Provo woman wants refund from pet store after receiving DNA test – ABC4.com

ABC4 Utah
Please enter a search term.
Please enter a search term.
by: Courtney Johns
Posted: Oct 25, 2022 / 10:08 PM MDT
Updated: Oct 25, 2022 / 10:08 PM MDT
by: Courtney Johns
Posted: Oct 25, 2022 / 10:08 PM MDT
Updated: Oct 25, 2022 / 10:08 PM MDT
PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — Eden Pope said when she bought her dog Oreo from “The Puppy Store,” she was told he was a Shih Tzu. But as he got bigger, she noticed some changes and ordered a DNA test. 
According to that test, Oreo is about 85% Shih Tzu and 15% Chihuahua. Pope said she went back to the store and was told there was nothing they could do. She said she was then told that a supervisor would send her an email, but she never got one. 
Pope said she doesn’t want to return Oreo but wants a partial refund since she paid thousands for the breed itself. 
“He’s my best friend and I would never return him. I could never do that. But I care about the principle of doing what’s right,” Pope said. 
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
According to the Better Business Bureau, there are several things people can do to make sure they get what they are paying for.
Britta Clark with the Better Business Bureau Mountain West recommends looking for a local reputable breeder, where you can meet the dog’s parents. Clark also recommends requesting a copy of the pet’s health records and having a vet review them before making a purchase. 
Customers can also look up the business on BBB’s website. At last check, “The Puppy Store” had an F rating. Clark said the business has not responded to many of the complaints. 
“The complaints are along the same lines, as what you’ve seen… they’re expecting one thing and getting another. Not necessarily based on breed, but based on the health of the puppy and that sort of thing. So it’s just a lot of concern around how this business is running their puppy store,” said Clark.
BBB recommends reporting any concerns to the following agencies: 
Clark said you may also want to consider contacting your local law enforcement agency depending on what happened. 
“The Puppy Store” released the following statement: 
At The Puppy Store, we pride ourselves in serving our community with an experience like no other. The experience of having a safe place to play and fall in love with a new family member. This is why we take great strides in ensuring our puppies are sourced from quality professional licensed breeders. We offer amazing guarantees that cover viral illness and genetic conditions with medical bill reimbursement if ever any. 
In the situation with Ms. Pope, we apologize that she was not completely satisfied with her puppy adoption. Most of our puppies come with registration and family tree pedigree as was the case with this puppy. We can only go by what the breeder, accredited registration companies, a bloodline history have stated, and in this case all of which said that this puppy is a Shih-Tzu. DNA testing is not generally 100% accurate as you may research online. 
Are dog DNA tests 100% accurate?
How accurate are dog DNA tests? The accuracy of dog DNA tests varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. To date, no dog DNA test is 100% accurate. Even between the two most accurate dog DNA tests, there are slight differences in results – while Embark offers one result, Wisdom Panel may offer another.
Again we are sorry for the situation and for any inconvenience this may have caused our customer, but we are here to help with a fair resolution. We would encourage Ms. Pope to submit her DNA test, any blood results, and any other proofs of breed so we may conduct our investigation. To date we have only received a picture sent via text of what would appear to be a DNA test. 
Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now

source