay as well. Are you? Pet insurance was recommended to you when you adopted the puppy.
#2 You may have done things to worsen the situation, I am not saying she didn't have issues. I am saying you worsened her condition to the point that the puppy needed surgery. I do not have any proof that you kept your puppy from using the stairs, jumping in and out of vehicles, jumping up and down from the sofa, rough playing, playing with another dog, etc. that you have done to worsen you puppy's condition.
#3 You say you don't believe in vitamins. Possibly if you followed my advice in my warranty you dog would not be in this situation. I have witnessed over and over what the NuVet Vitamins have done for my dogs. At least not surgery would have been needed. I have witnessed an over all improvement of OFA testing scored improving after I started using NuVet vitamins and dogs that had OFA borderline hips at one year old improve to Fair or Excellent ratings I have seen twice at the 2 year old hip testing after upping the dose of daily vitamins here.
#4 I do not have any proof that you fed the recommended puppy food or one higher in proteins then the one I recommended. Even worse did you switch your puppy to a vegan diet?
Why I ask for the puppy to be returned and I would give you another puppy for free:
#1 We live in a rural area that is much less expensive than big cities.
#2 I know a Vet that could have performed the surgeries at a very low cost. I can then locally rehome the puppy/dog to a friend so I can monitor the progress.
#3 I would have the control to make sure she gets an adequate supply of vitamins and good food and less activity.
#4 I would have control of finding Veterinarian care at a reasonable cost. I have a great Veterinarian here that is actually my neighbor and friend that will help me out.
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We cannot promise you a perfectly healthy puppy 100% of the time as no Breeder could do that, but we can promise that we have used our experience and expertise to create the healthiest puppies possible within our capability. We stand behind our puppies and will always do all we possibly can to assist our puppy adopters.