Does this sound ‘off’ to you ?

[NoProblem123]

I responded to a brand new advert that came out today. They had 5 boys and 3 girl puppies available. A bit of tooing and froing with WhatsApp photos but I only wanted a girl - he sent me a pic of the 3 girls together and I picked which one and gave him the eta of early evening when I’d be there.

In the afternoon he called me in a different number during the afternoon to confirm I would be bringing cash. I wasn’t, I’d be doing a transfer but he said he was ok with that.

Got to his road from the sat nav and tried calling on both numbers but no answer for at least 10 mins. He eventually called me back with his house number 98, but as a walked up the road he called out to me from a completely different number (maybe 70).

Went in expecting a pack of puppies but no, only 1 and it was a boy and was really tired but otherwise looked ok.
I said I’d reserved a girl and showed him all the photos and messages between us (from today) but he said he must have got confused with his different dogs as they were quite similar. I find this hard to believe- yes they were quite similar colours but surely you would know your dogs by the time you are selling them ??
He then said he was happy to to do a deal on this puppy, which again seems odd if he’s just sold 7 in 1 afternoon at presumably full price ?

I asked where mum was, he said he’d isolated her because she was getting upset (indicated towards bedroom), I asked to go and see her but he changed his mind and said he’d isolated her out of the house. It’s dark, raining and we’re in lockdown so I’m not sure where mum was.

I left empty handed, partly because it wasn’t what I’d reserved after driving so far, but mainly because I’d expected mum and at least some of the other 7 puppies there.

Thoughts please on this one ?

Oh this definitely needs reporting. Poor puppy, I hope the mum and litter are okay. What a disappointment for you too. Not very nice all round

Unusual to just have puppies available just like that. Yes, sounds like you dodged a bullet.

@NoProblem123 I bought both my dogs from breeders and had to complete a home questionnaire for only one. Both were from KC registered reputable breeders, so that part wouldn't have flagged, but you're right. The two numbers combined with the wrong address and no Mum or other pups would have. Glad you reported it.

Just because puppies are KC registered, doesn't mean they didn't come from a puppy farm or dodgy background. I wish people would realise that.

Lots of places have also been known to fake papers so puppies look legitimate or genuine but they're not.

However that's been posted on here before, and people have been shot down in flames for even suggesting that certain places are puppy farms

Oh do bore off @sunflowersandbuttercups

@usualbollocks

Oh do bore off *@sunflowersandbuttercups*

Aren't you a delight?!

I'll post what and where I like, thanks.

Poor puppy! Glad you walked away OP

What can you report? He made sure you didn't have a name, address or bank details...

@sunflowersandbuttercups

Everything else you’ve listed was on route so I did not walk into anything thank you.

I'm sorry, but you really did walk right into this. I can't really believe you think otherwise.

Firstly, thought it was acceptable and a
good idea to buy a puppy, unseen, via a random stranger on the internet.

You'd never met this person before, you didn't know who he was, what the puppies looked like or what the parents were like. You had no proof of health testing. And yet you still decided it was a good idea to go ahead and purchase a puppy from him anyway.

That's a whole host of red flags that you chose to ignore in order to get a puppy straight away

Or do you not care where your puppy comes from? Do you not want to make sure the parents are of good temperament and are happy and healthy? Do you not want to make sure the parents have had all the relevant health tests?

Did you read or just judge? She didn't buy the puppy and she reported it

Did you read or just judge? She didn't buy the puppy and she reported it

Yes, I know that. My point is, she should have been aware it was dodgy before she even got to the stage of going to the man's house.

I don't think I'm judgy - it just upsets me that people keep falling for these dodgy adverts. It shouldn't have taken OP seeing an unwell puppy to realise how problematic the situation was.

It says to me that if the puppies had been as described on the advert, she'd have bought one and walked away - ignoring all the red flags that were leading up to that point.

First sentence that puppies were no available. That screams puppy farm. Never mind the rest.

I would expect a breeder to ask for evidence of a secure garden or outside area, to want to know the details of the vet, to ask about how long they are at home, to ensure they agree with the breeder's requirements around further breeding.
I'd expect them to ask about food & exercise. I'd expect them to go on a waiting list, perhaps pay a deposit, and then a further conversation in a couple of weeks. I'd also expect them to agree that if for any reason the new owner needed to get rid of the pup, it would come back to the breeder. At any stage in their life.
As a further step, I would anticipate the breeder wanting to meet the prospective owners. I'd want them to meet the puppies at least once before choosing a pup, and then once again before taking them home.
I'd want photographic evidence of bed, bowl, etc & hopefully new owners having puppy classes & maybe daycare all lined up.
It's a huge commitment, buying a puppy, and if you're forking out a grand or more for a living animal, this should be totally fine to do.

Lots of good advice on here which I really appreciate and will certainly be following in future.

@sunflowersandbuttercups the puppy wasn’t unwell (although I’m no vet) it was tired, and if you’d actually read my previous reply you would know I wouldn’t have taken any puppy in those circumstances. It is upsetting though knowing this goes on so you are right to be judgey about anyone who drives the demand.

the puppy wasn’t unwell (although I’m no vet) it was tired, and if you’d actually read my previous reply you would know I wouldn’t have taken any puppy in those circumstances. It is upsetting though knowing this goes on so you are right to be judgey about anyone who drives the demand.

I apologise as I did miss that bit, and I'm glad you would have walked away :)

Unfortunately, lots of people "feel sorry" for the puppy and buy it, and therefore they keep fuelling the demand. These people wouldn't do what they do if there wasn't a profit to be made. Sadly I suspect that although you did the right thing, someone else will have turned up later and bought him.

I think if puppy farms were 'easy' to spot, and everyone understood the welfare issues (as well as links to wider crime etc) then they would be declining instead of increasing.
I believe most people, like the OP, are genuine & wouldn't want to support puppy mills & criminal activity, people are just a bit naive or unaware & bowled over by cute, available, slightly cheaper puppies.

When we bought our puppy it went something like this.

I found an advert on champdogs for a bitch expecting a litter.

I checked the parents health scores and did some research into the stud dog.

I emailed them asking to go on the waiting list for the litter.

When the puppies were born they had people on the list than puppies. They sent out questionnaires for us all to fill in.

We had to answer questions about our working patterns, what kind of exercise we could provide, whether we lived on a main road, whether we had an enclosed garden any other pets, experience with the breed etc etc.

From this they chose 6 families for a litter of 6.

We were told this was provisional and they would make a final decision on our suitability when they met us.

Visited when the pups were 4 weeks old and we were approved, and able to choose our puppy.

Saw the whole litter, and the mother. Evidence that they had been born and raised in the home (Had also been sent regular photos and videos of the mother and puppies prior to this)

Returned at 8 weeks to collect the puppy and bring him home. Had to sign a contract agreeing to no breeding, returning the puppy to the breeder if we couldn't cope rather than selling on etc.

So basically, what I've outlined above is the process involved in buying from a responsible breeder. This is what you should be looking for. Anything else
(puppies available same day, no waiting list, no interview, not able to see the mum and rest of the litter) equalls massive red flags. Never mind the address and phone number stuff!

@Ihaventgottimeforthis

I think if puppy farms were 'easy' to spot, and everyone understood the welfare issues (as well as links to wider crime etc) then they would be declining instead of increasing. I believe most people, like the OP, are genuine & wouldn't want to support puppy mills & criminal activity, people are just a bit naive or unaware & bowled over by cute, available, slightly cheaper puppies.

Oh, I agree, I don't think most people are malicious or doing it on purpose by any means.

I think there needs to be a lot more public awareness about how to spot a puppy farm or dodgy breeder, but sadly a lot of these people appear legitimate - pups are KC registered and some mass breeders will even be council registered. People don't realise that that doesn't necessarily mean they're above board.

It's easy for regulars on this board to rush to judgement: we know how things are in the puppy business. A lot of people honestly have no idea. None.

Credit to OP for realising what was up and walking away.

You did the right thing to walk away, as hard as that must have been! I had a similar experience to @Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady whereby the breeder chose us rather than us just handing over money and getting a puppy. We met them twice, answered a questionnaire, saw their surroundings, met mum and other dogs that lived in the family home, met the litter and got to choose our pup. We also had to provide evidence of our secure garden and home circumstances. From about 4 weeks of age when we choose our pup we have been in a Facebook group with the breeders and other puppy owners, we keep in close contact with our retrievers breeder and she is our first point of call if I have any concerns as she is an experienced owner. She would always have our puppy back if we became unable to look after her and we got extensive paperwork with her. Her mum and dad were both hip and elbow scored etc. Good luck in finding your puppy, but yes remember to be patient! My friend has been waiting a year for a retriever puppy!

Shocking insights here from the Eye

www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1541/in-the-back