SCAMS - HOW TO AVOID GETTING RIPPED OFF

As exciting as buying a new puppy is you need to purchase one with the same awareness you would purchase a car, it is a business transaction and if you do follow this simple advice it will save you a lot of heartache and possibly money.

Firstly, IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS, STEAR CLEAR.

I have been approached by puppy buyers who will tell me I saw a puppy advertised for a fraction of what you are asking!!! Alarm bells should ring loud and clear. In cases such as this, most of the times there are no puppies available it is a scam just to get money from you. If someone advertises a puppy for $1000 and all other's are $3000 and over it's a clear indication adn for this I am referring to pure bred dogs.

Another is they send you beautiful photos of a very cute puppy and then you pay for it and they start telling you of small issues, one recently was that it had a umbilical hernia now this is ok if they told you before your paid for the puppy, but it's not ok if it is after. While an umblical hernia is normally from mum being a bit over zealous and cleaning the cord up to well it will not normally affect your puppy but it will need surgery to fix and should be ok to do while you are desexing your pet but it still costs more to do. Umbilical hernias are normally present from a very young age so don't be fooled when they say it just popped up. Inguinal hernias are within the groin and much harder to detect young but will be by the time the puppy goes for it's first vaccination and vet check. If it doubt ask for a vet check in writing from the breeders vet.

Oodle's - for more information have a look at my page on oodles but a recap here is:

Other than Poodle anything Oodle on the end of it's name

* is a cross breed they are not a pure breed.

* can't be guaranteed hypo allergenic no matter what you are told

* height, weight, coat type or temperament can'be guaranteed

* You shoud not pay more for an Oodle than a purebreed, they are cute but they are not special or rare but normally very little thougth or money has gone into producing the litter.

RARE - this is a word that is used in a lot of advertising for puppies the minute you see this keep scolling this screams of someone breeding for money only.

Deposits - Never put a deposit on an unborn puppy or to go onto a waiting list chances are you will never see that money again.

Check where the person is from and have a good look at their website I saw one recently that was selling puppies recently stating they were in Melbourne when they were infact in the US.

Photos if all or most of the photos on a website look professionally done do a reverse google search of the photos, so many are stolen from other peoples sites.

The following was sent to us by DOGS NSW our governing body recently;

Sadly it has become more and more apparent over the past few months that puppy scammers are out there in large numbers scamming thousands of dollars from unsuspecting, prospective and often naive people each month.

It is understood that as soon as one scammer site is reported and shut down, another site opens.

If, or when a person contacts you please, even if you don’t have a litter or are planning to breed, please alert people to scammers and that they they need to be mindful and on guard when contacting people advertising puppies for sale. The scam sites have wonderful photos of delightful puppies and paint glowing pictures to the uninitiated, unsuspecting potential puppy owner.

Please refer people to a DOGS NSW breed club, who have members that can provide guidance and direct them to DOGS NSW accredited breeders. Tell them to ask questions, speak to people - not just send texts or emails.

It really is the buyer, not knowing any better, falling for these scams. We have an obligation as responsible dog lovers, members and breeders to guide and educate people in how to tell the difference between a scammer (who in reality is a criminal) and a real registered breeder.

Importantly, if you become aware of a scammer you can report them to Scamwatch

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