As the number of puppy deaths linked to an Orange County woman accused of operating a bogus pet-rescue organization continues to mount, angry customers have come forward to say they unwittingly bought sick dogs from her.

As of Wednesday, 30 puppies believed to have been sold by 42-year-old Megan Ann Hoechstetter have died, said Kim Mohr, a spokeswoman for the Irvine Police Department. Authorities were investigating about 100 sick puppy cases tied to Hoechstetter and believe the number of deaths may rise, Mohr added.

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Hoechstetter is suspected of setting up the fake rescue organization, Pawlosophy Inc. She was arrested last week on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to crimes against animals, police said, and later released on bail.

Hoechstetter, Mohr said, has gone by Megan Ann Choate and Megan Ann Nunez and listed her address as a post office box in Seal Beach. Records show that a Megan Ann Nunez operated Beach Puppy Rescue in Long Beach.

Further, according to Orange County Superior Court records, a Megan Ann Nunez who has also gone by Megan Ann Choate pleaded guilty to grand theft in 2010. She was sentenced to four months in jail and three years’ probation. The California Birth Index says that Choate has the same birthday as Hoechstetter.

Attempts to contact Hoechstetter were unsuccessful.

When detectives arrested Hoechstetter in Irvine, Mohr said, she had six puppies inside a vehicle in a large case. Thirteen more were recovered from a Cypress motel where she was living, Mohr said. The 19 puppies, of various breeds, were taken to the Irvine Animal Care Center with the goal of eventually adopting them out.

Some victims reported they experienced “victim shaming” by Hoechstetter.

“If they complained about being sold a sick animal, tried to return the animal or sought any type of restitution, Hoechstetter would turn around and blame the victim, claiming it was their fault that the animal became ill,” Mohr said. “This happened in many cases.”

A couple of Hoechstetter’s customers told the Register they were deceived and had to spend a lot of money to nurse the sick puppies they bought back to health.

“We never suspected she was scamming us,” said Linda Kass, 55, of Thousand Oaks. She and her husband, Don, a retired assistant city attorney for the city of Los Angeles, bought an 8-week-old puppy from Hoechstetter in June.

“Clearly, there was no love for the dogs,” Linda Kass now says.

The Kasses were looking for a poodle mix to replace a 14-year-old dog who had died. They connected with Hoechstetter through an online service that allows shelters and rescue organizations to list pets.

The couple filled out an online application with Pawlosophy and agreed to meet Hoechstetter at a park near Seal Beach to finalize the adoption. When the Kasses arrived, Hoechstetter had already set up a portable pen with five puppies. Other customers were also there, including a mother and her daughter.

Hoechstetter seemed friendly and knowledgeable, explaining that the dogs had been found in Tijuana, Linda Kass recalled.

“She really made it look like she was taking care of them,” she said. “Nothing was weird.”

The Kasses picked what they described as the “runt of the litter,” a puppy they named Sadie.

They paid $475 for Sadie, Linda Kass said, and on the drive back to Thousand Oaks the puppy slept in her lap. Hours later, the Kasses rushed to a veterinary office after Sadie became extremely ill.

The veterinarian told them Sadie had been suffering from a virus for at least several weeks. The Kasses spent more than $1,000 on antibiotics and other medicine and nursed the puppy back to health in about three weeks.

Although the Kasses aren’t in the market for another pet, they will more carefully scrutinize the seller next time. “I’ve definitely learned a lot,” Linda Kass said.

Nancy Hierl, 40, of Mission Viejo said that when she bought a 6-week-old German shepherd-husky mix from Hoechstetter in September for $475, the puppy was infested with fleas.

Despite suspecting the dog had been mistreated, Hierl said, she went ahead with the purchase because she feared the animal might be further harmed.

“I was not going to let Hoechstetter take the dog back,” Hierl said.

Three days after the purchase, the puppy, Max, was diagnosed by a veterinarian as suffering from parvovirus, a highly contagious viral illness that affects a dog’s gastrointestinal tract. It’s spread through dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces, the American Veterinary Medical Association says.

Hierl estimated that she has spent about $2,000 on medical supplies to get Max healthy. She was upset at the thought that Hoechstetter may have swindled many pet lovers.

“Using pets for financial gain is unbelievable,” she said.

Staff writer Ian Wheeler contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline