KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |East Texans Discover They Own Puppies From Alleged Puppy Mill
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He is the man of the house and his name is Big Shot.
Fitting name for a 10-pound Shih Tzu.
Shari Laws said she started breeding Shih Tzus and shortly met a young woman who called her asking if she wanted a puppy.
"I got in the car and I went up there--$300 cash," said Laws.
Laws said the woman pulled out two puppies, one of them Big Shot.
"He was little bitty and he smelled horrendous," she said.
Big Shot was one of several puppies bred at an Upshur County puppy mill, where more than 200 dogs were rescued yesterday, living in their own filth.
And Laws says when she brought big shot home, what she discovered was heartbreaking.
"When I took him to the vet, he had every type worm you could imagine," she said. "He had tape worms and he had a disease called coccidia."
That disease, which attacks the dog's intestine, spread through Laws' other dogs.
The illnesses cost her thousands of dollars in vet bills and eventually the lives of three of her beloved Shih Tzus.
Dr. Paul Gainer of Flint Veterinary Clinic said dogs from puppy mills are highly susceptible to diseases.
"When people see that animal, their instinct is to buy it, and then they find out that its got bad health issues," Dr. Gainer said.
Dr. Gainer also said bad breeding and living conditions lead to bad puppies. And buyers should always know exactly what they are getting when they bring home a new puppy.
"People that are doing a good job of taking care of their animals, they're proud of their parents. They have no hesitation with showing you what mom and dad look like," said Dr. Gainer. " I wouldn't buy anything from somebody who couldn't stand by their product, and an animal is the same way."
It's a lesson Laws said she wishes she would have learned sooner.
"If you can't go into a breeders home and meet the parents, chances are you need to find somebody else," she said
Layron Livingston, KLTV 7 News. llivingston@kltv.com
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