Melissa Basinger review: Do Not Trust This Breeder 84

Then SHOW the video of the pups and their parents, and your kennel. SHOW that, because that isn't opening your home to strangers, BUT when you do have 50-100 breeding dogs, well, maybe that is WHY you don't want people coming to see, because people that are actually DOG people, would be heartbroken seeing what you are doing. In it for the $$$ that is all. IF NOT, then show a video, PLEASE. PROVE ME WRONG MISSY

Oh ME, ME! WHERE is the VIDEO of your PUPS and their PARENTS Missy? Come on, because I will not stop here. I will keep asking, until you post something. Although, you have changed your email address and puppy mill business name SO many times, you probably wont even see this. SHOW THE VIDEO

First off, this is also a lie, she will NOT allow you to her home. Another FAKE review. Boy she must have a lot of family to keep writing all this crap for her. No video of the pups and parents, no video to show her 50-100 breeding dogs. No videos to show where she drops off and picks up pups from other puppy mill breeding family members. And so top of the line? THAT she has had to change her reputable business name at least 3-4 times in the last 9 years. WHERE is the VIDEO MELISSA?

Fake review, she doesn't answer every question, can't get photos of the pups right away because all of them are NOT in her possession. No videos of the [censored] or the Sire, ever. Puppy Mill 100%, and has changed the name of her puppy mill business at least 3 times. Acting like she is a big church going person my [censored]. Someone like that, who would abuse animals just for the money, is NOT a believer. She is a believer in $$$ and that is all.

This is a lie! She is Short with people and does not go out of her way for anything. You are someone that personally knows this woman, hence what you wrote. If you know her so well, get her to put a video walking from the outside of her kennel, so we can all see if it is the one we can see on google maps. Show the pups with the parents. Then maybe more people can have a 150%? (not possible, no such thing) experience. Oh yes, and since this was written 9 years ago, why has such a church going woman changed the name of her puppy mill business 3 times? No video, no proof, 100% LIAR

Still the same to this day, August 2021. Never a video with the [censored] & Sire and absolutely positively NEVER a video with the [censored] and the pups. She sells the females off in groups of 3-5 and ONE male. She doesn't care about these dogs, and yet says oh they are so precious, oh they are so cute. The noises she makes in her videos to get the pups attention, because all they know is a tiny little cage, probably just wire on the bottom at that. They shake and look around because they don't know where they are at. This woman IS A PUPPY MILL. She is a disgrace. Come on Melissa, WHERE ARE THE VIDEOS OF these dogs, when you go through all those Southern State on your route that you have, where are you dropping puppies? WHAT pet stores do you dump your dogs off at, and all your puppy mill family members that you pick up from along the way. I think her puppy flight nanny is family too, because I asked if they HAD EVER BEEN TO WHERE SHE KEEPS HER DOGS< and low and behold, NO RESPONSE> yep, these freaking thangs ALL WORK TOGETHER. It is ALL about the money, and NOTHING ELSE TO THEM.

Show the videos melissa of the pups and their [censored]> you will not do it. she just avoids it like the plague. she will not show you! then when you question her, she wont sell to you, because she knows she is a puppy mill! no videos of the [censored] with their pups ever. posh puppy love, havanse whatever and cutie poo pups, puppy mill puppy mill puppy mill

Has a puppy mill business that is why she can't get all the photos, and or no videos of the pups with their [censored]. she will never show the parents in a video, because they are overbred, and not taken care of. she is a liar, puppy mill business, with the rest of her family members. no video of the pups and their [censored], don't buy from her< you are supporting a puppy mill here.

SO if you know Missy SO WELL, convince her to put up a video of her "kennel" with the parents and the pups. Oh yes, and why you are at it, WHY has she changed the name of her up and up business several times? Please get a hold of your friend ASAP, and have her do this, to show how mush she cares about her pups. No video, I will never believe a word that this woman says, EVER.

Candace has left out some very big gaps in her side of what happened to Brady. This puppy died as a result of medical neglect from her. Candace received her puppy on a Wed end of December 2016. She called me on a Friday night and told me he was not feeling well. She took him to the emergency vet clinic. They kept him until Sunday morning. Candace told me that they could not find out what was wrong and his test were negative. They said he was hypoglycemic which is a symptom not a disease. It is low blood sugar from not eating. She cursed the vets and told me that nothing was wrong with him and they were stealing her money. She discharged the puppy against medical advice and took him home. She told me he ate and was doing fine. I told her to take him to see her regular vet the next business day and to make sure she had all the vet documents from the emergency clinic. She said she would. I followed up with her and she told me that the vet saw him and said he was fine. That nothing was wrong with him. Some days later she calls me and tells me he is very sick. I tell her to take him to the vet and I would pay for the bill just have them call me and I would give them my credit card. I follow up after not hearing from her and she tells me she is on her way to the animal shelter to drop him off because he is dying. This is the same day. I am in shock. I had no idea that this puppy was even close to anything like this because she told me he was doing fine. I did not have the chance to do anything for him. To this day I still have not gotten any documents from Candace proving that the puppy died. When I asked for all his vet records she sent me a photo of a text from the emergency vet asking how the puppy was doing and a photo of a bottle of medicine. No documents explaining the puppies condition prognosis or diagnosis. I asked about the documents from her regular vet and she told me she never took him to see her regular vet. She takes the puppy from the emergency clinic against medical advice and then never follows up to see her regular vet the following business day. I do not even know what was wrong the puppy. There was never a diagnosis. He never had a chance to live. Regardless of how neglectful this was handled I offered Candace a replacement puppy. The only reason I did so was because of her little girl. At the time I did not have any bichons and told Candace that she would have to wait on a new litter. She agreed to that. In the meantime Candace files a charge back on her credit card stating the charge was unauthorized which was a lie. I contacted her and offered her a refund or a puppy and she stated she would like to wait for a puppy and apologized for the charge back. I told her I would have to wait until paypal got the charge back issue cleared up before I could send a puppy to her. I also did not have any pups at the time. I had one puppy born in Feb. I contact her in April and told her about the puppy and also told her I was going to hold him until he got a little older. He was small and I wanted to make sure he was perfect before I told her about him. Candace is a very illogical and easy to upset so I have treaded very light with her. She agreed on the puppy. This puppy was never advertised because i was holding him for her. He was the only one in the litter. I contacted paypal to make sure the credit card issue had been fully resolved before I was going to send him and they told me that he credit card company could still pull the funds until June so to wait. So the puppy I was holding for her was going to be older because i had to hold him longer then expected and I knew Candace would not like that so I offered her a puppy from a litter that was born early April and told her I would ship him on the 14th of June. She wanted a puppy right then and did not want to wait two more weeks. She wanted to know if i had another breed I would send. I told her I would replace her puppy with a bichon which is what she paid for. I also told her that the hold up was due to the lie she told the credit card company resulting in a charge back. Had she not done that I would have had a pup to her months prior. I am attaching a copy of the email she sent me. Please keep in mind. I have no idea what happened to Brady puppy. I have never gotten any vet documents. I do not even know if the puppy truly died. Who takes a dying puppy and drops it off at an animal shelter especially when some one had offered to pay for his care. For all I know this was a scam. Candace has some serious anger issues. I am thankful that she sent me the email I am going to post. I was about the make the terrible mistake of sending her another one of my pups. I am not a deceitful person. I did everything I could to try to work with Candace. She was offered her money back. She was offered a new puppy and I offered to pay for Bradys vet care had she taken him when he was sick. I only had one bichon pup to offer her since this all happened in late december but was not able to send him because the paypal issue had to be settled first. Then he was too old. So the next litter I had was in early April and I agreed to send her a puppy June the 14th when he would be old enough to go. She told me to shove the puppy up my A___ and went into full attack. This is part of her email.

I will be writing reviews about you all over the Internet. You can take the puppy in shove him wayyyyyy up your [censor] like you probably did poor Brady which is why he f--king died [censor] after a week of being with me!

F___ YOU, YOUR VET, YOUR HUSBAND, YOUR KIDS AND ALL OF THE OTHER PUPS YOU HAVE TOO! I wish all of them die so that you and others can feel my pain! You can keep the change!
Your email address is now blocked too so whatever you reply won't resonate!

BYE

Bethany Patterson
May 30 (7 days ago)

to me
P.S. You are a HABITUAL LIAR TOO! I've been on your site like a hulk every since I lost Brady and every sense you said you would send us another pup back in Feb. you have NOT HAD ANY BICHON LITTERS IN SEVERAL MONTHS! Just like according to your site you would have Yorkies coming in MAY. You are a liar! You run a good game with your ever so sweet southern bell demeanor! All covered in disguised and just a money making operation! You just had a BICHON sitting around huh which was it the moms or dad that mate these pups that you were gonna send because you damn sure haven't uploaded or had a frise litter in monthssssssss!

BYE you lying piece of [censor]!

I am embarrassed to post this but I need everyone to know what happened here and what I have been dealing with. I have not put all of the email in this replay because it is disgusting.

WOW you are such a liar with this post. You will not show a video of your kennel, you travel through numerous States picking up puppies and dropping them at those sick puppy stores where they keep dogs in tiny cages. And now you sucked your daughter into doing the same thing. You are the one that is disgusting, and if you were SO honest you would gladly show people where the pups are raised, and welcome them to your home to see how nice and socialized, and not in tiny little cages. Puppy Mills in Arkansas, look it up, it will show a Huge star near Melissa's home telling you there are 50-100 breeding females there alone. POS needs to rot in H*LL

Do you know what breed she sold you? I have looked at her several sites and videos and noticed that her Havanese, Coton De Tulear and even her designer breeds all look the same..with maybe the exception that the designer breeds look smaller. It doesn't help that she has posted videos of Havanese pups on her Southern Charm Coton Youtube page saying it is a Havanese which made me question whether her Cotons are in fact Cotons given they look exactly the same. I found my self rewinding the video to make sure I heard correctly. Now I am curious as to what type of dogs she is breeding to get a similar look to the Havanese and Coton. Have you tested you pup to see what it is? I have been around both Havanese and Coton so I can tell by touch but it is very hard to tell her pups apart let alone distinguish through her pictures/videos and with all the red flags I cant help but question both breeds. Honestly, the pups are all cute but what pup isn't? I think that she would be able to sell the pups just as easily if they were not purebred..but to falsely advertise? I have read so many reviews of people judging negative reviews because of their positive reviews or asking if they love their pet any less because it is not purebred? They are missing the point or are speaking out of ignorance. Just because someone has a positive experience doesn't mean everyone will or that the people sharing there negative experiences are liars. Some can very well receive healthy pups while a few others receive sick pups. If you mix in poor breeding those chances increase. I don't know why people act as if it is impossible. Melissa just posted a Coton pup with no tail..research states that the only reason a pup would be born with no tail is defect or "natural Bob tail" as she claimed is if there was an injury and tail had to be docked otherwise it is a defect a result from poor breeding. Research also states that x-rays should be performed because a pup born with no tail has issues in the spine and depending on the severity could cause some serious problems down the road. Pups with no tail may even show signs like bowl incontinence. I hope the future owner of said pup does the research and is prepared should that pup have any issues. In regards to the comments you see online such as " what are you complaining about if your pup is healthy" "do you love your pup any less b/c its a mut" ? If only we could all understand and or agree that when we have a breed in mind and we go out of our way to search for that specific breed and are told that we are getting nothing short of that..WE EXPECT WHAT WE ASK FOR. so no we do not love the pups any less. We are just disappointed even angry that people deceive so easily. I am sorry you didn't get a Havanese. And thanks for your review because it helps people who are interested in one decide to settle or continue on their search for a pure Havanese.

I got a Coton de Tulear puppy from Melissa not too long ago.
After reading this complaint, I’ve decided to get a DNA test done for my puppy.
The results were very appalling.
He’s 62.5%Coton, 25% Maltese, 12.5%Chihuahua. On her website Southercharmcotons.com, she states that her dogs are pure bred. Bull crap.

US Too! Shes A Scammer- Broker. sells on puppy finder DOT com. All kinds of Breeds. she lied to us and said she only bred 3 times a year of the Cotons. BULL She has several websites. Profit is her game. Charging What she does. Im So disappointed I trusted her and She's a puppy mill. Her stories to everyone playing Christian furmila family Is a way to scams All. She has long barns on her property pumping out these Poor dogs. I'm disgusted. I KNEW something was up. She changed her attitude after we paid. I specifically told her How important It was where I was getting a puppy. She assured me it was ONLY Coton s. LIAR. Makes ME SICK

You are absolutely correct, she is a puppy mill. She will not show a video, she just mass produces, doesn't know who sires who. Those poor females that just keep pumping out puppies for her greed. She will have a special place come judgement day. I just wish we could cram her and her family members into a tiny little cage. That would be the ultimate punishment. No videos huh Melissa. Liar

YEP and if you have a DNA test she will tell you, because she knows, oh, they are not always accurate. omg she is such a liar. DNA proves everything. She needs to go down, and I wish we could get enough of us together to make an impact and shut her down. She probably isn't even really a nurse. That is probably a lie as well. IRS needs to be notified as well, because people like her do not pay taxes.

Damn, I wish I would have seen this earlier as well, I never knew that name, Southern Charm Coton. Boy oh boy does she keep thinking of the names huh. Cutie Poo Pups, Posh Puppy Love, Havanese Silks, and yours you have here. No Videos huh Melissa, come on, more of us are connected, we are going to bring, well, like the movie Tombstone, you tell them I'm coming, and H*ll's coming with me.

So sad, except for this [censored] who scams everyone, She is SICK and now she has raised her kids to think this is ok as well, The one drives around numerous States picking up and dropping off puppies. No video, of the pups and the parents, no way will she let you come to pick up the pup in person, because she has a family and she doesn't know what sick people there are coming to her home, BUT YET she will sell a puppy to anyone, anywhere, and just ship them off, NOT Knowing exactly whom she is selling it to. These same people COULD be the sick ones, that she will not allow at her home because of her family SHOWS she doesn't care where these dogs go.

How do i get a DNA test. Thanks

You can order a DNA test from Embark or Wisdom Panel. There are several different companies that claim they can DNA test your dog. The AKC can also DNA your dog. AKC DNA is the only DNA that I will recognize. They are not in it for the money. They have the pedigree information and dna on akc registered dogs that go back several generations. The ironic thing I find about the DNA companies that charge you $200 or more is that they are and will admit they can be wrong due to a limited data base. They will only disclose that if you question them. So if you have an AKC registered purebred dog with an AKC pedigree but the DNA companies tell you it is something different than what AKC says it is who is right and who is wrong. Do you believe the AKC or do you believe the DNA company that just took your money. Well I have to side with AKC. You know the American Kennel Club that puts on all the dog shows. They are the ones who have the generational information on all purebred AKC registered dogs. I definitely have to side with them when Embark has stated that they have a limited data base as they expand the data base you can have your dog DNA again for a better result. If you have any questions about the validity of a DNA test please contact the DNA provider and ask them these questions. Also just for clarification all purebred dogs have several different breed of dog in them. When the breed was created it was created using different breeds of dogs. It took several generations of breeding the dog to create the poodle or bichon or the Maltese. Each purebred dog is composed of several original breeds. So I would think that would also affect DNA as well...Just a thought...

I purchased a puppy from Melissa back in November of 2017 and our Shichon is absolute perfection! I actually did have a dna test done on our dog, only because I was given one from a friend, not because I thought we were lied to. It was 100% what breed we were told!

DNA testing is valid science. Embark has the most reliable system as they have the largest database. Wisdom Panel is 2nd to Embark, less reliable but still good. AKC can test only for the breeds that they recognize and there are many more breeds in the world that AKC does not recognize. AKC has always been primarily a breeding database charging money to register litters and the purebreds that they recognize. They have always been more about making money than anything else. They have refused to shut down registrations of known puppy mill puppies as doing so would affect their bottom line. They accepted mixed breed dogs in agility only after they discovered how much revenue they were losing due to mixed breeds competing successfully in NADAC, USDAA, and other venues. The AKC mission statement says they exist to promote the "sport" of purebred dogs; if that is so, then why allow mixed breeds to compete? Because their income is really what they are "promoting."

“Cassie” does look like a coton, however, DNA test does not lie Melissa!

But we are in love with her, so no problem for that.

Scout DNA test can be incorrect. After I read your post I reached out to some show breeders and asked if they had anything like this happen to them and they told me yes. I asked them if they could explain to me how an AKC registered AKC DNA confirmed coton puppy with a 5 generational pedigree be DNA as a mixed breed. Here is the response from Embark on how they confirm DNA ancestry. "When we look at breed ancestry, we compare every dog to our current reference panel. As we work to expand our reference panel, we can reanalyze the breed ancestry to see if an individual dog is now more consistent with samples from the one breed. If the genetic results are consistent based on our expanded reference panel, we will update the results." So I asked for this to be explained to me and what Embark is saying is that they only test DNA against the dogs that are in their reference panel. If they do not have a certain bloodline in the reference panel then the computer will assign a breed. Embark does not have a complete DNA database for dogs that come from other countries. Such is the case for my dogs. My cotons have European champions in their lines as I have imported my cotons. European dogs are not in the embarks reference base. So I asked them could they be wrong and they said yes. If my dogs bloodline was not in their DNA reference base. I also asked them does their test confirm that this coton puppy is not a purebred coton given all the akc confirmation that it is and they said no and once they expand their reference base to have the dog tested again. Embark does not disclose this information on any of their websites. They do not realize how many breeders are affected negatively. They do not care as long as people keep giving them money for DNA lineage testing that can be false. Scout Sniper I hope this help explains why your coton could mistakenly be identified as a mix breed. I urge you to contact the genetic testing company and present to them this information. Yes your "Cassie" looks like a coton because she is a registered purebred coton de tulear...

Thank you for your response Melissa. I have no problem with the DNA results. You gave me a healthy coton, and we are in love with her. I will delete my comments in regards to the DNA test results. I apologize for the negative feedback.

Thank you. I just wish you had contacted me directly and gave me an opportunity. Comments like this and others that are unfounded are so harmful. People that read this go else where to look for a puppy. More damaging then you could ever imagine. Again thank you but I do not think you can delete what has been posted.

Scout, Melissa is constantly disputing DNA results. She sold us a $2K Havapoo and our DNA test results came back as, 50% King Charles Cavalier, 37.6% Poodle, and 12.4% Bichon; no Havanese at all. Melissa told me this was her 1st mistake in 20 years. Ha! Don't be sorry, she did the same thing to the people that bought our pup's sister and live in NY. They too paid for a Havapoo and a flight nanny. She either doesn't care or, is breeding so many puppies she can't keep track. Our pup also has health issues. She told me "nobody else is complaining so why should I tell them?". Scam!

Wow ok one sided version of what really happened here. Yes I did mistakenly sell a cavapoo as a havapoo and I admitted it and offered compensation for it. This was not brought to my attention until Jamie contacted me about the DNA test she had done on the pup. When I sold Harper to Jamie I was positive she was a havapoo. The mom was exposed to a cavalier by mistake an accident on my part but it was so late in her season I did not think she got bred by him. I noted the pups were a mixed litter and did comment in a video that some were cavapoos and some were havapoos. I was certain that Jamies pups was a havapoo. I was wrong and their is where I failed. I offered Jamie compensation. I offered her a 100% refund upon the return of the puppy. She stated she could not return the pup as they loved her and she had brought so much joy to them. So we agreed on giving her half of her money back and I did. I offered compensation two different ways. I never said to her "nobody else is complaining so why should I tell them" Here is a clip of what was said, " They told me that if the DNA marker for the dog in question was not in the database then the computer would assign a breed. They admitted that it was not 100% reliable. Therefore I am not going to call the other families when I have no way of knowing 100%. If they have any doubt I will address them". I was not going to call the other family Jamie is speaking of tell them that they have a cavapoo puppy when I was not certain they did. I never said this is my first mistake in 20 years. I am a breeder that has been breeding for 20 years and I am human. Yes I will dispute DNA results from embark when they themselves have admitted the can have false results. I have said time and time again that the only DNA I will recognize is AKC DNA. If i have AKC registration and a multigenerational pedigree confirmed by akc dna then how can that be disputed and if it can the AKC is a joke of a registry and we have all be scammed by the American Kennel Club.

First of all, Melissa never reached out to tell us about the Cavapoo/Havapoo issue, she posted a video. Had I not been looking at her site again, I never would have known it was a potential issue. As soon as I saw the video I reached out to Melissa and she assured us that she had 20 years of breeding experience and was as sure as she could be that our pup was a Havapoo. As anyone that has paid for a flight nanny and had a puppy in their home for months can attest to, sending the puppy we had fallen in love with back was not an option. I think Melissa knows this and counts on it.

I felt Melissa should contact the other families because it wasn't just about the puppies not being Havapoo. It was also about the fact that our puppy has IBD, one kidney, and the DNA marker for Intervertebral Disc Disease (Type I). Furthermore, I found my pup's sister via the DNA website, and they stated: "I did send her an email that for my trouble she should return at least 1/2 of what I paid. But she just never responded..."

I was also threatened and accused of being the cause of my puppies illness by Melissa in our recent email communications: "I am asking you to back off now. You do what you feel you need to and I will do the same." When I asked Melissa if that was a threat she replied with: "Not a threat, just a promise." Not sure if she plans to send someone to my home or what? She also stated: "I really wish you would give her back to me. She never suffered from any of the things you say while she was here." I got her when she was 8 weeks old, I'm sure she hadn't been weaned that long prior. Her email was full of sarcasm and then she doubled down on blaming me: " She may just be responding to you? Her stomach issues could be a result of stress." Nice... She did provide me with her attorney's name and contact information though. I know we all have an attorney, right?

I will fully admit that I was, and still am upset, and I know my emails to her reflected that. Could I have been more gracious? Yes. However, I trusted Melissa and felt that I had asked all the right questions like, "Are both parents 1st generation?" to which Melissa stated yes. I asked and received photos of my pup's parents and when I questioned her about them, she stated she had sent me the wrong ones, so I received two new photos. Needless to say, I still don't know what my pup's parents look like because the 1st set of pictures were of a female Havanese and a male Poodle, and the 2nd set of pictures were of a female red poodle with a while stripe on her chin and a male Havanese. Again, not my pup's parents. Except for maybe the female red poodle with the white stripe on her, which may explain the Bichon the DNA test came up with.

It's not just about having a puppy that sheds everywhere and dealing with keeping the hair cleaned up because I have asthma. Our puppy was very ill and almost died. There were over $3, 000.00 in vet bills. I don't know how many people could even have afforded to keep this puppy alive, and I am so incredibly thankful we had the means to do so, and had also taken the extra precaution of purchasing pet insurance. To have Melissa imply I caused my puppy to be ill is disgusting. I'm the one that spent sleepless nights with her, holding her, cleaning up after her, giving her Karo Syrup from a syringe to keep her alive, countless hours researching the internet for clues as to what may be wrong with her, etc. I was the one that figured out she had a poultry allergy.

I would just encourage anyone else reading this to really do your homework. The signs were there, had I only spent more time researching. This is the same thing the other family I am in contact with said; "I started researching reviews on this breeder and there were so many "puppy mill" red flags that kept appearing."

I am going to copy and past my correspondence with Jamie..
Jamie as sure as I can be harper is a havapoo. Puppies will blow their puppy coat even pups that are considered to be minimal shedding. Breeds that are mixed with double coated dogs like havanese will shed more and have what is called blow outs especially when the puppy hair is being replaced by the adult hair.. There is no such thing as a true non shedding dog or a true hypoallergenic dog. There is such a thing as a dog that sheds minimally with less dander such as a poodle and a havanese which lessens the chance of allergies. Just like people dogs will lose hair and no guarantee that a dog, even one considered to be hypoallergenic, will not flare up allergies and asthma..She is going through a transition from puppy coat to adult coat and this can be perfectly normal.. I do not need any documentation for any follow up vet visits unless something is discovered that is a genetic congenital issue.

Are you suffering from Asthma as a result of Harper? If so I will be happy to help with rehoming her or even offer to take her back...I do not want you to suffer or be unhappy with the puppy.

Hi Melissa,

Thank you for getting back to me. We have been outside most of the day so I just saw your reply.

I am not experiencing any asthma issues as this time, I just wanted to reach out as we were concerned by the extreme amount of shedding. Harper is part of our little family, I can't even fathom having to rehome her so, I will hope that I continue to not experience any asthma issues and that the extreme shedding we are seeing is simply a phase. I know puppies will shed some, even non-shedding breeds however, she is not at the age I would typically expect to see that.

Also, I didn't see a response regarding her mom and dad; are they first generation? If not, my understanding is that may well contribute to a shedding issue. Is that correct?

Jamie, my health guarantee is not a contract. It is just an acknowledgement of what I will do should an issue come up with a puppy..Your signature however it is via print or sign is that you acknowledge that you have read it and agree with it that is all. Yes the parents are first generation havanese and poodle.. Sorry I overlooked that question. The shedding and blowing the coat can start at any age. Normally around 6 months but can be later. Did you get the info I sent you that explains why your puppy is shedding? At this time I still believed harper to be a havapoo..

Hi Melissa,

I am reaching out to you today in the hopes that you may be able to provide any information that may guide us in helping Harper.

We've had to rush her to the vet three times since 10/15/2020 with vomiting and diarrhea. They've done almost every test you can imagine; another full round of blood work, X-Ray of her abdomen, fecal sample to check for parasites/infection, etc. Every test they have done has come back fine; however, they initially put her on a round of antibiotics and probiotics while we awaited the fecal results. She has been done with both medications for over a week now but the vomiting and diarrhea persist. They have prescribed her prescription GI food, which she does not like so it's very hard to get her to eat. I've resorted to rubbing honey and karo syrup mixed together on her gums on several occasions because it had been so long since she ate or drank anything.

Harper was mostly waking up in the middle of the night/early morning throwing up and then she would have diarrhea. The vomiting has gotten somewhat better, but she did throw up again today and she still does not have regular bowel movements. While she doesn't always have diarrhea, her stools are never firm anymore. The vomit usually just looks like bile and then the loose stools will start. I'm actually concerned with the amount of stools, as it doesn't seem like she eats a lot. It's hard to get a puppy to eat that doesn't want to and now I'm afraid to change her food because I'm not sure what started all of this.

We do have an ultrasound scheduled also, so am quite thankful we decided to get pet insurance as the vet bills are over $1K at this point.

I'm just wondering if you've ran into this before? If either of her parents have any food allergies or stomach issues? I'm kind of feeling helpless to help her at this point.
Thank you,
~Jamie Seaman

Call me so I can ask questions [protected]. This is me asking her to call me so we can discuss what is going on with Harper. Here is my offer to try to work with Jamie and her admittance that Harpers allergy to chicken was not my fault. We fully understand that is not at all your fault, it's just very frustrating. Then to also learn she is not the breed you spent SO much time researching was very disheartening. I'm sure you can understand how we could be extremely disappointed? That in no way diminishes our love for Harper, at all. My response is I will acknowledge you feel you did not get the breed you were looking for by giving you a refund on this puppy but I will expect her returned to me. Surely you cannot expect me to refund you in full and allow you to keep the puppy. I understand you have been out alot in vet bills a but that has nothing to do with me nor with Harper's breed. I also acknowledge that you love her and do not want to give her up. A full refund is how I am acknowledging your doubt and the possibility of a mistake. How would it be fair to me that you keep her but not pay me for Harper regardless of what breed she is. I am hoping we can work something out so what I am willing to offer is a partial refund. I will refund you $1000.00 and you keep Harper. I feel that is very fair.

Can you please confirm that you got the refund..
Melissa

Yes, I received it.
I thought this was all settled between her and I as the last email she confirmed getting her partial refund that she agreed to was on 11-15-2020. A few days later I got an email from Jamie telling me Harper was still ill and her and the vets were doing everything they could trying to blame me and the cause be due to irresponsible breeding. The first claim was that she had Addison's disease. Which she did not then they were going to run thyroid test and biopsies and who knows what else. I asked to be kept informed about Harper but never heard anything from Jamie. On [protected] two months later I get this email from Jamie..

Melissa,

I am following up to let you know that Harper is doing somewhat better, not that you have inquired. She will forever have issues and is probably what most would refer to as a "special needs dog". The person I had lined up to care for her when I went back into the office to work, backed out because poultry is literally in EVERYTHING most people give to their dogs. They stated that they didn't want the responsibility of ensuring she wouldn't come into contact with any poultry products. We absolutely love Harper however, she has changed our lives for as long as we are able to keep her alive. We can't leave her with anyone, so we literally can't go anywhere that we can't take her. While she has brought us much joy, there were over two months of misery where we were trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She still occasionally vomits or has diarrhea, my understanding is that this will be lifelong for her. There have been countless sleepless nights, numerous vet visits, much expense, much heartache, lots of carpet cleaning, etc. Do you think about any of that when you lie to people? Probably not...

I guess I shouldn't have expected you to follow up or check on her as I've come to learn that you "breed" so many puppies and have several different websites, so it's probably very hard to keep track.

I'm also writing to let you know that I have been in touch with Harper's sisters' owner. They also wanted a Havapoo due to allergy issues, paid you for a Havapoo, paid for a flight nanny, etc. only to discover that their puppy has the exact same DNA makeup as Harper. In other words, Cavalier, Poodle and Bichon. When I submitted Harper's DNA for testing I created an account with a profile in the event anyone else had the same problem with you/your company. I received an email notification from the company, not the owner, that there was a "sibling match". When I reviewed the profile for that puppy, I discovered she was born on the same day, and was purchased from someone in Arkansas. Fascinating...

I finally heard back from the owner over the weekend and was able to confirm they also purchased a puppy from you. This puppy was from the exact same litter and is indeed Harper's sister. We have exchanged emails and will keep in touch. They also feel "duped' by you.

You are most certainly not a "responsible" breeder, as you claimed. A responsible breeder would KNOW what breed of puppies she was selling, and would not sell so many that you can't keep track! I understand now, after much research regarding you and your business online, that you run a puppy mill.

I want you to know that I will be availing myself of every option available to me to make sure you are held responsible for your irresponsible breeding and misrepresentation. I specifically asked you if Harper's parents were 1st generation and you said yes. I have that in writing from you. There was a reason I asked that question. I guess maybe I should've figured out earlier what you were about when you sent me two different sets of pictures that you were purporting to be Harper's parents. You probably have NO idea who her parents are. If you do, maybe you should figure out which one is passing on the bad genes. Maybe it is the mother that is NOT a 1st generation Poodle?

I know you count on the fact that we will fall in love with our puppies and not return them, which is exactly what happened to us, and to the people that purchased Harper's sister from you. You sit back, rake in money, and leave a trail of misery for those you dupe and take advantage of. I find this behavior disgusting! I don't understand how you can treat other people like this? Especially during a global pandemic! It's truly abhorrent!

Last, but certainly NOT least, I want the other $1K returned immediately. It's the very LEAST you can do for the BS you have put us through.

~Jamie Seamans

Here is my response

Jamie I asked in a previous email that you please keep me posted. I have thought of Harper and how she was doing but also knew you were upset and did not want to poke the bear per say. I felt that if anything had changed for the worse you would certainly let me know. Jamie I have explained to you what happened and how the mistake was made regarding Harpers breeding. It was an accident and I honestly thought Harper was a havapoo. I did not knowingly lie to you. I had no reason at all to misrepresent her. I offered to take Harper back and give you a full refund and you refused. I am not the monster you are painting me to be and you know it. I was more than willing to help with Harper any way I could after you got her. I spent time with you on the phone and I have communicated with you via email even though you were attacking me. I offered you the resolution my guarantee states I would and half of your money back when you refused. I have explained to you how the mistake was made. An uncaring irresponsible breeder would not have communicated with you in the least and would certainly not try to offer an explanation or a resolution if there even is one in one in a situation as this. You are upset and someone has to be blamed for her illness. You are lashing out and insulting me in hopes that it makes you feel better and if it does, what does that say about your character. You want to speak of my character which you have gotten all wrong but look at yourself right now. I made a mistake. I did not purposely seek out to harm you or anyone else and I have held myself accountable to the best of my ability while at the same time holding you accountable as well. You on the other hand are purposely trying to hurt me. You want to punish me for a mistake that was in no way done on purpose. Jamie you were ok with my genetic guarantee before you purchased Harper so I expect you to be ok with it now. I gave you half of your money back even though I did not have to. I have offered explanations and apologies for the mistake in her breeding. My health and genetic guarantee specifically states if a genetic issue arises how it will be handled. That was something that you were completely aware of before you purchased Harper and apparently ok with. I offered you exactly what you were ok with when you purchased the dog. I offered you a refund upon return of the puppy. How can you honestly say I am not holding myself accountable when in fact it is you that is not holding yourself accountable. Jamie I am not the person you think I am. I do not count on anything nor do I prey on people. I bring so much joy and happiness into families. Unfortunately rarely something can go wrong and since we are dealing with a biological creature not a refrigerator with replaceable parts it can be heartbreaking but it is not something I am aloof to. I understand that this is heartbreaking and I am sorry but nothing I can do or say will fix that because Harper is a dog not a refrigerator. I am also not going to allow your nasty insults to get me down and keep me from bringing so much happiness into the lives of families. I get several emails a week from happy families that are so thankful I do what I do. I got one today. I understand that you do not see it that way. I wish it were different. I wish I had known that Harper was in fact a cavapoo. I was certain at the time that she was not. I am not a liar. I did not need to test because I felt certain. Had I known that Harper would suffer from any kind of illness I would have never offered her to you. Do you honestly think I enjoy any of this. You may feel better after insulting me but I sure do not. I did not lie to you about her as I was not aware. I have tried to work with you and have continued to communicate with you even thru the attacks and insults which is so much more than most would do. I am asking you to back off now. You do what you feel you need to and I will do the same. I also want to send you a statement from embark when asked if their DNA testing to prove genealogy could be wrong. This is an email sent directly from them...It is saying that they only compare a dog's DNA to their reference panel but if a dogs DNA is not in their limited reference panel they will then look for a relative to assign DNA too. What they are saying is that as their reference panel grows then they will have more DNA to use and will have better results. Jamie they can be wrong and their tests can pick up relative DNA. Embark admits it. You can call and speak with them about it. Below is the statement from Embark. This is in reference to a havanese that is AKC registered AKC DNA confirmed dog from champion show lines. They are about to get a huge class action suit brought against them from breeders across the country sick and tired of their misrepresentations. By the way there are many options for dogs that are poultry free. Your caregiver was just looking for a way out. I will be glad to keep Harper for you if you need to take a vacay. We don't just keep poultry lying around...so keeping her away from it will not be difficult in the least.

Our results are based on DNA and comparison to a reference panel of registered dogs. Purebred status is determined by registries. We are not stating that Pillowtalk Kontessa is definitively not a Havanese, but that there is more genetic similarity with Maltese than we would expect based on our current reference panel of Havanese. Dogs with higher-than-expected diversity sometimes come back with some uncertain ancestry. In some cases, this is due to admixture with one of the trace breeds (or a relative of those breeds), but in other cases this represents genetic diversity not found in a typical dog of that breed.

When we look at breed ancestry, we compare every dog to our current reference panel. In Pillowtalk Kontessa’s case, we see that she has more ancestry consistent with our Havanese. We do not update genetic breed ancestry results based on pedigree alone. As we work to expand our reference panel, we can reanalyze the breed ancestry to see if an individual dog is now more consistent with samples from the one breed. If the genetic results are consistent based on our expanded reference panel, we will update the results.

I hope this helps clarify the results further, but please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Here is Jamies reply
Melissa,
I won't waste my time reading all of your email. I will "back off" when I feel like you have learned that you can't do this to people. And, if that was supposed to be a threat, I don't get intimidated easily.

Nothing you say to me will help "clarify" anything. I'm not the only person you did this to and it makes me angry. A responsible breeder would, at minimum, know who sired a puppy. It's ridiculous not to! I found your multiple names and websites, etc. I've looked at your page and seen how many puppies you push out of your "farm". You are the very definition of a puppy mill. I just wish I hadn't believed you and done more research prior, but I left a lot of it to Briant and he's not quite the pitbull that I am.

Offering to take a puppy back is such BS! You know people fall in love with their puppies and would never return them, so to offer to re-home it is just ludicrous.

I will continue to do what I feel is necessary to keep you from doing this to anyone else.

Refund our money.

Here is my response and yes it was sarcastic and I should have not gotten on that level but good night I had enough...

Funny how that offer is Ludicrous now but wasn't in the beginning. I really wish you would give her back to me. She never suffered from any of the things you say while she was here. Had I known there was a pitbull in the house, I would definitely had second thoughts. Pitbulls are not good with puppies. Sounds like neither one of us had done our research. She may just be responding to you? Her stomach issues could be a result of stress. I would imagine living with a pitbull would be extremely stressful for a puppy. Just a thought. I was not threatening you in the least. You do what you need to do and I will do the same. Not a threat, just a promise. Return the dog...

Jamie you lost my respect when you started with the name calling so I am still one up on you. I am a nice southern lady. So far that is all you have seen. If you throw crap over my fence I will throw it back once it gets to stinking. Your crap is starting to stink and that has nothing to do with being nice. Yes let's do please. If you feel the need to make contact with me again it needs to go through my attorneys office. Gordon Caruth and Virden phone number is [protected]. This way I can continue to be a nice southern lady.

So now you have the whole conversation and no more reading between the lines. Some people will read this and agree with Jamie. Others will see it differently. However you see it just know this. Jamie reviewed and signed the genetic guarantee and the terms and conditions page I offer with every puppy prior to purchasing her puppy. She knew that in order to receive a full refund the puppy must be returned to me. She knew that was the stipulation before she ever purchased the puppy. I stood by my guarantee and offered her compensation not just one way but two. If you are in agreeance with my guarantee before the purchase then I will expect you to be in agreeance after you purchased the puppy. For the record red poodles can have white on them and white poodles can have red. My poodles are not mixed with bichon. It would not benefit me in the lease to mix a poodle with a bichon. No need in it at all. Yes I did accidently send Jamie the wrong photos. I had her mixed up with another client. Her puppy is sensitive to chicken. That is not my fault. Has nothing to do with her breeding. My grandson has an allergy to peanuts I do not think his mom and dad are to blame. I shouldn't of implied Harper was ill because of Jamie that was small and childish of me but Jamie sure did not have any problem saying I was the reason Harper was ill. I hope this clears up some misconceptions on both parts.

If Melissa thinks posting all of our conversations is going to paint her in a better of a light, that's fine with me. I already admitted I was upset, and still am. I feel like I was duped, as I'm sure others do as well. As I said, responsible breeders know who sired a litter and they can provide the correct photos of the mother and father to someone paying $2K for a puppy. If you can't, maybe you should evaluate the sheer volume of puppies you are selling.

Melissa knows that nobody is going to return a puppy they love and have bonded with. I guess there might be people with less of a heart than us that may consider it, but we are not those kind of people. We are the kind of people that stayed up all night caring for a very sick puppy and cried many tears when we thought we were going to lose her. We are the kind of people that doled out thousands of dollars to figure out what was wrong with our puppy. As I stated previously, I'm thankful we were able to afford to continue taking her to the vet, as I'm sure there are many people that may have had to make a much more difficult decision. How do you return a dog that is so sick they aren't eating or drinking anyway? It was ridiculous of her to suggest it. The puppy was gravely ill, being fed with a syringe, but we are supposed to put her on a flight? Okay...

The agreement I signed stated I was purchasing a Havapoo, that's not what I received. So, is there really a signed agreement if you didn't deliver what was purchased? Isn't that the very definition of fraud? Additionally, we had already paid $575 to have her flown here, over a thousand dollars in OUR portion of vet bills, etc. I'm pretty sure she wasn't going to refund all of that, correct Melissa?

Again, this puppy has special dietary and health needs that will be lifelong. She continues to experience flareup's from the IBD and she will always ONLY have one kidney, which limits the medications she can be treated with. She isn't "sensitive" to chicken, she can't eat any poultry. We have her on a limited ingredient (one non-poultry protein), diet. The reason I brought all of this to Melissa's attention is so she could reach out to the others that had purchased a puppy from this litter and make them aware, as I was concerned they may have been experiencing the same issues.

I'll let anyone reading this decide for themselves. Melissa is never going to admit fault and/or that she is running a puppy mill. I would just encourage everyone to look at how many puppies she has sold in the last six months, I wish I had. Or, maybe Melissa would care to share how many she has sold? From all of her websites? I'm sure that affords her plenty of money for the attorney she named.

I'm not going to continue giving you my time or energy Melissa, Missy, whatever your name is. I just hope others see this, do some research, and make an informed decision about purchasing a puppy from you.