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Dr. Linda Meakin, an Ohio-based veterinarian for 20 years, said that parvo or “parvovirus” is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies more than adult dogs. The virus attacks and kills cells in the puppy’s stomach lining, causing diarrhea—often bloody. In very young dogs it can lead to death. It is a highly contagious canine disease. But it can be treated, she said, with IV fluids and antibiotics.

“Parvo is curable, but little breeds get dehydrated so fast—they can’t absorb nutrients,” Meakin said. “If they are healthy, they have a better chance.”

Middendorf immediately started the puppy on treatments.

Following this turn of events, Spicer said that she called Singleton, the breeder, to let her know of the disease. During the phone call, she said that the breeder’s mother said “Honey, that dog doesn’t have parvo. It’s a false positive. We don’t have sick puppies.” She ended the conversation, Spicer said, by telling her that she would have Singleton call her back. That call never came, she said.

Singleton’s mother, who did not want to be named, said that she and her daughter have been breeding puppies for more than 10 years and that before that they rescued dogs.

“I don’t think that it’s fair that a contractible disease is our fault—a genetic disease yes, but not contractible,” the breeder said. “If I had other sick puppies, I would do something—but there is no way it could’ve gotten it here.”

She isn’t sure where or how Bella contracted parvo, but said it could’ve been from taking her outside, or to the pet store before she was ready to be exposed to other dogs and new surroundings.

“We tell them not to take them out until they’ve had all their shots,” said the breeder, who said that they stand behind their puppies 100 percent—but not on contractible diseases.

“Bella Bear,” as Spicer called her, spent four days in the vet’s office undergoing intense treatment to rid her little body of the infectious disease. After a tough battle, she passed away on the fourth day in the vet’s office, on June 2; just 11 days after her happy owner brought her home from the breeder.

“She fought like a champ—in the end she was just too small,” she said of the one-pound puppy, who when she died had dwindled to a ½ pound.

She said that she has called the breeder numerous times to try to get a refund of what she paid for the puppy, excluding the costs of the vet for her parvo. But she said neither Singleton nor her mother will call her back.

“I have $1,100 invested in a dog I don’t have anymore.”

Since Bella had parvo in her home, she cannot consider another dog for six months to a year because the virus lives in the environment for that long.

“The breeder is still not answering my calls…so I am now seeking legal counsel,” Spicer said.

Meakin, who also breeds Hungarian Pulik, said that a good breeder would take the dog back, offer a refund or offer to take the dog in and treat it herself.

“Most good breeders will take it back, but there are a lot of backyard breeders that only care about the money. They shouldn’t be doing it. A good breeder would take the dog back or cover the cost of the puppy [to get well].”

The Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said there is no Ohio breeder laws to protect pet owners from situations like Spicer’s and that people should adopt not buy dogs from breeders.

“A lot of people are not buying from reputable breeders,” said Teresa Landon with the SPCA. “[Many] find a puppy online, a backyard breeder—we encourage (people) to adopt or rescue.”

However, Landon said that if you are planning on buying a puppy from a breeder to do your research.

-See where the parents of the puppy live, meet them.
-See where the puppy was born and raised.
-Get everything in writing.

While there isn’t a ‘puppy lemon law’ in effect at this time, Meakin said that there should be.

Some lawmakers agree. There is a bill in the Ohio House that was heard Wednesday in Columbus, during a House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

If passed, HB 124 would more strictly regulate breeders and pet stores. It would impose stricter guidelines for cages and crates, temperature levels, etc., as well as breeding age limits.

Pet stores, according to Sec. 956.19, would be required to provide the buyer with either a certificate of medical health “attested by a veterinarian and that states that the veterinarian has examined the dog and has not found evidence of disease, illness or injury at the time of the examination” or a money-back guarantee that is valid “for not less than 21 days after the date of purchase of the dog.”

The guarantee would, therefore, give the dog owner the right to take the dog to the vet within 14 days of purchase for examination—to make sure that the dog does not have any significant illness, injury or disease “in existence at the time of the purchase.”

There is no section in the bill, at this time, that establishes a similar regulation for breeders regarding either a “money-back” guarantee or a certificate of medical health.

The bill, while it would more strictly regulate how breeders operate as well as pet stores and how they sell and guarantee, may not affect Spicer’s outcome, since Bella was purchased through a breeder.

“It saddens me that there aren’t better laws to protect these innocent puppies. Every other puppy that came in contact with Bella, six that I know of, has been exposed to parvo,” she said.

Spicer warns other puppy parents.

“Buyers beware…get everything in writing before you walk out the door because you may be met with resistance if a terrible issue, like my own, brings you back.”

UPDATE: According to Spicer, the breeder told her recently that she would refund her $500 for Bella, but to date she has received no money.