Beware of Puppy Flippers and Scammers on Craigslist!

So lately here I have been lurking on the Seattle Craigslist community pets classified ads and have found nonstop comments about puppy flippers and scammers. Unfortunately I have noticed the "trend" as well, personally spotting several ads that are suspicious and obviously not following the craigslist rules.

Craigslist rules specifically state pet sales, sale of animal parts and stud service are prohibited! A small re-homing fee is allowed. The norm for a small re-homing fee is set at $150 or less. Anything more can be and in my opinion is considered a pet sale. In which case I see a lot of re-homing fees placed at $300 and that's for a unpapered, unfixed, unvaccinated puppy  maybe given some OTC de-wormer and no proof of proper veterinary care. That is completely unsafe and unreasonable. You are better off paying a $300 adoption fee to a shelter at least the puppy would be vaccinated, fixed and have a full health check-up. I'm sorry but if you have a litter of puppies and are trying to "find them homes"with a re-homing fee over $150 (or even at that specific amount if your trying to comply with craigslist rules) you can be considered a backyard breeder.

There is no such thing as a "accidental litter". You are responsible for your dog. It is irresponsible to knowingly let your unfixed dog run around in the vicinity of another dog that is not fixed and assume you will find good homes for a unwanted litter or you are just one of those greedy people wanting to make a profit without considering the well-being of each individual puppy . You are simply adding to the overpopulation of homeless animals. There is no excuse that's that.

Now onto more heartbreaking matters. It seems like every where I look I keep hearing stories about people buying puppies off craigslist, taking them home and coming to find out there pup has Parvo or some other life-threatening illness and dying a few days later. I feel for the devastated families whom have to deal with this. I don't blame them I blame the uncaring people whom sold them the dog. These puppies often come from backyard breeders or puppy mill operations whom in which only care about making profits and could care less about the health and well-being of each individual dog.

Here are some tips from PAWS you need to know:

Animals in puppy mills are treated like cash crops

• They are confined to squalid, overcrowded cages with minimal shelter from extreme weather and no choice but to sit and sleep in their own excrement.
• Animals suffer from malnutrition or starvation due to inadequate or unsanitary food and water.
• Sick or dying animals receive little or no veterinary care.
• Adult animals are continuously bred until they can no longer produce, then destroyed or discarded.
• Kittens and puppies are taken from their mothers at such an early age; many suffer from serious behavior problems.

Look for these red flags:

• The seller has many types of purebreds or "designer" hybrid breeds being sold at less than six weeks old.
• Breeders who are reluctant to show potential customers the entire premises on which animals are being bred and kept.
• Breeders who don't ask a lot of questions of potential buyers.
• No guarantees-responsible breeders make a commitment to take back the pet at anytime during the animal's life, no matter the reason.

Help stop the suffering by taking these steps:

1. Be a responsible, informed consumer-if you do buy from a breeder, go to a reputable one who: 
• Will show you where the dogs spend their time and introduces you to the puppy's parents.
• Explains the puppy's medical history, including vaccines, and gives you their veterinarian's contact info.
• Doesn't have puppies available year-round, yet may keep a waiting list for interested people.
• Asks about your family's lifestyle, why you want a dog, and your care and training plans for the puppy.
• Doesn't use pressure sales tactics.

For more information check out: http://www.paws.org/puppy-mills.html

If you even think or question a pet ad is a scam or looks suspicious it more then likely is one. Most scammers take images from the internet and give very little information about the dog they are trying to sale. Never give out any personal information no matter how much you may want a specific animal the scammer is trying to advertise it is a ploy to scam you. Simply ignore and report immediately.

Report all suspected puppy flippers and scammers to Craiglist immediately so the ad can be removed. Simply click the suspected as and then click prohibited or spam.

All and all be careful when buying a pet on Craigslist.  There is always that small chance you get tricked into buying a sick puppy or kitten and regret it later when that puppy dies or you end up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars in veterinary care. All I can say is you are better off adopting a puppy or kitten at a shelter. Not only will you be saving a life but you will be getting a healthy, spayed/neutered and possibly micro-chipped pet. As the saying goes "DON'T SHOP, ADOPT."