Judge Orders Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Infamous Florida Puppy Dealers

Permission given by Loraine Miscavage of the HSUS.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. (May 26, 2009) – The Broward County Circuit Court has issued a ruling refusing to dismiss several defendants from a major class action lawsuit against a south Florida puppy dealer known as "Wizard of Claws." The suit, filed in 2007, accuses Wizard of Claws, its owners, and its affiliates of defrauding customers by misrepresenting the origin of puppies, and by selling puppy mill dogs who suffer from severe health problems and genetic defects.

The court’s order allows plaintiffs to proceed with their claims against three entities sharing common ownership with Wizard of Claws – Celebrity Kennels, Inc., Dog Breeder Kennel, Inc. and Puppies for Sale, Inc. – and also directs the defendants to turn over records regarding the puppies they have sold to the public. The court also ordered the owners of Wizard of Claws to sit for depositions concerning their business practices.

“After years of reaping huge profits from the sale of sick and dying animals, the owners of this operation are finally going to have to answer for their actions,” said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president & chief counsel for animal protection litigation & research for The Humane Society of the United States. “The sad facts of this case are one more reminder of why consumers should never buy puppies from pet stores or over the Internet.”

The class action lawsuit is the result of years of legal investigation by the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and lawyers of The HSUS. Through extensive investigation, Weil and The HSUS uncovered reports of serious, systematic violations of Florida’s animal and consumer protection laws by Wizard of Claws, its owners and its corporate affiliates. The violations include allegations concerning the sale of sick puppies with life-threatening genetic defects and highly contagious parasitic infections, and the refusal to reimburse customers for either the purchase price of sick puppies or veterinary treatments - that sometimes cost thousands of dollars.

The class action complaint includes numerous examples of Wizard of Claws selling sick or dying puppies including:• A puppy with severe giardia, a contagious parasite. The dog died two days after being brought home. • A puppy with a severe liver defect that resulted in constant seizures up to the point of death only a few weeks after purchase.• A puppy with severe pneumonia and a collapsed lung. The dog only partially recovered after a four-day stay in a veterinarian's oxygen chamber followed by months of intensive follow up treatment.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for the proposed class members, and injunctive relief against any further sale of puppies by Wizard of Claws, its owners and its corporate affiliates. The plaintiffs – which include members of The HSUS – are being represented on a pro bono basis by the New York, Miami, and Houston offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Please Read This For The Sake of Puppy Mill Dogs.

My eyes have finally dried up from crying at what I saw on the video of a puppy mill in Wayne County, NC. The 20 rescuers were tending to emaciated dogs with untreated lacerations, severely matted fur and serious skin and eye infections. The dogs had been living in unheated cages inside unventilated barns and outhouses. There were 300 dogs.

I just sat and cried at the horror I saw. There was a female Lhasa Apso, that couldn't see, from severe eye infections, no hair, due to severe skin problems, with one, tiny, tiny newborn puppy. She was so intent on doing her "job," of nursing this poor, poor pup, that when they took the newborn, she became frantic, so they gave the baby back to her, trying to keep her calm. I just cried and cried. I am starting to cry again, writing this.

Amanda Arrington of the Humane Society of the United States, placed calls to 2 people that were either Congressmen or Senators of that district and insisted they come to that facility and see, first hand, what was happening in their districts. They came and they saw the horror, and now are acting on it. I wish our legislators would do the same. I am going to contact the HSUS's John Goodwin, and see what I have to do to get video of the 1000 dogs that were rescued from the kennel in Parkersburg, and any other video they have of kennels in our state. I know they have them, so I can take it to Congressman Rahall. If possible, the Governor.

People, just because you see cute, pretty little puppies in a pet store, doesn't mean that they came from a "jolly, happy" place. They didn't. The puppies are the lucky ones. They get out of a life of just getting bred and bred and bred, until they are no longer viable breeding machines and then they are killed, usually very inhumanely. This happens, this is reality. Please go to this website and view the video on the puppy mill bust in NC. http://www.hsus.org/.

It is hard to watch, but it needs to be seen by everyone. Oprah had a great expose' on puppy mills last year, and I think it needs to be re-aired. We are such that if we don't see it, it doesn't exist. I am sorry, but that is how I feel most people are. "If I don't know about it, it doesn't concern me." "Someone else will take care of it." "I don't want to get involved. I might make someone mad." These are things that people say. And that is why these horrid people get away with what they do with the dogs that they breed to death and are nothing more to them than a "cash crop."

Please, please go to the website and watch the video. I implore you. For the animals sake!!