Lifetime genetic health guarantee

Owning a dog comes with risks.

We don’t ever want to really think about it much, but health issues are a possibility.

Luckily, within the Dire Wolf Project, the health risks are minimal, but they still do occur despite our best efforts.

Therefore, our dogs come with a lifetime genetic health guarantee.

To my knowledge, no other dog breed has one.

This one aspect of the Dire Wolf Project sets us apart from any other dog breed on the planet.

We never leave our families stranded.

If something should come up regarding the health of your dog, we are there to help.

We have known the pain that comes when a beloved furry friend is sick or ill.

Our hearts have shattered many times over the years.

Dealing with suffering is a part of life.

But when we work together, we can accomplish much more than if we are alone.

And when something serious arises, where other breeders may ignore, deny, or accuse, we take a different approach.

We support.

We cry alongside you.

We do whatever we can to help ease the pain.

Throughout your dog’s entire life.

Our lifelong support generally does not requires us to invoke the genetic health guarantee.

It is only when certain genetic health conditions cause prolonged or severe suffering or death for the dog that we must go further and talk about the lifetime genetic health guarantee.

(NOTE: Puppies that have just arrived home are in a different category and have a separate clause in the contract just for them.)

Our lifetime genetic health guarantee does have some fundamental limits you should be aware of.

Again, owning a live animal has its risks.

We can’t bear the burden of every dog’s health issues.

We simply don’t have the resources.

We are not an insurance company with limitless funds to pay out should something unexpected happen requiring veterinary care.

Instead, we live simple lives with very little, giving everything we have back to the dogs.

So let’s explore the nuances of the lifetime genetic health guarantee to learn more.

On the off chance that you should find your DireWolf Dog unwell, it is necessary to understand we must limit our support in three ways:

1. Unlike an insurance company, we cannot pay for veterinary bills. Because we do not have a say over the charges incurred, nor do we have the opportunity to discuss treatment options with your vet, we must refrain from any obligation to pay costs incurred due to decisions you have made privately with your vet. Those are personal decisions, and legally we can take no part in them.
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2. We limit our lifetime genetic health guarantee to severe cases of pain and suffering only. For example, should a dog require surgery or lifelong medication to prevent severe pain/suffering or premature death for a genetic health condition, that would invoke the guarantee. A genetic defect that causes a spot on the back of one eye, even in the extremely rare chance of blindness, wouldn’t count. First of all, there would be no medical intervention required. Second of all, the dog would not be in severe pain and suffering.
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3. We offer a replacement puppy only. We do not offer refunds, full or partial, of your purchase price. If you are not a breeder, you probably don’t think of dogs as commodities. They are special creatures with kind, loving souls to be cherished for their amazing gifts. That fact doesn’t change the reality that dogs are owned. Ownership means dogs are one’s property. Property can be bought and sold. That is the business of a dog breeder.
   
   Bleeding heart animal activists ridicule dog breeders for this very reason. We are deemed “immoral”, “unethical”, “despicable”, and all kinds of other unkind names because we sell dogs in a monetary exchange. (Never mind the fact that money is exchanged for shelter and rescue dogs, too. But I digress.) The point is dogs are worth a monetary price.
   
   When we say you receive a replacement puppy, we do not necessarily mean that you must PHYSICALLY take possession of the animal. Instead, you can have us sell it for you for a fair price. Then, we find the puppy a great home, which is what we do well, and you receive the money from the sale - up to the purchase price of your dog that is genetically unhealthy.

Of course, we don’t want to have to invoke the genetic health guarantee as much as you don’t.

We work very hard to make sure the vast majority of our dogs are free from genetic defects of any kind, especially the severe ones.

FACT: No dog breed has a perfect genetic health record.

That’s just not how life works.

So…

When looking to purchase a puppy from a breeder, it is wise to find out what their genetic health guarantee looks like AND if the breeder honors it.

Here is a link to ours:
https://direwolfdogs.com/dogs-for-sale/lifetime-guarantee/

Form a relationship with the breeder.

Make sure they are honest and have integrity.

Ask other owners their experiences. (Reviews are great for this.)

And…

Join owner health support groups where you can find out about the health issues that arise for the dog breed you love.

There is a pretty great one with lots of resources for the dogs bred by the Dire Wolf Project.

Here is the link to join:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/direwolfdoghealth

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.