Complaint Review: Rivalt Kennels - Bradenton Florida

4 year old, 3 lb Chihuahua purchased from Jennifer Brady (Rivalt Kennels, 3002 7th Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34205)

on July 17, 2023, for $1,800.

Never saw the premises for the animals living conditions……inside or outside. Possibility of too many dogs living there, plus the 3 lb Chihuahua that we purchased had scabs and scars from e collar shocking.

I can’t get documentation from this breeder of any and all shots given during the 4 years.  

I know this breeder is not operating ethically, because she claimed the dog we purchased was 7 months old, then 2 or 3 years old, then for us to find out after the sale was made, that the dog is actually 4 years old.  I have a text to confirm this, as well as screen shots of the dog with false age.

The dog has hookworms and was at Bradenton ER Vet and Palma Sola Animal Clinic on 7/30, 7/31 & 8/01 with lethargy, not eating, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea and blood from rectum.  This is very concerning, due to the small size of the dog.

 ER Vet bill was $700,  charge for 7/31 was $150 and charges for 8/01 & 8/02 were each $75.  Had bloodwork and was tested for Parvovirus and other parasites in her stool.  Diagnosed with gastrointestinal inflammation.

Jennifer claims she operates ‘Rivalt Kennels’ as a hobby.  However, with the number of dogs, their litters, and the cost to purchase, perhaps Rivalt should be classified as a ‘Business’, with all taxes and fees that come with it.

I would like a refund of some $$ towards vet bills…..$300-$500 refund is more than fair.

Our Story:

Jennifer conveyed to my husband and myself that the chocolate Chihuahua we were interested in was 7 months old. She had this same info on her website, Rivalt Kennels, as well as on some other sites with photos attached.

However, upon review of her posts on Facebook,  I saw the very same photos of the dog, but she stated on FB that the dog was 3 years old. So I asked her a few times about the dog's age, by email through her website, and each time she said the dog was 7 months old.

She wanted $1800 for the dog, which would have been more than fair if it truly was a puppy.

However, I wanted to be sure of the accuracy of her responses with the age of the dog.  So, when I was at the Bank getting the cashiers check, I texted Jennifer to confirm pricing and (once again) the age of the dog.

She texted me and said that she could not cash the official check if it was made out to her, so instructed me to make it out to her husband.  She also texted me back confirming the pup was only 7 months old.

But when we went to get the dog, I pointed out that her posts of the 3 year old dog on FB in 2022, were identical to the photos of the 7 month old dog on the Rivalt website. She said that she always used the same photos, because she didn't have the time to take individual pics of each and every dog.

I told her in front of my husband to just be honest with me.  So I glanced at the dog's registration papers and saw that the issued date was in 2021. That would have put the dog at 2 years old. When I questioned Jennifer further, she said yes, the dog was older than what she originally said, but that she really needed to unload the dog.

It was SW Florida in July, very hot (95°+high humidity).  She and the dog were sitting outside in the front yard on a porch step.  So while we were there, we stood in the driveway by our car, not once in the house or seeing any of the other dogs or their living conditions.

In addition, what I also thought was odd was that Jennifer never asked me any questions about our home life, other pets we may have, if we were familiar with the breed, etc.  No screening whatsoever.

That said, it was also very unusual to us to not receive full health info and records for this dog.  She did tell me I could call the vet and obtain all her records.  I shouldn't have had to do that, but when I did call the vet, they said this dog had been there only once for rabies shot!

I texted Jennifer about that and she said there were a couple of other vets in the area where she took the dog, and that I could call those places for when the dog had pups.  I've never had to do such a thing with any of the dogs we purchased in the past from breeders!

My husband and I both held the little dog, and we loved her looks and temperament, so I gave Jennifer the $1,800 and we left. We felt that we truly rescued this dog, but at a significant cost.

When I got home, I realized that Jennifer had conveniently stapled over the dog's birthdate on the Registration form. The birthdate showed 5/10/2019!  That put the dog at 4 years old.  But we still wanted the dog so I texted Jennifer and asked why she sold us a 4 yr old dog @ $1,800 and said she must have been confused, mixing things up with the next customer who was coming there for another dog.

Hmmmm.....that was definitely an intentional screw up on her part. We come to find out from Jennifer herself that she used a shock collar on this 3 lb dog, as she had scabs and scars on her neck!  We took the dog to the vet right after we got her, but we have no idea when any shots were given or if flea/tick/hearguard was administered, we just learned through a fecal exam that the dog has hookworms, so we're treating her for that.

I asked about rabies vaccine, and Jennifer said, yes, she's due for it. We don't know why but she clearly wanted rid of this dog, yet she didn't end up selling the dog back in 2022, when she posted it for sale.  We can only surmise that others may have also seen her true colors and decided to go with their gut feeling/s.

Jennifer had nothing written down for us.  She didn't honor my request for a receipt when I asked for it.  I don't know if the dog had any other shots, than rabies.  No instructions provided, except that the food given was Pedigree, which is definitely a sub-par dog food.  Even my vet remarked negatively on that one.

We want to keep the dog, so I did ask Jennifer for at least a refund of $300 to offset the vet bills.  She flatly refused and said that we wanted a 'free' dog, which is absolutely NOT the case.  She keeps eluding to the contract she gave us for the Sale of Puppies....not adult dogs.  But we were charged way too much for a 4 year old dog, and we were hoodwinked with several inconsistencies.

I read that she's bred and sold Chihuahuas, Lhasa Apsos, Dobermans and French Bulldogs. Perhaps she should be operating as a Business , rather than a 'hobby', with any and all associated ramifications.

Note:  I see that she has revised the website (rivaltkennels.wixsite.com) to now require a Password for guest entry.....most likely she didn't want my negative review to blatantly appear to any new prospects.  There it is again, her dishonesty shines through.  I don’t want this to happen to another buyer.

P.S.  I can share photos of the dog (named Liberty) posted by Jennifer in July, stating the dog was born on 1/04/2023 and it was 7 months old!