ORLANDO, Fla — Action 9 is looking into a website that offers puppies for sale and found some odd things. A woman claims her mother is heartbroken after she paid hundreds of dollars for a puppy that was never delivered.
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Puppies can brighten a smile and light up a room.
Nella Dudova’s mom Marie has always been a dog person. Dudova told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal, “She really loves taking care of her dogs, and they’re basically like babies to her.”
Marie lost her two companions, Caramel and Hessy, about a year ago. In September, as the heartbreak started to subside, she decided it was time find a new furry friend.
A quick online search landed her on this website: michaeldreamchihuhuapuppies.com. It seemed geared toward Florida residents.
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Marie looked at puppy, after puppy after puppy. One of them named Sara grabbed her attention.
Nella Dudova said, “The website is actually really well put together.”
She told Action 9 her mom exchanged emails with someone connected to the website. They sent her more photos of the puppy and even videos.
With that communication and the professional looking website, her mom signed a contract and she wired $1000.
“My mom, she’s not easily manipulated, but she really likes to trust people,” Dudova said.
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But while scrolling social media to look at chihuahua photos, she came across the same photos of “Sara” that had been posted two years ago on Instagram. That’s when she first started wondering if she’d been scammed.
Better Business Bureau President Holly Salmons said, “If they’re asking for a deposit before you’ve ever laid eyes on the puppy, before you’ve ever physically seen the puppy or the pet in person, that’s a real leap of faith.”
Salmons said puppy scams are something to look out for especially around the holidays. Websites will sometimes use stock photos to advertise them for sale. The BBB has received complaints about Michael Dream Chihuahua Puppies with consumers claiming they took money but didn’t deliver the dogs.
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One photo on the Michael Dream Chihuahua Puppies website caught the attention of Action 9. The same photo was used to advertise an Urban Pup brand dog harness on a UK website. The same photo showed up on the shopping website Zazzle also advertising the dog harnesses for sale.
Nella Dudova said, “At this point, I was like, ‘This is most definitely a scam. But let’s kind of see where it goes.’”
For her mother, it only got worse. On the day the puppy was supposed to arrive, someone contacted her and demanded another $1500 for delivery. She didn’t pay it, but it was then she knew the puppy of her dreams had all been just smoke and mirrors.
Dudova said, “It was sad seeing her that way, especially because, you know, like I said, her heart dogs recently, like, about a year ago passed. And like, she’s trying to, you know, start up a new part of her life and she didn’t get to do that.”
Fortunately, her bank reimbursed her for the money. Action 9′s Jeff Deal reached out to this company to ask about the complaints, the issues with these photos and to ask if this website is just set-up to scam people. So far, he has not heard back.
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