Charlotte woman says puppy died after 11 days, sues dog breeder and wins

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A lot of people have been getting dogs during the pandemic, including Carrie Glover. She’s a nurse and wanted a puppy -- two actually -- to have more company during this time.

She said one of the puppies, Dory, started having health problems.

“It was draining because, obviously, I’m a nurse and it was right in the middle of COVID, the height of COVID," Glover said. "Nurses were in prime need at that time so trying to work, trying to be with her. I had to take a few days off of work to be with her because she was just so sick.”

Glover said it turns out Dory had a heart defect and died after 11 days.

“It was very sad," Glover said. "It was very sad because, even after 11 days, I was very attached to her.”

She said the dogs together cost $2,500 and the vet bills and cremation were almost $3,000.

Scam: Authorities warn of bogus online pet sellers Scam: Authorities warn of bogus online pet sellers

She sued the breeder, Smith’s Puppies, in Gaffney, South Carolina.

“I don’t think there was anything overly nefarious with what they were doing. I think it was much more they were just trying to sell dogs and make some money,” Glover’s lawyer Robert Herford told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.

Glover won $5,775 at trial and won again on appeal.

“I don’t want anyone else to get in the same predicament that I did and be out so much money,” Glover said.

Glover said the other puppy is doing well.

Action 9 tried to contact the breeder Thursday, but hadn’t heard back in time for this report.

A lot of families are getting dogs during the pandemic, so here’s some advice:

• Make sure you see the dog in person before you buy it
• Research the seller -- it’s perfectly OK to ask for references
• Say you want the dog’s medical records in writing; at the very least, you want to make sure it has had all its shots
• Consider adopting a dog

Also, watch out for online puppy scams:

• Research the seller
• Be suspicious if that person wants you to pay using cash, prepaid cards, wire transfers or bitcoin
• Don’t trust the picture or video of the dog that’s online -- you don’t know where the seller got it because it could be a stock photo. You can uncover that yourself by follow these steps:

1. Right click on the photo.
2. Select “copy image address.”
3. Paste the link in a search engine.
4. Search by image. For example, for Google, click the camera icon.
5. See who else is using that same picture. You may be surprised.

Cox Media Group