Newfoundland pup.

9606 Views 12 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Indy, Feb 8, 2020

Jushee13

Discussion Starter · Feb 22, 2016

I am looking to purchase a Newfoundland pup. I have found a breeder who on paper and talking to on the phone sounds amazing. They have a brand new litter of puppies which works into perfect timing for me. However I have come across a few bad reviews online and now I have some reservations. Does anyone have any experience with Lynn Kay kennels out of Michigan.

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SusanLynn

· #2 · Feb 22, 2016 (Edited)

Hi Jushee,

Welcome to the Dog Forum! It's great that you are asking questions and doing research before bringing home a puppy.

This thread has great tips for finding a reputable breeder:

http://www.dogforum.com/new-additions/bybs-puppymills-petstores-reputable-breeders-88226/

I don't have any firsthand knowledge of Lynn Kay Kennels, but I read several of the on-line reviews. Personally, I feel that there are too many red flags. One poster suggested that an employee was responsible for the glowing reviews, and coincidentally, those reviews were all made with a week of each other. You might want to cast your net a bit more widely.

This site might be helpful in your search for a good breeder:

http://www.newfpuppy.com/evaluating.shtml

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Shandula

· #3 · Feb 23, 2016

I wouldn't get a pup from this breeder. Anyone who is breeding dogs should be trying to improve their breed, in whatever way possible. It's why I think herding breeds should be bred based on their ability to herd. Nowadays, breeders should be breeding dogs that meet their breed standards, and that is done by going to dog shows. She doesn't even have anything about the parents listed.
She also doesn't seem to have any sort of requirements listed to own a puppy, just basically "pay me through pay-pal and I'll send a puppy!". I'd look elsewhere.

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Moonstream

· #4 · Feb 23, 2016

Just within looking at the first page on google I found this:
Ripoff Report | Lynn Kay Kennels Complaint Review Mt. Morris, Michigan: 1144260

I have personally lived through getting a puppy who died within a week of having him and it is a heartbreaking experience. Any breeder who has a history of selling a sick puppy should be avoided, a good breeder has been watching the pups carefully since they were born and will know exactly what normal behavior is; if they have reservations about the health of a specific puppy they will not let it go home.

Also the website states they have "dry mouth" and don't drool, which to me in BS and already raises a red flag. If someone doesn't want a drooly dog, they most certainly wouldn't be looking at newfies and probably would avoid most all giant breed dogs. Plus, to my knowledge that isn't really something you can successfully breed away.

Definitely look elsewhere.

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Jamiepurdy

· #5 · Jun 7, 2016

Hello,

We purchased a Newfoundland pup from Lynn Kay Kennels and haven't been happier. She has been breeding these pups for over 30 years and is extremely knowledgeable about this breed. We visited several times before we took home a pup and she let us wait until we found the right pup for our family. She sent us home with vitamins that helped his coat come I shiny and nice and is on call whenever we have a question for her. Our dog (Dexter) is beautiful, healthy, loving and amazing! We couldn't be happier! You also have to think in 30 years you can only find 2 bad reviews (and both from the same month) and in both cases she offered to make it right. I think that's a pretty good track record!

Hope this helps! Thanks Jamie

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Chas

· #6 · Jun 7, 2016

My pup came close to dying less than 24hrs after bringing her home from a BYB with coccidia. It is a notoriously difficult parasite to get rid of because it can remain in the soil and intestine walls for 2 months. We had to keep Echo quarantined to the house to avoid passing it on to the dog population at our apartments. Aside from the number of litters, lack of health checks and lack of owner screening, I'd be very concerned about how they responded to a potential coccidia outbreak. If they handled it well they should have no problem explaining how they checked their dogs/treated them and the surroundings.

After nearly dying Echo has had some difficult behavior issues that I suspect come from a lack of litter socialization due to her illness.

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BrittaS

· #7 · Jun 8, 2016

Jamiepurdy said:
Hello,

We purchased a Newfoundland pup from Lynn Kay Kennels and haven't been happier. She has been breeding these pups for over 30 years and is extremely knowledgeable about this breed. We visited several times before we took home a pup and she let us wait until we found the right pup for our family. She sent us home with vitamins that helped his coat come I shiny and nice and is on call whenever we have a question for her. Our dog (Dexter) is beautiful, healthy, loving and amazing! We couldn't be happier! You also have to think in 30 years you can only find 2 bad reviews (and both from the same month) and in both cases she offered to make it right. I think that's a pretty good track record!

Hope this helps! Thanks Jamie

And this is probably another one of her employees or herself.
Sad story overall, especially when reading the comments on the business report and even animal control didn't want to do anything.

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Reactions: 2

KayWilson

· #8 · Jun 9, 2016

Truth be told, I could breed labradors for 30 years and still not be a reputable breeder... I personally have a few red flags with her website. First it says these dogs aren't shown. Breeders of purebreds are often proud of their lineages (particularly over 30 years) and would have champions in their lines. She doesn't have a lot of information on the breed on her website. No information on genetic testings that she has run on her dogs, no parent information, and I've never heard of a breeder selling dogs with full AKC registration - usually they are limited spay/neuter contracts because you don't want the average "tom", "****", or "harry" taking your genetic material and back yard breeding.

I'd probably skip this breeder if it were me.

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Hezbarber

· #9 · Jan 3, 2017

Hi, I had a dog from her and we had to put him down due to his aggression. Would love to talk to others with these same issues

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Hezbarber

· #10 · Jan 4, 2017

Chas, I see you had issues. Can you please contact me

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SusanLynn

· #11 · Jan 6, 2017

@Hezbarber, I'd suggest sending a PM to @Chas.

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amarley

· #12 · Dec 10, 2019

I, too, was once a “satisfied customer” of Lynn Kay Kennels until I learned that my puppy was not bred to the Newfoundland breed standard and that all of his medical issues were a result of her poor breeding tactics. It wasn’t until all the problems started compounding close to the 6 month mark, that I realized that I had purchased from a backyard breeder and not a reputable one, with standards held by the Newfoundland community. I didn’t contact my local regional club to vet Linda out. She is not a member. I didn’t contact the Newfoundland Club of America either; also missing from their breeder list. My puppy was sent home to me just shy of 8 weeks; too young for a cardio check at 10 weeks to confirm if the puppy’s heart was healthy. I didn’t know this was a thing. A reputable breeder would’ve ensured it happened AND educated me on the process. Instead, when contacting Linda Ward, I was met with anger, denial and blame. Apparently this puppy’s issues were all my fault and she doesn’t breed dogs with issues. Well, he is almost 6 now and suffers from eye, lung, kidney, ortho, immune, gastrointestinal, ear, and neurological issues and diseases. Shame on all of those involved with Lynn Kay Kennels for producing sick puppies. This kennel is now on a kick to get positive Google reviews which makes me sick to my stomach. When posting an updated review on Facebook, I received the attached message to my personal inbox and then I was blocked. They are claiming I don't have one of their puppies, but he is very real and very unhealthy. Do your research -- connect with your local Newfoundland club or the NCA.

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Indy

· #13 · Feb 8, 2020

We bought our Madison from Linda Ward almost 11 years ago and Madison is a healthy old lady still today, the only times she drools is if she sees food. Our family had a great experience. Sorry others have had issues.

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