Shrewsbury man who sold sick, dying bulldog puppies fined nearly half a million dollars
Some of the dogs reportedly died within hours of being purchased.
A Shrewsbury man was fined nearly half a million dollars and barred from selling dogs in Massachusetts after allegedly selling dozens of sick and dying bulldog puppies, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday.
Some of the dogs reportedly died within hours of being purchased.
Heath Morse falsely advertised that he was a longtime bulldog breeder and that the puppies he sold were “from five-star living conditions, healthy, of ‘show-dog quality,’ American Kennel Club certified, pure bred, and veterinarian checked,” Healey’s office said. Similar claims can be found on various websites connected to Morse.
He listed the dogs for sale on various social media and pet finding websites under multiple business names including Heath’s Legendary Bulldogs, Dream-A-Bullz, Heath’s English Bulldogs, Heath’s French Bulldogs, New England Bulldogs, and Heath’s Bulldogs.
Court documents list dozens of medical issues and infectious diseases suffered by the dogs, such as giardia and parvovirus. Morse was illegally selling the puppies out of his home without a license.
Morse sold more than three dozen French and English bulldogs to Massachusetts consumers for over about a year and a half, a release said. Court documents list the puppies from $1,500 to $5,000 each.
More than a quarter of the puppies sold ultimately died, according to the release.
Morse’s customers allege they spent thousands more on vet bills to treat or euthanize the sick dogs. Some said Morse gave them false vaccination records and refused to provide documentation proving AKC certification.
Customers also told officials Morse’s home, which he sold the puppies out of, was unsanitary and overflowing with dogs. One said Morse had to clean other dogs’ feces off of their puppy when they arrived to pick it up.
Multiple veterinarians told Morse’s customers their puppies suffered from conditions that were likely due to inbreeding.
One dog had a collapsed trachea and would have to be put on an oxygen tank to survive. Another relied on a feeding tube. One customer said Morse handed her a syringe with a microchip in it when she arrived to pick up her dog, though his Yelp page promises all of the dogs are microchipped.
Morse allegedly continued to misrepresent the health of the dogs and operate his illegal pet shop after multiple orders from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Shrewsbury Animal Control to stop.
“For many people, getting a dog is like adding a new member of your family – it can be a big financial and emotional investment,” Healey said in a November statement when her office first sued Morse. “We allege this man scammed families out of thousands of dollars, leaving them heartbroken, in serious debt, and in some cases, without the pet they paid for.”
A Suffolk County Superior Court judge entered a default judgment that bans Morse from selling dogs in the state. He will also have to pay more than $480,000 in penalties and damages to his customers.
Multiple Facebook pages connected to Morse appear to have been taken down. The phone number listed on his advertisements is disconnected.
