Puppy Advice

Tips for buying a puppy & avoiding puppy scams

Getting a puppy is easy – right? Sadly not. Many puppy buyers get scammed by rogue breeders or traders. Their only interest is to make a quick buck from a sale of a puppy to unsuspecting buyers. Here’s some tips for buying a puppy and how to avoid puppy scams.

Tips for buying a puppy & avoiding puppy scams

Puppy scams

Unfortunately, these peaks in puppy buying also mean that people are susceptible to puppy scams. These unscrupulous traders play on people’s emotions, knowing how difficult it is to walk away from a cute puppy. According to the RSPCA, reports about puppy farms in the UK have soared by 390 per cent in the last decade. The UK puppy trade is big business. It is reported that puppy smugglers can make as much money as drug dealers. 

There is some good news, however, for puppy buyers. A new law called Lucy’s Law (introduced 6th April 2020) bans the sale of puppies from third parties, for example. This means that puppies can now only be sold directly by the breeder and not via pet shops or online traders.

Buyer beware

Despite steps being taken to crack down on the puppy trade, caveat emptor or ‘buyer beware’ remains the all-important message to puppy buyers. 

Check this out: Questions to ask when buying a puppy by Battersea

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