LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Those puppies in the pet store window are undeniably adorable.
Their youthful exuberance comes with the promise of a lifetime companion.
Denise Lindsay, "just wanted to get a dog that is a puppy so that we can help that puppy develop the personality and fit into our family."
The Lindsay family already has one dog, Tinker Bell, who recently lost her own lifelong companion.
"In September, Tink's brother passed away," Denise explained. "She had never been alone her entire life that we've had her, and she just went absolutely crazy and was barking so bad that she lost her voice."
Knowing Tink needed a friend, they went to Town Pets on Flamingo Rd. and Durango Dr. in search of a purebred pup, and they brought home Bella Donna.
"We ended up paying, with tax and everything, a little over $1900 for what we thought was a purebred Yorkie."
One of the main reasons they wanted a purebred dog was to ensure it was hypo allergenic.
Bella is not.
"My husband, Ken, is very much allergic to dogs with fur. He's totally allergic to her. If he holds her without long sleeves on, his arms break out in welts."
They also needed a small dog and were told Bella would only weigh seven pounds fully grown but she's not even a year old and is already weighing in at 18 pounds.
"Her owner wanted and bought her because she wanted a small companion animal, and unfortunately, she's gotten this larger animal that has a lot of health problems," said Bella's veterinarian, who did not want to be identified.
Both Denise and her vet say Bella's health problems only got worse.
"The day after we brought her home, she had worms really bad," Denise said.
They took Bella to the pet store's contracted vet to treat that, then transferred her care to their own vet.
"And when our vet first saw her, she was like, this is not a Yorkie. And I'm like, what do you mean? That's what I paid for!"
Denise's vet told 13 Investigates that so-called purebred dogs are increasingly being misrepresented.
"More often lately. It's becoming more and more common."
She recommended that Denise do a DNA test on Bella.
"And it came back that she is a mixed breed. She has seven different breeds in her." Reading the test results, Denise explained, "She's 48-percent Yorkie, 22-percent Miniature Schnauzer, she has Black Lab in her, and it goes back to Shih Tzu and other mixed breeds."
Nearly 17-percent of Bella's DNA is listed as "Supermutt," meaning there may be small amounts of DNA from distant ancestors including Pomeranian, Dalmatian and Australian cattle dog.
"I feel betrayed because I went in there trusting and it's not what they presented," Denise said. "It's not what she's supposed to be."
"If I'm being brought a "purebred" Yorkie," said the vet, "I'm going to be treating it and looking for certain diseases that come with being a purebred Yorkie. However, in the case of Bella Donna, she's obviously not a purebred Yorkie and so, it does come with challenges in that this is a mutt and not what we were expecting."
Bella's had a host of health problems including a growth that's caused repeat infections and resulted in an expensive and more invasive spay surgery.
And if that doesn't work, Denise says, "It's another surgery that's gonna cost another $3000-5000. And I don't know how... There's no way we can afford to do that."
The vet says one reason Bella may be unhealthy lies in her family tree.
The pedigree Town Pets provided shows significant inbreeding.
"In her case, she's had multiple congenital disorders," the vet explained. "There's no real clear answer as to what she is or how she was bred. And that has presented a lot of concerns for her and has cost her owner a lot of money."
As required by Nevada law, Town Pets provided Denise with the name of Bella's breeder, which appears on four different documents.
They refer to Glen Schmitt as a "hobby breeder" exempt from USDA licensing.
His address is a post office box in Magazine, Arkansas.
Town Pets told 13 Investigates it was not authorized to provide the breeder's phone number.
"I am just upset that the breeder sold this dog to the pet store, and the pet store didn't do any research or verification," said Denise.
When Denise tried to get answers from Town Pets, she was told to go through their claims process.
An email exchange with Puppy Claim says, "The pet store does not guarantee the size of pets," adding, "All dogs come from other breeds" and "DNA testing is not 100-percent accurate."
Bella's vet disagrees, saying, "DNA testing we know is reliable. There's plenty of DNA tests in veterinary medicine."
Under Town Pets' contract, Denise is entitled to reimbursement up to the full purchase price of her pet for any hereditary and/or congenital issues.
She went back and forth with Puppy Claim starting in early December, asking for that refund.
"This has to stop!" said Denise. "You sold me something that it's not! And that's not fair to the dog. It's not fair to us."
She wasn't really getting anywhere until 13 Investigates got involved and called the store owner, Joe Shamore. He declined our multiple requests for an on-camera interview.
MORE: Clark County commissioners pass ordinance banning sale of puppies at retail pet stores
Via text, Shamore called Denise's claim that Bella is not purebred "bogus," but when we questioned the inbreeding in Bella's pedigree, his tone changed.
Although he suggested there might be a "typo" on Bella's family tree, he wrote, "We do not tolerate inbreeding. I don't understand why the manager accepted the puppy. We will investigate this matter."
Then, later the same day, Puppy Claim sent Denise an email trying to buy her silence and kill our story.
They wrote, "In light of new findings of your case we have been instructed you will get a full refund plus keep the puppy provided that this stays between you and the pet store."
When she wrote back that she could not stop the story, they relented, writing, "Regardless, we were instructed to assist you. You will be reimbursed."
"I just don't get it!" Denise exclaimed. "I don't understand!"
Despite the headache and heartache of this experience, the Lindsays are committed to loving Bella come what may.
Team Town Pets sent the following statement:
"All our Pets are given a Shared Lifetime Health Agreement as no one can predict an illness; it is simply unrealistic to believe otherwise. No other Pet Store, Breeder or any other organization offers such a guarantee to clients. We do because our main concern is our pets living a happy life with the right family. As written in the contract, which was signed by our client, every person must address any issues with our claims department. Emailing ensures accuracy of what is communicated.
The breeder in question is a Hobby Breeder who also needs to abide by government regulations. In some cases, a Hobby Breeder is preferred over USDA because some believe USDA isn't doing their job correctly. Some people prefer not to work with show breeders because of their opinion of a breed if it falls out of specs. Show Breeders of all different types of species practice line breeding as it is not against the law. They believe, 'It is to perfect the breed'. We do not support this type of breeding.
DNA testing is not 100% accurate per BV Medical Scientist and registry companies. The primary purpose of a DNA test is to identify potential breed specific hereditary concerns. All breeds at one point are mixed with another breed dating back to the origin of wolves which help create today's specific breeds. In some cases, the original genes will show up generations later. It doesn't mean the puppy is not purebred.
Pets are not a commodity but rather family members even if they fall out of specs per show breeder standards. We are working with our client and investigating her claim to ensure everyone is adhering to our standards.
While we have made many people happy with our pets through the past 3 decades, we strongly believe that 'All pets should be equally loved'."
In December, Clark County commissioners voted to ban the sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, and potbellied pigs at retail pet stores.
The stores were given a one-year grace period to adapt their business models.
Pet store sales remain legal in Henderson and the city of Las Vegas, which approved a ban but later repealed it.
