TX: Dog breeder gets 'F' from Better Business Bureau

Dog breeder gets 'F' from Better Business Bureau
Adorable Petz disputes critic's charge that it's a puppy mill.
By Patrick Danner
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

A week after buying a Maltipoo from a Castroville dog breeder in September, Kristie Williams of San Antonio awoke to find her pup Peyton whimpering in pain. "She was limp, like spaghetti," Williams said.  By the end of the day, after a series of seizures, Peyton was dead.

Williams accepted another puppy from the breeder, Adorable Petz. But almost immediately, Daisy started vomiting and had bloody stools. Daisy was diagnosed with parvovirus and died less than two weeks later.  Adorable Petz promised Williams a refund, but she has yet to see any of the $350 she paid for Peyton.

Williams lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, one of 11 the agency has received in the past year and a half about Adorable Petz. This week, the bureau announced that it has revoked Adorable Petz's accreditation and given the company its lowest rating — an "F."

Adorable Petz owner Sylvia Guerra said she wasn't aware of the complaints but vowed to "rectify the situation."  "I won't leave them without their money or their puppy," she promised .

Adorable Petz has been selling puppies online since 2006. Its site features photos of dozens of "designer poodles" and "hybrid puppies." Included on the site is the disclaimer, "We do not have any dealing with any type of puppy mill."

But that's exactly what Adorable Petz operates, according to Vincent Medley, assistant director of Animal Care Services in San Antonio. Last year, when Adorable Petz was located in San Antonio, the agency obtained a warrant and confiscated 30 sick animals from Adorable Petz. Twenty-seven of them died, he said. Guerra disputed the charge.  Still, Guerra said she was getting two or three visits a month from Animal Care Services, which was a factor in her decision to relocate.

"Basically, people who operate these types of businesses are producing puppies for profit," Medley said. "They don't care if the puppy survives." No state laws prevent breeders from selling sick animals, he added.

Adorable Petz offers a 14-day health guarantee on infectious diseases and a one-year warranty on genetic defects, Guerra said. It's not in her interest to sell sick puppies, she said.

Still, unhappy customers abound. Michelle Tessaro of San Antonio bought two puppies from Adorable Petz last year. A Maltipoo, named Angel, soon became listless. It had diarrhea and was vomiting. Despite about $2,000 in vet bills, Tessaro said, Angel died about three weeks later.  Tessaro called and e-mailed Adorable Petz but got no response, she said.

Six of the 11 complaints against Adorable Petz have been resolved, the bureau said. Given the pattern, the "F" rating was warranted, said Erin Dufner, a bureau spokeswoman in Austin.

Source: http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/dog-breeder-gets-f-from-better-business-bureau-148266.html