Furry Friends sold me fatally ill dog, refused to give refund, assaulted family member, screamed obscene words at my grieving mother Norco California

I have never bought a puppy from Furry Friends nor would I purchase a puppy from ANY pet store.

I am, however a dog trainer and happened to drive by the store one day and decided to stop in.
From the faade, the store looks beautiful. Well kept and lots of valuable dog training supplies. Once I entered the back room however, it was a different story. Not only did I see a lot of lethargic and under watered puppies but I also noticed MANY puppies with mange, signs of kennel cough and distemper. Considering I'm not a vet, I did not say anything but left the store quickly before my emotions could take over. You see, one of the puppies was so bad off not only did it have signs of mange but it had a runny nose and I could see it's entire rib cage as well as spine!
Less than a week after my visit, all my dogs came down with kennel Cough. Coincidence?
It's my own stupidity for entering the store in the first place and it wasn't fair for me to jeopardize any of my dogs' health just to see that cute puppy in the window.

Just remember folks, Nothing is as is seems and when you purchase a puppy from these stores, you are supporting puppy mills.
Please start educating yourself as to what is really happening when you buy from a pet store.
I encourage you to check out this site www.nopuppymills.com as it is very informative.

I pray that justice will be served but don't count on it. The only way to put these store owners out is by NOT buying their merchandise.

C'mon, "D" (dumb?) I assume you're referring to Lake HAVASU? Gee....how strange! A 'resident' of the city can't correctly spell its name.
.
If it is your mission to assuage the damage done by numerous complaints, it ain't gunna' work Bub. Your smarmy, questionable post is not believable.
.
Future damage control for "Furry Friends" might be more effective if you: [1]Choose a city you're capable of spelling [2] Reduce the number of dogs [3]Learn to spell, I.E.:"addintion, puupy,experice....Oh yeah-and the city of your alleged residence.
.
What a crock!

Hello people. I implore everyone who is considering buying a puppy not to go to a pet store for one. Nevermind that they are always overpriced and often sick. The main reason not to buy from a pet store is you are supporting the
ugly puppy mill business if you do. Please research puppy mills on the internet, you will be sickened by what these poor "breeder" dogs have to go thru.

The pet stores always say " these pups are bought from local , reputable breeders. That is a crock, make them show you the paperwork on these pups.

I don't agree with PETA and other extremist animal rights groups, but this is just to much
to choke down. Look up puppy mills, I dare you.

First of all, I am confused as to why if you live in Arizona you would drive all the way to Norco to buy a pet. Secondly, PETA, the Norco Animal Control, the City Council, the District Attorney, and a whole bunch of other public officials are looking into the business practices of Furry Friends. Why would all these people be investigating this store if they were such a great place to buy from? I'm happy you bought healthy animals from Furry Friends....you were lucky. My family, and countless others, were not. I have been in contact with 8 other people who bought animals from Furry Friends that became ill or died within days of purchase. This is not normal.

Anyone who wants a pet...go to your local shelter. The animals there are vaccinated, reasonably priced, and in need of a loving home.

I just want to say that I have gotten our last 3 dogs from Furry Friends. We got our first one 4 years ago it was a mix breed lab. Jack is wonderful and we just love him so much that when we decided to get him a playmate of course we went back to Furry Friends. This time we got a pure lab and she was also a wonderful addintion to our family. My husband and I retired last year and moved out of state but when we decided at the first of the month we would like another dog for our family and we called Furry Friends and we made the trip down to get another dog. We are so happy with Bubba he is also a lab mix. We just had him at the Vet for his puupy shots and they gave him a clean bill of health. My experice with them was very pleasant and I would recommend them to anyone that is looking for a puppy or kitten.

Pet store center of lawsuit

NORCO: A family says they were sold a sick puppy. The owner says the allegations are false.

01:19 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 23, 2005

By SONJA BJELLAND / The Press-Enterprise

A series of allegations made against a Norco puppy store have city officials investigating and one family suing.

A lawsuit recently filed by the Quaas family against the Furry Friends Pet Store accuses the business of selling them a sick animal and then refusing to pay for veterinary bills and home disinfecting.

However, Furry Friends Pet Store passes the city inspections, which occur about once a week because of complaints to the city. Store owner Michele Monsoor said the accusations are false and is planning a $20,000 countersuit.

On August 3, the Quaas family had to euthanize their 12-year-old dog, Jet. To comfort her mother, Heather Quaas and her father decided to buy a new dog. A week later, they purchased a cocker spaniel for $592 from Furry Friends.

After purchasing the puppy, the store gave the family medicines for the dog's cough. The following day, the Quaases took the puppy, named Scout, to the Animal and Bird Hospital in Norco. After tests, the veterinarian diagnosed the dog with distemper, Heather Quaas said. The store sent the Quaas' a letter from its veterinarian saying the dog had kennel cough.

"They totally preyed on us," she said. "We'd just had to put down a dog."

Distemper, a contagious, incurable and often fatal disease, affects unvaccinated puppies. Pet store puppies are not required to have vaccines. Monsoor said the puppy is in good health and remains at the store, therefore it couldn't have had distemper. The store sells between 100 and 150 dogs each month.

"Whenever you deal with animals, there's always a problem," Monsoor said. "Her dog is not sick. She's going after me."

The city inspects the business each time they receive a complaint, but many of the problems are civil and not dealing with legal food or animal control regulations, said Rene Power, superintendent of animal control and equestrian services for the city. The emotions brought on by the problems also make the city's investigating difficult.

Everyone who adopts or purchases an animal signs a contract allowing them to return the dog within 15 days for health problems other than worms.

"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 bringing their puppy back to us for treatment at no charge as long as they are within their health guarantee," Monsoor wrote in response to one of the complaints from another unhappy customer, Sage Julson.

Julson became one of a list at the Web site www.ripoffreport.com that includes complaints about deaths of eight dogs, including the Quaas'. Monsoor said some of the claims are false.

After going to the veterinarian, the Quaas family went to the store to return the dog for a refund. A store employee took the dog, said Laura Quaas, who was there. An altercation ensued and Riverside County Sheriff's deputies were called.

Sgt. Mike Judge confirmed the agency has responded to the Hamner Avenue store twice in the past three months and are investigating the incident.

The store gave the family a refund as required under California's puppy lemon law. The family is now suing for the money spent on veterinary bills, disinfection of their home and yard, lost pay and pain and suffering.

After the ordeal, the family complained to Norco city officials, who conducted another inspection. Norco animal control can inspect the place to ensure the animals have proper housing with food and water available, Power said. The animals must have proper paperwork identifying where they came from and records of veterinarian visits.

Distemper and Parvo are common problems for puppies, and the city shelter begins vaccinating at 5 weeks old, she said.

"It's hard to get a good immunity built up with these puppies before you give them to a new home," Power said. "It's each individual dog and how well their immune system is."

The Julsons had a similar story.

Two years ago, Julson and her husband purchased a mixed-breed puppy at the store for a friend. The dog was fine and reasonably priced. This summer, her husband returned to find a similar puppy.

The puppy became ill and they took the dog back for the store. Julson does not know what happened to "Rocky," but the store did pay for the cost of the puppy and health bills. Monsoor said the puppy was "barely sick" and has been adopted by another family.

"I was in love with that puppy," Julson said.

Julson wants to see the state provide more options for animal control when faced with such complaints. Blood testing is the only way she thinks officials will learn what is making the dogs sick.

"I'm disgusted," she said. "I'm really hurt and angry and sad."