Von Waldberg German Shepherds Overview
Von Waldberg German Shepherds has a 1-star rating, derived from feedback provided by 3 customers. In the Animals category, it secures the 52th position out of 127 companies.
Rating
Contact Information
Website
www.vonwaldberg.com
Phone
(206) 931-7200
20730 95th Ave, Snohomish, Washington, 98296, United States
Von Waldberg German Shepherds Reviews
Karin
Bought two pups from Von Waldberg
Updated by user Jan 04, 2019
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Original review Jan 03, 2019
I have a girl she will be 2 years old this month and have had no trouble with her. I have a boy he will be 2 in March. He got sick last month and we had thought he ate something. He had an x-ray and nothing could be found, however, the x-ray revealed an enlarged round heart, this is abnormal. This is probably a genetic issue. He does not have any heart issues right now but I don't know if that will change. I have not contacted the breeder based on what I have read so far. It doesn't look like it would matter to them. The family loves both the dogs and wouldn't give them up.
Caylyn
Kim at Von Waldberg German Shepherds is deleting Facebook Reviews
Kim Brown at Von Waldberg German Shepherds is deleting unfavorable Facebook reviews, so I am posting here what she deleted: Have you read their latest Guarantee? For a breeder that supposedly, in their own words, offers the best dogs, they have increased the protection about themselves, having no liability, making it harder to sue them, and offer you, the buyer, even less protection. This Guarantee is more to guarantee exemption of any responsibility for Kim and Phil, a Guarantee that you, the buyer, don't come after them if something goes wrong after you have paid many thousands of dollars for this purchase. Is this what people who truly love to be breeders do? Kim and Phil are all about the money. By the way, this change in their Guarantee came after I sued them. They got scared, and they have upped their defenses. Don't fool yourself when they try to justify their exorbitant prices, the pay off being a healthy dog, that won't break your wallet and your heart. Look at their yet again revised guarantees. There is a huge portion for the buyer to acknowledge, but do you see any responsibilities from Kim's and Phil's side? In their advertising, they say they offer the best dogs, kkl1a, selectively bred for the best litters, etc.--however, in their guarantee they say they offer no guarantee for inherited, polygenetic diseases, or congenital diseases, such as cancer and auto-immune diseases or birth deformities such as over-bites, missing toes, tails not growing to their fullest length, etc, and who knows what else. If there is a bigger contradiction between advertising and a contract/guarantee, then I would like to see it. Look, when you breed puppies, or anything else, things are bound to go wrong, but it is how you handle them, as a breeder. A responsible breeder will acknowledge the disease, defect, etc. and reimburse you in some way, a new puppy, while keeping the existing dog, or financial reimbursement. A responsible breeder won't force you to choose between a sick dog that you have formed a bond with, and a new, replacement puppy. A responsible breeder will actually pay attention to what dogs are bred to reduce abnormalities and diseases, not just say it in words. A responsible breeder won't blame you, the buyer, with the same repeated, pre-recorded words to every dissatisfied buyer that, that it was your fault for feeding your pup bad food, or make up a story how your vet is inexperienced. Because, this is what I have heard from every burned customer of Kim's, it is always the same--you fed your dog bad food, you over-excersised him at the tender age of 3-4 months, you have an inexperienced vet, and your pup miraculously got multiple types of intestinal parasites within hours of entering YOUR home. When you go buy a Mercedes, you pay major money, but they also guarantee everything about it for 3 years. Not with Kim and Phil--if you are one of the unlucky ones, you will know something is seriously wrong with your puppy by the time it is 7-8 months old, and you will be stuck with it. They are all talk on how they offer superb lineage and healthy dogs, but they won't stand behind it when they sell you a sick dog--whether it is heart murmur, or cancer, or an auto immune disease, or hip/elbow dysplasia, or intestinal parasites. The only guarantee they offer is against dysplasia, but please, keep reading and you will see how eager they are to actually go through with their only one offered Guarantee. My opinion is that they aren't as selective in their breeding/importing as they want you to think. The dissatisfaction rating is pretty high, when you compare it to the satisfied ratings. I received the pink birth certificate 3 months after the purchase. Only then I was able to see the mish-mash of "passing", "good", or "excellent" hips/elbows of the parents and grandparents are. And just so you know, "passing" isn't a good rating at all, it means the dog has dysplasia, only in a mild form. And some of the grand parents, or grand grand parents weren't even tested for elbow dysplasia. So, you get this info way too late, because by that time Phil and Kim have cashed your check, and they won't give it back. This is how I found out the explanation on why my pup has dysplasia, it was all in the pink certificate. His lineage of so called "excellent, healthy, VA rated" dogs was a lie. One third of his lineage had "passing" elbows. And he didn't have the advertised number of VA parents, either. It was intentionally, falsely advertised to generate a sale. And when it comes to hip and elbow dysplasia, get ready to hear the most ridiculous excuses--how you, the owner, fed him bad food, how your vet is inexperienced, how you supposedly over-excersiced your 4 month old pup. According to Kim and Phil, the above mentioned factors are what cause dysplasia, not bad breeding and genetics. They argued my vet's diagnosis with the most outlandish lies. At the time of the purchase, they promised me the world, how they would replace the puppy if it gets dysplasia, how they would let me keep the sick puppy and give me another one as a compensation--all lies, until they got my check. Also, on their web page they guarantee the dog against dysplasia for up to 2 years. On the purchase contract they gave me to sign, it said 1 year. Isn't this one of the most telling examples of how greedy and sale-oriented they are? Bought a puppy at 3 months of age, for a premium price of 4,000 plus tax. Puppy was advertised to be of superior lineage. At 6 months of age puppy was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. Initially, he started limping so badly, I had him x-rayed, and the diagnosis came up. Contacted Phil Skoog and Kim, and they said that to them it wasn't a definitive diagnosis, it was just a bunch of garbage, that the vets just want my money, and advised me not to spend my money on more x-rays as suggested by the vets. One year later, the limping never went away, dog had better and worse days, but always had a limp. I decided to spend the money and have him extensively x-rayed, and the diagnosis came the same...severe elbow dysplasia. To this, Kim Brown and Phil Skoog said that it isn't a genetic disease, but was caused by me feeding him improper diet and causing him physical trauma. Even though the vet surgeon specifically indicated in the diagnosis that this is a polygenetic inherited disease, Phil Skoog and Kim act like they know better, and refuse to acknowledge the irresponsible breeding of sick dogs. They claim to be a "breeder of distinction", but they refuse to stand by the puppies they sell. Now, we have a 20-month old dog who can run, can't play with the kids, and is painful to watch him like this every day. If you type "von waldberg reviews" and "von waldberg complaints" you will see a many complaints against them. One of the unlucky customers was shipped a pup with an overbite, and they didn't even disclose it to him until after the sale. When he talked to the daughter, Kim, she told him that the pup will outgrow it--what a complete garbage--how do you outgrow a congenital deformation? Now the pup has a lifetime of serious dental problems, but at Von Waldberg they don't care. Whether it is hip or elbow dysplasia, heart murmur, cancer, intestinal parasites, etc., they won't do anything about it. They sold a puppy with cancer, knowing that the puppy was sick, saying it was just the runt of the litter and it would grow stronger, and left the owner to deal with the emotional and financial toll. Look at the online reviews. The problem is that even if you sue them, you may not get justice. I sued them in small claims court. Kim and Phil countersued me for income lost for speaking about my experiences online-can you believe the nerve? Listen to this, and see how the court system works, if you are unlucky and get the kind of judge who just wants to close the case. I had medical statements from 2 vets, one of whom is a Veterinary Orthopedic Surgeon, about the dysplasia and the intestinal parasites. Kim and Phil only had internet print-outs about the medical issues. Kim said she tests the puppies herself for intestinal parasites, and even though she isn't a medical professional, she claims the puppies are parasite-free. This is in direct contradiction to the licensed vets statements--the puppy is laden with parasites, and has dysplasia. The judge actually nodded off during Phil's testimony. Yes, he was napping. Unfortunately, the judge clearly would rather be somewhere else than at the court room. At the end, he said that he is dismissing the case against Kim and Phil. He also dismissed Kim's and Phil's counter suit against me about speaking about the truth to online forums. They can't threaten any of us not to talk about their deliberate scams. So, keep talking and sharing. But you know, the judicial system can be very broken when a verbal statement and an internet print-out can overpower the licensed veterinarians' diagnosis of 2 medical professionals. Don't get your heart broken with these dishonest people. In the recent past they have sold puppies with heart murmur, cancer, and dysplasia, also with multiple types of intestinal parasites. The heart murmur, cancer, and intestinal parasites by the way can be detected right away by your own veterinarian, the dysplasia shows up at about 4-5 months of age. So, this means that if what Kim and Phil say is true that all their puppies are well-checked by a veterinarian before they are sold, then they should know this before they sell the puppies. But they don't disclose this information to you, the customer. So, they either don't have the puppies checked before selling them, or if they truly do, then they choose not to disclose any health issues with the buyer. I have done an extensive research on Kim and Phil's business practices. I have spoken to numerous burned customers, and historically, they have not refunded anyone, including me, for the sale of sick puppies. They just want your money. Baine Thorn What was the court outcome? December 1, 2015 at 7:50pm Dessi Armstrong Dessi Armstrong Judge had no knowledge whatsoever about the breeding/pedigree process. I was very explanatory, making things simple for him to understand. I had medical diagnosis for his parasites and dysplasia from third party veterinarians, but Phil Skoog and Kimberly were so deceitful and confusing to him, throwing in completely irrelevant information and lies, that he simply didn't know whom to believe--my medical statements or their verbal assurances. Also, at first, judge didn't allow other signed testimonies into evidence, then judge changed his mind, and allowed the written testimony of other unlucky customers to be entered into evidence, but he didn't call the provided phone numbers and talk to the people about their miserable, painful experiences with Phil and Kim. Judge simply dismissed the case. It is one of those examples of our judicial systems that makes you lose faith. Also, judge looked at contract I signed which said "guarantee up to 1 year", which by the way, was falsely amended without my knowledge for me to sign, from the "sales guarantee" that you see on their webpage which says "guarantee up to 2 years". They lure you in with a 2 year guarantee, then you don't notice the small difference and sign a contract that says 1 year guarantee. But what does it matter, when they don't honor anything anyway. So, the judge had to stick with what I had signed--"1 year guarantee", even though this entire time I was under the impression I had the "2 year guarantee", as they have it on their website. They counter sued me for speaking my mind, and the judge dismissed their claim, too. It's one of those cases where you have iron-clad evidence from medical professionals in writing, but judge chose to believe their verbal statements, instead. Shocking. They got away with murder, and so did O.J. Simpson. Fate doesn't allow for such unlawful, deceitful behavior to go on forever. Phil Skoog's day will come, too. If you don't want problems with suck puppies, and ridiculous excuses from Phil and Kimberly, stay away from them. Unlike · 2 · December 23, 2015 at 8:41am · Edited Dessi Armstrong replied · 2 Replies Baine Thorn Baine Thorn Thank you for the response, and we are terribly sorry about the outcome. Are there any trustworthy breeders? Unlike · 1 · December 2, 2015 at 8:44am Von Waldberg German Shepherds Von Waldberg German Shepherds Baine Thorn- We worked very hard to work with Dessi Armstrong with both her first and second dog from us. We honor our word and we honor our guarantee. We worked very hard to resolve Dessi's concerns and issues with her however while we were working with her, she pursued the BBB and the Attorney Generals office. Both the BBB and the ATG's office immediately closed the case. Normally they go through a mediation process first, however they did not. The ATG's office also has the ability to pursue further action if claims are founded. They did not. They closed it. The court case was dismissed on all fronts. The judge was a very wise, intelligent individual who actually took extensive time reviewing all sides and all information. The case was dismissed. We work very hard to produce healthy dog and to educate our customers. It is very unfortunate the Dessi Armstrong has gone through this with her dog but you are only hearing one side. There are two sides to every story. I would challenge you to look at all our reviews. We work very hard to have the best Shepherds possible and work very hard with our customers through the life of their dogs to help them be successful. Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, you can not please everyone. 1 · December 2, 2015 at 9:09am · Edited Dessi Armstrong Dessi Armstrong Yes, in the process I found one. I spoke with almost every breeder in Oregon and Washington when I was gathering info in Phil and Kim. She cares about the puppies and what kind of home they go to. I think it is called Flood Farms German Shepherds, or something like that. I'm out of town now...I can get back to you with the name in a couple of weeks. She is in Washington state. Her contract lays it out openly, that if the pup develops dysplasia, she wants you to return it to her so that she can find a good home for the pup. When you breed/import pups, it is a matter of statistics before you end up with a sick pup. However, the important part is whether the breeder wants to help you and the pup, or whether he will tell you that it is your fault and ignore you after you have spent thousands on the purchase. If you type " Von Waldberg complaints", you will read all sort of atrocities, how they don't want to have nothing to do with you if the pup shows up a congenital defect or genetic diseases. By the way, the breeders know each other from going to dig shows and competitions....not a single breeder had anything good to say about Phil. They don't respect him, they all said he does it for the money, (what s surprise based on my experience) and they have seen him kick his dogs in anger when they don't perform as expected at competitions. Look up Flood Farms German Shepherds. i can give you her name and phone number when i come back. good luck Unlike · 4 · December 2, 2015 at 1:18pm Dessi Armstrong Dessi Armstrong When Phil and Kim say: "we worked very hard at resolving the issues" you should read: "over the course of an entire year, we lied extensively to Dessi, how there was no way that her puppy's limping is due to dysplasia, although her vet had strong suspicions about it, that she shouldn't waste her money on additional tests, but when she went ahead and did additional diagnostics confirming the dysplasia, we told her that she fed her puppy bad food and/or caused the dysplasia herself, and we put the blame not only on her, but blamed her 2 vets to be inexperienced and wanting of her money only, and if this isn't enough, we beat around the bush every time Dessi wanted a partial refund and medical bills paid by us". This is how Phil and Kim "work very hard" with their customers. If they worked so hard at resolving the problem, we wouldn't be still talking about it. Their idea of "resolving the problem" , --which they revealed only at the court mediation, not a day before--was to sell me another puppy at half price. Are they crazy to expect me to buy yet another dog from them? By the way, the Washington Attorney General hasn't closed the case. It is still very much open and active. Unlike · 6 · December 11, 2015 at 3:07pm · Edited Bob Roth Bob Roth I can't say one way or another as I have not purchased from here yet... But as a busseness owner my self I would think the best way to address the issue would be get the puppy returned and return the money collected. As I'm sure you spend well over that in advertising alone to gain new customers. Rather then having name slandered... Plus it's just good business. And cheeper in the long run. I hope you both can work this out. Unlike · 1 · December 11, 2015 at 10:33am Dessi Armstrong replied · 1 Reply Von Waldberg German Shepherds Von Waldberg German Shepherds Bob Roth- Thank you for sharing your perspective. There are two sides to every story. We spent significant time and energy working with Mrs. Armstrong both through the purchase of her first dog and through the purchase and first year and a half of her second dog, who is now 27 months old. We work very hard to work with our customers and are very sad that we were not able to resolve things with her, despite our best efforts. I will not discuss or disclose details on social media and I appreciate your respect of that. Kimberly Brown December 11, 2015 at 12:01pm Dessi Armstrong Dessi Armstrong There are two sides to each story-- but the truth is always only ONE. The only truth is the one, which is supported by third-party independent specialized vets, who specialize in orthopedic and other issues, and not by Kimberly's and Phil's own internet research (they really think they can become veterinarians by taking bits and pieces out of context, out of whatever article they run into, and contradict and argue the diagnosis from your Vet Specialist), or their family vet, who for the most part administers vaccines, and has no training for any specific complicated issues, and where Von Waldberg is the biggest customer with all of their dogs--anyone see conflict of interest? Beware of Phil's and Kimberly's comments on how "sad" they are that they couldn't help resolve the multiple issues with the pup I was sold. The only thing they are "sad" about is that word is getting out on the quality of the puppies they sell-- both health and pedigree related. That's why they sued me to keep me quiet. Did they really think they could mess with our right to speak? Judge ruled I had the right to continue to speak the truth. Unlike · 3 · December 11, 2015 at 2:05pm · Edited
Caylyn
False Advertising, Deceit, Sale of Sick Puppies
False Advertising and Deceit ATTENTION!!! READ BEFORE YOU BUY. I felt that Phil Skoog and daughter Kimberly Brown are part-time breeders and a full-time salesmen for other breeders' puppies. They offer false advertising on the quality and the health of the puppies, just to make a sale. In addition, they promised me they would replace the puppy if it gets elbow or hip dysplasia. Von Waldberg’s deceit can most clearly be seen when comparing the Guarantee they had posted on the website at the time I purchased my pup in December 2013. Please, note they have the guarantee posted on the website, but the Guarantee you sign, has different wording. This is fraud. The Guarantee that you don’t sign, but serves as a sales call to potential customers says that they will guarantee a dog against a hip dysplasia up to 2 years of age. On the Guarantee they printed for me to sign, the wording is different— it says they would cover a dog against hip dysplasia up to 1 year of age. So, all this time you think that you are covered up to 2 years of age, but comes time to complain, they pull out the guarantee that you signed—they cover it up to 1 year of age. What they do is they bring you the puppy to hold, while they print out the documents to sign. So, while you are melting with joy, holding a sweet, little, furry bundle, who will read the Guarantee again, you know you have read it over and over prior to the purchase. This is how they get you. This is how I lost at small claims court when I sued them for avoiding responsibility for the elbow dysplasia, the judge looked at the document I signed saying “up to 1 year”, not the Guarantee that serves as a sales call that boasts “up to 2 years of age”. Phil Skoog and daughter have repeatedly coerced me into not talking about my experience with him, and his daughter Kimberly Brown. This is unethical and illegal. As a matter of fact they sued me for defamation of character, as they had implied. The judge dismissed their claim. He has also used coercion and extortion on other customers.This is illegal and unethical. My pup was advertised to be of superior lineage, with a certain father and a certain mother. As you may know, you have to go by Skoog and daughter’s word, because you don’t get the birth pink papers at the time of purchase, you receive it in the mail months later. So, months later, when I got the pink birth papers, it listed a completely different father than what was advertised. In the world of selective breeding, this is super important. Also, the pup was advertised to have both mother and father certified as “VA” rating, the highest achievable award, and not only that, but with 8 grandparents in the first 3 generations, something they claimed in the advertisement to be very rare. When I received the pink papers, months after the purchase, it indicated that only the father has a “VA” rating, not both mother and father as advertised, and only 5 grandparents in the first 3 generations had “VA” ratings, not 8. The reason they priced the puppy at $4,500 was for that supposed “superior” lineage, which turned out to be a lie. Beware of their advertisements, they are false, and by the time you find out, they won’t refund your money, or adjust the sale price. The pup they sold me was claimed per their sales guarantee to be healthy at the time of purchase. I took the pup straight to the vet for a well-exam check up, a stool sample was provided, and pup was diagnosed with intestinal parasites Coccidia and Giardia. It took 6 months of repetitive, back to back treatment for the pup to get healthy again, while putting me and my children at health risk. When I contacted them, Kimberly Brown said the puppy got infected from my yard-an obnoxious lie, because my previous dogs from 2 years ago, had never had intestinal parasites, and I had taken the pup straight to the vet for an exam. By the way, a common denominator among all complaints on the internet is that people get pups with Coccidia and Giardia, customers are blamed for whatever the health problem is, and Skoog and daughter blame the vets for not being competent. Also, at the time of purchase, I specifically inquired about them guaranteeing agains elbow dysplasia, because in the contract it only mentioned hip dysplasia. I was ASSURED that they cover not only elbow dysplasia, but any genetic disease that affects the life longevity of the dog. Only 3 months after the purchase, at 6 months of age, puppy was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia. Initially, he started limping so badly, I had him x-rayed, and the diagnosis came up. Contacted Phil Skoog, the owner, and he said that it wasn't a definitive diagnosis, it was just a bunch of garbage, that my vet is young and inexperienced, that they just want my money, and advised me not to spend my money on more x-rays as suggested by the vets. I made the mistake to believe him. At a later date, I decided to have his elbows x-rayed, and the diagnosis came the same...severe elbow dysplasia. To this, Phil Skoog said that it isn't a genetic disease, but was caused by improper diet and trauma. Even though the vet surgeon specifically indicated in the diagnosis that this is a polygenetic inherited disease, Phil Skoog acts like he knows better, and refuses to acknowledge that he knowingly imports pus of lesser quality and health. He claims to be a "breeder of distinction", but he refuses to stand by the product he sells. Now, we have a 2 yr old dog who can run, can't play with the kids, and is painful to watch him like this every day. If you type "von waldberg reviews" and "von waldberg complaints" you will see many complaints against them. One of the unlucky customers was given a dog with an overbite, and they didn't even disclose it to him until after the sale. When he talked to the daughter, Kim, she told him that the pup will outgrow it--what a complete garbage--how do you outgrow a genetic disease or a congenital defect? They will say anything to get you off their back. Now the pup has a lifetime of serious dental problems, but at Von Waldberg they don't care. Whether it is hip or elbow dysplasia, or other serious diseases, they won't do anything about it. What about the woman who bought a pup that was guaranteed to be healthy and of good quality-A quality KK1a (highly preferred-no faults) puppy. The puppy she got is missing a toe, has umbilical hernia, and has bad hips and elbows. What about the puppy they knew was sick, but sold him anyway to a customer, saying that it couldn’t walk properly because she is the runt of the litter, and doesn’t get to eat as much, but when she goes to a home, she will get better. That puppy was shortly after diagnosed with bone cancer, and Skoog and daughter refused the test findings. There are countless more examples. Look at the complaints at the BBB, but don't look at the BBB rating. It doesn't reflect the truth. Phil Skoog and his daughter Kim Brown say that they tried to work very hard to resolve the issue. However, the fact is that they haven't offered to resolve anything. I sued them in court in October 2015. Unfortunately, Phil Skoog and Kimberly Brown got away with murder--so did O.J. Simpson. Because of the many lies Skoog and daughter threw at the judge, the judge didn’t realize the importance of the advertised lineage, vs. the lineage in reality. Also, because their assurance of guaranteeing against elbow dysplasia wasn't in writing, and at the court hearing they backed out of what they had assured and promised, the judge stuck with what was in the contract. Also, they tried to scare me into not leaving a bad review, because they would sue me for defamation of character. I told them, that when it is true and factual, it isn’t a defamation. When I served them with court papers for the suit, they counter-sued me for defamation of character and loss of income. The judge dismissed the case. The judge confirmed that it is my constitutional right to speak my opinion. If they choose to run a business based on lies and deceit, then these are the consequences. Don’t let them bully you and scare you into not sharing your painful experience with Von Waldberg. They claim that the Attorney General's office and the BBB closed the complaints right away...the truth is that their job is to mediate...they don't rule for or against. For Von Waldberg to claim that it was ruled in their favor is another bold lie. If you happen to decide to risk your thousands of dollars with Phil Skoog and Kimberly Brown, read the Contract and the Guarantee, and rest assured that they will not honor anything above and beyond it. As a matter of fact you may be certain that what they advertised that you will get will not be so. I went in person to their kennel to get my pup, and it still wasn’t enough to protect me against their false advertising. If you have your pup shipped to you, you are even at a bigger disadvantage. They will promise you whatever you want to hear to close the sale, but be certain they won't honor it when the time comes for them to stand by their word. Don't get your heart broken with these dishonest people. They just want your money. IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME, MESSAGE ME OR FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK. LOOK ME UP UNDER DESSI A. IN VANCOVER, WA.