Rescue Adoption Puppy Dies PLEASE HELP WITH ADVICE - Page 1

I adopted a 7 week old puppy from a rescue in California. Within a few days of getting the puppy home she went into seizures and lost control of rear legs. She was rushed to the vet who diagnosed coccidia and "possible" distemper.  Her littermate was diagnosed with distemper via blood tests. Ultimately I had to euthanize the puppy. Her littermate also did not make it. Of course, I was devastated but now would like the cost of my puppy returned ($450_ as well as my Vet bills of around $800). The Rescue founder offered a new puppy (but she won't "deal" in puppies anymore) or return of the adoption fee if I sign a long legal document stating I will not say anything about her publicly. She flat out refuses to reimburse any Vet bills.  Now she won't even honor her offer of returning adoption fee.  I am now going to small claims court to try to recover some of my money.  I simply cannot find anything legal written that would substantiate my case. (other than my contract with her) I wonder if anyone knows my LEGAL rights??? I signed an adoption agreement which was pretty standard. In the spay and neuter agreement portion it states:

I further agree that I am receiving a healthy puppy
who has not been exposed to Parvo/Distempter and is not fully immunized. I agree that should my
puppy be exposed to and acquire Parvo or Distemper after adoption, treatment will be at my expense

The Rescuer fully admitted in several emails that the puppy "had to have had distemper when she got her".

So, is there anyone out there saavy at the law or who can direct me to something that will help me in writing so I do not end up with egg on my face! BTW..she also claims to be 501C3 and is using an EIN number that does not belong to her, but rather to another Rescue who had it revoked in January.

I do not know if BREEDER laws would apply or if it is different for RESCUE adoptions?   (ie lemon puppy law)

 

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/lemon_ca.html

http://www.dogplay.com/Breeding/lemonlaw.html

Some rescues are scammers just like any crappy puppy mill. Buyer be ware.

Sounds like a BYB parading around as a rescue to get some cash for pups. I'm not aware of any legit rescue in CA that would rehome at 7 weeks.

I run a rescue not sure I agree with what was said. I deal with CA rescues (Im in NV) so if you would like to PM me, maybe I can assist you further.

Where did she get the puppy? Did she get the dog from the shelter OR take mom and pups in OR was the puppy born at her home? Distemper is pretty discernable and the incubation period is short. What kind of vaccines did she give prior to the dog coming into your home. Its possible the vaccine was not good. How long did she have the puppies? Did you go to her home? Where did you pick up the dog? Lots of questions so I'm not sure that blaming the rescue entirely is right. You could have infected the puppy. What groups/shelters did you visit before getting this puppy?  I dont know of any rescues that would titer for this BEFORE placing dogs. Sometimes these things happen. Its unfortunate but it happens. We cant always control diseases that dogs get when they are pulled from the shelter. Honestly if it were me, I would refund the adoption fee but would not pay for vet bills. I'm sure she didn't do this on purpose.

A 501c3 does not make a rescue any more legit than a rescue that is not a 501c3. I wish adopters would understand this because tax status as absolutely nothing to do with quality of care. And because rescues network and pull for other rescues, stating that they are not 501c3 means absolutely zero to me. What kind of a dog are we talking about?

Barb
 

Side note:  You need to treat your yard and home, any where the puppy has been.  If I remember correctly, distemper, like PARVO, can live in the ground for years.    

Recommendations for treatment:

yard - Mixture of bleach and water sprayed on whole yard;  1/4 to 3/4 split.  Should not harm grass.  Sray enough to get it on the ground, but not enough for run off.    

House - Full wipe down with Clorox wipes or a disinfectant of some sorts.

Talk to your vet about how long distemper will live in ground after treatment.

I work for a 501(c)3 that rescues animals and I am in California. I am simply speaking from my experience. We would never rehome a puppy that young and we would definitely not say, "Oh, it died? Here, have a replacement." That is what makes me think it is not legit. Legit rescues spend a lot of time and resources to make sure that an animal is placed in a suitable home and would not just hand out replacements like candy.

You don't need to have 501(c)3 status to be legit. But to falsely claim that you are AND use another rescue's number is very fishy. All of these inconsistencies adding up is what makes me think it sounds like a BYB. $450 is also a little steep to pay for an adoption fee and I live in one of the most expensive cities in CA. I could be wrong but either way, it still sounds suspicious.

Ive been in contact with this poster and she is NOT the person whose dog died. Nor was the puppy 7 weeks old. PM me if you want more information. I wont post it here.

I am reminded that those who post are not always up front and may just be fishing.........Grrrrrrr

Disgusting trollery !  Thanks for finding that out Barb.

i dont have advice but a while back we got a 3 month old dalmation puppy. he was called coco after his brown spots.we had him for five and a half months when he got a bad cough. we took him to the vets and they gave us some medication but it didnt work.the cough stayed the same but the vets told us to ignore it and it would go away. soon after, we noticed his gums went white as there was no oxigen getting to them. we rushed him to the vets and they said that they would run blood tests, an xray and an ECG. we went home, confident that the vets could fix him up and we would be able to pick him up soon. we went to our friends but on the way there we got a call off the vets. apparently he had an oversized heart and it was crushing his lungs. we had the option of putting him down or bringing him home but if we brought him home, he would only live for a week. that would make him passing away harder for us to deal with. we decided that we would put him down. he got put down on the day he turned 6 months old. me and my sisters were heartbroken.  we picked up his ashes and called the woman who sold him to us. she had already had another litter.she refused to give us our money back but offered us another dog. we said no as if it was in the dogs genes, we couldnt put up with the pain of loosing another one. we took her to court and got all the money including vet bills. we got over 900 pounds and she has been banned from breeding dogs due to overbreeding. we won but could never deal with the pain of that happening again.