Online dog sellers may be committing vaccination fraud

MURRAY — The Humane Society of Utah has issued an alert to consumers regarding a fraudulent practice being used by a breeder selling dogs online and possibly at roadside locations.

The HSU has recently become aware of a situation where a seller gave the buyer documents/invoices indicating the animal had been vaccinated at the HSU clinic, when, in fact, they had never been. The seller in question has taken HSU invoices obtained from previous vaccinations for other dogs and doctored them to indicate the animal now being sold has been vaccinated.

On Sept. 17, an owner brought two 3-month-old Australian shepherd mix puppies to the shelter to verify the dogs had been vaccinated. They had not been, but papers indicated otherwise. When the owner contacted the seller, he was told there would be no refund.

Fortunately, the dogs appear to be healthy.

However, the HSU is concerned about consumers purchasing dogs they find online, or from roadside vendors, and not receiving proper/legitimate documentation verifying the animals they are buying have been vaccinated.

For more information, go to: www.utahhumane.com.

— Lynn Arave