Should I say something?

[Cscallan]

This has been on my mind on a daily basis. Eliana’s ears are different lengths and different shapes because of that. Do I get over it or should I contact my breeder? And if I contact my breeder what do I say or how do I say it? We love her, I try to not let it bother me. I’m hoping I’ll just get over it but we did pay a pretty penny for her so I do feel like it’s a little unfair. We noticed early on but thought maybe it wouldn’t be noticeable. Well it is, to me at least.

 

[Cscallan]

One of the reasons why I haven’t contacted our breeder is because I don’t know what good would come of it. I mean really she’s almost 7 months old. Idk if we are interested in fixing it at this point. That option would cause pain, money and time. I don’t know what would be a fair solution.

 

[Cscallan]

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I would let the breeder know how you feel about the ears but I sure wouldn't put the pup through the pain of another surgery. Not even sure a vet would consider it.
Even though it bugs you, sometimes you just have to accept that it is part of her and her personality and let it be a thing that endears her more to you.
Bacall lost the very tip of her ear when they were posted from her and her brother playing together. I hate it but it adds to her crazy personality as the wonky one.

 

[LifeofRubie]

I agree... I would let the breeder know just as an FYI. They probably use one place to crop all their puppy ears so they would want to know if they hadn't done one correctly, I would think? She is very beautiful, regardless!

 

[MyBuddy]

It might bother me too. But I don't know if I'd want to go through a surgery to correct it at this point. Their ears are wiggly and all over the place anyway. lol You see it more in a still picture. At least they are both standing! But I would want her to know about it and I also wouldn't use that Vet again for a crop.

 

[Cscallan]

I would let the breeder know how you feel about the ears but I sure wouldn't put the pup through the pain of another surgery. Not even sure a vet would consider it.
Even though it bugs you, sometimes you just have to accept that it is part of her and her personality and let it be a thing that endears her more to you.
Bacall lost the very tip of her ear when they were posted from her and her brother playing together. I hate it but it adds to her crazy personality as the wonky one.

Thank you! That’s how I want to feel and I know eventually I will get to that point of acceptance. Even if we would have said something immediately noticing it at 11 weeks, I don’t think we would’ve fixed it then either. I hate being confrontational and avoid it as much as I can. I feel like saying something but don’t know how to go about it or what to expect to come of it.

 

[JanS]

I honestly wouldn't have noticed until you said something. I agree that the breeder might want to know about it but beyond that I wouldn't do any corrections and she's beautiful just the way she is. I know we're all critical of those things with our own dog but I doubt anyone else could tell the difference.

 

[Cscallan]

It might bother me too. But I don't know if I'd want to go through a surgery to correct it at this point. Their ears are wiggly and all over the place anyway. lol You see it more in a still picture. At least they are both standing! But I would want her to know about it and I also wouldn't use that Vet again for a crop.

True! I have followed this breeder for so long and I’m unsure if I just didn’t pay that close attention to the ears or not. I feel like I did because that was something that was important to me. Just wish I knew what happened and why she didn’t say something to us after the crop was done or why she still had us pay full price. Is that fair?

 

[JanS]

I hate being confrontational and avoid it as much as I can. I feel like saying something but don’t know how to go about it or what to expect to come of it.

I wouldn't find it confrontational if you just told the breeder as any FYI.

 

[Cscallan]

I wouldn't find it confrontational if you just told the breeder as any FYI.

I agree... I would let the breeder know just as an FYI. They probably use one place to crop all their puppy ears so they would want to know if they hadn't done one correctly, I would think? She is very beautiful, regardless!

I have thought about this Too of course. That they would want to know, that is if they don’t already. Like I said we noticed early on and I find it hard to believe that they didn’t notice it as well, especially since they posted her ears prior to us picking her up.

 

[Cscallan]

They didn’t have them posted when we arrived. I worded that wrong. They didn’t try to cover it up, I meant they’ve posted them before we picked up. The ears were out when we got there so the breeder could show us how to post, at the time we were too excited and I don’t believe we noticed at that point. Again I’m not sure if I would’ve said anything anyways because I’m terrible about confronting.

 

[LifeofRubie]

As others have said, I don't think it has to be confrontational at all. I would start by highlighting her attributes: she's obviously beautiful, I'm sure she's happy, no doubt she smart and loyal and then just say you wanted to let them know that her ears don't match. You're not looking for a re-do or $$ or anything, just an FYI for the folks who did the crop that something didn't go right. EDIT: and include a picture!

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I would not preface or candy coat it. Just be straight forward and tell the breeder the ears are by no means symmetrical nor were they when you took the pup. Just let them know in your excitement of getting the pup and lack of knowledge about ear cropping you did not mention it then because you thought it would correct itself but alas it has not at 7mo of age.
You just wanted to advise her of it so that she can speak with the crop vet and as mentioned by another poster; include pictures.
It's not confrontational as you are not blaming the the breeder or seeking compensation you are simply informing the breeder.

 

[Doberman Gang]

Length of most doves ears are not going to be perfect, many things can effect the final look including how each ear was posted. If one was stretched more than the other or if there was an ear that came out of post more than the other, it might not get trained the same to stand. I say just love your dog it is not worth complaining to the breeder. If she didn’t do the actual crop there is nothing she can do about it.

 

[Cscallan]

Length of most doves ears are not going to be perfect, many things can effect the final look including how each ear was posted. If one was stretched more than the other or if there was an ear that came out of post more than the other, it might not get trained the same to stand. I say just love your dog it is not worth complaining to the breeder. If she didn’t do the actual crop there is nothing she can do about it.

That’s another great point and partially why I waited so long to ask for advice if I should even bring it up to the breeder because I wasn’t sure if it was a posting thing or if it would become less noticeable after posting. I agree, although I lack experience with ear crops, that ears aren’t always symmetrical or perfect. I get that. Is it expected? Sure. We do love her very much. At this point it’s not going to get fixed and we will love her more.

This picture was after we took her first posts off. Not very noticeable but you can tell they are different lengths and even at that point we could tell they were different shapes

 

[Kaiser2016]

True! I have followed this breeder for so long and I’m unsure if I just didn’t pay that close attention to the ears or not. I feel like I did because that was something that was important to me. Just wish I knew what happened and why she didn’t say something to us after the crop was done or why she still had us pay full price. Is that fair?

You've obviously been thinking about this for a long time and it's clear to me that it more than bugs you. Other than more surgery what could have been done to fix it, then or now? Probably nothing other than financial compensation which I think is appropriate. The cost of cropping was likely included in the final price so, they've been paid for it, so should you.

Given that your breeder has all that experience they for sure noticed it, I think they should have offered to compensate you right off the bat. What is the point of them being the trusted expert otherwise? If they think they can continue to use the same vet and expect no backlash, there should be an outcome for that too.

I would say something. Of course you love your dog and accept her as she is (even human ears are not perfectly symmetrical), but you totally have grounds to say something and express your disappointment. You paid a certain price with certain expectations. The best thing would be that they own up to this (because they have gotten away with it and they know it), the worst thing is that you'll discover a different side to them. Either way, you'll be getting an answer that you will be able to move forward with and that's worth your peace of mind.

The best approach is to start off citing the facts as the others have mentioned. Where I differ is that talking about money shouldn't make it confrontational. Why? They run a business not a charity, so it IS all about money. They would not have talked to you without knowing they would be getting paid. Their business is built upon a solid reputation that they should want to protect. How many other dogs ears are done the same way?

Prepare yourself with the possible questions they will come back with so that you can go into it confidently.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

View attachment 76684

That’s another great point and partially why I waited so long to ask for advice if I should even bring it up to the breeder because I wasn’t sure if it was a posting thing or if it would become less noticeable after posting. I agree, although I lack experience with ear crops, that ears aren’t always symmetrical or perfect. I get that. Is it expected? Sure. We do love her very much. At this point it’s not going to get fixed and we will love her more.

This picture was after we took her first posts off. Not very noticeable but you can tell they are different lengths and even at that point we could tell they were different shapes

She is adorable. Makes me think Victor//Victoria on profile.

 

[Cscallan]

You've obviously been thinking about this for a long time and it's clear to me that it more than bugs you. Other than more surgery what could have been done to fix it, then or now? Probably nothing other than financial compensation which I think is appropriate. The cost of cropping was likely included in the final price so, they've been paid for it, so should you.

Given that your breeder has all that experience they for sure noticed it, I think they should have offered to compensate you right off the bat. What is the point of them being the trusted expert otherwise? If they think they can continue to use the same vet and expect no backlash, there should be an outcome for that too.

I would say something. Of course you love your dog and accept her as she is (even human ears are not perfectly symmetrical), but you totally have grounds to say something and express your disappointment. You paid a certain price with certain expectations. The best thing would be that they own up to this (because they have gotten away with it and they know it), the worst thing is that you'll discover a different side to them. Either way, you'll be getting an answer that you will be able to move forward with and that's worth your peace of mind.

The best approach is to start off citing the facts as the others have mentioned. Where I differ is that talking about money shouldn't make it confrontational. Why? They run a business not a charity, so it IS all about money. They would not have talked to you without knowing they would be getting paid. Their business is built upon a solid reputation that they should want to protect. How many other dogs ears are done the same way?

Prepare yourself with the possible questions they will come back with so that you can go into it confidently.

Lol. Busted. I’m pretty disappointed. I’m not sure what the perfect doberman goes for, I looked at many breeders in my area and Eliana was on the higher end from breeders I searched. like I said I have followed this breeder for a long time and have admired her dogs and puppies for over 3 years. Looking at her photos and photos new owners shared. Never have I noticed flawed ears. Ears being a major factor I looked at when finding a puppy. This breeder appealed to us so much because AKC, crop/dock/dews, microchipped and 5yr health guarantee was all included. Eliana is well over anything we have ever paid for for a dog and so our expectations were just as high as the price we paid. I was hesitant to say that I feel like I should be compensated, and this post was for that reason to see if that’s something that’s appropriate or fair to expect. you have validated that feeling for me as well as other thoughts that have came across my mind. I don’t want to be upset with my breeder. Eliana is beautiful, healthy, great temperament and so many more wonderful qualities but I still feel cheated. I asked for pictures after the crop because I was anxious to see new pictures of our baby and her ear shape but they were never sent. Should have been a red flag? Maybe, but I hand out benefit of the doubt like nothing else and figured she was just too busy. All lessons learned and when we decide to get another puppy there will be more caution and more questions.

 

[blacknrust]

View attachment 76684

That’s another great point and partially why I waited so long to ask for advice if I should even bring it up to the breeder because I wasn’t sure if it was a posting thing or if it would become less noticeable after posting. I agree, although I lack experience with ear crops, that ears aren’t always symmetrical or perfect. I get that. Is it expected? Sure. We do love her very much. At this point it’s not going to get fixed and we will love her more.

This picture was after we took her first posts off. Not very noticeable but you can tell they are different lengths and even at that point we could tell they were different shapes

Off topic....OMG! That face!