TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — A Tucson woman's dream of getting a new puppy turned into a nightmare and cost her thousands of dollars.
Questions have arisen about where local pet stores get their puppies from.
News 4 Tucson investigators are taking a closer look at Arizona's law and whether it's causing an out-of-state puppy mill dump.
Around the holidays, a woman stopped by Petz in the Park Place shopping mall and was given $2,000 to take home with her new puppy. I now lost over $5,000 on the same night that puppy got sick.
“This dog has had 3 illnesses within 5 days of purchasing it.''
The woman, who did not want to be identified, spent about $2,000 on her new cocker spaniel, and after it became ill and nearly died the night she brought it home, Pets at Park Place He said he was concerned about where the puppies were being sourced from.
“The dog had giardia, tapeworms and kennel cough, which led to pneumonia.”
Park Place pets come with a health guarantee, but that guarantee can only be performed by a store-approved veterinarian. The woman's contract states that, regardless of the circumstances, she will not be reimbursed for medical services provided by another veterinarian, even in an emergency.
The woman said she tried to report the sick puppy to the store, but felt the response was inadequate, so despite her contract, she took the puppy to a pet hospital.
“I don't think Pets at Park Place wanted to treat him that way. It was designed for situations like this, and it was designed in anticipation of this happening. ”
She spent more than $5,000 to keep the puppy alive.
The store only refunded her $190, but she wants at least $2,000 of the sale price back.
News 4 Tucson investigators reached out to Park Place Pets but have not heard back seven days after the initial investigation.
News 4 Tucson has obtained records from the Pima Animal Shelter showing four walk-ins at the store since November 2022, showing dogs without water or showing records of where the dogs came from. The complaint shows the store was fielding complaints as late as last week.
PACC found no evidence to support these complaints, but found during two inspections that none of the dogs had received the legally required rabies vaccination.
They warned that if they did not comply, all the dogs could be captured.
The woman's situation led to animal rights groups protesting outside the store over the weekend and questions about where these puppies came from.
News 4 Tucson investigators determined, based on information in the woman's paperwork, that the woman's puppies came from a commercial breeder in Missouri. Many of the store's pets come from breeders in the Midwest, according to public records.
“Having a healthy animal is a roll of the dice,” says animal advocate Gary Vella.
Many states ban the sale of commercially bred puppies for fear of increasing demand for puppy mills, but Arizona does not. Many cities, like Tucson, have tried to ban the practice locally, but a state law was passed in 2016 that prohibits cities from enacting their own ordinances.
“The country has been bought by these retail store owners. It's a powerful lobbying operation, and the unfortunate collateral damage is the puppies in factories across the country,” said Steve Kozachik.
Congressman Juan Ciscomani is co-sponsoring a national bill called the Doll Protection Act that, if passed, would impose strict regulations on the conditions retailers and breeders must maintain for their pets. will be imposed.
“Puppies need to comply with these regulations, which will help improve the care and affection for them,” said Congressman Juan Siscomani.
City Councilman Steve Kozachik has his doubts.
“If Juan wants to do something productive, give local governments the power to pass local ordinances that state that if dogs are sold in retail stores, they must be purchased from shelters or from shelters. It contains the same content that we believe must be implemented,” Kozachik said. He said.
For this woman, she's grateful her pup is alive and says she can't put a price tag on it.
“I knew it was going to be a tough Christmas, but I made it and he made it.”
The woman said she is still waiting for a response from Pez at Park Place regarding a refund.
You can read the Puppy Protection Act for yourself here.
