advice on buying a puppy..is this dodgy?

[beau82]

we have wanted a british bulldog for a long time, but was waiting until we were settled in our new home.
So we have found this family on the internet who have the puppy we want. normally we would go and check it out first and buy it there but these people are based in glasgow and we are in oxford, dp is on call this weekend so we cant drive up there..too far even if he wasnt me thinks...so we have seen loads of photos and they say it comes with certificares kc registered and all that and if we are not happy we have 14 days to get money back minus shipping fees.

So thing is we have to pay first 300 into moneygram (anyone know about this?) who give us receipt,we have their address which I checked out and it is real.

I'm just worried about handing over that amount of money, but really want this dog.

They seem genuine but you never know????

Advice.....please?

I think you shouldn't buy a dog without the chance to visit it in its home environment. Surely there are breeders closer to Oxford. Hang on in there and wait until you can buy a pup in a situation you are completely happy with.

There was a woman asking for moneygram for a bulldog on our local site,

first it all seemed normal then she was asking for more money, for shipping costs, vets bill to sedate the dog ect .. my DP[ thought it was fishy so emailed her just to enquire,

turns out she was a scammer. The same site put warnings up about her and moneygrams the next day and deleted all her messages.

she was in africa! even tho her UK adress seemed to check out.

Sorry, £300 is not right for a bulldog puppy

If it were a genuine, healthy - full breed bulldog puppy you would be looking at spending at least £1400,

its a scam i would say.

sorry

Shes offering it so cheap, and will take the money off several different people.

Money grams arent safe, EBAY have banned them because they are so easy to use fraudulently.

Whether or not it might be a scam I would be very reluctant to buy a dog without seeing where it came from. If this puppy is coming from a puppy farm the conditions for the dogs could be very poor and the health of both puppy and mother could be bad. I also wouldn't be happy to have my puppy shipped to me, it would be quite traumatic for such a young dog and might lead to settling in/behavioural problems.

To me it is suspicious that they are willing to ship the dog to you, most caring and responsible dog owners would want to check out where their puppies are going to.

If you wait there will be other chances to get a puppy.

and also if I was getting a bulldog so cheap I would want to spend the money I saved on flying uop there and picking it up myself.

the bulldog is 600, she wanted 300 before delivery and i have a week after i have her to pay other 300. 600 is still cheap for a bulldog though, as someone said they are normally just under 2 grand.

it is dodgy isnt it? thanks for your advice

I agree with the first reply - you need to see the pup with its mother. This also gives you the chance to ask loads of questions and gives them the chance to check you out. Most breeders I've come across are very fussy about who they'll let their pups go to!

Another thing that worries me a bit is you saying they will refund less "shipping fees". Does this mean that they are going to send it by some sort of 3rd party courier or will they personally deliver it and charge you their costs? If its the latter then ok and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions but the former suggests an uncaring breeder (IMHO).

You also need to make sure its not from a puppy farm or been stolen. £300 doesn't seem much for a pedigree dog.

If you have children always buy a dog where you can meet its mother and see what temprement she has and ask if the children can visit with you

then choose out of a litter I find this is the most reassuring way to get a good dog that has been reared in a good environment

Sounds really dodgy.
Don't send any money.

The Kennel Club or this site might be able to help you find a breeder nearer to you

We got a pug, and it was pure pedigree, I met the mother even BEFORE she was pregnant because there was such a long waiting list!

I visited the mumdog all the way through her pregnancy and got close to the owners and they gave me advice on how to care for my puppy.

They were 'real' breeders and had a waiting list, if anyone wanted a pup they had to travel to visit it at leats once before picking it up, regardless of whwre you lived,

they had been offered £3000 to ship a dog to the USA but refused (the pup I haves great great grandad won crufts years ago

I wouldnt trust this person, wheteher they really do have a pup to sell or not.

"try herewww.findit.co.uk/pets/dogs/bulldogs.php"

I cant do links sorry

I was worried about it travelling from glasgow to oxford anyway..it seems to far for a small pup.
Have seen pics of it with its mother and siblings.
they breed cats aswell, some high quality breed, didnt pay much attention to that coz i hate cats.
I think we will just wait a bit longer...puppy was gorgeous though, right colour and everything

I agree with everyone else - sounds like a scam.....and even if it isn't sounds like a puppy farm.

When I got my pup, I found a breeder, visited her and checked out her dogs, chose the mum I wanted and put myself on a litter list for when she came into season.

Don't touch this ad with a barge-pole. Go to KC and find a local breeder - you will end up with a healthier dog for it.

DO NOT BUY THIS DOG!!!!

For all the reasons everyone has stated re unethical breeders and scamming. Although it is quite usual for CC winners offspring/professional breeders (not puppy farmers) to be shipped great distances with specialist dog carriers, my parents shipped a few older pups (5-6mths)to usa and I've shipped one to Hungary.

My Godfather bred bulldogs for 30 years, the pups are very expensive - way more than £600. Due to many reasons including due to the way himans have bred them to be such an exaggeration of their natural shape they cannot give birth unaided so vets attendance has to be factored in, they generally have small litters, they are quite tricky to mate (due to front end heavieness of males)...I could go on.

He stopped due to age and the sorts of people wanting his pups - very picky about who had them. He had his last bitch put down aged only 3 when it was happily sitting on his wifes lap and it then attacked her mutilating her face - tore off part of her ear 80+ stitches. This was a dog with 5 generations of his own breeding/careful stud choice, always been lavished with every care etc.

ALWAYS SEE A DOG IN HOME ENVIRONMENT.

Was about to post the same as alycat.

Thank you all so much for your advice.
I was feeling it wasn't right,just needed someone else to back it up.
I need to be more patient!