Apr 27, 2006 8:33 am US/Eastern
Kennel Shut Down For Selling Sick Bulldogs
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ―
A woman sold sick and diseased bulldog puppies, misled buyers about their rights, and then ignored buyers who complained, Attorney General Tom Corbett alleged Wednesday.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Corbett sought to shut down a Douglassville kennel until its owner, Traci Murai, pays restitution, fines and the cost of the state's investigation.
Murai, who imports English bulldogs at her Bullie Pups R Us business, sold more than 250 dogs since 2004 to consumers across the country, Corbett's office said. Puppies listed on Murai's Web site cost as much as $2,400.
A spokeswoman for Corbett said the office has received seven complaints, including three from buyers whose dogs died or had to be euthanized. Spokeswoman Barbara Petito said the alleged victims live in New Hampshire, Maryland, Florida, California, Georgia, New York and Massachusetts, and one reported paying $7,030 in veterinary bills.
Petito also alleged that Murai illegally misled buyers into thinking that the sales contract required them to forfeit their reimbursement rights under the state's "puppy lemon law."
"We suspect there are many more consumers out there (with sick or dead dogs) that are not contacting our office because they believe they have waived their rights," Petito said.
In an e-mailed statement, Murai said she has cooperated with investigators and that everything in her contracts was approved by a lawyer.
"They have totally taken this out of context and turned me into a dishonest monster and I am the total opposite from that," she wrote.
Her lawyer, Steven Nierenberg, said Murai had determined that the puppies were healthy when she sold them.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
