Internet Dog Seller Accused of Selling Puppy Mill Dogs
Published December 6, 2011
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A new lawsuit alleges that Purebred Breeders Inc., what is believed to be America's largest online dog seller, secretly sold its customers puppy mill dogs.
Have retail websites claiming to sell purebred puppies secretly been selling puppy mill dogs online? A new NBC Miami report describes a lawsuit against Purebred Breeders Inc., an online company believed to be the largest Internet dog seller, that alleges that the company sold puppy mill dogs to unsuspecting owners under false pretenses.
The lawsuit came about due to scores of customers becoming upset with recent purchases. The NBC Miami report says that prospective dog owners were sold dogs that quickly died upon arrival, or had other illnesses or complications commonly found in dogs that come from puppy mills.
Purebred Breeders' intricate network of websites often make it appear as if it is a local breeder. In reality, the report states, the company is "little more than a telephone call center." Customers looking for dogs in specific locations are forwarded to the same telephone call center in Florida. The lawsuit claims that the company then arranges for a puppy from a mill located in the Midwest to be sent to whoever orders.
Online puppy retail, especially around the holidays, is a booming business. The NBC Miami report claims that Purebred Breeders sells roughly 16,000 dogs throughout the year, working with a network of 2,000 breeders. Around the holidays, prices of the pooches skyrockets, becoming marked up by anywhere from 100-150 percent.
Without a doubt, the situation involving Purebred Breeders is regrettable, most notably so for the poor dogs that are allegedly involved in the puppy mill transactions.
What do you think of this story? Have you purchased a dog online before? Let us know your thoughts in a comment!
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Comments (3)
Funny that I stumbled across this website. I bought a 3 month old female Chihuahua from Purebred Breeders 2 1/2 years ago and she was very sick the day I got her. I was looking for a purebred Chihuahua puppy in PA so I found this website (which I later found was a network of websites that brings you to the same page just like the article said). http://chihuahua.pennsylvaniapuppiesforsale.com/?awkw=PA%20chihuahua%20b...
I fell in love with a black/tan Chi from Texas who was from champion bloodlines so I signed a "Lifetime Guarantee" and paid almost $2,000 for her. I never spoke to or emailed the breeder (red flag). My puppy flew Continental Airlines and she was coughing alot as soon as me and my husband picked her up from the airport which was on a Saturday. The next day she refused food and water, became very lethargic, and continued to cough. Monday I took her to the vet and they examined her and she had a fever, they took an x-ray which showed her lungs were filled with pneumonia, and they basically told me she would die. I called Purebred Breeders and they were rude and unprofessional about the whole thing. At first they told me my vet was lying and that my puppy just had a cold, so I got a second opinion and the 2nd vet said the same thing as the 1st one, so I emailed them a picture of her x-ray and both vet reports. Me and my husband had to give her food and water with a syringe every 3 hours plus Pedialyte to keep her alive. She was also on an antibiotic and 2 other medications and went to the vet every 2-3 weeks for 4 months. They weren't willing to reimburse me, so after several phone calls and emails to Purebred Breeders I threatened them with a lawyer, so they gave me a measly $200. I spent at least $1,000 to treat her pneumonia, over a period of 4 months, not to mention I went through depression from dealing with a tiny, sick puppy and an uncompassionate company. It took them over a year to get me her registration papers (after more phone calls and emails) but it turns out she really is from champion bloodlines. Thank God she fully recovered and is a happy, healthy spoiled, 7lb baby. I made a huge mistake ordering a puppy online! I'm glad that nightmare is over!
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I despise the thought of puppy mills.BUT I also dislike the idea of professional breeders wanting to be the only people in the world to be allowed to breed dogs. Then we go to the other extreme...Have you ever read a breeders contract? The dogs are expensive but then they never want to give you complete registration of your dog. Basically you are buying something you never completly own. I think there are a lot of people that breed their family owned pets for the love of them. Not necessarily for the money nor are they puppy mills ...just regular families. I believe in this the other two ways mentioned by me previously are too extreme.
Bottom line puppy mills need to go but we do not need to shift to a world where only breeders are allowed to producwe puppies and believe me that is what they want!
My lab in 1998 had a litter of twelve. Two died . The others I kept. I still have two labs left at 13 1/2 years old who have lived the life of kings. I would never trade my experience with them for any money in the world. They were/are great dogs. Let's keep things in the middle of the road, no pun intended.
Linda