BATON ROUGE - A man paid $2,000 for a puppy and after months of back and forth, he still doesn't have a dog. Ronald Riley contacted 2 On Your Side to share his experience so that no one else goes through what he did.

"There's still no dog," he said.

Riley says Poms 4 Pups on Gus Young Avenue in Baton Rouge was recommended to him by an acquaintance. Now he wishes he went somewhere else.

"It seemed like she was a trustworthy person," said Riley.

In June, Riley and his girlfriend say they met Mrs. Elaine at Poms 4 Pups. When they arrived there were a few dogs in the store. Riley says they planned to purchase a dog and entered into a payment plan paying $200 at a time.

"It was always cash," he said.

He thought that by the time he'd be done making payments the dog would be ready, but after completing payments in October they still don't have a dog. Now, looking back on the experience Riley says he can identify some red flags. Those red flags include alarming text messages, no response, and repeatedly being asked for payment. Riley says he was led to believe they had selected a dog and were sent photos of that dog.

According to receipts, Riley and his girlfriend paid for the dog in full on October 24, 2023. They were told they'd have a dog by Christmas, but they haven't received one.

During a phone conversation with Mrs. Elaine, 2 On Your Side learned that there are no dogs available.

On the Poms 4 Pups website, there are various photos of dogs. The website says each puppy is vet-checked and costs $2,000 cash. The site also says it's a "transparent company with nothing to hide," and welcomes everyone to "get to know them for themselves and not through someone else's judgments."

Poms 4 Pets is owned by Steven Christian. He tells 2 On Your Side that he had an agreement with Riley's girlfriend and in this case, some of the payments were not made on time. The business also says they have one year to get the client a dog. When asked for a copy of the agreement, one was not provided to WBRZ by the time the story made air.

Poms 4 Pets called 2 On Your Side Thursday afternoon and said they were headed to their kennel in another parish to get a dog for Riley and his girlfriend. This, after WBRZ was told there were no dogs available.

Riley says he no longer wants a dog through Poms 4 Pets and instead is asking for his money back. Poms 4 Pets says there are no refunds.