Aimee Walker
An influencer was left heartbroken when the £3,000 pomeranian she purchased from a Russian Instagram seller died just days after arriving. The social media star has since admitted she didn’t do her research and was “uneducated” about the risks of “puppy-fishing” online.
Influencer and nail artist Sarah Woods has urged pet owners to do their research before purchasing a puppy advertised online as she knows first-hand the heartbreak it can bring.
Sarah, from Liverpool, was left devastated when the pomeranian puppy she purchased from a Russian Instagram seller was delivered malnourished, underweight and covered in her own excrement.
The influencer, who boasts nearly 40,000 Instagram followers, named the puppy Sushi. The pomeranian had been dropped off at Sarah’s home in the middle of the night in a van that was reportedly packed full of cages.
In the ownership papers that Sarah was given, it stated that Sushi had been travelling for 30 hours. During this time, her new owner questioned whether or not she had been given any food or water due to her condition.
Although Sarah took her to the vets, Sushi passed away a few days later.
Heartbroken, the influencer shared her story on social media to warn others of “puppy-fishing”. She shared a string of messages that she exchanged with the person she had purchased Sushi from, who then went on to blame Sarah and the vet for the puppy’s death. Wanting the subject to be dropped, she said that she would offer her another puppy at a discounted price – Sarah refused this offer.
Now that Sarah is aware of the dangers of buying imported puppies, she wants others to know that they need to do their research before buying a pet. Unfortunately, it is still legal for people to legally purchase from irresponsible oversea breeders who do not care about the animals’ welfare.
In the posts she shared, Sarah said: “I’m sorry to say that we were sadly uneducated on what to do when buying a new puppy and knowing what I know now, I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else or any other dog.
“We were recommended this seller from a friend and everything seemed fine until the day Sushi was delivered to us.
“The suffering she must have endured is horrendous, not to mention the conditions her parents must still be kept in. I’m heartbroken and will not rest until we have justice for her.”
She continued: “Lucy’s Law means that you should always physically see the puppy interacting with its mother in their place of birth.
“When puppies are legally imported, this obviously can’t ever happen, so these sellers (usually advertising on Instagram) are profiting huge amounts from the sale and suffering of these puppies every day.
“Sushi’s seller made us feel like we were fully responsible for her death, when it was a miracle she even made it to us alive.”
Sarah then brought attention to an e-petition which wants the exploitive import of young puppies for sale in the UK to be banned. The petition has already gathered over 119,000 signatures.
The influencer then said: “Please everyone – do your research, consider rescue dog adoption, sign and share the #BanPuppyImports petition, and if you know of any sellers or breeders in your area running similar operations – please report them to your local authorities so they can be investigated ASAP”.
When asked why she had wanted a pomeranian in the first place, Sarah explained that she had wanted the specific breed of dog as she knew a relative that had one. Through “word of mouth” she then found the seller she purchased Sushi from. She was then sent a video from the seller who claimed that this would be the puppy she’d be purchasing. Sarah now believes that this was a different puppy based on her puppy’s condition.
Sarah has admitted she was “uneducated” when searching for a puppy and wishes that she had thought of checking on whether or not the dog was healthy and being raised by a responsible and caring breeder.
In an Instagram video, she said: “Unfortunately we did pick a Russian breeder for our puppy. To be honest, I think it was just a case of being uneducated.
“The breeder never asked how many we were in the house, how many were going to be at home with the puppy, or whether the house we lived in was puppy-safe.”
Sarah, who shares her home with her boyfriend, was immediately concerned upon Sushi’s arrival due to her appearance. She described the puppy as appearing “weak” and commented that she also looked sickly.
The nail artist said: “Our poor baby arrived with tear stains, matted fur and covered in faeces, vomiting and diarrhoea.
“Our puppy was provided with food and water on arrival. She drank small amounts of water but was refusing to eat.”
She added: “She wouldn’t walk for more than ten seconds and it was a very slow walk and she just wanted to be curled up in a ball again.”
According to the papers Sarah was given, Sushi had been in transit for 30 hours yet it wasn’t clear whether or not she had been given any food or water during this time. When the seller was contacted, she wouldn’t confirm whether or not that was the case.
Becoming increasingly concerned for her dog, Sarah rushed Sushi to see the local vet who confirmed that the puppy was “malnourished” and “underweight”. Shockingly, she was then told that puppy was just two and a half months old.
For the next two days, Sushi was kept at the clinic on a drip. She then recovered enough to be taken home. The vet instructed Sarah and her boyfriend to make sure that she was fed every four hours.
The nail artist said when the puppy was taken back home, she became increasingly upset as she had a gut feeling which said Sushi wouldn’t recover from the trauma. Although she knew it was not the puppy’s fault, she found it difficult to be around her as she “subconsciously knew” that the poor puppy wouldn’t make it. Later on, Sushi passed away.
When Sarah informed the seller about what had happened, the influencer couldn’t believe it when she started to mock her before offering a replacement puppy at a discounted price.
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