NEWS - Ridgefield Press, June 10

ANOTHER PET STORE PUPPY DIES
by Macklin Reid, Press Staff

Another puppy from True Breeders store in Branchville has been put down, and the buyer reports that she has gotten a refund of the purchase price and is awaiting reimbursement for her veterinary bills.

"I have never purchased a dog from a pet store before," said Kim Wakuluk of New Milford. "Besides feeling like a fool, I am sad for my child, who is heartbroken."
True Breeders employee Cheryl Mollica said the puppy, a Yorkshire terrier, had a "liver shunt" - a congenital defect known to occur in Yorkies, she said.

"I'm giving her a check for the full amount, the price of the puppy, her papers, her microchip, the vaccine costs. She's getting every penny back with an apology, of course," Ms. Mollica said last week. "As soon as it happened, I personally called her and told her we were very sorry to hear what happened. Unfortunately, none of us could foresee this. Unfortunately, it happened."

In March, a Wilton couple reported having to put down a Teacup Yorkshire terrier puppy purchased at True Breeders after unsuccessful treatment for the canine parvovirus. The store was also put under a 14-day state quarantine as a result of the infection with parvo, which is highly contagious among dogs.

The store has also been the subject of protests and a barrage of criticism by local dog breeders and animal advocates who disparage it as an outlet for "puppy mills."

Also known as "portosystemic shunt," the liver problem Ms. Wakuluk's puppy had involves a blood vessel that doesn't close off as it should after birth, allowing blood to bypass the liver. Since the blood doesn't get filtered by the liver, toxins build up. The dog becomes sick and, eventually, will die. The condition is sometimes treated with surgery.

Ms. Wakuluk confirmed this Tuesday that she'd received the $1,474 that she'd paid for the puppy, its crate and other puppy paraphernalia. She was still waiting for reimbursement on the $384 in veterinary bills she ran up on the dog.

"I cashed the check that Thursday for the full amount of the puppy and everything else," she said. "I'm still waiting for the vet bill check."

Ms. Wakuluk said True Breeders owner Christine DiCarlo told her she would give her the money for the vet bills, after the store received reimbursement from the puppy supplier, Kansas-based Lambriar, Inc.

Ms. DiCarlo asked Ms. Mollica to return calls from The Press on the situation.
"I'm sure Christine is paying for the vet bills," Ms. Mollica said. "Christine, she does the right thing."

Although she has gotten most of her money back and said Ms. Mollica treated her well, Ms. Wakuluk was not happy with Christine.

In a long e-mail and a couple of phone calls, Ms. Wakuluk detailed her experience with the puppy and her efforts to get her money back.

Ms. Wakuluk said she and her nine-year-old son went to three or four pet stores in the area, looking for a female Yorkshire terrier puppy and picked one out at True Breeders in Branchville on May 12.

"I brought the puppy to my vet the next morning at 9:15. She had kennel cough and parasites and while I was a bit dismayed, I understand that these are fairly common occurrences for dogs confined in close quarters," Ms. Wakuluk wrote. "I came home with antibiotics and parasite medicine and began life with new puppy.

"The puppy seemed a bit off kilter from the beginning. She was not the most energetic puppy, but I chalked it up to the medication and her illnesses. On May 19, the dog stopped eating. On Thursday, May 20, I came home to find the dog half-comatose, cold and unresponsive. I immediately brought her to my vet. She was in hypoglycemic shock..."

After treatment under the direction of Ms. Wakuluk's vet - including a feeding tube - the puppy was taken to Ms. DiCarlo's vet, at the store owner's direction, she said.
He diagnosed the liver problem, and telephoned Ms. Wakuluk to explain it and say that Ms. DiCarlo "had declined further testing and was requesting that the dog be put to sleep," Ms. Wakuluk said. "Our puppy was euthanized that morning."

Ms. Wakuluk then described her back and forth with Ms. DiCarlo trying to get a refund of the dog's purchase price and reimbursement for what she spent on vet bills - all of which she said she was clearly due under Connecticut's "puppy lemon law."
"I find it abhorrent that she would make me jump through hoops to get this situation rectified," she wrote.

"She is the one who declined further testing on the puppy, she is the one who requested and authorized euthanasia of the puppy, through her vet. I, however, am the one who had to explain this situation to my child and deal with the aftermath."

Ms. DiCarlo did not return calls from The Press, but asked Ms. Mollica to speak to a reporter on the situation.

Ms. Wakuluk said she heard some criticism of pet stores as outlets for puppy mills, but wasn't that worried when she took her son dog shopping.

"My sister purchased a dog from a pet store and it's perfectly happy - the healthiest, the happiest dog in the world," she said.

She recalled her son's reaction when they'd first brought the puppy home. "He was saying to me, 'Thank you for the dog, Mommy. Thank you for the dog, Mommy,'" she said.

They may try getting another puppy somewhere, sometime, she said.

"He'll miss the dog," Ms. Wakuluk said. "We had to come home and put all the dog toys away, and put the dog crate away, and the dog bowl."

(From the Ridgefield Press, pg 1A and 11A, June 10, 2010)