So you are thinking…I don’t want to take the time to go down to a shelter and look a dogs…I’ll just go on the internet…it will be easier. Will it? Please, before you make the decision to go on the internet, take a look at 10 reasons why you should not buy a puppy online.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, Don’t be fooled: the Internet is a vast, unregulated marketplace allowing anyone to put up a website claiming anything. Scattered among the websites of reputable breeders and rescue groups, Internet puppy scammers attract potential buyers with endearing pictures and phony promises.
Before buying a puppy off of the internet, consider these 10 factors:
1. Don't buy from someone who accepts credit cards, that usually means it's their business, and they're just doing it for money."
2. Don’t buy online from a local independent Seller. If so, you must verify the seller's information. Many people posting puppies for sale on Craigslist or other classifieds-style sites are a risky venture. You'll need to take extra steps to make sure the seller is a legitimate person or business, and you can request references if they have sold other puppies from the same parent. Just call the phone number and ask how you can verify their identity before proceeding.
3. Good breeders don't sell puppies online. Puppy mills and some backyard breeders do.
4. A good breeder may have websites. They won't have pictures of puppies with prices next to them; generally, they won't discuss price at all.
5. A good breeder will not always have puppies available, because they breed on or two litters a year, at most.
6. If you buy a puppy online, with no visit to the breeder's home, you have no idea whether the puppy you receive will be the one you thought you were buying, with the cute picture..
7. Before you buy a puppy online from a breeder, obtain the breeder's kennel name, telephone number and exact location. This is important. After you have this information, you'll want to consider finding out if they are legitimate from the Better Business Bureau.
8. Some buyers have waited weeks for delivery, only to find that they had become victims of fraud - being charged hundreds of dollars for a non-existent puppy that will never arrive.
9. Although sellers will invariably ensure a bouncing, healthy puppy, upon arrival puppies have been reported either sick, suffering from a chronic illness, or to have suffered injuries in transit.
10. When you decide to purchase a puppy online, you will not get the opportunity to meet it and see what its personality is like.
According to Francis Battista, of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, "80% of the people who acquire a new pet buy one rather than adopt one from a shelter or rescue group....If 80% were adopted and only 20% were purchased, there wouldn't be a homeless pet problem at all."
Please listen to what Stephanie Shain, Chief Operations Officer, Washington Humane Society, has to say about buying a puppy online.
