The moment she laid eyes on the two Yorkshire terrier pups, Jennifer Moodie fell in love.
But a day after she paid $900 for the pair at a Utica, Mich., pet shop, one went into seizures. The pup, named Jasper, spent the next four days attached to IVs at a vet's office and died in Moodie's arms within two hours of coming home.
"His blood-sugar was so low that he had brain damage," said Moodie, 25, of Northville, Mich.
The other pup, Kaylie, spent her first few months coughing and vomiting before bouncing back. Moodie sued Utica Pet Supply, where she bought the dogs, and received her money back for Jasper in an out-of-court settlement.
Those dogs were among thousands shipped to pet stores in recent years from large out-of-state breeders, many of which have been repeatedly cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for raising puppies in substandard conditions.
Veterinarians critical of large breeders say puppies raised by them are often inbred and housed in squalid, close quarters that expose them to genetic diseases, parasites and deadly viruses that may not surface for years.
Most dogs from large facilities go through life without any reported health or behavioral problems, but those with problems can leave pet owners with hefty vet bills - not to mention the heartache of seeing their dog die or become debilitated at an early age.
That happens often enough that some animal lovers now refuse to buy from pet stores, saying the risk of getting a dog from a troubled breeder is too great and consumer protections too weak.
Store owners, however, defend getting dogs from breeders. Some say reports of unhealthy conditions at large, licensed facilities are an anomaly, contending that those breeders are far superior to unregulated backyard breeders. And by purchasing from large breeding facilities, the stores receive a wide range of breeds and money-back warranties for sick or dead pups.
Owners also note the USDA -which is responsible for regulating commercial breeders - has not shut down any of the facilities they buy from.
"I'm very content with the quality of dogs we sell," said John Geoth, 47, co-owner of Utica Pet Supply, one of metro Detroit's largest importers of dogs from large out-of-state breeders. "We're putting out a companion animal that is unsurpassed by anyone."
Last year, more than 3,500 puppies arrived at metro Detroit pet stores alone from the country's largest breeding facilities and brokers. More than 80 percent of those dogs were supplied by the nation's eight largest exporters - and all of them have had multiple citations by the USDA in the last five years.
USDA inspections of those breeders have found that dogs have been confined to overcrowded cages, surrounded by flies and feces and exposed to harsh weather, among other problems.
People who buy dogs with health problems have two courses of action - they can sue the pet store they bought the dog from or they can formally complain to the state Department of Agriculture.
While the number who do so is relatively small, Karlene Belyea, executive director of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association, said she believes few owners take action because don't know they have legal recourse.
"It's so sad when people bond with these puppies and then find out there are significant health problems because the dogs were bred by a bad breeder," Belyea said.
Bridget Polk, 38, of Mt. Clemens, Mich., said the schnauzer mix she bought from Family of Pets at Macomb Mall in Roseville, Mich., was bouncy, adorable and a perfect companion.
But she said when she found her dog came from Happy Tails, a breeder whose history she knew of, "I cried for over two hours."
Although Polk hasn't had any trouble with her dog, she filed a complaint with the state this year, saying the store led her to believe the puppy didn't come from a large breeder. The store denied misleading her.
"This is an industry that is counting on consumer ignorance and impulse," said Deborah Howard, founder of the nonprofit Companion Animal Protection Society, which monitors breeders and has campaigned to warn consumers of the risks of buying dogs from stores that buy from large breeders. "It's all about the cute puppy in the window."
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