FLORIDA — Dog lover Cathy Carlton wanted a puppy that was a mix of her two favorite breeds after her beloved Gracie, a Shih Tzu, died last year at the age of 17.
And then there was Benny, a Bichon that Cathy and her husband Neil adored. The couple set out to find a Teddy Bear breed, a mix between a Shih Tzu and a Bichon.
That's when they found Leroy.
Petland Largo labeled Leroy as a Teddy Bear. Cathy and Neil fell in love with him at the store, but they noticed that he didn’t look like a Shih Tzu. Neil told ABC Action News his wife asked the salesperson if they were sure Leroy was a mix of a Shih Tzu and a Bichon. Neil said the clerk replied that he said yes, and that "we have the papers and everything.”
The paperwork that Petland provided shows Leroy's mom is a purebred Bichon and his dad is a purebred Shih Tzu. Another document provided by Petland states both parents are AKC registered.
Neil and Cathy paid $4,799 for the tiny black and white puppy.
After taking him home they bought a puppy health plan from Banfield Pet Hospital that included a DNA test. The DNA test revealed Leroy is mostly a Bichon and Poodle mix but doesn't have any Shih Tzu DNA.
Neil told ABC Action News he shared the test results with Petland and asked for half of their money back. The business did not immediately agree to a refund, and that’s when the couple emailed us. ABC Action News forwarded the test results to a Petland Largo spokesperson.
They responded in an email.
"Petland Largo stands by the information provided by its trusted, AKC-certified breeders. We have a years-long professional relationship with our breeders and our standards of care are above the minimum federal standards. A pillar of our standards is our commitment to transparency and that includes providing all breeding information for each of our puppies which this customer was also provided. However, because Petland Largo's mission is to exceed expectations and ensure that families are 100 percent satisfied, we offered to honor the customer's request for a 50 percent refund and this morning, he accepted."
Petland made good on their promise and mailed the Carltons a check for $2,568.
ABC Action News took the next step of verifying the Carltons' DNA test results. We purchased a test kit from Embark, a different DNA testing company than the Carltons used. Leroy's mouth was swabbed as instructed, and the sample was sent to the lab.
The results from Embark are similar to the Carltons' DNA report. They show Leroy is 50.5% Bichon, 45.5% Poodle, and 4% Havanese.
We shared the second set of results with Petland and asked how their customers can feel confident the breed they picked out is the breed they paid for.
A spokesperson responded in an email and stated: "Petland stands by the information the buyers were provided regarding the puppy’s parent."
Florida Gulf Coast University Biology Professor Dr. Oscar Johnson told ABC Action News a puppy can't have a parent that does not show up on a DNA test. “If the dad is truly a Shih Tzu it will have passed down his DNA to the puppy. That is simply the way that genetics works."
We also contacted the breeder listed in Petland’s paperwork. His facility is in Missouri. The breeder is Amish and has no phone and no email. We reached him through a taxi driver who services his community. The breeder could not explain why Leroy has no Shih Tzu DNA.
They don’t have all the answers, but the Carltons said they are satisfied with their 50% refund and, despite his questionable heritage, wouldn’t trade Leroy for any other dog.
