Can I do anything about this..........................?

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I recently sent money to a dog breeder to hold the dog for me until it was old enough to be adopted. The breeder contacted me and said that the dog had died. He said deposits were not refundable. How do I know the dog really died? He is in the USA and I am in Canada. Do you think there is anything I can do to get my deposit back? I kind of wonder if he was trying to sell me a sick dog.