If I buy and ship a pup to me online, What should i ask the puppy seller? Health certificate?
February 20th, 2010 | by admin |
Many reputable breeders DO advertise online and ship puppies. For those of you constantly saying go to the breed club or AKC’s breeder referral, start looking up those kennels and you’ll find most of the reputable ones DO have websites and many will also ship.
Ask for proof of the parents registration, titles, and health clearances. You can ask to see a photo of the registration papers but don’t be surprised if the actual numbers are blacked out. Many do that to prevent others from stealing the information to use on their own. For titles, they should be able to either send you a copy of the certificate, show you a picture, or show you online where the dog has earned its title. For health clearances, they should be able to send you a copy of the certificate, send you a picture, or send you the link to the dog’s page on the health clearance database. For any pictures, ask that they have a card with your full name written on it in the photo so you can be sure they actually took the picture and didn’t steal it from someone else.
Other things you’ll want to ask are about temperament, contract, guarantees, refund/replacement policy, registration, any special requirements, what is being fed, any shots/wormings done, any training the puppy might have before it leaves, how it is raised and socialized, what comes with it, and any other questions you can think of. There is never a stupid question unless it is one you didn’t ask. Even if you don’t intend to actually go, ask if you can come visit their house to see the parents, litter, and where the animals are kept in person. The only correct answer is "yes". If they say not ever, run the other way. If they say you can after the pups are a certain age, that is normal and is not a no. They just want to make sure the puppies’ immune systems mature a bit before they allow people over. A good breeder will not take offense to being "tricked" as they will understand why you did it.
For shipping details, you will want to know what the cost for shipping is and what it covers. Standard things to charge for are air fare, travel certificate, and crate. Some breeders may also charge for the gas to get to the airport. Ask if you can pick the date or if they only have certain days of the week they’ll ship. Details will have to be worked out between you and the breeder.
Be very leery of a breeder that accepts your deposit and doesn’t even ask you a single question. They are likely out just for the money and could care less about the dogs. If you’re dealing with a new breeder, ask if you can at least speak to their vet. For established breeders, ask for references.
Good luck finding your new pet!
8 Responses to “If I buy and ship a pup to me online, What should i ask the puppy seller? Health certificate?”
By Mik on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
I wouldn’t recommend having it shipped to you. Most puppies are traumatized for the rest of their lives when that happens. Be very suspicious about people selling puppies unless they are certified breeders or you’ve actually been to the owner’s home.
References :
By oregano13 on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Do not ever buy a puppy online, they ALL come from puppy mills. They are the only places that produce enough volume to need to look outside their local area for buyers. No one reputable sells puppies online and ships to people they don’t know. Reputable breeders care about their dogs and want them to have excellent homes that they screen in person. Get in touch with the AKC-affiliated breed club for the breed you are looking at and ask for referrals to reputable local breeders. Ask lots of questions and visit in person.
References :
By Jackson+Remi+Molly=Family on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Don’t. No reputable breeder will sell a puppy online. They should require that you meet them in person. Yes, a health guarantee should also be required- usually one year. Parents should have breed appropriate testing done, and you should be able to meet the sire and dam and see where the puppies are raised.
References :
By Alesi's Chi's on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Yes, reputable breeders DO sell puppies online, and plenty of them ship. It is stressful for the puppy, but horror stories are rare and if shipped on an airline with climate controlled cargo, the pup should be fine. A health certificate is required when a pup is shipped, but what you should be asking your breeder is their dogs’ show records, the health testing that they do, and the results for both parents. You should ask to see pedigrees for the puppies, and you’ll want to make sure they’re registered with a reputable registry. A good breeder doesn’t breed simply to produce and sell puppies. If you see no purpose for them breeding, then find another breeder
References :
By Katwala on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
If you find the perfect puppy for you and the perfect breeder for you and they are not within driving distance then one option is to have the puppy shipped to you. A health certificate will be required for shipping via air.
There are lots of questions that you should be asking the breeder, but most are breed specific. Go to the homepage for the breed club in your country and it will likely tell you what questions to ask about the breeding, the parents of the pup, what tests have been done on both the parent and the pup, etc.
A reputable breeder should have a contract that guarantees the pup for a certain amount of time for some transmittable diseases and even longer for certain genetic anomalies (even with full health testing of the sire and dam of a litter problems do crop up from time to time).
MORE importantly, the breeder should have LOTS of questions for you. A breeder that doesn’t want references, doesn’t want to know about YOU and where the pup is going is not a reputable breeder.
Do your homework and good luck to you!
References :
20+ years of responsible breeding (and yes, I have RESPONSIBLY sold dogs to many times across country and around the world who to people have found me online thankyouverymuch).
By Eileen of Companions on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Yes, some reputable breeders will ship puppies, but unless you or someone you trust has actually seen the home where the puppies are raised you should never buy a puppy online. Not all online breeders who ship puppies are actually puppy mills, but if you or someone you trust does not see where the puppies come from IN PERSON you will have no way of knowing whether the dogs are from a mill or not. And don’t take verbal assurances, puppy mill owners will flat out tell you they are not running a puppy mill.
Puppy mills are horrible organizations in which dogs are deprived of human contact, socialization, and basic cleanliness. They are often forced to stand on wire their whole life, leading to sores, and the dogs often suffer from conditions like urine burns (where urine has actually chemically burned their skin since so much has sat on the surface) due to the lack of care. In addition to this, the parents are almost never screened for potential health problems, leading to unhealthy puppies. Many mills will give a "health guarantee" instead of checking bloodlines and genetics of their breeding dogs, gambling on the fact that once you have taken a puppy home and fallen in love with it you will not return it if a health problem develops.
Look here for guidelines on finding a good breeder:
http://www.stoppuppymills.org/pdfs/how_find_good_breeder.pdf
Good luck!
References :
Professional Dog Trainer, http://www.CompanionsWA.com
By Erica Lynn on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
Many reputable breeders DO advertise online and ship puppies. For those of you constantly saying go to the breed club or AKC’s breeder referral, start looking up those kennels and you’ll find most of the reputable ones DO have websites and many will also ship.
Ask for proof of the parents registration, titles, and health clearances. You can ask to see a photo of the registration papers but don’t be surprised if the actual numbers are blacked out. Many do that to prevent others from stealing the information to use on their own. For titles, they should be able to either send you a copy of the certificate, show you a picture, or show you online where the dog has earned its title. For health clearances, they should be able to send you a copy of the certificate, send you a picture, or send you the link to the dog’s page on the health clearance database. For any pictures, ask that they have a card with your full name written on it in the photo so you can be sure they actually took the picture and didn’t steal it from someone else.
Other things you’ll want to ask are about temperament, contract, guarantees, refund/replacement policy, registration, any special requirements, what is being fed, any shots/wormings done, any training the puppy might have before it leaves, how it is raised and socialized, what comes with it, and any other questions you can think of. There is never a stupid question unless it is one you didn’t ask. Even if you don’t intend to actually go, ask if you can come visit their house to see the parents, litter, and where the animals are kept in person. The only correct answer is "yes". If they say not ever, run the other way. If they say you can after the pups are a certain age, that is normal and is not a no. They just want to make sure the puppies’ immune systems mature a bit before they allow people over. A good breeder will not take offense to being "tricked" as they will understand why you did it.
For shipping details, you will want to know what the cost for shipping is and what it covers. Standard things to charge for are air fare, travel certificate, and crate. Some breeders may also charge for the gas to get to the airport. Ask if you can pick the date or if they only have certain days of the week they’ll ship. Details will have to be worked out between you and the breeder.
Be very leery of a breeder that accepts your deposit and doesn’t even ask you a single question. They are likely out just for the money and could care less about the dogs. If you’re dealing with a new breeder, ask if you can at least speak to their vet. For established breeders, ask for references.
Good luck finding your new pet!
References :
By SHOW BREEDERS SELL MUTANT PUPS. on Feb 20, 2010 | Reply
i wouldn’t trust buying one online…get one locally so you can go meet the breeders and see the parents and pups…you pay for a pup but never get it…my niece spent out $300 she even talked to this person on the phone sent her pictures by email…kept telling her that they was sending her pup never got it…and there is nothing you can do…this person ripped her off…
References :
pom breeder
i get TDs by show breeders and Peta fans because i don’t breed by kennel club breed standards to parade around in a show ring for judges to get points ribbons or $50,000 best in show kennel club breed standards health>>>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3341924/Pedigree-dogs-face-extinction-due-to-inbreeding.html