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Old May 15th, 2006, 06:43 AM
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Swanky_Kitten Swanky_Kitten is offline
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Thumbs down Wizard of Claws

I saw a story on CNN last night..it makes me sick

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/11/onl...ies/index.html
There is a video in the link of the report

PEMBROKE PINES, Florida (CNN) -- Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, singer Jon Secada and the Osbournes, known for their hit MTV show, all have one thing in common: They bought dogs from the same place. But a CNN investigation finds the company that sold them their pets has many unhappy customers.

The Wizard of Claws, also know as Celebrity Kennels, is based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The company is run by husband and wife team Jim and Gilda Anderson.

They've been in business about five years and offer what they describe as top-of-the-line teacup- and toy-size dogs on the Internet, for as much as $5,000 each.

They advertise that their company is the nation's premier supplier of puppies to the stars and claim annual sales of up to $5 million. The company does not breed dogs, but sells them on the Internet and at its Florida location.

Jennifer Pura of California bought a Shih Tzu from the company in January of 2005.

The dog that Pura named Tucker cost $3,500. But Tucker immediately had several health problems. Vet records show Tucker had internal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease and daily seizures.

To treat Tucker, Pura had to fork out another $5,000 in vet bills over the next year. Pura says to make up for some of the costs the company sent her a second dog, a Yorkie named Romeo, free of charge.

But Romeo was even sicker and died within a month.

CNN made repeated requests to interview Jim Anderson. He agreed to a telephone interview in which he said: "There's no financial motives or gain from sending out sick dogs. Dogs get sick from shipping caused by stress." He estimated that only 8 percent of his company's 9,000 sales over the past five years have generated complaints.

The president of the Companion Animal Protection Society, Deborah Howard, suggests that instead of buying a dog on the Internet, deal directly with a reputable breeder.

"When you go to a reputable breeder, you're not going to find a lot of dogs that have kennel cough, that have giardia and coccidia [internal parasites]."

Howard claims many dogs sold online come from puppy mills, where dogs are bred in mass quantities and where conditions are often crowded and unsanitary. And, she says, there is very little oversight by any federal or local agency. The federal government licenses breeders but not pet stores.

Still, buying a dog on the Web is a growing trend. According to the trade organization American Pet Products Manufactures Association, 150,000 dogs are bought online annually.

CNN has learned Celebrity Kennel's Anderson is a convicted drug felon, and in 2003 he was slapped with six violations under the Animal Welfare Act. The violations included failing to provided proper vet care and selling animals less than 8 weeks of age, against Florida law.

The Florida attorney general has an open investigation and several dissatisfied customers have filed lawsuits against the company. A Web site started by a dissatisfied customer is called "stop-wizard-of-claws." Anderson is suing that customer for $4.4 million and wants the site shut down.

As for the celebrity customers, a spokesperson for Jennifer Love Hewitt told CNN the dog she received from Celebrity Kennels had several health issues that required costly vet care. The Osbournes, however, told CNN they had no problems with their dogs.

Singer Jon Secada and his wife Mari bought their first family dog, a Maltese named Sunshine, from Celebrity Kennels last August. The Secadas trusted they were in good hands because of the company's other famous customers.

But their $1,000 dog ended up having kennel cough for more than a month and a tooth problem that cost another $1,000 to fix. The Secadas were also told their dog came from a specialized breeder.

But CNN discovered that Celebrity Kennels actually bought their dog on an online auction. The Secadas say they'd never buy a dog from the company again.

Meanwhile, Tucker still has health problems. "Every time Tucker sneezes or is laying around too much. I'm constantly worried that something is wrong with him, which is not the way it's supposed to be," Pura said. "It's supposed to be fun and it's supposed to lighten up your life and instead it's made it sad and hard."
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Last edited by Swanky_Kitten; May 15th, 2006 at 06:47 AM.
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Old May 15th, 2006, 11:16 AM
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That place sounds just terrible. A puppy mill (or buyer from puppy mills) with a fancy facade.

At the same time . . . I've got to wonder about these celebrities who buy a dog there because "Other famous people got their dog there, teehee!" What a great reason.

I looked at the message board at www.stopwizardsofclaws.com and although my heart ached for some of the people on the board, others I had no sympathy for . . . Like the person who bought a supposedly "teacup" dog for her son which grew larger than expected "and now my son is heartbroken." WTF??

Or how about this one . . . the lady bought a dog who was horribly sick and then saw another adorable Yorkie on their website and posted how she wanted to "rescue it" (buy it.) The other posters basically told her she was an idiot and told her to find a reputable breeder and her response was "But it's sooo hard to find a good breeder of Yorkies!" *facepalm*

I know some of the people buying their dogs genuinely love them and were just uninformed, but that place seems to attract more than its share of customers with more money than brains, IMO. Not that it makes what Wizards of Claws does any less reprehensible . . . I hope to God they get shut down forever.

~LM~
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Old May 15th, 2006, 11:31 AM
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I know! My papillon is *gasp* 14 lbs when they said he would be 10, hes 2 inches higher then the breeder standard and his ears don't stand the way they should but i love him even more because of it..it makes him special Anyways i was sidetracked. I feel bad for people who have lost their dogs..but dogs are not shoes or a bag and should not be bought and sold online, i don't understand how people can buy a living thing online ...its good for celebrities so its good for me!

Stop wizard of claws is offline...the guy who runs wizard of claws is suing the woman who runs that website for 4 million dollars!!!!

This sounds so diluted but im tired..forgive me lol
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Last edited by Swanky_Kitten; May 15th, 2006 at 11:33 AM.
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Old May 15th, 2006, 11:51 AM
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The scary thing is that that's just how some people think . . . "Oh, so-and-so got a teacup smorkieoodle and they're famous, so I'll get one too and be as cool as they are!"

A coworker bought two chihuahuas with the intention of having them be Paris-Hilton-esque "purse dogs" who would go with her everywhere. Then they got larger than they "should be" and she wanted to get rid of them! I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this. I started talking about how the animal shelter where we got my dog said she was six months old and would be a medium sized dog and then it turned out she was three months old and grew up to be a large dog. "But I would never think of getting rid of her," I said pointedly, "because she's my dog and I love her."

Well, then she backpedaled and said she wouldn't get rid of her dogs . . . But a few months later she started talking about how when the dogs got older she was going to breed one of them to her friend's French bulldog to sell the puppies in the front window of her friend's hairdressing shop!!!

Happily, her dogs (both male) started marking their territory on her furniture, which caused her to get them neutered. THANK GOD. She didn't buy her dogs online, but she's just the kind of person who would go for that sort of thing.

~LM~
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Old May 15th, 2006, 12:01 PM
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Swanky_Kitten Swanky_Kitten is offline
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There are way too many things wrong with that..you did better in the situation then i would of..i cant bite my tounge..a chihuahua and French bulldog??? come on..and a window of a hair dressing salon is such a safe place for dogs
I vounteer at my local humane society..we have cockapoos and labradoodles in now becuase..well they arent hypoallergenic like the breeder said..
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Old May 15th, 2006, 10:06 PM
joeysmama joeysmama is offline
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This is all so sad. Dogs are not living creatures to be protected. They're merchandise. What a twisted mind set.

My mother is really into the Judge Juday and People's Court type of shows. One day there was a case involving a pet store or back yard breeder. The woman who was suing claimed that the seller gave her misinformation. As the dog grew it was very clear that he was not the breed they had been led to believe.

The seller said he would take the dog back. She was livid. She did not want to give the dog back. She said he was part of the family and they loved him. It didn't matter to her that he was bigger than they expected or that he wasn't the breed they were looking for. What she really wanted was to raise awareness of the hazards of buying from someone who is not reputable or ethical.

The judge sided with the plaintiff. A small victory but maybe it made some people more aware.
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