Complaint Review: Lagotto Club of America - Internet

First off I feel it necessary to state that I know on some level pretty much everyone mentioned good & bad in all of the above reports. I do not get into the political sphere of it, and there are politics with breeders. I am not a breeder. I am an owner of Lagotti.

Making accusations like Breeders change pedigree is completely unfounded. I have done a lot of research on all of the pedigrees in this breed as genetics is a hobby of mine, and that accusation against Bridget at least is completey baseless and inaccurate. If you want to look up parental history look at Laura Tanos website and it has almost every dog registerd listed. I can't imagine Jacki & Sandra would lie about that either. Why would they? They are the heavily respected breeders in North America. Along with Monica.

The club sets baseline stardards for testing (BARE minimum should be BJE, LSD, Hips/Eyes and preferably Elbows & IC ) and there are some breeders who are not registered as part of the parent club who are great, but there are a bunch who really are out for the money. If you aren't part of the parent club, if I was a puppy buyer, I'd ask why. And I'd ask the Parent club why? Were they rejected for bad practices, or is it politics?

Breeders who are reputable spend TONS of money on a pregnancy. I've seen the balance sheets.  Xrays, ultrasounds, testing. I know for a fact several breeders, not part of the club who do none of the above and still sell all their puppies. Intentions are great, but if you breed dogs with an incomplete understanding of your stock, for profit, not genetic diversity and betterment of the breed, that classifies as a BYB. If you don't have the ability to run testing, to ensure your dogs are as healthy genetically as possible, to provide PROPER puppy socialization (yes there are breed lines which are more reserved and agressive) Then you have no business being a breeder. 

As for the situation with Monica and the sick dog. Sick dogs happen, it is not neccessarily the fault of the breeder. In that case- and I have contacts on both sides of the dispute the 'owners' of the dog in question did a horrible job and did not seek appropriate medical care- and also did not socialize the dog. The dog is now thriving but they STILL will not release "ownership" of the dog so it can find a new home. How petty is that. Dogs are not property, they are living things. Get over the monetary value and be a decent human being and allow the dog to find a new home.

Do NOT buy from Monica Benelli.  We got a sick lagotto puppy.  We've spent thousands of dollars trying to treat issues that she should have known about.

lgranaiodeimalatesta.com

We also purchased a dog from Monica Benelli at Il Granaio dei Malatesta in Italy after she came highly recommended to us.  

After we had signed the contract and paid in full via wire transfer and as she was putting the puppy on the plane in Italy for an overseas shipment, she told us (in an e-mail) that the dog had giardia and that giardia is rampant in all Italian kennels.  

The puppy arrived to us two days later with a significant infection.  Over the course of several weeks, the dog would get slightly better and then considerably worse.  We spent $1500 on vet visits, diagnostic tests and medications to treat the giardia.  (Not to mention considerable time cleaning up and sanitizing the diarrhea and vomit)  Unlike normal Giardia, this strain seemed particularly resilient.  

Additionally, our puppy had behavioral issues and fear that became gradually more pronounced.  A Behaviorist diagnosed him with severe Anxiety Disorder.  

Monica has been very difficult to work with regarding this matter.  She has accused our professional trainer (CPDT- KA), our veterinarian (DVM) and our behaviorist (PhD, DVM) of all being wrong and unknowledgeable.  

I have serious concerns about the welfare of all of the animals in her care.  I would never choose to work with her as we find her incredibly unprofessional and irresponsible.  Furthermore, given our dog's mental health and in talking to other owners with fearful/anxious Lagotti, I have concerns about the dogs descended from IGDM lines.

You can learn more about our dog, about our issues with Monica Benelli, and about the health of dogs from Il Granaio dei Malatesta on our website at ilgranaiodeimalatesta.  You may also contact us directly from the website. 

This report sounds contrived. The average person would not use the terms used in the original report, unless they were very familiar with the dog world.

I bought dogs from two of the breeders mentioned as 'trustworthy' in this report, and was ripped off by both of them. Bridgette Flynn, selling pet stock dogs as show/breeding dogs, is not to be trusted. She has also posted false pedigrees on her website as to who the parents of certain litters are, and has not done all health testing that she should have as a responsible and reputable breeder.

Monica Benelli sold a breeding/show dog with a bad, aggressive temperament, and a very noticable under bite. This is not the type of dog that should be bred or sold as a breeding/show dog. Don't forget the cost of buying and shipping a dog from overseas.

Another breeder (read broker) not to be trusted is Jacki Barbieri. Leads you to believe she is the breeder of a puppy you paid her for, when infact, she and her partner scour the Italian newspapers looking for pups advertised for sale. The pay a fraction of the price to the breeder, then sell the dogs for 5 or 6 times what they paid for it. And, Jacki holds the registration paper in her name, so you, as the purchaser, can't show your dog or breed it. She also changes pedigrees on some of these dogs. 

Don't get ripped off by them. Any breeder who has 4,5,6 or more litters in a year, is stricktly breeding for profit, not the betterment of the breed. Be very careful who you buy a puppy from. An imported dog is not always a better dog. Buyer beware! Do your homework, ask a lot of questions and don't trust the breeders mentioned in this article.

This complaint/report is the opinion of the writer and intended as "fair comment and criticism".