Woman claims she got 2 sick puppies from Mandarin pet store

Woman wants Pet World to pay bills that are hundreds of dollars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman said she's upset after receiving a sick puppy from Pet World in Mandarin twice-- the first puppy died.

The woman said she bought the first puppy as a gift for her daughter Jan. 1, but that puppy died 30 days later. The woman said Pet World then offered to replace the dog with another dog, who also began having health issues. She wants the Mandarin business of 30 years to help pay the vet bills.

Suzanne Tiner said it was Christmas time and she wasn't in the new market for a furry friend. But when she and her daughter Lilly walked into Pet World, it was love at first sight. But unfortunately that love would be short lived.

"We went to Pet World San Jose one day and Lily fell in love with a miniature schnauzer that she named Tommy right away," said Tiner. "Within a few weeks he was obviously very ill, vomiting, just lethargic and not himself. We took him to the vet. He actually died that evening in surgery. They tried to remove a bladder stone that had lodged in him."

Tiner said she received a Pet World puppy purchase agreement that states she purchased a healthy puppy. But she would soon find out the puppy's certificate expired just days before purchase.

News4Jax spoke to Mike Kassnoff, the owner of Pet World, who said Tiner purchased the pet Jan. 1. He said the store could not take the puppy to get its health certificate reinstated because the veterinarian office was closed from Christmas Eve until Jan. 2.

"Her certificate was in fact expired and the reason for that was that Suzanne's puppy was due to return to the vet. It was somewhat of a clerical error on our part because had the dog been presented on our vet return list we might have been able to take the dog before Christmas Eve," said Kassnoff.

So the owner of the store let Tiner and her daughter pick out a new puppy worth twice as much as the first one.

Tiner said her new puppy, Fionna, has kennel cough. She wants Pet World to help pay the $1,700 vet bill for Tommy and the $300 bill for Fionna.

But according to the store owner, Tiner did not follow the puppy purchase agreement and failed to take the dog to the vet within the first 48 hours, making the store no longer liable according to their agreement.

"I just want people to understand that not all pet stores are going to be bad, but to please consider adoption or going through a shelter or directly from a breeder. There are so many wonderful dogs you can get from elsewhere that probably are healthy, or come with updated, and current vaccinations and health certificates," said Tiner.

Tiner and her lawyer are discussing further legal actions.


About the Authors:

Emmy-nominated journalist Kristin Cason joined the News 6 team in June 2016.