Advice Puppy Sale
Fragestellung
I am sorry to write you this message in English but I am French and writing in English is much easier for me than in German.
I would like to have your advice about the following situation.
On Sunday, my husband and I bought a puppy to a hobby breeder found on the internet. We paid in cash (700?) and we got the dog. We had no problem with the transaction.
Unfortunately, as we work all day long and have to leave the dog alone about 10h per day during the week, we started to have second thoughts and we thought that maybe she would have a better life with another family.
Since the breeder mentioned several times that she hesitated a lot to keep this puppy for herself, I sent her an email yesterday evening, mentioning our doubts and asking if she would like to take her back. We added that if this would not be the case, we would make sure to find her a nice family.
Initially the breeder said that she did not want her back, which I understand perfectly, but then changed her mind and urged us to bring her back. She deemed that we do not take care of the dog properly just because the dog is alone during the day. I am sure that many dogs are alone during the day because their owner works. It does not mean at all that the dog is mistreated.
The breeder mentioned that she would not give us our money back because she didn"t have it anymore but that we have to bring back the dog nevertheless by the end of the day.
The breeder mentioned that she contacted her lawyer already, which would contact us in writing if we do not bring back the puppy.
I would like to check with you what can be the consequences for us and if the breeder can do such thing. There was no contract between us and the dog is obviously not mistreated. We just want the best for her. In our opinion the breeder overreacted.
Any advice from your side would be very helpful.
Thank you in advance.
Kind regards,
Amandine Ricaud-Cael
Hinweis: Die Frage und Antwort wurde anonymisiert und mit Erlaubnis des Kunden veröffentlicht. Ihre eigene Frage wird standardmäßig nicht veröffentlicht.
Antwort von Rechtsanwalt Marc Nathmann
Dear Questioner,
thank you in advance for your confide. I gladly answer your question as follows:
I understand, that the purchase was in Germany. Therefore I will provide you with legal advise from a German law perspective.
You have concluded a purchase contract for which German civil law is applicable. The conclusion of such contract for German law purposes is independent from any written form.
Principally you have become the owner of the puppy, according to Sec. 929 German Civil Law Code (BGB - following: GCLC). Therfore there is or has been no obligation for you to return the puppy. This legal position aplies independent from any evidence or indication, that the puppy was mistreated. Even if the puppy should have been mistreated any resumption may only be disposed by the relevant German authorities in charge; in no case by a "normal" person.
However, you have according to Sec. 985 GCLC the right to surrender of the puppy. Alternatively you may request for reimbursment (compensation) in money.
What alternative you will choose is your independet decision.
My advise would be to request for reimbursment and indicate, that you have taken legal advice. It is absolutely illegal and of course not acceptable to take your puppy without compensation.
Respecting that you - as I would assume from with regard to your question - feel, that it would be the best solution for the puppy to leave it at the breeder you should only request for your purchase price. You should communicate expressively to the breeder that this is a compromise of you.
Please consider that this answer only respects the German law.
I wish you all the best and hope you will find this answer helpful.
Best regards
Marc Nathmann
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
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Thank you very much for your quick answer.
Do I understand properly that what the breeder is asking from us is illegal and that she can't force us to bring our puppy back without giving us back our money?
Would leaving our puppy at home alone for 10h per day be considered as mistreatment? I do not think so but would like to be sure.
Thank you again for your help.
your understanding is correct. This behaviour is not in line with German laws.
Unfortunately I do not have a own puppy. However, I would not regard this as a mistreatment.
I want to express, that even if the breeder would regognice a mistreatment in this fact, this is not a relevat argument for forcing you to return the puppy, not to mention without reimbursment of the purchase price price!
If you should need further advice please feel free to contact via X-Mail.
With best wishes and bonne chance
Marc Nathmann
Lawyer
Thank you very much again for your quick answer.
We will get back to you would we have further questions.
Kind regards,
Amandine Ricaud-Cael
I am sorry to bother you again but I would have an additional question to this case.
We found today a very nice family for our puppy, which will have much more time than us to take care of her.
Unfortunately the breeder, where we purchased the dog initially, recognized that we placed an ad for the puppy and that we sold her.
She contacted us again today and is now threatening us that the chip in the dog is registered under her name and that the dog is technically still hers. We checked several databases and it seems that the dog is not registered anywhere.
According to your previous answer, I assume that this can not be true and that the dog was anyway ours from the moment of the transaction on according to Sec. 929 German Civil Law Code (BGB - following: GCLC). Still, I would like to confirm with you one more time that the breeder can't do anything about it (for example if she would contact the vet who placed the chip, ask him for the chip number and try to register the puppy).
I am really sorry to bother you again but this case is becoming to be harassment and is really annoying for us. We did not do anything wrong and we are being harassed without any justification.
Thank you very much in advance for your help.
Kind regards,
Amandine Ricaud-Cael
Apart from any technical registraion procedures, the legal situation is clear.
The puppy has become your property in the instance you have paid the purchase price and the puppy has been handed over to you (Sec 929 BGB). As consequence you have the right to change the technical registration.
Maybe you can contact either the chip-registration provider and/ or the vet.
I only would recognice a problem to proof the sale (e.g. during a possible court trial), if the breeder disputes that there has been any purchase.
However, this should not cause to many difficulties, as you can provide your husband or further persons as whitnesses.
It is your free decision whether you claim for delivery of the puppy and give it to a new "family" or if you claim for reimbursment.
Kind regards
Marc Nathmann
Rechtsanwalt
Thank you very much again for your kind help.
Kind regards,
Amandine Ricaud-Cael