I think I just bought a puppy!

[CakeyCakeyCakey]

It's a gorgeous black springer x cocker spaniel. A really pretty 8 week old girl, hopefully I'll pick her up in two weeks.
I could have her tomorrow but it'll take me two weeks to get te money together, I'm slightly stressed that I'm getting her from a woman who's only had her a week but needs to pass her on as her son is allergic. She's going to keep her for me but if her little boy gets worse she says she will have to let her go to someone else.
I'll have to try and scrape the money together from somewhere quicker.
I'm a little excited but wary it's a scam or something, she'll get no money from me till I have the dog and I'll keep half back till we take her straight to the vets, she'll get the other half when she's had a clean bill of health.

What have I forgotten to fret about? What do I need to buy? Should I hold off buying anything till I have the dog in my hands?
Am I being scammed?
Am I neurotic?

Am I too excited? We've been discussing this forever and were let down twice this week with other dogs.

[CMOTDibbler]

I'd walk away. The puppy shouldn't have really even left her mum yet, and if she'd come from a reputable breeder, they would have had her back.

Go talk to a rescue about adopting a puppy instead

[SpicyPear]

This is going to be my last post of the day before I get really stressed and make another thread go poof.

I'm sorry Cakey but your post is screaming scam. Where did you see this dog advertised?

Puppy farmers will pass dogs on to front families who make up stuff like this to sell pups - the more people become aware of unscrupulous breeders the more sneaky they become. Have you googled mobile numbers etc?

I would urge you not to buy a young puppy that you have not seen with Mum. A vet check is really meaningless in this situation - the physical and behavioural effects of bad breeding will likely not manifest until much later. Have you asked to speak with the original breeder to confirm her story and meet Mum?

[HorizontalRunningOnly]

Sounds dodgy to me. Tiny puppy like that should be with mum. A friend recently fell for a son story of an 8 month old pup whose heavily pregnant owner was struggling - wye tears and I want the best for pup etc. They paid up front took her to vets and she's is very unwell with a severe heart murmur. £100's of pounds of vet bills and luckily a charity have taken the pup on. Decent breeders and rescues don't behave like this

[HeisenbergsHat]

Things like this often turn out to be puppy farm scams - the woman will be being paid to sell the pup on because people won't buy from a puppy farm, but will fall for a plausible sob story.

You really do need to be careful when you buy a puppy. Research a breed and go to a reputable breeder where you can meet mum, and possibly dad too (and be prepared to go on a waiting list), or go to a good rescue that will provide support and backup should you need it.

I'd run a mile from this lady and her pup if I were you.

[CakeyCakeyCakey]

I am having a few doubts tbh, she's desperate to have the pup gone but will save it for two weeks?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I hear stories like this all the time then I get shown a vaccination certificate as the pup has had a first vacc. It has an owner sticker name on it for a town in Wiltshire,but the vets who did the vacc are in Wales. The pup has never been collect from either place.

[SpicyPear]

It really does stink OP. I know it's difficult but please walk away.

If you are happy to take a puppy with unconfirmed parentage (and therefore health and temperament), look at rescues rather than funding and encouraging this type of thing.

[HorizontalRunningOnly]

Go to a rescue or if it's a spaniel u want I'm sure there must be breed specific rescues etc. Not worth it - if it was legit the owner of the mother dog would take pup back.

[beachyhead]

If you are having to save up to buy the puppy, will you be able to manage the cost of it on an ongoing basis?

I agree with others that this is likely to be a puppy farm scam

[Singlesuzie]

Her son is allergic but she is willing to subject him to that for another two week for you to get your money together? Doubtful. Scam for sure.

Btw- can you actually afford a dog? It doesnt really sound like it.

[BuilderMammy]

Don't walk away, run! And if you really can afford a dog, get down to your local shelter and rescue one.

[Floralnomad]

No offence but if you are having to 'scrape the money together' don't do this . What happens when the pup has diarrhoea the first week you get it and you have vet bills to pay ? That aside it definitely sounds like a puppy farming scam .

[Incapinka]

Do not go back!!! Dodgy as! If you buy a puppy see the mother and in the ideal world the dad too. And she's getting rid as her DS is allergic yet will keep for 2 weeks. Pah. Run for te hills and keep on running.

[Incapinka]

And as others have said if you haven't got the money to buy it in the first place how will you afford jabs? Neutering (if applicable)? Insurance? Unexpected vets bills? They aren't cheap...

[Gileswithachainsaw]

It's a scam! As previous posters have said, breeders would always take a puppy back (not get rid at that young an age either). There's probably a million things wrong with the poor thing too and if you can't afford to buy the puppy then you can't afford the flea treatment vaccinations worming and treatment I garuntee it will need within days of arriving at hours and insurance takes ten days before you can claim on it!

Go to a shelter and rescue a puppy

[Gileswithachainsaw]

At yours

[LtEveDallas]

Do NOT buy this puppy. Seriously, don't. You don't know it's history, you haven't had it vet checked. It's a bad idea. BAD.

[Freckletoes]

Walk away. But before you do ask the woman why the breeder hasn't taken it back from her.

[CakeyCakeyCakey]

I never said I couldn't afford it, I can afford it but need a couple of weeks to get the money together, if I urgently needed money for vets I would be able to pay too.
I'm going to walk away from this now. Walk away from the puppy and this thread.

[Floralnomad]

Sorry I didn't mean to offend ,but an average springer x cocker round here is £300 max and that's not a lot of money to find compared with a pretty average vet bill ,( stares at Floraldog who's current bill is topping £800 for what started as a split toe nail ! ) .

[Incapinka]

None of us meant to offend. We just wanted to ensure you were aware that there are additional costs to buying a pet than just the initial purchase

Very glad you are not going back to collect this pup though

[CakeyCakeyCakey]

It's all been done through Facebook and according to Facebook we have a mutual friend, who was one of my closest friends in secondary school.
I called her this morning and she knows the woman with the puppy, apparently she's harmless and had been breaking her heart over this puppy for days. Puppy-lady had noticed that we had mutual friends and contacted friend to check if I was a good person, so that's why she's willing to save it, the puppy is actually 12 weeks old not 8 as I'd read, it did come from a mostly reputable breeder who wanted to charge puppy-lady £100 for having the puppy a week so she told her to shove it.
Puppy-lady has mild to moderate learning difficulties and isn't very articulate.

The puppy isn't extortionately expensive £290 with all the things they'd bought for her, Dh started a new job recently and we're in the first month wage crossover when a the money is up in the air but new job pays better so we'll be fine.
If puppy needed emergency treatment and for whatever reason we had no money we live near a pdsa hospital which we are entitled to use.

I admit I was very offended by some of the comments which I read as basically assuming I'd see a cute puppy and had to have it, which I didn't, we've spent a long time looking for the right dog, whether puppy or adult and have been to shelters who mainly want to send you off with a staffy, when I don't trust Staffies after bein bitten by one as a child and many won't let us adopt as our ds is under 5.