Six short years ago, we brought Kobe home from Outback Valley Acres. He quickly became one of the gentlest, most loving chocolate Labs anyone could ask for. When we first brought him home, he was covered in fleas and infested with worms. We contacted the owners, who apologized and explained that he had been down by the creek shortly before we adopted him. We treated him, moved forward, and spent the next six years making wonderful memories with a dog who brought so much love and joy into our lives. Today, we had to say goodbye to our beloved family member. Kobe was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a devastating genetic disease that gradually destroys a dog's ability to walk, move, and eventually control normal bodily functions. His mind remained as sweet and loving as ever, but his body slowly stopped cooperating. The disease is often compared to ALS in humans. What makes this loss even more heartbreaking is that DM is an inherited genetic disorder. A dog must inherit the gene from both parents to develop the disease. Outback Valley Acres advertises that they genetically test their breeding dogs for Degenerative Myelopathy and that their English Labrador Retriever litters are clear/normal for this condition. Based on what happened to Kobe, that claim raises serious questions for our family. Our sweet boy suffered from the very disease they state their breeding program is designed to prevent. No family should have to watch their dog lose his mobility, independence, and dignity to a hereditary disease that responsible breeding and genetic testing are intended to help avoid. We are devastated by the loss of Kobe. He deserved so much better, and we deserved many more happy years with him. We hope that by sharing his story, other families will ask questions, request documentation, and carefully research breeders before bringing home a puppy read more

I would never give as much as a star to these people Worse than a puppy mill RUN don't ever go there I am so sorry I ever did my dog is sick no help from them he is over hyper not good with cats and never was socialized as they claim I have spent a fortune to help my dog so so sad they should not breed dogs read more

I would not even give 1 star to these breeders. RUN away as fast as you can. Puppy mill at its best. They overbreed and I have a GSD to prove it. My puppy at 10 months has hip dysplasia I tried to get papers from them, but to no luck of mine. RUN RUN Go to a breeder that is willing to let you see the papers you ask for and prove they are not a puppy mill. read more

I purchased two German Shepherds from Outback Valley acres. They gave me ACA certificate signed by Leon Miller who runs PUPPY MILLS. Neither Marc or Piper Tunno signed papers as owner of breed. RED FLAG 4 everyone else read more

Although we have not received our AKC paperwork in 2 years, I'm not that concerned. I understand that they had a family tragedy and am confident they will get it to us. We have a 2 year old GSD and she is one of the best, smartest dogs we ever had. And this is NOT my first GSD. We took our GSD to Misty Pines and worked with her almost immediately. She is healthy, has a great temperament and is loving to all people. She's not good with other dogs but that's because she was attacked by a Pitbull in a dog park when she was a pup. We currently have a deposit with OVA and can't wait to pick up our new GSD. I would have given 5 stars but the AKC paperwork is holding that up. Would definitely recommend. read more

Very unprofessional each and every time tried to reach out to them . Paid 1900.00 for a German Shepherd that's ears don't stand . Of course Marc said ears are never a guarantee. One mistake never buy from a picture second mistake always see the parents . Third mistake read all the paperwork as they don't want you to breed their do read more

Outback Valley Acres - Diesel who I paid $1900.00 for ears never a guarantee. Breeders are very rude . - Pet Breeders Near Me

I placed a deposit for a German Shepherd on 7/3/2020 and followed up with a few industry standard questions, including a request to see images of the parents. The images appeared inauthentic, and upon a simple reverse image search, I discovered that one of the images was that of a stock photo of a German Shepherd from Shutterstock. I followed up with the breeder and expressed that this was concerning and that I no longer felt confident in purchasing a puppy as this is either a serious misunderstanding or a case of dishonesty. I expressed that my expectation was that I would receive a full refund of my deposit, and refusal to do so would only further my suspicion that there is something unethical happening here. A refund would have left me disgruntled, however, I would've given them the benefit of the doubt. The breeder refused to give me a refund on the deposit and we exchanged several emails. I was met with some of the most unprofessional and dismissive customer service I have ever experienced in my life. His reason for the issue was that their images are all over the internet and that "anyone can pull an image off our website". Again, this is good time to emphasize that the image was found on SHUTTERSTOCK and certainly not random. I told the breeder that their dispute should be with Shutterstock (not their customers) if this is a case of a stolen image. I told the breeder that this presents a serious concern regarding the transparency of their business and that they should not treat their customers so dismissively. Our conversation concluded with the breeder sending me an email stating that "I simply do not put up with bull****". Wow. Folks, be careful. This should raise the alarm that you are not dealing with an ethical breeder whatsoever. Please do your research. read more

I dunno where all these negative reviews I see for these guys are getting their info, but six months old, and this is the best dog I ever had. He's very quiet, almost pensive, unless I'm leaving or coming home. When I arrive, he's beyond thrilled. When I leave, he howls for about a minute, but then he's back to biz as usual. Friendly to everyone the little guy meets and he's gorgeous. Getting really big and strong already. Follows all the commands we've taught him pathologically, and behaves perfectly, on and off the leash. He was easily crate trained and housebroken in a few days. We haven't even started him on formal training. Show him a command, and in ten minutes of work or less without treats, he's got it down permanently. Highly intelligent and doesn't even chew on anything except his toys. Astounding. He's definitely family; my son adores this gentle soul. He had an ear infection when we first got him, so I told Marc about it, just to ensure he check his other dogs for the same, not to complain. It was a minor thing, but Marc didn't hesitate to offer to cover the expense. That's the character of this breeder. It's not a puppy mill, and their price points are the most competitive you'll find for the quality you get. Please ignore the other reviews. They're complete nonsense. read more

I would like to dispel all negative rumors surrounding Outback Valley Acres. This is the first review I've ever written on Yelp, and have found myself in a position of gratitude towards this place. My puppy, Poppy (photo attached), has been cleared by the vet. She is in perfect health, has a great temperament, and is adjusting well after only having been home for several days. Marc and Piper are great breeders who are incredibly deserving of your business. They were super helpful throughout the entire process, and Marc even took the time to take questions and review proper caretaking procedures for my puppy upon meeting. I had my own reservations when I stumbled upon the negative reviews as well, so I hope this sways your decision in the right direction if they managed to discourage you. read more

Outback Valley Acres - Pet Breeders Near Me

I picked up my puppy 1/4/21, she is a joy ! Sweet & so smart & just beautiful !! Didn't cry even 1st night, she knows sit , up & is almost house broken @ not even 12 wks .... she's just perfect & Marc was so nice & made sure we were prepared & informed & offered his ongoing support should I need it . I would definitely recommend them !! But I might have already gotten the Best one ... read more

We just purchased our second Lab from Piper and we couldn't be happier! Our first Lab is yellow and she is almost 6 years old! She is healthy, very smart and has the sweetest personality! Our newest puppy is a chocolate Lab and she is adjusting very well to her new home. She is doing great with her outside training and name recognition. Piper made the process very easy and was accommodating to us. Nothing but Joy here! read more

Purchased our lab from them about a year and a half ago. We couldn't be happier with our purchase. We have a 3 year old child and they are the best of friends. I would highly recommend getting a dog from them. read more

Outback Valley Acres - Pet Breeders Near Me

As other yelpers have indicated, this place is a sham. Was looking for an AKC German Shepherd pup, and upon further investigation, realized that the mother and father of the litter were not OFA Certified, even though the owners assured me they were. First, I looked up the parents of the pups on OFA. (Tip: Google OFA certification and you can 'look up' any dog. A reputable breeder should be able to give you the dogs' reference numbers, if they're not already listed on their website.) Only found elbow checks there, even though the owner claimed on three separate instances that the dogs were hip and elbow/hip and eye checked. Next, I called OFA, and they said if the results weren't published on their website, either (1) the dogs weren't OFA certified to begin with, (2) the dogs were OFA-tested and didn't pass, or (3) were pre-lim OFA tested, meaning before they were 2 years old/possibly inaccurate. Owners said at first that they were tested at 2 years and "didn't know why" the results wouldn't be published online, then changed stories and said they didn't need to be tested because their parents had been tested. OFA certification, while not necessary, increases the chances of healthy bloodlines and sound and healthy hips/eyes/heart/elbows. In a breed that has a higher risk for disease of these organs/joints, OFA certification is important! Especially in a dog that costs $1k plus. Buyer beware. Plenty of good, ethical breeders out there. Look elsewhere and do your homework. read more

These guys suck big time I have never purchased a dog through a breeder before but decided it was our best option, as we wanted another German Shepard. I had found the Outback Valley Acres website and there was a lot of info on their site & they seemed to be knowledgeable and experienced. I contacted the email on the website and told them I would be interested in a female AKC German Shepard they had advertised (they also breed black labs and golden retrievers ). They didn't ask any questions other than what gender I'd prefer & sent the pictures over. I picked out a sweet almost all black puppy and made a deposit on their website. A few days started going by and I started researching more about what to watch out for to make sure you don't buy from a puppy mill or backyard breeder (in hindsight I realize I should have prior to placing a deposit). I began going back and forth with the owners asked about the registration number of the parents and the litter as well as pictures of the parents etc. He sent the parents (something that caught my eye was that they had mostly light fur other than on the ones back & looked nothing like the almost all black pup with a white spot on its chest). I asked again for the litter number and parents registration numbers and suddenly was telling me that the puppies have not been born and this is just "preliminary set up before people get on the calendar". I obviously knew puppies existed because he sent pictures. When I confronted him he claimed that he didn't realize who I was and had just been so dag gone busy with people calling for puppies that it's almost become annoying and he had to unhook his phone. He called me and was apologizing and talking about people wanting this litter and we are taking deposits for the next one and almost booked all the litters through July.-I was under the impression that they practically do one a month or so from what he said, and that was just Shepard's! He also mentioned they should have the litter number soon, they always get it to him before they go out-and they would be going out in about a week so he'd let me know as soon as he has it. I continued looking up reviews on yelp to see what I could find. Nothing good, but I know people typically only leave reviews if they have complaints, not compliments. And I reverse image searched the parents pictures. One showed up on a website for (I think) a rescue in Southern California. He finally sent over the registration numbers (supposedly one was the dam and sires parents....to one or both I'm not sure as he wasn't clear) and I called AKC to verify. (I did call AKC previously and they had looked them up by name and saw goldens and labs registered but no Shepards under the wife or husbands names). Both the dogs were registered but no litter to the dam was registered, even as pending. I realized when going back in the emails that he had given me a different dam name than what was on either paper as well. We decided not to go ahead with the purchase of the puppy with them and I emailed to let them know. Of course "deposits are non refundable" even though it doesn't say it on the website and he is no longer holding a puppy for me. I wouldn't be surprised if they are passing this puppy off as a German Shepard but it's really a lab Shepard or even something else. These people are the true scum of the earth. Get a real job, assholes And save your pathetic excuses for this bad review read more

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Was told when I got my dog we had to wait 2yrs to get our papers for him after we decided if we were going to get him fixed or not so 2 months ago I contacted them to get my papers and pretty much just getting the run around from Marc texted him a week ago and still no response love my dog but very disappointed with their professionalism read more

I couldn't be happier with my lab puppy from Marc at Outback Valley Acres. It's very evident Marc takes great pride in his animals and cares about all of the puppies not only when they're in his care, but after they leave and find their forever homes too. Look no further if you want a lab - this is the place! read more

Outback Valley Acres - Pet Breeders Near Me

Best dog ever, actually thinking of getting another!!! I will only purchase from outback valley!!! I have owned several dogs, this 1 has exceeded our expectations!!! read more

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If I could give a 0 star review I would. My wife talked to you guys 2 years ago about the purchase of a Gsd. We got the puppy from you and the first thing I noticed was that she would urinate whenever I would come around her, touch her, talk to her. I tried ignoring her and being unconditionally loving to see if she was just overly sensitive, nothing changed. I took her to trainers and both said she couldn't be service trained, I couldn't even get her good citizen training fully completed because she would lose control when away from me or she would sit and yelp and whine. She is also dog aggressive and has attacked the other service dog I have and tore holes in her hind legs. It's just frustrating to get a dog like this and see so many similar reviews from Gsd owners, the other puppies seem to find from reviews. I won't take another dog from you guys because I love her, and I won't have a dog put down because of the breeders inability to be honest or help. Just figured I would pre warn anyone getting a Gsd from this breeder. Also, I've left bad reviews before and called and left text and emails but never got any help other than her husband telling me to give her more praise, thats it. Sorry you lost your husband, btw, that is horrible. read more

Nice dogs. Good hips and eyes. Very easy to set up an appointment to see the puppies. Healthy and fed well. Socialized and happy.

I would not recommend buying your pet from them. They are unprofessional and sneaky and will not answer simple questions/inquiries about the puppies. Limited photos - likely stock images pulled from the internet. Refuse to provide additional photos or certifications. read more

Made the mistake of buying a GSD from this place. DO NOT make the same mistake. The pup was the dumbest pup I've ever had. Mark(sorry, MarC) acts like the buyer knows nothing, and calls them a DUMBASS(too bad I deleted that text.) Pup acted like he never saw water the first day I brought him home. So, of course he peed ALOT that day. Day 2, still drank a ton of water and needed to be limited--1st time I've EVER had to do that, but some dogs are weird. Day 3, limited water. He peed all over the house. Never alerted once. A 12 week old PUREBRED GSD that doesn't alert after being trained from 5 weeks old?! F^cking kidding me? So I text and ask what method was used to teach him to alert to go out. Never got a reply....evidently, I'm not alone there. Anyhow, After a week of trying to teach the idiot pup, I text MARC and tell him it's not going to work out. Well, turns out I voided all guarantees by not taking the pup in for a vet check 48 hours after picking him up....WTF kind of breeder doesn't have their pups checked out before selling? Appt. was scheduled, but not until 4th shots. My bad for not reading the contract that was supposed to be the health and temperament guarantee. Long story short, I cut my losses and gave the pup away. This guy is a liar and a fraud. I'd say thief, but I willingly gave him the cash, so...I'm the idiot. Don't be like me. Stay far, far away from this guys GSD. A 1st time Landshark parent might buy his bullsh!t, but anyone that has any GSD experience will be able to spot the BS on the first day home.... read more

Do not purchase a dog from these folks- PLEASE! I purchased a puppy from them about two years ago and, while she is a lovely pup, she has had several medical issues-all genetic and due to poor breeding practices. The 'vet records' that they give you are fraudelent according to the 3 vets that our pooch has visited. Not to mention, Ohio has an extremely high population of puppy mills. Based on personal experience & several vet opinions, Outback Valley acres is IN FACT a puppy mill. The man's wife used to run Piper's Posh puppies which was exposed as a mill as well. These folks operate identical companies- they just keep altering the name. read more

On 8/25/2018 we purchased a black female lab from Outback Valley Acres. Everything seemed fine at first, but that quickly changed. We took our puppy to the vet 5 days after we brought her home. Initial stool sample indicated tape worms and treatment was initiated. And worms were confirmed within 12 hours.... The vet called with the lab results a few days later and there were also indications of ring and hook worms. Started the treatment for those too. She really perked up after this and started to become more playful, which is to be expected. Potty training has not been going as well as hoped, so another trip to the vet for a suspected UTI. Guess what, we are now treating her for a UTI. (If you're counting, 3 medicines in 2 weeks) As other have mentioned, our pup is under weight and is currently being addressed. Not sure if it is due to the diet before we got her or the worms. We were also told she was used to being in a crate, which I am skeptical about. Our lab is supposed to be an English lab, but seems to have the body of an American lab. Time will tell. I know puppies are prone to worms and fluctuations in weight and both are to be expected. The weight does concern us, but it is nothing we won't work through. read more

here are photos of the fake and real dog. they are frauds! DO NOT buy a dog from this puppy mill. the real owner is www.englishlabpuppy.com. they have since removed the dog and replaced with another. the female is also a fake. this is a stock photo found on the internet. it is easy to find. please research before you buy. read more

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stay away ...huge puppy mill, check out google reviews. see how many dog types they breed. his spouse has a site also. look for parents and kennels first.. your welcome. my dog was a bictom of over breeding and no welp experience. read more

BUYERS BEWARE!!! This place is NOT a legitimate AKC GSD breeders. At first initial contact "Marc" answered the right questions and responded to my text/call immediately. Placed the down payment as requested and when I started requesting the AKC registration numbers of the puppies parents that's when "Marc" started dodging my text and got weird and then no contact at all. Called AKC and their names are not registered nor is their business but unless they can provide the numbers, they are nothing but a backyard breeder. One of their previous customer contacted me back (I was verifying references) and said that they hand out sick puppies and that the vet records are bogus as well as their "health" guarantees. They also falsified reviews. Research them well before getting into a contract with them. I am also a legitimate customer as they have a habit of saying on the negative reviewers that they don't know the reviewers (I have receipts and text messages to prove it!), another tactic of a professional scammer!!! We are just lucky enough to dodge the bullet from purchasing a puppy from this puppy mill that cost $1000!!!!! read more

The owners of this place really care about animals and take the time to train them before you take them home!

We did our research before buying our second dog and decided on Outback Valley Acres and we are so happy we did! Our yellow lab Winston is so well behaved for a lab. He has an amazing temperament and listens so well. He is very healthy as well. We highly recommend Outback Valley Acres for the time and effort they put into their breeding. read more

Buyer beware! Not to be trusted! Bought a female golden from Outback in July of '22 for my grandkids that was already 6 mo. old. On the first trip to the vet for the rabies shot it was discovered that the pup had several spots of mange and an intestinal parasite to boot. She was also judged to be considerably underweight. When I contacted Marc he said he would reimburse the mange related costs only. I e-mailed photos of the mange related invoices which Marc said he would review. That was the last I heard from him despite repeated attempts to reach him via e-mails and texts and when I called Outback's phone # it was no longer in service! He told me on the day I got the pup that he was a "man of his word"! Guess not! Assuming the med costs, etc won't change my life, but perhaps this will warn others off. I feel as though I "rescued" this pup from a bad situation and I feel good about that! read more

We purchased our Labrador from Outback Valley Acres. The puppy is now a beautiful 90 pound baby, not quite one year old. She has a wonderful personality and is great with our four and two year old grandkids. She is very smart, opening doors for herself and has been easily trained. We love our Daisy Mae. read more

The reviews I read about, Outback Valley Acres, simply confirmed what I thought all alone, I had been talking back and forth via text and phone with the owner. I was a little taken back when I was asked to give them a deposit without ever seeing any of his dogs. I was told the reason why was, "he did won't to spread sickness". Shortly after several of our conversations had ended, I got a text indicating he had just heard from someone wonting to send a deposit and, I should send the deposit to secure my place to get a puppy. I have not yet purchased a puppy but I'm grateful for the reviews I have read. read more

This owner, Marc Tunno, advertises what a great breeder he is and to come visit. You can't visit. He does not let you see the pup you put deposit on until the day you pick up. Bought a golden from him and while he lied about things, the pups were well cared for. A few months later, went for a lab. She was clearly not the pic he sent me. She was so timid and fearful. She was covered in feces. Don't know where she was living but was not in the shed/kennel he has. You will never get papers on these dogs as he has all these clauses in his contracts. Anyway, my little lab is the sweetest thing. I told my husband to pay him and we got out of there. She acted like she had been raised in a crate that was too small....hunched over. Took two baths to get the smell of poop off of her. I had concerns about her hips, but with covid held off on X-ray a few months. Sure enough, she has severe dysplasia in both hips....a problem of labs and poor breeding. Of course Mr. Tunno won't return any messages. I think he has the ability to be a good breeder but suspect that he is just a bit greedy. The shot records are not from a vet. Beware. I think of this purchase as a rescue that I will now spend $5000 on surgery to correct, but love her to the moon. She is a rescue, not purebred. So if you don't mind these facts, Marc is your man. I see he raised prices from 900 to $1500 in past 18 months. Maybe someone has sued him for his dishonesty. read more

Our dog is now 1 year old. We responded to an ad in the Pgh Post Gazette and were told that we were purchasing a cream English Labrador. I was told by Mark that he had a litter of all cream labs. When we arrived the dogs were in a small fabricated barn and there were a total of 4 dogs. 2 cream and 2 chocolate. The parents were not on site. Mark then told us that they were from the same litter. We selected our dog and proceeded to complete the paper work, Then we were told that we could not take our dog to 2 specific clinics. When I told Mark where we took our dogs he said that was fine and that many of his Pittsburgh clients took their pups there. (it happened to be one of the banned clinics). One other discrepancy is that when I made my first call to Mark he told me he had a "regular" job and would have to make arrangements to meet us. We made arrangements to go to Lisbon the following week. When we were making small talk I asked Mark what his regular job was and he told me that raising the dogs was his "regular Job". Next we had to agree to feed the puppy a special dog food (that he promoted). As our dog grew, It was obvious that she is not an English Lab. She is an American Lab, longer snout, tall and thinner. None of the chunky characteristics of the English Lab. We love out dog and would not give here back. Buyers beware! These people are unethical and are probably selling dogs from a puppy mill. Don't be fooled by their professional advertisements of their website. I attempted to contact Outback valley Acres with no success. I am writing this to advise others about the practices of this man. read more

Same situation as Cheri Y. I am very upset that we were misled. We have spoken to an attorney, are filing a complaint with AKC and the Ohio BBB. Outback Valley advertised a litter of English Labrador puppies would be available 1 May and posted a picture of the Sire (Buster) on their website - beautiful dog. I have a two photo's of "Buster" from their website Our puppy has no resemblance to an English Labrador; at 10 months he stands 25 1/2" tall. He resembles an American Labrador - tall, slender, very athletic. Who would ever think that a breeder would act so dishonest. Go elsewhere to buy a puppy! Not sure how to post to this review. read more