Scammed when buying a puppy

[Oohthedrama]

Adopt! As my granny would say when you lose something, Let all your bad luck go with it!
You can find your dream puppy in a shelter, and give a dog who needs love a new home

you should never buy a puppy without seeing it’s parents and surroundings.

 

[Curlywurly85]

Yeah I know - it’s just with the Covid restrictions I was a bit apprehensive. Thank you for your advice x

Covid has given scammers the perfect excuse to hide behind. Never buy any animal without meeting them and their parents first. I hope everything works out for you

 

[cosmo girl]

You do have to becareful. There are quite a few puppy farms around. You could end up with a very sick puppy. I would always get a rescue. Rescue centres do have puppies as well. I got my rescue when he was a puppy. You just pay a donation fee. The best thing I ever did. Rescue dogs are really loving

 

[Trampoline]

So we have saved for months to buy our new dream puppy £1500 she was, my daughter was so excited as were we! we left a deposit stupidly without seeing her and we've been scammed! devastated. beware people if your considering buying at the moment.

 

[Ohflogoff]

First rule of buying a puppy/kitten is see the mum and the dad in the home.

when we got our dogs, the owners sat us in their front room and quizzed us for over half an hour before we even saw a dog. They wanted to know what hours we worked, what our family set up was like, etc etc.

If they can’t fulfill your wish to see the parents in the home, then you know it’s dodge.

sorry this has happened to you.

 

[under the ivy]

Well good and bad news about my ragdoll kitten scam. Bad news; I did get scammed and I’ve contacted my bank’s fraud department and they’re working on getting my money bank. I’m disgusted that somebody could do this. But on some good news; I have found a litter of genuine ragdoll kittens from a breeder near me, have been in contact with them and I am going to view them at the weekend (socially distanced). Thank you all your advice.

 

[openbook1]

So we have saved for months to buy our new dream puppy £1500 she was, my daughter was so excited as were we! we left a deposit stupidly without seeing her and we've been scammed! devastated. beware people if your considering buying at the moment.

I am sorry this happened to you. It is so common.

My word of advice. Never give money to people before meeting them and the puppies/mum. Never get a puppy from Kijiji/Gumtree/Facebook. If you are getting from a genuine breeder, often they have waitlists because they only have one or two litters a year. They are also very cautious with who they give a puppy to.

We have a French Bulldog and it took us YEARS to find a genuine breeder who showed her dogs. There are so many Frenchie "breeders" but many are backyard/puppy mills. Avoid anyone who advertises "rare" colours such as lilac, blue, silver, etc. These are genetic defects and can cause blindness and deafness. Find your country's kennel club and see what the breed standards are and stick with those. We lost a deposit on a dog because we first went with a breeder who was doing "rare" colours but we did not like the ethics they had so WE backed out. If they say the dogs are coming from Ukraine, that is a red flag... so many puppy mills there with very sick dogs.

A good breeder will never hesitate to show you where puppies and mum are living in their house. They should always be with mum as they are so young. Our breeder we got our Frenchie from had the mum and gran. We also met the dad. They should be able to show you the pedigree line.
They will be happy to show you the vet health checks that their dogs go through. If someone doesn't want to show you the vet check, run away.
They will be happy to give you references from previous buyers.
They will be cautious of who they give puppies to - they will ask what your home/yard is like, what your job is/who is home during the day, if you have children (how many) etc. They are picky for a reason.
Ask THEM questions - how long they have been breeding, where their dogs come from, how many litters a year they have (more than one-two can be dodgy) etc.
They will give you a no-breeding contract.


Ideally, try and rescue from a shelter. Although I know thanks to Covid some shelters don't have any dogs left!

I could talk about this for hours as so many people get scammed, either with no dog or a sick dog.

 

[Curlywurly85]

Unfortunately not. Would you suggest asking to see the kitten in person?

Definitely, you should have met her in person before any money has changed hands. I also have a rescue cat who has a lot of health issues because of not being vaccinated properly when she was a kitten so you really need to be careful with what you’re buying. It could cost you lots of money in the future and the cat could suffer unnecessarily. Unfortunately there are some very dodgy people out there!

Buying a Kitten - What To Think About - RSPCA - rspca.org.uk

If you're buying a kitten, read our advice and use our checklist to make sure you're bringing home a healthy, happy pet. Alternatively, why not adopt?

www.rspca.org.uk

 

[Jaeme]

First rule of buying a puppy/kitten is see the mum and the dad in the home.

when we got our dogs, the owners sat us in their front room and quizzed us for over half an hour before we even saw a dog. They wanted to know what hours we worked, what our family set up was like, etc etc.

If they can’t fulfill your wish to see the parents in the home, then you know it’s dodge.

sorry this has happened to you.

Always expect to see mum but dad may not always be there. A good breeder will look for a Sire that compliments the Dam and that isn't always necessarily their own dog especially when it comes down to inbreeding coefficients etc.

 

[Curlywurly85]

Unfortunately this is really common. So sorry it happened to you. You have to be so careful when buying a dog for so many reasons.

 

[openbook1]

My colleague has just reserved two kittens. He has been to visit. Was allowed to film whilst there. Seemed clean and cats well cared for. Saw both Mum and Dad too. As yet no deposit paid. He has been liasing with the breeder for a good while.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with not visiting at least to check the conditions. Maybe see if they are agreeable to this?

When you are buying an animal, the breeder should always let you meet the animal/their mum and where the animals are living.

If they do not, that is a huge red flag.

 

[Debarkle]

Sorry to hear this - to echo others really recommend rescuing. We found our rescue dog via https://www.dogsblog.com/ - it updates a couple of times a day.

we didn’t want a puppy and she was advertised as two years old but we think she is slightly younger. Had her two weeks and she’s amazing.

 

[MaxieMoo]

Also one for adopt. Then you'll know they have been properly checked over too. My friend saw a puppy advertised, turned up to collect and found the puppy in less than desirable condition. They took the puppy and sadly it died two weeks later. When the puppy became sick the contacted the seller and it became very difficult. I've since heard other similar stories. I'm not suggesting that is always the case but I think it's happening more and more.

Sorry that you went through this. Aside from losing money you were obviously very excited about a new member of your family.

Please have a look into adoption. If it's not for you then you could think about finding a reputable breeder and trying again x

 

[Felix08]

Im sure there are websites that have lists of good breeders right? Pick a breeder from there.
Sorry this has happend to you! Are there forums for the dog breed you want? See if there are poeple there that have advice on who are good breeders?

Ive had two dogs before, both were from the shelter. Great dogs!
My dad really wants a puppy when he retires, he just wants a small dog because here there are mostly larger dogs in the shelter. But I know for a fact he will end up with a dog with 3 legs, 1 eye and no ear lol. But those need a home the most!

 

[Raininvain]

I'd advise go to a rescue for anyone then at least you wont get scammed. My cats were both from rescues, one was £25.00 and just neutered so I had to get his injections done etc and the other one was £90.00 and he had everything done, neutering, vaccinations, flea treated and wormed. I haven't had a decent nights sleep since I got the second cat but that's a different issue.
There was a ragdoll going at the rescue I support and he was £100 as far as I remember. Rescues do get pedigrees cats in as well. Breeders often dump them after they have had a few litters.

 

[toffeejelly]

Sorry to read this, it's so common right now and prices are through the roof

If you are serious about getting a puppy, then I would wait until all this pandemic is over and done with, and hopefully prices will be lower again. You will be surprised at how many people get a puppy in lockdown then decide they no longer want it when they go back to their normal lives so you may end up managing to find a rescue puppy etc.

Like others have said, you could look into adopting a rescue? I know it's not for everyone though. I tried to rescue several before I ended up getting a puppy, but they were so strict on people who work, where you live etc. So I ended up getting a puppy.

 

[Curlywurly85]

You do have to becareful. There are quite a few puppy farms around. You could end up with a very sick puppy. I would always get a rescue. Rescue centres do have puppies as well. I got my rescue when he was a puppy. You just pay a donation fee. The best thing I ever did. Rescue dogs are really loving

Fellow rescue mum to an ex puppy farm French bulldog. Rescuing her was the best thing we ever did

 

[openbook1]

Im sure there are websites that have lists of good breeders right? Pick a breeder from there.
Sorry this has happend to you! Are there forums for the dog breed you want? See if there are poeple there that have advice on who are good breeders?

Ive had two dogs before, both were from the shelter. Great dogs!
My dad really wants a puppy when he retires, he just wants a small dog because here there are mostly larger dogs in the shelter. But I know for a fact he will end up with a dog with 3 legs, 1 eye and no ear lol. But those need a home the most!

Most countries have kennel club websites. you still have to be careful though as people just pay to sign up so you still need to do your due diligence and research the breeder. Depending on the breed, there could be a local FB group on them where people can advise on breeders and who to avoid.

 

[Allthevest20]

I’ve put a deposit down for a Ragdoll kitten and I’m worried I’ve been scammed. Spoke to the seller/breeder on the phone but the pictures I’ve been sent don’t seem to be of the same kitten I’m due to get her in 3 weeks and I’m just hoping I’m being paranoid.

Good breeders will also have the genetic history (VERY important for Ragdoll cats!) Especially for Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and wouldn't object to you seeing the kittens/Mum probably even Dad and alot have other generations too plus registration details to show they're an approved breeder (GCCF). Ragdolls are "designer" at the moment - my favourite breed since I was a child - so make sure you do all of those checks x

 

[Oohthedrama]

Always expect to see mum but dad may not always be there. A good breeder will look for a Sire that compliments the Dam and that isn't always necessarily their own dog especially when it comes down to inbreeding coefficients etc.

you should still have the option of seeing the male or at the very least get the contact information for his owners