Puppy sting nets 362 animals
By Onell R. Soto UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER December 21, 2005 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metr ... uppy1.html When he was 12, Michael Goldstein of El Cajon worked odd jobs for a year to save enough money to buy a puppy. When his mom saw a young bichon frisé for sale outside a Wal-Mart, her heart melted. Four days later, the dog, Miles, lay in Michael's arms as his mom rushed to an animal hospital. "Mom, he's still alive. His eyes are open," Michael said as they arrived. It was too late. "I'm sorry. He's dead," she told him. Thinking back three years later, Judy Goldstein said she saw the signs at the Wal-Mart. The dog and its three siblings appeared lethargic. The vaccination record from a Tijuana veterinarian looked fake. And, after all, a stranger approached her in a parking lot. "I went against my better judgment because they were so cute," she said. "And the price was so good." A reputable breeder might have charged more than three times the $200 she paid. But then again, the puppy probably wouldn't have been infected with deadly canine parvovirus. The Goldsteins were victims of a dog smuggler who got the pups in Mexico and sold them on the streets and parking lots of San Diego County with little regard for their health. It's a situation that animal-welfare agencies throughout California have been seeing more frequently. To get a handle on the problem, animal-control agents from 14 agencies worked alongside border inspectors in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa for the past two weeks. They found 362 puppies that appeared to be younger than 3 months headed for sale in swap meets and strip malls from Stockton to Los Angeles to Oceanside and National City. At up to $1,000 a pup, "it's better than selling drugs," said Zachary Shalit, chief of investigations for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. Nine puppies were confiscated because they were ill and could barely stand. Two were returned to their owner. The others will be put up for adoption once they're well. No one was arrested. It's not illegal to import dogs from Mexico. Agents said the goal was to gather facts before deciding how to proceed with enforcement. Most of the 1,579 dogs checked in the two-week test were adults traveling with their owners. But puppies destined for sale pose a special problem, experts said at a news conference in San Ysidro yesterday, because they may have been taken from their mothers too soon, may have been improperly bred or may soon become sick with dehydration, parvo, distemper or parasites. "There is definitely a problem," said Capt. Aaron Reyes of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey, who headed the project. The authority provides animal services to 12 Los Angeles County cities. In addition to the diseased puppies, agents discovered dogs with paperwork that didn't seem to match, and animals crammed into boxes, trunks and glove compartments. Some dogs weren't allowed into the country because of bad paperwork, such as no proof or inadequate proof of rabies vaccinations. Many of the puppies were "designer mutts," including mixes of poodles with Labrador retrievers and cocker spaniels. "You can get puppies like this in a shelter," said Lt. Daniel DeSousa of the San Diego County Department of Animal Services. Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty in Los Angeles, said animal-welfare agencies are hoping to stop puppy smuggling by educating potential dog owners. But she also wants a change in the law. "Something simple and easy to enforce," she said, calling a new National City ordinance against selling pets on the streets a model other communities should adopt. It's difficult to prosecute puppy peddlers, legal experts said. The woman who sold Michael Goldstein the diseased puppy was charged with 10 misdemeanors and was convicted of two in a plea bargain with prosecutors. Margarita Diaz pleaded guilty in February to keeping a dog without proper care and attention and peddling goods without having registered with the San Diego Police Department. She was placed on three years' probation. Sandy McConkey and her family bought two cocker spaniel puppies from Diaz outside a pumpkin patch a few years ago. Within days, they were vomiting and weak with parvo. Her teenage daughters were crying as they tried caring for them. After one puppy died, a veterinarian recommended destroying its sick sibling. Since then, McConkey worked to find Diaz and supported the National City ordinance against puppy peddling. Her story, she said, should be a warning, especially this time of year. "I don't want people to buy puppies for somebody for Christmas and then watch them die," she said. "It's a horrible death." |
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| That was very interesting-- I neve realized smuggling was such a problem. Thanks for posting. |
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