To wonder why anyone would buy a puppy through gumtree or the like?

[SummerGems]

I’m not talking so much about why people would buy a puppy from a backyard breeder as that’s a discussion in its own right, but why anyone would log on to their local gumtree, look up the pets for sale adverts, and call the owner and arrange to go and collect a living breathing animal without having first met the “breeder” the dogs or had anything to do with them before jumping in the car and coming home with said puppy, usually at vast expense.

Looking at my local gumtree there are puppies for sale for as much as £2000, and even one for £1700 which is described at being available at “the bargain price of.....” . A bargain? For a living animal? .

Why?

On some level I can sort of see how someone might know someone locally with puppies and end up taking one. I wouldn’t but I can see how it happens. But answering an advert on a buying/selling website and collecting an animal from a complete stranger after handing over often upwards of a grand for what might even be a mongrel masquerading as a genuine breed (i.e. cockerpoo/cavachon/labradoodle and I even saw one described as a pomchi the other day, just why would anyone do that?

We had a Bengal cross from a rescue when I was a teenager - she was amazing but very high maintainence! We got her from the rspca in the days when you could rock up and take a cat home the same day.

The last one I met was in rescue. Pure bred Bengal. Gorgeous. And if our two terrible torties weren’t so miserable he would have come home with me. That being said, I love the naughty ones! Grew up with Burmese.

I don't put breeders on a pedestal. They're people, same as me. I do respect those who work tirelessly to improve their breed and try to minimise health problems. Another reason why I hate Internet sellers - it's very, very rare they health test extensively to produce the best puppies they can.

True.

We live in a want it now culture. Sadly, this extends to animals. My sister knows all about puppy farms, rescue dogs etc and I told her again when she was looking to get a puppy. I put her in touch with a specialised puppy rescue, a breed rescue and gave her the details of a responsible breeder. All of these places had a waiting of 3 months to a year. She wanted her puppy now. Gumtree had puppies available now.

The idiot also bought a brachycephalic breed. I have told her how much it is going to cost her in vet bills. It's still not insured. She's not an inherently cruel person she just wanted her puppy now and she wanted X breed. She is certain her puppy will not have health issues.

I've just spent £150 on getting one of my cats vaccinated and for flea and tick control stuff for both cats (one cat was jabbed a couple of months ago but this one is an escape artist who disappears for weeks at a time til it gets cold). They're insured as well. Having pets is expensive and so few people seem to realise that until it's too late (for the pet, that is). I think a mandated waiting period would be a really good idea.

@Sleepysofa. Be wary of bengals. Utterly fab cats but need knowledgeable homes.

To start i’d never have one in a multi cat household unless you have masses of space and a rural home. They can get territorial, they are loud —at 3am— and they are hyperactive.

Add to that many breeders and rehomers have indoor cats only as a conditon of sale/adoption. Indoor only can exacerbater the above- mine always loved going out and was a nightmare kept in.

If you’re still interested there’s a bengal rehoming group on fb which Always has cats available. Which again should tell you something about the breed...

Thanks for that, I'll have a look at the FB group. We live in a large four bed house with a good sized garden, on the edge of the countryside (by which I mean, there's only one other house between us and endless fields). But I don't think an indoor cat would work for us and tbh right or wrong I'm not keen on the idea. My current cats love going in and out. I do have a preschooler though so shouting at 3am wouldn't be ideal! Maybe when he's older.

Finding a dog is a long process. This is why people buy them on websites, because they are too lazy and impatient to wait and do things properly.

I think that this is quite judgmental. Apparently, only a handful of people are allowed to buy dogs, I guess. Because most people aren't going to have the time to travel hundreds of miles (repeatedly) and spend multiple years going to dog shows and visiting breeders, though it is great if someone has the time, knowledge and money to do that. And no, that doesn't mean that someone won't have the time to take care of a dog if they are unwilling or unable to do that. There is a happy medium between people who are willing to spend that much time finding the absolutely perfectly raised dog and those who buy a dog on a whim without thinking at all. I think that many people fall in-between those two extremes. As regards the internet--people do everything on the internet nowadays and many would be hard pressed to figure out how to research anything without it. Perfectly legitimate breeders advertise there. I have a friend who bought a pure bred lab from a breeder who raises guide dogs. She did travel a distance to get it. (She got the puppy that was too food focused to make the grade.) And yes, she found them by researching on the internet. Not a multiple year slog of dog shows, researching multiple bloodlines, etc. But not an impulse buy, either. By the way, should horses not be advertised online? Because their shelters are full too.

I bought my dog off gumtree, ad read along lines of 'bought husky dog off friend, didn't realise she was pregnant. Now we have 6 puppies, think the father may have been a staffy. They are all definitely mongrels. Ready in 7-8 weeks.' puppies were cute, went to the house to look at the litter and the bitch. Family were nice, bitch was nice, puppies were adorable. Picked the one we wanted, paid a small deposit, went back 8 weeks later and came home with dog. Hes so easy to train, brilliant with kids, couldn't ask for better.

Sleepy - is it the look of the Bengal you like? If so, have you considered the Egyptian Mau? They are absolutely stunning cats, much more low maintenance than a Bengal and are good with going out and about.

I think that this is quite judgmental

Good. It was supposed to be.

Apparently, only a handful of people are allowed to buy dogs, I guess

Ahh, in an ideal world, but we can dream.

most people aren't going to have the time to travel hundreds of miles (repeatedly) and spend multiple years going to dog shows and visiting breeders

Then they shouldn't be buying a dog. If they can't be bothered to put the effort in initially, then they aren't really ideal for a dog that is a massive commitment and takes up lots and lots of time and money.

Time? My dog doesnt like being left for very long at all. Then there’s grooming. HUGE job. Feeding and walking and vet treatments.
Talking of money. Next bill looks likely to be upwards of £600.
If you don’t have time and money then you shouldn’t have a dog. (Yes mine is insured. That’s bloody expensive too!!)
As for experience. I’m a first time dog owner. I don’t have any. But I’ve been able to gain some from visiting owners and breeders and trainers etc.

@Wolfiefan £600 vet bill? was your dog in an accident?

£600 wouldn’t cover most accidents tbh, mine has cost £150 in the last week just on some painkillers and antibiotics - if it doesn’t clear up it could quite easily come to £600 and my dog is smaller than wolfie’s.

Large dogs mean large doses of drugs and large vet bills.

I’ve had large dogs (and small ones) - mongrels from
apparently “irresponsible breeders”. none if them ever had vet bills coming remotely close to that. or reiccuring health issues (appart in old age, so 12 years plus). I would really, really rethink my breeder selection strategy. no dog should have health conditions like that just to confirm to an ideal if a breed.

We had a mixture of mongrels and pedigrees growing up and a £600 bill was nothing compared to some. I think you may have just been really lucky.

I don’t think wolfie’s dog has health issues - mine does, but then he isn’t well bred, so... not sure how that correlates.

Was just offering an explanation on why her bill is likely to seem high.

My dog was costing me £90-£150 per week not too long ago. It went on for around three months.

He wasn't in an accident. he has allergies and like people dogs can develop new allergies at anytime in their life. The money each week was spent on special foods during an elimination process, consultation fees, shampoos, anti biotics and painkillers for infections resulting from allergies, lab tests to rule out mites/fungal infections etc and anti-histamines.

We still don't know what he is allergic to apart from fleas, dust mites and grass pollen which he tested positive for last time he had an allergy outbreak. That test is over £1000 and takes six weeks to get the results back but we have got his symptoms under control with regular medication and a high quality, low allergen, grain free food.

We believe he is now allergic to some sort of meat but we don't know which one. We do know it's not chicken, rabbit or duck as he doesn't react to that.

@mumofamenagerie you speak the most sense on this thread, and sadly from experience. More people should listen to you.

I have no tolerance for the " well my puppy's healthy and fine" brigade.

Stop breeding your pets, we are already overpopulated with dogs.

Rescues are sick of picking up the pieces from people who hand over a 6-12 month old puppy who's been left alone all day to develop separation anxiety, food aggression, lack of social skills et al . Of course those people HAD to buy a puppy because a rescue wouldn't give them one.....

I don’t have much patience, personally, with people who claim they ‘work to improve a breed’. Like German Shepherds were ‘improved’? And why is it OK to take in farm kittens but not the canine equivalent?

But German Shepherds haven't been improved

As I've said before, I've had a specific breed of dog for 20+ and aside from vaccinations, neutering, wormer and flea treatment, they haven't cost me a penny in vet bills and I've had over ten dogs.

I strongly believe as well as being well-bred, their raw diet keeps them at peak health.

And why is it OK to take in farm kittens but not the canine equivalent?

Probably because cats are free roaming and also live ferally in the UK. So you get escapet pets or long time ferals that get out and kittens result. A rescue I work with spends an awful lot of time trapping, neutering and returning such cats. Any kittens that can be socialised and rehomed are.

Dogs don’t live wild, semi wild or free roam. Every dog has an owner, who should be able to regulate where the dog goes- good training, secure garden, on a lead. Escaped dogs go to the dog warden. So we should get very few accidental litters.

Making - you don't realise how different cats and dogs are? How odd.

No one is advocating the unscrupulous breeding of cats, but they're a completely different kettle of fish. Farm cats are usually feral and I work with a rescue centre that traps and spays. Often there are kittens and rehoming them to homes that will neuter solves a problem.

As we don't have feral dogs in this country, and they take a LOT more looking after than a cat, and people sell puppies for thousands, despite them being mongrels, whereas farm kittens don't sell for much more than a tenner, there is an enormous difference.

No accident. Ongoing ear issues that topical application of cleaner etc not touching. She’s a giant breed so everything costs more! The issue isn’t from her breeding. It’s just crappy luck.
If she develops a heart issue the mess are £200 a month.
Mind you the cat on thyroid and arthritis meds cost £60 a month about 5 years ago.
Rescue pets or find a good breeder. Because no. They don’t all work to better the breed. Few do.