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Hello everyone, is Ivy Leaf Kennels 1 Barrons Way, Burnhope, County Durham, DH7 0DJ, a puppy farm. I ask as it has a new varied selection of breeds within a fortnight of my visit. My visit was a dreadful experience, I have been looking for a Shih Tzu puppy for a while, so when I saw some puppies advertised within a few miles of my home I telephoned and they said I could call around.
I was given a postcode and no address, neighbours pointed me in the direction of Ivy Leaf kennels.
I had seen a photo on one of the puppy sites, so I was really surprised when I saw the puppies they were not the puppies in the photo. The photo showed four white nosed pups on a quilt in front of a real fire. The man Kev Knox (I dont believe that was his name) was very abrupt and said he had somebody calling in 5 minutes and hurried me along.
I asked to see the pups parents, he let 2 Shih Tzus out of a back kennel, the Shih Tzu puppies were in a cage with Dashound pups and there was a westie in the kennel next to them, with a pretty black and white shih tzu obviously not from the same litter as the other 4 Shih Tzu pups. I was interested in a bitch, he had two, one was very small the neither pup was anything like the photos on the internet.
I asked to see their pedigree, and was told there was nothing ready yet. It was not Kennel Club registration, but something with initial such PPBG I asked for the birth date and he was unsure about that. The pups were in a cold outhouse with sawdust on the floor. The pups were not the same colour as the so called Shih Tzu parents. I felt fleas on the pup I held, these pups were not in a loving and caring environment. I believe this to be a puppy farm.
On searching the internet I have found others who have bought pups from Knox and suffered by having to pay huge vet bills. I asked if he had ever had bother with the dogs eyes, as I have read this is a common problem with Shih Tzus, and he said never. This man pushed me to make a decision on the pup, I was only there a few minutes, maybe 5 in total. He was a horrible man with no patience, and a lot of heavy breathing when asked questions.
I left without a pup, but still feel for the poor animals left there in the cold cage without their mother. Maybe he didn't want me to buy from him as I lived so near, and would make an issue of any problems. I don't believe the pedigree would have been worth the paper it was written on.
It is a disgrace if it is all about making money out of poor creatures? I have since noticed on his Ivy Leaf Kennels website that he has a new selection of puppies of different breeds, is he shipping them in? I would like to inform the relevant authorities, but I am not sure who or how.
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