Bought a dog - no paperwork - previous owners want to visit...

Former Member

Hiya,

This is a bit complicated so I'll try and explain it as simply as I can.

We bought a dog two weeks ago who we adore.

He is originally from Spain and was advertised as a pedigree - but the breeder in Spain hasn't sent paperwork.
He was adopted by a British woman living in Spain. (Call her A)
She moved back to the UK and paid for him to have a pet passport, rabies shots etc.
Moved in with her daughter (Call her who breeds other dogs and he was bullied by one of the other dogs.
Was handed to another person (C) two counties away to rehome.
We saw the advert and went to meet him, he was in a bit of a sorry state with chronic infection in his ears and tail, an infected callus, he would cry and scratch all night till he bled, apparently had been like this for TWO YEARS (he's only three!) so C took him to the vets and got him antibiotics and anti-inflammotaries.
We purchased him, signed a contract with C (which had B's details on) he had no papework. I was told to chase up A&B to get this.
Have been calling but no answer but they respond to texts, I have offered to send photos and updates.
Cannot take him to obedience classes, get his microchip changed, get pet insurance for him until I have his vaccination records we CAN get him re-vaccinated from scratch but it will cost a fortune to start over.
We have managed to sort out his ears in literally 2 weeks, a bit of medication and some TLC.

Yesterday I received another text saying that they "might have" the papers but A had been ill and not had a chance to look for them yet. B then asked if she and her daughter could "come visit" during half term to see him. Then asked how his ears were.

I've got alarm bells going off in my head, although we have the original advert and a piece of paper signed by C for receipt of money, what's top stop them turning up and trying to take him back? Also I don't know what the legal side of things is regarding his microchip, I assume we can't just "change it" from it's current status to read us because that would negate the whole point of the microchip. I know we could start his vaccinations from scratch but we've already paid for medication etc and won't be able to ever get insurance on his ears (Which we expect to cost thousands in the long run) and I really, really don't want the previous owners to come and see him but they'll need our address to send us paperwork.


Anybody got any advice, I text back saying that we needed his paperwork and effectively ignored the remark about visiting him. I just want him to all be registered to us so we can look after him and love him like he deserves. Any legal advice would be very much appreciated as well!

Former Member

Hey,

I just poked this over to my mum, since she has Contacts and stuff, and her initial advice is this:

I?m assuming it?s not been homed from a reputable rescue and was a private transaction? What breed is the dog? Is it neutered? Taking on a dog means taking on responsibility and if that means redoing his injections then they have to.

Moral of the tale, buyer beware.

If you don't want them to have your address, can you ask them to send the paperwork to your work address?

To be honest, if they won't send you the paperwork I'd just swallow the expense and get him vaccinated yourself so that you can have him chipped. Have you spoken to C about it? If C is the one who got him fixed up, it may be that they would be wary of letting A or B come and see him as well.

Former Member

Hiya,

Thanks for getting back to me.

No he was in the Friday Ad and at the time my alarm bells were going but we couldn't leave him there, it wasn't fair at all.

He is a French Bulldog, so obviously quite a highly sought after breed (and difficult to breed) and he hasn't been neutered (but we plan on getting him neutered as we wouldn't want him to be used for breeding).

I am quite happy to re-vaccinate him as we don't want him to get poorly at all but it's the microchipping that I'm concerned about because isn't the whole point of a registered microchip is that that is the person who owns him and you can't just change it?

Former Member

i could be wrong but i thought the point of the microchip was to make it easier to return dogs to their owners if lost and then found, not to stamp ownership on an individual dog in the sense you are worrying about? i would just bite the bullet and pay the money to get vaccinated - its around 40 quid. The vet should be able to scan the chip and give you the number and the company you need to contact - if the chip hasn't been registered you may be in luck and be able to just register it in your name. If the details need changing then that could be more difficult. I would just keep on with the paperwork quest but if they asked to visit again i would say that you are not keen at the moment as you dont want to unsettle the dog again while she is getting used to you and your lifestyle. It all sounds really dodgy to be honest (particularly as they had let him get into such a sorry state) and i wouldn't want them to have my address either.

Former Member

Why on earth would you buy a dog if you knew about all its pre-existing medical conditions.....?

Former Member

Whowhere wrote: »

Why on earth would you buy a dog if you knew about all its pre-existing medical conditions.....?

because he's obviously been neglected to some degree and she wants to give him a good home

Former Member

Hey starcrossed,

I think it's great that you stepped in there to help a dog who was in a poor state.

But clearly there are still issues that you need to iron out, and in particular you are worried about the microchip.

I think Summer_Raindrops' advice is spot on in that chips are to identify lost pets
Get the vet to scan the microchip to see who's details are on there (if any) and then maybe you can contact them?

It may be worth having a look at or getting in touch with 'Petlog' who have the largest national pet microchipping database. Their FAQ's - http://www.petlog.org.uk/petlog-for-pet-owners/petlog-faqs#10
Their number is 0870 606 6751.
If they don't know the answer, then hopefully they will know someone who will.

Let us know how you get on!

Former Member

clementine_the_tangerine wrote: »

because he's obviously been neglected to some degree and she wants to give him a good home

On the face of it, it sounds like a very noble, selfless, caring thing to do. Having never been a dog owner though, all I can see are the spiralling costs. I don't think the breeder is intending to supply the documentation, I think the best thing the OP can do is start from scratch and get new vaccinations e.t.c. And don't let the previous owner anywhere near you, if the dog is as neglected as suggested, it sounds like they're bastards.

Former Member

Hiya,

Thanks for all the advice. I managed to extract some information and gave the previous owners a friend of a friend's address to send paperwork to.

He's perked right up already and that was just a few anti-inflammatories and some TLC. They hadn't cleaned his ears in about 2 years which, for a Frenchie, is shocking. It was never to be noble and yes, at the time, alarm bells went off in my head about his ears and his health but he's such a sweet dog and had such a shocking time.

Ultimatley the ears are down to poor standard of care and the fact he is horrendously allergic to a lot of stuff. The previous owner was feeding him Tesco's cheapest dog food which is full of crap. We've now got him on a new diet and he's stopped scratching.

His microchip is now changed (Thanks to the advice above!) and I'm taking him in for new jabs next week (LOL, he's going to hate me for that! )

Former Member

glad it is working out ok x

Former Member

Glad that it worked out well too.
Now you can enjoy time with your dog!