When you want to add a new furbaby to your home, the last thing you want is to be scammed by someone pretending to be a reputable puppy breeder. Several signs can help you to spot a puppy buying scam and protect yourself from significant financial loss. At Little Teton Doodles, we strive to provide you with superior breeding practices to help you add a healthy furbaby to your property. Here are a few of our tips for spotting a puppy buying scam.
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A price that is too good to be true usually is. When you search for a good breeder near you, you will likely get a general idea of what you can expect regarding pricing. If a litter of puppies is listed at a significantly lower price than the other ones that you have seen, it is possible that you are looking at a puppy buying scam.
In general, the breeder isn’t going to transport the puppies around to new buildings every single day. While there are exceptions for veterinarian visits and other occasions, the background of the pictures should be pretty consistent. If you notice different colors of fence, flooring, or wallpaper in the background of the pictures, they may be stolen from the internet for a puppy buying scam.
Check the geotags on pictures posted on the breeder’s Instagram. If these geotags are inconsistent, the Instagram account is likely a puppy buying scam. This can help you to separate genuine breeders from scams.
A good breeder will want you to be able to visit the puppy in person or through video chat (i.e. FaceTime, Zoom, etc.) before you bring them home. If you cannot schedule a visit with them, it is possible that this is a puppy buying scam. Be especially wary if you are constantly being put off or rescheduled when you try to schedule a visit with the puppy.
If the “breeder” is pressuring you to pay more immediately, beyond the deposit you already paid, you are likely experiencing a puppy buying scam. Your deposit is intended to reserve the puppy. A good breeder won’t demand more money to keep the puppy reserved at the last minute.
It is common for a reputable breeder to have a waitlist. For responsible breeding, it is often necessary to give dams a break between litters. In addition, the puppies will have to stay with their mother for a set period of time. If the breeder doesn’t have a waitlist, it is possible that it is a scam.
However, it is also important to remember that sometimes people on a breeder’s wait list will “pass” on puppies because the timing isn’t right to add a puppy to their family when their turn is up. This scenario may cause puppies to become available immediately. So generally, a waitlist is a good indicator of a reputable breeder but remember that situations do come up that puppies can become available for sale without a waitlist. This situation sometimes occurs with Little Teton Doodles and if there are puppies immediately available, we will announce that to our interest list, as well as on social media.
A written contract is one of the major ways that you can detect a good breeder. If they don’t have a written contract, it is possible that you are facing a scam. A contract can help to provide you with legal recourse if there are problems. Puppy buying scams are all too common and give reputable breeders a bad name. By watching for these various factors, you can often spot a puppy buying scam and avoid financial loss. Search for good breeders to help obtain the ideal furbaby to expand your family. For more information about our puppies and how to spot puppy buying scams, contact us at Little Teton Doodles today!
