Posted on Fri 07/29/05 in South Florida
My parents recently purchased a puppy from Wizard of Claws in Pembroke Pines, FL. We should have seen the red flags go up the moment we pulled into the parking lot. But, we didn’t, and now we are wondering whether there is something very wrong going on at this place.
Some things that made us weary:
And yet, my mother fell instantly in love with the dog and felt that if it was sick, it would be better off with her anyway. So we took it home.
A visit to our regular vet found that he had an upper respiratory infection. I advised my mom to contact Wizard of Claws because their guarantees apply only if they are made aware of symptoms within 14 days of purchase. She called, but she was only able to speak with the employee we had dealt with in the store. When she called, there was nobody there in management to talk with her, but he said he would try to have someone contact her back. But, he kindly called her back and told her nobody was available.
After about a week of treatment for the infection he finally got a little bit better. However, he had a seizure last night and we fear that he could die.
Our vet told us of the very poor reputation Wizard of Claws has. Upon doing some online research, I have found the following:
Here is an article in today’s Sun Sentinel:
Attorney General sues Pembroke Pines pet shop for ‘deceptive’ sales of dogs
By Joe Kollin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 22 2006
A Pembroke Pines pet shop engaged in “deceptive and unfair trade practices” and should be barred from selling dogs in Florida, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
He also asked that the store, Wizard of Claws, be forced to repay customers it allegedly cheated and be fined $10,000 for each act found to be in violation of the state consumer protection law.
The store, in the 9100 block of Taft Street, already is the subject of several lawsuits from dissatisfied customers and investigations by the state Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. It sells to customers nationwide and uses the name Celebrity Kennels on its Web site.
The store’s owners, James Anderson and Gilda Anderson of Fort Lauderdale, who couldn’t be reached for comment, are being given time by the court to respond to the suit.
Crist said his Economic Crimes Division investigators found that “although the Wizard of Claws claimed its dogs were registered with the American Kennel Club, thus increasing their value, the store owner was actually purchasing many from online auctions without proper registration or pedigrees. This practice often increases the likelihood that the dogs are sick when purchased.”
According to the suit, the defendants, “in order to induce consumers to purchase dogs,” would say things that weren’t necessarily true, including:
Telling consumers what the adult weight of the dog would be “when in fact defendants had no information of the dog’s pedigree.” Also, they gave a pedigree and approximate final weight that were “inconsistent” with each other. The suit notes the final size of the dog is critical because many condominiums allow pets only of a certain size. The size also affects the cost of shipping the dog to the owner.
Misrepresenting to consumers that the dogs were registered with the AKC, which “induced consumers to pay a higher price for the dogs when defendants in fact knew that the dogs were not registered with the AKC.”
Not telling or misrepresenting where the store obtained the dogs.
“I’m very happy that the attorney general is finally taking action on this issue,” said Marcie Lahart, a West Palm Beach attorney representing more than 100 consumers in a lawsuit against the store. “Many of these animals are sick and have congenital diseases.”
When Shannon Ford, 29, bought a pug in 2002, Wizard of Claws “told me the pug was supposed to weigh between 8 and 12 pounds,” she said.
The pug, named Honey Bear, weighs 24 pounds.
Ford, who now lives in New York, has created a Web site, www.stopwizardofclaws.com to educate consumers about what she calls misleading advertising.
“This is what I hoped for,” Ford said of the lawsuit. “All the work has finally paid off.”
The store has been the subject of media reports for years, including a 2003 story in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about a suit filed by several Broward residents who alleged the puppies they bought were sick with genetic diseases. The plaintiffs asked to be reimbursed for the price of the dogs and the veterinary bills. The suit is pending.
“Exploiting a fondness for animals for financial gain is simply wrong,” Crist, who is one of the Republican candidates for governor, said in his news release on Wednesday.
The case has been assigned to Broward Circuit Judge Miette K. Burnstein, who hasn’t set a hearing date.
Joe Kollin can be reached at jkollin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7913.
Humane Society sues Broward pet store
By JERRY BERRIOS
jberrios@MiamiHerald.com
The Humane Society of the United States has organized a class-action lawsuit involving more than 100 individuals who contend that a Pembroke Pines pet store sold them unheathly puppies.
The suit, filed Monday in Broward County Circuit Court, hopes to recover money the plaintiffs spent on veterinarian visits and shut down Wizard of Claws located at 9113 Taft St.
‘‘These aren’t mistakes. This is a way of doing business,’‘ said attorney Chris Pace, whose firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, is handling the case pro bono. ``It’s a way of doing business that the Humane Society wants to shut down.’‘
A call to Jim Anderson, Wizard of Claws’ owner, was not immediately returned.
‘‘These businesses get by defrauding one customer at a time and what we found is that there is strength in numbers,’‘ said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for the Humane Society of the United States.
PET OWNERS
Dealer peddles sick pups, lawsuit claims
The Humane Society filed a class-action lawsuit against a Pembroke Pines dog dealer who they say sells sick puppies.
BY JERRY BERRIOS AND ROBBYN MITCHELL
rmitchell@MiamiHerald.com
A Pembroke Pines puppy dealer is the target of the first class-action lawsuit organized by the Humane Society of the United States in its 53-year history.
The suit, filed Monday in Broward Circuit Court, charges that the owners of Wizard of Claws buy from ‘‘puppy mills’‘ and sell sickly dogs to customers.
Heartbreaking stories from Michigan to Maine fill the 46-page lawsuit, which alleges that Wizard of Claws owners Jim and Gilda Anderson deceived customers by selling unhealthy puppies with genetic defects, internal parasites, contagious diseases and cancerous tumors.
The Andersons, of Fort Lauderdale, dispute the allegations.
‘‘We follow the lemon laws 100 percent,’‘ Jim Anderson said. ``We have the No. 1 kennel in the world because we have great service.’‘
Attorneys representing the dog owners hope to shut down Wizard of Claws, 9113 Taft St., and to help owners recover money spent on fees and vet bills.
Then-Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist filed his own legal action last June, suing Wizard of Claws over claims that the store said its teacup puppies were registered with the American Kennel Club.
But dozens of nonregistered puppies sold for thousands of dollars and later grew bigger and became sick, according to Crist’s lawsuit.
Monday’s lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of anyone who bought a sick dog from the defendants within the past four years.
‘‘These businesses get by defrauding one customer at a time,’‘ said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for the Humane Society of the United States. ``What we found is that there is strength in numbers.’‘
In Jupiter, one customer’s dog, a Maltese named Hayley, went blind and hit her head so hard on a table that it caused an eye to pop out of its socket.
Ed Webb purchased his fluffy white puppy, a Maltese named Vanna Roseanna Danna White, as a surprise Christmas gift for his wife Linda in 2006.
As soon as the pet arrived at the couple’s Fort Lauderdale condo, she began coughing and vomiting. Then she couldn’t walk, eat or stand. Less than a month after bringing Vanna home, the Webbs decided to euthanize her to stop her constant suffering.
‘‘Nothing compares to this little puppy looking up at you,’‘ said Webb, a retired Air Force pilot and Vietnam and Gulf War veteran. ‘They look at you with these big little eyes and say, `What’s going on?’ ‘’
A veterinarian concluded that Vanna had a genetic defect and that Wizard of Claws should not have sold her.
‘‘These aren’t mistakes. This is a way of doing business,’‘ said Chris Pace, a Miami attorney with the New York law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges who is handling the lawsuit pro bono for Humane Society members. ``It’s a way of doing business that the Humane Society wants to shut down.’‘
One plaintiff, Trina Miller of Northville, Mich., spent nearly $13,500 in vet bills and specialist fees for her pet pug, Piglet, who suffered from a genetic skin disorder, cancerous tumors and other ailments.
Some customers never make it to the store, located in a nondescript strip mall with shades covering the windows. Many buy online.
The store is decked out with black leather, wood sofas and high-end dog accessories from designer leashes to lace-trimmed costumes for special occasions. Shoppers can browse through catalogs before seeing the actual puppies.
Webb said he found Wizard of Claws by doing an Internet search. Now, in retrospect, he wishes he would have researched the shop more thoroughly.
After their experience, Webb said he and his wife decided to get another dog through a breeder. Karma, another Maltese, is healthy and happy — everything Vanna wasn’t during her short life.
‘‘The lesson learned out of this is to deal with reputable breeders, and it’s pretty easy to track those breeders down,’‘ Webb said.
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