The puppy was cute and expensive. And then it died
The Loy family realized pretty quickly that something was wrong with their new puppy, a red-brown bundle of fluff they christened Penny.
But they could not have imagined how much trouble they were in for when they drove into the parking lot of a Tijuana’s Tacos restaurant in Pomona to take possession of a 9- to week-old miniature goldendoodle.
They’d found Penny online and fallen in love. They’d shelled out $1, cash in March for what they thought was a pure-bred designer dog, healthy, happy and hypoallergenic. Half the money came from thenyear-old Manuel, who earned it sweeping floors in his father’s barbershop. It cleaned out his entire savings.
They eventually found out that the sellers belonged to a Phelan family whose matriarch had been the target of an FBI sting, pleaded guilty in to a federal fraud charge and was sentenced to 41 months in prison for selling sick and abused horses over the internet.
Manuel Aguilar, 11, at his home in La Habra on Monday.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones/Los Angeles Times)
But first the Loys had their hearts broken.
Penny, it turned out, wasn’t a girl. They renamed the puppy Bear and rolled with it. But he also wasn’t a goldendoodle — half golden retriever, half poodle. Instead, a veterinarian told the family, Bear was, maybe, a Maltipoo — equal parts Maltese and toy poodle. His fur wasn’t red-brown either; the dye began to wash off during his first bath in the Loy’s La Habra home.
All that was bad enough, but it got worse. Bear was only about 4 weeks old — way too young to have been taken from his mother. And he was very, very sick.
Jessica Loy is one of nine people who filed suit against the Kenney family Monday, charging that Trina and Rick Kenney and their children Elijah and Jezriel allegedly operated what the lawsuit described as “one of the worst animal peddling operations in the country — the sale of sick and diseased puppies over the internet.”
The families ended up spending thousands of dollars — on the animals, on veterinary bills, on sanitizing their homes after the dogs were diagnosed with parvovirus or distemper, on replacing furniture fouled by ailing pets who vomited or had diarrhea.
Some paid to put their dying puppies down to end their suffering. Then, they covered the cost of cremation.
Of the seven puppies named in the suit — Bear, Winnie, Teddy, Ruffles, Charlie, Stella and Sicily — none were healthy. They weren’t vaccinated, though the Kenneys supplied records of the dogs’ alleged immunizations, according to the lawsuit. They also weren’t goldendoodles or labradoodles as the Kenneys allegedly claimed in ads on Craigslist, Recycler.com and other internet sites. Four were not the sex promised.
Ruffles was surrendered to his veterinarian by his new owner, Ramtin Mehrvijeh, because Mehrvijeh couldn’t afford to save the puppy’s life. Treatment for parvovirus would have cost $6,, according to the lawsuit, money the West Hollywood man just didn’t have.
Three of the dogs died.
The Kenneys could not be reached for comment. The Times called 19 telephone numbers listed in various public records as belonging to family members. Most were disconnected, not accepting calls, or were not answered. No messages were responded to.
“We want them to refund the money and get out of town,” said Gary Praglin, a Santa Monica-based attorney who is representing the families. “Don’t sell any more dogs. Stop hurting people.
“When a kid watches a puppy die,” Praglin added, “that’s a tragedy.”
Yes, Bear died. But first, he suffered.
As the Loys — Jessica; husband Anthony; their daughters, Mariah and Isabella; his daughter, Lali; and her son, Manuel Aguilar — waited in the Tijuana’s Tacos parking lot, they say they saw a man they now know is Elijah Kenney drive up in a brand new white Mercedes Benz. As he got out of the car and approached them, Loy said, he was holding two red-brown puppies in his arms, a male and a female.
Isabella Loy, 7, does homework at her home in La Habra.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones/Los Angeles Times)
“We agreed on a girl,” Loy said. “They were so little. He said he only accepted cash. He gave us what appeared to be some kind of shot record. We knew nothing about puppies. We trusted him. On the way back to the freeway, less than 15 minutes later, the dog had diarrhea. Right away we texted them, ‘Is the puppy OK?’”
The response was comforting, Loy recounted: “Puppies, when they first leave their mothers, become homesick. It’s normal. Take her home. If there are problems, let me know.”
Back home in La Habra, the puppy still known as Penny wouldn’t eat or drink and kept vomiting. The next day, she continued to throw up and have diarrhea. Loy asked Manuel and Lali if they wanted to give Penny a bath. They took the tiny animal to the kitchen sink, got some dog soap and started to scrub.
“It was a reddish-bronze color all over our hands,” Manuel said. “It was kind of weird.”
When they took Penny to the vet the first time, they found out she was a he. The vet gave the newly named Bear fluids and suggested the family contact the sellers and get a different dog.
“They told us, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. If you have medical bills, we’ll be happy to help,’” Loy said. “The second night was really bad. The dog wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t drink, had diarrhea, was vomiting, wasn’t playing, was falling, walking, collapsing.”
The second veterinarian visit involved tests and antibiotics and more fluids. Bear was diagnosed with parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that is often fatal if left untreated. The vet told the family they could try taking Bear to an animal hospital, but it would cost at least $3, Loy said the vet added: “I can’t guarantee the dog’s going to live.”
Anthony Loy texted the sellers: “Hey, the dog has parvo.”
They texted back, Loy said: “You’re lying. Show us proof.”
Bear could barely breathe. He couldn’t walk in a straight line. He yelped in pain when he lay on his back. The vet recommended the family have him euthanized. They agreed. First, though, the children said goodbye.
“I didn’t really want to look at him that much,” said Manuel, who is now “It made me sad. I touched his stomach. It was so hard for him to breathe. I was crying.”
When the family contacted the Kenneys, they were harassed and brushed off, according to the lawsuit and texts Loy has kept. In one exchange, a woman Loy identified as Trina Kenney texted: “find me :) I’ll defend myself You never ended up buying a dog from us.”
The Kenneys are not strangers to local officials.
In April , representatives of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino Valley Humane Society, Rancho Cucamonga Animal Control and San Bernardino County Animal Control inspected the Kenney’s Phelan property. They had a search warrant.
According to the complaint: “Dogs at the location were over density, however animal control took all the dogs at the time of inspection, so there was no longer a violation.” News reports said officials were investigating a breeding and sales operation and had confiscated 32 dogs, including 17 puppies, that needed veterinary care.
It is unclear whether anything came of the investigation. No charges have been filed. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Stanley said law enforcement agents went along and helped serve the search warrant because the Humane Society did not have sufficient manpower.
“They did have some dogs there,” Stanley said. “It was a fairly nice residence. I never got into the animal cruelty part of the investigation.”
Representatives of the San Bernardino Valley Humane Society and San Bernardino County Animal Control did not respond to requests for comment.
On Monday, when the lawsuit was filed, Loy said the family had no plans to get another puppy, that the last year or so has been too painful. She’s glad, she said, that others have come forward, that “someone is trying to help us and we’re not alone.”
Manuel, though, still has questions. If he could, he said, he’d ask the Kenneys, “Why would you do this to a person? Why would you do this to a dog? It’s pretty messed up.”
That’s what he wants to know, he said. “Just why.”
Online Puppy Scams Skyrocket As Pandemic-Isolated People Search For Pets To Adopt
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — People feeling lonely and isolated at home due to the ongoing pandemic are increasingly becoming victims of online puppy scams, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney and the Better Business Bureau.
With so many people and families unable to gather with loved ones, there’s been a huge increase in pet adoptions. And scammers are having a field day preying on people searching for a pet to add to their families as the pandemic drags on.
READ MORE: Family Members Believe Missing Encino Couple Convicted In $18M COVID Fraud Were KidnappedHowever, the Better Business Bureau says online puppy scams are up % this year, and consumers are expected to lose more than $3 million.
“Fraudsters are trolling the internet, looking for hopeful pet owners, so knowing the red flags can help consumers avoid heartache and losing their money,” Steve McFarland, president and CEO of the BBB in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, said in a statement. “The latest tactic is telling would-be pet owners that due to social distancing restrictions they cannot meet the animals before sending money.”
The Coppola family was scammed this year after they decided to buy a puppy for their daughter, Molly, during the pandemic.
“So we were finally like ‘let’s bite the bullet and start looking around,’ even though we were nervous about it,” said mom Amanda.
Once they decided on a pug, they Googled around to find a breeder and came upon a site called Farmland Pugs. Within days of contacting the breeder, Amanda was told that a puppy was headed their way. She was asked to send $ via Zelle.
On the morning the dog was supposed to arrive, Amanda said the shipping company contacted her, demanding a $1, deposit for a temperature controlled crate, $ for travel insurance, and $ for a change of ownership. They said the dog would be stuck at the facility and the family could be charged with animal cruelty if they didn’t comply.
READ MORE: Steelers-Browns Preview: Roethlisberger 'Just Like Anybody Else Who's Gotten Old,' Says CBS Sports' James LoftonThe dog never arrived, and the website was soon taken down. The Coppola’s were scammed out of more than $4,
“Because we sent the money via Zelle, there really wasn’t anything we could do to get the money back, so the thing we were concerned about was making sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else because it felt like such a violation to us,” Amanda said.
In a video released Thursday, LA City Attorney Mike Feuer said that scammers lure people in with sponsored ads in online searches, 80% of which are believed to be fraudulent. Custom websites and ads for the puppies convince people on social media and Craigslist of their legitimacy, and scammers interact with people by email, text or in phone calls to convince them they have a pet to sell.
Feuer said that people can protect themselves by watching out for red flags, like being being unable to see live video of the dog, or only being able to see the puppy on a video call after paying a deposit. The method of payment requested is also an indication of whether the transaction is legitimate – scammers almost always request funds through Moneygram, Western Union, with prepaid debit cards, through the Zelle app, with bitcoin, or with other methods that make it hard to recover money.
“Remember, once you’re emotionally invested, you’re much easier to scam,” Feuer said in the video.
The average puppy scam loss is about $ Scammers have also been busy advertising kittens, exotic birds and horses for adoption.
To avoid becoming a victim, Feuer recommended people do an image search of the puppy to see if it comes up in other ads or on other websites; search the text in the ad to see if it appears elsewhere verbatim; check to see if the seller is a registered breeder; and search the name of the website alongside the words “complaint” or scam.”
MORE NEWS: Lundquist Institute At UCLA's Geffen Medical School Expanding Male Birth Control Study To More CouplesInstead of trying to buy a pet from a possibly suspect source online, Feuer urged would-be pet owners to adopt from an animal shelter, like LA Animal Services.
Pomeranian Puppies For Sale Sacramento Craigslist
English bulldog puppies stolen from North Hollywood family
Osvaldo Vasquez said he and his wife had placed the two puppies for sale on Craigslist.
The person who responded said she'd be coming by herself to look at them, he said. But she ended up bringing two other men with her.
They looked at the puppies and then there was a struggle as the two men were able to grab the puppies and run away.
The family was able to detain the woman and call police.
Officers arrested the woman but they are still looking for the two men - and the puppies.
"We're very sad now," Vasquez said. "We're trying to show other people, to help us find our puppies."
Vasquez has posted more information and additional photos of the suspects here on Facebook.
Pets craigslist los angeles
San Fernando Valley family suing after puppy bought off Craigslist died 5 days after coming home
Cosima Allen, 11, says she and her family are heartbroken after losing their new puppy, Scottie, who they got off of Craigslist.
The Allen family saw an ad for a healthy white Maltese Yorkie mix that had all its shots, and so they bought the pup for around $ But after taking him to the vet and paying a $1, bill, the family learned Scottie was ill and tested positive for Parvo.
Just five days after arriving at their San Fernando Valley home, Scottie passed away, the family says.
The Allens say when they contacted the woman who sold them the dog, who they identified as Kaley Cortini, she denied the transaction ever took place. They&#;re now suing her.
Several others say they were also sold sick puppies from the same woman on Craigslist. Although it&#;s against the website&#;s policy to sell pets on the site, people are allowed to post pets up for adoption and some backyard breeders are placing ads charging a &#;rehoming fee.&#;
&#;To anybody, just don&#;t buy a dog from Craigslist,&#; Allen said. &#;We heard about scammers but never really thought it would happen to us.&#;
&#;People trying to buy cheap because they don&#;t have money to get one of those cute puppies their kids dream about,&#; her mom, Claudia Allen, said.
In California it&#;s illegal to sell puppies in a public place. Animal advocates say the best way to adopt a dog is through a local rescue or shelter. The Animal Legal Defense Fund is trying to stop the selling of pets online.
KTLA reached out to Cortini for an interview but had not received a response Tuesday night.
Copyright Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sours: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/san-fernando-valley-family-suing-after-puppy-bought-off-craigslist-allegedly-dieddays-after-coming-home/Craigslist Pet Ads: What You’ll See, How to Reply, and What to Expect in Response
Concerned about animal abuse facilitated by Craigslist posts, an Animal Legal Defense Fund supporter began responding to “pet” ads in September After responding to more than ads, the supporter shares their experiences and tips for helping protect animals being traded on the platform.
For the past decade, animal protection organizations, The Dodo, HuffPost, and many other outlets have warned people not to post unwanted pets on Craigslist because they’re vulnerable to winding up tortured and killed, sold to laboratories to be for use in often painful experiments, fed to snakes, and used as “bait” animals by dogfighters. In September , something nudged me to start replying to Cleveland Craigslist pet ads. In 60 days, I replied to , an average of seven per day. If you decide to help animals in your city by doing the same, the following is what you’ll see, how you should reply, and what emails you can expect in response.
The Craigslist Pet Ad That Led Me to Contact the Animal Legal Defense Fund
After two months of replying, an ad with the headline “Willing to take all unwanted animals” appeared at the top of Cleveland Craigslist’s pet section. It read, “willing to take peoples [sic] animals that they don’t want or can’t take care of.” The map showed an area where federal agents have raided dogfights and garbage collectors have found dead dogs in trash bags the past two years.
After spending two hours re-replying to every ad beneath it to warn people not to reply to the ad and to be on guard in case the person who posted it replied to theirs, I contacted numerous animal protection organizations who didn’t respond. Getting nowhere, I emailed a couple of investigative reporters at news stations, thinking they would jump at an animal cruelty story during the holiday season. They didn’t. Eventually, the co-founder and executive director of Animal Help Now, David Crawford, suggested I contact the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
When I emailed the Animal Legal Defense Fund, I had no idea that it had already launched a campaign to end animal posts on Craigslist. As I read their response to me, my eyes welled up. I’d felt that nudge September 12 for a reason: I could provide ammunition against Craigslist and help shut this section down after a decade of animals dying in painful, horrible ways.
What I’ve Seen in Cleveland Craigslist’s Pet and “Free Stuff” Sections
If you decide to start replying to Craigslist pet ads, be sure to check your city’s “free stuff” section as well because some people can’t find “pets,” which is located in the “community” tab rather than “items for sale.” Not surprisingly, both sections are heartbreaking and scary. In addition to an astounding number of people posting black cats and kittens on Craigslist days before Halloween, I’ve encountered:
- A Chihuahua with “a messed-up shoulder from its previous owner” in the “free stuff” section
- A black 4-month-old pit bull terrier puppy in the “free stuff” section
- “Aggressive” pit bull terriers who “aren’t good with children or other pets”
- Ads seeking pit bull terriers
- Pit bull terrier breeders even though nearly 3, pitbulls are euthanized per day in this country.
- Free litters of kittens
- A year-old cat being bounced from their home of two years “due to allergies and fur”
- A rabbit with pink eye who was posted for a penny because Craigslist required the user to post a price
- A guy trying to trade his snake for guns and then, after his ad was flagged, trying to trade the animal for “hunting and personal safety items”
- Scorpions that are “some of the most venomous pet’s [sic]”
I shouldn’t have to Google “Are _____ legal in Ohio?” but since Craigslist founder Craig Newmark relies on users to be his “watchdogs,”, I do.
How to Reply to Craigslist Pet Ads
You can help shut down Craigslist’s pet section, too, by replying to ads and taking screencaps of anything that doesn’t look right. Replying to ads is a simple matter of copying and pasting information that won’t trigger spam detectors into the body of an email. Because most people only read the subject line, I send the attention-grabbing headlines like below:
- Dogfighters Patrol Craigslist’s Pet Section for Bait
- Dogfighting Is More Common in Cleveland Than You Think
- Man Who Beheaded 4 Dogs Gets up to 28 Years in Prison
- Virginia Beach Man Who Burned Dog Alive Gets Maximum Sentence
- Man Kept Getting Free Cats from Craigslist — and Kept Killing Them, Missouri Cops Say
- A “Rehoming Fee” Won’t Protect an Unwanted Pet from Danger on Craigslist
I highlight each headline in yellow, and I paste a sentence from the article or write my own beneath each headline. For example:
A “Rehoming Fee” Won’t Protect an Unwanted Pet from Danger on Craigslist
Ronald Fraser Golden proved that in when he bought 22 kittens from Craigslist, named them, and then killed them by throwing them on the floor and stomping on them or strangling them. &#; https://www.waff.com/story//police-athens-man-had-cat-room-for-killing-kittens/
We live in the era of “fake news,” so I always include links to the articles so people can read them in their entirety. I also send multiple links. Beneath the headline about the Missouri man who was killing free cats he obtained from Craigslist, for example, I link to a Washington Post version and a Fox News version to cover all bases.
The Importance of Sending Rehoming Tips in Your Reply to Craigslist Pet Ads
Two days after I started replying to Craigslist ads with links to articles about animals being tortured and killed after they were obtained from the site, I received constructive feedback: “a better email to send would be educating owners on how to screen for potential threats etc.” So now I send the following rehoming tips people have sent me as well:
- Only transfer the animal to someone who already has a pet and brings vet records. Contact the vet to verify the information.
- Ask for a PREPAID vet receipt showing the animal will at least be going for a checkup, but preferably a spay/neuter appointment, since million dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States every year. Some people take the animal to a vet and have the buyer pick the animal up there.
- Ask if you can friend the person who wants your pet on social media. As the woman who suggested this said, &#;If I don&#;t like you, then you should not have my kitten.&#; You can only rely on this to screen the person, however. Don&#;t expect the person to remain friends with you after they take your animal. The person can block you before they even leave your driveway.
- The woman who sent this tip also said: “I always require a home visit. No one picks up from me. If they aren&#;t willing to let me in their home, they don&#;t need the kitten.”
- If you don&#;t want to go to the person&#;s home, do the animal/cash exchange in your local police station parking lot.
- Most importantly, because this keeps dogfighters and abusers from going to shelters, have the person sign and date an adoption contract and take a picture of the person’s driver&#;s license. (Shelters require people to sign adoption contracts).
- Charge money and don&#;t negotiate.
What to Expect in Response to Your Reply
Responses to your reply will fall into one of four categories:
- Unreasonably hostile replies: I’ve been called multiple expletives, to mind my own business, to get a life, and worse.
- Know-it-all replies, such as, “I have never had an issue with this as all the people that I have rehomed animals to have kept in contact with me and sent me pictures so I know they aren’t going anywhere where they are being harmed. So please mind your own business and stop harassing me.”
- Replies from people who just don’t get it: “Please don’t send me articles. There’s a lot of BAD in the world but there’s also a lot of good!”
- Thank you notes that will help you sleep a little better at night.
I’d sleep better if you would help me by replying to Craigslist pet ads in your city until we’re able shut down all animal transfers on the platform. Thank you for caring about animals.
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Lake Los Angeles Family’s Missing Dog Listed for Sale on Craigslist
It’s been three weeks since this family’s dog was stolen and they hope whoever has him will do the right thing and give him back.
&#;It breaks my heart knowing he was literally right around the corner,&#; Samantha Norris said.
Norris has lived in her Lake Los Angeles neighborhood for five years. The mother of three boys had two dogs: a husky named Bolt and a pug named Ted. That was until a few weeks ago, when Ted was taken while she was at work.
&#;I went to let both dogs inside and the husky came but the pug did not,&#; Norris said.
That’s when she realized her 3-year-old pug was gone. She immediately looked at her security cameras to see what happened, but for some reason they weren’t working. So she searched the entire neighborhood for Ted.
&#;It&#;s just sad somebody came up on my property, opened my gate and took my dog,&#; Norris said.
She posted missing fliers around town and waited for a phone call.
Two weeks later, someone sent her a Facebook message saying they saw her dog for sale on Craigslist.
The ad said the purebred 2-year-old pug was healthy, super friendly, and the family was moving away so they had to let him go, for a $ rehoming fee.
Samantha called the number and eventually got in touch with the woman who placed the ad.
&#;She said she did have my dog. She did sell him on Craigslist for $,&#; Norris said.
Norris said the woman told her she didn’t steal Ted, but that he jumped in her van. Then said he walked up to her porch. Then changed her story again saying she sold him to someone in Glendale.
Norris soon discovered the woman who sold her dog lived down the street, less than a quarter mile away. Her property is locked up and gated.
&#;It&#;s my dog, it&#;s my family. My kids want their dog back. My sons asks everyday, &#;when&#;s he coming back?&#; It just breaks my heart that I don&#;t know when he is coming home,&#; she said.
&#;I want my dog back because he was mine. You shouldn&#;t have my dog because he doesn’t belong to you,&#; 8-year-old Rhylin Simpson said.
Norris said she did call police and says she wants to press charges.
Ted is microchipped so if you’ve recently purchased a dog, or know someone who has, you could take him to a vet to get scanned.
If you find a dog and cannot identify them through microchip, take them to a nearby shelter because that’s likely the first place the rightful owner will look.
Copyright Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sours: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/lake-los-angeles-womans-missing-dog-listed-for-sale-on-craigslist/