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Great Dane puppy scam? Only 4lbs!

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  • Great Dane puppy scam? Only 4lbs!

    Hey all.
    Yesterday we came across two Great Dane puppies in a weird situation. Anyways, we ended up taking one home and love him dearly.

    The owner seemed very shady. Without going into too much detail, by the time we left, I didn’t believe anything he was saying.

    The pup is 6 weeks old and 3 days.
    (I’m aware we have him early, the owner claimed something tragic happened to the mother.)

    he only weighs 4 pounds at this point though. I’ve seen they should be about 10 pounds and growing fast by this point? It’s got me a bit worried he’s not even half Dane.

  • #2
    First..yes it was too early and even if mom was not in the picture or not feeding any longer they still need to stay with their breeder until they are 8 weeks old... in some places it is against the law to rehome, sell, but or adopt any puppy under 8 weeks... 4 pounds at 6.5 weeks of age is quite questionable.. That is more the weight of a 3-4 week old pup and even then on the small side... It is highly unlikely that the pup is a Dane even partly... Also hope you did not pay more than a very nominal fee ($50 -$75) for this pup...by buying from an irresponsible breeder you only encourage them to continue breeding to the determent of a breed, over breeding of mom, producing unhealthy pups often with unstable temperaments as well, and encouraging shady practices..
    sigpic
    Dale AKC CGC Evaluator
    Associate Member GDCNE
    Member GSPCA
    Member NAVHDA
    Member Central Maine Kennel Club
    High Hopes Great Danes & German Shorthairs

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    • #3
      couldn't agree more! and this is the second post in recent days about a 4# puppy!!! wth is going on?
      [SIGPIC]

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      • #4


        Originally posted by kahluadanes View Post
        First..yes it was too early and even if mom was not in the picture or not feeding any longer they still need to stay with their breeder until they are 8 weeks old... in some places it is against the law to rehome, sell, but or adopt any puppy under 8 weeks... 4 pounds at 6.5 weeks of age is quite questionable.. That is more the weight of a 3-4 week old pup and even then on the small side... It is highly unlikely that the pup is a Dane even partly... Also hope you did not pay more than a very nominal fee ($50 -$75) for this pup...by buying from an irresponsible breeder you only encourage them to continue breeding to the determent of a breed, over breeding of mom, producing unhealthy pups often with unstable temperaments as well, and encouraging shady practices..
        I apologize, I did not get wind of any responses to this original post. I have since updated his condition in the health section.

        To give you the spark notes, Pongo has since been treated for Giardia and will continue to battle that battle until he fights that off, hopefully.



        Veering slightly off topic, addressing your comment about taking Pongo home too early. Generally, I would agree with you. Had this not been a clear rescue situation we would have continued to look elsewhere.

        I'm very familiar with our California regulations regarding the selling of puppies under the age 8 weeks. But
        with that in-mind, California does allow the exemption should a vet deem it medically necessary.
        Now, I'm no vet, so clearly we can't sign off on that exemption, But, it does then beg the question, at what point do you go from Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law?
        Clearly the puppy was under weight, in poor living conditions, and had no sign of getting proper medical treatment.
        I believe the 8 week law has proper merit, but I also believe not every situation can be universal. Could we have called the police or the City? Well sure, but where does that lead to?...The pound? Not a promising aspect for a undeveloped newborn.


        Further food for thought, you mentioned he should have stayed with the Breeder regardless of the mothers condition, again I'd have to argue, that is simply not applicable everywhere. Had he of stayed, I'd imagine his condition would have progressively gotten worse. Given the financial appearance of the family, they would more than likely ditch the sick pup at the overly populated steps of the nearby pound. Again, letter of the law vs spirit of the law here. I can't imagine you'd be doing more good than harm by following your suggestions, though I'd be eager to hear how it would.



        Granted you didn't have all of the info on Pongo so I can't hold you to your response TOO much, but I'd ask for you to review the situation now and rethink how you may address others in unique situations such as this.

        Last edited by caliaviation; 08-17-2018, 03:03 PM.

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        • #5
          You still really didn't give any specific info on how the puppies were kept. They can still gain very valuable life lessons from being with their siblings, even if mom is not present. And yes, it would have been better for them to go to the "pound" than to be purchased. It's not exactly about the law, it's about rewarding a crappy breeder who should actually have had the cops called on them or at least animal control. At 6 weeks old, there is no reason one couldn't continue to care for a litter for two more weeks without mom, unless they were just sick of cleaning up after them or couldn't afford to feed them, in which case, again, yes, surrender them to a shelter or a breed specific rescue.
          ~ Lisa & Rupert

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Sparrow View Post
            You still really didn't give any specific info on how the puppies were kept. They can still gain very valuable life lessons from being with their siblings, even if mom is not present. And yes, it would have been better for them to go to the "pound" than to be purchased. It's not exactly about the law, it's about rewarding a crappy breeder who should actually have had the cops called on them or at least animal control. At 6 weeks old, there is no reason one couldn't continue to care for a litter for two more weeks without mom, unless they were just sick of cleaning up after them or couldn't afford to feed them, in which case, again, yes, surrender them to a shelter or a breed specific rescue.
            Sorry about that, I went into detail with my other post. I didn't make it back here to update.
            In summary,
            BYB claimed:
            * Litter of 7
            * Mother had been poisoned(?) and the pups went to bottle feeding (undisclosed date).
            * 5 of 7 had (according to byb) had already been picked up.
            * Pongo and his brother were outside on a balcony of a Duplex when we arrived.
            *His brother was clearly a couple pounds heavier (We would later find Pongo had Giardia, which could have come from being outside? But explains him being under his brother in weight.)

            Pongo has since put on weight and we are happy for that. Can't do much about the rest.

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            • #7
              I doubt very much that he's purebred or even half Dane. My current pup was 29.5 lbs at 8 weeks and he's average sized now. My 3 year old male who is on the small side was over 20 lbs at 8 weeks. It's my belief that you've been scammed.
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              • #8
                unless at some point he lived in unsanitary conditions, giardia was probably passed to him by the mother. if he has it, i guarantee you, every puppy in the litter has it.

                if you paid any money at all for your puppy, this was not a rescue in the true sense. all you did was put money in the pocket of a crappy breeder which only encourages him/her to continue producing more litters of poorly bred dogs.

                hopefully, your pup will grow and thrive.
                [SIGPIC]

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                • #9
                  As said if one pup had giardia likely they all did.. This was a very irresponsible breeder... a lot of red flags and it appears a lot of untruth... Unfortunately buying from such people only serves to encourage them to continue breeding irresponsibly.
                  sigpic
                  Dale AKC CGC Evaluator
                  Associate Member GDCNE
                  Member GSPCA
                  Member NAVHDA
                  Member Central Maine Kennel Club
                  High Hopes Great Danes & German Shorthairs

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                  • #10
                    I know this thread is old. However, I do understand that people feel they are "saving" the dog getting it away from the place and getting it care. I went thru this with my daughter who wanted a Boston Terrior. She was dealing with a "breeder" who had all the right pics and words ect. When she got there they were kept in the bed of an old pickup truck outside and was asking $900 . She was so upset and knew it was a BYB. She felt sorry for the dog and wanted it anyway. I encouraged her to leave it no matter what (I know it was hard, we want to save then all). I explained to her that by going ahead with the purchase the breeder would be like "Hey I just made more Cash $$$$ for treating my animals like crap.....YaY lets do it again". But, if she/he were not getting $$$ for the poor enviroment and conditions they may think twice about doing it again becasue it didnt turn out to be a cash cow as they thought it would. It's hard to walk away and know you left it prorbaly to be be tossed or die. But, in the end hopefully the breeder wont want to deal with it again since they werent making money. So in essence you would be saving many lives.

                    On, the other hand the "breeder" is probably dying to just get rid of the dog by that time. One could always offer to just take the dog to get it the proper care it needs and see if they will let it go for free or maybe even (and I begrudingly say this) a small amount to help off set the food ect. like $20 25

                    To the poster....I'm sorry but I have to agree with the others....this very unlikly is half great dane (if at all). Even sick it should have weighed more than that. Just the size a GD puppy is at that age would larger than that. But, you have him now and I'm sure he is getting the best of care and love thanks to you. We all live & learn. With this info you will be better equiped next time to spot and call out a BYB. And will have more knowledge on how to handle the situation and feelings that come with it. I do hope he is doing much better now.
                    Last edited by mistified247; 01-18-2020, 12:52 PM.
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                    Roxy & Ace

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