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Source Sun Sentinel 5/26/10
Gilda Anderson,left, and Jim Anderson, the former owners of "Wizard of Claws," leave court, Tuesday at the Broward County Courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale. (Joe Cavaretta, Sun Sentinel / May 25, 2010)
Pembroke Pines
FORT LAUDERDALE The fate of 55 puppies will not be decided until at least Wednesday, when the former owners of Wizard of Claws will be back in court.
On Tuesday, Jim and Gilda Anderson, puppy dealers accused of selling sick dogs in a lawsuit settled in January, fought allegations they have violated the settlement agreement. Closing arguments are expected Wednesday.
The Andersons owned and operated the Wizard of Claws store on Taft Street in Pembroke Pines until it closed last year.
On the stand Tuesday, Gilda Anderson testified she and her husband did not know that many of the puppies they sold had severe health problems.
"We had no idea," Anderson said. "Yes we did it, but not with intent. We did not know these dogs had problems until later on."
Jim Anderson has admitted to selling puppies within days of a January lawsuit settlement, in violation of its strict guidelines. He faces a possible fine.
Since January, Anderson has been selling 20 to 50 puppies a month and charging $1,000 to $2,500 apiece or more, according to testimony.
Under the settlement, Anderson was to report monthly to the State Attorney General's Office if he started selling puppies again. Anderson said he started filing the report May 5, the day after he got a direct contact at the office.
On Tuesday, Krystal Eubanks testified she bought a Maltese puppy from the Andersons for $1,076 in February. Eubanks, breaking into tears at one point, said the puppy died in her arms five days later, after a $350 visit to the vet.
Recalled to the stand, Jim Anderson apologized for the dog's death.
His attorney, Roberto Stanziale, introduced the vet's record for the Maltese showing it died of anemia. He tried to ask Anderson what might have caused the anemia, but attorney Christine Deruelle objected, arguing he's not an expert.
Stanziale said he was trying to show that the new owner did not feed the dog properly. Such tiny dogs need nourishment every few hours, according to testimony.
In a hearing two weeks ago, Broward Circuit Judge Robert Rosenberg ordered the Andersons to stop selling puppies until the matter could be resolved. The judge also assigned a third party to take custody of the 55 puppies at the Andersons' home in Davie.
The puppies were allowed to remain there after a veterinarian determined they were not in immediate danger.
Most of the puppies were being kept in cages in the garage, with the rest caged in the laundry room. Six of the 55 dogs were sick on the first visit and 12 showed symptoms of respiratory distress during the second visit on May 19, veterinarian Beth Hirschfeld said.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2007, accused Wizard of Claws and the Andersons of selling sick but high-priced puppies through the pet store and over the Internet.
Two years later, the Wizard of Claws filed for bankruptcy protection and a court trustee seized control of its Pembroke Pines store. That week, rescuers arrived at the Wizard of Claws store and found 33 puppies, one of them dead in its cage. Two more died within an hour of being rescued.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at [email protected] or 954-572-2077.
Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Gilda Anderson,left, and Jim Anderson, the former owners of "Wizard of Claws," leave court, Tuesday at the Broward County Courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale. (Joe Cavaretta, Sun Sentinel / May 25, 2010)
Pembroke Pines
FORT LAUDERDALE The fate of 55 puppies will not be decided until at least Wednesday, when the former owners of Wizard of Claws will be back in court.
On Tuesday, Jim and Gilda Anderson, puppy dealers accused of selling sick dogs in a lawsuit settled in January, fought allegations they have violated the settlement agreement. Closing arguments are expected Wednesday.
The Andersons owned and operated the Wizard of Claws store on Taft Street in Pembroke Pines until it closed last year.
On the stand Tuesday, Gilda Anderson testified she and her husband did not know that many of the puppies they sold had severe health problems.
"We had no idea," Anderson said. "Yes we did it, but not with intent. We did not know these dogs had problems until later on."
Jim Anderson has admitted to selling puppies within days of a January lawsuit settlement, in violation of its strict guidelines. He faces a possible fine.
Since January, Anderson has been selling 20 to 50 puppies a month and charging $1,000 to $2,500 apiece or more, according to testimony.
Under the settlement, Anderson was to report monthly to the State Attorney General's Office if he started selling puppies again. Anderson said he started filing the report May 5, the day after he got a direct contact at the office.
On Tuesday, Krystal Eubanks testified she bought a Maltese puppy from the Andersons for $1,076 in February. Eubanks, breaking into tears at one point, said the puppy died in her arms five days later, after a $350 visit to the vet.
Recalled to the stand, Jim Anderson apologized for the dog's death.
His attorney, Roberto Stanziale, introduced the vet's record for the Maltese showing it died of anemia. He tried to ask Anderson what might have caused the anemia, but attorney Christine Deruelle objected, arguing he's not an expert.
Stanziale said he was trying to show that the new owner did not feed the dog properly. Such tiny dogs need nourishment every few hours, according to testimony.
In a hearing two weeks ago, Broward Circuit Judge Robert Rosenberg ordered the Andersons to stop selling puppies until the matter could be resolved. The judge also assigned a third party to take custody of the 55 puppies at the Andersons' home in Davie.
The puppies were allowed to remain there after a veterinarian determined they were not in immediate danger.
Most of the puppies were being kept in cages in the garage, with the rest caged in the laundry room. Six of the 55 dogs were sick on the first visit and 12 showed symptoms of respiratory distress during the second visit on May 19, veterinarian Beth Hirschfeld said.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2007, accused Wizard of Claws and the Andersons of selling sick but high-priced puppies through the pet store and over the Internet.
Two years later, the Wizard of Claws filed for bankruptcy protection and a court trustee seized control of its Pembroke Pines store. That week, rescuers arrived at the Wizard of Claws store and found 33 puppies, one of them dead in its cage. Two more died within an hour of being rescued.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at [email protected] or 954-572-2077.
Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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