While researching reputable Cavachon breeders, I came across Mark Clements, owner of Briarthorn Designer Puppies in Kent, OH. I searched for information and reviews, but didn't come across any reviews except those posted on their own website (biased, possibly altered), so I thought I would write one of my own to help others who may be searching.
They do have a facebook page, but it looks like they deactivated the review feature (should have been a clear sign of trouble to come). I mostly communicated with Mark over email. Though he "responded" to emails, the questions were typically not answered and I had to ask multiple times to get an answer. He responded a little better until I put my deposit down, then questions were rarely answered. These were basic questions like, "what day was this dog born?" and "what day will it be ready to come home?" I also asked repeatedly for a picture and never received one. You would think at a price tag of almost $2K for a dog that he could be bothered to take a picture of each dog. I got a few video snippets of the entire litter which was probably sent to multiple customers.
After being fed up with the bizzare email communication, we tried over the phone but he was extremely hard to understand over the phone. Mentioned excuses like his dogs ate his paperwork so he was a little confused on what was going on. Somehow, we were able to connect and receive our puppy, which is so sweet and made the headache worthwhile. We did not receive a sibling blanket or a sleeping/feeding schedule as the website stated.
We made a vet appointment for the day after we received her. She came with paperwork from her final vet check with Mark, but the paper said she was a male dog instead of female. We called the vet in Ohio directly ourselves because we also wanted her vaccination record. The vet said that she did not receive vaccinations from their office. We contacted Mark, who said he gives the puppies vaccinations himself. He emailed me the names and dates of each vaccination but didn't have any proof (labels from the vaccine vials) beyond his word in email. Our doggie daycare doesn't accept that, so we had to have some of the vaccines re-administered. Our pup also tested positive for the parasite giardia, which could explain why she was so lethargic, had mucous stools, and didn't eat anything for the first two days. We got her on meds right away and she was better within a few days. I contacted Mark about the giardia and he said he would pay for the treatment, but we haven't seen the money yet.
So long story short - we received a sweet puppy who we adore, but this breeder is not equipped to provide the customer service that should be provided. I really hope Briarthorn Designer Puppies is not some sort of puppy mill operation and that they can step it up in the future. read more