Mickey Rourke has a bone to pick with the owners of a Miami, Fla. pet store. The “Sin City” and “Man on Fire” actor joined a picket line in front of Hot Dogs Puppies, Inc. to protest the store’s alleged selling of sick puppies.
Rourke told the assembled media that he bought a dog from the store and a few days later, the puppy died from a virus. Rourke said that about a dozen other people had the same problem over the past few months.
The owners of Hot Dogs Puppies, Inc. told a reporter from a local NBC affiliate that there is no truth to Rourke’s allegations.
“He bought a puppy from us about a year ago and everything was fine,” owner Marysol Tobon said. “He decided to buy another puppy from us and apparently the puppy got sick. He came back wanting his money back and we gave it to him.” Tobon said they refunded Rourke $1,100 for the initial puppy purchase plus $1,400 for vet bills they were never shown.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, one customer last year bought a puppy from Hot Dogs Puppies, Inc. that was later diagnosed with parvovirus. A report says the dog died because the owner could not afford medical treatment. No charges were filed against the store.