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Puppies -- seriously ill, some are even dying soon after being purchased from a popular pet operation in South Florida.
A four-month NBC 6 investigation traces a trail of puppy heartbreak and outraged owners. Should the dogs have been sold to the public in the first place?
It's one of the most high-profile puppy sellers in the United States. But NBC 6 found customers here and across the country shocked when their high-priced puppies suddenly got sick.
It's not easy to see puppies in agony.
"I'm angry at the guy, angry at the guy for giving me a sick dog," said Taylor Kimball.
"They'll never forget that their Christmas puppy was taken away from them on Christmas Eve," said Leslie Finkelstein.
Puppies that died.
"The vet said he needed to be put to sleep because he couldn't suffer anymore," said Marilyn Baez.
The three got dogs from Wizard of Claws, based in Pembroke Pines. The store claims to be "the number one kennel in the world."
But an NBC 6 investigation found unhappy customers in 33 states and Mexico, most who claim their dogs got sick shortly after buying them. Some died.
From a Broward strip mall, Wizard Of Claws sells trendy teacup sized puppies online.
The smaller they are, the more expensive they are -- up to $10,000 each.
Shannon Ford loves Honeybear, even though the pug was supposed to be no more than 8 pounds, tops. Not 25.
The former Miss Florida and former Dolphins cheerleader found herself battling the man who runs Wizard of Claws: Jim Anderson.
"Her smut campaign of lies and slander," Anderson told NBC 6.
Anderson is an ex-felon who served time on drug charges. And he was fined for violating federal animal welfare laws.
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"I think Wizard of Claws works on people's emotions. When you buy a puppy, it's not a product," Ford told NBC 6.
Ford launched www.stopwizardofclaws.com to, as she sees it, warn others.
"I was shocked that the issue was a lot bigger than just selling teacup puppies. It was more of them selling sick puppies, too," Ford said.
In fact, NBC 6 found 160 customers nationwide, most with sick dogs. Some are described in veterinary records as suffering from "pneumonia," a "heart murmur," "massive fatal hemorrhaging," "collapsed lung," and being "unfit for sale."
NBC 6 was inside an animal hospital in Miramar as three Wizard of Claws customers brought in their sick puppies. Lisa Kimball got Rock for her daughter's Christmas gift.
"You don't feel good?" Lisa's daughter, Taylor, said to the dog.
"One day, she's happy. She has a happy, little puppy and the next day he is sick as a dog, no pun intended," Lisa Kimball said.
"When we got home, we were really scared, because it wasn't playing, like it was going to die," Taylor Kimball said.
A nebulizer helped Rocky breathe.
"I thought he was going to die in my arms," Lisa Kimball said.
The next dog getting treatment was Angel.
"What causes the problem?" NBC 6's Jeff Burnside asked.
"When they are in crowded situations or they are in contact with other pets that are sick," said Dr. Mustafa Saleh, of Quality Care Animal Hospital.
Saleh was Wizard of Claws' designated vet but, like another vet, severed ties.
"We no longer need to continue under this pressure of emotionally distressed patients," Saleh said.
"He started having seizures," Baez said. Marilyn Baez's dog got a fatal diagnosis just one week after she bought him -- canine distemper.
Brinkley was euthanized.
"If I would have had any of those people from Wizard of Claws in front of me at that time, they would have really been in bad shape," Baez told NBC 6.
That's no surprise to former Wizard of Claws employee Steve Rochlein.
"A lot of times customers would call in and complain, 'Oh, this dog has brain damage, this dog has this, this dog has that.' He'd say, 'Oh, the customer's crazy. They're crazy,'" Rochlein told NBC 6.
"Have I made disparaging comments? Absolutely. And in unique situations where someone is crazy? Oh yes! Trust me," Anderson said.
Anderson says he tries to treat customers fairly and often gives refunds and pays vet bills.
Still, police are investigating why someone shot 12 bullets into his storefront after hours recently.
There is a sick bay where Wizard of Claws dogs are isolated while they recover. It's inside a former frame shop five doors away.
NBC 6 cameras rolled as we watched employees taking dogs from the sick bay to the showroom. Is Wizard of Claws selling sick dogs?
"If we didn't find it in the main kennel first, which was where you would look for it first, you would say, 'Oh well, I have to go check our other kennel,' which is their nursery, they'd like to call it," Rochlein said.
While Anderson was showing NBC 6 the sick bay, off camera a salesperson came in looking for a dog for a customer. We asked why.
"I have no idea. And very clearly she should not be in here. She should more or less know that. She's been here for two days," Anderson said.
"As part of our research, we've uncovered dozens and dozens and dozens of cases of very sick dogs. My question is, Mr. Anderson, are you selling sick dogs?" reporter Jeff Burnside asked.
"Absolutely not," he said.
Anderson explained puppies can get sick from stress, because new owners play with them too much.
"That puppy's running around the with them kids all night long. All night long. Next day, that puppy's going, 'Cough. Cough.' Stress induced ailments," Anderson said.
He even showed Burnside a puppy, diagnosed by Leslie Finkelstein's vets as seriously sick.
"We loved that animal," Finkelstein said.
It was returned to Anderson. Now, he claims, it's in perfect health. Anderson is no stranger to being sued by angry customers. Now, he's suing Ford.
"She can't close us down," Anderson said. "We haven't broken no laws. All she can do is slander and hurt. Is she informing the community about this big bad wizard? All she can do is hurt the business."
"I would want to know why," Ford said. "Is it just the money? Why are you doing this? How can you sleep at night knowing that you are screwing with peoples' emotions and lives? How can you do that to a child that comes in and wants a puppy for Christmas and then two weeks later has a dead dog?"
Taylor's dog, Rocky, survived. But she will never forget Wizard of Claws.
"Each day that we sit there, someone's going to buy a new dog and they're going to have to go through the same thing we went through," she said.
Anderson says among the thousands of dogs he has sold, he has many happy customers and pointed out he passed the last state inspection.
NBC 6 also spoke with Dr. Jan Bellows, who was Wizard of Claws' former long-time vet. Dogs can't be sold without a health certificate, but Bellows says the exam does not guarantee a dog won't get sick or have an internal problem that isn't detected.
If you have comments on this subject or would like to reach NBC 6's Jeff Burnside regarding this story, please e-mail pets@nbc6.net .
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Animal Advocates of Howard County |
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