Furry Friends knowingly sold sick puppy sent home with wrong meds their vet confirmed Pneumonia refused to help treat dog Norco California

Sadly, I hope I am wrong but I have my opinions on my story. The first week in June 2008 I bought two of the cutest puppies in the world! I had been looking for new puppies and I wanted one for me and a brother or sister for my daughter. I am a single mom and my daughter is finally old enough (13 years) to handle the responsibility of a pet. I hadn't found exactly what I wanted and anywhere and one day as we were leaving the Tyler Mall in Riverside, there they were. The cutest little puppies I had ever seen. There were many different breeds in this pen on the corner with a woman named Brianna. The two I picked were brother and sister and I was so happy to have them join our family.

I didn't buy them right away I had to go to the bank to get the cash and thank God when I did I ask Brianna for her cell phone number so I could call her to pick up the puppies later. Turns out getting the phone number was the smartest thing I did in this situation.

After bringing them home, buying every imaginable accessory a 13 years old girl could want for her puppy from Petsmart (a small fortune) and falling in love the puppies they got sick. 3 days after coming home with us I had to rush them to the emergency vet because the little girl could not stand. The vet said that one word I thought I would never hear "PARVO". I immediately got on the phone trying to get a hold of the woman Brianna. But, she would not answer the phone or return my messages. The following day they were worse, the little girl could no longer lift her head or stand and the little boy was following a step behind with the same symtoms. The vet did not recommend prolonging there suffering and we dicided to have them put to sleep. He also told me that they would have contracted before I ever got them. So, my concern was the other puppies in the pen with these ones that Brianna was selling I didn't want another child like mine to go through what we had just experienced.

That day I contacted several people and did some investigating on the web. I found out that the person who purchased and paid for that cell phone was not Brianna it was in fact the owner of the "Furry Friends Pet Store" in Norco, CA. Coincidence??? My guess is the puppies that get returned sick end up on the corners in different cities being sold to people who can't track down the seller.

When I contacted the owner of the phone (and pet store) she told me that she didn't speak to Brianna and that it was one of her daughters friends. She claimed it had be years since she last talk to her (yet she paid her cell phone bills, hum???) So, I told her that she need to have Brianna contact me ASAP or I will turn this into an issue with the pet store itself and the Humane Society, Police and News will all be envolved. About 5 minutes later guess what? Yes, Brianna returned my calls. She wanted the sick puppies back. I told her that they had been put down. She no longer had my money and I had to go through about a week of constant calling and nagging her for her to finally have her mother meet me and give my money back.

Yes, it is nice that I got a refund for the puppies themself. I did not get refunded for the vet or supplies which was so much more than the puppies. And, what about the pain? The tears we have shed and pain we feel? My daughter is an emotional wreck. We can't look at back yard without thinking of those cute little paws hopping around out there. I have had to get rid of everything they touched and were in contact with. Bleach my entire home inside and out. Taken my old 13 year old dog to the vet for regular exams for monitoring. Although older dogs cannot get it they can be carriers and although she didn't have PARVO she got sick not long after them with a cough that luckly we have been able to treat with antibiotics. THANK GOD...

So, you tell me coincidence???

RIP little Jack and Miley
We will always remember you.

I am constantly amazed by people who think any pup in ANY pet shop is a good buy. That is where you went wrong. Right there.

As far as private breeders selling their pups to pet stores, DREAM ON. Really. Pet Stores buy from back yard breeders, you know the people who have 4 dogs and think its cute to sell the pups or mills, period. Private breeders sell their pups far out of the price range of pet stores, at least the good ones do and a private breeder would NOT sell a pup to a store if only not to expose it to all the sick pups in the same store.

Even if a private, good breeder did sell to a pet store, the chances of that well bred, vaccinated, previously healthy pup getting sick are hugely high. Kennel cough is caused by many many viruses, bacteria and mycoplasms. We do not have shots to protect them from all of them. So let us say that Joe is a good breeder, decides to sell his pup to the store... ok this is far fetched but bear with me. Joe's pups were raised right, vaccinated so on. Now Jack is a breeder too a bad one. Pups are raised in filth, not given enough shots, the mother had poor prenatal care, half the litter died. Jack also sells his pups to this store. Bathes them and makes them smell purty and off they go. Now Jack and Joes pups are in the same tiny cages at night,breathing the same air. The people change their water dishes, newspapers, woodchips etc.. they dont wash in between. Now Joe's pups are infected and silently carrying this illness as well. Because this infection, many of the germs responsible are AIRBORNE... and it's highly contagious.

Kennel cough is a label lots of people like to use. Trouble is in a young pup, it can be fatal. Don't buy pups that are housed like livestock for God's sake. The fact that you did not research and call the Pom you got Toy, THEY ARE ALL TOY, no matter how big, yells this loud and clear. Poms are in the Toy breed, let's me know a lot. The second you walked into a pet store and saw that cute little face you bought impulsively. Anyone who wants a pup should RESEARCH the breed. Pomeranians are supposed to be small. You don't buy a pup and try it on like a new pair of glasses, decide you dont like it then EXCHANGE it.

I am sorry your Bassett was sick but honestly do not feel badly for you, feel badly for the pup. People like you in my humble opinion should not own a pup.

Here's another fact, many vets have no idea how to treat kennel cough. The ONLY want to know which drug is right is to culture the strain. Otherwise all you are doing is contributing to more and more disease that is resistant to antibiotics. If it is viral, then NO drug will touch and though it pains me to say it, the owner of the store could be right, you could have made it worse. The fact that your vet put the pup on the "right" meds and you went back a week later to find out it had pneumonia proves this eloquently and without a doubt.

If the Pet store owner gets angry enough, you may just go away. She can then continue to sell pups to people like you. People who impulse buy. If you had gone to a good breeder, they would have told you No dont get a TOY breed with small kids. Had you done your homework, you would have never brought the Pom home. "knowing you wanted this dog forever" ?? What about the Pom?

keep buying that doggy in the window. Keep encouraging this sort of thing. Do you think these people care? They got paid.Pups are INVENTORY and nothing more.

Oh and the "medication" in the blue tube is not medication. It is a nutrient rich pasted, given to pups that are not eating well. One more thing.. antibiotics kill the GOOD bacteria as well as the bad.. give probiotics, even yogurt if your dog is on meds. A long course of antibiotics can be very harmful. They are not harmless get better drugs.

A breeder,

I've bought three dogs from Furry Friends, yes three, over the past five years. The first was healthy and is doing great. The next about three years ago cost me $2000 to get healthy after bringing her home. Then this summer I bought another... he died at Furry Friends two or three days after I bought him, they could not get their story straight as to when my puppy died. They did send him home with Medicationof coarse it was FISH medication. I know maybe I should have known better after the second dog but I believed that it was just an isolated incident and not a trend, shame on me. Or maybe it is just the luck of the draw but one in three odds of a healthy puppy are not odds I would like to take with any animal let alone a new puppy I'm taking home, AND the dogs already in my family.
Lastly where do they find 150 puppies a month they sell? I've never seen anyone come in and "drop-off" puppies when I've been there. At an average of five puppies a day you would think I might have seen this happen, the phrase ...puppy mill is ringing in my head for some reason?
This is my story as you can see there might be a trend here, also be sure to checkout these other reports listed on this site
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff149976.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff152801.htm
These people MUST be stopped.

PS If ONE of these complaints has proven to be false which one? Or would that be too much information? Or... maybe there records are not as accurate as they might want us to think?

Michelle, we did gove Rocky the Clavamox as prescribed by the vet at Banfield located in the Petsmart by my house. It was given to him DAILY! He continued to get worse. I don't know who you got that information from but it is not true. We gave him the medication every morning and every night as the vet told us to. It just didn't help him. We told the clerk in your store that when we brought Rocky back in and she said that Clavamox was the wrong medicine for kennel cough and that is why it didn't work. I have found out that it IS the right medicine if your dog doesn't have pneumonia as ours does! I am so angry with you and your store Michelle and now this lack of admitting any kind of responsibility is expected from you. Your clerk advised us that Rocky does in fact have pneumonia. How long did that take to incubate? Why didn't anyone in your store believe us when we told them it was more than kennel cough? Also, you said Rocky was headed for the pound? I doubt that since he was part of a litter that belonged to one of your employees friends. What do you mean Rocky will be ready for adoption soon!! He is still MY DOG!!

Michelle, we did gove Rocky the Clavamox as prescribed by the vet at Banfield located in the Petsmart by my house. It was given to him DAILY! He continued to get worse. I don't know who you got that information from but it is not true. We gave him the medication every morning and every night as the vet told us to. It just didn't help him. We told the clerk in your store that when we brought Rocky back in and she said that Clavamox was the wrong medicine for kennel cough and that is why it didn't work. I have found out that it IS the right medicine if your dog doesn't have pneumonia as ours does! I am so angry with you and your store Michelle and now this lack of admitting any kind of responsibility is expected from you. Your clerk advised us that Rocky does in fact have pneumonia. How long did that take to incubate? Why didn't anyone in your store believe us when we told them it was more than kennel cough? Also, you said Rocky was headed for the pound? I doubt that since he was part of a litter that belonged to one of your employees friends. What do you mean Rocky will be ready for adoption soon!! He is still MY DOG!!

Michelle, we did gove Rocky the Clavamox as prescribed by the vet at Banfield located in the Petsmart by my house. It was given to him DAILY! He continued to get worse. I don't know who you got that information from but it is not true. We gave him the medication every morning and every night as the vet told us to. It just didn't help him. We told the clerk in your store that when we brought Rocky back in and she said that Clavamox was the wrong medicine for kennel cough and that is why it didn't work. I have found out that it IS the right medicine if your dog doesn't have pneumonia as ours does! I am so angry with you and your store Michelle and now this lack of admitting any kind of responsibility is expected from you. Your clerk advised us that Rocky does in fact have pneumonia. How long did that take to incubate? Why didn't anyone in your store believe us when we told them it was more than kennel cough? Also, you said Rocky was headed for the pound? I doubt that since he was part of a litter that belonged to one of your employees friends. What do you mean Rocky will be ready for adoption soon!! He is still MY DOG!!

Michelle, we did gove Rocky the Clavamox as prescribed by the vet at Banfield located in the Petsmart by my house. It was given to him DAILY! He continued to get worse. I don't know who you got that information from but it is not true. We gave him the medication every morning and every night as the vet told us to. It just didn't help him. We told the clerk in your store that when we brought Rocky back in and she said that Clavamox was the wrong medicine for kennel cough and that is why it didn't work. I have found out that it IS the right medicine if your dog doesn't have pneumonia as ours does! I am so angry with you and your store Michelle and now this lack of admitting any kind of responsibility is expected from you. Your clerk advised us that Rocky does in fact have pneumonia. How long did that take to incubate? Why didn't anyone in your store believe us when we told them it was more than kennel cough? Also, you said Rocky was headed for the pound? I doubt that since he was part of a litter that belonged to one of your employees friends. What do you mean Rocky will be ready for adoption soon!! He is still MY DOG!!

We here at Furry Friends adopt out approximately one hundred to one hundred and fifty puppies a month not including kittens. We have a Veterinarian on call for any questions or problems we may have. He checks all new puppies when they come into the store.

We spend approximately $3,000 monthly in vet bills and $700.00 to $1,000 monthly for puppy vaccines. We give all of our puppies vaccinations every 2 weeks and Bordetella, for the prevention of kennel cough. A lot of our puppies are rescues and would have been euthanized within 5 to 7 days as was Rocky who was on his way to the pound when we received him.

Sage forgot to mention that they had taken Rocky to her vet and he gave her the medications to treat Rocky but since he didn't receive it he got worse but now that he is being treated properly he is doing great and he is very playful and will be ready for adoption soon.

The Humane Society has visited us and has never cited us or had any problems with our care. These complaints do not represent the thousands of happy customers that we have had over the years.

We receive many letters and pictures thanking us for their wonderful new pets.

We stand by our contract and we our up front with any problems they may have. Our health guarantee is in accordance with California state law and we try and help anyone with any problems they may have.

We at Furry Friends carry a wide variety of medications and we let each and every one of our customers know that if their puppy should become ill they have the option of bring their puppy back to us for treatment at no charge as long as they are within their health guarantee.

For anyone who loves animals as much as we do please stop by and visit our furry little friends.

Furry Friends Pet Shop
Owner and Staff

P.S. One of these complaints on this site has proven to be false we have searched our records and found no record of them.

My husband called the store yesterday and found the manager Christina to be the most helpful they have ever been. My guess is that Norco Mayor, Herb Higgins and council member Kathy Azevedo actually said something. They both replied to my e-mails and offered their help. I am so touched that people in positions of power would care so much about innocent animals. I know Norco, CA is "Animal Capital" of SoCal so I should have expected no less. I want to thank them and hope you all will give them your support in getting to the root of the problem with this store. The manager finally admitted that my puppy has pneumonia when two days prior they insisted adamantly that it was only kennel cough as you all have stated above. They also told my husband a couple days prior that they would do no more than force-feed water and meds to him, no IV, no blood work, nothing that a normal vet would do. Now they are saying that they would do these things for us. It's amazing what speaking up can do. I am still not sure if my "Rocky" is going to make it, either way Furry Friends has some cleaning up to do in their shop so no other animals get sick. I will keep you all updated as I know more.
Thanks again to the Mayor of Norco, Herb Higgins and council member Kathy Azevedo for their kind hearts in helping to bring darkness into the light!

I have just reported Furry Friends to ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, KCAL, Press Enterprise, the Mayor and council members of Norco, various animal rights groups, the humane society, ASPCA, Riverside Rescue and the list is growing as I think of more places to report them to. The BBB is a waste of time. They don't do anything. I have done this because my puppy Rocky is in their shop right now dying of the same symptoms everyone else has mentioned.

I will NOT stop until this problem is corrected. Someone needs to force them to clean up their act or close up shop. Their employees must be educated and vet treatment provided for these sick, sick babies.

I know my puppy is going to die now and that the store is going to let him. It breaks my heart. He was a gift from my husband because I just has my second miscarriage.

Just as all of you had your heartbreaking stories, I do too and it's horrible!I want to invite anyone who has had a bad experience with them to e-mail me @ sagejulson@gmail.com and see what we can do when there are a lot of us speaking up at once.

I am aware that there is risk involved in purchasing an animal, and that they can get sick. However this store has a bad reputation and repeatedly allows the animals in their care to perish unnecessarily. They must be stopped!

We were also sold a sick puppy. We had him less than 24 hours and our vet diagnosed him with pneumonia, mange, and parvo. Furry Friends took the puppy back and he is now dying under their illegal medical care with no vet and there is nothing we can do about it. I have been trying to get help for four days now and nobody will do anything.

The Norco pound will not even help... The supervisor I spoke with said they have a good working relationship with the owner of Furry Friends and refuse to return my phone calls. Can they be stopped? I don't know how they can sleep at night. I can't. My heart is with that puppy. I am dying in that cage along with him.

I wish I could talk with Maggie's mom so we could work on this together. Let's see if we can stop this animal abuse. Every animal has the right to proper medical care. There are laws for us to get our money back (puppy lemon law California) but it does not protect the wellfair of the puppy.

The pet store should be responsible for providing proper medical care for the puppy. If they had to pay high medical costs, maybe they would make sure the pups are in safer conditions and given their shots on the proper schedule so this does not happen.

The owners of this pet shop are truly ignorant. And yes I know better than to buy from a pet store... but my heart doesn't. I fell in love at first sight...

Thank you for responding to my letter. I can not even begin to explain what me and my family have gone through.

Bubba was tested positive for Parvo by Emergency Pet Clinic Of Temecula. They did explain that it was highly contagious and I would have to bleach and disinfect my home before even thinking about getting another puppy BUT they did give him an 80% chance of living. It makes me sick to even think about it but I can't help but wonder if they put Bubba to sleep rather than deal with trying to heal a very sick puppy. I also have a feeling that Momash possibly had Parvo and they were not being honest with me. And if that was the case Bubba could have been saved from this horrible disease if they would have told me the truth.

Marni,

When you deal with something like Parvo, you definitely need to make sure that the people nursing the puppy during the illness is in NO other contact with other puppies, and I'm sure the pet store is full of idiots that wouldn't know how to properly do that. Parvo is HIGHLY contagious and the mortality rate is VERY HIGH. Unless they have a complete isolation ward with special gowns, shoes, gloves, towels, etc to keep seperate from other pups, I'm sure we will be hearing more about this and future cases. I hope this isn't another pet store we hear on the news about a Parvo outbreak, with employees trying to cover things up and puppies suffering.

Let me start by saying that if I had known all of this it would have saved me and my family a lot of heartache and pain.

A few days before Christmas my husband surprised me and my children with our very first puppy, Momash. We instantly fell in love with her. A couple of days later she started vomiting, had not appetite and wanted to sleep all day. I called Furry Friends and they told me that it sounded as if she had Kennel cough.

I was then told that I could bring her in to them to be checked out and if I went to my own Vet I would have to pay the bill. She then suggested that I go to a Pet store and look for "Fish Antibiotics" and give them to her and if she did not feel better in a couple of days to bring her back. I immediately hurried to three different pet stores and finally found them. On Christmas Day she just laid around and it seemed as if she gave up the will to live.

The very next day I noticed that she started heaving flem and foaming from the mouth. I rushed to Furry Friends and they said that they would need to keep her for a couple of days for testing. That night I called and was told that she was doing better.

The next day I called in the afternoon and I was told that she passed during the night. No one even bothered to call me!!! They claim that she died from Pneumonia. I did not know what to do, I knew my children were going to be devistated. Furry friends offered a refund on the puppy but my husband and I decided to get another one. My husband and children came home with Bubba. He looked just like a baby cub.

A couple of weeks after having him we noticed that there were worms in his fecies. I called Furry Friends due to him being dewormed when we bought him, I was concerned. They told me to bring him in to be dewormed again and they would also give him his second set of shots. We took him in and then we went to Pet's Mart to sign him up for Puppy Obidient School which was to start on the 18th.

On the 16th Bubba was laying around a lot, not much of an appetite and I asked my husband to keep an eye on him. When I got home from work late that night my son told me that Bubba was very sick. When he explained they symptoms I felt I was reliving the nightmare all over again. I rushed Bubba to a 24 hour Vet at 1:30am on the 17th. He was diagnosed with Parvovirus. I left the Vet with not only a healthy bill but my heart had been ripped out again. I asked the Vet if Parvo was a death sentence for puppies and she told me that there was an 80% chance that Bubba would make it. I went to Furry Friends first thing when they opened that morning and I explained the symptoms. I told her that he was tested positive for Parvo. She wanted me to leave Bubba with her and all I could think of was what happened when I left Momash with them, she died. My children and I sat in our car in front of Furry Friends for about 30 minutes saying our good-byes to Bubba.

All of us were crying knowing deep down that we would never see him again. I took Bubba into Furry Friends, kissed him, and that was the last time I saw him. I called a couple of times that day to check on him and I was told he was doing fine.

I called that evening and was told that he seemed to be doing better. I asked them to be honest with me, did they think he would live? They told me yes. I received a phone call this morning that Bubba didn't make it. I did get a refund on the puppy as well as the Vet bill. But, to me, this is not about the money. I don't want this to happen to any other families.

Let me start by saying that if I had known all of this it would have saved me and my family a lot of heartache and pain.

A few days before Christmas my husband surprised me and my children with our very first puppy, Momash. We instantly fell in love with her. A couple of days later she started vomiting, had not appetite and wanted to sleep all day. I called Furry Friends and they told me that it sounded as if she had Kennel cough.

I was then told that I could bring her in to them to be checked out and if I went to my own Vet I would have to pay the bill. She then suggested that I go to a Pet store and look for "Fish Antibiotics" and give them to her and if she did not feel better in a couple of days to bring her back. I immediately hurried to three different pet stores and finally found them. On Christmas Day she just laid around and it seemed as if she gave up the will to live.

The very next day I noticed that she started heaving flem and foaming from the mouth. I rushed to Furry Friends and they said that they would need to keep her for a couple of days for testing. That night I called and was told that she was doing better.

The next day I called in the afternoon and I was told that she passed during the night. No one even bothered to call me!!! They claim that she died from Pneumonia. I did not know what to do, I knew my children were going to be devistated. Furry friends offered a refund on the puppy but my husband and I decided to get another one. My husband and children came home with Bubba. He looked just like a baby cub.

A couple of weeks after having him we noticed that there were worms in his fecies. I called Furry Friends due to him being dewormed when we bought him, I was concerned. They told me to bring him in to be dewormed again and they would also give him his second set of shots. We took him in and then we went to Pet's Mart to sign him up for Puppy Obidient School which was to start on the 18th.

On the 16th Bubba was laying around a lot, not much of an appetite and I asked my husband to keep an eye on him. When I got home from work late that night my son told me that Bubba was very sick. When he explained they symptoms I felt I was reliving the nightmare all over again. I rushed Bubba to a 24 hour Vet at 1:30am on the 17th. He was diagnosed with Parvovirus. I left the Vet with not only a healthy bill but my heart had been ripped out again. I asked the Vet if Parvo was a death sentence for puppies and she told me that there was an 80% chance that Bubba would make it. I went to Furry Friends first thing when they opened that morning and I explained the symptoms. I told her that he was tested positive for Parvo. She wanted me to leave Bubba with her and all I could think of was what happened when I left Momash with them, she died. My children and I sat in our car in front of Furry Friends for about 30 minutes saying our good-byes to Bubba.

All of us were crying knowing deep down that we would never see him again. I took Bubba into Furry Friends, kissed him, and that was the last time I saw him. I called a couple of times that day to check on him and I was told he was doing fine.

I called that evening and was told that he seemed to be doing better. I asked them to be honest with me, did they think he would live? They told me yes. I received a phone call this morning that Bubba didn't make it. I did get a refund on the puppy as well as the Vet bill. But, to me, this is not about the money. I don't want this to happen to any other families.

Let me start by saying that if I had known all of this it would have saved me and my family a lot of heartache and pain.

A few days before Christmas my husband surprised me and my children with our very first puppy, Momash. We instantly fell in love with her. A couple of days later she started vomiting, had not appetite and wanted to sleep all day. I called Furry Friends and they told me that it sounded as if she had Kennel cough.

I was then told that I could bring her in to them to be checked out and if I went to my own Vet I would have to pay the bill. She then suggested that I go to a Pet store and look for "Fish Antibiotics" and give them to her and if she did not feel better in a couple of days to bring her back. I immediately hurried to three different pet stores and finally found them. On Christmas Day she just laid around and it seemed as if she gave up the will to live.

The very next day I noticed that she started heaving flem and foaming from the mouth. I rushed to Furry Friends and they said that they would need to keep her for a couple of days for testing. That night I called and was told that she was doing better.

The next day I called in the afternoon and I was told that she passed during the night. No one even bothered to call me!!! They claim that she died from Pneumonia. I did not know what to do, I knew my children were going to be devistated. Furry friends offered a refund on the puppy but my husband and I decided to get another one. My husband and children came home with Bubba. He looked just like a baby cub.

A couple of weeks after having him we noticed that there were worms in his fecies. I called Furry Friends due to him being dewormed when we bought him, I was concerned. They told me to bring him in to be dewormed again and they would also give him his second set of shots. We took him in and then we went to Pet's Mart to sign him up for Puppy Obidient School which was to start on the 18th.

On the 16th Bubba was laying around a lot, not much of an appetite and I asked my husband to keep an eye on him. When I got home from work late that night my son told me that Bubba was very sick. When he explained they symptoms I felt I was reliving the nightmare all over again. I rushed Bubba to a 24 hour Vet at 1:30am on the 17th. He was diagnosed with Parvovirus. I left the Vet with not only a healthy bill but my heart had been ripped out again. I asked the Vet if Parvo was a death sentence for puppies and she told me that there was an 80% chance that Bubba would make it. I went to Furry Friends first thing when they opened that morning and I explained the symptoms. I told her that he was tested positive for Parvo. She wanted me to leave Bubba with her and all I could think of was what happened when I left Momash with them, she died. My children and I sat in our car in front of Furry Friends for about 30 minutes saying our good-byes to Bubba.

All of us were crying knowing deep down that we would never see him again. I took Bubba into Furry Friends, kissed him, and that was the last time I saw him. I called a couple of times that day to check on him and I was told he was doing fine.

I called that evening and was told that he seemed to be doing better. I asked them to be honest with me, did they think he would live? They told me yes. I received a phone call this morning that Bubba didn't make it. I did get a refund on the puppy as well as the Vet bill. But, to me, this is not about the money. I don't want this to happen to any other families.

Hopefully most of us are not blind to the obvious connection between puppy mills and most small pet shops. (In Norco, pet stores such as, Furry Friends, Country Pet and recently found, The Pet Shoppe. I would first like to say sorry to Spring for all that she has been through. No one should never have to go through what she did when getting a new pet. Sadly, this happens all the time. Pet stores such as Furry Friends will commonly lie about the where they have received their puppies and/or kittens. "Private breeder" is the most frequent answer I have been given by pet stores when inquiring.

As stated, "I believe that if she can't sell her for what she is asking then the dog will become a part of one of the puppy mills the store does business with." I would like to know why you would even consider doing business with a pet store you knowingly associates itself with puppy mills? I myself, would NEVER BUY from a breeder or pet store. That does not mean that shelter dogs and rescues are always healthy. But know in your own heart that you have done a good thing buy saving an animal, not killing one. I would like to add, that buying and animal should never be an option. When you BUY, a shelter animal dies! Most of us already know why there is so much breeding going on. It all comes down to the mighty dollar. When here in Riverside County, 6,000++ innocent animals are KILLED (put to sleep) every year.

Furthermore, I personally, have been to Furry Friends several times. Even as a whistle blower sometimes. I have even asked Management and other employees, "What happens to the pups and kittens that don't sell?" Furry Friends employees respond with "Well we have a deal right now, buy 3 or 4 products and get the pet half off." My response being, "I am not interested in the deal thank you. What happens when you don't sell all the animals?" Once again, employees have changed the subject, offered deals and straight faced lied to me about the lives of animals they cannot sell after they have grown past the "puppy in the window" stage. At Furry Friends I have also witnessed goats in the same pen as rabbits, puppies with no water, and kittens packed into cages as they would be at a cattery.

Finally, I am happy for those who now own healthy animals that were previously purchased at Furry Friends. IM sure they are now, or once were, everything you expected them to be and more. But please consider saving an animal next time. I would like for people who read this, and absolutely feel the NEED to own a Purebred (or not), please e-mail me (AnimalsRBeautifulPpl2@yahoo.com)
and I will help you find a purebred that needs rescuing. At least this way you can save $250-$1500 for the dog, $500 in vet bills that may shortly follow and most importantly, an animals life....
~Dee~

PS> "The Pet Shoppe" in Norco is now under new ownership. He has stated himself that puppy mills call him frequently from current business. He refuses to support puppy mills....

Good links for Spring:
Southern California Basset Hound Rescues

http://www.bassethoundrescue.org/

http://members.aol.com:/SDBasset/main.htm

http://www.beaglesandbuddies.com/

I am sure that there are more people who got a dog from this pet store that are perfectly healthy than those whose puppies were ill. If this were not the case it would not be a profitable business for the owner. I filed this report to state what happened to ME. The people who have had this wonderful experience with Furry Friends are those who have never encountered a problem.

As soon as I spoke to the staff and owner of the store about Maggie being ill their demeanor immediately changed to that of a nasty, mean and combative manner. Speaking to the doctor who works with Furry Friends, the owner has encountered this problem numerous times and has finally paid the bill each time but done so only to avoid going to court where she would be sure to lose.

It is not how the owner of a business operates when everything is going right, it is how they respond to problems when they arise. Especially when they are dealing with animals LIVES. Bottom line is everyone who got their pet from Furry Friends and is just pleased as punch, wonderful. I am truly happy for all of you. I only want people to realize that it could have just as easily gone the other way.

I am sure that there are more people who got a dog from this pet store that are perfectly healthy than those whose puppies were ill. If this were not the case it would not be a profitable business for the owner. I filed this report to state what happened to ME. The people who have had this wonderful experience with Furry Friends are those who have never encountered a problem.

As soon as I spoke to the staff and owner of the store about Maggie being ill their demeanor immediately changed to that of a nasty, mean and combative manner. Speaking to the doctor who works with Furry Friends, the owner has encountered this problem numerous times and has finally paid the bill each time but done so only to avoid going to court where she would be sure to lose.

It is not how the owner of a business operates when everything is going right, it is how they respond to problems when they arise. Especially when they are dealing with animals LIVES. Bottom line is everyone who got their pet from Furry Friends and is just pleased as punch, wonderful. I am truly happy for all of you. I only want people to realize that it could have just as easily gone the other way.

I bought a puppy from them he's is doing just great took him in for shots and the vet said he is in great health.

12/03/05 I read the response from Jenna from Costa Mesa, CA with great horror. To hear someone who is obviously so uneducated about the laws protecting the people and the animals in situations such as mine defending the store is mind blowing to me. There are specific rules and conditions that a pet store must follow to stay in business and to keep the animals healthy. I am glad that you had a great experience with Furry Friends. I however have been victimized by this company and it is extremely irritating to hear comments from someone who obviously is uneducated not only by the law but sent in a report to be viewed by potentially millions of people without doing a simple spell check, i.e. your spellings of "welcomeing", "turely", "responsability", "commen", "bissness"and "bussness", "wether", custemers", "famly" and "masterpeice" (i before e except after c) especially with the audacious comment in your report "if I know how to read" and the statement that I don't have common sense. I do know how to read and I do have common sense and that's how I was able to educate myself on the laws that people who choose to make their livelihoods by selling animals as pets must follow. They are to be seen by a vet as soon as they go into the store and every 15 days there after, any medication given must be prescribed by a vet and it is ILLEGAL for a pet dealer to sell an animal that they know is sick. PERIOD. Also "slander" is only if you say things that aren't true. Everything that I have stated can be proven with multiple documents, witnesses and receipts. In fact what you wrote about me would be far more likely to be considered slander based on the unfounded personal attack on my character. As far as her contract, first of all there wasn't one but even if there was the points that I stated before override ANYTHING that she puts in there. As for taking the dog to a vet, of course you should do so, that's why we took Maggie to the doctor within 24 hours of adopting her. We also took the dog to HER vet. If we had listened to the "friendly and welcoming" staff we would have waited a week and the chances are that she would have been too far-gone to save. The vet has spoken with the owner of Furry Friends and has convinced her of her liability by showing her the x-rays of Maggie's lungs, proving that the dog was sick at the time of purchase. We are not trying to get anything out of this other than covering the medical that we are paying for now. Remember we have been paying for all of her care ourselves since the adoption; we had a very small Christmas with our kids in order to continue her medical treatment. I believe that this is proof enough of our love for Maggie. This never would have been an issue had the dog been seen by a vet prior to our adoption of her. The lesson to be learned from all of this is RESCUE GROUPS and SHELTERS are the places that we should be giving our money to. They are people who truly have no other interest other than finding a great home for the animals that they rescue.

I don't understand why a pet store or breeder requires you to take your new companion animal to a vet within a certain amount of time. The rescues I work with take the animal to the vet, get shots as necessary, heartworm tests as necessary, and the animal is spayed/neutered. We do not require anyone to take any adopted animal to the vet unless they just want to (and some people feel better if their vet sees the animal)and we do encourage them to take the animal to "visit" the vet just to get used to the vet's office and people working there. Our foster animals aren't housed so closely together that they would get kennel cough or any other transmittable illness. We don't guarantee against any defects because we don't have backgrounds on most of the animals that come into foster care. We don't charge anywhere near the price that a pet store or a breeder would charge. I would think when paying that amount of money for an animal, it would be 100% healthy and fully guaranteed against any genetic defects.

wow...lady your a great story teller...to bad its fiction. i have been to furry friends..it is a very well kept place and very welcomeing and friendly staff. obviously , any body who knows anything about animals knows..that yes puppies to get kennel cough and other illness, and thats why its you duty as a pet owner to take a dog to the vet...and if you turely cared for "maggie" you would gladly pay any price to see your beloved famly pet healthy.i have actually purchased a kitten about one year ago from furry friends and if you know how to read then hopefully you read the contract stateing that they do not pay vet bills and its your responsablity to take the dog to the vet and keep on its shots, its commen sense, not all of us have it, as you have proven.i suggest your shouldnt slander a bissness you know nothing about. every bussness ..wether its retail fast food or a pet shop you always have those few custemers that are never satisfied and so you do what you can move on. but i did enjoy the story it was truely a masterpeice.

12-07/2004: We went back to the vet's office for Maggie's blood test results and her white blood cell count is almost 5 times the normal range. What this means is that the infection she is suffering from is so severe it is evident that she had this infection for many weeks and was not treated. Her protein level was half what it should have been confirming the animals control officers statement that the food those animals were given was garbage.



We also confirmed that this vet was no longer working with her due to her refusal to make what changes he saw necessary in her environment for the animals. He had no idea where she was getting the antibiotics she was giving to customers. Even if she is working with another vet who is providing her with these medications, it is illegal to give any dog any medication without a prescription from a vet for that specific dog. She should not be in possession of any medication at all and should not be the one giving the diagnosis and treatment plan like she did for Maggie.



He went on to say that he has seen many, many dogs that came into his hospital very sick after being purchased from Furry Friends pet store. One of his concerns was that all of the puppies were being kept in crampt kennels spreading any germs the dogs might have and also the pine shavings that fill the cages.



These shavings can cause great upper respitory problems from the dust they produce. The vet even wondered if she was in fact giving the dogs their vaccinations like she said she was. The greatest problem we are dealing with now is trying to rescue our Pomeranian from this store.



I believe that if she can't sell her for what she is asking then the dog will become a part of one of the puppy mills the store does business with. According to the state of California health and safety regulations the owner of such stores must also post a sign on the kennel of every dog stating what state the dog was born in.



This is done in an effort to try and control the huge outbreaks of puppy mills not to mention the spread of distemper for which there is no cure. We have spoken to animal control and they have confirmed that they receive approximately 3 calls a week complaining about the business practices of Furry Friends.



How is this woman allowed to stay in business? There are also multiple reports on file with the Better Business Bureau. I am desperately trying to find other people and animals who have been victimized by this woman.

If you can get the vet to do it (if this is truly a store's recommended vet it may be tough), get a signed statement that the dog was ill and the vet's diagnosis. Get the names of all medications and go to the District Attorney's office. Tell them you wish to file a complaint against the pet store for selling a sick animal. Then take your case to small claims court to get the pet store to pay the bill.



Visit Kind Planet at http://www.kindplanet.org. Their main office is based in CA and they do a lot of work to stop pet store abuse. If you are worried about the dog you left at the pet store, contact the local news media with your story, both newspaper and television. You should always have your own vet picked out before you get any companion animal. You can generally get a recommendation on a good vet from a humane society or rescue group. And be prepared to spend more on your animal throughout it's lifetime than what you just spent.

If you can get the vet to do it (if this is truly a store's recommended vet it may be tough), get a signed statement that the dog was ill and the vet's diagnosis. Get the names of all medications and go to the District Attorney's office. Tell them you wish to file a complaint against the pet store for selling a sick animal. Then take your case to small claims court to get the pet store to pay the bill.



Visit Kind Planet at http://www.kindplanet.org. Their main office is based in CA and they do a lot of work to stop pet store abuse. If you are worried about the dog you left at the pet store, contact the local news media with your story, both newspaper and television. You should always have your own vet picked out before you get any companion animal. You can generally get a recommendation on a good vet from a humane society or rescue group. And be prepared to spend more on your animal throughout it's lifetime than what you just spent.

If you can get the vet to do it (if this is truly a store's recommended vet it may be tough), get a signed statement that the dog was ill and the vet's diagnosis. Get the names of all medications and go to the District Attorney's office. Tell them you wish to file a complaint against the pet store for selling a sick animal. Then take your case to small claims court to get the pet store to pay the bill.



Visit Kind Planet at http://www.kindplanet.org. Their main office is based in CA and they do a lot of work to stop pet store abuse. If you are worried about the dog you left at the pet store, contact the local news media with your story, both newspaper and television. You should always have your own vet picked out before you get any companion animal. You can generally get a recommendation on a good vet from a humane society or rescue group. And be prepared to spend more on your animal throughout it's lifetime than what you just spent.

If you can get the vet to do it (if this is truly a store's recommended vet it may be tough), get a signed statement that the dog was ill and the vet's diagnosis. Get the names of all medications and go to the District Attorney's office. Tell them you wish to file a complaint against the pet store for selling a sick animal. Then take your case to small claims court to get the pet store to pay the bill.



Visit Kind Planet at http://www.kindplanet.org. Their main office is based in CA and they do a lot of work to stop pet store abuse. If you are worried about the dog you left at the pet store, contact the local news media with your story, both newspaper and television. You should always have your own vet picked out before you get any companion animal. You can generally get a recommendation on a good vet from a humane society or rescue group. And be prepared to spend more on your animal throughout it's lifetime than what you just spent.