An influencer has urged pet owners to do their research before buying puppies online after the Pomeranian she bought through a Russian Instagram seller died after just days in her care.
Nail artist Sarah Woods, from Liverpool, who boasts nearly 39,000 followers on Instagram, was left distraught when the Pomeranian puppy she bought was delivered malnourished, underweight and covered in her own excrement.
The £3,000 puppy, named Sushi, was dropped off at Sarah’s home in the middle of the night in a van packed with other cages.
The ownership papers handed over with the dog stated she had been travelling for 30 hours and Sarah questioned whether she had been given food or water during that time. Sushi was taken to a vet just hours later but later died.
Laura Woods, a nail artist from Liverpool, has revealed her distress after a ‘puppy farm’ breeder delivered a Pomeranian starving to death and covered in faeces after she bought the dog for £3,000
Sushi, pictured, was covered in faeces, malnourished, and refused to eat when she arrived at Sarah’s home
The nail artist initially fell in love with Sushi after the breeder, located in Russia, sent her a picture of the pup, saying she was 4-months-old
Sarah shared her ordeal on Instagram, revealing the seller sent her a string of distressing messages blaming her and the vet for the dog’s death and then offering to send another puppy at a discounted price.
Now Sarah wants to warn others not to buy imported puppies, which can still be legally bought from unlicensed overseas breeders.
Writing on Instagram, Sarah explained she had wanted a Pomeranian because a relative had bought one and found the breeder through ‘word of mouth’. Sarah was sent a video of the puppy she bought, although she believes Sushi was actually a different puppy.
However she admitted she was ‘uneducated’ in the signs she should look for to check the dog was healthy and being raised by a legitimate breeder.
She said in an Instagram video: ‘Unfortunately we did pick a Russian breeder for our puppy, to be honest I think it was just the case of being uneducated.
‘The breeder never asked how many we were in the house, how many were going to be at home with the puppy, or whether the house we lived in was puppy-safe.’
After Sushi’s death, Sarah was sent a series of abusive and insensitve messages from the seller, who refused to share information about Sushi
The puppy was dropped off at the house Sarah shares with her boyfriend and the nail artist was immediately concerned by her appearance.
‘Our poor baby arrived with tear stains, matted fur, covered in faeces, vomiting and diarrhoea,’ she wrote. ‘Our puppy was provided with food and water on arrival. She drank small amounts of water but was refusing to eat.’
When she received the puppy, the nail artist said she was struck by how ‘weak’ and sickly the dog appeared.
She explained: ‘She wouldn’t walk for more than ten seconds and it was a very slow walk and she just wanted to be curled up in a ball again.’
The puppy’s papers stated Sushi had been in transit for 30 hours before she reached her UK destination. Sarah was unsure the pup had received food or water during her journey and the seller would not confirm whether it had been the case.
Terrified for her dog, Sarah rushed the pup to her local vet, who said the puppy was ‘malnourished, underweight’ and just two-and-a-half months old. Sushi spent the next two days at the clinic on a drip before she recovered enough to make it back home.
After the dog returned from the local vet hospital, Sarah and her boyfriend were instructed to feed the puppy every four hours.
‘Can you imagine the stress of us bring this puppy home trying to keep it alive,’ she said in her video.
The nail artist became increasing upset and distressed about the dog, knowing that she likely wouldn’t recover.
She explained: ‘I felt so helpless like, “What can I do more to help you?” She gave up, she just knew she didn’t want to be there.
Sarah admitted that the situation got the best of her and that she grew increasingly ‘frustrated’ with the dog and herself, but said: ‘It’s not this dog’s fault that she is suffering so much.’
She explained in the video that she did not want to be around the dog because she ‘subconsciously knew’ the poor pup would not make it. The dog later died.
Sarah is now determined to raise awareness of puppy farms and wants to warn others not to buy from imported breeders
Sarah shared screenshots of her confronting the seller over the treatment of Sushi. The seller mocked Sarah when she asked questions about the dog’s care in transit before offering a replacement puppy at a discounted price.
Breaking down on the video, Sarah added: ‘I can’t help but feel guilt and people who love dog are probably watching this like “are you for real, how could you be so stupid, why would you buy a puppy without doing your research?” I feel so stupid.’
Lucy’s Law, which came into effect in April this year, prohibits the third sale party of puppies in England and requires licensed breeders to show puppies interacting with the mother in their place of birth. However it is still legal to import puppies into the UK to be sold.