OVERVIEW

All puppies carry a 30-month congenital health guarantee. This guarantee includes both hip and eye defects as well as any other defect – which would prevent the dog from breeding – deemed to be congenital in nature by a licensed veterinarian. The sire and dam of this litter have clear eyes as validated by the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) and good or better hips as validated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). CERF and OFA validation of both sire and dam does NOT preclude that puppies they produce are free from genetic defects affecting their hips and eyes. Moreover, there is no way to guarantee, regardless of the genetic health of the parents, that ANY puppy will be free of ANY or ALL genetic defects. Therefore, we offer this guarantee as recourse.

All puppies are sold in good faith. No dog is sold for any specific use or guarantee of performance, such as brood bitch, stud dog, show dog or field trial competitor.

You are the sole responsible party for the care and maintenance of your puppy upon leaving our facilities. I will assume no financial responsibility for veterinary exams, vaccinations, treatments or diagnosis. This guarantee covers genetic defects that prevent either breeding or the inability of the dog to function normally as determined by a competent veterinarian.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD YOU EUTHANISE THIS DOG, except in the instance of traumatic accidental injury or other life-threatening situation where euthanisation is a proper alternative. Please read the remainder of this agreement regarding what to do if you choose not to keep this dog upon the finding of a genetic defect.

 

Your pup will have the following at the time of pickup or delivery:

A statement of excellent health.

Current wormings and vaccinations (see attached veterinary statements).

Removal of dewclaws

 

Continue your pup’s vaccination schedule in a timely manner and with all shots required by your veterinarian

Maintain your pup on monthly heartworm preventative beginning at the age indicated by your veterinarian and continuing monthly thereafter

Conduct preliminary OFA submission between 12 and 14 months of age

Conduct CERF submission between 12 and 14 months of age

Conduct OFA submission between 24 and 26 months of age

Any items above not adhered to by the owner of said dog will void this guarantee.

In addition to the items above, I highly recommend a flea and tick prevention program as well as Lyme disease vaccination. Please consult your veterinarian regarding any and all issues of healthcare for your dog.

 

The sire and dam of these puppies are OFA good or better. Proof of each OFA rating can be provided upon request. However, this does not preclude that your puppy will be free of hereditary hip problems, including arthritis, dysplasia, and other disease.

To ensure the best possible environment for your dog’s hip development, I request that your dog is not left for any period of time on slick surfaces, such as linoleum, hardwood floors, or tile. I also request that you do not let your dog jump off any high surfaces, including the back of pickup trucks. I encourage that your dog stays in areas that allow sure footing and comfortable resting.

Your dog’s hips must be submitted as noted in paragraph III. You must have conducted BOTH preliminary and 24 month hip submissions for this guarantee to be enforced. OFA is the final and ONLY authority on the state of your dog’s hips. The refund process will begin only after the dog is rated any level of dysplastic at either the preliminary or 24-month OFA submission.

If your dog has been rated any level of dysplastic, see section IX regarding the refund process.

 

The sire and dam of this litter are CERF clear. Proof of each CERF rating can be provided upon request. However, this does not preclude that your puppy will be free of hereditary eye problems, including progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and other eye disease.

To ensure the best possible environment for your dog’s eye development, I request that you be especially careful of any items or other animals that could damage your dog’s eyes. Cats, birds, lizards and other household pets should not be available to your dog. Damage to your dog’s eye, if inflicted by accident or otherwise, can prevent your dog from a CERF clear status.

Your dog’s eye evaluation must be submitted as noted in paragraph III. CERF is the final and ONLY authority on the state of your dog’s eyes. The refund process will begin only after the dog is rated non-clear at your 12 month CERF submission.

If your dog has been rated non-clear, see section IX regarding the refund process.

 

OFA requires a dog to have a form of permanent identification at the times records are submitted. At the time of writing of this contract, that can be either a tatoo or microchip. I encourage either or both of these forms of identification as early as possible. I also encourage that the tatoo is placed somewhere on the animal where it cannot be easily removed. I have heard of cases where ears were cut off of animals to remove the tatoo. Most veterinarians are now tatooing areas such as the inside of the thigh. If you tatoo or microchip early, keep your records filed as you will need those numbers at the time you submit any x-rays to OFA for evaluation.

 

The following is a list of congenital problems common to Labrador Retrievers. This is for informational purposes only and is not comprehensive. This guarantee and refund process is only in effect for congenital problems that will PREVENT the breeding of the dog covered under this guarantee.

Hip Dysplasia

Progressive Retinal Atrophy

Retinal Dysplasia

Cataracts

Muscle Myopathy

Dwarfism

Hypothyroidism

Any defect which is deemed congenital by the process listed in Section IX enforces this guarantee.

 

The following are conditions required for enforcement of this guarantee:

All items in sections III through VI must have been adhered to by the owner of the dog

The dog must NOT have been bred

The owner must be the original owner of the dog. This guarantee is non-transferable to any party. This guarantee can be enforced by ONLY the original owner providing that this individual has owned the dog from the time it was purchased to the time the guarantee is being enforced.

Any attempt to enforce this guarantee must be conducted in writing, via certified or overnight mail (or any form that allows tracking). Phone calls are welcomed, but the date of the original claim must be verified by communications in writing.

The dog must be under 30 months of age at the time of any claim.

I must be notified within 7 days of any finding of genetic defects.

UNDER NO CONDITION, other than accidental injury, will the dog be euthanised. If you are considering Euthanisation for ANY REASON, other than accidental injury, please contact me IMMEDIATELY.

 

If your dog is found to have a congenital defect which would prevent it from breeding, please do the following:

Notify me immediately by telephone

Send notice in writing via certified, overnight, or any other form of mail that can be tracked.

If the claim is for any defect other than those judged by OFA or CERF, please submit by any form of traceable mail a copy of the findings and appropriate material to be reviewed by our veterinarian. The process continues as follows:

My veterinarian will review the findings at my expense.

If my veterinarian disagrees with the original diagnosis, I will submit, at my expense, the findings to a third veterinarian. The third opinion will determine whether the original findings are valid.

If they are found to be valid by any of the above actions, the claim is then grounds for enforcement of this guarantee.

If the claim is for any defect validated by OFA or CERF, please submit a copy of the appropriate findings for my files. Any claim for hip or eye defects as defined in sections IV and V is grounds for enforcement of this guarantee.

Claims are not considered valid until the owner has followed the processes outlined in this agreement and adhered to the stipulations stated herein.

The amount of the refund will be determined as follows:

If you do not want to keep the dog, you may return it to me for a full refund, on the condition that you provide me with the original AKC papers, signed by you and transferring ownership to me. Upon receipt of both dog and accompanying papers, a refund for the total purchase price will be issued within 30 days. I will assume responsibility for shipping in this case.

If you want to keep said dog, you must provide me with proof of spaying or neutering. Upon receipt of this proof, a refund will be issued for the purchase price of the dog less $300.

UNDER NO INSTANCE, other than accidental injury, should the dog be euthanised.