August 11, 2011
Chain of events since purchasing a puppy from Tessa Miller/Roman Miller/John Miller on August 6, 2011.
8/6/11-We drove to 6645 Saltcreek Rd, Fredricksburg, OH on August 6, 20011, we had to leave at 4:00 a.m. It is a 4 hour trip each way. We arrived there at approximately 8:30 a.m. Approaching the property you would never know there were any animals there, the outside is meticulous. We were greeted by Tessa Miller who took us into the basement where they had the puppies. They were in small crates stacked on top of each other. Some puppies were in a puppy playpen and were standing and laying in their own feces and urine, it was dark in there and she explained the house didn't have any electricity. There were approximately 12 or more puppies in that basement. We took 3 puppies outside to see them run around, one of the puppies went to the bathroom and it was runny feces. She said well John is treating them with yogurt. We asked if the mom and dad of the dogs were on the property, she said yes. We then asked to see the adults (mom and dad) and were told to leave our children outside because the dogs might get wound up. I found that strange cause English bulldogs of any size love children and attention. We walked into a barn area and into another room and there were approximately 6 dogs in that area, again, standing and sitting in their own feces and urine, most of the females were recovering from many births as per their bodies showed signs of it. The father of the puppy we purchased just stood there and didnt really acknowledge we were there, kind of in a stance. None of them barked. They had recently purchased a younger male and he had feces all over his left side. He was white and brindle but very dirty. There was a female at the end of the kennels, she had most of her fur missing. Tessa Miller called it when they throw their coat, she was covered in sores, most of her hair was gone, and she looked horrible. All of the animals in this area looked dirty and seemed very sad. One female never moved just sat there with her head down. We exited that area and yet again, on our way out we saw another three story puppy crate system with more puppies, this time outside and again, puppies were not clean, there were also beagles there and a dog that was around a corner peeking at us, when we asked Tessa Miller what dog is that, she said oh she isn't friendly. That is not good cause she was the mother of the puppies right there in the crate system and they were all sold! We went back to the puppies who were still outside and picked ours, at that point I guess my heart was too into them, we had recently lost our female bulldog and I so desperately wanted to have another, 4 hour drive, no sleep, all 7 of my children saying pick one, pick one, and I did. I look back now and think we should have left immediately but we didn't. We should have run for the hills, but I took a gamble and bought a puppy. I really never saw dogs that were in a kennel before so this was a first for me, every other bulldog we had was either delivered or we met them halfway to purchase them. We paid Tessa Miller 1800.00 and signed the contract, a lot of good that did us, she will not honor it. We drove back to Johnstown, PA and driving home I realized this puppy had a horrible smell coming from her, I vaguely remember Tessa Miller saying be careful if you hold them, they kind of smell. Boy did she ever! Probably from never being bathed or standing in her own feces and urine and all her litter mates being in with her. I finally got to really look at her and she had a mild rash on her belly, I figured maybe because she was so low to the ground and she had rubbed on the deck or on our driveway. One of ours years ago was very low and her belly was kind of red, so I dismissed it. The puppy avoided us most of the day when we went home, I summed it up to never having much human contact in a dark basement area. She cried and barked all night, like most puppies. We were thrilled though!
8/7/2011
Upon getting up on Sunday morning, 8/7/2011, my seven year old son said the puppy is bleeding. He was scared. We noticed bloody stools and a bloody discharge coming from the puppy, I panicked, none of our dogs ever had this. Her rash on her stomach was worse and she was now coughing and gagging. I called Tessa Miller and she said well right now I am trying to help my uncle he was in some sort of accident, but later I will ask my brother-in-law John and see what we wants to do, I say well I want to bring her back, she shouldn't be doing this already and it hasn't even been 24 hours here and she is a mess. I said I am worried about this puppy! She said well I will ask John want he wants to do. She said her uncle was in an accident and had to go deal with that and she would drive to John's and call me back. I called and no answer, so I left messages saying she is sick and needs to be returned to Ohio. Finally she called explaining she was with her uncle and her brother-in-law instructed her to tell us to take her to a vet, I said well I will try but all vets are closed on a Sunday night at 7 at night. I hung up and called 2 different vets, both times a machine saying we reopen on Monday. We didnt have a vet, because we don't own any other animals. So all I could do is call and make a new puppy appointment. I called her and told her this is crazy she has to assume responsibility and take the puppy back. She said well he wants to go to a vet first then we will decide what to do.
8/8/2011
No calls from her asking how the puppy was doing, no nothing, wouldn't you be worried about a puppy you sold if you knew it was sick? Seems fishy. Every time I called she said the same thing, take her to a vet, I called a vet first thing, August 8, 2011, and they gave me their first available new puppy appointment on August 9, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. I told her this is ridiculous and needs to be resolved. She said well we have so many other puppies here already to sell so I can't take her back. CRAZY! She said these are all normal puppy things that happen. Really? I have owned many different dogs and never had to take them to a vet except for a shot! She argued that all puppies have issues and bulldogs have greater issues, I know all of this, I have owned them. She said her vet said the bloody stools came from the trip and from being stressed with children around her cause she never had any around her, which is crazy cause the house where we bought this puppy had 4 children living there. Excuses, excuses, the puppy is sick! Monday night I noticed fleas crawling on her, I do not have any other pets and she wasn't around any other animals, so they came from the place where she was raised, I have documentation that states fleas don't come overnight, it takes 6-8 weeks to incubate. The fleas didn't come from us, we don't own any other animals and the puppy wasn't outside. The fleas came out, so it came from them.
8/9/2011
Took her to the vet. Vet states clearly that she has fleas, a rash both of her lungs are congested, (documented) and she will be treated for the bloody stools. He said this medication will be dirt cheap to treat her. Not true. Three different medications (Clavamox, Metroniadazole, Temaril-P) $100.60, frontline he said buy on your own about $40.00. I called her from the vet office and she said well like he said these are treatable conditions that all dogs get and the lung thing is from your AC she isn't used to it, I said I do not have AC! She said well these are all still normal things dogs get, obviously you can't afford the upkeep of a dog. I nicely said to her, I want to bring her back, I will pay for all her meds, just refund me when we get there. She again stated I have other puppies already here that I have to sell, bringing her back is just another dog to sell. I was floored. I called and called and kept saying we have to bring her back. She basically stated we will not take her back. She says this is a correctable condition and her contract doesn't honor it. So sell a dog that is sick and make the owner pay for all the aliments and hope they go away. The vet stated, this could go away or it couldn't he really couldn't say either way.
8/10/2011
I faxed her the 6 page document she asked for stating all of the puppies health issues, the vet's notes, the vet bill as per her saying they would pay it, which they haven't. I plainly stated we were giving her till morning 8/11/11 to resolve this. I have heard nothing from Tessa Miller or John Miller. I am forced to do what I have do, $1800, $100.60, $40.00, plus a contract that clearly stated she was to be in good health. This is not fair and to be giving a puppy 3 different medications, twice a day, and we have her only 5 days, this is crazy and not fair. I called within 15 hours to tell her we wanted to bring her back, she was sick and she would not let us. Something must be done.
8/11/2011
I called Tessa Miller, of course I had to call her to see if she received my fax, (she claims no responsibility to any of this, she will not call and check the prognosis of her puppy)she said they will not refund the money or take the puppy back. She says these are all normal things and we just can't handle a new puppy. I asked her if having a puppy for less than 24 hours and it getting sick is normal. She said yes, these are all normal conditions? Congested lungs, rash, sore paws, treated for blood in stools? Not normal to me. She refuses to do anything for us or the puppy. I told her we will have to see further action and good-bye. She told me she sold a puppy once that was on antibiotics. She said these are all normal things, then why in 30 some years of my life have I never had to deal with it, not with a brand new puppy. If you had the puppy for 3 weeks, a month I could see, but to spend 1800.00 and immediately have all these health issues, who is to say what kind of puppy/dog that will ever be. Very scary and very wrong all of this.
The condition of all of their dogs, the way they are being handled, not being socialized, not being handled daily, not caring about them once they are sold, is very sad and it should be stopped. We are out of almost $2000.00 and now nursing the puppy back to health. What choice do we have, she will not take this puppy back, probably because she knows she is sick.
I hope something can be done to help me and to stop this person from doing it again. If you have 16 or more puppies at 1800.00 a puppy, I think you can afford to treat them like a king or queen, not like the prisoners they all are. |
