Customers Exposed Fraud Over Dog Sales

What started as an attempt to buy a friend a dog, ended with the buyers being duped, the sickly dog dying and, eventually, a kennel owner sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison.

The group of friends who chipped in $1,800 to buy a co-worker a bulldog puppy, and have the puppy flown to New York, wound up exposing Rebel Ridge Kennels in Blountville, Tenn. The kennel owner was importing sick dogs from overseas and reselling them to American customers for thousands of dollars. Federal investigators were tipped off when one of the customers set up a Web site seeking other buyers and connected with about 150 people claiming to have been duped or defrauded. Last week a federal judge sentenced Gina De’Lynn Price to prison and ordered her to pay back income taxes and restitution stemming from her business operation.

It’s not clear how many people Price duped during years of selling dogs through her Internet business. The FBI produced records that she had imported nearly 600 dogs through Atlanta, but that she also used airports in North Carolina. The FBI focused on 174 dogs whose owners reported that the dogs were ill at delivery, had serious medical conditions and required thousands of dollars of care. Owners have reported losses of more than $525,000.

In court last week, Price and her attorney, Richard Spivey, sunk to unbelievable lows in arguing a smaller number of ill dogs shipped to customers (but did not dispute that the dogs were ill). Price also decided her sentencing date was a good time to apologize to former customers and federal agents who investigated her case. She had the gall to claim that she had an awakening about her behavior during Bible study.

Here’s the truth: Price built her life around stealing from other people. Price was selling sick dogs under false pretenses, collecting Social Security disability benefits while operating her business, and failing to report her kennel income – estimated at more than $1 million over three years – on her tax returns.

It seems simplistic to say “buyer beware,” but anyone who is going to spend nearly $2,000 on anything should insist on at least three things: inspecting the item, having an expert evaluate it and having a grace period to back out. When buying a new or used car, or even a major appliance, buyers haggle, price compare, consult experts and insist on a grace period to consider their options.

Buyers can do this if they are buying items – appliances, cars or even dogs – in person. But Price took advantage of distance to trick people over the Internet. Warren James, who testified last week, said he found Price’s business online and believed it was reputable. But when the bulldog puppy was shipped to New York, the animal was sent ahead of schedule and a notification e-mail did not include the dog’s flight number or arrival time. The dog had ear mites, worms and a serious heart murmur. And when James attempted to redress any of these issues with Price, she refused to refund any portion of the purchase price. James also got a shockingly nasty e-mail response from Price: “I could not care less if you die or your dogs.”

Clearly, a reputable kennel would have informed the buyer when the dog was arriving, on which flight and at what time. A reputable kennel owner would not have shipped an obviously ill dog. A reputable breeder would have offered a refund or a replacement animal. And a reputable kennel owner would not have sent an e-mail wishing death on a client, or on a dog sold to them.

Despite Price’s feigned apologies, U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie Greer was not sympathetic. He said Price operated the business in a calculated manner that involved “lying, cheating and a whole bunch of fraud.” And he sent her to prison for nearly six years for seven felony fraud charges.

It’s obvious that the desire for a particular breed of dog makes customers vulnerable to these types of opportunistic business practices. Any reputable breeder encourages customers to come on-site and will address problems after a sale. The anonymity of the Internet can make some businesses look reputable when they are not.

Best advice? If you must have a pure-breed dog, find a knowledgeable breeder you can visit in person. A dog is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. Poor choices lead to overbreeding, illness and unwanted animals sent to local shelters.

And while we are grateful to see this fraud exposed and punished, it will flare up again anywhere and anytime people insist on owning specialty breed dogs. Animal shelters in every town are overflowing with animals that would make excellent pets.

Before scouring the Internet for breeders that are hundreds of miles away, and might ship a sick animal to you from another country, consider going around the corner to see the animals that need a home today.