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Original poster

To think I’ve accidentally brought from someone dodgy??

193 replies

sorryimgettingemotional · 08/10/2018 03:03

I went to view some Pomeranian puppies a few week ago and put a deposit on the one I fell in love with. Everything seemed legit, the guy selling them answered all my questions and was happy to be paid by a bank transfer so nothing rang any bells.

Since then though I have found another ad for a completely different litter of Pomeranian puppjes, I’d found my puppy I wanted by then so usually wouldn’t have looked but something was telling me to open the ad but now I wish I hadn’t as i can’t stop thinking of the worse case scenario.

When I opened the ad the rug stood out me and I couldn’t work out why until I realised it’s the same rugs they had in the house when I viewed my puppies, the more I scrolled through I started to think it’s actually the same place! Then I done a little digging and found out the person who I went to see and the person posting the ad have the same surname! The puppies will also be ready to leave within only a few days if each other.

Now, there is a reason why it may just be a coincidence (??) When I say house, they actually lived in some fancy kind of mobile home in a place where there are hundreds of the same kind of mobile home so it’s entirely possible that the inside would have have the same sort of flooring and kitchen and as they’re related they also had the same rugs and dog bed.

I am just not sure though. Have i been completely oblivious and too trusting and brought from someone dodgy? :( How do I even go about finding out. I pick my pup up on Friday so I just do not know what to do now!!! 😫

OP posts:
Mammysin · 08/10/2018 07:49

You are having buyer’s remorse. Too late. I’m appalled that anyone would buy a dog unless they were a breeder. Urgh!

ProfessorMoody · 08/10/2018 07:52

People don't live in mobile homes year round its not permitted

Some do, and yes it is on many sites.

Either way, this isn't a good breeder.

longwayoff · 08/10/2018 07:55

Angelil. More than warranted. Seconded too.

Bluelonerose · 08/10/2018 07:57

Praisebe there are mobile homes you can live in all year round. T heyre actually quite roomy.

Lovemusic33 · 08/10/2018 08:03

people don’t live in mobile homes all year round yes they do, there are several parks here full of people that live in them full time, it’s a cheaper way of living for those who can’t afford to buy a house.

I don’t understand what the worry is, people often advertise in several places? Some people have more than one phone number?

You went to see the puppies? Did they look happy and healthy? Did it look like they had been living at the place you viewed them?

Windgate · 08/10/2018 08:05

@Praisebe people can and do live in mobile homes all year round. Licensed park home sites and licensed traveller sites are two examples.

Poshjock · 08/10/2018 08:39

www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/puppy-farms-how-and-why-to-avoid-buying-a-farmed-puppy.html

OP please please investigate this further. Your local authority council should have any breeder registered. You could also ask the ‘breeder’ which vet practice is managing the health of the mother and her pups and check with them. Please listen to your instincts. The links I have posted have other practical checks you can carry out to satisfy yourself that this person is legitimate.

Huskylover1 · 08/10/2018 08:50

PP have all made good points, about the puppy farm side of this, but I just wanted to comment on the financial side.

If you do a Bank Transfer to someone, you have NO WAY TO GET A REFUND, if the person doesn't give you the goods you paid them for. There is NO legal protection with a Bank Transfer.

Always pay with Paypal or a Debit Card or a Credit Card : all of these payment types carry protection, so that in the event of your item being faulty or not provided, you can get your money back.

Not the main issue, but if you arrive on Friday and there is no puppy, you have lost your money.

(I worked in Banking for 27 years).

FinnegansWhiskers · 08/10/2018 09:31

What happens to puppies from puppy farms if they are not bought? Are they merely disposed of?

OP did you see the puppy with its mother? How many puppies were in the litter?

adaline · 08/10/2018 09:34

If they're not sold they're either dumped on the side of the road or drowned/shot/killed in some other way.

Puppy farmers only care about money.

Failingat40 · 08/10/2018 09:45

Yes it does sound dodgy.

Your gut is telling you something is 'off'.

Have you googled the phone number you contacted the guy on? Probably linked to numerous other adverts.

The saddest part of all this is the pup you are buying will right now be crammed in a small cage in a cold container somewhere at the back of beyond and certainly not in his cosy mobile home.

The way you could have avoided this was to ensure you saw the mother (check teets etc for signs of feeding) and to be shown photos from birth right through to now.

If you don't do these things you are just unethically buying a product. The dog will very likely have separation anxiety and possibly behavioural problems.

Really think carefully before you continue, if you've already paid the full amount then go and collect the pup but take someone with you and try to get as much information from the guy as possible then report to RSPCA and HMRC.

TheViceOfReason · 08/10/2018 09:51

Almost certainly a puppy farmer of some degree. A common tactic is to breed the pups in squalid conditions, then give them a bath and have them in somebodies house for viewings.

I wish people would stop buying puppies off of gumtree / facebook. There are so many unwanted dogs in shelters round the country. Any decent reputable breeder will have a waiting list for a puppy, and not be breeding every year or multiple litters. You should do your research, find the right breeder / lineage, and join the waiting list - and potentially wait a year. Not search on gumtree and pick the pup up a few weeks later.

This is also why you should do your research - google names / phone numbers / addresses.

Hoppinggreen · 08/10/2018 09:51

I bought my puppy from a domestic house in South Yorkshire
Saw the Mum, asked loads questions, did research etc
He actually came from a puppy farm in Wales and the whole thing was a front
I usually dont fall for things like this but it seemed legit and of course dd fell in love with the puppy etc etc but puppy farmers are very cunning and know how to fool people. My spider sense was tingling a bit but I ignored it and I shouldn’t have
With a lot of work (and money) our dog is now great but we’ve been lucky and were able to devote the time and pay for an expert, it could have turned out differently
So OP any doubts please don’t buy this puppy

Toddlerteaplease · 08/10/2018 10:03

My cats were breeding queens rescued from a kitten farm. The lady who rescued the first lot was completely taken in by the lady handing them over. She only realised just how bad it was on the second visit, when she saw the pens the cats were kept in. My cat died last month from heart disease that the breeder should have had them screened for. Several of the other cats have also died. Her sister has it but less severely. All her kittens will almost certainly have it too.

FinnegansWhiskers · 08/10/2018 10:10

*If they're not sold they're either dumped on the side of the road or drowned/shot/killed in some other way.

Puppy farmers only care about money*

Puppy farmers are utterly vile! Not many people could subject a living, breathing, being to being brutally murdered because a puppy farmers didn't get his money in the 12 week space they have to sell the puppies.

OP could you contact an animal rescue centre, RSPCA, local authority dog warden or someone who knows about these things, and ask them to go with you on the date you have arranged to pick the pup up?

These monsters have to be stopped 🤬

Sparklesocks · 08/10/2018 10:11

It does sound quite worrying OP, did you see the pup’s mum at all? You could possibly report to the RSPCA if you suspect it’s a puppy farm.

And the posters correcting OP’s grammar, get over yourselves 🙄

Original poster
sorryimgettingemotional · 08/10/2018 12:28

Thanks for all the replies.

To answer few questions;
The litter I saw had 3 pups in, I saw both mum and dad, mum was very interested in the puppies and what we was doing with them. Mum is KC registered but dad isn’t so the puppies can’t be. They have, as far as I can tell, all the correct paperwork and have been microchipped and flea and wormed, I have to get the vaccinations myself. I havent paid the full amount yet, just paid the deposit. I have registered her with the vet and she’s booking in for a check up once we have her home.

It’s just 2 people from the same family having the same breed of puppies within only days of each other that’s making me worry there is more too it.

And to the poster who said they probably don’t live there, it could be my nativity again but I believe they do. It was very nice decorated and there were a lot pictures dotted all over the place.

There’s also pictures of them with both of the dogs on their Facebook pages so I think they are most likely are really family pets.

OP posts:
Ihaventgottimeforthis · 08/10/2018 12:48

The things that would ring bells for me would be the fact that the puppies are available without a waiting list and they are not pedigree registered.
So even if it really was the mum and dad you saw (rather than two random dogs just shipped in for the visit) I'd be quite dubious about the health of the puppies.
And even if it is the right parents, how are they breeding and rearing multiple litters of puppies in a mobile home?
If I was going to pay decent money for a puppy, I'd want to go with a reputable breeder with a waiting list. If I wasn't prepared to pay decent money, I'd accept I was supporting unethical people breeding unhealthy dogs.

ProfessorMoody · 08/10/2018 12:58

Everything you've just said would make any potential dog owner who had done their research run for the hills.

Dont buy the puppy.

adaline · 08/10/2018 13:35

Please don't buy this puppy.

Alarm bells:

  • not KC registered
  • no waiting list
  • two related people selling the same breed of puppies
  • puppy doesn't come with vaccinations of any kind

Why on earth does a random bloke have a litter of puppies for sale? At best he's a backyard breeder out to make a quick buck, at worst he's a front for a puppy farm.

This is a living creature. If you're going to get a puppy, at least have the respect to do it properly.

CoperCabana · 08/10/2018 13:40

What are you going to do OP?

I had no idea about all of this until recently stumbling across a similar thread. It is horrifying.

Wolfiefan · 08/10/2018 13:44

There’s no good reason not to KC reg. this screams puppy farmers. A decent breeder won’t use a dog and bitch they own. They won’t advertise on Gumtree or similar.
Walk away.
Find the breed club and society and look for a decent breeder.

Whattheheq · 08/10/2018 14:09

puppy doesn't come with vaccinations of any kind

It’s very unlikely a puppy will come with their vaccinations unless it’s an older puppy.

SilverySurfer · 08/10/2018 14:14

Meanwhile, thousands of puppies and dogs in shelters are in desperate need of a good home. Doesn't make sense to me.

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