Did I buy a puppy farm pup?

[Caross]

Hi all. I am a bit concerned that I might of bought a puppy farm pup!!
I responded to an add for a specific breed of pup that I have been looking for, they are also really hard to get, very popular breed.
I thought all seemed well as I got sent a photo of mum and the testing results from the dad. Then I got videos and photos of my pup whenever I asked, in one or two videos I seen the rest of the litter. Although, the breeder allowed him to be picked up at 7 weeks 3 days old, which was unexpected.
We had to use a pet transportation service due to the current restrictions on travel so we weren’t able to pick him up. The breeder would of been allowed to bring him to us but said she wouldn’t so we had no choice but to hire someone to do it. Turns out that all the other pups had gone home a day or two before ours and he was the last one there.
Someone else contacted me on Instagram asking who I got my pup from. I gave them the information, they came back and said they decided not to go any further with our breeder as there was another litter due in 5 weeks and they suspected it could be a puppy farm.
I feel really foolish. I was under the impression that our pup was born from her family pet. I had no idea she had another dog, (or potentially the same poor dog) who is expecting another litter.
Another reason I thought it seemed really safe was that she has a very public dog walking and boarding business.
Does this sound suspicious to anyone else or could there be a innocent explanation?

I know Hearing dogs use cross breeds and in fact have crossed with Lhasa Apsos. However they don’t sell them for way over £1000. They cross breed to get superb hearing and trainability. It’s not the same.

Yeah, that’s kinda the point I was trying to make though. It’s not the crossing of two carefully selected dogs that is the real issue. It’s people breeding for purely profit without any thought to the pups being produced. At the moment poodle crosses seem to be very desirable. But you can get the same with pure breeds. Where I live French Bulldogs seem massively popular with most selling for upwards of £2.5K I doubt they are all from health tested parents.

It’s not hilarious. If anyone pays £2000 for a Lhasa Apso they are mad if it’s to be a pet. £800 would be ok. That’s a far cry from double for a cross breed.

The whole point is that the breeding bitches and studs have the required tests done and only the best male dogs get to be stud dogs. My male Lhasa was given a KC name and then de registered for breeding purposes. He was a brilliant pet but shouldn’t become a stud dog. Fair enough. Any old dog can be a poo stud or doodle stud. Who cares if they have the correct conformation, temperament or quality? No one. What about checks for hereditary diseases and removal from breeding if a disease is found? Plus my breeder kept my dog for 10 weeks plus. I never had a single moments worry. I paid for her expertise and the dog cost way below what a designer dog does.

I do fully accept not all dog breeders do everything they should but everyone should be aware of what to look for in each breed. The issues with designer dogs are not recorded and you have no idea what to guard against. I’m sure to many it doesn’t matter but it did to me. I do not support the KC breeding standard for some dogs which have led to breathing problems etc. I simply would avoid dogs like pugs etc.

I agree Vanadis. The minute a dog becomes a desirable breed or just desirable, the price goes mad and standards go out of the window! So much better to get a standard type of dog!

It seems some posters are over keen to be right and for the op to have been scammed when it doesn't actually appear to be the case this!

And BubblesBuddy why does it matter how much a puppy is sold for? Some people spend crazy money on handbag or cars or holidays. It doesn’t matter because it’s their money.

I have had dogs costing from £0-£1200 and they have all been worth it. I’ll pay £5000 if I want. It’s my money. I’ll spend £1 or £20 or £100 on a flipping collar if I want. It’s my money.

The minute a dog becomes a desirable breed or just desirable, the price goes mad and standards go out of the window! So much better to get a standard type of dog!

That’s called supply and demand economics. It happens with pretty much every single commodity.

Remember when Dobermans were the new fad. Then huskys. Then French bulldogs. All ‘standard types’ and all sold for £1000+.

Yeah, I agree people can spend there money on whatever they like. We spent £1000 on an iPad, my in-laws think we are crazy spending money on a such a thing. They go on a cruise every year, I think that’s crazy and I could have 10 iPads for one of their cruises.

Not read the full thread but dear god if anyone believes a licensed breeder means they are regularly inspected.

Not read the full thread but dear god if anyone believes a licensed breeder means they are regularly inspected.

But it’s not an entirely unreasonable assumption to make. Same as lots of people might think an OSTED outstanding school must be good.

I hope this thread isn’t taken down as it’s spreading awareness. Even though people are expressing different opinions on cross breeds vs pure breeds, the info on making sure the pups parents are health tested and the levels of research to / red flags to avoid will be helpful to other people particularly those buying their first dog.

Just re- read my above thread and didn’t mean to suggest the debate on designer cross breeds vs pure breeds wasn’t helpful - that’s useful too - just that there’s consensus on some of the red flags to avoid which is helpful to new owners.

I hope this thread isn't deleted as I actually want to know how this situation is resolved.
There is a lack of awareness out there about vaccination and microchipping of puppies and if it draws even one person's attention to this then that is a good thing.
The breed of the puppy is a red herring. I have seen everything from newfies to maltese come out of puppy farms and my comments would have been exactly the same had the OP bought a labrador.

I do agree people can pay what they want. I remain sad that other breeds are endangered though and waiting for a special “at risk” breed is never considered. I do hope people look at a wider variety of dogs now instead of over hyped ones.

It is sad because some of my favourite breeds are on the list.

It sounds like a genuine error with the vaccination card but it never even occurred to me that someone might say that they vaccinated a puppy when they didn’t.

OP sorry you’ve had some nasty comments on here but i am glad most have been helpful. I’m no good with knowing what’s what with dogs but I just wanted to say he’s beautiful and looks like a right character . I am so glad he’s gone to a loving home xx

Can’t believe Welsh Springer Spaniels are on the endangered list - my girl is lovely!

There was a thread which was pinned at the top of the doghouse for a while which was about how to find a good breeder. MNHQ decided to unpin it for some reason which is a shame because there was a lot of excellent advice.

OP - I really hope this all works out for you despite what you might think from my posts. It must be really worrying. I think spending that kind of money on a puppy bought from a stranger is pretty stressful (my dog is a stupid pedigree who cost even more than yours!)

Wow, you paid nearly double for a crossbreed as I did for my pure breed red poodle.

I can't understand why people are willing to pay so much for cross puppies. What's the appeal? If you want a hypoallergenic dog, why not an actual poodle, or bichon - why does it have to be a mix that may end up a bit weird looking and not hypoallergenic.

It's not like they're rare either, poo mixes are everywhere.

Cockerpoos confuse me the most. The cockerpoo look people covert is just a poodle wit its hair grown out. But you have no guarantee your cockerpoo will even grow up to look like that - but all poodles do!

CaliforniaMountainSnake If you want me to be brutally honest, I think poodle faces are ugly. I can tell the difference between poodle and cockapoos. I much prefer cockapoo/cavapoo for their looks. That’s my personal preference. And it’s why I would consider a poodle cross rather than a poodle. And that’s my right.

We don’t all like the same thing.

My cats originally cost £800 each!

I was given them for free as I re-homed them after they were returned to the breeder. She didn’t ask any money on the proviso I vaccinate them every year. The previous owners had not kept their vaccinations up as they mistakenly though they weren’t necessary.

I think they are worth every penny though. I wouldn’t be without them.

“I think poodle faces are ugly. I can tell the difference between poodle and cockapoos.”

That’s the clip, poodles often have their faces shaved and crosses don’t... but underneath the coat most crosses have very poodly faces. I mean some don’t, but most do.

tabulahrasa it’s something to do with the nose, I just don’t like a poodle nose for some reason 🤷‍♀️

Honestly, lots of cockerpoos especially have what is basically a poodle face if you get up close and feel them, they just don’t look it because it’s not shaved down.

It’s actually surprising how little like a cocker they feel like - or look like soaking wet, lol

A couple of posters on this thread have said that they're not convinced that crossbred dogs are healthier than purebred dogs.

On average, crossbreds and mongrels are healthier than purebreds. Purebreds suffer from genetic diseases that become concentrated in a breed due to the overuse of popular sires. If SuperSire X is to be found in almost every pedigree after five or six generations, that vastly increases the odds of whatever genetic fuck-ups he carried recessively being doubled up in a puppy who is descended from him on both sides (and possibly has him not twice but four or five times in its ancestry). Purebred dogs also suffer from other consequences of inbreeding, which has an impact on things like their immune system and their risk of cancer.

These two factors are why flatcoats are so prone to cancer, and cocker and springer spaniels to PRA.

I'm not against pedigree dogs: if you get a pedigree you have fair idea of its eventual size, coat, and likely temperament and abilities (especially if you know the breed and read the pedigree carefully). What I don't like is the closed registry system which makes judicious outcrossing to improve health very difficult if you want to continue to have an official record of the puppies' ancestry, and virtually impossible if you want a later generation to be re-registered as purebred.

Sorry, off topic again...

I hope the thread stays, it's a great example of how easy it is to fall into the trap of buying from an irresponsible breeder or puppy farm.

Not to say that is actually what happened in this case, but it very well could be.

If you want me to be brutally honest, I think poodle faces are ugly. I can tell the difference between poodle and cockapoos.

It is mainly the haircut. My poodle has long hair and no one can tell the difference between him and a good looking cockerpoo.

Also, you get a poodle you know exactly what he will grow up to look like. Your cockerpoo could grow up to look 100% poodle - a dog that you think is ugly.