Complain about a product or service

The Puppy Boutique

Brooklyn, NY

Richard of Brooklyn, NY March 19, 2009

I had purchased a maltese puppy from Puppy Boutique several years ago. My animal became so sick in vomiting so bad, that I had to rush him to my vet within 12 hours. I attempted to call the store called Puppy Boutique, but they would either never pick-up their calls, or return yours! My vet told me that he had kennel cough. I eventually decided to pay them a vist instead. I explained my plite, but they didn't want to hear anything. They told me that it was my problem. Within another week or so, I discovered that my puppy Angel only had one testicle.

 I had to take him to my vet for surgery, which cost me over 550.00. While doing surgery, the vet told me that he checked his little stomach, and found out that he had that so-called Shunt-(Liver disease) as well as all the other puppies had. I had to then take my puppy to the New York City Animal Clinic for additional tests, and not to mention another 1000 for two days in being keep over night. I physically had to take out pet insurance when I got back home.

My puppy suffered contantly in always vomiting, and never wanting to eat. He eventually got a brain anerism. He was walking around in circles in my apartment, and banging his head into all the furniture and then took him to another vet. The vet told me that he could have treated him in hopes of saving his lifeless body, but I couldn't see the little puppy suffer any longer. I decided to put him-(Angel) to sleep.

All-in-all, my little puppy with insurance, cost me well over 12,000.00 in three years in owning him, before I finally put his out of his misery. I finally took the owner-(Phyllis to small claims court, and was rewarded 750.00. That did not make up for the loss of my puppy. This owner and store should be shut down, and definetely put out of business for the sake of all these poor puppies. Thank you so much.

The physically and mental stress that I went through, was beyond words. Not to mention the anilmal and his constant suffering.I did not but work, and every month for 3 years my puppy was in and out of vet's. My heart has been broken to see such an innocent lifeless puppy, to have to put to sleep. He was my life!

Kristin of Ocean, NJ March 11, 2009

On 2/22/09 I purchased a puppy from this puppy store,once home I noticed the puppy had a bald rear end and scabs on her ears,I took her to my ve on 2/24/09 because she was losing a large amount of hair,she was tested for and diagnosed with ringworm fungas and declared unfit for sale by my doctor.I contacted the pet store,I faxed the letter and proof of the puppies illness and the owner said that he wants to see the results from the second part of the diag. testing,the culture results which take 10-14 days to grow the fungas so after the culture showed growth(11 days) I faxed the results from my doctor and sent a new unfit form with the new results on it as well and have heard nothing from them.

I have already had to pay 389.71 in vet bills after I paid 655.00 and the store owner promised me the dog was registered which she had a bogus registration application.She also may have mange but cannot treat it until the ringworm is cured and the vet estimates the bills to be between 300-1000.00 to treat her.There are so many other victims that I found online since I became a victim,they use a different name on the web,they go by Puppy Petite online so when I check the BBB there was no record for them but the name on the building was Puppy Boutique and when I checked that after I purchased the pup I found other comolaints from victims.

Cheryl of Staten Island, NY January 27, 2009

In March 2008 we visited Puppy Boutique in Brooklyn in search of a teacup yorkie. There we found little Theodore a 1 lb male. He looked to be very healthy and bouncy so we did not debate the over inflated price of 1900. I was astonished that he wasn't AKC registered and with in a week he developed kennel cough. that was only the beginning. on the night of his 1st birthday he went into a semi coma and we rushed him to our vet. it all happen so quickly one minute his was vomiting the next he was walking into the wall. after two hours our vet had him stabilized enough to rush him to Garden Staten Hospital in southern NJ where he remained for a week. the first three nights they told us they didn't think we was going to make it through the night then finally after a blood transfusion he began to gain strenght.

my vet thought he had an obstruction they thought he had a liver shunt. so they sent him home with 6 medicines to recover and in a month they said we needed to get another bile acid test done and if it was a liver shunt they could do the surgery for another 3000. they could not assure us he would be okay after that. so here we are one month from the onset an last night he had a fever and once again off to the vets we rushed and no they took bllod once again and his blood count is not good and his liver count also is up again.

Tomorrow we will decide what to do next. he will probably need to see a specialist and w=our credit limit is almost taken up on all these test...we are heart broken and terrified he won't live a long healthly life and now after reading all of this I can see it is pointless to contact puppy boutique. worse part we purchased a second teacup yorkie from them in July so Theo could have a play mate now we pray he wont go through the same. Please what ever you do don NOT buy a puppy from this puppy mill they are a disgrace and should be shut down.

over 8000 IN VET BILLS WITH NO END IN SIGHT AND A VERY UNHEALTHY LITTLE PUPPY.

Anonymous of Andover, NJ December 12, 2008

about a year ago we purchased a chihuahua from puppy boutique that also was listed on their website that was listed for under 600 as we traveled all the way to Brooklyn, we arrived with them asking for over 900 for a miniture chihuahua that now ways about 9 pounds this is not the worst of it... a couple months later we returned to the store to buy our baby a brother..

after viewing all of the puppies in the store the man went to the back room which you can not see from anywhere in the store. the man came back with a small chihuahua that almost had dimples all over his body. he was pretty cheap but it was odd he was pulled out from the back without anyone even knowning where he was kept. once we brought our new baby home he was instantly vomiting and not eating in a matter of days. we waited a day to see if he got better and he only got worse.

we rushed our baby to an animal hospital and he weighed in at only .5lbs because of how sick he was. after an hour sitting at the clinic the doctor told us our puppy had 100% full blown PARVO which is a disease in dogs that is deadly. as soon as possible i called the pet store and screamed getting no response back but saying bring it to our vet there is nothing we can do. the vet was hours away and our baby would not make it if we went that far we had no choice but to let the current clinic we were at take away our brand new puppy and try to stabalize him.

we went back home and our new baby had to stay at this clinic without us terrified all by himself with no other puppies because of how contagious his illness was. he was there for about 4 days we called everyday and we never knew if he was going to make it through each night. it turns out we spend over 3,000 on keeping our puppy alive. thank god he didnt die the doctors would not give up on him. t

o this day our baby will not let anyone go near or touch his nails or paws because of all of the IVs in his arms during his time spend at the hospital. puppy boutique is a disgusting place where they keep all of the sick puppies in the back away from the other dogs. they bring these puppies out only when customers are not willing to pay outrageous prices for dogs. till this day we have not recieved anything from puppy boutique not even a letter of appology. we also threatened to stand outside and warn every customer that entered no to ever ever ever purchase a puppy from such a dump. i do not understand how this business is still open the conditions of the dogs are outragous. any store that holds puppies in a back room all alone should be shut down.

i would love for people to try and buy these puppies to save their lives from this horrible environment but it is not worth the heartache of a sick puppy that you have grown emotionally attatched to that you may lose within days. someone needs to shut this store down and save these dogs....

Ricardo of Bergenfield, NJ November 16, 2008

I bought a puppy back in february of 2005 from puppy boutique in Brooklyn, NY. My puppy had a hernia repair that they said was fixed and will not cause any problems in the future. I love my dog so much I have spent alot of time and money in vet bills. She is about to be 3 years in two weeks and since we got her she vomits and so far had two epileptic episodes. I do know know but wish could get some help on what the problem is. I do not want to think of the worse and would do anything for my dog to live a long and healthy life.

Physically she is playful, strong, and she has a good heart. She recently just had two seizure episodes and regurgitates. She doesn't deserve any of these and would like to hear from other people who are experiencing the same problems as I am.

Monica of Kew Gardens, NY October 10, 2008

First of all.. making a complaint on this website is the second step like I did..its nice to warn other people where not to go but these are breathing animals not objects of poor quality..please do report any animal abuse to ASPCA like I did so they can go investigate and make an arrest. This way the ASPCA can give them to loving people who want to adopt =) here my story...

False advertisement...went there and the man was more concerned with my wallet and jumped the price when i arrived...all dogs were dirty...lots of coughing...rolling around in urine...and could not see the back area of store where he kept emerging with 'cheaper' dogs, that were still overpriced. these are living animals not manufactured goods to man handle. they breath eat feel, etc. he was also in a rush but the store was still open because i kept asking a lot of questions he just did not want to answer.

Vanessa of Kenilworth, NJ September 8, 2008

When my family and I were looking for a puppy, I searched through newspaper ads and I came across a telephone number whom was listed as a private breeder. When I spoke with the man, he was very rude and stated that the puppies cost 500. On January 20, 2006 we went to the Puppy Boutique, after almost two hours, we purchased our Pomeranian, who had already had cold, for 900. Once in our car finally going home, our puppy vomited.

Through out his short life, we must have taken him to vet due to illnesses at least 15 times and spent thousands of dollars. Sadly on the weekend of April 18, 2008 our Pomeranian became very sick, we took him to the vet on Monday April 21st and they automatically hospitalized him. He had suffered kidney failure due to under-developed kidneys because of neglect when he was very young. On the depressing day of April 23, 2008 our puppy, Kiko, had to be put to sleep.

The reason I am writing this complaint is for our sick puppy and so no family will go through the heart-break and pain our family has felt due to our lose. Personally I wish that no body purchase a puppy from these terrible people, instead adopt or purchase from a real breeder who owns the parents.

Our puppy had to be put to sleep due to kidney failure.

Jennifer of Staten Island, NY September 7, 2008

Dec 22, 2006 We purchased a toy yorkie for our 4 daughters. We named her Lilly. She was adorable. We had Lilly for 18 months when on day we came home and Lilly was having a seizure on my living room floor. My 2 daughters witnessed Lilly's lifeless body. She was foaming at the mouth. We were crying hysterical.

Lilly was taken to the vet. We were told she would have to stay over night for testing but most likely her condition was due to a hereditary problem with her liver (liver shunt it was called). We were advised to take our precious dog to Red Bank, NJ because they have doctors in the facility all night.  Lilly was too sick to be left unattended.

We gave them all of her lab tests and upon her exam it was confirmed Lilly had a liver shunt.  Medication was a short term option. But was told by the vet she would die slowly. This was not a cure just to prolong her life. Surgery was 5000.00 but may not work. Lilly's liver was very bad. She was very sick and only 3.8 pounds. Her tiny body may not be able to handle the surgery.

My husband, myself and the vet all agreed Lilly should be put to sleep. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to do (since we just put our 13 yr old dog to sleep 5 weeks prior) The vet said this was a problem Lilly was born with and that we should contact Puppy Boutique.

We paid 400.00 at the first vet and 168.00 at the second. But the most devastating loss was our Lilly. Our family is heartbroken.

Trish of Sunrise, FL August 22, 2008

On 9/16/07, we (husband, 4-year old son and I) purchased a teacup Yorkshire Terrier - Fig - from the Puppy Boutique owned by Jim and Gilda for approximately 1100.00. On 9/23/07, we had to take Fig to a Pet Emergency Center due to the fact that he was lethargic and vomiting. He was hacking frequently and having paroxymal fits before vomiting. The cost for the emergency visit was 785.

As recommended by the emergency vet, we followed up with our vet the next day where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection that was likely contracted from the other dogs where he was purchased. Our vet wrote a letter on our behalf that I sent to Gilda so she was aware of Fig's condition. We had to give him regular breathing treatments with prescribed medication through a nebulizer and oral antibiotics.

On 10/5/07, we had to take Fig back to the vet due to loss of appetite, severe weakness and difficulty breathing. He was kept overnight and diagnosed with and treated for pneumonia. The visit costs 619.59. Our vet called Jim to inform him of Fig's condition and the cost for treatment. He agreed to reimburse us for treatment and so we proceeded with the visit. I frequently updated Gilda on Fig's condition. She informed me that they were in the process of moving and provided me with a fax to fax her the receipts.

Puppy Boutique did reimburse us approximately 1600.00 for Fig's medical expenses which included the 78.50 for a follow up visit with the vet. On 10/24/07, we took Fig to the vet for a regular check up and to continue with his scheduled vaccinations. Since he had presented with high white cells and high toxins in his lab work previously, lab work was done to determine if he could get his vaccinations and rabies shots at the time. This costs 60 and due to the high counts we were not able to administer the rabies shot and other vaccinations.

From the time of purchase, Fig remained sickly with unsatisfactory labs and an inability to retain food. On 12/14/2207, we had to take Fig to the vet again when his behavior was strange. He seemed disoriented and would walk around rubbing his head against any hard surface he could find and he would roam and walk in cirlces. The vet did lab work - bile acids test, liver profile and cbc with liver differential - which costs 240 and she prescribed medication for Fig to take with meals - Enulose - which costs 30. Fig was diagnosed with a congenital condition called Portisytemic Shunt. While we could try to treat the condition with the daily medication and a low protein diet, the prognosis for already sickly and weak Yorikie's with this condition was not good and it was likely that his condition would worsen over time and that he would eventually die.

We continue to care for Fig the best we could as we had grown attached to Fig, especially my son but today we had to euthanize him. The emotional toll, continued expenses and witnessing of Fig's continuous illness, frequent vomiting and dehydration was unbearable for all. This morning Fig could barely walk, was severley fatigued and dehydrated despite having had a full meal and water earlier. The condition does not allow his body to absorb nutrients and he became dehydrated quickly. In consultation with his vet, who said that the condition would continue to worsen we decided to euthanize him. The costs for euthanization and cremation 240. The pain and suffering of Fig, of my son and husband and I - immeasurable. This was my son's first pet. My desire is to be compensated for expenses and pain and suffering and to put Gilda and Jim permanently out of business. We are now certain Fig was likely obtained from a puppy mill.

Armand of Somerset, MA June 6, 2008

We bought a Chichuahua puppy from them on Jan.4th of 2008. We paid 980 for him and was told we paid 150 more for him because he was a teacup and wouldn't get any bigger than 4 lbs. He is now 7 months old and he already weighs 8 lbs. That is not the worst of it. About a month ago, the puppy started to limp. We brought him to our vet, who took xrays and examined him and informed us that he had a genetic disease called Aseptic Femoral Head Necrosis. It is a deterioration of the the ball joint. He was treated with medication, but now he has to have surgery, and have this part of the bone removed. This will leave the dog lame for the rest of his life.

We contacted puppy boutique, and they informed us that before they would pay, we would have to bring the puppy to their vet in New York. Being elderly and sickly, this was not easy,but I did it. Their vet said he needed the surgery and that it would cost in excess of 2000. Puppy Boutique then informed us that they would only pay if we brought him to their vet to have the operation done. As we live five hours away, it does not make any sense to bring him there. Our vet said it would cost us about 1000 for him to do it. As the dog is guaranteed for 1 year, we feel we should receive the 980 we paid for the dog

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