Guarantee, returns and right of withdrawal

A dog is a sentient being (Colombia’s Law 1774 of 2016), and at the same time handing one over in exchange for a price is a consumer relationship to which the Consumer Statute (Law 1480 of 2011) applies. Both things are true, and this page tries to respect both: it explains your rights without treating the animal as merchandise to be swapped for another.

1. The legal guarantee

Every supplier answers for the quality, fitness for purpose and good condition of what it hands over (the legal guarantee, or garantía legal: Law 1480 of 2011, Article 7), and must give clear, truthful and sufficient information (Article 23). For a puppy that means, as a minimum, that it is healthy when handed over and that it matches what was stated: breed or cross, sex, age, parents.

• How long it lasts. The term is the one the supplier announces; if it announces none, the law sets one year for new goods, counted from the handover (Article 8). The Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC), Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, applied that default year to a case about a puppy that had been sold, in a 2025 judgment, because the seller did not prove it had stated a shorter term.
• What you can ask for. The law provides, in this sequence, for repair free of charge and, if that is not appropriate or the fault recurs, for the money to be returned or for a replacement (Article 11). With a living being, “repair” is veterinary treatment; a “replacement” only makes sense if the family wants it.
• When the supplier is not liable. Force majeure, the act of a third party, or improper use or failure to follow the care instructions provided (Article 16). It is for the supplier to prove it.

2. What the Casa Trufa guarantee covers

The specific term and scope of each puppy’s guarantee are set out in its contract and are stated in writing before any payment. If a seller does not state a term, the law sets the default one explained below.

What no honest guarantee can promise: the exact adult size, the final coat color, the temperament, that a dog will not cause allergies or that it will never fall ill. The parents’ health tests reduce risks; they do not remove them. That is why they are published with their document in Meet the parents, so you know what has been verified and what has not.

3. How to make a claim

1. Take the dog to the veterinarian and ask for the diagnosis in writing, with a date. If it is urgent, the dog is treated first.
2. Write to us at info@casatrufa.com or by WhatsApp, with the diagnosis and your contract. A direct claim is the first step the law requires, and it must be made within the term of the guarantee.
3. We reply in writing within a maximum of fifteen (15) business days, which is the time limit set by Article 58 of Law 1480 of 2011.
4. If you do not agree with the reply, you can go to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (section 7).

4. Returns

Returning a dog is not returning an object: for the animal it means losing its home for the second time. That is why, when there is a problem, the first thing we propose is to solve it — treatment, support — and a return is the last resort. The money is returned when that follows from the guarantee (section 1), when the handover does not take place for a reason on our side, or in the cases your contract provides for.

5. Right of withdrawal

In distance selling, or when the seller itself finances the price, the consumer may withdraw (the right of withdrawal, or derecho de retracto) within five (5) business days after delivery, returning the goods in the same condition and bearing the cost of the return (Law 1480 of 2011, Article 47). Since Law 2439 of 2024, the money must be returned within no more than fifteen (15) calendar days.

The same rule excludes, among others, goods “which, by their nature, cannot be returned or may deteriorate or expire rapidly” and “perishable goods”. We know of no ruling by the authority that says whether or not a live animal falls within those exceptions, so we assert neither that the right of withdrawal applies nor that it is excluded. Two things are clear:

• withdrawal is for distance selling or seller-financed selling: a handover in person, after meeting the puppy and without financing from the seller, is not that situation;
• if you receive a puppy at a distance and in the first days you see that you cannot or do not want to go on, write to us immediately. Regardless of the legal debate, what is in the animal’s interest is to come back as soon as possible, and we will look for the way forward with you.

6. Payment reversal

If you paid by electronic means (credit or debit card or another electronic payment instrument) for something sold online, by call center or through any other non-face-to-face channel, you can ask for the payment to be reversed (reversión del pago) when you have been the victim of fraud, the transaction was not requested, you do not receive what you paid for, or what you received does not match what was requested or is defective (Law 1480 of 2011, Article 51; Decree 587 of 2016).

• You have five (5) business days from the day you became aware of the event to file the complaint with the seller and notify the issuer of your means of payment, stating the reason, the amount and the account or card.
• The participants in the payment process have fifteen (15) business days to carry out the reversal.
• It does not apply to payments made in person, or to transfers or deposits between accounts made outside an e-commerce channel.

That is why we insist: do not pay into third-party accounts or to a name other than the one shown in your contract. How to recognize a scam is in our guide to puppy scams in Colombia.

7. If we do not reach an agreement

You can go to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, which offers a free direct-settlement route (SIC Facilita) and the consumer protection lawsuit (acción de protección al consumidor), which is filed online. A lawsuit over the guarantee must be filed, at the latest, within the year following the expiry of the guarantee, and requires a prior claim to the supplier. The links are on the PQRS page.

This text describes how we work and summarizes Colombian rules in force on the date shown at the foot of the page. It does not replace the contract signed in each case or the advice of a lawyer.