News 12 at 6 o'clock, Tuesday, September 21, 2010

HEPHZIBAH, Ga. --- Kim Vicain calls her family "dog people." They used to breed dogs themselves and now have two healthy ones of their own.

"From the Wizard of Oz, is where I first fell in love with (Yorkshire Terriers)," she said.

Then there's Bozlie, a Yorkie. Kim bought him from Hephzibah's Westbrook Kennel.

"He would walk to the right, and he would just cry, and I took him to the vet, and they said he had sarcoptic mange."

Mange is a mite that burrows into a dog's skin, similar to scabies in people. Bozlie isn't the family's first sick dog. Another Yorkie bought from the kennel had Red Mange.

Kennel owner Claudia Westbrook took that dog back. She won't take Bozlie. A written contract says unless the dog dies within three days or has a life threatening problem diagnosed by a veterinarian 48 hours after it is bought, Westbrook doesn't have to.

But Kim and her family want answers.

"I've got so many vet bills for both dogs, and I don't have a dog that I can love," she said. "I mean, I love him, but I can't play with him."

Westbrook didn't speak to us on camera but did say all the dogs she breeds are healthy. A Georgia Department of Agriculture spokesman says inspections have found no issues with the Westbrook Kennel.

When you're buying an animal, make sure you have a written contract. It should include what to do if there are health issues with your pet. Find out what kind of vaccines it's received. You should still take your pet to a veterinarian immediately. That may be a condition of the contract if something goes wrong.

Kim doesn't want to let it happen again.

"I'm done," she said. "I won't buy another dog."