Trying to buy a puppy

[JanetandJohn500]

I'm new to dog-owning (or trying to be!) Trying to buy a puppy at the moment and have been contacting people about adverts on the internet. 3 different times I've contacted people who have sent me photos and then offered to courier me the puppy. I feel really uncomfortable about this and can't help thinking that it's a scam.
Am I being too cautious? Is this normal when buying a puppy?

I wouldn't buy a puppy without seeing it's parents and where it was raised first. To me this screams scam or puppy farm if the breeder is willing to just send you a puppy.

An advertisement on the internet is not the place to look for a puppy.

Anyone willing to just send you a puppy like that is either going to be scamming you or they're a puppy farm.

There are masses of scams at the moment with people asking for money for non existing puppies from these sort of advertisements. People pay for a puppy they've seen online or in a photo and of course no puppy arrives.

No decent breeder does business this way so if it isn't a scam it will definitely be a puppy farm.

I suggest you plan your puppy purchase a bit more carefully. Spend time finding a proper breeder, do some research into the puppy you want to buy and the background of the breeder.

A good breeder will want to know where their puppies are ending up. They won't just take your money and send off a puppy to you just like that.

You're buying a living creature, not ordering a pair of shoes.

🙄

Please read the Dogs Trust Guide to buying a puppy as a starting point.

Theres a huge amount if puppy scams at the moment.

However, some breeders were/are courier puppies due to travel restrictions. Since this is classed as work, then were allowed to bring the puppies to you.

Puppies can not stay with the litter indefinitely. Bit I wouldn't be handing any money over to someone I dont know, never met with the promise they will post me a puppy.

Puppy prices have shot up, so a shame is more lucrative. On the breed specific Facebook pages I am on, people are posting scams they have seen all the time.

Theres also been a few puppy thefts. So a puppy you are buying could be a stolen one. Though, I am not convinced this is whats behind the thefts. The thefts seem to be places that are essentially puppy farming (odd that they don't mind using Facebook to tell people this while appealing for help). I am talking 20 plus dogs stolen, from an outbuilding. Includes several litters and several pregnant bitches.

I can help wonder if its either an insurance job or actually people targeting puppy farms and thinking they are rescuing the dogs. But, either way, buying a stolen puppy could be a real possibility at the moment.

What websites are you looking at? Gumtree etc - likely to be illegally farmed or a scam.

What breed are you looking for?

Try pets4home. We've just bought a little puppy. But I did have a weird encounter. I was told I couldn't see the puppy beforehand. I understood due to lockdown we wouldn't be able to see him. So I suggested video calls and she agreed. But everytime I suggested a time, she would ignore me. So after trying twice, I looked elsewhere. She also wanted money upfront to save her wasting her time!! Only call breeders with pictures of the parents and the entire litter. Any good seller will happy to video call. Ask to see the mum at least if both parents aren't available. Also ask how many were in the litter and how many litters the mum has had. Ask if the previous litter have had any health problems. Hope that helps. Took me ages to find a good breeder. Btw, make sure they are kc registered. But be aware if they are mixed breeds, they might not be able to be kc registered. Good luck

It's a very bad time to buy a puppy. There's huge demand due to lockdown and prices have sky rocketed. I imagine unscrupulous "breeders" are taking full advantage. Anyone who offers to courier their puppy to someone they've never ever laid eyes on it's not someone to deal with. It's just common sense really isn't it?

Please read through the resources at The Puppy Contract.

I’ll say it again because it bears repeating: an advertisement on the internet is not the place to buy a puppy.

Puppy prices are through the roof at the moment: some (but not all) breeders are really cashing in. In all honesty I'd wait till after lockdown.

All KC registered means is that the puppy is purebred. It gives you almost no assurance about the health and welfare of the parents (just that only a certain number of litters can be registered from that dam).

You can find good dogs and decent breeders on pets4homes, but you need to be really careful and ask lots of questions. Champdogs is a better bet: I know a fair bit about one breed and there are some absolutely excellent litters advertised at the moment. Good, interested pet breeders who use health tested studs and/or test the dam tend to advertise there as well.

As a PP asked, do you know what breed you want and why? Knowing what and why will help you track down a decent breeder.

There are puppies in rescue centres. Why do you need to buy

I've just looked at puppy prices on pets4homes. Bloody hell, people are taking the piss. Two grand for a cocker puppy? I wouldn't pay more than a grand for one from top-end, health tested, field trialling parents. Seriously OP, hold your horses.

Puppies in rescue are like hen's teeth. Yes, they do come in, but you often have no idea of their breeding or background.

I totally agree with those saying to hold on. If you genuinely want a puppy / dog (they grow up, and they last a long time!) now is the worst time to get one. Especially since you are new to it. Puppies need opportunities to mix with other dogs, to learn both to be sociable and to understand how to behave appropriately with other dogs. This is something that, as a human, you cannot teach them. Dogs that aren't socialised properly can suffer aggression, anxiety, and other undesirable traits. And in an abnormal world full of uncertainty, a purchase now may be not what you imagine it will be.

If your are quite sure that you want a puppy / dog after the lockdown, you will be better prepared if you did your homework now. Start learning about dogs and training. Think about dog behaviors and how you encourage them. Start organising for the new arrival, not just practically, but mentally. Be sure that this is what you can handle, not just what you want!

Then, when the lockdown is over, visit. See the parents, but also see the pup. You can tell a lot about what a pup had the potential to become, especially if you've been doing your homework!

If you are genuinely wanting to become the kind of owner that a dog deserves, then it won't do you any harm to wait a few months and prepare in meantime. If you are desperate and can't wait, ask yourself, is that because of what you want, or because it's best for a pup. You are taking on a baby, and a baby who will be dependent on you for the rest of its life. It will be as demanding as any other baby. Be sure that when you do this, you are doing it for the right reasons.

We have a 14-week-old pup, and this has been a perfect time to get a puppy for us. We're both working from home and will continue to do so until at least September. She was toilet trained in a week as we were both here to take her out a lot, and she has slept through the night since the first night (I realise we're lucky here).

As for socialisation, we carried her out and about pre-vacs and she's had lots of encounters with dogs on walks post-vacs, and encounters with strangers - if from a bit of a distance. As I understand it, you can view puppies in person under particular conditions (socially distanced, in the garden, etc.)

If we had waited until after the lockdown we would have really struggled to find time at home you need to spend with a puppy. And once we're back at work (Sept at the earliest) we'll be able to both work a couple of days at home so our puppy (which will then be 7 months) should only need day care or a dog walker on one day a week.

Thank you everyone. We found the perfect pup. A shih tzu. He is joining us early July