VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The owners of a 13-week-old American Eskimo puppy are questioning the pet store where he was purchased.
Christina Leon says she bought Bleu on Saturday from the Pet-Go-Round at the Lynnhaven Mall.
At the time, she says, Bleu just seemed worn out. However, by Sunday, she says he wouldn't even lift up his head.
"The whole time he wouldn't drink, he wouldn't eat," she says.
Leon says she took Bleu to an emergency vet clinic. According to the paperwork, he had pneumonia, round worms, anorexia, and a cough.
"I definitely feel like we rescued him he probably wouldn't have lasted long because he wasn't getting the treatment he needed," she says. "It just hit me, all of those other dogs in there, they are sick now. The doctor told me he was super contagious."
NewsChannel 3 reached out to a manager at the Pet-Go-Round.
He says the puppy was cleared for sale on Friday by a mobile vet that comes to their store a couple days a week to evaluate their dogs.
He says Bleu did have an upper respiratory infection prior to when he was purchased, but it was treated.
The mobile vet told NewsChannel 3 he could not comment because of "client confidentiality."
This isn't the first allegation against the Pet-Go-Round.
In September 2014, an undercover investigator with the Humane Society of the United States gave NewsChannel 3 a video of a basset hound puppyat the store gasping for air and unable to fully stand up.
The investigator said the salesperson seemed unconcerned and said the puppy was being treated for an upper respiratory illness.
Humane Society officials say they have not investigated since.
"I don't want to say don't get a dog from there because they need rescuing," says Leon. "Just be fully prepared to take them directly to the vet to get them checked out."
Pet-Go-Round says any customer that has to take a newly-purchased dog to the vet can get reimbursed for the costs if the customer submits their bills.
