Molly-Mae fans slam claims from breeder that puppy Mr Chai was ‘healthy’ when he left Russia

MOLLY-MAE Hague’s fans have slammed claims from her breeder that puppy Mr Chai was “healthy” when he left Russia.

The 21-year-old influencer and her boyfriend Tommy Fury were left devastated earlier this month when their new dog died less than one week after arriving in the UK.

Yesterday, breeder Tiffany Puppies took to social media to insist that Mr Chai was a “healthy, beautiful pup” when the Love Island couple received him – even though an autopsy had revealed that the pet’s skull wasn’t fully developed and had left part of his brain exposed.

Now fans have hit back at the company’s statement, insisting that they are desperately trying to “pass the buck”.

Although Tiffany’s turned off comments on their post, Molly and Tommy’s furious fans took to other forms of social media to share their views.

One wrote on Facebook: “That dog was never healthy from the time it was born!”

Another added: “Trying to shift the blame, that puppy was ill before they got it – shame on you.”

A third seethed: “Breeders always say that.”

Commenting on The Sun Online’s story about Tiffany’s claims, a reader shared: “Tiffany’s Pomeranians are passing the buck. They are solely responsible for selling an already ill puppy.”

The breeder’s full statement had read: “I am getting lots and lots of messages, calls, voicemails, emails from people wanting to know what is happening. And I truly appreciate your concerns.

“Apologies for the lack of communication, however I hope you can understand that Chai’s passing has really affected us massively and we just cannot understand why such a healthy beautiful pup passed so suddenly.

“Truth being told we are awaiting on full veterinary results and conclusion as we want to understand everything as things are currently not making sense.”

Molly and Tommy had been slammed when they announced that their Pomeranian, which was a birthday gift from Tommy, was being shipped over from Russia.

The pair ignored the backlash as they welcomed their new arrival, excitedly sharing adorable videos and photos with their fur baby.

But just two days in, they realised that something “wasn’t right” and took the pup to the vet – and were heartbroken when told he’d had a seizure and died.

The pair opened up about the tragic moment in an emotional YouTube video, with Molly breaking down in tears as she admitted Tommy “vomited everywhere” upon hearing the news – and that they initially thought it was a cruel prank.

Explaining they paid for a fast-track autopsy, the star added: “Chai’s skull wasn’t fully developed. Part of his brain was exposed. In a tiny dog, any knock probably wasn’t very helpful.”

However, Molly and Tommy were targeted by animal lovers, who attacked the couple on social media for using a Cheshire-based breeder who openly import their pets from abroad.

They were branded “ignorant”, “selfish” and “image obsessed” by enraged Twitter users, who flocked to social media to share their views.

However, Molly remained adamant in the YouTube video that it was not the plane journey that killed poor Mr. Chai – also insisting that he was almost five-months-old and had all of his vaccinations before they took him out and about in Manchester.

She said: “Whilst we completely understand everyone’s opinions about being shipped over from Russia, what you need to understand is that is not what made him die.”

On the jabs, she added: “Chai had every single one – we have the paperwork. He was four and a half months old.”

Breeder Elena Katerova, who runs Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, previously failed to tell another customer, Jane Martin, her Pomeranian puppy had had a mental splint inserted into its leg six weeks before she bought it for £5,000.

Fellow Love Island alumni Olivia Attwood has since revealed that she had been offered “free puppies” after finding fame on the ITV2 dating show – sharing her sympathy that Molly and Tommy had seemingly been “conned by breeders”.