Virginia Beach, Va. - A Virginia Beach pet store is one of several under scrutiny from the Humane Society of the United States.
An undercover investigator says she visited Pet-Go-Round at Lynnhaven Mall and asked a sales person to play with a Basset Hound puppy. She says when they brought it to her, the puppy was gasping for air and couldn’t stand on his back two legs.
The investigator says the salesperson seemed unconcerned and said the Basset Hound was being treated for an upper respiratory illness.
The investigator also says the puppy had just been cleared for sale the day before.
In addition to the Pet-Go-Round at Lynnhaven Mall, the investigator also went to one at Pembroke and Family Pet Supercenter at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake. She says all the stores are getting their dogs from illegitimate sources and those places could be middlemen for puppy mills.
NewsChannel 3 spoke to the manager of the Pet-Go-Round where the Basset Hound was being sold. He said the puppy had no trouble breathing.
He says the puppy was raspy from a respiratory infection and that he was getting treatment.
Later that day, a vet checked out the dog and prescribed more antibiotics. The puppy was sold a few days later.
When we asked the manager if he was being negligent with taking care of the puppy and he said absolutely not.
Click here to read the HSUS' entire report on their investigations.
