Posted: 07/22/2011

by Staci Giordullo

Mark Stettner had no idea how Thanksgiving Day 2008 would change his life. His daughter, then a college sophomore, returned to their Allentown, Pa., home with the news that she had a dog - and it wasn't permitted in her campus housing. "That's when I inherited Max - and the problems," says Stettner, an Angie's List member.

Stettner's daughter bought Max, who was advertised as a purebred toy poodle, for $1,347 from an online pet broker called Breedersdirect.com. "Thanksgiving weekend he had some stomach problems, and was initially diagnosed with colitis," Stettner says. "But Max didn't get really sick until the following July."

Stettner says his veterinarian referred him to specialists who, in turn, recommended he take Max to an internist. "I took him to the veterinary hospital at the University of Pennsylvania [which] found a myriad of problems."

Not as advertised

In addition to genetic testing that showed Max was a Boston terrier poodle mix - not a purebred - Stettner says he was diagnosed with a fungal infection, liver problems and kidney issues. "He was a time bomb," says Stettner, who spent more than $5,000 on Max's care but ultimately had to put the sickly dog to sleep.

Stettner, who suspected Max had come from a puppy mill, called Breedersdirect.com and demanded a refund. He says the Florida-based company offered him another dog instead. Playing dumb, Stettner then called Max's breeder and asked for another dog from the same bloodline. He says the breeder, Coleen Harrell of Rocky Comfort, Mo., told him he would have to go through her broker, The Hunte Corporation.

Based in Goodman, Mo., Hunte is the nation's largest pet broker, buying dogs from breeders located primarily in the Midwest and selling them to pet stores nationwide. "Hunte said my replacement dog was on a truck headed my way," Stettner says. "I had to meet the truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The driver handed me the dog ... and took off. I took one look at him and knew he was sick."

Stettner took his new dog, Jake, to the veterinarian right away, but the dog died four days later. Stettner says Hunte refunded the $500 he paid for Jake, but not the $700 veterinary bill.

Federal oversight limited

Under the Animal Welfare Act , commercial breeders and brokers are regulated, licensed and subject to inspections by the USDA. However, those that sell dogs directly to the public, including through the Internet, are not.

Animal advocates believe that an estimated 2 million to 4 million dogs are born in puppy mills each year, and that many wind up in pet stores or being sold to unsuspecting online shoppers. "It's a big problem," says Deborah Howard, founder of national nonprofit Companion Animal Protection Society. "And it's a huge business."

Breedersdirect.com is no longer operational, but the company behind the website - The Breeder Network LLC - continues to solicit breeders at breedernetwork.com, breederadmin.com and several other sites - all utilizing the same phone number (which was 954-237-2284 at press time) and registered by the same agent with the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations.