Offered a 14 week old puppy

[MightyMeerkat]

Hi. I've been offered a 14 week old puppy. The current owner has had it for 6 weeks but realised they made a mistake. What questions should I be asking? And should I be asking for evidence of vet checks and jabs etc? I've never bought a dog before so would appreciate any tips.

Also, they are saying the puppy sleeps and is toilet trained but I imagine it will almost be back to square one with the training? It must be upsetting for the pup to be re-homed at that age.

Lucy's Law only applies to licenced sellers i.e. pet shops. It doesn't apply to private individuals who can still sell on their own single pups as a one-off

It applies to all third party sales ie everyone who did not breed the puppies and or who is not a rescue

Posing as someone who has just made a mistake and is selling as a one-off is another puppy farm front

What kind of person buys a puppy when they have health issues that mean they can't care for a puppy??

@bunnygeek. some of Lucy's Law applies to commercial breeders but the bit about selling on puppies that you haven't bred yourself applies to everyone. No one is allowed to sell a puppy that they haven't bred themselves.

@wetotter @EmmaGrundyForPM I know that's how Lucy's Law was framed, but I'm afraid it's not true. It only applies to commerical licenced sellers. There is nothing to stop people selling individual puppies under 6 months old privately that they can no longer keep. Licenced sellers are regulated and therefore technically would be tracked under law. Private sellers are not. Yes this is a massive loophole that no one has yet managed to close.

Lucy's Law is actually the much more catchy "The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019"
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1093/made

Can’t believe some on here are still bleating on about Lucy’s law.

It’s very simple, as PP said, it only applies to commercial selling, and there is absolutely no way on earth to regulate if jo Bloggs next door buys a puppy and then sells it on for cash to his next door neighbour.

people need to not buy puppies from gumtree and the like because it’s really the wrong thing to trade living creatures as commodities. The threat of a law which doesn’t actually apply to them isn’t going to deter them is it?

Lucy's Law covers both licence holders, and those carrying out licensable activities

In your shoes I might be considering taking on this dog because I would be worried that the dog might either be returned to a less than reputable breeder or sold on to someone else who can't care for it. However, I have some experience with mistreated/unsocialised rescue dogs and would be prepared for the fact that the dog will almost certainly be traumatised from being moved several times, may have behaviour issues that are the real reason for rehoming and will need quite a lot of training.

Given the possible complications of Lucy's law I would think about asking a rescue centre for advice. They may have come across this sort of thing before and if the owner has genuine reasons for giving up the puppy they might be willing to help you sort things out in the best interests of the puppy.

Are they asking money for the puppy?
I too remember the thread where the OP bought a puppy and then the breeder found out and demanded the puppy back, the person OP had bought the puppy off refused to give any money back. Be careful.

[quote EmmaGrundyForPM]@GingerAndTheBiscuits. she's not going to need any of that because legally she can't buy the puppy. The law says any puppy or kitten under 6 months has to be returned to the breeder.[/quote]
Of course she can buy the puppy. No ones going to arrest her

@wetotter

Lucy's Law covers both licence holders, and those carrying out licensable activities

Buying a litter of puppies with express purpose of reselling them i.e. shipping puppies from Russia to resell = licensable activity.

Selling a single puppy on Gumtree because you're not able to cope, situation has changed, it wasn't what you imagined = not licensable activity. Is there a lot of grey areas here? Yes, yes there is. It's a goshdarn mess.

Sorry to nitpick this, everyone. Lucy's Law being championed as the be-all and end-all of puppy sales is a bug bear of mine. It's not. It's a tiny little bit of an enormous puzzle that still has a ton of loopholes and dodgy dealings going on. And yes, people lie to get round any laws anyway. It relies on Joe Bloggs reporting any legit dodgy dealings to trading standards, if they're even aware they've been conned in the first place.

For the OP - I would walk away from this puppy.

Where did you see this puppy online. Have you looked at rescue centres for a puppy or an older dog or a breeder site lime Champdogs.