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I'm writing this review in hopes of saving others the heartache and expense we've experienced after purchasing a puppy from Cavalier Companions.
We chose them because they seemed reputable and had all the certifications required for this breed. Unfortunately, our puppy had inherited immune issues at 10 weeks of age and had to be hospitalized for 7 days - and then went on prednisone for 6 months. We have spent THOUSANDS of dollars in medical bills for our wonderful, sweet dog. He is not healthy and has chronic health issues that may never resolve.
At the time of his initial diagnosis of MMM (Masticatory muscle myositis), we told the breeder that the puppy they sold us had an immune disorder. (We had the dog for 3 weeks at that point). She had never heard of it; didn't offer us any help or advice; and never followed up to see how the dog was do. The problem is that she is BREEDING these dogs and the immune issue (MMM) is genetic.
PLEASE spare yourself the heartache and expense of using this breeder.
Do not get a dog from this breeder at any cost. Shelby is not a reputable breeder.
I have been in touch with this breeder to get a puppy and gave her a deposit, Can you tell me what happened and why. Are you filing a complaint and who with? Thanks so much Shirley
Can you please tell me more about your experience? I found this breeder on a Google search but yes, reading these negative commented is concerning. The positive comments were all posted on the same day which means they were likely written by the business owner. I did see the reference page on the website but there was no way to reach any of them to find out if they were real. There is also no first or last name of this breeder which makes it seem like they are hiding.
Not a true statement. Read everything in this email chain. More than one breeder is listed in it.
Hi Shirley,
Our experience with this breeder was not favorable. Before making a deposit I would recommend that you sign an agreement with the breeder.
I would not give Lynn Marie Simmons her non refundable deposit back. That is the only experience she has had with me. I had reason to believe that there was deceit involved on their end as well. She will disagree with that as we have already gone round and round on the subject. I am very clear about this up front. And, I take a smaller deposit than most breeders. Some Breeders do give half the deposIt back, but their deposit is usually much bigger than mine. Lynn Simmon's review is deceitful because it sounds as if she had other experiences with me. She did not. Breeder's take a deposit for a mutual agreement. The space is held, I was holding up my end of the agreement and she did not.
In response to the post first dated back in April 2020 from Emily Chastain;
This complaint is severely misleading for many reasons.
The puppy was quite a bit older than she claimed in her review (according to my phone texts) when the symptoms developed.
I was very surprised and saddened when I read this review that was posted two years after the incident. Emily currently has this dog and and he is a healthy loving pet with some minor issues from taking prednisone. We have been in contact. Emily removed the original review from Yelp and i believe she truly has remorse for having posted it. Unfortunately, Complaint Boards took it off of Yelp and Emily cannot remove it.
When Emily first contacted me with the issue, I was texting and talking regularly to both her and her husband. We had good understanding communication. In 16 years I've learned alot, but had no previous experience or knowledge of MMM, so I had no advice to share, but I was available to talk to. ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT; I asked for the name of the vet and then called the vet to learn and discuss the issue.
...''THE VET TOLD ME that he believed the symptoms were not from anything genetic and that this puppies symptoms did not match what he had seen in other dogs with MMM. I pushed the vet for specifics and the vet gave me reason to believe that the issue was something else, not genetic. He said "there are many non genetic things that could cause these symptoms.'' The treatment was the same no matter what caused it, he explained.
I called Emily's Husband and left a message to call me to compare notes from the vet. They never returned my call, I called twice according to my notes, and they never called me again. If they had called, I would have discussed a plan that would have been agreeable to them, even if i believed it wasn't due to breeding or care while in my home. I still would have given their money back if this is what they wanted.
To my knowledge, at the time, the situation had been remedied. They never returned my calls.
To be safe, (although the vet said unnecessarily), I did not breed to this dog ever again. I have never seen this disease again.
"I do not breed these issues."
I have people with 15 year old living dogs from me that are calling and asking for another dog. I have hundreds of text testimonials from people that are pleased with the cavalier they received from me. I have families that have five different household from dogs from me. I have neighborhoods with over five dogs from me. I love working with and breeding Cavaliers. Unfortunately most people only think to go to yelp if they are emotional or upset.
Yelp can destroy well meaning people. Please remember that puppies are live beings, and that even excellent breeders have an occasional issue. Especially if they have been in business for 16 years.
Cavalier Companions has changed the name of their business to Cavalier River Dogs and Cavalier River Dogs of the Yuba River. Shelby is breeding the same poor quality dogs and refusing to show copies of OFA health testing on the parents. She wasn't smart enough to change her phone number and used the same phone number on her old website on her new website. Additionally, the photos on her website are stock photos of dogs that she has never even owned and are not hers, such as CH Sheeba Super Trooper, amongst others.
https://www.cavalierriverdogs.com/
Cavalier Companions is now Cavalier River Dogs of the Yuba River
[protected]
Shelby always produces (100 percent of the time) produces OFA certifications when they pick up the puppies. Why did you say something that isn’t true? Complaint boards won’t even allow you to take it down if you have remorse. They were not stock photos. Super trooper was the sire of many of her dogs from many years ago. And he is still in her lines. She had good reason to use the photo. And, why didn’t you talk to her before you wrote something so horrible. Why wouldn’t you return her calls after you wrote it. You were not smart enough? She didn’t Change her phone number because there was no need to. She wasn’t trying to hide anything. You should of thought of that. Have you even seen her dogs. She has many many happy returning customers. She can prove all of this. There are many reasons to change her kennel name. Not because of one false review in 16 years. I know this because I am the person who made her new website. Who put you up to this?
We were able to trace this person who used a google voice number to a possible breeder in Fresno. This breeder is know for doing this type of thing. Cavalier Companions did not change their phone number because there was no reason to. None of the above is accurate and she is able to prove it. She shows OFA Certificates on both parents 100% of the time when the families come to take the puppy home and always has. The photos are not stock photos. The photos in question were Grand Sires of her current lines. She has over hundreds of positive references and testimonials. This complaint had no merit.
Also she was given an extra free domain name, but Cavalier Companions is still up and running and has been for 16 years.
Re Cavalier Companions of Grass Valley
We purchased Cody from Shelby a year ago and have had nothing but superior results and experiences. Shelby showed us all of the appropriate health verifications and history of his dam and sire to our satisfaction and promised to provide, upon his neutering, copies of all that paperwork. We discussed the MMM genetics at length with our knowledgeable and experienced veterinarian, again to our complete satisfaction. Cody has now completed his neutering and has grown into a young adult with an incredible personality and intelligence. Shelby continues to remain in regular contact with us and we are 100% satisfied with her breeding skills. She is honest, straightforward and totally committed to her breeding of Cavaliers and we would recommend her to anyone interested in buying from her.
Jonathan Miller
I purchased a puppy from Shelby a little over a year ago. I had done a great deal of research and spoke with several breeders before making my decision. I chose Shelby for a number of reasons, she was very knowledgeable, honest and forthcoming from the very beginning. When my puppy first came home, I called her several times a day for weeks with questions and she always took the time to listen and gave me good advice. To this day, I send her a picture of him every month so that she can see his progress. One month, I forgot and she called to ask for her monthly picture! Not many breeders care enough to do this. In my opinion Shelby is not only a reputable breeder but loves and cares about the dogs that she places with her clients. I highly recommend her to anyone that is considering the wonderful Cavalier breed.
We found this breeder in our search for a puppy. All the positive reviews were written on the same day and appear to have been written by the business owner. It's concerning to us after reading Emily's review that Cavalier Companions isn't reputable. They have a nice website and we also looked at the reference page, but there was no way for us to reach any of those people to find if those comments were even real. There is also no first or last name of the business owner posted anywhere which is concerning. We will be looking for our pup on a breed club website as we have found googling for a breeder isn't ideal and yields mixed results.
Hello, I just stumbled across your comment.
In 2008 we found Shelby and purchased our tri-color Cavalier. He lived to be 13 yrs old without any health problems. So, I guess we were lucky.
We were just considering contacting Shelby again, but after reading these few reviews am unsure.
Nancy
There is always going to be a bad experience among many many good experiences. And I hope that the doggy is doing better now 🤍
Shelby was extremely upfront and honest with us. One of her pups was kind of nipping at her hind leg (which I didn't actually see until she pointed out, so I would have had no clue and had been none the wiser)
That was the pup I expressed interest in, Shelby immediately let me know that she had seen her do that a couple times since we arrived, and even though she thought it was nothing major or that she was playing around with her siblings a little rough, she still wanted to follow up to make sure everything was okay with the vet and didn't want to risk sending us home and then finding something was wrong. She was extremely genuine and wanted the best for our family and of course her dogs. We ended up picking another puppy for our family and we couldn't be happier !
We did thorough research and reached out to numerous breeders before deciding to go with Shelby. We have had 4 cavaliers in our family (extended too) and we are extremely cautious who we go to because we know what the cavaliers can struggle with health wise. No one wants to see a member of their family go through health issues .
This is going to be an opinion... but I think if I was a breeder and one of my puppies had a health issue (even if it wasn't caused from genetics) I would be hyper vigilant about it in the future and be even more careful.
In my interactions I could tell how vigilant Shelby is with her dogs, she truly is concerned about their safety and their long term health.
Shelby was also amazing with my children, helped them sit with the pups and softly and gently handle them. We are big on making sure that our children interact very nicely and softly with animals and she did such a good job with those first interactions ! I am so happy that we went with her! There are breeders that will offer lower prices to try and tempt you to go with them and all I can say is do your research! A healthy puppy is most important ! I think we can all agree that 🤍
If anyone has any questions or wants to verify my review my name is Jessica Cearley
[protected] you can reach out by text and I can shoot you my insta and Facebook handles and you can verify. It's sad that people are trying to discredit reviews posted on the same day or by people who didn't leave contact info so I'm making sure to leave that (: ... when you reach out to a couple past families on the same day asking for a review(because you are trying to make sure your Good Name is clear) that would happen.
1.This review was "not" placed on complaints board by Emily
Chastain. It was put on here from a competitor who poses as a client and has been harassing several good breeders this way in the area. Please see attached copy and paste from another breeder who is fighting back.
2. If I ever breed a puppy that has a genetic disorder, and all of us have run into this situation, I would simply never breed the parents of that puppy again. Any normal/healthy human being would never breed that sire and dam again. It is always advantageous for all involved to put health and temperament first and foremost.
3. I am happy to provide plenty of testimonies to anybody who is understandably uncomfortable moving forward with us after reading the "Emily" post. I am happy to discuss the issue. But, suing someone for slander, libel or false impersonation is a last resort.
.
4. I have been breeding for more than 16 years, and I am passionate and proud of my breeding and my dogs. It's best if you come to my home and meet us or any breeder you chose to work with. Also: on another note: I do not recommend buying from someone you have never met in person. Many of my customers told me that they had lost money from 'too good to be true' situations they found on the internet.
Has anyone had experience with Haley of Cavaliers of Green Gables? I see that her website is down, her post on Good Dog is gone, her listing with AKC Marketplace doesn't link to an active site.
She was very high pressure. She said the puppies will sell fast and there were other people waiting for the puppy I was considering. She would give me 2 hours to decide. When I asked about seeing the health certificates before the deposit she said she was very busy and couldn't get them for at least two days. But, by then the puppy I wanted she said someone else wanted to buy, if I didn't. She wanted friends and family Paypal deposit only. No fees to her and no recourse for the buyer.
I see on Yelp someone has posted about a puppy they apparently bought from her that had to be euthanised two days after getting it.
Me! I have a puppy he’s still coughing. She’s a terrible breeder I’m heartbroken and scared. When did you get your puppy?
There were 4 reviews of CAVALIERS OF GREEN GABLES on YELP. Two of them were removed for not meeting standards but I was able to read them before they were taken down. There is another one now too.
One of them is my own review. Please, please do not purchase any puppies from this breeder. So far, all the reviewers have had severely ill puppies and at least one death. They are suffering from a lack of medical care. They all had severe infections, some causing death or a close call with it and goodness knows what the kennel conditions are like. These poor puppies are being treated horrendously and it just breaks your heart. Ours are still recovering but will always have some problems. My ER reports are located in Yelp and can be viewed by anyone interested.
One of the original reviewers was working hard to have her removed from Good Dog which succeeded and had also contacted the Humane Society in that area...I don't know what happened with that effort. Her name according to the PayPal account is HALEY NICOLE GARRISON. It kind of looked like she may have changed the name of her business so she could list elsewhere but it seems to be gone now too.
We bought a puppy from her. Coughed all the way home. Ended up having bronchitis and Giardia. She did not show us the OFA paperwork on the sire and dam, nor the AKC certification. We did get a receipt from a vet that she took two litters of puppies to. I called the Abby Pet Hospital and two of her litters were seen and treated with "medicine" that the vet couldn't reveal to us. One litter got vaccinated. Our litter did not. We're not sure if our pup was vaccinated or not, so our vet is starting over. Haley stopped responding when I asked her what medications the pups were given on there visit to the Vet, and for the OFA and DNA certifications.
Same story as the others - supposed to be in Auburn, met in a vacant lot in Fresno area. Puppy smelled very bad. But in the end...we seemed to have got off easy compared to others if you check out Yelp. Also...we purchased from Cavaliers of Downton Abbey, but one of the contracts she gave us says Cavaliers of Green Gables. Hope this helps.
Jill CC, please add your information to Yelp. She is still advertising under that name in AKC but they won't do anything unless it is covered by your contract. And unfortunately, there has been suggestions of multiple versions of it.
I almost bought a dog from her! My husband and I are now ready to purchase a cavalier, and I was looking for her website but noticed it was down. So, so, so grateful for the reviews on Yelp which helped me see what a terrible breeder she is! When I spoke to her back in March she was so eager to sell me a dog and also was super pushy, but once I said we weren't ready told me whom not to buy dogs from! I wonder now if they are her competition. Buying cavaliers is sooooo difficult.
I am confused. These negative reviews seem to be for Haley Nicole Garrison at Cavaliers of Green Gables and Haley Nicole Garrison of Cavaliers of Downton Abby and not for Cavalier Companions
Another negative reviews regarding Haley Nicole Garrison at Cavaliers of Green Gables and Haley Nicole Garrison of Cavaliers of Downton Abby and not for Cavalier Companions.
Wrong Breeder again! These are all referencing Haley Nicole Garrison at Cavaliers of Green Gables and Haley Nicole Garrison of Cavaliers of Downton Abby and not Cavalier Companions.
Yes, it is confusing isn't it? The very first review that mentions Cavaliers of Green Gables (aka: Downton Abbey) was hung onto the Cavalier Companions review in a quest for more information. I should have opened a new one but we all kept replying to it. They are definitely NOT the same breeder. I will say this: my sister got two puppies from Cavalier Companions/Shelby around 2014. They are sweet, sweet puppies that do not have any unusual illnesses, etc. for CKCS of their ages (8+). I have meet several people at our CKCS meetup that also have dogs from this breeder and are very happy with them.
Thank you for responding CKC Love. These threads are causing major confusing can you call us at Cavalier Companions and also ask Complaints board to take it off of this site?
I wrote them last week to see what could be done and have had no response. Sorry!
I just brought home a beautiful CKCS puppy from Cavalier Companions and we could not be happier with our choice of breeder! The owner really cares about her dogs and her breeding program. The facilities are fantastic for raising socialized and happy puppies. She also does rigorous health testing of puppies, parents and grandparents.
The puppy we received acclimatized right away and has an amazing happy temperament. He is always eager to please, easy to train, and is wonderful with socializing with different people, dogs, and places. His vet check up was stellar as well. We are so lucky to have him as part of the family!
Please note that the original comment in this thread by "Emily" is not for this business/breeder. I join the chorus of other Cavalier Companion puppy owners in saying that we are super happy!
This review is not for the business listed.
The above review by "Emily," was not put on complaints board by Emily Chastain. It was put on this site from a competitor who poses as a client and has been harassing many California Breeders. she uses many false email names including Goodgollymissmarji. You will see her on at least four Breeders complaints. Below please see attached copy and paste from another breeder who is fighting back. It is much harder for her to false impersonate on YELP which is why you wont see any false bad reviews on Yelp - Just real reviews from real people. Any of the names on here could be from other breeder, especially her. its better to to look at reviews on yelp that are more trustworthy.
This complaint is not about the breeder Cavalier Companions based out of Roseville/Grass Valley, CA. Shelby, the owner is a different breeder than what the person who registered this complaint is referring to. Please read all the replies and reviews carefully and don’t assume that the complaint is for Shelby at Cavalier Companions.