Puppy Buyers Guide
Buying a puppy is often an exciting and fun time, but there is also a downside to buying puppies. There are horror stories of buying a puppy only to find out that it is prone to illness, or it isn't the breed of dog that you thought it was.
It is usually obvious when a puppy seller should not be trusted, but lots of people do seem legitimate, so it is important to always be vigilant.
The following guidelines should help you when going to see puppies for sale.
- Always insist on seeing the puppies with their mother. This is important to ensure the breeder isn't just re-selling the puppy, and gives you confidence when you can see that the mother is healthy.
- Ask to see where the dog sleeps. Living conditions for poorly bred puppies are often dreadful, and dealers often have lovely homes that they invite you into, and keep you away from where the puppies really live.
- Ask to see the parents' hereditary screening certificates.
- Ensure the puppies are well socialised and react well to a human presence.
- Try to pick the strongest looking puppy from the pack, usually the one fighting with it's brothers and sisters, or clambering over everyone to get to you. Don't feel sorry for the lonely puppy at the back, this is often the runt of the pack and can often develop problems later in life.
Things not to do:
- If the breeder asks to meet in a public place like a car park or a service station it's usually because they have something to hide. Don't fall for it.
- Don't buy a puppy because you feel sorry for it, or to save it from ill-treatment. You'll only be funding the breeder to do it again to more puppies.
- If you suspect anyone is miss-treating any animal please contact the RSPCA immediately. Please also let us know with as much detail as possible so we can promptly remove them from the website.
