The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against what it calls a Studio City-based “puppy laundering” operation pretending to be an animal rescue organization.
Defendants Wagmor Pets, Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center, Inc., Melissa Bacelar, and Doho House LLC were accused of purchasing dogs from commercial breeders, including puppy mills, and reselling them to unsuspecting consumers as rescued animals in an effort to evade California’s and Los Angeles’ animal welfare laws in a practice known as “puppy laundering,” according to Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto.
The lawsuit alleges that Wagmor Pets and Bacelar committed numerous violations of the California Unfair Competition Law and the Los Angeles Municipal Code.
The defendants allegedly used various entities, including a purported nonprofit organization, to purchase and resell hundreds — and possibly thousands — of dogs from breeders in violation of numerous laws, including those prohibiting the sale of live dogs in pet stores, and more recent laws prohibiting dog brokers from selling puppies, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that numerous dogs sold by the defendants died after being adopted.
The City Attorney’s Office seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants and their associates from engaging in the alleged illegal practices, restitution for affected consumers and civil penalties.
Bacelar is the CEO of Wagmor Pets, Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center and Doho House, which all have the same address in Studio City, according to the lawsuit.
There was no immediate response to a message left on Bacelar’s voicemail early Wednesday morning seeking comment on the lawsuit. An email sent to Wagmor Pets could not be delivered because its inbox was full.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, puppy laundering is a scheme involving unscrupulous sellers who purchase puppies from commercial breeders, including puppy mills, and market them as rescued animals.
This scheme, often facilitated through fraudulent nonprofit organizations, allows sellers to profit from consumers who believe they are saving animals in need. These puppies are sold through pet stores, websites and phony rescues, and can carry “adoption fees” reaching thousands of dollars.
As a result, these “adoptions” perpetuate unethical dog-breeding operations nationwide because the market continues to exist.
“Los Angeles and California have some of the strongest animal welfare laws in the country, and my office is committed to enforcing them,” Feldstein Soto said in a statement released Tuesday. “Families who open their homes to rescue animals deserve honesty, not deception. We allege that the defendants exploited the compassion of many Angelenos for financial gain, while putting the welfare of vulnerable animals at risk.
“We will not tolerate those who circumvent our laws and profit at the expense of consumers and animals they believe they are saving.”