[News] Yorkie Pup Dies, Owner Fights For Justice Yorkie Pup Dies, Owner Fights For Justice - Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com CINCINNATI, Ohio – Jaclyn Spicer only had Bella for 11 days when tragedy took a second puppy from her in less than two months. After visiting with two other breeders and their puppies, Spicer, 31, met the newest addition to her family on May 20, and instantly fell in love with her. But to tell you the story of Bella, first the dog lover tells the tragic story of Chip. It was just one month earlier that she lost her 4-year-old, three-pound Yorkshire Terrier-Shih Tzu named Chip to a freak accident. While Spicer’s parents, or as she called them Chip’s “mama and poppy,” were cleaning up after a garage sale at their house, the small dog lay, attached to his leash, in the garage. An unexpected gust of wind blew through the garage and a large box fell, hitting Chip and instantly killing him. “I was heartbroken—it was my first dog,” she said. After returning from a vacation in Las Vegas, Spicer, who lives in Fort Mitchell, Ky., called her parents and told them that she was ready for another dog. She missed the pitter-patter of the tiny feet across the kitchen linoleum and the whimper and whining in the early morning for a brisk walk. The unmarried product manager for Dole, who doesn’t have children, started the search for her new canine companion and found an ad online for Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie) puppies. When she met the puppies she said she “fell in love immediately.” And there she sat, a one-pound Yorkie, who was born on April 4. She was the “runt” of the litter, the underdog, just like Chip, remembered Spicer. When she picked her up and rubbed on her neck, the tiny pup turned and fell asleep in her hands. So tiny, in fact, that her brothers had pushed her out from her mother while nursing and so she started nursing from a Chihuahua named Bella. Ironically, that was the name that Spicer had already chosen for her new baby girl. Her Bella was 7 weeks old when her new mom picked her up on May 23 from the Loveland, Ohio, breeder Michelle Singleton. The new owner’s first questions were: Has she been vaccinated? Wormed? According to Spicer, the breeder said that she had received her first shot and third worming. Next question: Do you offer a health guarantee? According the Spicer, the breeder’s response, though not in writing, was “absolutely—we back our puppies 100 percent,” adding that they would refund her purchase price or give her a new puppy if she took the dog to the vet and found anything wrong with her. When she picked her up from the breeder, she said that Singleton had not taken her to the vet for her last shots because the appointment was for later that day. Spicer also said that she noticed that Bella’s bottom was red and swollen, but that she chalked it up to her hair being long and a possible irritant to the area. She would later trim the hair on her bottom to alleviate the redness and swelling. Once she got her home, she spent one night at her house, and then Bella stayed with Spicer’s parents for training, while she was at work during the day. On the fifth day after bringing the puppy home, Spicer said Bella was very lethargic, vomiting and would not eat or drink all day. She said that she gave her Nutra-Cal—a dietary supplement for young dogs that typically get low blood sugar—to perk her up, but to no avail. The next day Spicer took Bella to Middendorf Animal Hospital in Florence, Ky. The frantic puppy owner said that Dr. Middendorf told her that it could just be her adjusting to her new surroundings, but to be safe, he gave her fluids and antibiotics. The following day, Spicer said that Bella perked up and ate a little of her food. But later that day she was vomiting again and had diarrhea with blood in it. She took Bella back to the doctor with grave concern. As tears welled up in her eyes, Spicer recalled the day that she took her back to the veterinarian and learned the fate of her tiny dog. “She was very lethargic,” she said of Bella, who slept the entire trip to the vet. While they waited to see the vet, Spicer said Bella vomited blood in the waiting room. The vet tech gave the small puppy a parvo test. According to Spicer, before the entire test could register, the vet tech came into the room and said that Bella was positive for parvo. |
Continued: 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. |
OMGoodness!!! What a terrible story. It literally brought tears to my eyes. My heart goes out to Jaclyn. What a tragedy to lose two furbabies in such horrible ways. I plan to write to my representative in support of the the HB 124 bill. something must be done to deter irresponsible breeders. (*But prospective owners DEFINITELY need to do their research BEFORE they bring home these precious little babies.) |
That is truly sad. This happens too often. The incubation for parvo I have read can be anywhere from 3 to 14 days. This pup was 7 weeks old and had already had one shot and was due the second one? The pup was too young to be vaccinated to begin with. Shame on the breeder for selling the puppy so young. The puppy buyer should have used more cautious and should not have taken the pup to places where the pup could get parvo. It sounds to me like the pup was probably had a weak immune system already and that made her more susceptible to the parvo. I hope the breeder and buyer and others have learned something from this tragic story. |
According to this table: Age to Sell Puppy Table That breeder already broke the law by selling the puppy at 7 weeks. Hopefully the lawyer will catch that. |
So, much is wrong with this breeder; the puppy went home at 7 weeks of age and had already had it's first vaccination......Mmmmmm, not much of a breeder. Puppy should have never left the breeder's house prior to 12 weeks of age and a minimum of two vaccinations. If this breeder gave the puppy it's first shot at 6 weeks of age, it supresses any immunities it received from it's mother and made the puppy susceptible to contraction of parvo. |
i agree that there are problems with the breeder that puppy was too little to go at such a young age, and should have only been getting her first vaccination but unless the other dogs in her facility had parvo than its not right to say it was the breeders fault. the owner took her back and forth from her place to her parents and we dont know where else, who touched her, where she played. parvo is contractible and it was possible she contracted it once she left. the puppy should have stayed in her home until all the vaccines were received or even better stay at the breeders longer. at 1lb i can help but think her immune system wasnt prepared for the outside world and new owners. i dont remeber if there was a time line from when the other puppy was there, but its possible that her first puppy carried the disease on her property too. but i do believe the breeder has some negilence involved. i wouldnt expect the breeder to give a full refund but maybe 1/2 back in cash or a puppy with 1/2 off the price..once the home was cleaned and time had passed.....but then i, as a caring breeder, wouldnt feel comfortable sending another puppy her way because the chance of parvo. very very sad story though! |
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This is so sad, and I hate to hear it . . . I hate even more that I am going through a similiar situation, but my puppy is still alive, and I continue to pray that she will get better. I purchased a small Yorkie, 1.9 lbs, from a breeder in Amsterdam, MO, about 4 weeks ago, my Zoey Belle, and I love her to death. Well, the night I hot her home she had a cough. I took her to the vet near my home for her wellness examination and to activate the one-year health guarantee she received. I told the vet about the cough, and she was given an injection, and a 7-day course of Clavamax. Well, her cough hasn't gotten better. The vet gave her some puppy Robitussin in tablet form which were hard me to get her to take, and then we gave her Children's Dimetapp. Well, the cough didn't go away. So, I took her to another vet for a second opinion and x-ray and to rule-out collapsed trachea as I read much about it. She was diagnosed with bronchitis caused by being given the Kennel Cough vaccination too early. She got a steroid injection and a 7-day course of Baytril. Her cough had gotten worse, and I noticed that her breeding is very labored, and she won't eat. I rushed her back to the vet today. She got a check x-ray and has been found to have pneumonia in one of her lungs. I was so hurt and sad and sobbed in the vets office. He gave her Doxycycline and kept her overnight. She has a guarded prognosis. I am so worried, and just keep praying and praying. I will call at 8 AM to see how she is. The kicker of all of this is that the breeder's phone number has been changed/disconnected. I've called everyday since the first diagnosis of the bronchitis and cannot find him. It's so upsetting. I am just praying that she will recover and come out okay . . . |
The breeder's name sounds familiar to me. I could be wrong but does anyone else recognize her as a YT member who has advertised pups on here? Elaine |
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about Singleton I believ their was a breeder on here with a puppy Singleton,it was lying on his back, there wer only one:( |
Before the prespective owner even chose her new puppy she noticed the pup had a red and swollen anus > this ought to have been a clue that the pup may have had something wrong with her, this is just my opinion. The little pup may have been ill before being purchased, and sent to a new home. I also believe the pup needed to have been seen by a vet a lot sooner , because she was ill , however by the time she was seen her parvo symtoms were very severe, and she was too far gone to save her:( how sad and devastating. I also agree that the puppy was way too young to have been sold . At 7 weeks and only 1LB. :eek: Poor little baby. |
That is just too sad for words..:eek: I cannot believe how many puppies are sold this way..so so wrong.. and breeder should be stopped.. before it happens again to another inocent person..:mad: In Canada shots are given at 8 ..12..and 16 weeks.. In the states many Vets have say to start at 6 weeks..then each three weeks..:confused: I felt this was wrong.. anne |
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