Complaint Review: Karie Fairchild dba The Paw Palace - Tucson Arizona

I Karie Fairchild (owner) received a call from Mrs. Deanna Sigl on May 25, 2010 in regards to my ad about the Teacup Yorkshire Terrier Puppies that I was advertising for sale. Mrs. Sigl came to my business location to view the puppies and found a puppy that she wanted to purchase. The puppy was a Teacup Male Yorkshire puppy, microchip #0A01272970 which was currently 8 weeks and 2 days old, weighing one pound and four ounces. I then explained to Mrs. Sigl that this puppy was examined by my vet and was on medication for the next 10 days for a virus. I advised Mrs. Sigl that she would not be able to take the puppy home until he completed the medication per my vet (Dr. Livingston) and was completely well.  Mrs. Sigl stated that she wanted that puppy and would pay in full for him. Mrs. Sigl paid for the puppy in full by check # 599 for the amount of $750.00.

            Throughout the next 10 days the puppy wasnt getting any better and he was taken back to see Dr. Livingston several times. Mrs. Sigl had called me several times within that 10 day period and I had explained to her that the puppy was not getting much better and that my vet had run more tests and given him another medication that he needed to be on for another 7 to 10 days. She stated to me that it was fine and to let her know when she could pick up the puppy. I contacted Mrs. Sigl on June 06, 2010 and explained to her that the puppy was very sick and Dr. Livingston believed that the illness may have been the cause of a congenital issue. I then explained to her that I would not sell her this puppy due to the medical problems the puppy was having and that I could either refund her money or she could pick out another puppy.  Mrs. Sigl and her daughter came to my location about 45 minutes later and looked at the other puppies I had available.  Mrs. Sigl then picked out another Teacup Male Yorkshire Puppy, microchip #042085358 that was 11 weeks and 6 days old, weighing one pound and eight ounces. This puppy was from a different breeder that I do business with in another state. It had no genetic relation to the Teacup puppy that died, for they are from different breeders.  Mrs. Sigl completed all necessary contracts at 1:37pm on June 6, 2010  for the purchase of the new puppy and was given verbal instruction as well as written instructions how to care for the puppy.

            Later on that evening the original male puppy microchip #0A01272970 that Mrs. Sigl purchase, (this puppy was never released to the customer) died at approximately 9:30pm. This puppy was taken to Dr. Livingston for cremation.  This puppy was never given to any customer, nor did it ever leave my location except for veterinarian visits.

            The next day Mrs. Sigl called me around 10:30am and asked me how the sick puppy was doing. I then told her that the puppy passed last night. She said that she was sad about the puppy dying.  I then asked her how her new puppy was doing and she said that he was doing fine. Then she told me that the puppy didnt seem to be eating much. I asked if the puppy was eating the nutria-cal and she said yes that he would eat a lot of it, and that he loved the nutria-cal. I then explained to her that sometimes puppies become stressed when they go to a new home and they may not eat for the first day. I asked her if she was giving the puppy Nutria-Cal like I instructed her to do at least 4 times a day. She told me that she went to the pet store and got the nutria-cal and the employee there told her that she could give the puppy one-third of the bottle a day if the puppy was not eating, which is the same information that I gave her.  I also instructed her to buy some canned puppy food and mix it with the dry Eukanuba puppy food and she said that she would when she got off work. I then asked her if she gave the puppy nutria-cal today, and she said yes, in the early morning before she went to work.  Then she stated that her daughter was home to give him some throughout the day.  I then explained to her again that these are Teacup Yorkshire puppies and they need the extra nutria-cal for their blood sugar level to stay normal especially if the puppy is not eating and that she needs to leave a little dish with nutria-cal in it out for the puppy along with food and water.  Then Mrs. Sigl told me that she feels that she is not bonding well with the puppy and asked me if she could maybe exchange it later if I get another puppy that she likes better.  I explained to her that all sales are final and I do not do exchanges with puppies.  The only time a puppy is ever returned is if there is a medical issue and I require a written explanation from a license veterinarian stating the issue and I have the right to have my vet examine that puppy per the contract.  She said ok and to let her know if I get any other puppies that looked like the one that passed.

            Later that evening Mrs. Sigl tried to call my business phone around 6:00pm. I missed her call due to the fact that my phone was not charged and turned off. She then showed up at my business location crying stating that the puppy had died.  I then asked her what happened.  She stated that she came home and found the puppy lying on his side and was non-responsive. She stated that she took the puppy to the emergency hospital and they tried to treat the puppy but it died.  I asked her for the vet paperwork and she handed me an invoice that stated what services the vet charged her for which included Dextrose and Glucose which are used if the puppys blood sugar is too low. Also the invoice stated that there was a charge for euthanasia which means that the puppy was euthanized and did not die a natural death.  I asked her why the puppy was euthanized and she told me that the vets office wanted to keep the puppy over night and run tests on him and she said that she could not afford the costs so she euthanized him instead. I then told her that she should have not euthanized the puppy and she should have either taken it home or brought it to my business location. She then told me that the veterinarian hospital refused to give her back the puppy and that she had no choice but to euthanize him. I asked her to go home and I would call my breeder (where I purchase this litter of puppies from) and see what they say.

            I called Mrs. Sigl and told her that she needed to call the veterinarian hospital and let them know not to cremate the puppy because I needed my vet to be able to scan the microchip to make sure that it matched the paperwork that she signed. So then she had her daughter pick up the puppy and deliver it to my business location that evening around 10:00pm. When I spoke to her daughter I asked if she was around the puppy today. She stated to me that she saw the puppy early in the morning right after her mom went to work and he was fine. I then asked her if she gave the puppy any nutria-cal throughout the day and she stated no because she went to school right after her mom left. So at this point I took the deceased puppy from her and told her that I would be in contact with her mother.

            I did speak to the breeder that I purchased this litter from and I told them what had happened. I also explained to the breeder that the other 4 puppies went to new owners and they had no issues. The breeder is not going to replace a puppy that was neglected then euthanized because the new owner didnt want to be a responsible pet owner. I would have to agree with the breeder because the puppy did not die of a natural death and the customer never provided me with any paper work form the veterinarian hospital stating what was really wrong with the puppy like I asked her to do. 

            I spoke to Mrs. Sigl about a week later and she stated that her husband was very upset about her spending all the money and they wanted their money back or a new puppy. I told her due to the circumstances I will not refund the money and will not replace the puppy for neglect.  She said fine and that she was going to sue me and take me to court.  I explained to her that I have a legal binding contract and that is her right if she chooses to do so.

            I know that this is an unfortunate situation, but us as business owners can not be responsible for the actions of our customer once they take a puppy home. My contract clearly states the agreement between myself (The Paw Palace) and my customers which is signed and dated from both parties to protect both parties.  All my puppies are checked by a license veterinarian before they are sold to insure that they are completely healthy. If there is a health issue then the puppy is treated and then rechecked by the veterinarian before being sold.  If you have any further questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact me. Thank You.