Quote: Betty Landercasp

Here's what I think, which will really open a can of worms: if you are the person who had a dog die at 6 mos of age of a spinal cord tumor -- if that is you ---
I think you went thru hell with your last pup, I think your breeder owes you a new one. Free.
If that happened to a pup I bred, I'd give you the pick of the next litter. No strings attached. I'd be really flattered if you were willing to try my line again.
Just my opinion.

I think she was about 2 years old, but I could be wrong.

I was also surprised to see that you would be paying anything for those co-ownership arrangements, especially considering what happened to your last dog. I would think that she should (depending on the age of your last dog, I guess) give you the dog free and clear after it's done breeding, or deemed not fit for breeding (and of no use to her).

And, if you opt for a new puppy, I agree that going back to her shows a lot of loyalty, and if it were me, I would at least give you a deal on a new pup.

I would also choose option 4. Having my puppy now, I would not want to have missed out on this (sometimes trying, but) wonderful growing and bonding period between 8 - 12 weeks. There is a lot of cute in there!

Sierra was 2 years, 7 months old when I had her PTS. The breeder gave me half the purchase price back when we first thought my girl had hip displaysia. Once she found out that I had to euthanize her because of the tumor, she gave me the other half of the purchase price back.

She really is a fantastic breeder. I would highly recommend her and wouldn't think twice about getting another puppy or dog from her. She had no control over Sierra getting cancer and as far as I'm concerned, she stepped up to the plate in giving me my money back.

Writing everything down in my earlier post kind of helped me think about what I truly want to do; I want a young puppy to raise. As much as I would love to have a puppy *this* spring, I realized that I really don't want to miss the 8-12 week time. Yes, they are little piranhas and yes, I will go through sleep deprivation, but they learn so much and change so much in those 4 weeks it’s worth it.

The house seems so empty without a dog, so I'm considering fostering one of the 5 month olds for awhile until I can get a puppy of my own. More thinking to do......

I am glad that your breeder helped you out, did not mean to come across as bitchy
as my post sounded.
You can love a line of dogs despite faults. One of my cow families carries a lethal recessive, but they have a terrific mind-- I'm keeping them. I test their babies for the lethal trait, and cull those that have it.