Pets4Homes deposit scheme - is it safe?

[Kahid87445]

After many had been scammed during the pandemic last year, Pets4Homes introduced a Deposit Scheme to make buying a puppy (or other animals) more safely and to avoid people being scammed.

How does the scheme work?

Is a video call sufficient proof to see if a puppy is real?

Is one supposed to ask the breeder for his/her address and other details?

If someone needs to pay a £350 deposit and then a video call takes place and both agree to release the deposit, what is stopping a breeder from simply stopping to contact the buyer after he/she has accepted to release the deposit money?

Does Pets4Homes carry out safety checks to verify a breeder's ID before the money has been released into his/her bank account?

Has anyone used the scheme?

The scheme is mandatory for anyone wanting to sell puppies. I must state that I haven't read any stories of people being scammed since the introduction of the scheme.

Thanks everyone!

[quote Kahid87445]@Shmithecat2

You posted, "Decent breeders don't need to advertise. They will already have a waiting list. Any breeder, KC registered or not, does not breed litters speculatively."

So, why, even before the pandemic, were there still plenty of puppies available to buy on the Champdogs and the Kennel Club websites?
Your claims are hogwash.

Who gets to define what a 'decent breeder' is exactly?[/quote]
That's my point really - being registered with KC or Champdogs doesn't mean they're a decent breeder - you only have to look at some recent Crufts winners to see how little the actual health and wellbeing of a breed is to KC for example . As I said, decent breeders, those that actually care about the breed rather than those just coining it in, don't need to advertise. Reputation, word of mouth etc means that they usually have waiting lists. But if you want to dismiss my thoughts as hogwash to justify buying a puppy off the internet, fair enough.

Decent breeders don't need to advertise
This is such a rampant myth. A small proportion of breeders don't need to advertise (other than very occasionally, say if let down by a purchaser at the last minute) because they work or show their dogs, have a reputation for what they breed, and maintain a website in which they can put up a post about a bitch in whelp. They never pay for an advert, but they get their name out there in other ways.

But plenty of very good breeders do advertise. They don't have a website, but they have an excellent, health-tested dog. They'll be keeping a puppy, and they have homes lined up for another three or four. Their bitch may scan as being in whelp with 7 or more puppies. They advertise, early, to give themselves time to weed through the people who get in touch, including getting hold of their mate the trainer that the prospective purchaser claims to know.

@Kahid87445
Humans have kept dogs as companions for centuries and there will always be a supply and demand for dogs - get used to it.

Plenty of supply in rescue centres across the country, mixed and breed specific.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

Decent breeders don't need to advertise This is such a rampant myth. A small proportion of breeders don't need to advertise (other than very occasionally, say if let down by a purchaser at the last minute) because they work or show their dogs, have a reputation for what they breed, and maintain a website in which they can put up a post about a bitch in whelp. They never pay for an advert, but they get their name out there in other ways.

But plenty of very good breeders do advertise. They don't have a website, but they have an excellent, health-tested dog. They'll be keeping a puppy, and they have homes lined up for another three or four. Their bitch may scan as being in whelp with 7 or more puppies. They advertise, early, to give themselves time to weed through the people who get in touch, including getting hold of their mate the trainer that the prospective purchaser claims to know.

If you say so. All I'm seeing though is attempts at justifications for indiscriminate breeding or a willingness to turn a blind eye to shitty ethics because you want a cute puppy.

All I'm seeing though is attempts at justifications for indiscriminate breeding or a willingness to turn a blind eye to shitty ethics because you want a cute puppy.

As I said, good breeders sometimes advertise.
This litter, for example
No way is that 'indiscriminate breeding'. But yet... AN ADVERT!

Nowhere have I defended poor practice. Far more dogs are imported into the UK from puppy farms abroad than are PTS in rescue centres and pounds. Puppy farming is the issue, not a family with prior breeding experience (or a helpful mentor) breeding their pet springer to a health-tested and carefully chosen stud.

@Shmithecat2

Ah, you have let the cat out of the bag! In a nutshell, you are against people buying puppies because there are dogs in animal shelters.

Those dogs were puppies once you know.

By the way, do you not believe in personal choice? If I want to buy a puppy rather than rescue a dog it is my choice.

@Shmithecat2

Lol, what a fallacious argument. I would never buy a poorly looked after puppy and I would report a person selling poorly looked after puppies.

I don't need to "justify" buying a puppy.

Those dogs were puppies once you know

Well yes, and where is their breeder now? still selling on Pets4homes

Those dogs were puppies once you know

Well yes, and where is their breeder now?still selling on Pets4homes

Shitty owners are not the breeders fault.

Peoples circumstances change, People telling breeders what they think is right... you can't possibly get to know a person over a few hours.

I disagree @Ylvamoon. Of course circumstances change, but until breeders actually take responsibility for the pups they have sold they will keep turning up in shelters.

And actually shitty owners are the breeders fault - owners who see a pup online, buy on a whim and aren't vetted by the 'breeder' and have no clue what they're getting into.

@somethinginthewater

Not necessarily. Plenty of the dogs who end up in animal shelters are often the litter of stray dogs.

Why should a breeder take any responsibility for what an owner does in the future?

Let me make it clear that question is referring to a decent breeder who has vetted a potential buyer and not just someone who has made his/her female dog get pregnant in order to sell puppies to anyone for money.

Your argument is flawed.

@Kahid87445 the stray dogs also once had a 'breeder'.....

The idea that noone who buys a puppy ever allows it to stray is essentially flawed.

@sunflowersandbuttercups

That's a crap strawman argument.

Present a decent argument otherwise stop embarrassing yourself by using fallacies.

[quote Kahid87445]@sunflowersandbuttercups

That's a crap strawman argument.

Present a decent argument otherwise stop embarrassing yourself by using fallacies.[/quote]

@sunflowersandbuttercups I think we have to admit that @Kahid87445 is very knowledgeable

Hi just wondered how you got on with this. Was thinking of doing it myself