In November of 2009, my boyfriend William and I decided we wanted to get a puppy together. Will told me that he had adopted a Dachshund once before through a site called PuppyFind.com, and had the pup shipped to him. He explained that it was a good experience for him, and considering he never did anything without thoroughly examining the fine details to it, I figured I could trust the same sources he once did. We reached out to the breeder he had gotten his pup from, but she had none available at the time. Disappointed, I began to browse on the same website to see if I would have any luck elsewhere. 

I spent the next few months searching online for the perfect pup, and in March 2010, I came across Scout. He was a 7 week old mini Dachshund from Wentworth Missouri, under the care of a "breeder" named Debbie Mason. When I contacted Debbie through PuppyFind.com, she was more then excited to tell me about her pup, explaining how important it is for her to place pups with the right people and reassuring me that she breeds carefully and safely. Debbie seemed very genuine and attentive about my interest in her pup, and spent the next week or so going over the details with me, such as his disposition, how playful he was, how important it is that he finds the right home, etc. Debbie took the time to put my worries to rest, explaining that she bred dogs out of love, and not just for the money. Debbie even negotiated the price slightly, or so she claimed. 

Debbie told me that Scout was "up to date" on all his shots and deworming. She also told me he would be checked out by her vet before he was put on a plane so that he would receive a health certificate (as needed by the airlines)

Because of Debbie's initial attentiveness and availability to answer any and all of my questions, I felt I could trust her, so we wired the money to her from our bank to hers totaling $500 for the puppy, and an extra $250 for flying (standard flying price for pets according to Debbie)

I spoke with Debbie the day of the flight, and Debbie informed me about a last minute flight change pushing the time back a few hours. I didn’t think anything of it, and with all the excitement, I waited eagerly for the flight to land. I spoke to Debbie just before we received Scout, and told her I would call when we had him.

Waiting at the airport, 4 crates came in, one holding our beloved Scout. He whimpered and cried, wanting to get out and play just as much as we did. He came with a health certificate as well as a shot chart and Debbie’s agreement, which claimed she has produced a health free puppy, and that he must be checked out by a vet within 48 hours in order to confirm that he was in fact healthy. 

Scout was a great puppy, very playful and curious, just like Debbie had stated. I called her to tell her how happy I was, and even sent pictures of us with the pup. Although Debbie did not reply by phone, she emailed me back and said that she was happy for us, and told me to call any time. I emailed her back and told her that his stool was very liquidy and smelly, and Debbie explained that since he was a pup and experiencing such a big change, this was common, so I felt at ease again.

One day later, Scouts disposition changed drastically. The once playful pup was now throwing up, not eating, and sleeping often. We rushed him to the vet, not only because of our overall concern, but also because Debbie’s agreement said we were to do so as well.

After being examined at the vet, we were informed that he may either have a bug or “parvo-virus” which would be much worse then a bug. Heartbroken, we called Debbie again to tell her what was going on, explaining that her facility may have an outbreak and to be sure to check out her other puppies. Our general concern was to help her avoid further sickness considering parvo is “highly resilient and contagious within its atmosphere” according to the vet as well as online research. Parvo is usually fatal in small pups, so we did exactly what the vet told us to do for the time being. He put Scout on a special diet of soft foods that would help him hold some weight, and to keep him hydrated since he was vomiting so often. We were told to feed him Pedyalite and white rice, which did not help at all.

By day 3, Scout had grown even worse, not coming out of his crate or eating at all. At this point I had not yet heard back from Debbie via phone. She only emailed back stating that she was either busy at the time or couldn’t talk. Debbie emailed that she was worried about Scout, but continually avoided all phone conversations at all cost.

By the end of day 3, Scout’s health took a turn for the worse. He dwindled down to a mere 1.9 lbs from 2.8 the day we received him. Traces of blood appeared in his stool, and at this point, we knew for sure it was not a bug. We rushed Scout to the vet that night, only to confirm that he in fact did have Parvo-Virus. Now confirmed by 2 different vets, and heartbroken about his state, William and I became angrier then ever with Debbie, who’s excuses continued consistently. Debbie even began having her “daughter” answer emails, stating that we were “harassing” her and that her mother was now “sick” and couldn’t talk.

The vet informed us that Parvo-Virus takes 2-3 weeks to become evident in a pup, and that she was 100% sure that Scout contracted this disease while under the care of Debbie Mason. The vet also confirmed that since Scout had parvo, it was likely that the rest of her puppies were sick as well. She then explained that because of his condition, it wasn’t likely that Scout had received any shots prior to us receiving him.

 I began emailing Debbie about how she had an outbreak on her facility, and how she was directly contradicting her agreement which also claimed that “if the puppy was sick, she would replace with a puppy of her choosing.” Furious now about what was happening; William and I focused our attention on our sick pup. The vet told us that treatments for Parvo were about $3,500 per day with no grantees, and that the dog could get sick again once having the disease. The vet also told us since he was so young & skinny; it was not likely that he would survive much longer. She then asked if we wanted to euthanize Scout, which we could not come to terms with. William and I agreed to take him home and make him comfortable in his last hours.

That night, Scout shifted from William to me and he slept between us, almost as if he knew what was going to happen. We both cried ourselves to sleep that night. I woke up all night worried about what was soon going to come, and by 9:00am, Scout let out his last breath right before my eyes. Devastated and heart-broken, me and William were determined to confront Debbie in any way we could. We went back online and inquired about another Dachshund she had for sale on the same site, PuppyFind.com. We even asked about Scout and whether he was available or not. Since we had a different email and a different phone number to use, Debbie eagerly called when we left her a message. When we finally got her on the phone, we all cried and told her that Scout had died, and that she was a liar and a crook. Debbie denied that her facility was infected, and the call was dropped, never to speak to her again over the phone. Debbie ignored every call from the day we received Scout up until now.

I even contacted Debbie’s vet, Kasie Nelson, DVM, who avoided my phone calls until after Scout had died. When speaking to Kasie Nelson, she explained that she had never administered any shots of any kind, explaining that most breeders do themselves, and that the day before Scout flew was the first and only time she had seen him. When I asked her about the check-up, she explained that she was only required to check his “bones and heart,” and was NOT required to check blood, stool, or even temperature (although she did take his temperature) When I asked Kasie if she had checked any of Debbies other dogs after finding out about Scouts condition, she said no. I asked, “how could you know if they were infected without a thorough examination?” and Kasie replied that I had a “valid point.”

We decided to reach out to everyone we could for help, from the ASPCA, to the Humane Society, to the Attorney General, to American Airlines (which delivered Scout), to the Department of Agriculture, and tons of others including judges and people like Ellen and Oprah who either support the ASPCA or had similar situations happen to them. After corresponding with many, it lead practically nowhere, and Debbie began posting dogs on other sites, using different names since I now posted her name all over the internet, warning others about the way she functions as a breeder.

Many people replied with very similar stories about Debbie after reading about mine. The best thing to do now is pass it along, to anyone who has dealt with this kind of woman, or this kind of situation. Dogs should NEVER be allowed to be shipped on commercial airlines, or sold online, PERIOD. As sad as it is, it took an experience like this to learn it.