Joy Doggy Pet Shop
As most of you would have already known, we were exhilarated when we got Toby from Joy Doggy last Sunday. When we got Toby, we noticed that there were a lot of flakes/dandruff on his body but was told that it would go off after a few wash. Being very inexperienced dog-owners, “flakes/drandruff” seemed harmless and we did not think much of it. Below is a detailed account of our experience with George Tan from Joy Doggy:
Day 1: We noticed there were some red patches and balding on the top of Toby’s ears and we suspected that the balding could be be due to skin allergy. Friends whom have seen Toby’s pictures suspected he could have been suffering from infection because his inner ears appeared to be red.
Day 2: We approached Joy Doggy and asked for confirmation if Toby is healthy and not suffering from any skin allergies. Peggy, the lady whom we purchased the dog from replied and confirmed that it is normal for Schnauzers to have dandruff and the flakes will go off after a few washes. Peggy offered to examine Toby’s skin if the problem persists after a few wash.
Day 4: We noticed that Toby has been licking, cleaning and scratching the back of his ears, limbs and rear body more often the last 3 days.
Day 5: Red patches appear to be more visible on the neck and limbs. Small round patches of balding have been noticed on his body and the balding on the ear since Day 1 worsened.
Day 6: We brought Toby to Pet Clinic at Serangoon Gardens and the vet has confirmed that Toby is suffering Dermatophytosis (Ringworm) and it is likely that he had contracted it before we got him one week ago. On the same day, we brought Toby to Joy Doggy after the diagnosis and we did not plan to let Joy Doggy know that we had brought Toby for a medical examination.
We asked Peggy to examine Toby and confirmed again if he is not suffering from any skin diseases. Peggy offered to give him a wash and assured that the flakes will be gotten rid of after the wash. I declined the offer and requested a confirmation again if Toby is not suffering from any skin disease. Peggy replied that she do not think that Toby is suffering from any skin disease.
I decided to tell them about Toby’s visit to the vet and his diagnosis of Dermatophytosis (Ringworm). Peggy insisted that it does not look like ringworm and it could be just dust mites. She offered to apply the affected with a cream which has proven to be very effective on her dogs. I declined her request and she suggested to seek a second opinion. I agreed and asked if it would be possible to get a reimbursement of the medical bill incurred.
George (husband/business partner of Peggy) interrupted and offered to check with his breeder if he is able to get a replacement. If his breeder is agreeable, he would gladly offer a replacement to us. I declined his offer politely. I insisted that Toby will be treated and if the treatment has to be on a long-term basis, a reimbursement of the medical bill will be appreciated. I made it very clear that replacement is not an option for us and we are not interested to know about his negotiation outcomes with the breeder. George replied that a full reimbursement would not be possible and I could give him an estimate of the medical bill so that a solution can be worked out.
I questioned if Joy Doggy knows that Toby was infected with Ringworms before we took him back last Sunday. George insisted again that the symptoms do not look like Ringworms and questioned the credibility of the vet. He asked rudely, in exact words, “How do you want me to trust your vet??” He offered a replacement again and re-emphasized if the breeder is agreeable. I was really annoyed this time and agreed in seeking a second opinion if the medical bills can be reimbursed.
He became impatient and said this rudely, “This is Singapore leh and I’m doing sales in Singapore. If you’re buying a defected product, of course I can only replace with another product la.” I told him that it is a dog that I’m getting and not a PRODUCT. I do not care the about negotiation outcomes with his breeder. I paid for the puppy and if there were medical conditions not highlighted before the purchase, the pet shop needs to be responsible for the treatment.
George challenged usto get a lawyer and sue them. He said he will not pay a single cent for Toby’s medical fees because we are are just plain greedy. He was just downright rude and I insisted that I would only to talk to Peggy. George said in sarcasm, “You want to talk to her?? She also has to go through me ok!!”
We had a good talk with Peggy. She offered to give Toby a good wash and take care of Toby until he is completely healed. Being honest with her, I told her that we have no intentions in leaving Toby under their care after the horrible experience we had with George.
The purpose of this post is to share the experience we had with George Tan from Joy Doggy and how important it is to do research before you get your puppy from sources which you may not be familiar with. We also found out from Peggy that their resident Schnauzer, Buffy contracted Dermatophytosis (Ringworm) 3 weeks ago and it is not completely healed yet. If this is true, I assume Toby was infected before we got him because Buffy was not isolated from other puppies. There was an occasion when Buffy was unleashed and was in contact with Toby.
Here are some discouraging facts that we have found out today.
1. We were quoted $1,680 for Toby, a 3 months old black & white Mini Schnauzer (without pedigree cert) and was told by several dog owners / pet shop owners that it was an exorbitant price. We managed to bring down to $1,380 with two vaccinations and microchip included (purchased but not inserted).
2. We were told that Toby was fed with ANF Holistic (Fish) since birth and it is best to continue with the same brand. The food was self-packed by the shop and the packaging is a transparent plastic bag with no original packaging, ingredients breakdown and indication of expiry date. After doing some research with pet shop owners as well as on the internet, to our dismay we realised that ANF Holistic is generally not recommended for dogs. First of all, chicken fat and beet pulp are used in the food. Beet pulp is a by-product that has been noted to cause problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. Synthetic vitamin K is also found in the food, a substance linked to liver problems and that is progressively being removed from better quality dog food products. The above information is extracted from DogFoodAnalysis, a part of BoxerWorld.com, one of the largest and longest running dog forum communities on the internet.
Below are some of the AVA’s regulations which I believed that they have breached.
Under Pet Shop Best Practices, Animal Care and Management:
12. Animals are acquired from known sources that are reliable and consistent in producing healthy animals that are of good quality.
Pet Shop License Condition (1), Display and Sale of Dogs and Cats
8. Only healthy animals in good condition are to be displayed for sale. The animals must not be suffering from intestinal parasites (such as roundworm and hookworm), external parasites (such as fleas, ticks and ear mites) and ringworm. Sick, diseased and injured animals must be removed from display and treated by a licensed practising veterinarian. The veterinarian must certify that the animal is recovered before it can again be displayed for sale.
15. When a dog is sold, the shop must apply for the dog licence for the buyer and lodge the microchip number of the dog with AVA. (needs to be confirmed if the dog has to be microchipped before being sold to buyers)
Below are some reviews on Joy Doggy that we have gathered from users on the net.
Pup’s death due to canine disease (Case 1) and Virus kills 3 pups (Case 2): http://www.vipaws.com/Pages/articles.htm
Virus kills 3 pups: http://www.petschannel.com/forum/?page=topic&topicID=1413&start=1
Worst shop I’ve ever come across: http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/lounge/615-worst-shop-i-ever-come-across.html
Unreputable shops (I): http://www.shoppinglifestyle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1412&PN=0&TPN=4
Unreputable shops (II): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/Places-Dogs-Grooming-Services-t29875.html&st=20&p=1211639#entry1211639
Sale of sick puppy (I): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=44843&view=findpost&p=1588900
Sale of sick puppy (II): http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/Dishonest-Unethical-Pet-Shop-t44843.html&p=1599535#entry1599535
Others: http://www.petschannel.com/forum/?page=topic&topicID=6839&start=1
I just hope that Toby will be healed of his ringworms soon and now, I am contemplating to write an official complaint to AVA after our next review with the vet.
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed or implied on this post are for informational purposes and are solely those of the owner, Terry Peh, and as such are not meant to intentionally or unintentionally offend, berate, slander, or annoy, any individual, group, or organisation. Quoted and posted statements, views and opinions presented on this site are those of its respective authors and are not endorsed by, nor do they necessarily reflect, the opinions of the owner, Terry Peh.
January 11th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I would recommand posting this in Hardware’s Zone, Eat Drink Man Woman forum as well to bring up the awareness
January 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Hi there, I got to know your website through Fiona.
Please do write a letter to AVA about Joy Doggy. Few years ago, I read the articles about the parvovirus which killed puppies and the shop was Joy Doggy. I was really surprised to find that it’s still operational even when they were forced to terminate their business. Please write in and make sure they do not torture little puppies anymore.
Damn these idiots to hell.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
omg… i dunno that ANF is not a good brand. my dog has been eating that since young. but stop when turn 2 or 3. anyway, i also dun advise pedigree food, coz my dog also dun really like.
anyway, baby dogs do their food switching, like milk brand switching for infants, here and there. they might be picky at first, maybe they dun like the smell of the food or what. but it is normal. they’ll find something they like and they will settle down on that. and i think we will spoilt them as they grow… opps~
hope to see you soon and talk abt your doggie…
January 20th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hi Terry,
Is this george the man who is heavily tattooed? Actually I have bad experience with Joy doggy myself too. In fact I have boycotted this damn pet shop! They are in my own opinion unscrupulous, uncaring & very dishonest!
I bought Toby for his grooming session 2 years back & he came back with skin problems which resulted in Toby being so uncomfortable and had to be put on steroids. After the last full grooming session which i believed they rush through it (Only 1 hour), I swear off this shop.
Anyway, I do hope your Toby will recover soon yah.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:01 am
my goodness… our poor Tobys!
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Hey terry. sad to hear about this. those idiots should be condemned for doing all this. hopefully toby will be be fine soon. and make those guy understand what they are doing is very wrong.
February 15th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
[...] 4. Joy Doggy: I have no additional comments on this. More details can be read here. [...]
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Hi I have had the same incident with this pet shop. I have already reported my case to the authorities and I am praying hard that they will be shut down. The shop owners are super nasty and have no feelings.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Hi,
Although I have not met this Joy Doggy, but seeing the post, I really feel sorry for Toby,
I brought a mini schnauzer at prestige- Yishun early last year. We saw the same problems which you have mentioned. flakes, redness, baldness & after about 2 days back home, kong long started to have diarrhoea. Sad for us is that, all this happened during CNY in 2009. During the 1st day of CNY, Kong Long collapse at home, we rushed him to Mount Pleasant Hospital & was told that Kong Long need a drip but due to CNY period, Kong Long was not allowed to stay there. We have no choice but took him home & put him on a drip on our own. However, Kong Long din manage to survive & pass away within one week of our purchase. We went back to the shop & told the pet owner about this but they are nonchalent about this issue, we ask further on Kong Long health while she is there, they just did not even bother to reply us. We further check with Mount Pleasant clinic at sembawang, they told us that the hosp is not allow to discharge kong Long as she is not fine at all. But what can we do? Prestige & Mount Pleasant Hosp keep shifting the blames to each other. Mayb my kong long is not meant to be on this world, We spent $1700 on Kong Long purchase without any microchipp, oni 1 vacc done & 2nd vacc is long overdue. We even brought many stuff as per what the shop owner suggest, supplements, dog food, toys, cage etc….all cost us over 2k. Mount Pleasant bill came up to about 1k. We are not rich family, all these bills depleted our savings. So, pls pls pls, be veri careful in getting a dog. Best is to get more details on the pet shop reputation before deciding to get one. it’s not all about $$ that we are talking here, we are referring to 1 live…. 1 live with warm blood in itself. My whole family decide to get another schnauzer & this time we got it from our friend, although we thought that we can slowly get over Kong Long death with this new member added but…but….kong long image keep floating back into our minds. I really hope that she is happy during the days when she is with us. At least she do not need to leave this world alone in a cage whithout anyone sheding tears over her death. Kong Long…mummy loves you forever.
February 24th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I am just amazed they are still thriving after so long. Doesn’t AVA spot check on pet shops like this? Like Cher, we are not talking about products, but lifes!
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Hi, can u contact me? I have an issue with them now.
my pet just died 3 days later.
March 7th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Im shocked to see all those comments. Im staying near Joy doggy Pet Shop and it has been a routine for many years of sending my pet dog there for grooming. I cannot imagine what my dog has gone through when he’s there. Right now when
I recalled back, no wonder my dog always look so lethargic when he’s back from grooming, it must be due to rough handling. After reading all the posts, Im not sending my pet dog there for grooming ever again! Any good recommendation for groomers around North side? Thanks for all the posts.
March 15th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Baby: I’ve dropped you an email.
Lynda: I haven’t found a really good groomer in this area. You can try Fur Kids and Royal Petique though. Not exceptionally good but better than JD.
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:02 am
hi all. was reading up on pet tips and i happened to chance upon this post.
i used to send my dog to the groomers at joy doggy. there was this one time when i brought my dog home after a grooming session i realised it was limping and wobbling in his steps. he lost his appetite completely (really scary thing to see, for a greedy dog) and vomitted a few times. when i brought him to the vet, he told me that his spine was fractured (WTF). after i mentioned that my pet had just returned from the groomers’, he theorized that someone’d probably forced my dog down on a table to shave him. the pressure probably hurt his spine.
my mom and i were INCENSED when we heard that. we wanted to threaten legal action against the shop and demand for compensation but we realised it wouldn’t work because the last 2 times i brought my dog there, he seemed to be in an okay condition when he came home. :/ boycotted that shop after that and encouraged all my friends to do the same.
from then on i’ve been sending my dog to furkids instead. this may sound a little cliche, but when you step into furkids, you can actually FEEL the happy and loving atmosphere in the shop. somehow you just don’t get the happy feeling in joy doggy. (if you dont believe me, go drop by both shops and you’ll get what i mean. they’re just a few doors apart at upper thomson)
it’s shocking to see the shop still standing after so many complaints. i think that we should FLOOD the forum section of the straits times with our complaints to pressurize AVA into taking action against the shop. anyone up for the idea?
May 23rd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
197, Upper Thomson Road,
Singapore 574341
Tel: 65-62522889
http://joydoggy.livelypets.com/
How is this ‘joy doggy’ owner George looks like?
May 26th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
I believe that ava will be fair enough to pass judgement and do the necessary action. We just need to CONSTANTLY REMIND THEM. Just that we have to be fair to the dogs, they are lives too. Even if they managed to escape from the law for their misdeeds, retribution will be knocking on their door.
Oh well don’t be bothered by this male egoistic chavinists. He has a big mouth. I heard numerous complains about him throughout the years. Anyway, you are not the only one to encounter such problems. Another poodle has encountered the same problem with you just few weeks back. The poor owner has been seeking help to boycott this shop. Do pass the msg. Words of mouth is a powerful tool ! Don’t let it happen another time! PROTECT THE DOG SPECIES!