Re: I think I made a mistake...(oh & a question)
Just to close the loop - a week later - Jadotha's comments/questions re: BYB's...
Our "breeder" said this was "Oops" litter #2... so, not sure if there's a 3rd "Oops" in the works or not (their excuses for not fixing either parent were pretty lame). I actually did have serious concerns about going with a BYB at first. But, considering or past dogs have all been mixed breed puppies from shelters, where we never got to meet the parents, had no health guarantee, no hip checks, nothing - just being able to meet the parents and see where the puppies were born and raised was big step up for us.
About the vet: Our vet has raised golden retrievers for decades. He did ALL his research before getting his last puppy, which came from one of the top breeders in the country. He flew out to get her somewhere on the east coast, I think (from Seattle). She came with every guarantee imaginable with hip checks going back generations... (this is all anecdotal, I'd have to send you to my vet if you want the details). Given all that, the 'pick of the litter' that the breeder sent him home with has all sorts of medical issues - including bad hips. Like you said, a good breeder stacks the deck in your favor - but still can't guarantee the health of the adult dog.
I'm sure the vet's breeder would have taken her back - but who wants to give back their baby after you've poured all that love into her and made her your own??
As the vet put it - people spend all this time researching and planning which puppy they bring home - but very rarely think twice about having a baby. Babies don't come with health guaranteers, we deal with the hand we're dealt. That was his advice to us - stop worrying about the past, and deal with the puppy you have. We have no other thought but to do just that. If she came up with bad hips today, I could not give her back to the breeder, even if that was an option. We'll do everything we can to make her as whole and healthy as possible. She's our little girl now!
I do get that BYB's are adding puppies to an over-populated planet, and for that I would never breed a litter myself. But, they raised a great group of dogs and found loving homes for every single one (the closest "real" EM breeder is over 250 miles away), some were even getting a second puppy from them. My two cents: Anyone who buys a puppy and does not rescue an older dog is supporting the 'puppy habit'. I'm guilty of that, in 3 out of our 4 dogs (one was a 1-year-old rescue). I have to admit, I'm addicted to puppies!
Getting back to the topic of this thread... dew claws...
Denna still has her front dew claws - they're full toes, with bone and tendon. They're not coming off.
I did a little reading on back dew claws, and some dogs are born without them, so that's not unusual.