Puppy Palace News Article... Not good at all

[Guest Anonymous]

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Posted on Sun, Apr. 03, 2005




BROWARD LAWSUIT


SICK PUPPIES HAVE THEIR DAY

30 FAMILIES CLAIM THEY WERE SOLD DOGS WITH AFFLICTIONS

By SARA OLKON

[email][email protected][/email]


Trinity lacked the pluck of her breed as she took in an IV tube through her paw.

For close to a month, the red-and-white Welsh corgi was shuttered inside a veterinary hospital, recuperating from bronchial pneumonia.

Trinity's brother, Neo, got over his kennel cough, but has a bone defect in all four paws that has left him bowlegged, owner Jolene Roberts said.

She blames Puppy Palace, a pet store with locations in Boynton Beach and Hollywood, where she bought Trinity and Neo.

''They sold me very sick dogs,'' Roberts said.

The Pompano Beach woman is among some 30 families in Broward and Palm Beach counties who have filed suit against the stores and owner Judy Norford.

The plaintiffs allege that Puppy Palace, located at 5909 Hollywood Blvd. and at 3557 Boynton Beach Blvd., obtained sick and underage animals from puppy mills, then passed them off as dogs from reputable private breeders.

Puppy mills are large-scale breeding facilities that produce purebreds under overcrowded and unhealthy conditions.

Neither Norford nor her attorney Richard Beauchamp returned calls for comment.

West Palm Beach attorney Marcy LaHart, arguing for the plaintiffs, said many of her clients have spent thousands of dollars on veterinary care to treat problems that were there from the start.

Puppy Palace ''resells puppy-mill puppies to consumers, knowing that many of the puppies suffer from congenital defects and/or contagious diseases,'' LaHart wrote in her complaint.

Specifically, LaHart said, puppies from the palace had, among other ailments, hernias, urine burns, heart murmurs, spinal problems and gallstones.

NEW HEARING SLATED

In a motion to dismiss the case, Beauchamp wrote that the suits were filed by ''individuals believed to be animal rights extremists.'' He called the allegations ``false and misleading.''

Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey E. Streitfeld rejected his motion.

Another hearing is scheduled for April 13. A trial date has not yet been set yet.

LaHart says her clients are seeking more than just restitution for veterinary bills: They want the stores to close. To spread the word, LaHart has set up a website, [url]www.stoppuppypalace.com[/url].

Judy Hargrove, a private breeder working outside Orlando, said puppy-mill animals are often sick, ill-behaved and simply not up to breed standards. ''These people don't take care of their puppies,'' she said.

Hargrove, who has been selling yellow Labradors for the past five years, says she breeds one litter at a time and cares for the dogs inside her home. Before breeding, she gets X-rays done to be sure she doesn't knowingly pass on the traits for hip or elbow dysplasia -- a common defect in Labradors.

EXCHANGE OFFERED

Under Florida's Pet Lemon Law, puppies or kittens under 8 weeks old may not be sold, and animals for sale must have an official health certificate signed by a veterinarian.

Roberts, the corgi's owner, said a representative of Puppy Palace offered to exchange Trinity for another puppy.

Roberts said she balked after learning Trinity would be euthanized.

Instead, Trinity wound up in a critical-care veterinary center.

Roberts said she laid out $5,000 on medical care, on top of the $1,000 fee she paid to buy Neo and Trinity.

RESCUE EFFORT?

Karen Valente of Davie has a similar complaint. She says her son bought her a yellow Lab named Mickey for Mother's Day. Later, Valente had to spend $2,000 to fix his displaced elbow and right hip.

Sheri Villaverde said she went out of her way to buy unhealthy-looking Cavalier King Charles Spaniels from Puppy Palace.

The Cooper City woman does breed rescue, focusing on the toy spaniel breed with the long, silky hair. She was looking to catch pet store owners dealing in unhealthy animals. Rescuers take action when they hear that their beloved breed is being sold at a steep discount at a pet store.

Rescuers buy the misfit puppies, treat them and try to place with a foster family.

THREE SAVED

Villaverde said she came to help one Cavalier, but ended up buying three.

A black and white male named Oliver was missing an ear. A second, Sadie, was skinny and weak from worms. The third, a reticent female named Lucy, was the least marketable because she was completely unsocialized. She said she paid $300 for Oliver, $800 for Sadie and $200 for Lucy.

''It was as though she had never encountered people before, or her experiences were so negative,'' Villaverde said of the lowest-price pup. ``She crawled on her belly like a worm, totally submissive, with her eyes closed.''

Today, she said, all the three dogs are healthy and happy. Lucy and Sadie are living in Orlando; Oliver is in Lake Worth.

On Friday, Puppy Palace had a Cavalier listed on its website. Asking price: $1,200.

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[Guest Anonymous]

Now if they do finally close the stupid place down, I want to rescue a Corgi from them. I know it's not right of me to hope they close to get a very cheap corgi, but at the same time, they're great dogs, and I've never seen any in an animal shelter and would really like to get one, to share with my brother.


As far as puppy palace, I've been in there before. They have little play pin cages set up around a plastic kiddie swimming pool with 4-5 puppies in it at a time. Definatly horrible for any pet store set up. There's about a dozen or so pins set up along the wall. And they don't sell anything else. At least most stores sell the food and collar to go with the new puppy.

[pollysmith]

:( Oh those poor pups! People are evil! :evil:

[Guest Anonymous]

Cooper City is definatly a rich area around here. People have money to throw away like that on a daily basis. So in her view, she was just wanting to save the breed she likes so much. Whether or not its right from a rescue point of view. But it's not easy watching any puppy die over something the vet can fix.