PARK SLOPE – An aspiring actress-singer is suing an animal foster agency, claiming the tiny lapdog she adopted was more like a monster.
Caley Rose Bulinski, of Los Angeles, accuses the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network of misleading her about the gentle nature of a rescued Shih Tzu named Culeo.
The wannabe starlet, a Columbia University grad who once hosted a YouTube-based entertainment show, claims that the Park Slope-based agency persuaded her to adopt the pooch in September 2011.
But Bulinksi claims Culeo was more like Cujo, the rabid hound in the Stephen King movie.
Two days after the adoption, the pooch viciously bit her on and around the mouth without provocation, according to the lawsuit filed Aug. 28 in Brooklyn Civil Supreme Court.
A day after the attack, Bulinski posted a note on her Facebook page that she had to cancel a performance at Greenwich Village rock club Bitter End because she needed stitches in three places from the bites.
Bulinski accuses Laura Bleier, the foster agency’s director, of not disclosing that Culeo had a history of abuse and would likely lash out. She also claims Bleier lied about the dog being a Shih Tzu.
“It was in fact a mix breed or a mutt,” the lawsuit says.
Bleier’s organization has been finding homes for stray and rescued pets since 2005. A News 12 report in May 2013 said the agency was in danger of closing due to a lack of funding.
Bleier did not return a call for comment. Bulinski’s lawyer also did not respond to a request for comment.
Bulinski wrote in an October 2011 Facebook post that Culeo ended up with a trainer for a few weeks “and will hopefully find a good home.” The post also mentioned that she had just got another puppy.