North Texas Boston Terrier Club - Buying a Puppy

Health Guarantees

By Meilani Marischino
A responsible breeder will offer a worthy health guarantee. That basically means that if your puppy ends up with a congenital defect, you'll have some sort of recourse. *I* have found that the more in-depth the health guarantee is indicative of how much faith a breeder has in their breeding program. Responsible breeders may have a guarantee that covers congenital defects for over a year and that if your puppy ends up with a congenital defect they'll either reimburse your purchase price or offer you another puppy from a future breeding. Very few will require that you give the dog back in order to make good on the guarantee although they would take the dog back if you didn't want it.

In *my* experiences, BYB's and pet stores/commercial breeders, do not offer health guarantees or they offer totally worthless guarantees. A "totally worthless" guarantee would be one that offers less than a year on congenital defects. Most congenital defects do not show up until the dog is one year old or older. A "totally worthless" guarantee is one that only covers "fatal" or "life threatening" defects. The reality is the majority of congenital defects are not fatal nor are they life threatening. A "totally worthless" guarantee is one that only covers defects that aren't really common in the breed. For example, the most common defects known to afflict Boston Terriers are Luxating patellas, Juvenile Cataracts and deafness. It would make no sense for a guarantee to only cover Hip Dysplasia, Mitral Valve Disease or something along those lines. A "totally worthless" guarantee is one that requires you to return the dog in order to make good on the guarantee. Who in their right mind is going to return a dog that they've grown to love? I've seen many guarantees like this so be sure you read through a health guarantee thoroughly. Ask questions before you sign anything!

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