I posted this on MalteseTalk.com news, but I thought it would be good here, too.
Officials investigate store selling puppies
Susan Voyles
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/7/2005
The Puppy Patch, a family-run store specializing in selling puppies, is being investigated by the Nevada Humane Society and Washoe County Regional Animal Control services for allegedly selling sick puppies.
Regional animal control services manager Cindy Sabatoni said Thursday the pet store owners are cooperating in the investigation and promised by today to turn over the records of 23 dogs that were in the store on Monday.
She said no citations have been issued, but wants to
determine whether the animals were examined by a veterinarian before being offered for sale, as required by state law.
"We didn't know that was the law here," said David Franks, who runs the business with his father, Richard. "We checked them anyway. But sometimes people get so excited, they want to take them home today. We tell them they must have the dogs checked with a vet within three days for the (purchase) contract to be valid."
But that will no longer be allowed, he said.
"I just made three calls,
warning them (customers) that they haven't taken the time to take their dogs to the vet," Franks said.
After closing Wednesday for cleaning, the strong smell of cleaning detergents greeted customers when the store opened Thursday morning. Franks said new kennels have been ordered that self flush into a sewer line.
The store also is under orders from regional animal control services to install a stronger ventilation system to help prevent the spread of disease. And Franks said records for each animal, including breeding and health, will be posted in front of cages as required under law.
"We are learning as we go," Franks said of the business opened in December at 803 W. Fourth St. in Reno.
On Thursday, the store had 38 puppies. Of those, Franks said seven had been checked by a vet and were ready for sale or had been sold. The rest needed to be checked by a veterinarian.
Sabatoni said her agency is reviewing two complaints about sick puppies, including one that died within hours of purchase. Her agency has visited the store five times since its opening.
Reno lawyer Carol Camp said the Maltese puppy she purchased Sept. 24 died seven hours after she bought it. She said the pup was a little sleepy when she bought and slipped away after she gave it a bath.
She took the animal to Dr. Steven Ting, her veterinarian, and was told lab tests would be needed to determine the cause. She said Ting found the dog died of bacterial pneumonia.
She said the pet store readily returned her money for the dog and did not want to pay for the lab tests.
"I was disturbed they didn't want to know why the animal died," she said.
Robert Franks said he wanted to have the dog tested by the state, which would have cost $5, instead of paying her veterinarian $140.
The Nevada Humane Society has sent field services officers to the store to respond to five complaints in the last three months. The Society enforces state laws requiring animals to be provided with adequate food, water, shelter and veterinary care.
Janet Arobio, Humane Society field services director, said four complaints about sanitary conditions remain under investigation. One complaint about a sick animal was unfounded, she said.
The Better Business Bureau has put the store on its unsatisfactory list of places to do business, manager Pam Morgan said. She said the Puppy Patch has not responded to two of four complaints this year.
Jennifer Kaul of Reno and Lindsay DeBlose of Gardnerville called the Better Business Bureau after their dealings with the store.
Kaul took Roxy, her baby chihuahua, to Puppy Patch's veterinarian the day she bought her last May. The $750 purchase includes the free visit that must occur within three days to satisfy a guarantee. She said the vet gave the dog a shot of vitamins for depression.
When Roxy appeared to be sick the next day, Kaul said she took the pup to her vet where it was treated for symptoms similar to parvo.
"She was in the hospital for three days and almost died," Kaul said.
When the store refused to pay the bill, she went to small claims court and won a $1,600 judgment from the Puppy Patch.
David Franks did not dispute her story.
Franks said he is trying to reach every customer and have them sign cards indicating whether they were satisfied with their pets. He plans to display the cards in the store.
He said the store has sold 3,000 puppies in 10 months and only a tiny fraction of customers have reported problems to the authorities or the media.
DeBlose also had a sick puppy. She said she took the dog to Puppy Patch's vet and was told nothing was wrong. She said the dog was bleeding from both ends.
So she took the pup to a family friend and veterinarian who treated the pup with antibiotics. "That's why he lived," she said. "He's a sweetheart and I love him dearly. When we got him, he was very, very sick."
When she asked to be reimbursed, she said it took 10 visits to the store to get her $120 vet bill covered.
"I don't want somebody else to go through what I did," Camp said.
Franks did not dispute De
Blose's story.
"That's why we are calling every customer," he said. "We are checking all of that. We want to stay up with it. This is our business. This is our survival."
DeBlose also said the purebred toy Pomeranian she thought she bought has grown up to be a toy fox terrier and Pomeranian mix worth less than $200. She paid $700 for the dog, and the store owners have refused to pay her the difference.
She has asked for the American Canine Association to investigate the breeding issue.
Franks said he buys puppies from the Hunte Corp. in Goodman, Mo., which calls itself the world's leading distributor of purebred puppies. He said the puppies are not American Kennel Club registered.
He said his puppies are on lower registries because of minor imperfections such as an over bite.
Andrew Hunte, Hunte's chief executive officer, said his company hasn't dealt with the Puppy Patch since July.
"It was not a good relationship," he said. "We bowed out of the relationship. They are not currently a customer of ours."
If there were any problems with puppies sold before July, Hunte said they were healthy when they left Missouri.
"The problems didn't happen here," he said.
Robert and David Franks were shocked by Hunte's remarks.
Robert Franks said he picked up a load of dogs in Las Vegas on Tuesday from the company.
"The truth will come out," David Franks said.
David Franks said the dogs from Missouri are flown to Las Vegas and then driven to Reno. With winter approaching, he said the dogs would be flown directly to Reno.
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...0447/1016/NEWS