Ugh! Scammers are the WORST. We hate them!

There is nothing more disgusting and disturbing than discovering that someone has stolen your puppy pictures or otherwise used your information to try and steal someone else’s money.

It hurts those of us who actually have good puppies because it makes buyers feel terrified and suspicious. And rightly so! Losing hundreds- if not thousands- of dollars is a horrible thing to go through! And add to that the heart break of not getting a sweet puppy that you had set your heart on- man it just makes our blood boil!!

That being said, there are a few things you can do as a buyer to be as sure as possible that the person you’re talking to is a legitimate breeder:

1. Ask to do a video call.

   A reputable breeder has nothing to hide! And it’s easy enough to arrange through facetime or facebook or zoom. There may be a bit of finagling with the schedule (there have been several times where a buyer wanted to video chat but Kayla was busy at her job of being a music teacher, and so Kelsey needed to conduct the video call, or when it was just short notice and we’ve had other things on our plate for the day so we needed to push it to another day) so don’t start getting worried if they ask for the video call to happen the next day or so. As long as they’re willing to do a video call at all- it shows that they are ready to show you their home, their dogs, and their puppies. This can go far to help a buyer have peace of mind!

   A few things to check during your video call:

   -Ask to see the parents. If the breeder is using their cell phone to conduct the video call they will most likely walk to wherever the parents are with their phone in hand. This gives you a chance to see the place where the dogs are kept!

   -Check the puppy’s paws. If the paws are stained brown, it’s because they’ve been walking around in their own poop and pee for far too long. You’re not looking for just a little bit- puppies get poopy no matter how many times you bathe them- you’re looking for a distinct staining on all four paws.

   -Ask to tour the property. Especially if they are using their cell phone to conduct the video call it’s a nice way to see the property virtually. As they’re walking around, if you see a shed or garage in the area that looks a little suspicious (or you hear a cacophony of barks coming from inside of them) ask to see inside. If it’s just a regular shed or garage it will be no big deal for the breeder to show you the inside of it. But if they start acting dodgy it might be because they don’t want you to see crates of dogs stacked on top of each other like something out of a dog’s nightmare.

2. Ask to come out to the house.

Even if you have no actual plans to come out to the house (for instance- if they live far away) still ask just to gauge their response. If they act weird or refuse to even entertain the idea of coming out to the house then it’s possible they are no good!

*We do know some breeders who are good, but still don’t like people to come to their homes because it’s dangerous inviting internet people to your home- especially if you have children. It can also be scary because if you invite the wrong type of person on your property and they twist their ankle or something, you could be facing a lawsuit! So this is not an immediate red flag. If anything- it’s a yellow flag. Just proceed cautiously.

**And if you do come out to their house and twist your ankle accidentally, don’t be a turd who sues people for things out of their control.

3. Ask for unique photos of the puppy

This can be a quick way to tell if someone actually has the puppy they’re attempting to sell. Ask for a picture with the puppy next to a roll of toilet paper. Or of the puppy with a piece of paper with your name on it beside them. Or for the puppy and the breeder doing a peace sign. Anything unique that a scammer wouldn’t be able to create on his own.

Now, sometimes Kayla talks to potential buyers while she’s working and so if they request a special photo she can’t take the picture immediately. So it is possible that even legitimate breeders will be a bit slow in getting the unique photo to you. But as long as they do eventually provide you with the photo you should be ok!

Inspect the photo carefully. Unless the scammer is somehow also super skilled at using photo shop (which, if they are, why aren’t they using that skill to make legitimate money rather than scamming people???) you can tell if the photo has been digitally altered in some way.

Or, to lower the risk of a good photo shop job, ask for a unique video of the puppy. It’s much harder to photo shop moving things! Get a video of the puppy walking around a piece of paper with your name on it. Or a video of the puppy sitting on top of the commode seat. Remember- it has to be something that the scammer wouldn’t be able to steal off of a reputable breeders website or facebook page.

4. Trust the vibes

A good breeder does not need to beg for sales. We are much more concerned with finding the right families for our pups than in making quick sales. If the person you’re talking to keeps trying to rush the sale- demanding a deposit and getting frustrated when you don’t immediately give it, or acting like your many questions are annoying- then it’s possible they’re trying to hoodwink you. Of course, sometimes even good people don’t have very good social skills or business skills. But if the vibes are off then just walk away!

Above all, you must work on avoiding Puppy Fever. Yes, this puppy is so cute and yes, you want a puppy right now. But rest assured, there will be another cute puppy. If this particular puppy doesn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that you will never get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy and it doesn’t mean that you lost out or that you’re a bad person who doesn’t deserve such a special breed. It just means that it didn’t work out!

You will find your dream puppy.

When it all works out perfectly- the timing is just right, the price is reasonable, the puppy is adorable, and the breeder is warm and accommodating- that’s when the puppy is your puppy.

That is the puppy you were always meant to have.