Call Kurtis: My Adopted Dog Died, Why Can't I Get A Refund?

Sophia Puccio got her new puppy, Hodgins, because her first puppy Archer died of distemper less than three weeks after adopting him.

"It hurts no matter what. Even if we had him for a day, I still would have been heart broken," says Sophia.

Before the adoption the black lab pup had a runny nose and crusty eyes.

"The woman told us it's just kennel cough, 'Just get him checked out, he'll be totally fine,'" Sophia recalls.

But our sister station, KBAK in Bakersfield says the shelter has adopted out other dogs that have died too. Alicia Knight and Linda Stewart each say their puppies died of Parvo.

"How many other people, how many other children are going to suffer? How many other animals are going to get sick?" Alicia asks.

Kern County admits dogs have died, but says they do all they can to make sure the pets they adopt out are healthy.

"They get a medical evaluation by our medical team," says Maggie Kalar, Marketing & Promotions Associate for

Kern County Animal Control.

In Sophia's case, Kalar says Distemper is hard to diagnose and they only test for Parvo if there are signs.

Sophia thinks the County should refund her $75 adoption fee and cover her $900 dollars in vet bills.

"Its in a way their fault that he was so sick," says Sophia.

California does have a Puppy Lemon Law, which allows for refunds or vet bills to be covered for dogs sold sick. But it only applies to pet stores and breeders, not animal shelters.

Kern County says it handles these situations on a case by case basis. It is only offering Sophia the adoption fee, plus $89, which was the cost of her first vet visit.

"She refused to have that. She wanted a larger amount that she wanted to submit and she did not want to take a partial refund," says Kalar.

Kern County says the offer is still on the table, but Sophia's not happy with it.

"You adopt an animal to save a life, you don't adopt one that's just going to die," she says.

Sophia plans to take the case to small claims court.

Kern County is changing up oversight of Animal Control, in attempt to turn around its reputation. Right now it's under the Department of Public Health, but a County official recommended animal control report directly to the board of supervisors.