Why oh why do people buy Gumtree puppies?

[Bubble2bubble]

I've just been sent a FB page of a family very local to me who bought a pug puppy from a Gumtree and and she died of parvo three days later.
I am sorry for them, and to have had their new pup die in their arms must have been truly awful.
They are now working with the RSPCA, and police and have been on local radio trying to get attention for the case, having discovered that the same seller was selling multiple breeds from several set-up addresses.
But really, to buy an unvaccinated, un-microchipped puppy from a 'breeder' on Gumtree , and to collect the pup half an hour after you see the ad - how could anyone think that was a good idea? I just don't know how many times the message has to be repeated :(

I think people just don't want to wait or put any actual effort into getting an animal. I did look at rescues. I didn't want certain breeds and the fact we have cats and kids meant a lot of dogs were unsuitable.
I did go the pedigree route. It was along wait. Starting with contacting the breed club, going to shows and meeting breeders and owners, waiting for a suitable pup and being interviewed and home checked. Took over two years in the end.
The alternative. Funding puppy farmers. I would rather not have a dog.
And my cats? They are rescues. As were the cats before them.

I prefer getting older dogs anyway. It's not even the house training as I've had to train most of mine anyway. In fact I've only had 1 that didn't come with significant behavioural issues but they are quick to learn and eager to please. Not much that can't be achieved with a bit of a love and some high value treats!

I don't know what it is but the only dog I've struggled to bond with is the only one that came to me as a youngster - he's very much my husbands dog. Don't get me wrong he's well loved and cared for but his bond his definitely with dh who dotes on him

Puppies are utterly beautiful. A really special experience. Clearly the dog they soon grow into is the most important thing but I can't criticise people for wanting their own puppy to snuggle and laugh at. It's like saying 'I don't understand the obsession with newborns. It's not like they stay newborn and never grow up'.

(Puppies are also the greatest threat to your doorframes and home looking nice, and are a nightmare to train and cope with their yupping and mess etc. So I would personally go straight to dog next time).

Of course they’re beautiful, but to insist on having one when adult dogs are being put down all over the country is unethical. In my opinion.

But it's personal preference isn't it zigzag? I don't dislike puppies I'm just not especially drawn to them. Now my first rescue was a breed that is normally kept to a very high standard and I saw him - well he was a mess. Overgrown, matted, couldn't see his eyes. Just totally overlooked. I fell in love with him and he came home with me. I still have him although he's an old git now. I look at him with his velvet ears and big trusting eyes and think he may just be the most wonderful creature on earth.
And he is unwaveringly loyal. How anyone just abandoned him in the middle of nowhere I will never understand

Puppy Farmers and BYB (or in my pup's case kitchen diner breeder) shouldn't be lumped together. Surely it is infinitely preferable that puppies are occasionally bred by pet owners who care about the puppies, than trafficked from Eastern Europe. This should be the focus of your wrath. Regulations that apply to all puppies sold in the UK (including those from 'reputable breeders') are required imo.

HuskyMcClusky Did you choose to have a baby rather than adopt a teenager languishing in care?

To be fair pup the 2 are very different. Not least because we don't actually kill children if they don't have a home

Pupchews puppy farmers are not just found in Eastern Europe. The UK has many huge scale puppy farms that keep hundreds of dogs in horrific conditions. Many also have a council licence to do so.

My point is we all do what is best for ourselves and our families and the self egrandisment of the posters who have a rescue dog is bizarre. I have a rescue cat, but I wouldn't begrudge other people a kitten.

the self egrandisment of the posters who have a rescue dog is bizarre

Almost as bizarre as the excuses people come up with as to why they have to have this breed in this colour and sex and at this exact moment

I have no issue whatsoever with good breeding and people who get a puppy from a good breeder. In fact I'm passionate about the breed I love and good friends with many breeders who are doing a wonderful job of keeping a good line going. Sadly the market is saturated with poorly bred examples of the breed which are now more prevalent and carry more health and behavioural issues.

It's a much bigger picture than rescues good/puppy bad and getting into that debate just distracts from the actual problem

Healthy, happy dogs should absolutely be the priority. In a civilized society we should not be breeding dogs with breathing difficulties.

Did you choose to have a baby rather than adopt a teenager languishing in care?

pupchewsleg
Did you somehow manage to give birth to your own puppies? Quite a difference between adopting an animal of a different species and choosing between adopting a child or giving birth to your own (not that adoption isn't wonderful for humans also but it's a whole other kettle of fish).

My point is we all do what is best for ourselves and our families

What about what’s best for the dogs?

and the self egrandisment of the posters who have a rescue dog is bizarre.

Presuming you mean self-aggrandisement, I don’t think that means what you think it means.

You're encouraging the trade @pupchewsleg.

I support a breed rescue for my dog (like @wolfiefan, I got a pedigree dog because I wanted a particular breed and it took me two years to find my dog) and, because the breed is becoming more fashionable, there is a huge rise in really badly bred dogs with all kinds of problems.

These dogs are not coming from reputable breeders. They're from breeders like yours. You got lucky. Or rather your dog did.

We also support the breed rescue and also a couple of local rescues. I did and do feel some guilt that we didn't rescue. Always rescued before.
My dog is my dream come true. It's a breed I have always wanted.
We did look into rescuing a different breed, mongrel or cross or whatever.
But I didn't want a high energy, bull breed, lots of grooming dog. We have cats and kids. We didn't already have a dog. I didn't want an ex breeding dog or one with behavioural problems. Not everyone can rescue.
But no one should buy over the Internet without bothering to research and investigate the breed. People should wait. I see many people here say they want a puppy in the spring or in the summer holidays etc.

I got my two cats from Gumtree !

They were lucky not to end up as dog fight bait. Who puts a family pet on the Internet to be bought by a random stranger?

People shouldn't feel guilty about buying a well bred pedigree, there are few enough about.

Family pets bred and well intentioned owners may do health checks but they won't have the knowledge to look into lineage and decide on a good match.

Proper breeders can't & won't 'churn out' puppies at the rate a puppy farm can.

So we need smart owners, people willing to wait to get the puppy from a breeder who knows their stuff. And we need licenses to try and eliminate all the other types of breeder who are either driven by greed or some romantic notion about letting their wee darling have 1 litter with that dog they keep meeting at the park

These threads seem to turn into the sanctimonious rescuers insisting that no one should ever be so selfish as to buy a puppy verses those pointing out that there are actually a lot of legitimate reasons to buy a puppy.
Why do people buy puppies from gumtree - I truely believe that it’s simply because they don’t realise the back story. Mum sent is the only place that I have ever read about the awful conditions and treatment of breeders at puppy farms and the devious lengths that they go to to avoid being detected. And I’m only in the doghouse because I have a pup and could do with advice every now and then.
I don’t watch TV, I don’t read magazines, I don’t follow many zealots on Facebook. I have been to many rescues but non of them have ever gone into any details of puppy farms. In fact I have learnt that there are many reasons dogs end up in rescues but puppy farming was never mentioned as one of them.
If you want this message to get out the I would suggest that scorning puppy owners on mumsnet may not be the most effective way - we already have our puppies and we love them and have legitimate reasons for having them. I would take the message to gumtree and start posting as many adds about the dangers of puppy farms as there are adds for puppies.

Most of us in breed rescue share the known puppy farm ads with each other and complain en masse to gumtree who do pull the ad so it's not like we aren't doing anything.

The puppy farm near me got busted recently for about the 5th time. It'll go to court, they'll get a pathetic fine or something and reopen with a council license in some random family members name.

Until they penalise them properly they will just keep going

@Wolfiefan and I both bought puppies @Thewolfisjustapuppy.

The Blue Cross, the Dogs Trust, the RSPCA all have information about where to buy a puppy and how to find and choose a responsible breeder. There really is no excuse to support backyard breeding. Ignorance isn't a decent defence.

Now you know the facts, perhaps you could tell people you know so that they don't make the same mistake.

I don’t watch TV, I don’t read magazines, I don’t follow many zealots on Facebook

Ffs, seriously?! I don’t read magazines either, and I’m not even on Facebook. It’s no excuse.

There’s an entire internet of free information out there. If you’re going to buy a living animal, it’s your responsibility to educate yourself about where it’s come from.

Calling other people ‘sanctimonious’ for tying to make ethical and responsible choices is pathetic, but hey, whatever you need to tell yourself.

I bought puppies too. I tried rescue, it was an unmitigated disaster for me.
I’m not saying nothing is being done just that the message is not actually getting out. How many people post first time on here asking about some random designer cross only to be shot down in flames and chased off with their tale between their legs - that’s not getting the message across it’s scaring them off one of the only places where they will and can get constructive help.
I applaud the work that is being done to raise awareness. Scorning those who have made mistakes is not one of the finer aspects of that cause.