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Where to begin...first...we purchased our boy from this breeder. The experience with the breeder notwithstanding, we could not have asked for a better dog! He was the most loyal and just absolutely biggest joy of our life!
Recently, at just over two years old, we unexpectedly lost our boy, we are absolutely devastated! I am trying my best to live my life in honor of our boy and be the person he always believed me to be.
That said, I feel it important to share our experience with this breeder.
After having provided a deposit, I arrived to pick up our boy. This was our first foray into dogs and after having gotten our pup, people we ended up meeting informed us of concerns with a Ruidoso Malinois.
Aside from the litany of negative online reviews, more about the breeder than the dogs, we were told that a legit Malinois breeder would have never given us a dog without having ever met us, learned of our lifestyle, housing and work arrangements. It is now my understanding that these are areas a legitimate breeder would have interest so that the dog doesn't end up in a bad environment, abused or in a shelter!
At any rate, I arrived to pick up our boy, video in hand to record the exciting event, as most people do these days! I was approximately 30 minutes early and was approached by a VERY dirty, nice, but VERY dirty young girl wearing hip waders stained to the knees with dog crap. She told me the breeder refused to come out and meet me because I was early - after driving from Denver, I just wanted to conduct my business and get on the road home. Well, I received a number of texts messages, followed by a call from the breeder and as she went on a tirade asking why I was early, she accused me of trying to spy on her...paranoid much? Given her attitude, I told her that I would be happy to just accept a refund and be on my way. She advised me there are no refunds and I "Have to accept my dog or forfeit deposit".
Once I returned, upon arriving at the breeders house, I was overwhelmed with the pungent smell of dog poo! Walking up the short dirt drive, I passed three makeshift wire fence pens, each circling a tree and each containing a single dog going pretty much bat[censored] crazy, as I have since learned Malinois do when they are penned up with no attention. There was also an out building about 50 yards from the house which seemed to house 20 or so barking adult dogs, the pens seemed to be..."overflow".
As I approached the house, I found another three makeshift pens, which contained a number of pups living or at least in dirt and poo, old, dirty toys, etc. In total, there were probably 40-60 pups on the ground. At the time, being new to the dog world, I thought this to be the norm. I've since been told...not so much. What we've described to other breeders, and showing them the video I took when picking up our boy, we're told these conditions are "Deplorable" and, "The epitome of a puppy mill".
Fast forward to our dog's second year...he was titled as per our contract and we inquired about breeding. We were put off, made promises, all of which were never followed thru on. Last brush-off would have been in Nov. '18 when she advised she would reply in a week due to out-of-town family. Never heard back, even after reaching out!
After having lost our boy, reputable breeders we spoke with suggested that the breeder of our dog may have known he had potential health issues, which could explain why she refused to allow us any breeding rights - she also failed to provide us with health certs of the sire or dam, which I am told is a HUGE red flag!
Irene Howcroft has been pretty ugly this entire time! She has responded to others who have made negative posts about her by randomly blasting their employer (attempting to jeopardize their employment by doing so, then claiming THEY are seeking revenge against her!?) and personal phone number(s) of those who have posted negatively about Ruidoso Malinois. Without fail, she refers to everyone as a liar and suggests there is some conspiracy against her. Always posting some protracted reply making note of how stellar her business is, but fails to touch on the points where she is deficient - there are a number!
The internal struggle I suffer with is NOT having been able to breed our boy, but did she know of health issues that we may have been able to address and perhaps extend the life of this majestic creature!? The vet initially suggested that he may have suffered a heart attack, but the vet who performed the necropsy informed us that at leas than three years old and 50 ft from the car on a walk in the park, something, "more sinister" is likely. And, in fact a congenital disorder was found.
If you research, you will find a court matter related to this breeder. And, while the case(s) was/were indeed "dropped" it wasn't that there was a prevailing trial, but that the municipal offices that conducted this enforcement operated outside of their jurisdiction, literally by approx. 100 yards! She was awarded damages due to the authorities operating outside of their jurisdiction...there was nothing indicating their accusations were untrue. In fact, our dog had worms and giardia when he went to the vet the day we got him home - you can discover online about her dogs being seized and her response to the accusation(s) of her dogs health. She acknowledges her dogs were indeed in treatment for giardia. I was told that dogs in treatment should not leave the breeder so as to prevent infecting other dogs as well as ensuring the dogs are in good health prior to being homes - again, our dog came to us with giardia and worms. In all fairness, I have again been advised worms can be pretty normal with pups. The breeder also claims that is normal with all puppies...perhaps. But, neither of our dogs since came to us with either affliction!
Also, the people who this breeder sued and "prevailed" were all pretty much those who worked for her, at one time or another, for
Minimum wage. They failed to respond as most of them were/are unable to afford counsel...the cases were pretty much all default/fail to answer the complaint...people were unable to afford counsel to answer the suit.
This breeder advised us that her seizure of her dogs cost her a contract of 160 dogs to the State of New Mexico (Her claim in an online news article) and probably another 200 sales of dogs, all to have happened in a single year...360 dogs in a year? You do the math!
We currently struggle with the decision to bring another dog into our family, but have spoken with a number of breeders and have decided that we are a good family and that we provide a great life for our four-legged family members - each had something negative to say about Ruidoso Malinois! And, while I understand people have grudges or whatever, if a number of people all seem to suggest similar problems with this breeder, there must to some validity with their claims!?
So, while our lost boy was wonderful in EVERY way, we do not attribute any of that to this breeder! She will claim how she spent so much time choosing the right dog for us, she never met us and asked minimal questions of us. Each dog since, we've had to complete an evaluation for suitability.
We miss him terribly and hope nobody ever has to experience what we have, witnessing this young and beautiful creature...our beloved family member take his last breath at such a young age!
End of the day...if there are enough people making negative assertions, it's likely at least some of them are true. This woman calls everyone a liar or likely a jealous competitor! Why take a chance with a puppy mill, with a negative history when there are so many reputable breeders which have 100% positive reviews and flawless history!