Caveat Emptor

One of my neighbors has a new "designer" puppy named Remy. Remy is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a shih tzu and is very cute and perky. I tell you this because Remy came from a pet store in New York City--a very spur of the moment decision by this neighbor and her daughter.

You are all well versed in the evils of purchasing a puppy from a pet store but so far Remy seems to be just fine. The Pennsylvania Attorney General, however, has come one step closer to shutting down one of the major suppliers of these pet stores, the Stolfuzes, who operate CC Pets L. L. C.

According to the Inquirer, the allegations against the Stolfuzes stem from false advertisement. They failed to identify their business in 884 ads both on internet sites and in at least four newspapers. In addition, the request to close the operation "alleges hundreds of violations of a three-year-old consumer-fraud settlement over the sale of sick puppies."

Libby Williams, founder of New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse, reports that she had "received at least 100 complaints from anguished families who bought what they thought were healthy puppies from the Stolfuzes." "They spent a few hundred dollars for a puppy; they never anticipated they'd have to spend thousands more trying to save the dog's life," says Williams.

Of course there is no way of knowing just where Remy came from--chances are she did come from a puppy mill but perhaps not from the one in question--and I hope he lives a long, healthy and happy life.

But please, caveat emptor, buyer beware and be informed. Not everyone is as lucky as Remy's owners.