Guarantees vom Sparta-GR

All of our dogs have either been tested, or are descended from dogs which have been tested, As far as we know, no sporting breed is exempt from these disorders. We provide a guarantee against crippling hip dysplasia. However, our breedings are genetically such that for us to produce a severely dysplastic pup (dysplasia to a crippling degree) is an extremely unlikely possibility, which will probably only occur if a genetic predisposition is coupled with the overworking of a young dog and/or improper feeding or dietary supplementation. (We provide guidance on this in the manual you receive with your pup.) We provide a conditional guarantee against non-clinical radiographic degrees of hip dysplasia. We feel that if you show a commitment to do right by your puppy by joining the breed club and preparing the dog for the first test, you will probably do other things right also and deserve a further guarantee in addition to that provided with regard to crippling dysplasia. For this guarantee, since the evaluation of the radiographic signs of hip dysplasia is somewhat subjective, we will want an OFA confirmation of any German rating of dysplastic. Further, as breeders, we need to know as quickly as possible if any degree of dysplasia is appearing, so that we don't go on repeating the same breeding. (It would do us no good to learn when a dog is five that it is dysplastic - we might have repeated the breeding several times.) We provide a temperament and hunting ability guarantee. We expect that, given proper early socialization and exposure to hunting environments, your pup will mature to be a hunting companion which will make you and us extremely proud. If you have reason to believe that the pup, from either hunting ability or temperament perspectives, has some fault, we need to know about it immediately. Contact us at the first indication of a problem, however slight it might be. We can normally make suggestions which will correct the problem. In some circumstances we will take the dog back if reasonable correction efforts have not been successful. We have put a deadline on this so that we have a little time to evaluate the pup while it is back in our hands, and make a decision as to the severity of the problem and the feasibility of correction. As you might guess, many times problems are owner-induced, and in these cases we may be able to correct the situation, put the pup through Derby , and then place it with another owner. With all the DK  pups that we have placed  owners have asked that we make good this guarantee three times, to the best of our recollection. In one instance we permitted the owner to do as he pleased with the first pup and provided him with another pup at no charge. In another we refused because of the manner in which the pup had been kept (frequently chained). In the third we took the pup back and placed it with another owner who is thrilled with it in all regards. While practical perspectives preclude us from making any guarantees or warranties other than those specifically covered below, please be assured that we are continually trying our best to provide versatile gun dogs which are as close to perfect as nature and the complexities of genetics allow. Should you ever have any problem with your dog, we want to know about it immediately. Given our experience, we are often able to provide solutions to a wide range of problems, from health to training. And, if there is even the slightest chance that the problem has any degree of genetic origin, we, of course, need to know about it immediately. We guarantee to replace your puppy upon its return to us according to the following four warranties. In every case, we reserve the right to refund your purchase price (excluding cost of shipping or other expenses) rather than replace the pup, should we deem it necessary or advisable. The guarantees or warranties are as follows:

PUPPY HEALTH

We will replace your puppy if within fourteen days of purchase, you take the puppy to your veterinarian and any health problem is found which warrants the return of the pup. You must have your vet provide a written statement to that effect, explaining the nature of the problem, and notify us immediately.

HIP JOINT CONFORMATION

We guarantee that your puppy will be free of crippling hip dysplasia - unable to hunt or lead a normal life because of clinical symptoms evident at or before 24 months of age. We will replace him if the following conditions are met: he must be seen by and treated for lameness by your vet, your vet must provide a written statement briefly stating the history of treatment or diagnosis, hip radiographs must be evaluated by OFA with a final or preliminary rating of severe hip dysplasia, and we must be notified of the OFA rating within ten days of the owner's receipt of same. Additionally, we will replace your puppy if it receives a rating of HD I (mild), II (moderate), or III(severe), from the DKV HD- if the following conditions are met: you must test your puppy in the DERBY & SOLMS and you will receive the entry fee  if you get price 1 from us(which requires that you be a member of a DKV/NADKC Group), have two hip films taken concurrently (which are properly positioned and exposed) when the pup is between 12 and 24 months of age, promptly submit one of those films to DKV HD-, and if it receives a rating of HD-A, B, or C, confirm this evaluation by prompt submission of the spare film to OFA which results in a confirming "preliminary" diagnosis of any degree worse than "OFA Preliminary Borderline", and we must be notified of the HD- rating within ten days of your receipt of same.

TEMPERAMENT AND HUNTING ABILITIES

We require that owners notify us at the very first sign of temperament or hunting trait problems and that they take our advice and make a good faith effort in attempting to overcome any deficiencies or faults. In the case of serious faults which don't seem to be owner-induced and don't seem correctable through reasonable efforts we will replace the puppy or refund the purchase price, at our discretion. When an owner makes a final decision that the pup is unsatisfactory we must be notified in writing of this decision so that we receive it before January 1 of the pup's Breed Test year. Exceptions to this guarantee are if the pup is at that time suffering from, or showing ill-effects of, any communicable disease, any non-congenital disease or traumatic injury, and, the pup must not have been neutered. The temperament satisfaction guarantee is void if the owner has kept the pup for significant periods of time on a chain, cable run, or similar, or in a closed environment (such as a garage or small room) where it does not receive visual and auditory stimulus. In some cases we may elect to examine the pup ourselves, or have another knowledgeable person examine the pup, before making a determination as to whether or not the owner has a legitimate complaint. Puppies are normally ready to go to their new homes between their seventh and eighth week, as soon as their registration numbers have been received from Germany and they have been tattooed. As a general rule, our pups are whelped and spend their first several weeks in the house, and get several hours attention throughout the day, every day, until they leave here. They are always well socialized, and their noise conditioning will usually have been started. They will have been wormed, and their vaccinations will be up to date.

GOING HOME

We want our puppies to be placed only in hunting homes where they will receive proper care and be able to fulfill their purpose in life. Although they make fine combination house dogs/hunting dogs, it is a good idea to have a kennel run available if the dog must be left alone for long periods of time. They should not be left on a chain or cable run and should not be left alone in a basement or other area where they will have minimal sensory stimulation. Ideally, the pup should have a mix of several hours kennel run time and several hours of house time each day, with numerous outings to both hunting terrain and social situations. In this manner, the pup will mature to be socially adept, and yet realize that it is a dog, not a person. We hope that you will take this advice, regardless of where you obtain your pup. Your puppy will have been named by us shortly after birth, as required by registration regulations, but of course you may use any call name you wish. As a puppy buyer, you must realize that our efforts need to be complemented by your own. We provide you with the raw material - a puppy. It will be genetically predisposed toward sound temperament, orthopedic soundness, and freedom from bleeding disorders. It will have a serviceable coat, a superior nose, be biddable and easily trained. It will instinctively point and retrieve. The refinement and advanced development of all these qualities is your responsibility. You must house it properly, feed it carefully, expose it to everything possible, and give it appropriate socialization, training, and veterinary care. These are the things that all puppies need to become good gun dogs and companions. We'd like you to purchase a vom Sparta-GR pup only if you're prepared to make the same commitment to rearing the puppy as we have in producing it. If you would like to purchase one of our pups for possible use in a non-DKV breeding program, we'd ask that you look elsewhere. In our opinion, the other registries, with their lack of breeding regulations, have ruined many fine breeds. We have no desire to see vom Sparta GR pups used indiscriminately. In another section you will find profiles of the parents of typical or expected breedings, and sometimes one or more sample pedigrees. However, sometimes we wait until the last possible moment before selecting a stud for a particular bitch. All of our breedings are planned to balance parental traits in such a manner that pups of equal quality and similar appearance are likely to be produced in every litter. We study each pup carefully during the developmental period, and our goal is to make the buyer happy. We will never try to place a pup with you that we think will be unsuitable from any perspective. While predicting all of a pup's adult qualities is a very inexact science, when dealing with vom Sparta-GR , you have the advantage of the advice of the most experienced DKV breeders on this continent. And, we are not happy unless you are happy.

Placing an unsuitable pup, or a pup in an unsuitable home, is at least as traumatic for us

as it is for you.

Thank you for your interest in DK puppy from vom Sparta-GR

Manny Boutsikakis