This is the ad for Trajan that was on Craigslist. Image from Ashley Duber.
KIROTV.com reported yesterday that a Lake Stevens couple bought a puppy infected with parvovirus from a man who advertised it on Craigslist.
Ashley Dubar and Zebulon Parker paid $350 for an 8-1/2 week old Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mix from a man with what they say with a heavy Russian accent.
They named the puppy Trajan, but when they brought him home Ms. Dubar said “something didn’t seem right. He had runny diarrhea and wasn’t eating.”
When Trajan didn’t get any better after a couple of days, they took Trajan to the Pilchuck Veterinary Emergency Clinic where he was diagnosed with parvovirus.
Since the symptoms of parvo incubate for 5-7 days before anyone can see them, Trajan was infected before they bought him.
“To me it’s just repulsive,” Parker told KIRO. “You know these guys are taking advantage of the good will of all these people who want to have a dog.”
After they posted a warning to others on Craigslist about the man who sold them Trajan, they got “dozens” of emails from other people about similar incidents they had with the same guy.
Here are some of the common threads of their stories:
- They found the ad on craigslist
Trajan is still fighting to stay alive. Photo from Ashley Duber.
- Just before they met the man selling the puppy he texted them to say he couldn’t meet them so his brother would bring them puppy
- They met the man selling the puppies in a parking lot (more than one said they met at Dollar Tree in Tacoma
- He had a thick Russian accent and drove a silver VW
Trajan is still at Pilchuck Veterinary Emergency Clinic and fighting to stay alive. He vital signs look better but he may have Intussusception, a potentially fatal condition where a portion of the intestines fold over and create a painful obstruction.
One last thing – please don’t buy dogs off Craigslist as lots of shady characters use it to make a buck selling stolen dogs or dogs in poor health. You can get mixed and purebred puppies and dogs at local shelters – often for less money – that are up-to-date on all vaccinations and are already spayed/neutered.
Please keep Trajan in your thoughts.
I was also a victim. .. we got a German sheperd husky mix. I spoke with ashley myself and learned it was the same group of people. Russians we unfortunately had to put our baby Cole down. People are rude and hearules a
Heartless
I’m so sorry. thanks for sharing your story.
I’m sorry for your predicament and I hope the dog makes a full recovery poor little guy, but there are so many adoptable dogs at the shelter – why go to craigslist in the first place.
We picked up a female puppy from the same ad, same people. We also met them in a parking lot in Tacoma. It was 2 guys & 1 girl, heavy Russian accent. Paid $400 for a female lab/golden retriever only to spend another $300 at the vet 2 days later because the pup was lethargic, not eating & drinking. Her parvo test was negative but vet started her on antibiotics & thankfully she is doing much better now. I wish I would have listened to my gut when they said they wanted to meet in a parking lot….I would have prefered to see where the puppy was coming from & meet the parents.
I’m glad your puppy is ok. NEVER buy one from anyone who won’t let you meet the parents.
People want to cut corners and get dogs cheap and then complain when the ‘deal’ isn’t such a good deal. Reputable breeders work hard to produce a dog that is genetically sound and raised in a healthy environment. Testing, housing, shots, health care well before placement ALL COST MONEY. Nobody does it for free or cheap and if they do they HAVE to be cutting corners and telling stories. Vets sure don’t work for free….pet supply companies don’t give the equipment away. Be a responsible buyer.
You can get a dog from a reputable shelter that has all its shots and has been spay/neutered for under $300. And these people aren’t complaining because they got a “bad deal.” They’re sharing their story so others won’t fall victim to these shady breeders. They never complained about how much they paid. They were upset their puppy died.
$350! And no proof of vaccines and purchased by someone who probably has no idea what part of even is, since you described that he had a very thick Russian accent.
It is sad this puppy is the real victim here. I’m really curious on how dozens of dogs could have been sold by the guy and no one has turned them in before now.
This is why there needs to be laws to stop this and people need to 3 purchasing pets like any other large ticket item. You wouldn’t buy a Rolex watch off someone on a street corner.
There were so many red flags in this whole story people really need to start becoming aware that scammers are everywhere
My son in-law paid $250 for a puppy off of Craigslist several months ago, it had Parvo as well. Luckily, they were able to get him to the vet and save him….you can bet he got an earful from me about not going to a shelter and rescuing!! I hate puppy mills and would never do a thing to help them stay in business!!
I’m glad you gave him and earful!
I’m glad he has you for a mom.
Sad to say I followed the GoFundMe link to read more on this and found out that the pup has now passed away…?
I saw that as well. So awful.
I saw that. So awful and preventable.
I hadn’t seen this, thanks.