Could this be a puppy farm?

[MinkSlink]

A friend bought a dog yesterday from pets 4 homes (in Yeovil, cockapoo, advert still on there) the 'breeder' said mothers milk had dried up and gave it to my friend at only seven weeks old saying she'd only be doing the same thing as she was anyway (feeding breskfast ceresl and milk) and not to take puppy to vet as she might get breeder in trouble.... Suspicious?

Yes, but having read the link on here about puppy farms people also walk out with the pups as they can't stand to see them suffer.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of buying a pet from a notice board in pets at home, the pup needs to see a vet ASAP.

For tonight, feed water, and softened puppy food. Tomorrow to the vet with no delay.

It matters not one bit what happens to the breeder, just get the pup to the vet for a check over.

It does sound as though it could be younger than your friend has been told so make sure she doesn't allow the pup to get cold tonight. Young pups are not good at regulating their own temperature.

HoneyDragon - when people take the pups away because they don't want to see them suffer, they are creating the demand for more to suffer. And what about the brood bitch forced to live as a breeding machine? What about her pain and suffering?

it's not my friend who got the puppy!!!!!!!!!! It's Minkslink's friend

Lolly yes sorry, you are right. it was the first word that popped into my head. Prob as we are talking about dogs I guess. No offence meant or intended towards these poor abused puppyfarmed dogs.

Lolly I know that, you know that. But having read those accounts, how easy is it to leave a defenceless, obviously vunerable animal to suffer?

It seemed to be a common theme. "I couldn't leave it because...."

i left a pup that I viewed last winter. He was a beautiful lab but it was brought out of a shed with its litter mates whilst the mother was in a cage outside alongside a water spaniel and a working lab. He was shaking like a leaf. We walked away. It broke my heart but I could not give our money to the heartless witch who was breeding them. It was harsh lesson

Some brood bitches have a litter before their first birthday. How easy is it knowing that she will live in squalor and filth, producing litter after litter until the day she dies or is disposed of as the puppy farmer sees fit? How easy is it to forget that dogs like this are suffering all the time. Out of sight out of mind? People are quick to take the pup but forget about the mum and the next litter she will be forced to produce.

Please show your friend this thread if she isn't keen to take the puppy to the vet

Was the heartless witch breaking any laws for the purpose of reporting her WTF? (There does seem to be a 'report them' thing going on MN atm, apologies!)

Please also report to Dogs Trust - they run campaigns to help stamp out puppy farming. I think I recognise the pets4homes name as a 'known' puppy farm

And yes agree, she should take the puppy to the vet asap.

Absolutely.

The chap we got my old Lab off showed us the bitch obviously as she was with the pups. The poor girl was a wreck. He never bred again as he was so distraught by the second litter in a year.

The guy bred working labs. Always had a waiting list and bred infrequently.

I dread to think what the poor bitches in puppy farms are like. at the time I knew very little about puppy farms and the like, and was lucky to have got advice from a lady who rescued, or I would probably have been the dumb idiot who thought a pup from a "family home" was a safe bet.

I was 22, had next to no access to the Internet and research was done in the library.

Fuck. Should add it was an accidental mating!

is this the ad

WTFwasThat - that was a harsh lesson but could have been made so much worse if you took him home and found he had numerous health complaints that result in hefty vet fees and a lot of heartache. You can report concerns to www.puppylovecampaigns.org/investigations.shtml

www.facebook.com/pages/Puppy-Love-Campaigns/202945053081069

And a list of sellers to avoid can be seen here:
www.puppylovecampaigns.org/sellers.shtml

at that ad and that anyone could think that is a good breeder.

If the 'breeder' thinks they may get into trouble then they know they are doing something wrong.

Plenty of good breeders do and will let puppies go at 7 weeks though, there can be very good reasons for this in the right circumstances. A bitch's milk drying up is not one of them. Most bit he's don't feed their puppies much after 6 weeks anyway, although they will keep feeding them for months if allowed, but there are much more important reasons for a puppy to stay with its Mum and litter than milk.

I agree a vet visit is essential (something good breeders encourage ASAP, even if their own vet has checked the pup). Your friend needs to confirm the age of the puppy and a young puppy could get very ill very fast in these temperatures.

Also, cereal is a crap thing to feed any puppy and it's no longer done by knowledgable breeders. Puppies should be started on soaked/softened kibble or raw food.

The puppys are not the ones to be eye tested...its the parents,before BREEDING...something I doubt very much happened, as they cannot even spell it correctly,the test is for PRA.
Why do people buy from these adds ?? People need educating and that puppy needs to go to the vet ASAP.If the puppy is underage report them.

I am not sure if the ad I linked to above is the one the OP is talking about, but just reading the one line description speaks volumes and I would avoid. No mention of being seen with parents, papers, or anything at all really - and alot of money

Actually would a cockerpoo not have papers anyway?

It would have no papers as it is not a pedigree but a crossbreed...my god what a price £750 !!!!

It is beyond belief the prices that people will pay for these 'desirable' pups.

thats about 4 weeks old, I have photos of eric (my cocker) from the breeder at 4 weeks and he looked just like that, he looked much more like he does now when we got him.

I would like to ask if you can have a look at the link posted by safflower and then have a look on my profile, i have worked out from the date on the pic that Eric was 3.5 weeks old then and they look alarmingly similar to me.

i cant see your profile dita?

MinkSlink - Can we have update on puppy please? Has s/he been seen by a vet?