Did You Know Your New Puppy Comes With A Warranty?
As a Delaware attorney who loves dogs, I’d like to tell you about a recent case where I helped a family who bought a puppy from a local store, took it home and fell in love with it, and spent the next year going to the vet’s office before the puppy was put to sleep.
They contacted me after they spoke to the pet store owner and were treated rudely. I informed the family that Delaware has laws that protect them, and that the store owner violated these laws. So what do these laws say?
For one thing, a seller has to post in a conspicuous place a notice informing customers that “purchasers of dogs from this seller are entitled to specific rights under the law.” Customers must be provided a written copy of such rights at the time of sale or upon request even if there is no sale.
In certain situations, Delaware’s dog warranty laws apply only during the first 20 days after the sale. But in other situations, the laws apply up to 2 years from the date of the sale.
Situation #1 - within 20 days after the purchase of the dog, a licensed Vet states in writing that the dog suffers from or has died from an illness, disease or other defect adversely affecting the dog’s health that existed in the dog on or before delivery to the purchaser.
Situation #2 - within 2 years after purchase of the dog, a licensed Vet states in writing that the dog possesses or has died from a congenital or hereditary condition adversely affecting the dog’s health or that requires hospitalization or nonelective surgery.
If either of these 2 situations apply, the purchaser has a few options:
First option: return the dog to the seller for a full refund of the purchase price plus reimbursement for reasonable vet bills for diagnosing and treating the dog
Second option: Exchange the dog for another one of purchaser’s choice (of comparable value) plus receive reimbursement for reasonable vet bills for diagnosing and treating the dog
Third option: Keep the dog and receive reimbursement for reasonable vet bills for diagnosing and treating the dog
There are of course more details and procedures, but these are the basics.
