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Katie Conit/Rogers of Kountry Thyme Terriers is a breeder of English Jack Russell Shorties. I purchased two adult dogs from her, one of which I had bred by her male prior to shipping. The other I chose to purchase just days before the flight. The second dog "Storie" had a ### ear so I was hesitant to purchase her. Aside from that Mrs. Rogers said "She is everything you are looking for" and offered to sell her to me for $400 rather than $800 based on her ### ear. When they arrived both dogs were so scittish they would not let anyone come near them. Mrs. Rogers said she would ship the first dog "Hobbit Hill Sadie Hawkins" "we could try to get her shipped 10-14 days after that just so we make sure we get her covered well." When she arrived she had a yeast infection in her ears, the tartar build up on her teeth was that of a 9 year old dog with no dental care according to my vet, and although she was not thin, her back bone was visible and she had a tick on her that had been there for awhile. Sadie is 3 years old and scared so badly of everything that she does the belly crawl everywere she goes and she would sit backwards in her crate as far in the corner as she could get, shaking and quivering. When asked about her condition I was told she was always shy from the day she bought her, She could not predict how a dog will act in a new situation, and she wanted to make sure she was healthy enough to fly before shipping her. She explained to me that her vet recommends de-worming her dogs 3 times during pregnancy with different broad spectrum de-wormers due to the problems they have with worms, gaurdia, coccidia, etc... in Arkansa. A pregnant dog should not ever have to be given de-wormer as it can cause serious birth defects, and psychological issues.
Storie was one year old. Mrs. Rogers had "accidentally" bred her on her first heat cycle and had one puppy in that litter. Storie had tape worms falling out of her. She was so thin you could see all of her ribs and her hip bones. The tartar on her teeth was that of a 3 year old and her gums were red and inflamed. Both of the girls had a bath prior to being shipped but their faces smelled very strongly of old stale urine. The second girl was so permiated with the smell that her back was stained yellow and the smell was still obvious after her second bath. She was dehydrated and would not come near people accept me after I had lured her to me with meat and calmed her for quite some time. Mrs. Rogers informed me that she had never had a problem with tape worms, and that I wanted something for nothing. I did end up paying only $350 for Storie assuming it was due to her ### ear and that I had already payed $1200 for Sadie. Mrs. Rogers told me that she had several weeks to make sure Sadie was healthy and no advanced notice to be sure Storie was healthy enough to fly.
After looking at her website it was very easy to see which pups had tapeworms and I explained to her how to deal with them since she had no experiance. Those pups are now priced at $400 rather than the $800 she was trying to sell them for. That is how she is dealing with it.
Mrs. Rogers told me that her and her 3 daughters ages 3, 4, and 10 were the only ones that ever interacted with the dogs and that they each had their own 14x14 "area" to live in with a big bowl of water, a pool, and a dog house. She has listed on her website 20 breeding dogs, 13 "older puppies" 4-12 months, and 9 pups under 3 months of age, at least 2 English Setters, and other dogs not listed on her site. That's 44 dogs that she takes care of all by herself while she is caring for her two small children. She also raises horses and is very interested in the disease called "Lavender" commenting that she knew of several cases of the disease in the 2 years that she had been breeding them. Lavender is documented in her horses bloodlines. But that is a whole different story. I would be happy to share our corrispondence if interested. It is very long and detailed as she replied quickly to every one of my emails. After the dogs were sent and I voiced my concerns Mrs. Rogers ceased all corrispondance and has not yet sent any paper work on the girls. I have had them for a month now and they are still very anti social. Storie lunges and bites at other dogs and has nipped at my 5 year old daughter. Sadie is very aggresive when another dog comes near her crate or toys and very with drawn otherwise. Both will "play" with me although it mainly entails them nipping at my hands and clothes in a teasing manner and running back to their crates were they feel safe. They do not want to be held or stroaked. and all who meet them say "It makes you wonder what has been done to these poor dogs"
There are only two words that can sum up Mrs. Rogers "breeding program" and that is PUPPY MILL.
12/9/10 Since this post Mrs. Rogers has revised her website to show only 11 breeding dogs, 10 older puppies, and 12 puppies. She has slashed her prices to $400 and $500 rather than the $800-$1200 she was asking. Hopefully Mrs. Rogers is getting back to a managable breeding program and her dogs will get the health care and attention that they deserve.
Since the last posting I made. Sadie and all of her unborn pups died just prior to her due date. Mrs. Rogers said There was no way for her to believe me without proof and that it had nothing to do with her. After posting a comment on my website about Mrs. Rogers and her Puppy mill, I had a lady contact me localy (in Alaska) about her own expieriance with Kountry Thyme Terriers. She had purchased 2 pups from Mrs. Rogers as well. The first pup was a bit submissive but they loved her so much they chose to purchase a second pup a few months later. After choosing which litter she wanted to choose her pup from, the dam died, just before giving birth (sound familiar?) after hearing the news she chose to get a pup from another breeding. The pups were born and the dam died very shortly after. She still chose a pup from this litter but found that she was VERY submissive once she arrived. The pup would squat and pee (not piddle) if you reached down toward her. If you scolded her at all she would poop and pee. At the time this woman contacted me she was trying to find a new home for her. She was 14 months old. I offered to help place her and put out some ads in an effort to find a proper home for her. Originally she had been purchased for $1000 so the asking price was $500. We were unable to place her at that price. Eventually it became to much for the family and they sent her to me to find her a new home. She was just as described and would poop and pee when approached. Using different ways of approach worked well to control her anxiety disorder and comforted her but she still had issues. I did find her a wonderful and loving home and she is doing well in her new environment.
For RJMiller: Just a note on ### ears. You can tape the pups ears and there is a chance that they will fold properly. I was told it has to be done in the first few months but I did it with a 6 month old pup and it just took 2 days for her ears to fold just right. Stories ears are very rigid and with some daily massaging one of them has begun to fold nicely. I don't think the other will ever fold but she is a year and a half now. I hope this helps!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I've also had a negative experience with Ms. Katie Rogers and her Kountry Thyme Kennel. I researched the Shorty Jacks extensively on the internet, and thought I was on the right track because this kennel is "recommended" by one of the English Jack Russel breeder groups. Good Houskeeping Seal of Approval that is NOT. In November 2010 I bought a young, very tiny female, (less than 2 pounds when shipped to me) that turns out to be the one puppy "accident" out of the female "Storie" that Amanda Stormo posted about above. She is a lovely little dog that I am completely in love with and I would never think of returning her for something else as the purchase agreement claims one can do, but I have to agree with Amanda above, Ms. Katie Rogers must be running a puppy mill. She grossly misrepresents the quality of the dogs she sells. I paid $600.00 for a puppy that I have no papers for, and both of her ears are full ### ears and will not drop. Ms. Rogers said in the last email I received from her (the day the dog shipped to me by air) that "her ears are all over the place because she is teething." Upon arrival I took the puppy to my vet to be checked and she was FULL of coccidia and had diarreah. I advised Ms. Rogers of the situation and she never replied or thanked me for the heads up. I sent her a subsequent email about two weeks ago informing her that my puppy was doing very well, now weighed over 6 pounds, but her ears had not dropped. She has not acknowledged either email of mine. I love the dog and and have spent a lot of time training her and socializing her, but I sadly admit, I feel I've been taken and DO NOT recommend this breeded. Obviously she is only in it for the money and doesn't care who she sells her dogs to or what their status is once they've shipped out. My puppy has a good, warm, loving home for life, despite the fact that she isn't "perfect"... but shame on you Katie Rogers. You clearly are not a good or honorable business person. Your actions, or lack thereof, speak louder than words. My advice to anyone considering buying a puppy from her is Buyer Beware!
Interesting feedback. I am a breeder and cant imagine letting unhealthy dogs or puppies leave my home
Chrystal - CLTRussells
I am shocked to hear of this and wish I had known of this sooner. I am a previous owner/breeder and live near this woman. I had heard it was bad but you never know if breeders are just bashing each other. I am so sorry for your experience especially on behalf of the state of Arkansas, we get a bad rap just for that. I would have done anything I could have to assist, because these dogs came from great foundation lines that she had nothing to do with. All of us other breeders would have done something about this if we had known. As for the aggressive dogs, if you still have them, please contact me. I can help with that.
Ms Rogers was a character witness in the abuse trial of one Pamela Thomas of Garland Co, AR. Thomas was convicted of animal abuse. She ran a puppy mill operation. It would appear by anecdotal evidence that Rogers also runs a puppy mill. She certainly had very bad things to say about humane investigators in a post that I read & commented on. No reputable breeder has anything to fear from any humane investigator. I know. I help with humane investigations and I have seen the psychological damage done to the victims of puppy mills. It is too sad for words...
I had the exact same experience with Mrs. Rogers. I have always wanted a "shorty" Jack Russell Terrier and I was looking for an adult dog to start out with. I researched reputable breeders and found Kountry Thyme online. The testimonials convinced me that she was running a legitimate, family operation. I asked which of her adult male dogs, there were five or six available on the website at the time, would suit an out-going, active young woman that lives with roommates. I stressed that I needed a friendly dog. She quickly responded that "Oso" would be the perfect fit for me. She had intended him to be a breeder in her program, but was scaling back at the time. I was a little surprised when she offered to send him to me for only the cost of shipping. I was appalled when she sent him on one of the hottest days of the summer in Arkansas on a 12 hour trip all the way to Montana. When I picked him up at the airport, he would only pancake against the ground and urinated almost constantly. After taking a "1 year old" dog to the vet, I was informed that his teeth were in terrible shape and needed to be cleaned immediately. He also had to have a round of antibiotics for diarrhea. He did seem to have had any interaction with other dogs and acted aggressive towards my parents' whippet. He would go berserk around anyone but me, especially around my father. I am guessing that he never saw men at Mrs. Roger's establishment. After considerable private and group training with a licensed dog trainer, he was able to cope with meeting some new women. Three years later, he is still not the out-going, fun loving, crazy Jack Russell I was expecting. Overall, I am very glad that she stopped breeding dogs. I wonder if she wasn't forced to stop after all of this abuse came to light. However, she is now breeding rabbits. I see that she has had over 20 litters in the last year. She shows a pattern of getting over her head with these animal ventures. I hope someone is keeping an eye on the welfare of the animals she still keeps and breeds. The pictures are of my pup "Gryffi" when he first arrived from Mrs. Rogers and how he is today.
This complaint is in reference to Kountry Thyme Jack Russells and has nothing to do with Hobbit Hill Jack Russells. I have tried to no avail to contact Amanda Stormo and her website is down and the only email address I have for her no longer works.
The dog mentioned in the original complaint she calls "Hobbit Hill Sadie Hawkins" is not right. Her registered name is "Highmeadows Sadie Hawkins".
Hobbit Hill Jack Russells is a business in good standing and the above mentioned complaints have absolutely NO reflection on my program.
Karen Adams
I have purchased only one puppy ever and out of Arkansas...I am indeed fortunate to have dealt with Karen Adams who is an advocate for Jack Russells and I received a beautiful healthy puppy...not from the woman who has a puppy mill Kountry Thyme...why doesn't a humane society shut her down and/or the association refuse regiustration the way AKC would after a registered complaint? This woman should be horse whipped.