HI! Question about buying puppy online

tomatoboi

hey guys.. I recently found an ad and the perosn says she is giving up her YORKIE for adoption..She is currently in Africa doing a mission and is willing to give up her puppy. The price would be 130.00 for shipping. The thing is.. can i trust her ? Will i be scammed? ive never bought a puppy onlnie before! pleez help me

Curbside Prophet

Don't do it! How do you know if she isn't sending you a dog that is very sick or has temperment issues? Unless you can meet the dog, and have it checked out by a vet before purchase, don't buy this dog. Instead, call your local yorkie rescue if you're looking for a yorkie. You can search pups to rescue online, but I would never but a pup online. You really need to meet and vet check the pup first.

MagicToller

I don't want to make a generalization because I can't be entirely sure it isn't a scam, but this doesn't sound safe. Their are no contracts or any kind of document that guarantees you the dog. Plus, there is the added health risks you need to take into consideration. Not only do you not have any record of the dog's vaccines or anything, but later on the dog can develop crippling problems that you will end up paying :/ Just because the dog is being advertised as free doesn't mean it's a good deal. Personally, I would wait a bit longer and either contact a yorkie rescue, or find a reputable breeder that will certify the pup for health (hips, elbows etc.) clearences and provide you a sound dog that you know is from someone that is working to improve the breed and not make some extra dollars.

Cheetah

This is actually a well-known scam. "She" will keep asking for money via wire transfers (which can't be recovered if they're sent out of the country), and then, after waiting so many weeks and paying so many hundreds of dollars, you'll never hear from this person again. Steer clear of them.

It's best to avoid buying a puppy online if the person selling the puppy is not reputable (which is 95% of the time). I did purchase my corgi from a breeder in Canada, and paid via PayPal, BUT I did loads of research on his breeder beforehand. She is a member of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, and both Shippo's parents' OFA results and registration numbers were in the national databases when I ran a search, plus they are both Champions. I would not have gone for it otherwise.

DogAdvocat

I agree with the others, it's very likely a scam. But if you still aren't sure, and you want this dog, contact a rescue or humane society that is near her and have them intercede. Don't let her make the contacts - you do it. It would be too easy for her to have a friend (fellow scammer) get on the phone and claim to be the humane society. Once you find a rescue or humane society that will help, you can wire them the money to ship the dog to you. Personally, I doubt there really is a dog, and it's far too easy to get pictures of other people's dogs off the internet, so you could be looking at a dog that she doesn't even have.

You can find humane societies all over the world at www.worldanimalnet.com and don't forget that there are lots of Yorkie rescues here that have dogs for adoption.

Puppy & Dog Forums

 

Raggs

This is a scam, trust me. I've seen it. Never buy a dog from someone where you can't go visit the dog or they don't give you information. If the spelling is horrible and so is the grammar then this is a sure sign of a scam. Check your local humane society and rescues. Purebreds are all over the place now. NEVER NEVER NEVER buy from someone overseas that is just willing to give up a dog. Unless it comes straight from a breeder, but a little tip. To get a purebred dog from overseas is no easy task. They don't send just any dog to the US or any other country and they sure as heck will not take them back once they have entered the US, mainly for health reasons. It can take up to a year to get a dog from another continent, so unless you are going to breed and become and extremely reputable breeder, just don't do it.

EydieG

No, No, NO! My son and daughter-in-law almost fell for this one. 'Oh, the lady seems so nice', they said. "We can trust her." She even e-mailed them pictures. Well on the day the dog was supposed to be delivered, it didn't come. They were told it was because the Western Union office was closed on Saturday, but would be open on Sunday. Then the dog was supposed to have been put on the wrong plane and they needed more money to get it to the right place. My son said no, so then something else happened and they asked for more money. The dog that was originally about $300 would have ended up costing $800, that is if the dog ever actually showed up. Well fortunately, they were able to cancel the money from Western Union so they weren't out any money and ended up buying a Yorkie locally. Please don't fall for this!

cshellenberger

SCAM SCAM SCAM I ran into this scam while looking for a bulldog pup (I got a wonderful adutl girl from the shelter) These people steal pictures of pups from legit breeders and put them online as adoptable dogs. Run far faar away!!!!!!

MarleyGirl

If you want to you can log onto www.petfinder.com . Type in whatever type dog your are looking for and your area and it will give you a list of local shelter dogs to help save. There are pictures and a little desription of each dog. It will also let you know where to vist it. Give that a try!

skelaki

To add one more voice: scam, scam, scam!!

tomatoboi

Thanks!!! if it wasnt for u guys, i woulda lost alota money

Peterson Pocket Pups

DON'T Do IT! I actually had someone send me a picture of my OWN pup from my website. I almost fell over! At first I thought someone was playing a joke... this really couldn't be happening - what are the chances of getting my own pup's picture! I wrote them asking if they were the breeder...they said YES. I couldn't help myself, I asked for a picture of the pup WITH the parents. Never heard back from them. I then turned it all over to the 'copyright' police... cuz my pup, my website, my photo, my copyright... This website is still on the web so I assume it is still in business. Now my advise is: IF a person claims to be the breeder, ask for a date and time stamped photo of the pup with both parents. Then NEVER buy without meeting and a contract. A good breeder should insist on both unless there is a very good reason a meeting can't take place...

Lokum

if you ask me dont buy a dog which you cant see really if you get one go to store or shelter that is so much better way ...

cshellenberger

Yes, a couple of reputable breeders I contacted had the same thing happen. That's how I found out it was a scam. Of course I had suspected it any how due to the spellling. Way to similar to the "You've inherited 2million dollars form_____ in Cameroon.

skelaki

First, while going to a shelter or legitimate rescue group is a good thing, NEVER NEVER NEVER purchase a dog from a store! (I'm not talking about the dogs PetsMart brings in from shelters and rescue groups here.)

One other thing to remember is that with some of the rarer breeds it is sometimes necessary to deal with a breeder long distance. In those cases an actual visit (by either party) may not be feasible. BUT, both the breeder and buyer can ask each other lots of questions and can ask for references. And no one should purchase a dog based on a fancy internet site.

Nnancy

I wouldn't if I were you. I've used puppyfind.com and have had good and bad luck. The good was the female mastiff I just got and the bad is three chihuahuas, that got big, the bigger. They no more looked like a Chi that the man in the moon. Look in the ads and go see the dog and the place and see the parents. I've also been taken when I bred my Schnauzer, now deceased. The lady showed me the breed history and when I had three pups and asked for the 5 generation, the father was on the top and bottom, so the lady was line breeding which to me is inbreeding and the 3 were a little squirley. Good Luck

Puppy & Dog Forums