Sales of sick puppies leave a costly toll.
Byline: Brian LeeWEBSTER - Two out-of-state customers say they didn't know about a Webster pet store's widely reported shipment of sick incoming dogs in July.
They wish they had heard about it.
The customers, from Connecticut and Rhode Island, say they bought sick dogs in recent weeks at Elite Puppies & Grooming. The puppies came down with pneumonia and needed to be put in oxygen chambers.
The customers found each other via the Internet and came forward this week. Their 3-month-old boxer puppies are brothers.
Timothy E. Blais of Norwalk, Conn., said he and his fiancee bought Brutus on Sept. 7 at Elite Puppies. They couldn't resist its cuteness. "An impulse buy," Mr. Blais called it.
On Sept. 11 the puppy was at the veterinary center, where it remained until last night. Mr. Blais said the final bill was more than $8,000, but an official at VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, citing policy, would not confirm information about the pet.
"I kicked myself for having not done my research on the front end about the pet store. On the other hand, if I had, this dog would be dead anyways," Mr. Blais said.
Debbie Costa and her boyfriend, Mark San Souci, of Warwick, R.I., bought Ziggy on Aug. 27. He got sick Sept. 3 and has amassed more than $7,000 in bills at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists. An official at that facility confirmed the amount yesterday.
Elite Puppies, 172 Main St., faced scrutiny July 8 after Webster police intercepted a shipment outside the store.
Puppy Ship LLC of Missouri delivered the sick dogs, and its driver was charged in Dudley District Court with animal cruelty.
Store owner Jennifer Gardner said Wednesday she no longer uses Puppy Ship and defended her business's policies on ailing dogs.
Mr. Blais' dog, Brutus, came to Elite Puppies from Missouri last month, so Brutus was not on the Puppy Ship truck.
"The dogs from the truck in July had the same symptoms and diseases as my dog, who was delivered in August," Mr. Blais said. "Obviously, the breeder is delivering sick dogs and the pet store is continuing to sell them."
Mr. Blais, a 27-year-old financial analyst, said yesterday was Brutus' first day off oxygen, and he will be on antibiotics for the next three to eight weeks. depending on response. He still needs another set of X-rays in a few weeks to get a better picture of what was in his lungs, Mr. Blais said.
Elite Puppies wanted Mr. Blais to return the dog so it could tend to his medical needs. The store offered a refund.
"First of all, I would never let those people touch my dog again," Mr. Blais said earlier this week. "Second of all, he wouldn't live long enough for me to cart him (more than two hours) to Webster. He'll die without the oxygen."
Ms. Costa, a 28-year-old who works in manufacturing, said her vet "wouldn't allow the dog to leave the hospital" unless travel arrangements with oxygen were made to return it to the Webster store.
"It was definitely sick by the time we purchased him," she said. "There's no way. They were both sick and they both went to different homes in different states with the same condition."
Ms. Gardner referred a reporter to the store's policies on its Web site.
The store will provide a substitute dog or full refund within 14 calendar days of the sale to customers who have had the dog examined by a licensed veterinarian who determines the dog is diseased or has a congenital disorder.
Customers must bring back the dog and proof of sale within two business days of the examination, the policy says.
The store also provides a one-year warranty on a congenital defect so serious that the customer's and store's veterinarians agree the condition "disqualifies" the puppy as a pet.
Ms. Gardner said Ms. Costa telephoned the store a few days after the sale and said a veterinarian had given Ziggy a clean bill of health.
The store owner was also angered by Mr. Blais' suggestion Elite Puppies would have Brutus put down.
"It was never mentioned, nor would we ever do that," she continued. "He's spreading that all over the Internet. It's a complete lie."
Mr. Blais said he and his fiancee found Ms. Costa and others who had had bad experiences with the store on the Internet.
Mr. Blais said he was considering bringing a class action lawsuit and would contact People for Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
About the perception her store has sold dogs from puppy mills, with Missouri known for that dubious distinction, Ms. Gardner said, "I've answered that question 1,000 times. I use USDA-licensed breeders."
Elite Puppies has been in business three years and has many satisfied customers, the owner said. She declined to provide information about weekly or monthly sales.
About criticism on the Internet, Ms. Gardner said, "Everybody has a right to their opinion, absolutely. When they're writing and posting stuff that's not true, there's a legal issue at hand."
Various Internet postings lauding the company could also be found.
Ms. Gardner says her staff is upfront about the July delivery incident. Mr. Blais said his father asked about it and was told the store had no involvement. Ms. Gardner says no one in the Blais family group asked. Mr. Blais said Ms. Gardner wasn't in the store at the time.
"Do you honestly think I would have bought the dog knowing that they were the store?" Mr. Blais said.
Less than a week after Mr. Blais bought his dog, his father, David A. Blais, of nearby Woodstock, visited the store to inquire about a discount for his son, or at least help paying veterinary bills.
Ms. Gardner claims the elder Mr. Blais was hostile, "screaming in our 19-year-old girl's face. ... We had to call the police on him."
David Blais denied being confrontational. He said he wanted to speak face-to-face with the store's owner, who was not there.
He waited outside for police, he said, but they never arrived. He later talked by phone with a police sergeant and they had a cordial exchange, Mr. Blais and the sergeant said this week.
Timothy Blais says he's "gonna make a stink and somebody is going to hear it. I just don't want these people to continue to sell sick dogs."
The store has a B+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, but Mr. Blais says, "How can that be? This place is terrible."
ART: PHOTOS
PHOTOG: RICH DUGAS
CUTLINE: (1) Elite Puppies & Grooming is at 172 Main St., Webster. (2) Brutus. (3) Ziggy
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| Title Annotation: | LOCAL NEWS |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA) |
| Date: | Sep 18, 2009 |
| Words: | 1119 |
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