Vet says illegal pet sales threaten human health

The English and French bulldog puppies advertised on Michael Rego's Web site so enticed a Boston man that he drove to Rego's house in Rhode Island to buy one, he told investigators. The man said he paid Rego $2,300. The puppy had diarrhea and began to vomit that day. The next morning, the dog was dead.

A woman told Rhode Island state investigators that she bought an English bulldog puppy from Rego for $2,000, after seeing Rego's classified ad in The Providence Journal. The puppy had diarrhea and was vomiting from the start, she said; it died 11 days later of canine parvovirus - a highly contagious, infectious disease that is usually fatal to puppies if left untreated.

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