laura h - Looks like a Maine Coon. These guys don't reach full size 'til their a several years old! It's not unmcomon for them to weigh 20+ lbs and have size 8 feets. For the most part, if this breed was any more laid back, they'd be dead. Love shot #2 — he looks so regal looking over his kingdom with the clouds around his head!
I chose Kilkenny Farms originally because I was searching for a reputable breeder in BC to avoid having to stress a puppy out by crate shipping across the country.
I spoke with Marilyn Baird a few times in the summer of 2013, and examined her website numerous times. I researched other breeders in BC before I paid my deposit in August. I heard from Marilyn in November 2013, requesting that I pay the balance of the price in advance as she needed the money (which I thought was a little strange, but I agreed – even though the puppies would not be ready until March and she had originally told me I wouldn’t pay until I chose a puppy).
The puppies were born January 6th, ready on March 3rd – I had planned to be in Vancouver by March 27th. She told me that she would hold the puppy for me for an additional charge (which I had agreed to pay), but later stated that she did not want to because she was holding one or two others. Did I mention I paid 2300$ PLUS shipping for a show quality, registerable Mini Australian Shepherd puppy?
I had wanted a merle male, and there were 2 to choose from. Marilyn was supposed to send me photos of both puppies so that I could choose between the two. That never happened – I saw no pictures other than a picture of only one (that was blurry), and not the other on her website. She picked the puppy, and told me I was getting the nicer of the two – and to take her word for it.
Anyhow, I had mentioned to my fiancee that I didn’t want to wait another 3 weeks to get the puppy, so he decided to surprise me and have his father pick him up to take him to the airport to ship. He made the arrangements with her, unbeknownst to me.
When my fiancee’s father arrived at Kilkenny, at the time agreed upon between him and Marilyn – she was feeding the puppy. I’m no breeder, but I can’t fathom why you would feed a puppy who has never been out of the house and is going in a car and a crate and on a plane ride. Needless to say the puppy vomited 6 times between leaving the farm and getting to the airport.
When we got to the airport to pick up the puppy in Kitimat, he came with absolutely no paper work. No vet record, no bill of sale, no registration papers, no pedigree, diet and care information, health guarantee…absolutely nothing. Did I mention I paid 2300$ PLUS shipping for a show quality, registerable Mini Australian Shepherd puppy?
When I emailed her to ask about the paperwork, she replied that she did not have time to assemble paperwork.. and told me that he was vaccinated and de-wormed at 7 weeks (no record though). It has been 5 months now since I got the puppy – still no paperwork.
It gets worse..
I took the puppy in for a vet exam. The first thing he said to me: “This dog has an awful mouth!” The term he used was “prognathism”. He has the worst overbite I have ever seen on a dog, no exaggeration – I can fit my pinky finger between his top and bottom jaw when he closes his mouth. I know that some dogs go through a normal stage as puppies where the jaw is overshot but this is definitely not the case – I have been told by 3 different vets now that this will not correct itself, and that it is probable that he will have to have teeth pulled once his jaw has set. Now that he is a little bit bigger, he is starting to get his adult teeth ... his top baby canines have not fallen out, and his adult ones came in in front of them. His bottom teeth are absolutely F*cked, I've never seen anything like it.
I contacted Marilyn by email and informed her of what the vet had said. I asked her if she was aware of this issue, and asked her about the 2 year health guarantee that she supposedly provided for her puppies. Her response was that teeth placement is variable until the dog is at least a year old. She asked for the name and address of the vet that I have seen here, stating that she is wary of vets who give comments on bites that are not set yet. She stated that her health guarantees are for hip dysplasia and eye problems detectable by a cerf. Examination by a certified vet ophthalmologist which are done on the parents (not the puppies), and that she has never had a problem with any of her puppies sold.
She stated that she “breeds from champion show stock wherein the judges would catch any problems with bites, etc. That is what makes a registerable puppy more than an unregisterable one whereby nothing has been done to ensure that the puppy is as free from physical abnormalities as possible”. She continued to go on to say that the only reliable vet clinic as far as she is concerned, the one patronized by the good breeders and handlers on the lower mainland is Newton Animal Clinic, which is where she goes. Upon investigating the clinic, I discovered that it is not only the cheapest clinic in the lower mainland area, but the majority of customer reviews were far from positive.
After I read her email, I took my puppy to another vet for a second opinion – was told the same thing. At the end of March, my fiancee and I travelled down to the lower mainland as planned. Now having had the puppy for 2 weeks, I noticed he was not eating normally.. I had to coax him to eat ½ cup of food, he was also pretty small and not putting on much weight. The morning we left for our trip he threw up 3 huge worms. I found that odd considering she had told me he was fully de-wormed with the 3 day panacur treatment before he was sent, and that panacur will kill anything bad in the puppies stomach and that I shouldn’t worry about another de-worm until 16 weeks. (I de-wormed him again that day that he threw up with drontal from the vet – and 10 days after with panacur again, and he was dewormed again at 16 weeks.
We tried to call Marilyn when we arrived at the beginning of our trip to see if we could have her see the puppy for herself, since she did not believe there was anything wrong with him. The first 2 times there was no answer. The 3rd time, she answered the phone and we tried to talk to her and she rudely told us that she was busy with company and would not be able to see us at all during the week that we were in the area, and then she hung up on us. The following day, her grand-daughter called us advising that Marilyn had asked her to deal with us as she did not have time.
We spoke with the grand-daughter, and brought the puppy to her house to see it. She was shocked at how bad it was and admitted to thinking that we were exaggerating until she seen it for herself. She also commented on how small he was compared to the other puppies from his litter – and that he looked somewhat sickly, I imagine this is because he had worms.
I then took the puppy to Newton Animal Clinic, the one that she swears by – for a 3rd opinion from a vet that she claimed to use regularly. Imagine my surprise when the vet there told me exactly the same thing the previous two did. And further to my surprise, Dr. Chan of Newton checked through the records, because I asked if they were aware of the puppy’s condition – he advised me that the only time they had seen this puppy was when he was about 3 days old for docking and dew claws. We informed her grand-daughter of this. Her response was that I could exchange the puppy, for the only puppy she had left that she hasn’t been able to sell (I wonder why), which was a black tri – I paid extra for a red merle male because that is what I wanted.
When I declined that offer, and proposed that she either contribute to the vet bills for dental work if that is what it comes to when his jaw sets – or that she refund me a portion of the purchase price (considering I paid for a show quality dog, and the puppy I received is FAR from show quality.) She flat out declined.
After this, I sent Marilyn a fairly lengthy email asking her to confirm which vet he was examined by before he was sent to me, considering it was definitely not the vet she claims to use. I asked if he was not, why is that? I asked her if it is not standard practice to thoroughly check a puppy that you are selling for $2300 for any very obvious defects, on top of a licensed vet exam? I have not received a reply. This was on April 7/14.
To date, I have yet to receive any paperwork for my puppy. We have tried to contact the grand-daughter again to inquire on the paper work and she said that her grandmother (Marilyn) is not co-operating with her and will not deal with us further, and she could not confirm if the papers had been sent yet or not. I have all of the email correspondence between myself and Marilyn, as well as the online banking transfers that I sent to her for the deposit and the balance of the purchase price – since she has not provided me with a bill of sale.
I am of the firm opinion that Marilyn is extremely negligent in her practices. My reason for wanting to file a formal complaint, is not to exchange the puppy (he is now part of my family and I will ensure he gets the best medical treatment for his condition if and when needed), but I would like to save someone else the headache of dealing with this woman, and the heartache of having a puppy with so many issues.
I am not a first time dog owner, and we have had dogs in the family since I was 4 years old and we had purebred dogs and rescue dogs. This was by far the worst transaction I have ever encountered with a dog breeder. It would be nice to receive monetary compensation considering I did not receive what I paid for – but I doubt that would be an option for her as she has already declined. The next mini I get will definitely not be from Kilkenny Farms, nor would I recommend her to ANYONE. I am of the firm opinion that this poor excuse for a breeder should be stripped of her breeding rights, and fined by the MASC USA. She has violated multiple parts of the Code of Ethics, and I have pretty well given up on trying to get any paper work (that rightfully belongs to me) out of that vile woman.
Hopefully this will save someone else from having to deal with Marilyn R. Baird of Kilkenny Farms, Aldergrove BC, Canada.
Kilkenny Farms Reviews
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laura h - Looks like a Maine Coon. These guys don't reach full size 'til their a several years old! It's not unmcomon for them to weigh 20+ lbs and have size 8 feets. For the most part, if this breed was any more laid back, they'd be dead. Love shot #2 — he looks so regal looking over his kingdom with the clouds around his head!
I chose Kilkenny Farms originally because I was searching for a reputable breeder in BC to avoid having to stress a puppy out by crate shipping across the country.
I spoke with Marilyn Baird a few times in the summer of 2013, and examined her website numerous times. I researched other breeders in BC before I paid my deposit in August. I heard from Marilyn in November 2013, requesting that I pay the balance of the price in advance as she needed the money (which I thought was a little strange, but I agreed – even though the puppies would not be ready until March and she had originally told me I wouldn’t pay until I chose a puppy).
The puppies were born January 6th, ready on March 3rd – I had planned to be in Vancouver by March 27th. She told me that she would hold the puppy for me for an additional charge (which I had agreed to pay), but later stated that she did not want to because she was holding one or two others. Did I mention I paid 2300$ PLUS shipping for a show quality, registerable Mini Australian Shepherd puppy?
I had wanted a merle male, and there were 2 to choose from. Marilyn was supposed to send me photos of both puppies so that I could choose between the two. That never happened – I saw no pictures other than a picture of only one (that was blurry), and not the other on her website. She picked the puppy, and told me I was getting the nicer of the two – and to take her word for it.
Anyhow, I had mentioned to my fiancee that I didn’t want to wait another 3 weeks to get the puppy, so he decided to surprise me and have his father pick him up to take him to the airport to ship. He made the arrangements with her, unbeknownst to me.
When my fiancee’s father arrived at Kilkenny, at the time agreed upon between him and Marilyn – she was feeding the puppy. I’m no breeder, but I can’t fathom why you would feed a puppy who has never been out of the house and is going in a car and a crate and on a plane ride. Needless to say the puppy vomited 6 times between leaving the farm and getting to the airport.
When we got to the airport to pick up the puppy in Kitimat, he came with absolutely no paper work. No vet record, no bill of sale, no registration papers, no pedigree, diet and care information, health guarantee…absolutely nothing. Did I mention I paid 2300$ PLUS shipping for a show quality, registerable Mini Australian Shepherd puppy?
When I emailed her to ask about the paperwork, she replied that she did not have time to assemble paperwork.. and told me that he was vaccinated and de-wormed at 7 weeks (no record though). It has been 5 months now since I got the puppy – still no paperwork.
It gets worse..
I took the puppy in for a vet exam. The first thing he said to me: “This dog has an awful mouth!” The term he used was “prognathism”. He has the worst overbite I have ever seen on a dog, no exaggeration – I can fit my pinky finger between his top and bottom jaw when he closes his mouth. I know that some dogs go through a normal stage as puppies where the jaw is overshot but this is definitely not the case – I have been told by 3 different vets now that this will not correct itself, and that it is probable that he will have to have teeth pulled once his jaw has set. Now that he is a little bit bigger, he is starting to get his adult teeth ... his top baby canines have not fallen out, and his adult ones came in in front of them. His bottom teeth are absolutely F*cked, I've never seen anything like it.
I contacted Marilyn by email and informed her of what the vet had said. I asked her if she was aware of this issue, and asked her about the 2 year health guarantee that she supposedly provided for her puppies. Her response was that teeth placement is variable until the dog is at least a year old. She asked for the name and address of the vet that I have seen here, stating that she is wary of vets who give comments on bites that are not set yet. She stated that her health guarantees are for hip dysplasia and eye problems detectable by a cerf. Examination by a certified vet ophthalmologist which are done on the parents (not the puppies), and that she has never had a problem with any of her puppies sold.
She stated that she “breeds from champion show stock wherein the judges would catch any problems with bites, etc. That is what makes a registerable puppy more than an unregisterable one whereby nothing has been done to ensure that the puppy is as free from physical abnormalities as possible”. She continued to go on to say that the only reliable vet clinic as far as she is concerned, the one patronized by the good breeders and handlers on the lower mainland is Newton Animal Clinic, which is where she goes. Upon investigating the clinic, I discovered that it is not only the cheapest clinic in the lower mainland area, but the majority of customer reviews were far from positive.
After I read her email, I took my puppy to another vet for a second opinion – was told the same thing. At the end of March, my fiancee and I travelled down to the lower mainland as planned. Now having had the puppy for 2 weeks, I noticed he was not eating normally.. I had to coax him to eat ½ cup of food, he was also pretty small and not putting on much weight. The morning we left for our trip he threw up 3 huge worms. I found that odd considering she had told me he was fully de-wormed with the 3 day panacur treatment before he was sent, and that panacur will kill anything bad in the puppies stomach and that I shouldn’t worry about another de-worm until 16 weeks. (I de-wormed him again that day that he threw up with drontal from the vet – and 10 days after with panacur again, and he was dewormed again at 16 weeks.
We tried to call Marilyn when we arrived at the beginning of our trip to see if we could have her see the puppy for herself, since she did not believe there was anything wrong with him. The first 2 times there was no answer. The 3rd time, she answered the phone and we tried to talk to her and she rudely told us that she was busy with company and would not be able to see us at all during the week that we were in the area, and then she hung up on us. The following day, her grand-daughter called us advising that Marilyn had asked her to deal with us as she did not have time.
We spoke with the grand-daughter, and brought the puppy to her house to see it. She was shocked at how bad it was and admitted to thinking that we were exaggerating until she seen it for herself. She also commented on how small he was compared to the other puppies from his litter – and that he looked somewhat sickly, I imagine this is because he had worms.
I then took the puppy to Newton Animal Clinic, the one that she swears by – for a 3rd opinion from a vet that she claimed to use regularly. Imagine my surprise when the vet there told me exactly the same thing the previous two did. And further to my surprise, Dr. Chan of Newton checked through the records, because I asked if they were aware of the puppy’s condition – he advised me that the only time they had seen this puppy was when he was about 3 days old for docking and dew claws. We informed her grand-daughter of this. Her response was that I could exchange the puppy, for the only puppy she had left that she hasn’t been able to sell (I wonder why), which was a black tri – I paid extra for a red merle male because that is what I wanted.
When I declined that offer, and proposed that she either contribute to the vet bills for dental work if that is what it comes to when his jaw sets – or that she refund me a portion of the purchase price (considering I paid for a show quality dog, and the puppy I received is FAR from show quality.) She flat out declined.
After this, I sent Marilyn a fairly lengthy email asking her to confirm which vet he was examined by before he was sent to me, considering it was definitely not the vet she claims to use. I asked if he was not, why is that? I asked her if it is not standard practice to thoroughly check a puppy that you are selling for $2300 for any very obvious defects, on top of a licensed vet exam? I have not received a reply. This was on April 7/14.
To date, I have yet to receive any paperwork for my puppy. We have tried to contact the grand-daughter again to inquire on the paper work and she said that her grandmother (Marilyn) is not co-operating with her and will not deal with us further, and she could not confirm if the papers had been sent yet or not. I have all of the email correspondence between myself and Marilyn, as well as the online banking transfers that I sent to her for the deposit and the balance of the purchase price – since she has not provided me with a bill of sale.
I am of the firm opinion that Marilyn is extremely negligent in her practices. My reason for wanting to file a formal complaint, is not to exchange the puppy (he is now part of my family and I will ensure he gets the best medical treatment for his condition if and when needed), but I would like to save someone else the headache of dealing with this woman, and the heartache of having a puppy with so many issues.
I am not a first time dog owner, and we have had dogs in the family since I was 4 years old and we had purebred dogs and rescue dogs. This was by far the worst transaction I have ever encountered with a dog breeder. It would be nice to receive monetary compensation considering I did not receive what I paid for – but I doubt that would be an option for her as she has already declined. The next mini I get will definitely not be from Kilkenny Farms, nor would I recommend her to ANYONE. I am of the firm opinion that this poor excuse for a breeder should be stripped of her breeding rights, and fined by the MASC USA. She has violated multiple parts of the Code of Ethics, and I have pretty well given up on trying to get any paper work (that rightfully belongs to me) out of that vile woman.
Hopefully this will save someone else from having to deal with Marilyn R. Baird of Kilkenny Farms, Aldergrove BC, Canada.