Scammers and Bad Breeders
There are plenty of scammers who are ready to steal your money for the promise of a puppy you’ll never get!
In addition to puppy scammers, beware of bad breeders. Good breeders are not contributing to overpopulated shelters, and they give good breeders a bad name. In order to know the good from the bad, it’s just as important for you to carefully interview the breeder, as it is for them to interview you.
SCAMMER RED FLAGS
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The seller has a sad story of why they can’t keep the puppy.
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The seller wants to “rehome” a PUPPY and charge a rehoming fee.
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The asking price is cheap – in the hundreds, rather than the thousands.
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The asking price is in the thousands, but the seller wants the full amount up front. (Note: It’s typical for a breeder to ask for a $500 deposit to hold a puppy, and the balance is paid at the time you receive your puppy.)
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The seller shows you limited pictures of the parent dogs, and you’re not allowed to meet them in person. (I always ask if I can meet the parent dogs in person, even if I’m calling from a distance and won’t be able to visit. I want to hear their answer.)
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The seller won’t disclose their location, or allow you to visit the kennel or home where the puppy is raised.
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The seller won’t or “isn’t able” to do a live video call or send you a video of the puppy and/or parent dogs. (Note: There are times a breeder might not be tech savvy enough to do this, so this should be taken into consideration with other red flags.)
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If they have an Instagram or Facebook page, you notice that the photos are all very different (various backgrounds, image styles, sometimes even different breeds).
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Their IG or FB page has very few photos or looks like they may be stolen images.
​BAD BREEDER RED FLAGS
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You’re working with a “broker” who’s selling the puppies for someone else, and you can’t speak with the breeder themselves.
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There aren’t any pictures of the parent dogs
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They won’t or can’t tell you much about the parent dogs.
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The puppies are born and shipped from another country, or they won’t tell you where the puppies are coming from.
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The breeder doesn’t ask you very many questions or seem to care who their puppy is going to. (A good breeder will want to know that their puppies are going to forever homes, to families who will take excellent care of them.)
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The breeder seems to mainly care about the money, rather than the puppy.
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The breeder is disrespectful of your questions or tries to make you feel bad for asking certain questions.
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The breeder is willing to ship a puppy in the cargo of a plane. (Good breeders will hire a pet nanny to safely escort and care for a puppy in the cabin of a plane. Expect to pay an extra fee of at least $500 for this service. Transporting puppies in cargo is extremely frightening to a young pup, and has the potential for health issues in transport from dehydration, extreme temperature conditions or due to stress.)
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A bad breeder will not be available if you should have any questions after you get your puppy. (A good breeder will be available to answer any questions you might have throughout the life of your puppy, and into adulthood.)
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The breeder doesn’t have a contract that states that if you should no longer be able to care for your puppy/dog, that you will never abandon the dog to the pound or that you will never sell the dog. A good breeder will have it in the contract that if you can’t keep your dog for any reason, at any time throughout the life of your dog, that you’ll return the dog to the breeder for rehoming.
STORYTIME
When I was looking for my next puppy, I started “interviewing” breeders, and I talked with a lot of them! There was one lady in Canada who had the cutest pictures of puppies and parent dogs! I got totally suckered in by the pictures, but quickly found out that she would hardly give me the time of day. I was asking her about the puppy’s parents and she said that she couldn’t send me pictures or answer very many of my questions until I paid her the $500 deposit for the intent to buy a puppy from her. I loved the pictures of her parents and puppies so much that I actually paid her the $500 deposit. But even after that, she kept telling me how busy she was and said that she frankly didn’t have the time to be taking pictures. She added, “Besides, it’s ‘stressful’ for the puppies to be photographed”.
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I read some negative reviews about this lady, but since she also had some good reviews, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. My gut feeling was that this wasn’t the type of person I should be working with, but I ignored the red flags b/c of those cute pictures! After several weeks of her being so unavailable, I ended up deciding to not get a dog from her. So, learn a lesson from my mistake and don’t just fall for a few cute pictures! If the breeder is not available for you, or if there’s a lack of good communication, move on!
If every pet parent got their dog/s from reputable breeders or shelters, took the time to train their dog, and gave their dog the healthiest life they could, then we’d find very few dogs in shelters!
SHOULD I RESCUE A MISTREATED PUPPY FROM A BAD BREEDER
Should I “rescue” a puppy that’s being mistreated and pay the bad breeder what he/she wants?
If you’ve discovered that puppies and parent dogs are in an unhealthy environment, it’s tempting to pay the unethical breeder what they’re asking, in order to save the innocent puppy. Every situation is different and seeking the advice of organizations who know the local laws, could potentially save that puppy, as well other mistreated animals that person owns. Any time you suspect someone is abusing or neglecting animals, contact the local police, animal control, SPCA or a local humane organization. (Search “report animal abuse” and you’ll find local options.) If you want to adopt one of the puppies, these organizations can help you learn about the laws and process in your area and you may still be able to adopt the puppy – but from a shelter instead of the unethical breeder. It’s a tough situation because if you buy from an unethical breeder, it saves one puppy, but many more will suffer because that transaction encourages the criminal activity to continue. Just know that the more we avoid buying from unethical breeders and instead report them to the authorities, the fewer bad breeders there will be.