Cary family heartbroken after answering an ad for a new puppy
CARY, NC (WTVD) -- It only took a Cary family a few days to fall in love with their new puppy, but their hearts were quickly broken after finding out the dog wasn't as healthy as they thought.
Libby Powers said her son was eager to have a new friend in the house - a dog he named Meadow.
"Our four-year-old wouldn't stop following her around, when she was in the cage, he would go in," Powers said.
Powers was looking through classifieds when she ran into a deal on a puppy.
"The price looks good and it's a mix and it would be a great temperament for the kids," she said.
Powers emailed back and forth with the pup's owner, who claimed the puppy was seven weeks old and up-to-date on all shots and de-worming.
"It didn't seem like anything was wrong until we started heading to Rocky Mount," Powers said. "And all of a sudden, we weren't meeting at a house, instead, on the side of a road."
Powers paid $150 for Meadow. The previous owner also handed over what appeared to be the dog's shot records.
"On the car ride home, she was asleep on me the whole time, and I just thought it was really sweet," Powers said.
But once Meadow made it to Cary, the family started to worry.
"Immediately, the vomiting and diarrhea started," Powers said.
Over the next few days, Meadow continued to be lethargic and sick, so the family took Meadow to the vet and received bad news from the doctor.
"He looked at me and said this puppy is not healthy," Powers said.
An x-ray revealed what was wrong with Meadow.
"He found the organs and the lungs not formed, which points to inbreeding and not good conditions," Powers said. "He knows we had four-year old at home who was in love with the puppy, and he said, at this stage, the best thing to do with dealing with what we're dealing with is to put the dog down."
Powers didn't want Meadow to suffer any longer.
She tried calling the original owners, but the number no longer worked and they have not responded to her emails either.
Once Powers looked closer at the shot records, she realized they were not from a legitimate vet office. The forms look like they could have been filled out by anyone.
Powers said her family thought with their hearts and not with their heads after seeing the pictures of Meadow and ignored the red flags.
Powers wanted to share her story to warn other families searching for a puppy.
There are ads still online similar to the one Powers found on Meadow, so if you are looking for a new puppy, pay close attention to the details.
After hearing about our story, the woman who sold Powers Meadow called her apologized and told Libby she did not know the puppy was sick.
