Complaint Review: San Antonio Great Dane Rescue SASPCA

This organization sells dogs at "Unleashed by Petco" in the Northwoods Shopping Center in San Antonio.  They display the dogs outside on the sidewalk and complete the paperwork inside the store.  They said they rescue these dogs from shelters. 

I adopted one such dog from them on April 30th, and they did not adequately clean and treat the dog’s health issues prior to sale, nor did they disclose health issues.

When contacted following the purchase (via email as they have no phone number), their delay in their response, their lack of response to specific issues, and their excuses and aggressiveness led to this complaint.  

I contacted Petco - they claim no liability or service breech despite the adoption form being on Petco letterhead.

First, the dog was heart worm positive, and they did not disclose this verbally.  I realized it when filling out the adoption paperwork after spending an hour with the dog.  They gave me three pills and told me not to worry, claiming the medicine they provided would resolve the issue.  They said it was no "big deal".  Having no experience or knowledge of heart worm, I was concerned, but I believed them.

I then contacted them via email the same day I purchased the dog asking about behaviors such as scratching, rubbing his right ear against the ground, shaking his head, scratching his body, and an excessive amount of dandruff/skin dryness and flakiness.  After no response, I took the dog to a vet and emailed them again with the findings. I also found their phone number online and left them a voice mail.  They did not respond.

The vet said the pills they offered are not sufficient for heart worm treatment and the cost and time needed were lengthy and expensive (over $1000 and more than 6 months worth of blood tests, treatment, and follow up testing).  I called 3 other vets to confirm this information.

 The vet also said the dog had an ear infection and dermatitis causing bad dandruff like flaking.

 When I adopted the dog, the sellers, Great Dane Rescue, provided "free" health insurance for one month.  The insurance company said none of these conditions are covered given they were pre-existing and disclosed at the time of purchase.

After a second email, I received a reply from them on May 2nd.  The email claimed they provided all the heartworm treatment needed and did not address any of my other concerns regarding ear infection and dermatitis.  Their response was that they provided all that was needed, and my vets were "only interested in [my] money". They stated I made a mistake in adopting him and should return him. "He is a rescue dog and lucky to be alive...return him...".

In addition to numerous health issues that were not address, they failed to even bathe the dog prior to adoption. He was filthy and light grey instead of the brown/black I thought he was when I took him home.  It took a long bath to get him clean and notice the cracked and flaking condition of his skin.  The organization doesn’t seem to have them checked by a vet either as they had no clue he had an ear infection or skin problems.

The paperwork indicates their "intake date" was on March 25th, had him neutered on 4/6, and I adopted him on 4/28.  They had adequate time to clean him and have a vet check out his health.

My personal opinion is that they behaved unprofessionally, rudely, and suspiciously.  If they really cared about the animal, they would bathe them and make sure they're healthy.  They would also have an address and phone number on their business cards. You can only reach them via email or by waiting at PetCo.