Laura and her family decided that they were ready to get a new puppy, a little while after their beloved dog had passed away.

Laura’s mother spotted an ad on a classified ad site featuring some puppies looking for a loving home. Laura’s mother contacted the seller and made an appointment to visit the seller’s apartment to see the puppies.

Laura and her mother arrived at the apartment and were surprised by how untidy and dirty it appeared and that there was a bad smell in the room where the puppies were kept. Laura asked the seller what checks had been carried out by the vet, to which the seller responded that the puppies had already been vaccinated and dewormed. However, the seller did not show proof of this – and no vaccination certificates, microchip details, pedigree certificate and pet passport were available. Laura and her mother were also shown a dog which was supposed to be the mother dog. However, the seller did not let this dog interact with the puppies which Laura thought was suspicious. Despite this, Laura and her family immediately fell in love with one of the puppies and took him home that day, naming him Chico.

Just after Chico arrived at Laura’s house, he began to suffer from diarrhoea which Laura initially thought as normal as he had just left his play mates and was alone in a new home. However, the next day Chico still had diarrhoea, so Laura began to think that something might be wrong. Later in the day things got worse and while Laura was holding Chico, he stopped breathing for a while. Laura immediately called her vet to arrange an emergency appointment. The vet saw Chico straight away and noticed that Chico was very weak, with gums that were almost completely white. Blood samples confirmed that Chico had parvovirus – an infection that is deadly for young puppies. At this point the virus had already reached a late stage and sadly Chico had to be put to sleep to end his suffering.

Chico lived in Laura’s loving home for less than a day, leaving the family absolutely heartbroken.

Laura is now sharing Chico’s story to help raise awareness about the puppy trade and the risks of buying a puppy from puppy dealers online.

Every year, countless of puppies are bred and sold by puppy farmers, leaving owners to deal with emotional and financial costs, when puppies are sick or die.

If you are planning to buy a puppy, know the potential risks. Learn more!