Hi Lisa Jayne, It certainly does sound like there might be something at fault here and her first action should be to talk to the breeder. Is her breeder a member in good standing of the National club and the Kennel Club. Sadly just because papers are issued doesn't always mean everything is as it appears! Here in Canada if a dog is suspect we would contact the Canadian Kennel Club and a representative would investigate. If the parentage appears doubtful to be purebred the breeder would be required to DNA the litter and if the litter is not purebred or the parents are not the dogs listed the litter registration would be cancelled and all subsequent individual registrations declared null and void. It would then be up to the owner to seek recompense through the courts if necessary for being sold a dog under false pretences. If a breeder is a member of our Canadian Kennel Club they would be fined and penalised.
There is a recessive coat gene that can sometimes produce a long haired Rottie but that doesn't explain the lack of size and different head appearance. How did your friend locate this puppy? Unfortunately the Rottie is one of many breeds that appears in the newspapers and not all are as well-bred as one might hope. Rose T.
