Couple raise concerns after big bills follow online puppy purchase

A North York couple is warning those who shop for pets online after they were sold a sick puppy by someone they say gave a false impression that the dog they were buying was in good health.

Liza Shepherd and Jeff Berger say they thought they had been careful during their year-long search for a pet.

"We tried to be very cautious about who we were buying from and the conditions for the dog," said Berger. The couple, who just returned from their honeymoon, responded to an ad on Kijiji about a month ago for a female Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. They arranged to meet a woman and see a puppy in mid-December.

"We had no reason to distrust her. She seemed to have everything in order," said Berger. "She seemed to be legitimate. She gave us a proper breeder contract. She really spoke with a lot of love the for dog it seemed."

The seller even provided the couple with a signed certificate from a veterinarian stating that he had examined the dog and gave her shots and a clean bill of health.

But they say the dog was definitely not healthy when they picked her up on Jan. 6.

"The dog came out of her car covered in pink vomit. It turned out she fed the dog Pepto Bismol to combat what she said was car sickness," said Berger. When the puppy continued to be lethargic and didn't eat or drink, they thought she was unaccustomed to her new home.

But within 24 hours the dog's condition deteriorated, so they rushed her to the emergency vet clinic around the corner. There she was diagnosed with parvo virus, something the vet's report indicated she was vaccinated against.

Still they agreed to a lengthy treatment which turned out to be very expensive.
"It cost us $6,000 for a dog we had less for than 24 hours," said Shepherd.

The couple say they believe the paperwork presented by the seller was for a male German Shepherd, not the female Bernese Mountain Dog they bought.

CBC Toronto contacted Dr. Harbhajan Luthra, the vet who inspected the dog. He said dog was given a series of vaccinations, including one for parvo virus. When asked how a puppy vaccinated for parvo could have contracted the virus, Luthra said vaccinations are not 100 per cent effective. Also, he said parvo has an incubation period that could allow the dog to contract the virus before the vaccine became effective. Luthra said the dog was one of four he inspected for the vendor on the same visit.

He confirmed the dog's purchaser contacted him last week about an inspection report for a different dog, a German Shepard cross, that he inspected on the same day. When asked why the purchaser had inspection and vaccination documents for the wrong dog, Luthra said it could have been "an honest mistake" by the vendor.

Luthra, who has been operating the Roundstone Mobile Veterinary Services for six years, said he inspects up to 15 puppies a month for the vendor.

​Eventually, the vendor did get back to the couple who purchased the dog and refunded half their vet bill.

The dog, which they've named Abby, spent most of the week at the vets, but has since come home to her new family.

"We're gonna love this dog and give her a life much better then she would've had," said Shepherd. The couple also say they've noticed more ads they suspect were posted by the same person and have raised their concerns with Kijiji.

"This is a problem they have unfortunately encountered before," said Berger.

Shawn McIntyre is the communications manager for Kijiji Canada. He says a few years ago, the company introduced measures to help Kijiji to track the sale of pets.

While most Kijiji ads are free, there is a fee of $9.99 for ads in the Dogs For Sale category.

"The payment option allows us to collect a little more data on the person and that acts as a deterrent and allows us to have a little more information to identify a user if a bad case does come to our attention," said McIntyre.

The couple are not going public with the seller's name as they don't want to compromise an official investigation.

Ontario SPCA inspector Brandon James says while altering of medical records would be the jurisdiction of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, they would investigate reports of animals in distress.

He said buyers need to do their due diligence.

"Animals are sold every which way, so regardless of whether it's online or an ad in the paper or Facebook, do the research, ask the questions, make sure everything is as it should be," said James.

He said this includes following up on vet certificates and health guarantees to make sure they are legitimate.