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Another possibility occurs to me - this relative is part of a family, right? Meaning spouse or kids are also in the house. What if, amidst all that buildup, someone ELSE wasn't really keen on the idea, and when puppy comes home, tempers blow up? That could account for such a sudden about-face.
No kids though they are in discussion. After this I hope that's a long long discussion. But spouse, yes. No word on the spouse's feelings on this situation.
Had your relative ever actually owned a dog before? It's very easy for someone who's never had a puppy before to not really grasp just how much work and time they require until they actually experience it firsthand.
It sounds like your relative ought to get his/her "dog high" by volunteering with a shelter/rescue or by pet-sitting for the neighbors rather than through ownership.
No kids though they are in discussion. After this I hope that's a long long discussion. But spouse, yes. No word on the spouse's feelings on this situation.
I'll put my money on that, then. They had a discussion, and dear spouse grudgingly gave in to persuasion. Only to unleash "I told you so!" when the puppy actually arrived and cried all night.
LOL, ya, I hope that's a long discussion about kids, too!
I think it is easy to get caught up in the breeder storyline. A lot of these people are very good sales reps for their dogs. They document each phase of a puppy's existence in a way that would be annoying with humans. Puppies that can't even walk normally yet get their photos taken with floral arrangements. They are compared enthusiastically to their half litter mates and accomplishments of all their relatives are trotted out.
But the reality of puppies is an entirely different thing. Personally? I've never found puppy breath all that alluring or adorable. I think puppies are jerks and the only benefit to getting them at that stage is you can ensure a proper upbringing to have a confident and happy adult dog. I'm getting a puppy for my next dog because I want to take the knowledge and personal growth I've acquired over the last decade and apply it to raising a good sport dog and hopefully have fewer behavioral problems than my rescues who all came from pretty sad situations. I'm not expecting raising the future puppy to be all that fun - but I am expecting it to be rewarding over the long term if I stick it out and do all the things I know are what a puppy can thrive on. But honestly? Depending on the breed it can be HARD work.
Most pet people don't want to have to invest that kind of time in reality, but the breeder sells a good story and makes them feel like they're part of this chosen elite group. But often the breeder is getting something out of it too by attaching strings to the sale, like they have to breed the dog to the stud of the breeder's choosing and the breeder gets the pups and all that BS.
Your relative could have gotten the pup home, spent a night listening to it cry, cleaning up its runny poo and just had the full force of reality hit them that this is a HUGE commitment that will constrain their life. And maybe those rewards of raising a dog didn't seem all that great in comparison to the loss of freedom and the expense that can come with a dog.
Every breeder of purebred dogs I know is careful to tell the prospective puppy buyer the cons as well as the pro's of their breed; precisely because they want the prospective buyer to be aware of them going in, and make an informed decision. The breeders I know, and myself when I bred my one litter, do assume that if a person calls and wants to buy a puppy, they are aware that puppies can be pains-in-the-neck-little-chewing-fiends for several months. But we do remind the prospective buyer about housebreaking and puppy-proofing; as well as asking them if they have time to exercise and train the pup. Do we talk up the accomplishments of the litter's relatives and try to take pretty photos? Of course. But we want to place every pup in the litter, not just potential show pups, in a home where the pup will be happy and loved throughout his/her life. And responsible breeders (as I was and as are the breeders I know) insist, in their sales contract, that if the buyer cannot keep the puppy, that the pup must be returned to the breeder, at any time in the pup's lifetime. As honest as I tried to be, as much as I tried to screen my puppy buyers; one pup was returned to me about two weeks after a family had purchased him. The money was refunded; and I found a much better home for him; where he lived for over 14 years.
It sounds like the puppy buyer had not thought of the negative side of puppy-raising until he brought the critter home and was faced with the commitment you described. Actually, more power to the puppy owner that she understood so quickly that she had made a mistake and acted so quickly to set things right, with what had to be minimal impact on the pup.
This is the same relative and the same puppy that was going home just before Christmas from the breeder who wouldn't allow the pups to be viewed and was sending puppies home too young?
This is the same relative and the same puppy that was going home just before Christmas from the breeder who wouldn't allow the pups to be viewed and was sending puppies home too young?
Nope. Different relative. Different side of the family. That puppy has had some health issues but it's just been with them a week. Nothing super serious as of yet.
The sort of person who buys from a breeder fits the clueless, impulsive type you herein describe. Therefore the behavior she displayed is no surprise.
Very glad she didn't keep it.
Nope. I bought from a breeder. Took me months to find the right one. Had to wait months for the female to come in heat. Then wait for pups to be born. THEN wait 8 weeks to get the pup.
I wasn't clueless and six months certainly isn't impulsive!! She turned 9 in August.
The sort of person who buys from a breeder fits the clueless, impulsive type you herein describe. Therefore the behavior she displayed is no surprise.
Very glad she didn't keep it.
Oh please. Many rescues are far far more careless about who they adopt to than the good breeders out there
It was far easier for me to adopt my rescue Shih Tzu when I was only 23 and had zero money than it was to purchase a Shih Tzu puppy from my breeder when I was 40.
And the rescue gave her to me in a total mess. Took me hundreds of dollars to get her healed up on top of the money I paid in adoption fees to them. The vet said "I can't believe they adopted you this dog in this condition" (knowing I had very little money as I had asked him for a break on the bill)
She was a wonderful dog and I don't regret any of it, but rescues can be real scummy
Healthy puppy. I have been getting pics and pregnancy updates. Puppy gifts are not even arrived in the mail. And the puppy is returned.
Why? Because relative realized that it's a commitment. Trainer. Boarding when gone (or pet sitter) house breaking.
I'm like .. and? You didn't know that?
I am happy that the dog has a chance for a better home but what?
You're right to be baffled.
But I have to laugh at some of these responses. Of course it's better that the puppy be returned sooner rather than later--that's not profound. But kudos and commending this person? Pardon me if I don't.
And something tells me it won't be the last time this happens.
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I bought from a breeder. Took me months to find the right one. Had to wait months for the female to come in heat. Then wait for pups to be born. THEN wait 8 weeks to get the pup. 
