Customers And Experts Warn About Buying Dogs Via Internet

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Robin Croce broke down in tears Thursday when asked about an English bulldog puppy she purchased from Rebel Ridge Kennels owner Gina De’Lynn Price in September 2003.
“On the Web site she was [listed as] ‘Female No. 4,’ ” said Croce, who was one of several witnesses to testify in a federal trial against Price. “We named her Chloe.”

Price is accused of importing sick dogs from Eastern Europe and selling them via the Internet as healthy ones she bred herself at a Blountville kennel. She faces 10 criminal charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud, Social Security fraud, tax fraud and tampering with a witness.

Her trial started Monday in Greeneville’s federal court and is expected to last until the end of next week.

Croce said Rebel Ridge’s Web site “was very convincing” and made the business appear to be a good place to buy animals. She paid $1,550 for her dog and another $250 to have it shipped to her Norton, Mass., home.

But Croce said the dog looked sick upon arrival at the airport. Chloe died less than two months later when a collapsed trachea caused her to cough up blood and stop breathing.

Croce said after her testimony that the experience traumatized her 2- and 5-year-old children, but taught her a buyer-beware lesson.

“Never buy a dog over the Internet,” agreed Bob Barker, an investigator with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “It’s a good place to figure out who in your area is selling a dog, but you have to inspect [the animal for yourself].”

Baker, who was interviewed by telephone Wednesday, said dog importers and puppy mills often use the Internet to sell their animals. He’s also heard complaints from people who paid several hundred dollars for dogs they never received.

“It’s truly necessary to go to the kennel,” he said, adding people should try an animal shelter or rescue first. “You never know what you are going to get.”

Bristol Humane Society President Teresa Dockery said in an interview that a number of purebred dogs often can be found at shelters and rescues. She said buyers should follow a few guidelines if they absolutely want to buy their dogs from a breeder or kennel.

“Go to a breeder that breeds responsibly,” Dockery said, adding a number of operators are committed to raising healthy and well-socialized dogs.

Known as “hobby breeders,” the reputable operators only breed one species of dog and do not mate their animals every time a female is in heat, Dockery said.

Such breeders often can be found by asking area veterinarians, but even with a vet’s recommendation, buyers should still visit the facility, she said.

During a visit, potential buyers should ask to see the dog, its litter mates, its parents and where it is kept during the day, Dockery said. Buyers should inspect a dog’s eyes, nose and coat, all of which can indicate future physical problems. Buyers also should check how the dog and its parents behave, she said.

“If a breeder refuses to show you these, leave,” Dockery said.

Croce said she learned the lesson the hard way.

She purchased another dog from Price in October 2003. It has survived, though the dog was emaciated when she received it and had to be nursed back to health, Croce testified.

A third dog she purchased from Price in November 2003 was diagnosed with parvo – an incurable and often fatal disease that attacks a dog’s intestinal lining – two days after it arrived. Croce testified she had to euthanize this dog after it developed pneumonia and had six to eight grand mal seizures a day.

“No, hell no,” Croce said outside the courtroom when asked if she would ever buy a dog via the Internet again. “Do your research. Find a reputable breeder.”

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