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Internet Puppies

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Just like the friendly pet store at the mall, the Internet is not the place to buy a dog. You have next to no legal protection and you are supporting the cruel and inhumane puppy mill industry.

andrea of powhatan, VA May 27, 2009

got an email on my website stating if i wanted to purchase a mini yorkie. called stella. for 350 full shipping included for adoption because they couldnt keep her anymore due to moving into an apt. well after going on and on about being a christian family and wanting a good home for stella i said ok and wanted them to send papers for stella first befor sending any money for coladerall. they declined said they wanted the money upfront and no papers with out money and they were a christian family and wanted a good home on and on. finally it got to the point where i said no way. so i guess i saved myself from being scammed.

Diana of Westbank, BC May 28, 2009

Ripped-off on the internet, My husband and I flew from Westbank,BC to Raleigh,NC on March 12/09 to pickup a tiny 12wk.old Chihuahua puppy with health certificate to fly. We paid S. Smith, the breeder 3,500.US. With every oz. Jitterbug gained, she become less active, and refused to walk. Worried I took her into my vet. By now Jitterbug was losing the use of her legs. My vet diagnosed her with 1).Severe hydrocephalus 2). Atlantoaxial instability (C1-C2) congenital abnormalities. Jitterbug was becaming paralyzed. My vet said that the only humane option was euthanasia. I'd only had her for 4wks., but she had stole my heart. Jitterbug was my dream puppy.

Stella and her husband Frank informed me, that I was to have call Stella first to tell her about the puppy's condition. And it was Stella's option, not mine, to have my puppy euthanized. And Stella informed me that she would not of euthanized Jitterbug, even if she was totally paralyzed. It would of effected her breathing and she would of slowly painfully died, that would of been cruel.

Stella said, that I was to of flown my sick (dying) puppy back to Raleigh, NC from the westcoast of Canada. My vet informed me that, no vet could of legally given me a health certificate to fly a sick (dying) puppy back across the Canadian/US border. The breeder then requested my puppy's corpse. Again my vet said, it is illegal to ship a dead animal across the Canadian/US border. My hands were tied. The only thing I could do was sent the breeder the x-rays, vet's report, and video of Jitterbug.

So knowing my hands were tied. The breeder then refused to give me a refund and said try to sue her. She did offer me another tiny (under 2lb.) female puppy. If she ever breed one again. Which could take a long time, or it could never happen. Tinies aren't breed for they just happen in some litters. That's why they are so expensive.

So I asked for a refund. Stella and her husband both said no refund, and started senting me mean email's. Stella continually said, my vet's diagnosis was wrong. That she'd been a Chihuahua breeder for 17+yrs.,and knows more about Chihuahua's then any vet's do. If she knows more about chihuahua's, then any vet's do, then why did she sell me a genetically terminally ill chi puppy for 3,500.US? My vet did try to contact the breeder and left her a message on her answering machine. But recieved no response back.

I informed Stella that actually two vet's diagnosed my puppies conditions, not just one. But that didn't matter to her, the vet's were wrong she said. I truly trusted Stella was hurt and loss big time by doing so. This has been a heart wrenching, horrible experience buying my dream puppy on the internet, from a dishonest Chihuahua breeder. Stella and Frank have sent me email's daring me to sue them. Knowing that across the Canadian/US border that would be hard to do financially, and time wise. So Buyers Beware! There are many wolve's in sheep's clothing on the internet, who will turn very mean and ugly for the almighty dollar. I ran into two of them.

Joao of Elizabeth, NJ May 28, 2009

We went online to purchase a puppy for our 9yr old daughter and came across NJbreeders who claimed to be based in NJ. Since they were "from" our state and we saw a beautiful Chihuahua..we decided to purchase it (the fee came to 1539). We came to find out later on that they are NOT located in NJ and lied to us about it. The initial agreement was to have it flown to Newark airport which is located near us but when it came time to get the flight information we were thrown for a loop with a Philadelphia airport destination even though neither myself nor my wife agreed or aknowledge that as a 2nd destination even thou they (purebred breeders) claim that we did. nontheless..i gave in and took a day off to drive down to philly and pick up the puppy. a 5hr round trip from our location on 5/15/09. on 5/16/09 we took Chewy, as we have called him, to its first veterinarian visit in Roselle NJ to see Dr Tucker. At that time..my wife was made aware that the puppy had an outnormally large open fontanelle on his head (a soft spot on the cranium that usually closes and hardens like human babies have). the dog also had 2 bilateral inguinal hernias which still need taking care of. needless to say, the vet gave us a letter stating that the pet should never have been sold to us in his condition. As it was Saturday we couldn't get in contact with the seller and left a message. my wife did manage to get a Chris on the phone and that person left a message for purebred breeders to call us back asap. Monday came and noone called until my wife called them first. to this date if we do not initiate contact we are never called first. She argued with that person named Debra. Debra gave my wife the run around about the open fontanelle stating it is normal for this type of dog. she also aknowledged that the hernias were a problem and should be taken cared of prior to the puppy being flown to us. we faxed the doctors letter to them and told them we would go to a 2nd vet to get a 2nd opinion which we did on tuesday 5/19 when my wife took the dog to VIP/Animal hospital in Elizabeth to see Dr Tavormina DVM. He also examined the dog as was distressed about the large open fontanelle and warned her about the risk that the dog would be exposed to such as seizures and potential death. He also gave us a letter that fails the dog for sell due to the fontanelle and 2 hernias. My wife called Debra and told her that now, 2 vets have written letters that the dog should have NEVER been sold. Debra became argumentative, condecending, rude, and critical of our vets. she even came to say that they (the vets) didn't know what they were talking about and that NJ vets tend to over dramatize these conditions. she asked for the letters to be faxed and medical charts from the vets..we did so right away..and that she would get back to us. we waited 2 days and she NEVER called back until my wife called HER. All she said was " I don't understand what's wrong with the puppy?" and just went on giving my wife the run around YET again. My wife told them at that time that she wanted her money back as this was becoming a joke and that this Debra was being unprofessional and REFUSED to pass my wife to her boss so that they could talk. Friday the 22nd came and I called them. I talked to Debra and argued with her about the 2 vets failing the dog and she yet again insisted there was nothing wrong with the dog when she has NEVER seen the puppy..and has NO medical credentials. she kept insisting that she had 6 chihuahuas and that she knew what she was talking about. on a side note..I have 3 children. it does not make me a Pediatrician. She refused to admit they (Purebred Breeders LLC and herself) were wrong. She refused to aknowledge any kind of refund. I told i would contact my credit card company and fight the charge. She made some lie about how they knew about the puppies hernias but could not fix them because puppies under 8weeks of age cannot go under anhestisia. the puppy was born on 3/8/09...it was nearly 10weeks old when we received it..thus that is a lie. She hung up on my shortly after that. That evening..I received a call from the first Vet..Dr Tucker...telling me that Debra had called her and argued with her about the dog. Debra disturbed my vet at her place of work and yet all she did was talk over the vet and didn't let her explain what problems the dog had. Debra told my vet at that time that MY WIFE had threatened to dump the puppy in a dumpster at Newark airport which i know for a fact, is a lie. She also told my vet that she made phone recordings of all our conversations (which i do believe is still illegal unless we are made aware of it happening). to this day..5/28/09..we have not heard from Debra or her company. we cannot get a hold of her boss. we have filled a complaint with my credit card company for the charges. We read on the NJ "lemon law" for purchasing puppies and KNOW that they broke that law. they sold us a "defective" dog which will require extensive and expensive operation cost to take care of his hernias. the fontanelle might be ultimately fatal to the puppy. We are animal lovers and feel bad for him because he is adorable but we have 3 children. 2 of them age 7 and 9. they can be rough and could unintentionally hurt the dog with his condition. we stand firm on the believe that they lied to us over and over and do NOT care about the dog. So far.. we have not heard from Purebred Breeders LLC since 5/22/09..and are contesting the 1539 for the pets cost. I also burnt a vacation day from work (175.20 gross income),roughly 40 worth of traveling expense to the airport. 2 VET visits- 60.49 and 50.00 we have spent nearly 2000 so far.

Sylvia of Edwardsville, IL May 3, 2009

On April 4, 2009, I bought a one year old shihtzu from a breeder in New Haven, IL. B. Drake told me about a one year old shihtzh that was completely housebroken and new basic commands. She knew I was specifically looking for an older shih tzu so my husband and I would not have to worry about carpets and chewing. I drove 3 hours to locate this breeder and paid 300 as I believed all that Becky told me.

Upon purchase Becky did inform me that the dog never had a rabies shot. I immediately went to the Carmi vet to get a rabies shot. He also could not believe she had not had this shot before. I found out quickly that Kenzi was not housetrained at all. She was very afraid of people and had no idea that "outdoors" was the place to do business. Her personality was so bewildering that I called in a trainer to give me her opinion. She was this was a puppy mill dog that had led a traumatized life. She was not comfortable in her own skin, In called Becky to no avail. These are my expense for Kenzi: Rabies shot: 15.00 Eye Infection:85.00 (found this after two days of owning her) Training:150 Spaying: 150 Becky claims that because S. Martin bred the dog she holds no responsibility toward the well being of this dog. I feel Becky Drake purposely and deliberately lied to me in the sale of Kenzi. I want other unsuspecting customers to beware of this breeder. This lady should not be breeding shihtzus.

Tara of canyon lake, CA April 29, 2009

Classic case of the puppy scam. She even used the same pitures used in the original scam and article about said scam from 2008! Beware of this woman who posts in local papers/web classifieds about english bulldog puppies needing a home. She has them posted as Loe and Lulu, again names from original scam. how dumb can these people be? She had the dogs originally listed at 700 and 800, but was willing to "give the puppies to a good home" for shipping coss of 400 for both, not each! She also asked that the money be sent via western union wire transfer (another red flag) IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS! If I had not done my homework, this could have been very upsetting.

David of Lincoln, CA April 19, 2009

My wife found 2 Lab/Malamute Mix Puppies listed for sale online at Kijiji (Sacramento) for 150.00 each. My wife spoke to Bobbi Ryon regarding the puppies on 4/14/09. Bobbi expressed that she was apart of an Animal Rescue Shelter. The online ad expresses that pups had been vaccinated and de-wormed and a health record would be provided at the time of purchase. My wife and I were interested in the pups because of this. Bobbi expressed that she would deliver the pups for free and would meet us at an Office Depot Parking Lot in Sacramento off of I-80 and Madison Ave because that was the only place she was familiar with. If we were interested we could see the pups in person and we needed to schedule a time to meet with her at Office Depot on 4/16/09 between 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. In the parking lot at Office Depot were other prospective buyers waiting to see the puppies.

Bobbi and her partner Kathy unloaded from their SUV a variety of available pups. We decided to purchase 2 of the Lab/Malamute Mix Pups. After many other prospective buyers had purchased other puppies that they were interested in, we felt that the two individuals seemed respectable and that it seemed that this was a legitimate animal rescue group with legitimate health paperwork for the pups (Bobbi had given certifications for another puppy). We were given instructions for the pups we purchased and told to contact Bobbi if we had any questions regarding the pups we had purchased.

We took the pups home and scheduled a visit to a Vet for the next day. Before the Vet visit my wife noticed the pups were covered in fleas. According to the Health paperwork provided with the pups, they were given Advantage Flea treatment as well as a de-worm treatment for the pups on 4/13/09, three days prior to purchasing the pups which would have eliminated any fleas. My wife gave the pups two baths to help with the flea infestation. During our visit with the Vet the pups were given a puppy check which included new patent registration, weight and temperature check, a fecal check for worms. The Veterinarian examined the pups and they seamed to be healthy. The Vet prescribed 2 flea treatments for both pups. One flea treatment that would resolve the immediate flea infestation and the other, Revolution, which lasts up to one month.

After the Vet visit my wife contacted the Vet regarding the puppies food during the conversation the Veterinarian expressed to my wife that the pups tested positive for a severely high infestation of two kinds of worms that required two doses of medication over the period of 21+ days and she needed to return to the Vet immediately to start treatment. The Vet also strongly advised to quarantine the pups until the pups finished the medication prescribed and that we needed to bleach the areas where the pups left their stool as well as any areas of our home or yard that the pups came in contact with, so as to prevent re-infection to them and possibly us.

This left us completely devastated. The new and first pups we were hoping to enjoy are having to be quarantined in the backyard for the next 21+ days. They cannot be in the house until the infestation is cleared which is a health risk to the puppies and inhibits our ability to train and crate train them which is necessary because they need to be kept indoors during the hot summer months that are almost here. We have had to bleach and clean our entire home and backyard over the last two days and will have to continue to bleach there kennel and stool area until the infestation is cleared which is a huge inconvenience.

The severity of the worm infestation in the pups has not only caused us additional financial costs that we were not prepared for but it has also caused my family and I severe emotional and physical stress. We do not allow our children to be with the pups for fear of contamination and it is difficult for them fully understand why they cannot love and pet the puppies like they desire.

Yesenia of Snellville, GA April 2, 2009

So I was looking for the perfect female pitbull. But i was tight on cash. i search the web for a week and found a beautiful female pitbull (fawn) she was everything i wanted. i e-mail the owner and in minutes he responded. he said he and his wife are originaly from the united states but they where in africa beacuse they had to go on a christian mission. my family is christian so he got my attention for a second. he said he loved the puppy (sweety) so much he was going to let me have her for free all i had to do is pay 100 usd. i was excited for a sec. then i got skechy so i responded to another add on a different puppy on the same website.

i got a email a couple a minutes after i had send them an email. and it was the same guy he gave me the same story. then after he told me all the same information i asked him if he remembered my voice. he stood quite then caught on. he said yes i do your the one that wants (sweety) i said yes and asked him how many dogs do you own he said he had a litter of six. let me remind you the other dog was a different breed. he went on and on about how he wanted me to take care of his baby and how it was so important for me to send the money before i receive the puppy. i told him that there was no way that was going to happend. he tried to take me on a guilt trip. nope not me.

what he didnt know was that i was 10 steps ahead of him i actually found the real owner of sweety who was a boy and he was 2000.00 thats what they usually cost. i asked the real owner if he knew this MR.CHARLES he said no and i told him what was going on. we had a couple of laughs. this man is a sad sad human being. if mr.charles is reading this i just want to say MY MOTHER DIDNT RAISE A FOOL.

Kim of Taylorsville, UT March 20, 2009

There was an add on KSL.com advertising free chihuahua puppys and asked to contact by email. I did and received an email back, stateing that there are two puppies and that they would need me to mail 300.00 for shipping costs. here is the email received.

My Lovely Chihuahua puppies are still available for adoption....I will be happy to get these details from you so that it can guard me in making a manual which the puppies can take along which will guard you on basics of taking care of them and also basics on feeding. My reason for Re-homing them is because I just got my Scholarship to further my course in Australia and the Australian Government does not allow Animals to get into their Country due to their Strong Quarantine restriction Law.I am Located in Northern Cameroon where the puppies will be coming from. I love my Puppies So much So i want them to go only to a loving and approved home.You will just have to take care of the shipping fee which will cost 300 for the two puppies and you will have to pay the money for the shipping directly to the shipping company that will be doing the transportation. I will be waiting to get these Informations from you and you will assure me that you will take good care of the puppies for Me. I Wait to read From you ASAP. Thanks.

I did not send them any money, but I am sure that there are people out there that will. I am not 100% sure that this is a scam but I am resonable sure the add insinuated that the advertiser was giving away free puppies and when I received an email back they wanted me to just send out 300.00. I emailed them back and just said thank you, but I didnt want to ship puppies.

Erika of Raleigh, NC January 31, 2009

I've been online looking for a shih tzu puppy. About 2 weeks ago I got a little suspicious about a response I received from an ad I replied to. First of all, they stated they had their babies given to them, and now they are moving to Thailand for missions work, and worried about their babies, wanting to find a loving home for them, to give them away for free. The email was one long run-on sentence, filled w/ concern for his babies as he called them repeatedly.

At the end of the email, he asked for us to pay for a delivery fee of 300 for two puppies to be delivered to my door. He of course wanted my home address and phone # for the delivery service. I responded then w/ no thank you; I think you're not a legitimate owner and you're trying to scam me. So today I got another email that looked a lot like the same guy,saying he's moving to another country for missions work, wanting someone to care for his babies, wanting detailed info., and money for shipping puppies to my door. Of course, he's using a different name this time. So I felt I needed to report this.

Fortunately, my red flags went up long before any transactions were made.

Lauren of Aberdeen, MD January 29, 2009

We bought a puppy from the affordablepup. We paid 299 plus 275 shipping. 20 dollars for nausea medicine and puppy food. First of all the puppy was supposed to come on Saturday the 18th and we waited at the airport four hours at the NWA baggage claim. We discovered that the puppy did not come straight from ohio but he was put on layover flight to detroit instead of putting the dog straight through to balimore. Due to temperature restrictions the puppy had to stay in detroit overnight. I am confused on to way the puppies where placed somewhere colder than VIP like mike said they were supposed to be. Sunday we recieved a phone call saying the puppies were taking off the flieght. Within mintues recieved another phone call saying that the puppies were coming. (not to mention every conversatin with afforable puppies employees Mike, jason, or matt they were very rude and acted like the puppies were nothing to them.)

As soon as the puppies arrived we noticed that two puppies were in one crate. We each paid separate shipping. So why were dogs shipped together? We noticed our little nathan was not even nathan. All of the paper work was messed up and our dog had no paper work or dog food. After calling him he told us that the akc registered paper and shot records were to be in the mail on monday but we did not receive the papers until tuesday. When we got the paper we found out that the puppy that was supposed to be already registered was not and we had to pay more money to get him registered. Also the shot records were not real. they were typed up on his computer and not from a vet. Also he was shipped with little lucy who was very sick.

We talk to eileen everyday to get an update her. It turns out they were both drinking the dirty water. I called Mike and told him abut this and he denied even talking to me in the first place. After getting upset with him he then told me to send the puppy back.. we told him we were not going to do that to the puppy and then he said send me a pic of the dog you bought and then a pic of the dog you got. when he got both pics on his phone, he sent a text back saying how they dropped the ball and was going to give us a refund for the puppy but not the shipping

The dog has been taken to the vet and the vet said he did not believe the shot records so we had to pay for all new shots. He had guadia in his poop from drinking dirty water and parasites in his poop. if had been dewormed like mike said then he would not have parasites in his poop. The dog was pooping blood and had really bad diarrhea and he would not eat anything. the vet sent our puppy home with science diet food to see if he would eat that. He has been eating but he woke up this morning hacking and sneezing. Flem came up. I have another dog and cat so really hope they don't get sick.

My puppy is going back to the vet tomorrow for his cold now. THese poor little puppies Lucy and Diego (my puppy) have had a hard start. It is so not fair to these puppies. I really hope you can help us and do something about these people.

The company responds:

We work with over 2000 customers a year and this is the only complaint online about our company! We admitted a mistake to the customer, we are not perfect we try to be but in the industry it is not always possible to be perfect. We offered the customer a full refund and we would set up a return shipment for the customer, the customer refused to return the puppy. We then offered a refund of the 300 if they would like to keep the puppy, the customer agreed to this and decided to keep the puppy at their own risk!

The puppy is currently healthy as can be and the customer has received all AKC paperwork as well as all other items requested, we have attempted to do everything possible to help this customer out, they have since received a full refund of 612.00 so they received the dog for free. In terms of the health of the dog the customer is not being truthful, the dog is in great health and they have no vet documentation to show the puppy has any issues!

In terms of the sh ipment of the puppies the flew NWA and NWA did not get them on their connecting flight so they had to stay over night, Once puppies are tendered we can not control how clean they are kept or if they have water, that would be on NWA airlines! Again we understand the customers concerns and have offered everything to the customer to try and resolve this situation. I do not believe these statements are at all a fair assesment of our company

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