In memory of Elsa, the Toy Poodle puppy purchased through Pawrade.
The following account was shared with Stop Online Puppy Mills by Elsa’s mother and is presented in her own words. Elsa was purchased through Pawrade and paid for through PetPay. She died during transport while in the care of the transport company True Grit.
Here is their story:
I purchased the toy poodle puppy, Elsa, from Pawrade.com in December 2022, and she was intended as an emotional support dog for my daughter. We fell in love with Elsa’s picture and were assured she was a healthy, happy puppy. Pawrade said their transportation company, True Grit, would take two days to safely transport Elsa from Oklahoma to our home in California. We paid upfront for Elsa using the payment system, PetPay.
We paid $3,900 for Elsa and an additional $699 for transport. We were not given the breeders name at this point but were told she would arrive on time and be properly cared for along the way.
What actually happened was a nightmare.
What we did not know was that our pup was not on a direct route from Oklahoma to our home in California. True Grit took our baby through Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and then Arizona, which wound up taking five days. I became alarmed when she was not delivered on time, and I desperately began contacting Pawrade and True Grit. I was not informed of her location or condition.
All Pawrade would tell us was that Elsa was at a vet somewhere in the southwest. When we finally made contact with the owner of the transport company, we were told our baby had fallen critically ill during transport while driving through New Mexico. She was no longer eating or drinking.
We later learned that True Grit did not take her to a vet at that point and kept driving until they reached Flagstaff, Arizona. They provided us the name of a vet supposedly treating Elsa, but when I called, they had no record of her. I was forced to call vets all over the southwest in search of our puppy.
Much to the heartache of my daughter and I, by the time we found the vet she was taken to, we were informed that it was too late to save her, and our baby Elsa had died.
Cruelly, Pawrade and True Grit were absolutely no help to me during this incredibly stressful time. They even had the temerity to have me pay the vet bills! To say they acted negligently and unconscionably during all of this is an understatement.
Pawrade tried to blame the transport company but they should have known that they were taking little Elsa on an extended journey and that such a small and fragile dog could not survive.
My attorney requested information from Pawrade/Petpay regarding the circumstances of the transport but they refused to provide any. Pawrade continues to blame True Grit for everything, and made a nominal offer of settlement that did not begin to compensate us. True Grit did not reply to my attorney at all.
All I can say is that I hope our horrible saga and the death of our puppy Elsa is a warning to other people not to use Pawrade, Petpay, or True Grit Transport.
Elsa’s Mom
Elsa’s story reflects one family’s reported experience with an online puppy purchase and long-distance transport. Read more firsthand puppy buyer stories or learn how online puppy brokers work.
