On May 2, 2017 we paid Cornerstone Farms a $ 500.00 deposit for a CavaPoo puppy named Ziggy that was not yet weaned from his mother. On May 16th I wrote Debra Rittner and told her that we just found out our youngest son has cancer and considering the circumstances we were not ready to take on a new puppy and would she refund the money. Debra tells us that she knows God wanted us to have this puppy. She would give him to us with no additional charges, but she listed all kinds of rules that went with this gift from God. Ex: "you can't give the puppy to anyone else or sell it". To make a long story short we went back and forth on the "gift from God", which we never got, nor did we get the $ 500.00 returned to us. On June 3rd, 2017 Debra texted to me " We will either give you the puppy or a refund. We don't have the intention of doing nothing". And on June 9th Debra texted, "we have no intention of cheating your family in any way". Well, she lied. In the end, we have NO PUPPY and are OUT $ 500.00! The Ritter's are very quick to preach the word of God, yet they do not keep their word. And if this does not tell you enough about how they do business, you should check out the Rittner Farm through the Humane Society who write that the Rittner Farm is on the 'Horrible 100' List of Worst Puppy Mill Offenders in the U.S for 2017" http://people.com/pets/humane-society-announces-the-horrible-100-list-of-worst-puppy-mill-offenders-in-the-u-s/
Buyer beware. But good news, are son is doing great and winning his battle against cancer......so that is really all that matters.
Laura

On May 2, 2017 we paid Cornerstone Farms a $ 500.00 deposit for a CavaPoo puppy named Ziggy that was not yet weaned from his mother. On May 16th I wrote Debra Rittner and told her that we just found out our youngest son has cancer and considering the circumstances we were not ready to take on a new puppy and would she refund the money. Debra tells us that she knows God wanted us to have this puppy. She would give him to us with no additional charges, but she listed all kinds of rules that went with this gift from God. Ex: "you can't give the puppy to anyone else or sell it". To make a long story short we went back and forth on the "gift from God", which we never got, nor did we get the $ 500.00 returned to us. On June 3rd, 2017 Debra texted to me " We will either give you the puppy or a refund. We don't have the intention of doing nothing". And on June 9th Debra texted, "we have no intention of cheating your family in any way". Well, she lied. In the end, we have NO PUPPY and are OUT $ 500.00! The Ritter's are very quick to preach the word of God, yet they do not keep their word. And if this does not tell you enough about how they do business, you should check out the Rittner Farm through the Humane Society who write that the Rittner Farm is on the 'Horrible 100' List of Worst Puppy Mill Offenders in the U.S for 2017" http://people.com/pets/humane-society-announces-the-horrible-100-list-of-worst-puppy-mill-offenders-in-the-u-s/
Buyer beware. But good news, are son is doing great and winning his battle against cancer......so that is really all that matters.
Laura

Very bad experience do not buy anything from them bought a collie from them wasn't allowed to meet the parents of my pup don't answer the phone or anything dog is a little over a year old and is having severe seizures don't buy from them you will be very sorry

Bought a rough collie from them would not let me meet them out at there place nor see the parents of my collie pup. Do not answer questions or phone very often to help with things. Wouldn't give me the akc papers on him then come to find out he is just a little over a year old and is having severe seizures. DO NOT BUY A PUPPY FROM THEM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH IT ALL

While we appreciate each and every persons personal opinion, I rarely respond to most of the reviews left because arguing the point with someone who has made up their mind is typically futile. I will however respond to your review as I feel its an opportunity to set a few things straight and clear the air. Especially since your problems, if even real, were so bad that you waited four years to even say anything to anyone, including us. First and foremost we are all human. No one is infallible and we don't claim to be either. We receive many emails and requests for information each and every single day. Most we respond to but not all. If we have a poor feeling about someone or don't feel the family is a good fit for the pets we have available we sometimes do not respond. Not saying that was the case here but just stating the fact that no response is usually better than an argument. I will not pretend to remember you specifically because I do not. But equally I have three times as many good reviews on here as I have bad. No one ever looks at pages 2,3 or 4. The pages that are "not recommended" are for some reason Yelps idea of equality. We are God fearing people, we do our best to fit each and every family to their new family member, and we are often the target of one of several different animal rights groups who hate us and lie simply because they are full of hate for all breeders. We are accountable and monitored by the state veterinarian, our own veterinarian, USDA, AKC and the State of Missouri. After prop B passed in Missouri over 500 breeders were shut down, WE were not one of those because we do right by our pets and customers. It is supposed to be that one is innocent until proven guilty because we are Americans. Unfortunately sites like this and others create an atmosphere where one is guilty until proven innocent. We are still in business after 21 years of business and faith which should be proof of innocence beyond question.
So I will leave you and all the readers of this response with this. We are not perfect but we are good people who work very hard to do the right thing by our dogs and customers each and every day. We discount and donate pets when we can but equally have a business to operate. There is always going to be those who say bad things about us but through the Grace of God and the strength of our family we persevere. Romans 3:10

Very upset after reading all the compliments about this farm. I received my pug born October 8, 2012 In December 2012. she had a parasite(likely eating poop from her siblings) when I first got her and Within the first few months I had her spayed, they found a tumor on her face and had it removed. She suffered several stomach problems from medicines during this time. Allergic to all kinds of medicines and on special dog food. All was well from then, however now my 3 and half year old pug was diagnosed with Addison disease in May 2016!! She doesn't produce steroids and needs daily steroid medicine, which making her urinate every half hour and a monthly shot. The poor thing looks so sad because shes so tired of peeing but I wont give up on her. If I never had anything to say before now I do. I tried contacting them to find information on her parents, so I can be aware of any other issues, since this disease can lead into diabetics and more. They never contacted me back. Researching I did find they are the on the list for worst puppy mill. BE CAREFUL WHEN BUYING FROM THEM. I wouldn't change a thing because as my family says if anyone else got this dog they may have given up on her. I am a single individual paying all her medical vet bills and not cheap. This dog is too young to be dealing with this! shame on this farm.

Hi,
I recently purchased a "Morkie" female from Cornerstone Farms. I received a Yorkipoo female instead. I sent an email the morning of 5-27-16 requesting the flight info I was waiting all week for. She calls me (the day of) saying the puppy was on its way to me (I was at work). I had to leave work early and the poor puppy had been at the airport for over two hours. The puppy was so cute and then I noticed it was coughing and sneezing on the ride home. I called the vet to reschedule the appointment I had originally made to a same day visit. I told the vet my situation and said I wanted the puppy seen asap. When I took the puppy to the vet she told me she had kennel cough and she needed antibiotics for one week and a follow up scheduled for June 3rd. The vet said to contact the breeder to let her know as well. I sent the breeder a text with the vets findings and did not receive a reply. I was not expecting one either. So buyer please beware of these people.

If one does a search for the Human Society of America's, "100 Worst Puppy Mills 2016", CORNERSTONE FARMS,, can be found on this list if you will look under the State of Missouri, other offenders in other states are also listed.

Here is exactly the violation that is written for Debra Ritter at Cornerstone Farms: " Puppies with bloody stools; excessive feces and underweight/sick dogs found year after year. REPEAT OFFENDER".

Please look for yourself and read the list.

Debra Ritter has been on the" Human Society's 100 Worst Puppy Mills" in past years, this is nothing new for Cornerstone Farms.

This information is ALL one needs to know to make a rational decision.
"
Those of us in dog rescue are aware of those on the Human Society's Yearly, "100 Worst Puppy Mills listing". The State of Missouri has MANY puppy mills. Don't be fooled by a nice website which can be deceiving to those who can not visit the actual place selling the puppies.

I bought my Morkie puppy from the Ritter family (Cornerstone Farms) after reading good reviews on puppyfind.com. After purchasing my puppy, they stopped communication, and just sent the puppy on an airplane and never once called or emailed to even ask if he arrived safely. I took him to the vet the next morning to find that he had a bad ear infection and ear mites. The Ritter's sent him with a vet check and I find it hard to believe that the vet never even looked in the puppy's ears. The dog comes with a "lifetime health guarantee" but when I told them about the infection and mites (and the cost of medicine) they said it's on me. Their email was very curt and rude, and then they end it with a bible quote. I would never purchase from them again and, even though I LOVE my puppy, they need to be shut down. I've now read dozens and dozens of reports of dogs being hurt and sick from their "farm". It's a puppy mill. Pure and simple.

They need to CLOSE!!!!! It's as simple as that.

I'm not going to say whether or not you should buy from these people, but I think you need to read this before you buy. I did not have a good experience with this breeder. Very little communication once they had our money. I was able to get my deposit back, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. I had to contact them daily for over a week to get a status on our dog. Once we got s hold of them, we were told the dog was sick. They told us we could have our money back or get a refund. We chose the refund because of the negative reviews and the poor communication. I then has to hound them for 9 days to get my refund. They would not respond until I mentioned taking legal action. I wish I had known they were a puppy mill prior to dealing with them. They don't want you picking up the dog from their property because it is a puppy mill. Google The address above and look at they operation. When you open the map, the house is to the right of the dot. It is not the house directly to the left of the dot. Their house sits right between highway 452 and highway M south of Highway V. There is also a pond on their property.

From the Humane Society
animalstudiesrepository.…

Tom and Debra Ritter, Cornerstone Farms, Curryville, MO - State inspectors found dogs with open sores, hair loss, raw skin and fly-bitten ears; website claims cornerstone farm is "AAA" rated by inspectors. In January 2014, a Missouri state investigator documented fifteen violations at Cornerstone Farms, including "a strong ammonia [urine] odor," many dogs without adequate space and a litter of seven golden retriever mix puppies who didn't have any water. When provided with water, the state report noted that the puppies "were observed lapping the water nonstop" as if very thirsty. At a prior visit in June 2013, a state investigator found numerous dogs with health issues, including two dogs with open sores; numerous dogs with "hair loss, areas of red skin with small bumps, cracked and open areas of skin, and scratching observed;" and several dogs with fly-bitten ears which "can be painful and
irritating," according to the inspection report. The report also noted that several dogs had such long curling toenails that it could cause difficulty walking, many dogs did not have adequate space or protection from the weather, and the kennel's veterinary records were not up to date, among other problems. However, on their website Cornerstone Farms claims to be "AAA Rated by Inspectors." Cornerstone Farms has more than 500 dogs and puppies on the premises, according to Missouri state records. It sells nine different varieties of puppies online at cornerstonefarms.net, yet HSUS researchers could find no indication that they are federally licensed to do so. The USDA retail rule, which went into effect in November 2013, requires breeders who sell puppies sight-unseen, such as over the Internet, to obtain a USDA license and be regularly inspected under the federal Animal Welfare Act, yet no federal licenses under the Ritter name nor under Cornerstone Farms were found by HSUS researchers as of 4/18/14.
An eyewitness reported Cornerstone Farms to The HSUS and to local law enforcement. The witness reported that this facility houses hundreds of dogs in substandard conditions. In a statement provided to law enforcement, the witness declared that the operators routinely shoot unwanted dogs and bury them on the property. Local law enforcement declined to take action. Reports about these concerns have been filed with the USDA and the local Department of Agriculture.

Hello we purchased our puppy from Cornerstone. We took her to the Vets the next day and they ran some labs and took some samples. She came back positive for Giardia. We are on her third round of treatments. It makes you wonder what type of environment the puppies are living in.

We purchased a dog from Cornerstone farms and received a dog with terrible ear mites, horrible allergies and now cancer at only 3 years old. I have emailed multiple times for information and they haven't responded. I will be reporting them to the Humanse Society and hope they take action, as I was unaware this was a puppy mill. I will do what I can to shut these people down.

I was an ignorant consumer. Brussels griffin puppies are so hard to find, when I saw the photos on their website I just jumped at the chance. Got a sick pup as well...with a heart murmur, parvovirus, giardia, a skin problem, and eyes and hair so matted and dirty... It took a year to get him healthy, but the real question, what is the real breed of this dog? He is part Brussels, bu he's 14 inches tall- his legs are very long and his hair is silky on his head. I just wish I knew his background. I love my dog soooo much but trust me, if I could do it over, I would never buy from these people. They are liars.

This breeder is selling sick puppies. When you have a problem with them, Debra Ritter ( Owner ) attempts to bully, intimidate, and fabricates to attempt justification of what you are complaining about and their sick puppies. Please go to Pissedconsumer.com and look up their name also Yelp.com to look at the complaints this breeder is getting. On Yelp there is a place that the breeder writes about how wonderful they are and in the top left corner of that box is a number then filtered (10 filtered) click on that to see the hidden complaints. They had their friends make accounts and "defend" them, those accounts were then deleted. They fly puppies anywhere and send a "contract" that basically says you agree to the terms when you take possession of the puppy. You don't get this so called contract until after you already have the puppy because the airline certainly doesn't give it to you, it's taped to the kennel. Shady shady people and they breed numerous breeds constantly, sounds like a puppy mill to me.

This doesn't surpirse me. The puppy industry in Missouri is valued at about $40 million a year - the highest in the country. I'd be extremely careful considering a breeder in that state, but with any breeder it is recommended to visit their premises prior to committing to purchase a puppy.

I also would not consider buying a puppy from a breeder that ships puppies all over the place. My breeder requires customers to come to her property and pick up in person.

Research first, fewer regrets later.

you live in conneticut and you ordered a poodle from a breeder in missouri ? do they not have poodles where you live ?? next time but a dog locally and quit supporting unethical breeders of sickly dogs. it is your fault they are STILL in business.

I think I know how you ended up with a dog that was bred in Missouri, and it isn't surprising to learn of the huge vet bill you ended up with.

Between brokers, pet shops and breeders willing to ship dogs across the country, there are many ways to wind up with a sick/diseased dog. A little research reveals that the best way to buy from a breeder is in person and to examine the facility where the potential candidate was bred.

" do they not have poodles where you live?...next time but a dog locally and quit supporting unethical breeders of sickly dogs. it is your fault they are STILL in business." - The same could be said about adopting 3 world children and the people who birth them.

*3rd

On January 27th 2012 my family received an 8 week old Standard Poodle from Cornerstone Farms. Not even three days later he was admitted to the Emergency Care Hospital for treatment. He had Parvo, Upper Respitory Infection, Urinary Tract Infection and Giardia. The Vet there said that he was near death and absolutely without a doubt came to us already sick with the Parvo Virus. The virus originated at the breeders. He was in serious condition and we were told that there was a good chance that he wouldn't make it. By the grace of God and the excellent care he received at the Hospital he made it through. Nine days and $3670.00 later our puppy is home with us. He still needs monitoring and will have many visits to the vet but we are keeping our fingers crossed that he remains healthy and doesn't have any setbacks. Shame on Cornerstone Farms for sending out an already sick puppy. We are not the only people this has happened to and we won't be the last unless these breeders are stopped.