Monkeys Are Not Pets

Woman wants pet shop to take mean monkey back
News-Messenger reports

FREMONT -- A woman who bought a monkey at an animal auction wants to return the animal back to a local pet store owner after she reported it became aggressive with her.

About 1 p.m. Saturday, a woman reported to the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office that she bought the monkey at a Mt. Hope animal auction and purchased it from one of the owners of the East Side Grooming Pet Shop in the 2400 block of Hayes Avenue in Fremont.

According to the report from the Sheriff's Office, the woman said the monkey had become aggressive with her and she was afraid it could hurt a child in her home. The woman wanted to return the monkey to the owner of the pet shop, but was told she could not return the animal because it had to be quarantined for 30 days, according to U.S.D.A. regulations, the report said.

The woman had previously stopped the payment of a check for $3,000 made out to the owner of the pet shop. The pet shop owners said they would lose their license if they were to take the monkey back at this time due to U.S.D.A. regulations, the report said.

The woman with the monkey was advised to leave with the animal and attempt to find a shelter during the quarantine process, or take care of it until the 30-day time frame is up.
originally published November 12, 2007 centralohio.com

The Follow-Up

Primate purchase was 'as is,' seller says
News-Messenger reports

FREMONT -- A Fremont woman who sold an monkey to an Akron woman said she refused to take the animal back for two reasons -- the monkey was sold at an "as is" sale and the buyer had surgery performed on the animal while it was in her possession.

Cecelia Williamson confirmed she sold a greenback grivet monkey to Summer Foos, of Akron, on Nov. 2 at the Mount Hope auction.

However, Foos later claimed the animal, which is about 5 years old, became aggressive with her, and she wanted to return it. Williamson refused. Foos stopped payment on the $3,000 check.

Foos filed a sheriff's office report regarding the issue, and the story was reported Monday in The News-Messenger.
Williamson operates East Side Grooming Pet Shop on Hayes Avenue. However, she sold the animal as a private citizen, not through the company, she said. Williamson said she was also upset that Foos came to confront her at the pet shop. Williamson said Foos should have come to her home.

"She bought him at the sale and it's an 'as is' thing," Williamson said. "That's what the contracts at Mount Hope states."

The woman also sat with the animal for nearly 2 1/2 hours while paperwork and other documents were filled out, Williamson said.

"She told me she did not have kids. Now suddenly she is afraid for her boyfriend's 5-year-old kid," Williamson said.

The monkey was previously owned by a 14-year-old boy, and there had been no incidents with others who had come in contact with it over the past month, she said.

While the monkey was in Foos' possession, "She altered him chemically and physically." Williamson claimed the animal had oral surgery to pull a tooth and was placed on antibiotics.

Williamson filed a civil lawsuit in Fremont Municipal Court after the check was stopped. The court set a Dec. 10 hearing date.

originally published November 13, 2007 centralohio.com

The above photo of a male grivet (or vervet) monkey came from the amnh.org website. It was taken on September 28, 1911 in the Congo.

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