Woman buys 2 corgi puppies for $6,400; both die within a week of arrival

A woman paid $6,400 for two corgis from a seller, only to have the pups die within a week of their arrival.

The seller subsequently denied any responsibility and became uncontactable, leading the buyer to lodge a police report.

The police report as well as photos of the dogs were submitted to Shin Min Daily News via a volunteer of an animal rescue organisation, identified only by her surname, Chen.

Chen told the Chinese evening daily that the female buyer had contacted the seller of the corgi puppies on Oct 21 via the social media platform, Xiaohongshu.

She paid a deposit of $500 as required, with the remaining amount transferred to the seller after the puppies were delivered last month on Oct 27.

The total price of $6,400 included the transport fee, microchips as well as food for the animals, but both the food and microchips were missing.

When contacted, the seller stated that the items would only be delivered the next day, therefore the woman went ahead to purchase some dog food from a pet shop.

At the store, however, she was told by a staff member that the puppies had a skin problem.

The next day, the dogs began to exhibit symptoms of discomfort such as diarrhoea. They also began to foam at the mouth.

A vet who examined the puppies found them to be suffering from canine parvovirus, described by online sources as a highly contagious virus affecting the animals' gastrointestinal tracts.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, unvaccinated dogs and puppies younger than six months old are most at risk from the virus, which is spread by dog-to-dog contact as well as through contaminated faeces, environment or people.

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Both puppies eventually succumbed to the illness, with one dying on Nov 2 and the other on Nov 3.

Chen stated that the woman had spent $12,000 in total on the dogs' medical fees. Following their deaths, the owner had also sent one of the dead puppies for an examination by a vet.

According to Chen, the buyer managed to contact the seller when the dogs were first diagnosed with the virus. However, the latter denied any responsibility and refused to provide a refund or any form of compensation.

The seller later became uncontactable. Shin Min Daily News confirmed with the police that a report had been lodged. 

She told the Chinese evening daily her suspicion that the dogs could have been smuggled in from Malaysia, stating that she'd seen other similar cases at the animal rescue organisation.

She hoped that the case can serve as a warning for other would-be pet owners to avoid purchasing animals from unknown sources.

candicecai@asiaone.com

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