An animal rescue organization from which Hollywood stars adopted their pets is facing a lawsuit by the city of Los Angeles over an alleged puppy-laundering operation, as its owner strongly denies the allegations.
Wagmor Pets, Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center, Doho House and their owner, Melissa Bacelar, are accused of buying dogs from breeders and puppy mills and then reselling them to customers while claiming the dogs were rescue animals, according to the LA city attorney’s lawsuit.
Studio City-based Wagmor Pets is an animal rescue and adoption organization, while Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center is a retail store that sells pet-related products. Doho House is listed in city records as a company that provides pet services. All three are owned and operated by Bacelar from the same Studio City location.
Selling puppies is subject to restrictions in California, where state law prohibits pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits directly. Rescue groups, such as Wagmor Pets, can facilitate adoptions, but they are prohibited from offering commercially bred puppies for adoption to circumvent the pet-store sales ban.
LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s lawsuit claims Bacelar and her companies repeatedly violated California’s Unfair Competition Law and the Los Angeles Municipal Code.
However, Bacelar strongly rejected the accusations, telling NBC Los Angeles Wednesday that the “allegations are not true.”
“We will respond fully to the City’s complaint in court. And I will never stop fighting for the dogs who need us,” Bacelar said in a statement, alleging that the lawsuit is part of a decade-long campaign against her waged by two attorneys.
The attorneys had also been involved in a civil lawsuit against Bacelar. In a separate ruling, a judge disqualified the plaintiffs’ law firm over concerns about its handling of confidential information. The ruling did not determine whether Wagmor illegally sold commercially bred puppies.
The city’s lawsuit also alleges that many dogs sold by Bacelar and her companies died after being adopted.
The City Attorney’s office is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants and their associates from engaging in the alleged illegal practices, restitution for affected consumers and civil penalties.
“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,” Feldstein Soto said in a statement. “We will not tolerate those who circumvent our laws and profit at the expense of consumers and animals they believe they are saving.”
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, puppy laundering is a scheme in which unscrupulous sellers purchase puppies from commercial breeders, including puppy mills, and market them as rescued animals.
The 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 fraudulent rescue organizations, with “adoption fees” that can reach thousands of dollars.
Bacelar, an actress who has appeared in smaller films, has been connected to several A-list celebrities over the years. Publicity surrounding the organization has noted that Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Dwayne Johnson and Jenna Dewan adopted pets from Bacelar’s organization.
