SuperStar Puppies — Local services in Fairfax

On Monday, May 12th, my brother and I walked into Superstar Puppies to browse, and if you would’ve told me we were coming home with a puppy that day, I would’ve laughed because we were just LOOKING. Once in the building, we were met by Isaac who seemed be nice and understanding but it turned out he was nothing but a con artist. We told him we were only looking and our price range was between $200-300, it was at that moment where he then told us he had a friend for us to meet. He told us to go wait in one of the playrooms, while he brought out a puppy that we’re going to love and enjoy and wouldn’t be able to resist taking home, so we waited and he brought out a long haired Dachshund named Snickers. We played with him for a few mins until Isaac came back, where he then started asking us how much we were looking to spend today and we told him we were just looking, not looking to making ANY purchases that day just simply looking. He then proceeded to ask if we had a pet or pets and we explained to him that we had lost our dog Quinn on 02/03/2025 and he told us that, it was the perfect time for us to look for a new companion, red flag number 1. He told us that the original price for Snickers was $5,500, we told him that was not feasible for us, so he said he would call “his boss” and see if he can work with us on the price. He left and came back about 2-3 minutes later telling us “his boss” would reduced the price to $4,500 if we could finance $1,500 through one of the finance companies that they partnered with, so we told him we needed to talk to each other and our family but as we were having our conversation, he interrupted us and told us about the warranty and all “the perks” that came with the puppy, once he was done giving his selling speech, he stood at the door, with a laptop that had the finance application partially filled out on our behalves , red flag number 2. As he stood in the door way, he proceeded to tell us he had two Dachshunds of his own and how they were such amazing dogs and how we would love and cherish him so much if we took him home, then he mentioned we would be getting him in memory of our deceased dog, which was very manipulative, red flag number 3. Isaac was showing signs of him becoming impatient, through his body language and persistent questions about whether we had any family that could help us make the down payment of $1,500. After being pressured and feeling as though our backs were against the wall, we completed the finance applications and made the down payment which happened all too quickly. Once everything was finalized, it seemed like it took them forever to give us a “going home bag”, we realized we were overstimulated and were ready to go home. A few days went by and we took him to the doctor next door since they told us they work with them and that his first check-up would be free of charge, which was lie. When we arrived at his appointment, we were told that they don’t work with them, and that the appointment isn’t free, we then need coming out of pocket for $390 for his first appointment. At his appointment, we learned that he had more than a few health issues without a promising future. Overall, this has been a very hectic and mentally draining experience for my family and I and we will be getting justice for him...

06/23/2022: Additional update: Our puppy just returned from the vet and is still suffering from the illness. Another $258 for CBC and X-rays, etc. I still have not received any type of resolution from Superstar puppies, just more, we are looking closely at everything and will get back to you.

The puppy will need to return to the vet in 3 weeks. We have spend well over $1K since June 4th.

06/22/2022: I would like to update my review :

On Monday, I provided the medical records for our puppy to the Solutions Team at Superstar Puppies, I received an email response, stating that they will look into resolving the issue asap. However, their main concern was me removing my review below. I explained in detail that I would be happy to update my review once an agreed upon resolution has been reached. I have not heard back. My biggest concern is they are more worried about their review instead of my puppy that has to go back to the vet AGAIN on Thursday 06/23. The review below is stating nothing more than the facts of the situation.

Do NOT ever buy a pet from this place. The two staff members my daughter and I dealt with were very nice and I do not blame them in any way.

We went to get a therapy dog for my daughter, first off the prices of these dogs is outrageous, yet I felt it was worth investing in her emotional well being.

So on the way home that night I hear a noise and think the puppy is getting car sick.

Next morning the noise is different, I call Superstar puppies they inform me he had been treated about a week prior for kennel cough, not told to us before we bought the puppy.

I call Superstar puppies veterinarian and they read me the chart said he was given allergy meds and cough medicine but not diagnosed with kennel cough.

So I wait and listen, sound very intermittent

I video it send it to my vet they see him immediately he has pneumonia

I call superstar pets they say he was well and had nothing when he left there...LIE

I call their veterinarian office back, super helpful tell me he was treated 3 weeks prior and never returned got a follow up. He had an upper respiratory infection, not kennel cough. They were wonderful said they could send anything we needed to our vet.

I get nearly charged $500 in visit/test/x rays and medicine

I call back again and superstar pets again and they say sorry he was healthy here and remind me again I have 22k Insurance free for 30 days

None of this is covered because it did not happen 5 days after we had him it happened within hours.

I keep calling, letting them know my daughter's well being has gone downhill...she is worried nonstop.

Had him back to vet this past week, while there is improvement the pneumonia remains, another $300.

I know this was a scam, I don't want to give this puppy up, I am thanking God we brought him home, because he would not have made it under their care.

My puppy goes back again next week for more tests and X-rays...

I contacted their solutions teams. Their response was sorry to Herat your puppy is not feeling well and wish him a speedy recovery.

I am sending medical bills and my veterinarian's plan for him and I have contacted a law firm.

I do not want to see anyone dealing with what we are...

If only I could give 0 stars. Was definitely given a sick puppy. Sent an email to resolve with no further follow from them (found below this). Will definitely be contacting Better Business Bureau.

First, let me start by saying we drove over an hour to visit the puppy based off of your availability on the website and the original puppy was no longer there. No one reached out as a courtesy to inform us that puppy was no longer there, however we received several confirmations of our appointment. We should have absolutely been notified of that.

Against my better judgment we went ahead and selected another puppy to have our playdate with since we drove from Howard County Maryland.

Your salesperson was very personable and easy to work with, however the paperwork you gave us for the puppy had poor instructions. The paperwork stated to feed the puppy every 4-5 hours, which we did. Even throughout the night it still landed us in an emergency situation.

I am deeply disappointed regarding the recent adoption of a puppy from your establishment. Not even 72 hours after bringing her home, we had to rush her to the emergency veterinary hospital due to severe health issues. She had to be held for a full day and had numerous tests ran to ensure she would be okay for us to take home. Her paws had to be shaved for her to get an IV.

This unexpected situation has resulted in significant emergency charges, which have been both financially and emotionally taxing for my family, in addition to the $6,000 adoption fee. Not to mention, seeing our new puppy in the state that she was in, unable to hold her head up straight with her eyes rolling into the back of her head was something we can never unsee.

Upon examination, it was discovered that our puppy was frail, hypoglycemic, and suffering from a severe case of ear mites. She literally almost died, which was a very traumatic experience for both me and my partner.

I have been trying to hold off on sending this letter and filing a complaint with BBB; however, after reading the numerous negative reviews about your business, I further regretted patronizing your establishment. Instead of adding to your already poor reviews and ratings, I decided to reach out to you directly to give you the opportunity to resolve this issue.

We trusted your business to provide us with a healthy and well-cared-for pet, and it is disheartening to experience such serious issues so soon after adoption. I urge you to review your health and care protocols to prevent other families from facing similar distress. In addition, we were advised the interest rate would not kick in until after 6 months however upon making a first payment I see an amount of $6,480 which is very misleading given the paperwork provided and what we were told as well.

I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to this matter. $6000 is far too much for a sick puppy that we've practically had to nurse back to help with several trips to the ER and veterinary.

And your warranty means absolutely nothing- it's just a selling point! An artificial safety blanket that covers...