DO NOT rely on GoodDog's "Protection & Support" coverage or their claimed breeder vetting.
I purchased a puppy through GoodDog.com for $4,883.35, including $175 for their "Protection & Support" coverage using their payment services that offer "payment protection".

The puppy arrived severely ill with multiple parasitic infections documented by a licensed veterinarian within 10 days which was the soonest we could have him seen.

GOODDOG'S VETTING FAILED:
The breeder GoodDog "vetted" and listed:

Sold puppy with undisclosed parasitic infections (Physaloptera, hookworms, anemia)
Provided falsified health documentation (no dosages, altered dates, indiscernible vaccine info)
Admitted only 2 of 8 puppies were tested for parasites and good dog markets that as tested and dewormed.
Made different health representations about the same puppy to different buyers such as his amniotic sac twin died before coming home and recommended against purchasing him because he was a runt and other concerns.
Admitted "previous hookworm problems" at facility which we later found out doubles as a grooming facility - meaning a public health concern with the zoonotic (transmit table to humans) infection.

GOODDOG'S "PAYMENT PROTECTION" AND ADD ON SERVICE "PROTECTION & SUPPORT" IS WORTHLESS:
It's near impossible to opt out of this to start. When I filed a claim with complete veterinary documentation meeting ALL their published policy requirements, GoodDog denied it with a response containing multiple factual errors:

- Got my wife's name wrong indicating a cavalier, relaxed, and not very formal/detail oriented case review process.
- Referenced "October 14th examination records" I never received
- Referenced phantom "October 29th vaccination visit" (after the dog was placed) we have no knowledge of
- Falsely claimed "no blood observed in stool" (contradicts vet records stating "frank blood present")
- Incorrectly interpreted anemia as "normal" (contradicts lab report showing "LOW")
- Completely ignored documented parasitic infections (the core of my claim)
- Cited a lack of examination documentation as proof of good health despite their written policies on health records and their community standards for breeders

GOODDOG VIOLATED THEIR OWN POLICY:
Their published policy states they cover "breach of baseline care standards: failure to provide pre-placement veterinary examination." And misrepresented the health of the animal and the quality of the breeder (Hillside Kennels, aka hillside enterprises LLC, aka hillside grooming and pet salon).

In the denial, they ref'd veterinary exam records that were never provided and even cited the "lack of examination documentation meant he was healthy) - proving the exact breach they claim didn't happen.
Their policy also states: "If your breeder cannot provide that specified resolution, Payment Protection reimbursement applies."

The breeder's 3-day exam requirement was impossible (Friday 5pm placement, offices closed weekends) which we would like to challenge as predatory and likely unenforceable.

Despite meeting every eligibility requirement and their policy clearly covering my situation, they denied the claim. Despite the fact that we were mislead from the start that the animal was healthy by both Good Dog and the breeder.

COMMUNITY STANDARDS VIOLATIONS IGNORED:
GoodDog claims to enforce "Community Standards" requiring breeders to:
- Disclose known health issues (breeder didn't)
Never misrepresent (breeder warned others away from this puppy but not me)
- Provide documentation (breeder provided incomplete/falsified records)
- Ensure proper deworming (multiple puppies sold with parasites)

When I filed a Community Standards complaint with evidence of all these violations, GD took no action.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Total damages: $7,256 and counting

UPDATE:
Here's an updated review that responds to their latest update and exposes their deflection:

GD responded and it's exactly the corporate bs I expected. Let me address their claims:

"We've been working with you directly since early November" = A whole week of erroneous emails from your team?

"Pre-placement examination showed puppy's litter was in seemingly good health", show me the examination records. They ONLY tested 2/8 puppies to save money!

Your own denial acknowledges:

The breeder had "previous hookworm problems at the facility"
Only 2 of 8 puppies were tested
The breeder made different health claims about this puppy to other buyers
Health Exam and Health reports may as well have not been provided because they contained no useful information

"Resolution offered fully in line with Good Dog's policies". Good Dog didn't offer a solution, they deferred to the breeder's resolution so they didn't have to do anything.

The breeder's "resolution"? Take the sick puppy back to the contaminated facility where it got infected, neglected, and ignored the obvious signs… for a partial refund (less than 1/2 our investment not including damages)plus we pay for travel? You keep your $175? FOR SHAME…

"We continue to encourage you to work directly with your breeder"
THIS RIGHT HERE proves the entire complaint. I paid YOU $175 for protection.

Now you're telling me to handle it myself with the seller?

GOODDOG.com's PLAYBOOK:
Collect Protection & Support fees
Require all payments be made on their payment system the removes all consumer protections and avenues of recourse
Deny claims when you actually need protection
Provide email-only "support"
They defer all responsibility to sellers
They keep all "protection" fees regardless
This is not protection or customer service. It's a puppy mill scam disguised as a platform designed to protect you from the very people they claim not to be…

Update since they replied…
Thank you for working with me for a whole 2 weeks… I've gotten more meaningful responses from your team by providing free reviews than I have from the "protection & support" add on that I paid you for as well as the "payment protections" you market.

Good Dog's response fails to address the fundamental issues and actually admits key elements of my complaint:
1. They marketed a healthy puppy, not a "healthy litter" - I purchased an individual puppy, not a litter. Their admission that the litter was only "seemingly" healthy confirms my puppy was not healthy as marketed.
2. Missing health documentation - Good Dog promised I'd receive "appropriate and comprehensive health documentation from the breeder's vet." I received none. Their response contradicts itself - they claim to have reviewed "pre-placement veterinary examination" records, yet previously told me the lack of examination records was "normal." Either they have records they never provided to me (breach of contract), or they don't have them (also breach of contract).
3. Conflict of interest - I paid GOOD DOG INC $175 for "Protection & Support," not the breeder. Yet Good Dog markets to breeders that "We will always take your side" while failing to disclose this bias to buyers. They cannot simultaneously guarantee protection to both parties when disputes arise.
4. No actual support provided - Despite marketing "lifetime support," Good Dog provides no telephone support and only slow, inadequate email responses that defer to the breeder. Their stance of "work directly with your breeder" is neither protection nor support - it's exactly what I could do without paying them $175.
5. Inadequate vetting - Their screening consists of 15 minutes of unverified questions. The breeder operates without a USDA license despite likely needing one, has admitted to "previous hookworm problems," and sold multiple infected puppies from this litter.
6. Deceptive marketing - Their platform offers in-app purchasing without disclosure and markets "Pay safely, backed by our Payment Protection" while omitting that only breeders and Good Dog are actually protected.
7. Admissions of fault - Good Dog doesn't deny the puppy had multiple parasitic infections including a serious zoonotic infection, that the breeder didn't perform advertised testing, or that the breeder made materially different health representations to different buyers.
What exactly did I pay Good Dog $175 for if their response is to handle it myself with an unresponsive breeder? Their business model causes consumer harm through deceptive marketing while avoiding accountability through carefully worded policies that protect only themselves and breeders.

Good Dog is an absolute joke of a company. When I first joined Good Dog as a breeder, I had a great experience the platform was easy to use, and overall a good experience. But I later then dealt with a breeder who has been arrested for animal cruelty charges, and who is awaiting the court trail for the case. This breeder has gone on a tirade to completely destroy the name and reputation of my business, I had provided Good Dog with all the proof of what this breeder was doing, once they sent in a complaint saying I stole dogs, which I did not. Even after the proof they told me it was not good enough and removed my account entirely. The fact that this company stands behind a breeder who they will NOT let sell puppies on their platform, but believe disproven lies is disgusting. There are two sides to every story, and there is plenty of proof on the internet of this breeder and what they have done, and yet Good Dog wanted nothing to do with the facts that had been given. This company is a complete joke and I'm extremely disgusted and disappointed with them.

Seeing as how I am unable to respond to your reply, I would go see the specific community standards and policies I violated. I read over the standards, I read the guidelines, and I read the code of ethics, no where in there did I see anything stating documentation was needed. So please point me in the right direction so I can better understand what is needed. You were provided all of the evidence and documentation that was needed, including documents from law enforcement. You as a company refused to look into any of it. Here is how you as a company violated your own standards and ethics:

1. " While there is no "one size fits all" for what makes a breeding program responsible, we are able to use our community standards to evaluate programs consistently. Every member of our community must pass our screening process and meet or exceed our community standards before joining Good Dog. Here's how we do it." ( https://www.gooddog.com/standards-and-screening)
- You did the screening process, as well as several messages along with an interview when I joined last summer. There was no issue with any of my program. You required NO documentation of any kind. You asked for pictures of the dogs and I provided that for.

2. "Accordingly, we continue to develop new policies and we note that our community standards, including our policies with respect to the physical health of dogs, are subject to continual revisions as new research becomes available." (https://www.gooddog.com/standards-and-screening)
- This part of your community standard is stating that you can and will develop new policies per the dogs physical health. I would like to see where your new standards stated that I needed to provide the impossible paperwork you are saying I must provide.

3. " When puppies are not owned by you or they are whelped and raised outside of your home, we have little visibility into their care and the environment they are born into. In these scenarios, Good Dog does not permit such puppies to be listed for sale on Good Dog Breeders' Profile Pages, because understanding the care and environment of puppies has always been and continues to be a core component of Good Dog's Community Standards." ( https://www.gooddog.com/good-breeder-center/what-is-good-dogs-policy-on-posting-litters-to-your-profile)
- Puppies we're indeed raised in my home and proven to be owned by me. If they weren't I wouldn't have been able to post them. I would like the proof emailed to me that were not owned by me.

4. " What does this policy mean for me?

In general, this policy will affect the listing of puppies that are not owned by you or are whelped and raised out of your home. This includes:

Puppies imported from another city, state or country (even if you own the parent dog)
Puppies not owned by you (e.g. Owned by a friend)
Puppies from a dog you co-own that did not whelp in your care puppies purchased by you and you do not own the $#*!" (https://www.gooddog.com/good-breeder-center/what-is-good-dogs-policy-on-posting-litters-to-your-profile)
- No puppies posted on my good dog profile were imported from anywhere. ALL puppies were raised and whelped in my home. There were no puppies listed for anyone else on my profile. And I do not co-own my $#*! with anyone. She is my dog, and that proof was provided as well. Please provide the proof in an email to me that I purchased any of those puppies, imported them, they did not reside in my home, or I purchased said puppies from a $#*! I did not own.

5. *now this one is a long one with a lot of moving parts so let's be ready* "Our commitment to protect breeders: We know breeders may be targeted by unfair accusations and we often find that by investigating claims against breeders, we're able to help protect breeders, disprove unfounded rumors, correct the record, and help safeguard breeders' hard-earned reputations."
- Unfair ACCUSATIONS were made against me and my program. I would like a detailed report emailed to me of where and how your investigation was done, along with any and all findings. Again providing the specific polices and standards I violated.
"In the extremely rare instances where we are alerted that a breeder is no longer in compliance with our Community Standards, Terms of Service, or policies, we believe it is in our Good Dog family's best interest to have a process in place to investigate any such claims to help us ensure we keep Good Dog a trusted and safe community."
- I am still awaiting what standard and policies I violated. You have failed time and time again to provide which policy I violated. If I did I believe you would have been able to provide me with the specific policies that were violated.
"When we receive a complaint, our Legal & Compliance Department, led by lawyers and animal welfare experts, conducts an independent investigation, which entails an examination of all evidence submitted, independent investigation, review of any publicly available materials, discussions with any relevant third parties (including vets, co-breeders, past buyers, etc.), and, most importantly, a discussion with the accused breeder."
- You were submitted several documents, proof of PUBLICLY AVAILABLE materials, and I provided you with the law enforcement officers contact information. You did not have any discussions with any of the relevant third parties. And I asked and offered you the ability to do so. Where is the fairness in this? Just for the proof of public material that's available, (https://www.thedailystar.com/news/local_news/dog-breeders-charged-with-neglect/article_*******-a7e7-11ed-908d-677a54ab0ae7.html
https://www.facebook.com/**************/posts/pfbid02Kd2KLVZxnJAnHr8yitbFz4q9wNJxyvdxC1KtV8faMTWTHkLHqTL9fqBdzavSRg3Ql/?
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=**************)
"We contact the accused breeder as soon as we receive a complaint and keep the breeder informed as much as possible throughout the investigation so we can do our very best to ensure a fair result based on the facts."
- I was contacted one time, I had to reach out to you guys each time to be able to have any information on where the investigation was at. I later then reached out 8 months later because I was still not informed of the conclusion of any investigation.
"More often than not, we are able to find verifiable information to disprove a complaint and the breeder who has been wrongfully accused and worked with us during the course of our investigation is so grateful to us for getting to the truth. However, sometimes breeding programs may be found to be in violation of our Community Standards and/or our Terms of Service, and/or our policies. We always communicate the findings and outcome of our investigation directly to the breeder."
- I'm still waiting for information with proof that disproves I do not own my dogs besides hearsay. And *again* I was not provided with any information besides 'said person said this and we need this type of information.' When provided with the information you then told me it wasn't good enough and you needed other information.
"From there, we complete a full fact-finding investigation of all complaints we receive in order to ensure that our standards are enforced consistently and based on verifiable information"
- Where is the verifiable information provided from the other party?
"We know that breeders are all too often wrongfully accused. If you believe you have been wrongfully accused (whether on Good Dog or elsewhere), we urge you to stay calm (we know it's not always easy to relax in a difficult situation like this!) and contact us immediately - we're always here for you."
- Your company was not there for me what so ever and completely wrote me off because you did not want to deal with the other party's threats. I was nothing but calm and respectful.
"We know there are always two sides to any story - that is why we always contact the accused breeder as soon as we receive a complaint. Similar to a judicial process, we seek to find corroborating evidence to ensure that our breeders are not being wrongfully accused and are not unfairly penalized because of unsubstantiated rumors. Our Legal & Compliance Committee always does their best to come to a resolution that is based on the facts of the case."
- I will say this AGAIN because your policies have stated this a bunch of times, WHERE is the evidence and facts/proof of the accusations against me. You went with hearsay and no evidence from my side.
"We always communicate the decision directly to the breeder and work with them to ensure they understand the outcome."
- You did not communicate any decision made with me. You suspended my account, and then when I reached out MONTHS later you then REMOVED my account with no findings to prove I did something wrong, and you did not communicate to me that you were removing my account. Which per YOUR POLICY "In their discretion and following an investigation, they may decide that a breeder be suspended from Good Dog for a period of time or be removed from the Good Dog platform. We always communicate the decision directly to the breeder and work with them to ensure they understand the outcome." You did NOT do. You just removed me and I never heard from your company again.
"Our Commitment to Dog Breeders Everywhere
We are committed to putting an end to "breeder bashing." We do not disparage breeding programs that are removed from our community, nor do we speak of them negatively."
- Your company has done the compete opposite of this statement. You took the side of someone who was arrested for animal cruelty and awaiting trail, you took the side of someone who has blatantly doxxed my addressed, lied about me several times, continues to spread rumors untrue to this event online, etc. All proof was provided to you. You're supporting someone who in your own words is 'breeder bashing.' You did speak about me and my program to someone who was not associated with my program whatsoever, and removed their account as well.
All per this policy (https://www.gooddog.com/good-breeder-center/why-does-good-dog-have-a-community-concerns-policy)

Need I go on? Because I will, and I will tell the truth of what has happened to me because of someone who is upset that I no longer support them or the decisions they make, and in turn has set out to ruin my reputation. Your company is a joke if you stand behind someone who is perceived as a mill and is breeding 50+ litters a year, let alone 5 litters born alone in the month of November, and 6 more litters due by the first week of January. I am tired of being silent about the issue I have with your company.

I left a review a month ago and seems it was deleted. I will just keep writing it here and other places so it's seen! So, I purchased a puppy from Tracy Maglioli from 'Lux shihtzu of New England. ' I picked him up May 1st. When I got the puppy home he was eating his poop. Every time he pooped, I'd have to hurry up and get before he did. I'm sure she knew this was happening, she didn't tell me that!
He also was scratching at his ear pretty bad and I took him to the vet the next day, they said he had an ear infection. Again, she had to have known. We slowly introduced him to our 5 year old pug but after two weeks, my pug was too stressed out and didn't like the puppy.
I had messaged Tracy and told her about it and I told her I may have to give him back. She said she would take him back and told me that there are no refunds, but if he sells him, she will give me half back.
I was happy with that because the dog was $2250 and then the rediculous fees that 'good dog' charges, brought me to almost $2400, so knowing I'd get something back was nice. And keep in mind, I only had the puppy for two weeks! Two weeks!
Well fast forward a couple days after I dropped him off. She said she gave him to her cousin and will not be giving me any money back. I told her that wasn't fair, that was her choice to do that, she should still give me something.
So she basically gave her cousin a puppy that I paid for. I sent her a final text that she never answered. The next day I contacted 'Good dog' and they contacted her and then told me there is nothing they can do. That is total bull$#*!!
I understand she said no refunds but she shouldn't have told me she'd give me half back then. And who knows if she really just gave him to her cousin, that's what she says.
There aren't many nice people in this world and I did the right thing by giving her the dog back so she could find him a good home, I could have sold him and got my money back!
She could have given me something, and this app for not backing customers is wrong, too. I had the dog for two weeks and lost $2400, that is so not fair! So please don't purchase a dog from this site. Absolutely awful!

After much searching, I came across Good Dog and was able to find my match almost instantly.

Gooddog has been a great asset in the Whippet search.

This the best thing in my life so I like this thing.This the best thing in my life so I like this thing

Already did this!

Timely / informative When I email a question I receive a clear response within 24 hours

Overall horrible experience. Let me preface by saying this breeder was hand selected/sent to me as a reputable one. What was overall the worst part that I want to reiterate is that even when I provided multiple screenshots, texts, photos etc. proving "my side" that the breeder was completely disengaged and rude - they still asked me to compromise in the end again for a second time.

I worked with multiple team members who passed me along ending with a senior manager level person who communicated with me for 4-5 weeks to "help resolve my issue" which she ultimately just had me follow up on my end with the difficult breeder (who already was rude, non responsive, told me this was not a fit for me) despite my saying that it was uncomfortable I still did per their request. After weeks of back and for the of us BOTH not hearing from the breeder, they proceeded to let me know they would finally initiate my reimbursement by the 7/15 and when I received one text (randomly after weeks of zero communication) from the breeder saying "you can come in 5 days to pickup the puppy" they tell me they wouldn't honor the reimbursement as the breeder offering me the puppy again "shows they are trying to resolve the situation". I could say much more but want this review to stay up so others do not have to deal with the challenge and emotionally draining experience of expecting a puppy to join your family - you buy everything to make it a home for them - then are told you are not a fit and zero response - return everything you bought to then receive a text saying here you can actually still have one...

The good dog rep I spoke with was nice enough every time she followed up but in our last dialogue I realized she was gas lighting me and I could not believe the customer service up to this point. When I made it very clear that I would not be proceeding with this breeder (rightfully so...) she again repeated the policy to me, continued to express that the breeder was now showing good faith/resolution (after multiple screenshots of proof were sent to show otherwise) they still expected me to follow up and "clarify" I would not want to move forward and she would have to check with her team. Again for more context, this is after I have received voicemails from Good Dogs team saying they deactivated this womens account, apologized to me profusely yet still handled the situation this way still.

I at this point am past the frustration of losing my over $500 deposit with good dog but more just extremely disappointed that they handled every step of this situation poorly. The sr good dog manager who worked with me through this actually said back to me in our last conversation "we have delivered on being responsive and trying to assist" but also felt the need to remind me that we have talked each week to work on this... I understand that the response time has been decent but this is part of the job and to her point, "what you pay for with insurance" and you could then easily tell - the minute there was a way to get out of paying the reimbursement on their end, they took it. A company who to them $500 is probably not that much but to someone who personally went through a crappy experience with their team/breeder - that money was/is a lot.

This may not even go anywhere but hopefully it helps someone avoid making the same mistakes I did with trusting good dog, the customer service and insurance they offer.

Thanks if you made it all the way through. If anyone would like more detail let me know.