The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit against Wagmor Pets, a Studio City-based animal rescue organization formerly popular among Hollywood celebrities, alleging that its owner purchased dogs from commercial breeders and misrepresented them as rescued animals. The suit, filed last week, accuses Melissa Bacelar, Wagmor Pets’ chief executive and owner, of running an illegal commercial enterprise under the guise of a nonprofit rescue.
According to the lawsuit, Bacelar bought and resold “hundreds if not thousands” of dogs sourced from breeders, charging adoption fees as high as $1,500. The city’s prosecutors claim many of these dogs suffered from serious health issues and died shortly after purchase. The suit seeks to stop Bacelar and the two other animal-related groups she oversees from engaging in fraudulent practices, and it requests fines exceeding $7 million for violations of state and city regulations.
Prosecutors contend that customers, believing they were providing homes for rescued animals, unintentionally supported the very breeding operations they intended to avoid. The complaint also alleges that Bacelar employed misleading appeals in her fundraising efforts, frequently using photos of dogs not connected to the animals described in her solicitations.
Bacelar strongly denied the allegations, dismissing the lawsuit as a “money grab” based on recycled claims that have previously been dismissed in court. She questioned the city’s allocation of resources, arguing that the state currently faces a significant problem with stray animals. “It seems like they’re trying to make me into the bad guy when I’m just trying to save dogs,” Bacelar said.
The legal action follows investigative reporting earlier this year that revealed customers had brought lawsuits accusing Bacelar of purchasing dogs cheaply from breeders and falsely marketing them as rescues while charging inflated fees. Veterinary records from Missouri indicated that Wagmor was the final destination for numerous dogs bought at Southwest Auction in Rocky Comfort, Missouri—a facility known for auctioning dogs from breeders to the highest bidder.
Bacelar has defended her operation, stating that all animals she places qualify as rescues because they are in need, regardless of their original source. She maintained that she never authorized any direct purchases from auctions and that when she received dogs from Missouri-based rescue groups, she did not inquire about their prior origins. “If a rescue group buys dogs and needs to place them, I’ll take them,” she said in an earlier statement.
Wagmor Pets gained prominence in 2019 after its appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, where DeGeneres and her wife announced the adoption of their puppy, Mrs. Wallis Browning, from what they described as a “wonderful rescue place.” Following this exposure, the organization provided animals to other celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The lawsuit highlights ongoing challenges in California’s regulation of private animal rescue groups amid an environment where shelters are frequently overcrowded. The city attorney’s office is now seeking to enforce stricter compliance with consumer protection and animal welfare laws in this sector.