Swedish kennel owner's gay slur

(CNN) -- A Swedish appeals court has fined a kennel owner $3,100 (20,000 kronor) for refusing to sell a puppy to a woman because she is a lesbian, the state news agency said.

The 51-year-old kennel owner told the woman she did not trust homosexuals and had read that transvestites sexually abused animals, according to the TT news agency.

The news agency reported that the woman contacted the kennel, located in a suburb of the capital city Stockholm, inquiring about a puppy advertised for sale.

The woman told the kennel owner she and her partner would have plenty of time to care for the dog since both were students. But when she let slip she was a lesbian, the kennel owner -- who is also a woman -- put an end to the sale.

The court's decision on Monday upheld an earlier ruling by a district court against the kennel owner. E-mail to a friend