Buying your pup from a free ad?
Do you know the facts?
It would take the coldest of hearts not to fall in love with the first fluffy bundle of puppy breath that wonders out of the whelping box to meet you. But do you really know where that puppy has come from?
We have all heard the horror stories of owners buying their new puppy from seemingly caring breeders only to go through the devastation of losing them two or three days later. Watching a puppy die of parvo would quite possibly put any potential owner off owning a dog again. You can find out more about parvo here.
The dark side
Unfortunately illness is no longer the only consideration you as a potential owner need to take. Due to the surge in internet buying and ‘celebrity dogs’ there is now an underworld in dog breeding. Yes you read that correctly. Unscrupulous people such as a couple in Southport are illegally importing dogs bred in foreign countries and selling them on to unsuspecting owners.
This particular couple were utilising free ad sites such as preloved to sell the puppies on. It seems odd as someone who doesn’t see a price tag around a dogs neck to be using money as a factor to try and dis-wade you from using these sites to purchase a puppy.
However when you spend £880 on a puppy you or I would expect them to be in tip top condition. These puppies had been registered for pet passports however the age frame when they were seized meant that if they had in fact had their vaccinations the rabies jab would not have been viable!
Thankfully none of the pups tested positive for rabies but can you imagine bringing a dog into your home that could be carrying such a deadly disease.
Other considerations
The previous case aside buying a dog should be a well thought out endeavour, by all means use a free ad site to find your new dogs breeder but that doesn’t mean you need to buy from the first litter you meet. Good breeders will be more than happy to let you meet their parents and meeting the mother is a must.
Breeding puppies should never be about making money. The parents should be health tested, even cross breeds. The puppies should be well socialised, handled daily amongst many other considerations all too easily ignored.
You should be invited to see the breeding set up, any pups that have been kept back and be interrogated as if you are adopting child! A dog should be a life long commitment for you AND your breeder. It is all too easy to see a celebrity with their latest cute designer breed but if you lose your job and can no longer feed Fido will that breeder take him back?
There is nothing wrong with buying your pup from a free ad site if you do it correctly. Know the warning signs, make your checks and do not hand your hard earned cash over for the cutest eyes. Avoid the pain.
Almost all good breeders will have you sign a declaration to return the dog if for any reason you cannot keep it. Just as a good rescue will do.
