How to Avoid Puppy Farms and Online Dog Buying Scams
Bringing home a new dog is meant to be happy and hopeful—but the internet has made it easier for dishonest sellers to profit from desperate buyers. Puppy farms (often called puppy mills or backyard breeding operations) and other fraudsters may advertise “cute puppies” while ignoring welfare, health, and proper licensing. The result is often heartbreak, surprise veterinary bills, and dogs who are seriously unwell.
Knowing what to look for before you commit can save you money, stress, and—most importantly—protect animal welfare.
What Counts as a Puppy Farm (and What to Watch For)
A “puppy farm” is typically linked to high-volume breeding where dogs are kept in poor conditions and bred repeatedly with little or no real health and welfare oversight. Puppies may be raised without proper socialisation, separated from their mothers too soon, and sold with limited or questionable medical care. Kept in just awful conditions.
They may have multiple litters in a week, or month. Sometimes in excess of 10 litters per month.
With lots of popular breeds like Cavalier Kings Charles Spaniels, Doodles of every type, Cocker spaniels, Labradors, Maltese, Toy poodles, Unrecognised French bulldog colours. Lots of toy breeds which are popular. Dashshunds for example are a keen breed as highly popular.
These operations can be disguised by polished photos, generic social media profiles, and listings that look convincing at first glance.
Common Dog Buying Scams
Scammers often use tactics designed to rush you into paying or prevent you from verifying what you’re being offered. Watch for red flags like:
• Ads with unusually low prices or “too good to be true” deals
• Refusal to allow visits to see puppies. Sometimes delivery only available.
• Requests for full payment before you can properly view the puppy
• Stolen pictures used from other adverts or legitimate breeders
• Pressure tactics, such as claiming “someone else is paying today”
• Vague answers when you ask about health, vaccinations, or where the dogs live
In some cases, the puppy is never delivered at all.
Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
When you’re searching, be cautious if you notice any of the following:
• You can’t see the puppies in person (or you’re refused a live video call showing the puppies and their environment, or refused visits to see puppies)
• The seller has lots of litters available at the same time. Sometimes with no breaks at all from lots of puppies on the premises. With loads of different breeds available all at once.
• Puppies are offered too young (good welfare practice won’t allow early separation)
• The premises look overcrowded, dirty, or neglectful.
. If you are sent photos - look at the back ground is it dirty.
Puppies should be allowed access to the gardens. So here is a list now of things to look for.
All puppies require toileting bedding which does not always look fantastic as you would expect from cute photos. Because toilet training is being undertaken. 4 to 8 weeks is a time where puppies are learning to toilet away from their bedding. So breeders provide either:
1) Puppy pads - Either fabric or throw away.
2) Wood chippings
3) Tissue bedding
4) T bag bedding
5) Litter trays of wood pellets.
6) Artificial grass boxes.
Puppies are raised in pens, Kennels, stables, out buildings, homes. I know which I prefer and that is home raising. But the above list is how some breeders raise their puppies. So choose in your mind which you prefer.
Puppies should be allowed access to the gardens, not just kept in pens. Why? Muscle tone, bones, and of course enrichment and learning about the outside. Plus vitamin D from sunshine.
Puppies areas are clean and tidy.
Puppies are not kept in poop, urine with no changes.
Puppies are provided bedding which is cleaned daily.
Puppies have an enrichment plan. This could be just treats, or toys.
Puppies have been handled early on by breeder.
Puppies have a health check before leaving breeder. A letter should accompany your puppy with details of the check done.
Puppies should come with either a food sample or voucher for you to redeem free food so the puppy remains on the same diet for a week.
Puppy comes with paper work.
Breeder shows you knowledge on the breed they have, and happy to impart some wisdom.
Bringing home a new dog is meant to be happy and hopeful—but the internet has made it easier for dishonest sellers to profit from desperate buyers. Puppy farms (often called puppy mills or backyard breeding operations) and other fraudsters may advertise “cute puppies” while ignoring welfare, health, and proper licensing. The result is often heartbreak, surprise veterinary bills, and dogs who are seriously unwell.
Knowing what to look for before you commit can save you money, stress, and—most importantly—protect animal welfare.
What Counts as a Puppy Farm (and What to Watch For)
A “puppy farm” is typically linked to high-volume breeding where dogs are kept in poor conditions and bred repeatedly with little or no real health and welfare oversight. Puppies may be raised without proper socialisation, separated from their mothers too soon, and sold with limited or questionable medical care. Kept in just awful conditions.
They may have multiple litters in a week, or month. Sometimes in excess of 10 litters per month.
With lots of popular breeds like Cavalier Kings Charles Spaniels, Doodles of every type, Cocker spaniels, Labradors, Maltese, Toy poodles, Unrecognised French bulldog colours. Lots of toy breeds which are popular. Dashshunds for example are a keen breed as highly popular.
These operations can be disguised by polished photos, generic social media profiles, and listings that look convincing at first glance.
Common Dog Buying Scams
Scammers often use tactics designed to rush you into paying or prevent you from verifying what you’re being offered. Watch for red flags like:
• Ads with unusually low prices or “too good to be true” deals
• Refusal to allow visits to see puppies. Sometimes delivery only available.
• Requests for full payment before you can properly view the puppy
• Stolen pictures used from other adverts or legitimate breeders
• Pressure tactics, such as claiming “someone else is paying today”
• Vague answers when you ask about health, vaccinations, or where the dogs live
In some cases, the puppy is never delivered at all.
Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
When you’re searching, be cautious if you notice any of the following:
• You can’t see the puppies in person (or you’re refused a live video call showing the puppies and their environment, or refused visits to see puppies)
• The seller has lots of litters available at the same time. Sometimes with no breaks at all from lots of puppies on the premises. With loads of different breeds available all at once.
• Puppies are offered too young (good welfare practice won’t allow early separation)
• The premises look overcrowded, dirty, or neglectful.
. If you are sent photos - look at the back ground is it dirty.
Puppies should be allowed access to the gardens. So here is a list now of things to look for.
- 1). Does the breeder do activities with their dogs beyond breeding? Ie Showing, Judging, Working, Agility, PAT, Scent. Breeders who have activities show they are breeding for purpose and will most likely develop their dogs into dogs which will naturally purposely breed for those traits. Highly thinking of health testing.
- 2) Health testing - Check the hip scores and elbow scores for your chosen breed. There is an average score the Kennel club set out. For example the Vizsla is 0:0 elbows. For hips it is average of 12. Check my hip score page for more details on scoring.
- DNA testing is paramount in dog breeds also. The more dna tests done on the parents the more responsible the breeder is.
- Eye testing again is paramount in so many dog breeds. There are two BVA tests available, Glaucoma and an annual eye exam.
- 3) Breeders who Kennel club register or give you options for KC reg.
- 4) Breeders that microchip puppies first before collection.
- 5) Breeders who keep you updated on litter progress.
- 6) Breeders who will select puppies for you, not the other way around. Their knowledge is far more valuable to you than you choosing on the puppy looks cute.
- 7) You can visit the puppies or do a video call.
- 8) You are given details on what your puppy is like after assessment.
- 9) You get to meet the parents. Usually mum but if dad is available it's a bonus.
- 10) You are given lifetime support.
- 11) The breeders home appears clean and tidy. NO bite barks on furniture as this suggests boredom. Boredom from lack of enrichment for adult dogs.
- 12) Breeders have paper work all ready to take home when you collect puppy. Do not walk away with puppy with out paper work, as there is a high chance it wont ever come.
- 13) Breeders provide a receipt for monies paid.
- 14) Breeders have a reason why they do not vaccinate and tell you why. Or they vaccinate and give you the vaccine card. Lots of breeders prefer not to vaccinate young puppies. For example our vet disagrees with young puppies having one vaccine. Because the likelihood of you finding the same brad for second is slim. Then those vets will insist on starting again which then over vaccinates the puppy. This is our vets opinion. Other vets have different opinions. Our opinion on vaccine agrees with him but we also have firmer beliefs in mother's immunity.
- 15) Has a parasite control programme and has given you guidance.
- 16) Gives you a sample or vouchers for the same food type the puppy is being fed.
- 17) Gives you lots of information in the form of fact sheets on raising your puppy including diet sheets.
- 18) They can choose a puppy for you which is based on what you want. Either show, working etc.
- 19) IF the dogs are coated, they are presented In good condition, not matted, not too long coats. Are groomed.
- 20) Always happy to give you recommendations for other breeders with the breed. If they know of another litter available.
All puppies require toileting bedding which does not always look fantastic as you would expect from cute photos. Because toilet training is being undertaken. 4 to 8 weeks is a time where puppies are learning to toilet away from their bedding. So breeders provide either:
1) Puppy pads - Either fabric or throw away.
2) Wood chippings
3) Tissue bedding
4) T bag bedding
5) Litter trays of wood pellets.
6) Artificial grass boxes.
Puppies are raised in pens, Kennels, stables, out buildings, homes. I know which I prefer and that is home raising. But the above list is how some breeders raise their puppies. So choose in your mind which you prefer.
Puppies should be allowed access to the gardens, not just kept in pens. Why? Muscle tone, bones, and of course enrichment and learning about the outside. Plus vitamin D from sunshine.
Puppies areas are clean and tidy.
Puppies are not kept in poop, urine with no changes.
Puppies are provided bedding which is cleaned daily.
Puppies have an enrichment plan. This could be just treats, or toys.
Puppies have been handled early on by breeder.
Puppies have a health check before leaving breeder. A letter should accompany your puppy with details of the check done.
Puppies should come with either a food sample or voucher for you to redeem free food so the puppy remains on the same diet for a week.
Puppy comes with paper work.
Breeder shows you knowledge on the breed they have, and happy to impart some wisdom.