# Puppy store saga continues (bad news)



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If you missed the original thread, here is a link: http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=5292

I had a hair appointment the other day and my stylist is her usual chatty, cheerful self and starts telling me about her new puppy. Obviously, I'm curious and I know that she has been wanting to add a dog to her home for a while. She started to say, "I saw him at the puppy store..." and I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "You did NOT!" The owner of the salon mutters, "I told you so..."

On Monday, she went over to the puppy store and held every puppy in the shop and was smitten with a barely two-month old Chihuahua. She ended up paying one of the higher prices for him, so the shop threw in a bunch of supplies for "free." She took him home and was so excited to have him with her. He woke her up in the night vomiting, moaning and then went lethargic on her. She called the owner first thing in the morning and they asked her to NOT take him to the vet but to bring him back so they could give him some meds and observe him. He was still there during the time I spoke to her on Wednesday and she asked me to go back with her after work on Thursday to get her money back. (She had a contract that said she could get her money back within 15 days, but she had returned him in less than 24 hours of having him.)

I wasn't able to go at the time she could go, so she took a friend. She called me last night, thoroughly upset. The puppy was dead! (They claim he had a neck or back injury.) She is so outraged, and even though she got her money back, she wants to do something about this and file a complaint. I'm going to call the city today and see what we can do.

Isn't that awful? It's probably a good thing, because it may help get them shut down faster. We'll see. The bad thing is that the vet refuses to disclose information to her, even though she has all the papers of being his owner when he died. They said that since she wasn't the one to bring him in, they can't tell her anything. I have a suspicion that he had Parvo. I'm going to suggest that she throw the crate and bedding away. (She's going to adopt from the shelter this time.)

That's the latest. Apparently, this is going to be an ongoing saga for a bit.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

That is just heartbreaking. 
I guess we should have shown up and protested after all. They need to be shut down.


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

That is terrible news. It makes me angry to see that they tried to blame it on an injury, which no doubt they are claiming occurred after she bought the pup. How many puppies do they have in the store, Kimberly? Ugh..it just makes me sick.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Kimberly this is so sad, I hope you guys find a way to shut that place down.

Remember the 90 dogs rescued I started a thread about, the woman is on trial today. I have been on pins and needles checking the online papers to see what happens to her.


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## SmittenHavaneseMommy (Feb 18, 2008)

It does sound like parvo.  So sad. I'm sorry for your friend having to go through this, but if there is an investigation, the vet will HAVE to give the info to the police or whoever investigates the puppy store. Ug.... HORRIBLE!!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

trueblue said:


> How many puppies do they have in the store, Kimberly? Ugh..it just makes me sick.


The number changes all the time. They really are selling a LOT of puppies! I have been avoiding the place because they recognized me after my first three visits, but during those times they had as few as 3 and as many as 9 that were out in the open. They did tell me that there were more in quarantine due to illnesses.

I believe they get two shipments of puppies a week, so there is a large number of pups being turned over.

Leeann, I'll be curious to find out what she gets.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Kimberly that is a horrible story and unfortunately not too dissimilar from others I've heard over the years. I wish people would *get* that they're buying an absolutely adorable "pig in a poke" when they shop the puppy stores. That poor little baby. God bless him.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

this is so sad. If there is anything we can do to help...sign a petition, make harassing phone calls... just let me know. I could say I'm calling from Frontline (the doc series not the flea meds) and that we are doing a story on the multi-billion dollar pet industry...


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

These stories make me mad!!!! How about if your stylist wrote a letter to the editor? She needs to tell every client, every person she meets, etc because it is these first hand stories that will change people's thought process.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

That is soooo sad! I really hope there is a 'good' outcome to this. Just horrible!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Kimberly, that is the _worst _outcome I can imagine. If this horrible incident can help put that pet store out of business, then at least one good thing can come of what is a total disaster. I hope things work out better for her next time. Did she know you are a breeder and could have hooked her up with some reputable Chihuahua breeders?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Jane said:


> Kimberly, that is the _worst _outcome I can imagine. If this horrible incident can help put that pet store out of business, then at least one good thing can come of what is a total disaster. I hope things work out better for her next time. Did she know you are a breeder and could have hooked her up with some reputable Chihuahua breeders?


Oh yes, she knows. (I've actually been trying to steer her away from the toy breeds, or at least some of the needier breeds, but that's another story.) She's decided to go the route of the animal shelter anyway, and I've encouraged that too. I told her I would connect her with a few breeders if she would like, but I don't think that will be what she prefers. She is still not even sure what breed she wants. She just succumbed to the cute little face of that male puppy in the store. (And her girlfriend needs a Julie Fish Smack! She tried to get her to buy two!!!)


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Oh, Kimberly, what a horrible story! I'm glad that she is trying to do something about it though. I can't stand puppy stores and this really really shows why. Ugh.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Leeann said:


> Kimberly this is so sad, I hope you guys find a way to shut that place down.
> 
> Remember the 90 dogs rescued I started a thread about, the woman is on trial today. I have been on pins and needles checking the online papers to see what happens to her.


We had a woman in town that had over 60 Poms living in horrid conditions in her home. Since she isn't a spring chicken, the judge fined her 6,000.00 (fining her 6,000.00 is like fining me 10.00) and people lined up to 'rescue' the Poms at the shelter until they found out the dogs were going to be spay/neutered.


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Havtahava said:


> I have a suspicion that he had Parvo. I'm going to suggest that she throw the crate and bedding away. (She's going to adopt from the shelter this time.)
> 
> That's the latest. Apparently, this is going to be an ongoing saga for a bit.


Kimberly, If you suspect Parvo, is it enough for the crate and bedding to be thrown away? I can just picture this gal snuggling her new little pup on the bed and it running through the house. Is there a chance that her home now has Parvo and she could infect a new pup? YIKES! Could she have the crate swabbed or something? Maybe if there is evidence of Parvo it would be easier to get the puppy shop closed.



SmittenHavaneseMommy said:


> It does sound like parvo.  So sad. I'm sorry for your friend having to go through this, but if there is an investigation, the vet will HAVE to give the info to the police or whoever investigates the puppy store. Ug.... HORRIBLE!!


Brooke, Is that you? Why did you change your name? :yo:


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

good buddy said:


> Kimberly, *If you suspect Parvo, is it enough for the crate and bedding to be thrown away? * I can just picture this gal snuggling her new little pup on the bed and it running through the house. Is there a chance that her home now has Parvo and she could infect a new pup? YIKES! Could she have the crate swabbed or something? Maybe if there is evidence of Parvo it would be easier to get the puppy shop closed.
> 
> Brooke, Is that you? Why did you change your name? :yo:


We had friends who lost their puppy to parvo. Were advised to throw away all dog toys, bedding, etc. And then clean EVERYTHING they could with a bleach solution. Steam clean carpet, furniture, etc. The yard was a whole other issue. She waited 2 months, and got a pup from a great breeder. It died wks later from parvo. Vet told her the virus could live up to 6 months.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

As a new puppy owner I have to say that unless you're a "dog person" you may not even hear about puppy mills. I vaguely remember hearing about Oprah doing a show on puppy mills but didn't know much about it until I became a dog owner. I agree that getting some national news coverage on one of the expose' type shows would be great! That is just so terribly sad, I hope that poor baby didn't suffer.


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

This is all so incredibly sad. I just want these places *CLOSED DOWN!* I hope she thoroughly puts out the word about the place. I think I'd try calling the newspapers to see if a journalist is interested in doing a story about it and the puppy mills that supply such stores. Poor little puppies.


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## Kathy (Nov 9, 2006)

Remember, freedom of speech!!! If she is really angry and serious, should could make some signs, get her friends to walk a picket line out in front of the store letting it be known her puppy died mysterously within 24 hours of purchase. One sign might even just have the word "PARVO" on it, as everyone knows what that is and if they don't they might ask.

Kathy (feeling rather radical)



Havtahava said:


> If you missed the original thread, here is a link: http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=5292
> 
> I had a hair appointment the other day and my stylist is her usual chatty, cheerful self and starts telling me about her new puppy. Obviously, I'm curious and I know that she has been wanting to add a dog to her home for a while. She started to say, "I saw him at the puppy store..." and I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "You did NOT!" The owner of the salon mutters, "I told you so..."
> 
> ...


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

Kathy said:


> Remember, freedom of speech!!! If she is really angry and serious, should could make some signs, get her friends to walk a picket line out in front of the store letting it be known her puppy died mysterously within 24 hours of purchase. One sign might even just have the word "PARVO" on it, as everyone knows what that is and if they don't they might ask.
> 
> Kathy (feeling rather radical)


I've mentioned 100 times my sister (who honestly didn't know better at the time, and hates herself for it) bought Cooper for us at a petstore. One of THE worst ones ever. (Hunte Cooperation). For about 2 months, he was a miserable little guy, because he had sarcoptic mange. Took my vet 3 visits, 2 food changes, countless shampoos, and Daisy getting it. Before they figured it out. One weekend a friend and I went up with vet bills in hand, written statements from the vet, and some UGLY pics of poor Cooper, half bald. And we showed everyone that walked into their store  
Yes, we were asked to leave. So, we just worked out way down to the corner. A lot of people walked on past. But, quite a few paid attention.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I am so sick of reading these stories. When is someone going to step up and close these places down?!! My cousin bought 7 dogs from the same pet store and I can't begin to tell you the problems she has had. I talked to her until I turned blue and she bought dog after dog from them. 

This is where the legislation should start. These stores need to be held to the same scrutiny as everyone else.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Gosh what a sad outcome. That had to be just heart breaking,but I'm happy to read she did get her money back. I was afraid they were going to claim she injured the dog and therefore they were not responsible. It's kinda sad she hasn't listened to you Kimberly. Hopefully she'll learn her lesson and help others from making the same mistake by making it public.


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## Salsa's Mom (Mar 18, 2008)

Ugh! I hope this place shuts down!

I'm sorry for your hairdresser and the puppy though. If she still wants a Chihuahua, ARF in Walnut Creek seems to have them available for adoption pretty regularly.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

I just got back from spending some time with her tonight. I brought a lot of information to her and she's going to start working on doing anything she can on doing her part to ensure they do get shut down. She had some great ideas in addition to the tips I found online today (through other sources that have fought some of the huge chains on the East Coast like Petland).

Fortunately, she had the dog for such a short time, that he wasn't really even out of his crate except for her cuddling him and trying to comfort him when he was in pain. 

Unfortunately, she gave all the paperwork back when she agreed to the refund, so she may have a hard time proving things.

She's quite willing to do a protest, but it would have to be on a Sunday. I told her to let me know if she's doing that because I'd like to join her.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

:cheer2: Good for you Kimberly! I hope it works!:thumb:


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Kimberly, I really hope that she does do a protest! Keep us posted.


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## brandy (Jun 12, 2007)

Kathy said:


> Remember, freedom of speech!!! If she is really angry and serious, should could make some signs, get her friends to walk a picket line out in front of the store letting it be known her puppy died mysterously within 24 hours of purchase. One sign might even just have the word "PARVO" on it, as everyone knows what that is and if they don't they might ask.
> 
> Kathy (feeling rather radical)


I was going to suggest the same thing...picket signs! " MY PUPPY DIED 24 HOURS AFTER BUYING IT HERE! SELLING SICK PUPPIES! " Even if she just spent one day on the weekend down there. Im sure she would get noticed. I would also call the local paper and see if they would be interested in my story as well as file a complaint with the local humaine society.

The Parvo scare is a pretty serious thing. It's so important to NOT bring any new dogs into the house for a long time. It can also live in the ground for something like 2 years. Cleaning her house isnt going to be good enough if it was parvo. Parvoside cleaner will help but that wont even cure what only time can fix. How sad. Im sorry for your friend and the puppy. 
I think she could probably do something about the vet records though. She is the rightful owner of the dog and has the proof. It sounds like this vet is working for the pet store owner and is unscruplious. It doesnt matter who pays the bills. The confidentiality is with the owner and no one else. Unless things have changed from when I worked in a vets office. The fact that she is the owner and also the fact that this is effecting her ability to be able to add a new puppy, Im sure she can get a copy of the records with a little persitence. I hope it all works out and that place gets shut down quick.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Kimberly- this is so sad but i really hope she turns this sad situation into something. I just wonder how many other puppies have died if that one likely had parvo in a little store. How scary and sad 

I was just telling Leslie I stopped at a pet store locally and I am in a different world! They had designer dogs but they were $99 (pom chi's). They came with a crate, bag of dog food, etc. They also had no papers written on the sign and they were in an expen with shredded newspapers! I assume they were from a local person or humane society but didn't inquire more. I doubt they are making money but just trying to find puppies homes.

Amanda


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

Kimberly- If you do decide to protest outside the store, count me in.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

_Unfortunately, she gave all the paperwork back when she agreed to the refund, so she may have a hard time proving things._
I wonder if her credit card company would have any info she could use!
Jeanne I agree with you! Count me in


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Sally, I should have clarified my statement. After I started looking through the web sites on how to proceed, one of the key things was to submit the breeder's name through a couple of different web sites. She won't be able to get that info again unless she goes in and outright lies that she'd like to get another dog in order to get that paperwork back. Unfortunately, I didn't realize they had raised quite a ruckus at the veterinary clinic, so I'm sure it is well known they are going to cause some trouble now. 

Amanda, wow - that's wild. I don't even know what to say to that.

Another good thing is that this particular city is a reputation for getting pet stores shut down when people complain loudly and often. After reading some tips on the anti-puppy mill/pet store sites, I highly suspect that the city will be supportive of allowing protests and telling us how to do it correctly so we are not removed.

I'll definitely let you all know if she plans to do one. It probably won't be for at least one week, maybe two and would have to be on a Sunday.


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

I'm so sorry your stylist had to go through that, and I'm even more sorry for the poor puppy! 

Do you think an investigator could get a record of customers to see how many have had problems with puppies they bought at that store? It might expedite closing them down. Maybe an ad in the paper asking for people to come forward with proof of purchase, vet bills, etc?

One of our rescue dogs got sick within 12 hours of us bringing him home from the shelter. We had him in quarantine so none of our other dogs were directly exposed, but we had to sanitize the house anyway because WE were potential carriers on our shoes/clothes/etc. We used a 30/1 water/bleach mix for our indoor areas (floors, carpets, crates). All the towels and blankets used for him were washed with bleach. As for the yard, we used a 20/1 water/bleach mix that we sprayed all over the lawn. It killed everything, including the parvo virus. Otherwise, the virus can live in the ground for 2-years in ideal conditions.

The house smelled like a pool for days and we still haven't been able to get a good lawn to grow back, but our dogs were safe because we took all the necessary steps to eradicate the virus from our house and yard.

I hope your stylist takes all necessary precautions before bringing another dog into her home.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

This site has a lot of good information about helping the fight against puppy stores. It also has a feature where your friend can make a report about her puppy dying from this particular store. If someone does a search naming this store, this report will come up. I did a search on a local pet store/broker and found tons of terrible reports on sick dogs, or dogs that didn't look like they were purebred, and some of healthy dogs too. So, I guess they have enough people making the reports.

Here is the site http://www.petshoppuppies.org/http://www.petshoppuppies.org/


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

One more interesting link, this is one on lemon laws specific to California and puppies. http://www.petshoppuppies.org/Lemon_Laws/California.htm


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Kimberly, if there's going to be a Sunday protest at some point, let me know. I'll be there if it all possible!


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## JeanMarie (Mar 2, 2008)

Oh my gosh. This is just too awful about that poor pup. Thank you for for anything you can do to shut these stores down.

In the mid 80's I bought an abyssinian cat from Doctor's Pet Store in a local shopping mall. I took him to a my vet to have him checked out, as he seemed listless and awfully skinny. Well I got a BIG lecture about buying animals from these places. I had no idea. My "Omar" was a very sick kitten and I probably should have taken him back, but I was already smitten and paid a lot in Vet bills. The store said they'd refund my money but wanted him back and would not pay any of his vet bills. Happily he recovered and was one of the sweetest cats I have ever had....but the lesson was learned.


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## Salsa's Mom (Mar 18, 2008)

There was an article in the paper this morning about this store. 

Burglars broke into the building, through the skylight. and stole 17 purebred puppies and their paperwork from the Puppy Love Boutique on Wednesday night.

On Thursday the co-owner (28 years old) was up on the roof with investigators showing the skylight where he thought the burglars entered. He fell through the skylight (15 feet) and is in critical condition at Eden Hospital in Castro Valley.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Oh wow - I didn't know about that Debby. That's sad for the puppies, but I'm kind of glad to see the store taking a financial hit like that. Nevertheless, I'm really sorry to hear about the man's injuries and hope he recuperates quickly. That's an awful fall. (I didn't remember a skylight in there.)


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## Salsa's Mom (Mar 18, 2008)

Very strange, huh? I hope the puppies are okay too. I have mixed feelings about the owner, but it was an unfortunate accident. Maybe they'll close down the business.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Wow. Okay, maybe it is me, but did the have the papers on the puppies cage or is the business going down and this was an insurance scam gone bad? It just seems fishy they took the puppies and the papers that went with them....


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Havtahava said:


> The bad thing is that the vet refuses to disclose information to her, even though she has all the papers of being his owner when he died. They said that since she wasn't the one to bring him in, they can't tell her anything. .


That's just plain weird. If you're the legal owner you have a lot of rights. 
Someone that has one of my dogs (NOT a Havanese and NOT a puppy from me, this was a dog I bought prior to my Havanese days) called and told me that the dog was sick and they were having tests run on the dog. I called the vet's office the dog was taken to for an exam and requested the records and they faxed them to me. That's how I found out _no testing was done _on the dog so when the day came that the results of this supposed testing was to come back, I sent the person who told me the dog was sick a text message asking how the 'tests' turned out. Got a reply that said, "Blood tests showed nothing out of the ordinary". Gee, ya think??? :suspicious:
It could be that this vet didn't do any testing either Kimberly.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

It could be, but the case is so old now that it doesn't matter (to the owner). This vet is the exclusive vet for the puppy store. They were very revealing about all the services they give to this clinic (which most people around here avoid). 

I have a friend (breeder) that couldn't get any info on one of her pups because the adoptive owner was the one who brought the pup in for testing, even though she retained co-ownership. Not all vet clinics are receptive to give out info. I've been fortunate to get the little bit of info that I have asked about. 

Amanda & Debby, I found a newer article online this evening that says they suspect the puppy-napping was an inside job. They are pretty sure they know who did it, but refused to give the reporter the name (which makes sense). I haven't been there in a while because they started to recognize me and get suspicious every time I stepped foot in there, but it makes me wonder if the dingbat that they hired to do all the brokerage (and gave me all the info) was fired and if he is the one they suspect. Obviously, this is sheer speculation on my part, but the way things were going when I went in there, I wouldn't be surprised. 

The news article was very explicit that the person who stole the dogs & papers obviously knew what they were doing. They also stole "the specific food for each breed that was taken" and only took half the dogs in the store - but the most "valuable."


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

With Hippa being the privacy rights for people (sometimes to the point of being an irratant to the person) I would be surprised if vets freely gave blood tests out to others that were not the owner. I see a law suit waiting to happen!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Exactly, Cheryl.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Havtahava said:


> It could be, but the case is so old now that it doesn't matter (to the owner).


Caution, forum ditz 
Since I found this under 'new posts' I thought it was a new thread. I had to go back and look at the date of the original post to see why you said that.
Wow look at that, I found COLOR and SIZE of font too!! Look out world, I'm learning.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Cheryl said:


> With Hippa being the privacy rights for people (sometimes to the point of being an irratant to the person) I would be surprised if vets freely gave blood tests out to others that were not the owner. I see a law suit waiting to happen!


I would think an owner NOT being told what's wrong with their dog is a lawsuit waiting to happen.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

In the case of the puppy, technically it could have been turned around to say that she had surrendered the dog back to the shop as the shop was the only one paying the vet bills. I don't think she would have won the battle unless she had hired an attorney and gotten aggressive about it. Unfortunately, she also turned in all her paperwork with the puppy in order to get her refund. Keeping the paperwork was her only recourse, in my opinion.


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