Paw Works

Complaint: 11498193
I am rejecting this response because: Prior to purchasing [redacted], I was not told of any incidence of aggression.  I did notice right after purchasing him, however, that he was aggressive towards every dog we passed on walks and to small children.  We tried to apply assertive dog obedience training but he didn't respond.  Our neighbors are willing to submit written, notarized statements about the aggression towards them and their pets.
Regards,
[redacted] D[redacted]

This is in regard to the complaint filed by Ms. D[redacted] regarding her adoption of the rescue dog [redacted] on 5/28/2016 from our Ventura adoption center. After spending approximately three weeks with [redacted] Ms. D[redacted] decided to return the dog to Paw Works and ask for an exchange for another pet....

Paw Works, as a charitable animal rescue organization, only collects fees as donations for the adoption of our animals. Paw Works maintains a strict no refund policy which is clearly detailed in the adoption agreement that Ms. D[redacted] signed. Although we sympathize with Ms. D[redacted] and understand her concerns we cannot refund the donation she agreed to give to Paw Works when she signed the adoption agreement.                                   ...⇄ ground[redacted] had been rescued by Paw Works from Ventura County Animal Services on 4/28/2016 without any record or notes indicating bite history or aggression. During the one month [redacted] was in foster with us at Paw Works, spending time at our adoption center surrounded by other dogs, being handled by many volunteers and potential adopters, Paw Works never witnessed, nor was notified of, any of the behavior described by Ms. D[redacted] except for a single negative interaction involving another male dog at Paw Works. Prior to adopting [redacted], a Paw Works manager notified Ms. D[redacted] about this one negative interaction. Nonetheless, Ms. D[redacted] adopted [redacted] on 5/28/2016. After [redacted] was adopted by Ms. D[redacted] Paw Works did not receive any calls or other communication from Ms. D[redacted] regarding any supposedly aggressive behavior and/or biting incident until the afternoon of 6/10/2016 when a call was placed by Ms. D[redacted] to Christina Morgan, co-founder of Paw Works. During that conversation with Ms. D[redacted] stated that [redacted] had exhibited aggressive behavior towards other dog and neighborhood children and that she wanted to return the dog that day. During this phone call, Ms. D[redacted] did not notify Ms. Morgan of any biting incident associated with [redacted]. Nevertheless, arrangements were made with Ms. D[redacted] within the hour she first contacted Ms. Morgan and [redacted] was returned to Paw Works later that same day Ms. D[redacted] requested to “exchange” [redacted] for another pet, rather than paying the adoption fee for another dog. We have contacted Ventura County Animal Services and found that Ms. D[redacted] never reported a bite incident nor did she quarantine the dog as the law requires. Moreover, Ms. D[redacted] never contacted Paw Works in the three weeks that she had [redacted] to inform us that she was experiencing behavioral issues with the dog or, more importantly, that [redacted] had bitten three people and a dog multiple times as she now claims. If Ms. D[redacted] had contacted Paw Works, we would have send a trainer and a manager to assess the situation and would have instructed Ms. D[redacted] to contact Ventura County Animal Services and report the bites as required by law. Now that the dog is back at Paw Works we have continued to observe [redacted]’s behavior and so far have found no cause of concern nor observed any behavior as described by Ms. D[redacted]. In all instances, while at Paw Works and around volunteers or potential adopters, [redacted] has exhibited friendly behavior. It is for these reasons that [redacted] is described on our website as a dog that “loves people and plays great with other”                                   II...⇄ Works Adoption AgreementAlthough Paw Works always tries to make sure our customers are satisfied with their pets, we do not allow for a refund or exchange especially when the animals exhibits behavior which is new and could be related to the new environment or to a home which is not conducive to animals. Further, our adoption agreements are very clear on this issue. On the first page of the adoption agreement it is stated in clearly and in bold that “there are no refunds issued”. On the second page of the adoption agreement it is stated clearly and in bold that there are “no representations” indicating that Paw Works “does not guarantee the health, temperament, or training of the dog” Ms. D[redacted] having signed this agreement was aware of the no refunds policy when [redacted] was adopted. Although Ms. D[redacted] has indicated that the store receipt allows for exchanges, this receipt only applies to the sales of merchandise. Pets at Paw Works are adopted animals and fees collected by Paw Works for adoption are tax deductible donations.                                 III....⇄ we sympathize with Ms. D[redacted], Paw Works policy is clear and Ms. D[redacted] was aware of this when [redacted] was adopted. Our decision to not allow for Ms. D[redacted] requested exchange is based on this clearly detailed policy and on the facts specified above.