[News] Yorkie Pup Dies, Owner Fights For Justice

[Lisa and Pic]

Hi Ashley.... Thanks for sharing this story. I did know about it because a friend of mine sent it to my e-mail yesterday. So sad..... Obviously, that puppy was way too young to be away from its mother.

[Gennies]

Originally Posted by zoeybellesmom

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 . . .

Sweetie, How is your puppy?

Thanks for sharing the news article. It's amazing to me that a newspaper would run such a long article that supports a needed bill! I'm so happy to see this newspaper is going outside the normal news story (if it bleeds it leads). I'm hoping to see the bill pass in Ohio. I pray that it forces other states to follow suit. Until laws get tighter all we can do is continue to be their voices and educate ourselves on how to purchase the best puppy possible.

Fannie, Thank you so much for the link to the age a puppy can be sold. I was shocked to see that there is only a handful of states that actually have a law covering this. Though my state is one of them I believe this needs to change and every state should have such a law. Off my soapbox now...Thank you for sharing.

[Yodi]

Originally Posted by zoeybellesmom

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 . . .

I am so sorry to hear about your baby.
My new dog also received the Kennel Cough vat.
And sometime later started coughing and sneezing.
I was not familiar with what shot does what.
Now I know that the Bordatela shot can give a dog the kennel cough.
Vets. should tell people this is something that could happen.

[BanditSocks2]

I bought Bandit from a "breeder" and before I had done the appropriate research. He was my first dog and first yorkie. He came home before twelve weeks (around 9.5 weeks). when we went to pick him up we were not allowed inside and all to dogs were throwing up which was "due to the heat" (since I never owned a dog I believed him). I never saw Bandit walk because the man was holding him and handed him to me so I never saw him walk, so I never saw how lethargic he was. Before we left the man yanked open his jaw causing Bandit to yelp to jam Nutrical in his mouth (which he always just licks off our finger) and to shove a quarter of a huge Vitamin C down his throat which I'm surprised he didn't choke on because he had a "cold." When we took him to the emergency vet that night (our vet apt was scheduled for the next Monday, 48 hours later) because Bandit wouldn't eat or drink and was incredibly lethargic, as well as the following night, we found out he had a variety of parasites including coccidia and a kind of worm and viruses. When we finally made it to the vet that Monday he had kennel cough as well. Now while I accept responsibility as being uninformed as a buyer, I do also blame that beeder for selling him to me too early, selling to me knowing that he was sick and not informing me, and then yelling at me and insulting me (I have emails as proof) when I told him about the varying ailments he sold Bandit to us with.

When we bout Nala exactly a week ago we found a much better breeder, and she came to us without a single parasite or anything She was sold to us exactly one day before 12 weeks and UTD on all age appropriate shots.

I hope that breeder is held responsible for selling that puppy wayyy too early, but as I learned as a buyer, you need to be informed about what you are buying.

[miabellaamoure]

Originally Posted by fannie

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.

Only 19 out of 50 states have laws on the books to protect the sale of a puppy before the age of 6 wks

Interesting that 4 out of those 19 states even tolerate the sale of a puppy at "6" weeks of age and one of those states, NV has a vaguely written law just saying that the puppy must be eating food other than nursing

After reading about this young woman's experience of puppy ownership tells me that the Breeder is not the only party at fault here.

First of all, a 7 week old puppy should never have been taken from it's mother. I fault both the breeder & the pet owner for that.

Next, a tiny (runt...as she put it) puppy should have been under close supervision by the new owner and not exposed to the outside world until properly vaccinated.

Lastly...(and I still can't believe I read this correctly), she took this puppy to her parents for TRAINING!?!?

As for the Breeder being responsible for Parvo...unless she knowingly sold a puppy who had been exposed to the virus and she also had other sick puppies on her premises...I don't think that's gonna float in court.

However, the Breeder needs to be held accountable for selling a puppy under the age her state allows.

In the end...the puppy suffers due to lack of knowledge by both parties!

[MyDuke]

This story is really sad. I can't imagine what it's like to lose 2 babies in such a short time.
When I bought Duke, I did some research but being that NJ does not have any law about the age limit and I fell in love with him when I visited the breeder, the breeder (who I now know is a backyard breeder) kept telling me that if I wanted him, I had to pick him up or she'll sell him to someone else who really wanted him. He was around 7 weeks when I got him, which is very young. Luckily for me, I was able to take him to vet right away and got all his shots. Thank god he has been healthy (knock on wood). We have a very good vet who was very helpful when Duke was still small.

Anyways, so I know that as consumers/byers (for me he's my first pet) we are to do as much research as possible, but unless we know the in and out, it's difficult when you fall in love with a puppy and feel pressured.
The breeders though should be responsible and take responsibilities when they need to be, especially if they intentionally sold a sick puppy (not sure if the breeder in the story did).

It is tough, in this case for both parties as they both have legitimate reasons.

[jesikkinay]

I just couldn't believe it when I came across this story. I am in a very similar situation with Michelle Singleton. On July 9 of this year I bought a maltipoo puppy from her and experienced the same thing. I didn't think that the puppy really ever acted right when we brought her home, but thought it would just take her a while to get used to things. BTW, she was 9 1/2 weeks when we bought here. Michelle Singleton's mother, Joan told us to not have the puppy "out and about" until she had all of her puppy shots. So, I made sure not to take her anywhere. I wouldn't even let her go outside, we just used puppy pads. We didn't have any other dogs in the house. On July 14th, not even 5 full days of having the puppy, she got extremely lethargic, wouldn't eat, and began vomiting. I called the breeders right away because I had been having a suspicion that things weren't right with the puppy from the beginning. They told me to give her some pancake syrup until I could get to a pet store to get her Nutri Cal. I told them that I knew that the puppy wasn't okay from the beginning and that I was bringing her back and I wanted my money back. They said okay. So, I drove over an hour to get to their house to give them the puppy. When I got their they said the puppy was just "stressed". They said that they didn't have the money to give me right them, but would mail it to me when they sold the puppy. They wrote me a signed paper that said just that. Now, it has been almost a month and they aren't answering my calls.
I'm really not sure where to go from here. I am just sick because my three little boys saved their own money to buy this puppy. Now they don't have a puppy and we can't even get one, since the puppy probably had parvo. Thanks so much for telling your story. It is shocking that these people are getting away with this. Let me know if I can help you in any way. People need to beware of these breeders! Any suggestions on what to do?

[zoeybellesmom]

Hello Everyone . . . I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have been on . . . Life has just been so busy. I am so glad to report that my Zoey made a full recovery. She spent two nights at the Independence Animal Hospital back at the end of June and came home on Doxycycline and a steroid for about ten days. She started getting better day by day, and almost a month and a half later is as active and enrgetic as can be. She is doing very very well. I prayed and prayed for her ans was so thankful. I love my little baby. As far as the breeder, never got any response from him. I even sent a certified letter. I did searches that I had to pay for to get numbers for family members and neighbors. I found the mother of his ex-wife but she didn't have a working number for him. I am glad that there are states moving forward with legislation to prevent these type of things from happening. This is a crime to send sick puppies to new owners . . . No one wins but the breeder.

[YorkieGems]

I am so sorry for your loss. There are some irresponsible breeders out there. I wouldn't even think of letting a puppy go without 3, 5-way puppy shots. If they are too small at 6 Wks. I start them at 8 Wks. At the time of a puppy sell if they are old enough for a rabies shot they get that as well. I don't do this for the person buying the dog I do it for the puppy. Some people complain that the dog is too old at 3 - 4 months old. But, I don't worry, my puppies are going to be in good health irregardless of a sale. I won't sell a puppy that is extremely small until it is at least 6 months old because of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Not all small dogs have this but any dog is susceptible. If a puppy is allowed to run free all day without a time of rest it can happen. Any time a puppy becomes stressed this can happen as well as they can get coccidiosis. Which can be detected in the stool. They will have blood & mucus in the stool. This is treated with Albon gotten from a Vet. It is very important to talk with your breeder about any concerns.

[mylittlegirls]

Originally Posted by jesikkinay

I just couldn't believe it when I came across this story. I am in a very similar situation with Michelle Singleton. On July 9 of this year I bought a maltipoo puppy from her and experienced the same thing. I didn't think that the puppy really ever acted right when we brought her home, but thought it would just take her a while to get used to things. BTW, she was 9 1/2 weeks when we bought here. Michelle Singleton's mother, Joan told us to not have the puppy "out and about" until she had all of her puppy shots. So, I made sure not to take her anywhere. I wouldn't even let her go outside, we just used puppy pads. We didn't have any other dogs in the house. On July 14th, not even 5 full days of having the puppy, she got extremely lethargic, wouldn't eat, and began vomiting. I called the breeders right away because I had been having a suspicion that things weren't right with the puppy from the beginning. They told me to give her some pancake syrup until I could get to a pet store to get her Nutri Cal. I told them that I knew that the puppy wasn't okay from the beginning and that I was bringing her back and I wanted my money back. They said okay. So, I drove over an hour to get to their house to give them the puppy. When I got their they said the puppy was just "stressed". They said that they didn't have the money to give me right them, but would mail it to me when they sold the puppy. They wrote me a signed paper that said just that. Now, it has been almost a month and they aren't answering my calls.
I'm really not sure where to go from here. I am just sick because my three little boys saved their own money to buy this puppy. Now they don't have a puppy and we can't even get one, since the puppy probably had parvo. Thanks so much for telling your story. It is shocking that these people are getting away with this. Let me know if I can help you in any way. People need to beware of these breeders! Any suggestions on what to do?

The best way to hand this situation is small claims court. You can produce evidence that you bought the puppy in good faith and she was sick. Show the court the written copy of her agreement and she will be responsible for all cost and court costs.

People need to take responsible for their actions. To sell puppies before they are of age and be separated from their Mom is a shame but sick puppies. She really needs to be shut down.

My heart goes out to you. I know how devastated I was when my Tuffy passed away. I really think she saved my life during a very stressful time.

Kathleen
I'll say some prayers that you girls get justice in the end.
Punken Pie and Breese BeBe