The Written Guarantee
Two years against life-threatening congenital and hereditary defects. Below is exactly what that covers, exactly what it does not, and exactly what you have to do to keep it valid.
What Is Covered
Every puppy is guaranteed for two years from date of birth against congenital or hereditary defects that are life-threatening or that would materially compromise the dog's quality of life. In practice, for this breed, that means principally:
- Congenital cardiac defects, including inherited dilated cardiomyopathy presenting within the guarantee period
- Inherited von Willebrand's disease of clinical significance
- Severe congenital hip or elbow dysplasia confirmed by radiograph and OFA or equivalent grading
- Cervical vertebral instability (wobbler syndrome) of demonstrably congenital origin
- Any other congenital defect confirmed by two independent licensed veterinarians as life-threatening
Your Obligations
The guarantee is conditional. It stays valid only if all of the following are true:
- The puppy is examined by a licensed veterinarian of your choosing, at your expense, within 72 hours of collection or delivery, and you send us a copy of that report.
- Vaccinations, deworming and parasite prevention are kept current on your veterinarian's schedule for the life of the guarantee.
- The dog is fed a complete diet appropriate to a large working breed and kept at a healthy weight. Obesity-related joint disease is not covered.
- The dog is not subjected to forced exercise, jumping, or stair-heavy routines before growth plates close — typically around 18 months.
- You notify us in writing within seven days of any diagnosis you intend to claim under.
What Is Not Covered
- Anything contracted after leaving our care: parvovirus, kennel cough, giardia, coccidia, worms, mites, fleas or ticks
- Injury, accident, ingestion of a foreign object, poisoning, or the consequences of a dog fight
- Conditions arising from neglect, abuse, poor diet, obesity or lack of veterinary care
- Cosmetic matters: ear set, bite, coat markings, size, undescended testicle, or umbilical hernia
- Conditions arising from surgery we did not perform or recommend, including complications of ear cropping done after collection
- Any condition first diagnosed after the second birthday
- Behavioural problems of any kind, which are a function of training and environment rather than genetics
How A Claim Works
- Contact us in writing within seven days of the diagnosis.
- Provide the full veterinary record, including the diagnosis, the tests it rests on, and the veterinarian's contact details.
- We will ask for a second opinion from an independent licensed veterinarian. We pay for that second opinion.
- If both veterinarians confirm a covered congenital defect, you choose one of the remedies below.
Remedies
Where a claim is confirmed, you may choose either:
- A replacement puppy of equivalent value from our next available litter, at no further cost to you, with no requirement to return the dog you have; or
- A refund of the purchase price (excluding any delivery fee), paid within 30 days.
We do not ask you to give a dog back to claim under this guarantee. We have never believed that a family who has lived with a dog for a year should have to surrender it to be made whole.
What This Guarantee Does Not Pretend To Be
It is not pet insurance and it does not reimburse veterinary bills, diagnostics, surgery or ongoing treatment. Those remain yours. We strongly recommend taking out pet insurance in the first week, before anything can be recorded as pre-existing. This guarantee covers the one thing that is genuinely our responsibility: whether the dog we bred was sound to begin with.
Read It Before You Commit
If anything here is unclear, ask before you pay a deposit rather than after. We would much rather explain it twice.