State Of Colorado Investigating Another 'Puppy Slinger' From Texas Allegedly Selling Sick Puppies
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (CBS4) - Colorado's Department of Agriculture is investigating a second Texas woman for allegedly illegally selling sick puppies in the Denver metro area. It's the second investigation in four months after CBS4 Investigates first exposed another woman in her circle allegedly selling puppies without a license in April.
In this new case, public records show the woman has also been cited with cruelty to animals after giving away a dying puppy to a Greenwood Village woman on Saturday, Aug. 7.
Nathalie Munoz says she saw an ad on social media from the woman, named Tori McBrayer, giving away two puppies. Munoz felt something was off about the ad, and decided to respond in hopes of getting the puppies a safe home.
"We met at a hotel in Greenwood Village," Munoz recalled. "(McBrayer) came out of the lobby with a really big box... when she gave me the box, she handed it to me, and she kind of just ran off."
Inside the box, Munoz said one of the dogs looked to be in bad shape.
"I was screaming, and I'm like, 'I'm pretty sure this dog is dead,'" Munoz said.
She took the dogs to the vet, where they recommended one of the dogs be euthanized.
"They told us she was dying, she was dying slowly, and super painfully, and we had to make the decision to allow that to happen, or put her down," Munoz said. "It was very traumatizing... the vet told us too, with the dog that died, that if it wasn't parvo, she had gotten no food, she had gotten no water, she wasn't dewormed, and she didn't get any vaccinations."
Munoz said the other dog got some treatment from the vet, and she later took it to a local rescue.
The next day, she set up a sting with police, and according to police reports, they caught McBrayer trying to sell another puppy without a license.
In a video of the confrontation, McBrayer says to police, "I can't control if the dog has cancer, I can't control if the dog has Parvo."
Greenwood Village police cited McBrayer for cruelty to animals - a misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail or a maximum $1,000 fine.
In April, CBS4 Investigates introduced you to another Texas woman, Linda Casey, who was also allegedly selling sick puppies without a license.
Pictures online show Casey and McBrayer together, and the address in McBrayer's citation comes up in a public records search as being the location for a "Puppy Rescue" directed by Linda Casey.
McBrayer declined an interview, but told CBS4 Investigates on the phone that she's "just a teenager who wanted to start a dog rescue." She said she is not associated with Casey.
McBrayer also said of the 10 dogs she had to sell, only one got sick, and that all of the dogs have received proper vaccinations.
"These dogs' health is my number one priority, I would never, ever give away sick puppies," McBrayer said. "This is not going to be the first time a dog catches parvo, some dogs just don't react well to the vaccination."
McBrayer said she has applied for a license, and plans to continue to sell dogs, adding, "this is not going to stop me, this is my dream job."
Aron Jones with MAMCO Rescue in Englewood says she's gotten dozens of reports this year of various people from Texas illegally selling puppies in Colorado.
"A lot of people have come forward about Texas rescues coming into Colorado who are not licensed to do adoptions," Jones said. "I think one of the issues is people in Colorado, we love our dogs, we take care of our dogs, and so I think people in Texas have figured that out, and they want to come here and make a quick buck on puppies who aren't well."
Jones has some advice if you see this activity in your area.
"The first thing people should do, if they see someone selling animals illegally, is call animal control in the city where the animals are being sold," Jones said. "The next thing they need to do is to call PACFA, which is through the Department of Agriculture, and file a complaint with them, get as much information as you can... and relay that to law enforcement."
In the meantime, McBrayer will be due in a Greenwood Village court in November.
